AUDUBON THURSDAY BIRDERS SCHEDULE - SUMMER 2014

[Rosyfinch]

AUDUBON THURSDAY BIRDERS SCHEDULE

 For Summer 2014

TO CHECK FOR POSSIBLE TRIP CANCELLATIONS go to the Audubon web site: www.newmexicoaudubon.org/cnmas.

Click on TRIPS, then go to THURSDAY BIRDERS.
 
JUNE 5

 Visit the Feltz family’s Jemez Mountain cabin near La Cueva with Lou Feltz: 505-856-1322, [e-mail]. Many montane bird species may be seen from the deck and nearby meadows. Meet at 6:50 a.m. for a 7:00 departure from the Far North Shopping Center located on the east side of San Mateo and the north side of Academy Boulevard. Meet in the center of the large parking lot. 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.
 

JUNE 12

Walk in Tunnel Canyon south of Tijeras with Lannois Neely: 505-890-7881, [e-mail]. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Sandia Ranger Station on NM 337 to carpool 2.2 miles south to the canyon. (Tunnel canyon is north of Otero Canyon.) Nesting Black-chinned Sparrows were seen here last summer. The group will walk one mile and the trip will end before noon.  
 

JUNE 19

Visit Valle del Oro National Wildlife Refuge in the South Valley with Lefty Arnold: 505-514-9398, [e-mail]. This 570-acre area is the Price’s Dairy property that is now an urban refuge. The Bobolink was seen at the refuge last year at this time. Meet at 7:19 a.m. for a 7:29 departure from the parking lot behind the Hawthorne Suites on Gibson SE, just west of University Boulevard or 7:50 at the refuge. To reach the refuge, drive south on I-25, exit on Rio Bravo, and turn south on 2nd Street. Drive 3.2 miles to the parking area by the refuge mailbox. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $3.00. The trip will end before noon.
 

JUNE 26

Visit the Sandia Mountain Natural History Center in Cedar Crest with Melissa Howard: 505-286-9365, [e-mail]. 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 Boulevard or 8:30 at the Center located in Cedar Crest, 2.6 miles from the I-40 exit, on Columbine Road, just north of Coffee at Dawn. The Center consists of 128 acres owned by the Albuquerque Public Schools and borders the Cibola National Forest. The group will walk 1.5 miles on fairly flat trails. The walk will end before noon. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $1 at five cents per mile.
 

JULY 3

Tour the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge south of Socorro, NM, with Rebecca Gracey: 505-242-3821, [e-mail]. Meet at 6:50 a.m. for a 7:00 departure from the parking lot behind the Hawthorne Suites on Gibson SE and University Boulevard. Bring Lunch. The trip should end in the late afternoon. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $10 at five cents per mile.

           

JULY 10

Walk among the Tijeras Pueblo Ruins at the Sandia District Ranger Station with Barbara Hussey: 505-385-1165, [e-mail]. Meet at 8:00 a.m. in the parking lot of the ranger station located .5 of a mile from exit 175 from I-40 on NM 337. The group will walk about 1/3 of a mile along the interpretive trail and the outing will end by 11:00 a.m.
 

JULY 17

Travel to Villaneuva State Park on the Pecos River with Maurice Mackey: 505-897-0415, [e-mail]. Meet at 6:50 for a 7:00 departure from the west side of the Four Hills Shopping Village on Central Avenue between Juan Tabo and Tramway Boulevard. The park is 65 miles east on I-40 and 20 miles north on NM 3. There is a $5 entrance fee per car if one does not have a State Parks Pass. Bring lunch. The trip should end in mid afternoon. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $8 at five cents per mile.  
 

JULY 24

Visit the Balsam Glade Picnic Area and Capulin Springs in the Sandia Mountains with Donna Royer: 505-463-7380, [e-mail]. 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 Boulevard. A $3 parking fee or Federal pass is required per car. The group will walk a half-mile in the Balsam Glade area and then will sit quietly at Capulin Springs while waiting for the birds to visit the water. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $3. The trip will end before noon.  
 

