AUDUBON THURSDAY BIRDERS SCHEDULE Winter 2014 – 2015

[Rosyfinch]

AUDUBON THURSDAY BIRDERS SCHEDULE

Winter 2014 – 2015

TO CHECK FOR POSSIBLE TRIP CANCELLATIONS, visit the Audubon website: http://www.newmexicoaudubon.org/cnmas. Click on TRIPS, then click on THURSDAY BIRDERS.


DECEMBER 4

Hike Rinconada Canyon in the Petroglyph National Monument with Sara Jayne Cole: [e-mail], 505-554-1665. Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the trailhead parking lot on the west side of Unser Boulevard NW where Unser intersects with St. Joseph’s Avenue. The walk will be about two miles long on a trail that is relatively flat but is composed of soft sand. It should end before noon.


DECEMBER 11

Walk around the Tingley bosque ponds with Becky Purvis: 505-877-2517, [e-mail]. Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the Tingley Ponds main parking lot. To reach the area, drive west on Central Avenue past Rio Grande Boulevard, then turn left on Tingley Drive. Take the first turn to the parking lot near the concession stand. The walk will be about one mile in length and will end before noon.


DECEMBER 18

Hike up Bear Canyon with Rebecca Gracey: 505-242-3821, [e-mail], followed by a holiday potluck lunch at the home of Liz and Larry Kuo. Meet at 10:00 a.m. in the Michael Emery Trailhead parking lot east of Tramway on Spain. (Spain is north of Montgomery and south of Paseo del Norte.) Follow Spain until it ends on High Desert. Turn right for a short distance to the parking lot. The group will walk a mile then go to the Kuo’s nearby home for lunch. Green Chile Stew, coffee, and hot cider will be provided. Everyone else should bring other dishes and beverages to share with the group. Directions to the Kuo’s home will be handed out at the hike. If not attending the walk, contact Rebecca for directions.
 

DECEMBER 25 – Christmas Day, no trip planned.


JANUARY 1 – New Year’s Day, no trip planned.


JANUARY 8

Drive to see raptors on the eastern plains of Torrance County with Bonnie Long: 379-1985, [e-mail].

Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the parking lot on the west side of the Tijeras Senior Center on NM 333/ Rt. 66. To reach the parking area turn north on Tijeras Avenue, just west of the Tijeras Library. The group will drive south of Moriarty and Estancia to look for raptors. Lunch will be at the Old Mill in Estancia. The group should be back in Tijeras in the late afternoon. For those not driving the shared gas expense is $5 at five cents per mile.

 
JANUARY 15

Hike up Embudito Canyon in the foothills of the Sandias with Leah Henzler: 505-280-2085, [e-mail].  Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the Embudito Trailhead parking lot. To reach the canyon drive east on Montgomery past Tramway, then turn left on Glenwood Hills. