AUDUBON THURSDAY BIRDERS SCHEDULE For Autumn 2013

[Rosyfinch]

AUDUBON THURSDAY BIRDERS SCHEDULE

For Autumn 2013

SEPTEMBER 5
Walk around the Tingley bosque ponds with Rebecca Gracey: 505-242-3821, [e-mail]. Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the Tingley Ponds main parking lot, the first turn off Tingley Drive. Tingley is a south turn from Central Avenue SW. The walk will end before noon.

SEPTEMBER 12
Visit the Jemez Mountain cabin of the Feltz family near La Cueva with Lou Feltz: 505-856-1322, [e-mail].  Many bird species may be seen from the deck and nearby meadows. Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the center of the parking lot in the Far North Shopping Center located on the east side of San Mateo and the north side of Academy. Bring Lunch. The trip will end in the early afternoon. For those not driving the shared gas expense is $7 at five cents per mile.

SEPTEMBER 19
View the Belen Marsh then visit the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area with Linda Heinze: 505-565-1441, [e-mail]. Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the parking lot behind the Hawthorn Suites on Gibson and University Boulevard or 8:00 at the marsh. To reach the marsh, take Exit 195 to Belen from I-25. Drive east one mile to the Taco Bell parking lot on the south. The hike at WWCA is an easy 1.5 mile walk. Lunch will be at El Rancho de Valencia in Los Lunas on NM 6 near the intersection with NM 314.  For those not driving the shared gas expense is $4 at five cents per mile.  

SEPTEMBER 26
Drive to Cochiti Lake with Judy Liddell: 505-271-0912, [e-mail]. Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the center of the parking lot in the Far North Shopping Center located on the west side of San Mateo and the north side of Academy. The group will access the lake from NM 16 in order to take the Tetilla Peak Road on the east side of the lake. People can meet the group on NM 16 at the turn off to Tetilla Peak at 8:30. Bring lunch. For those not driving the shared gas expense is $5 at five cents per mile. The group should be back in Albuquerque in the mid afternoon.

OCTOBER 3
Visit Capilla Peak, the fall hawk-watch site for Hawk Watch International, in the Manzano Mountains with Bonnie Long: 505-379-1985, [e-mail].
SPACE IS LIMITED TO TEN PEOPLE as required in a wilderness area. CALL BONNIE TO RESERVE ONE OF THE TEN SPOTS. Please let her know if you have a change of plans so that someone else may attend.
Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the west side of the Four Hills Shopping Village on Central Avenue between Juan Tabo and Tramway. High clearance vehicles will be needed for car-pooling because of the deeply rutted forest road leading to the site. To reach the site take NM 337 south out of Tijeras until it intersects with NM 55. The group will meet Bonnie at this junction at 9:50 a.m. Turn west on NM 55. In the town of Manzano take FR 245 to Capilla Peak. Once in the parking area, there is a walk of .2 of a mile over a rocky path that can be best facilitated with a walking stick and hiking boots. It can be cold and windy on the side of the mountain where the hawks fly by. Bring lunch and a monetary donation to Hawk Watch International. For those not driving the shared gas expense is $4 at five cents per mile. The trip will end in mid afternoon.

OCTOBER 10
Travel to the Randall Davey Audubon Center in Santa Fe with Lefty Arnold: 505-514-9398, [e-mail] Meet at 8:17 for an 8:27 departure from the center of the parking lot in the Far North Shopping Center located on the east side of San Mateo and the north side of Academy. Bring lunch. For those not driving the shared gas expense is $6 at five cents per mile. The group should be back in Albuquerque in the mid afternoon.

OCTOBER 17
Walk in the Alameda Open Space with Gale Owings: 505-255-8333. Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the Open Space parking lot on the south side of Alameda Boulevard, just east of the Rio Grande River. The one-mile walk will end before noon.

OCTOBER 24
Walk around the Albuquerque Open Space Visitor Center and nearby bosque with Maurice Mackey: [e-mail], 505-897-0415.
Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the center’s parking lot on the east side of Coors Boulevard. The entrance road is located north of Montano Road and south of Paseo del Norte. It will be an easy 1 1/2 mile walk. If time allows the group will also go to nearby Los Poblanos Fields Open Space on Montano. The trip will end before noon.

OCTOBER 31
Walk around the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park with Leah Henzler: 505-293-0191, [e-mail].  Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Candelaria Wetland Blind near the parking lot. A $3 parking fee, State Parks Pass, or Friends of the RGNC Pass is required per car. Both passes may be purchased inside the Visitor Center after 10:00. The walk will end before noon.

NOVEMBER 7
Hike the Open Space at the east end of Copper in the foothills of the Sandias with Jeane Dugan: 505-296-0702, [e-mail]. Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the parking areas along Copper for an easy 1.5 mile walk ending before noon.

NOVEMBER 14
Visit the Durand Open Space in the South Valley with Lannois Neely: 505-890-7881. [e-mail]. Meet at 8:20 a.m. for an 8:30 departure from the back parking lot of the Hawthorne Suites on Gibson, just west of University Boulevard. The Open Space is located at 4736 Isleta SW, two miles south of Rio Bravo SW. The walk will end before noon.

NOVEMBER 21
No Trip – Enjoy the Festival of the Cranes at the Bosque del Apache NWR.
http://www.friendsofthebosque.org 

NOVEMBER 28
No Trip – Thanksgiving


OTHER BIRDING OPPORTUNITIES:
Festival of the Cranes, November 19 - 24, at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, 20 miles south of Socorro, NM. For registration information go to www.friendsofthebosque.org and click on Festival of the Cranes.

Central New Mexico Audubon Society has occasional weekend field trips. These are found on the CNMAS web site, www.newmexicoaudubon.org/cnmas and in the Burrowing Owl publication of CNMAS.

During September and the first week in October there are Tuesday morning bird walks in the Sandia Mountains sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service. Meet at the Sandia Ranger Station at 8:00 a.m. to begin each trip. The ranger station may be reached from I-40 by taking exit 175. Drive south one half mile on NM 337 to the ranger station on the east. From there the group will visit different locations in the mountains.

There are Saturday and Sunday morning bird walks at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park located at the far west end of Candelaria. The walks start at 8:30 a.m. during the months of September, October, and November, and 9:00 a.m. in the winter. A $3 parking fee or pass is required.

THRUSDAY BIRDER TRIP REPORTS:
Judy Liddell’s Blog: http://www.wingandsong.wordpress.com
Joe Schelling’s Blog: http://joeschelling.wordpress.com and photo website: www.sandianet.com
Phil Trine’s Photographs: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thbirds 
NM Rare Bird Alert http://www.nmbirds.org
Rare Bird Alert for all states    http://www.birdingonthe.net 
To report NM rare birds contact Matt Baumann at [e-mail], 505-264-1052
Wildlife Rescue for injured birds, located near the Nature Center: 505-344-2500

To find where reported bird species have been sighted, go to http://www.ebird.org. Click on ‘Explore Data’, then ‘Range and Point Maps’, and type in the species name and general location.
To get a listing of birds reported in a given location, after clicking on ‘View and Explore Data’, choose ‘Bar Charts’, and select the location.