JULY 31

Visit the Simms Ranch and Bonnie Long’s house in the Manzano Mountains for hummingbirds, bluebirds, and a potluck meal with Bonnie Long: 505-379-1985, [e-mail]. Meet at 8:50 a.m. for a 9:00 departure from the west side of the Four Hills Shopping Village on Central Avenue between Juan Tabo and Tramway or 9:50 at the entrance to the Simms Ranch on NM 337, six miles south of Chilili where Bonnie will meet people. An event at the lunch will be the celebration of Les Hawkins’s 100th birthday. Bonnie will provide chicken enchiladas, cheese enchiladas and iced tea, and everyone else should bring other dishes and drinks. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $3.50 at five cents per mile.
 

AUGUST 7

Walk around the Tingley bosque ponds with Leah Henzler: 505-293-0191, [e-mail]. Meet at 8:00 a.m. in the Tingley Ponds main parking lot by the concession building. Take the first right turn from Tingley Drive, south of Central Avenue SW. The walk will end before noon.
 

AUGUST 14

Visit Cienega Canyon in the Sandias with Gale Owings: 505-255-8333.

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 Boulevard. The group will park in the lower parking lot in Cienega Canyon and walk up the road to the spring at the upper parking lot and back for a total of 1.5 miles.  A $3 parking fee or Federal pass is required per car. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $1.50 at five cents per mile. The trip will end before noon.
 

AUGUST 21

Walk in the Corrales bosque and view the Mississippi Kites in Corrales with Joe Schelling: 505-797-9018, [e-mail]. Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the shopping area north of Alameda Road/NM 528 and east of NM 448/Coors/Corrales Road. The parking lot is across Alameda Boulevard from McDonald’s on the south. Participants should park away from the businesses. The group will carpool from there. All are invited to have lunch afterwards at Village Pizza in Corrales.
 

AUGUST 28

Rio Chama from Abiquiu Lake to Christ in the Desert Monastery with Judy Liddell: 505-271-0912, [e-mail]. Meet at 7:20 a.m. for a 7:30 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 Boulevard. The group will explore the riparian area below Abiquiu Dam that often hosts a plethora of migrating species in late August and then head to Forest Road 151 west of Abiquiu Lake as far as Christ in the Desert Monastery where potential species include Sage Thrasher, Pinyon Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, Townsend’s Solitaire and a variety of sparrows. Bring lunch. The trip should end in the late afternoon. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $13 at five cents per mile.
 

OTHER BIRDING OPPORTUNITIES;

Central New Mexico Audubon Society has occasional weekend field trips. For information about these trips go to www.newmexicoaudubon.org/cnmas or consult the Burrowing Owl publication of CNMAS.
 

From May through mid 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. by taking Exit 175 from I-40 and driving south one half mile on NM 337 to the ranger station on the left.
 

Saturday and Sunday morning bird walks starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park located at the far west end of Candelaria.  A parking fee of $3, State Parks pass, or Friends of the RGNC pass is required.
 

SOUTHWEST WINGS BIRDING & NATURE FESTIVAL: July 31 – August 2, in Sierra Vista, AZ. For more information go to www.swwings.org.
 

THURSDAY BIRDER TRIP REPORTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS

Judy Liddell’s Blog: www.wingandsong.wordpress.com

Joe Schelling’s Blog: http://joeschelling.wordpress.com and photo website: www.sandianet.com

NM Rare Bird Alert: www.nmbirds.org

Rare Bird Alerts for all states: www.birdingonthe.net

To report NM Rare Birds, contact Matt Baumann at 264-1052 or [e-mail]
 

Wildlife Rescue for injured birds: Wildlife Rescue at the Rio Grande Nature Center, 344-2500.
 

To find where reported bird species have been sighted, go to www.ebird.com

Click on ‘Explore Data’, then ‘Range and Point Maps’ or ‘Hotspot Explorer’, then 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 Date’, choose ‘Bar Charts’, and select the location.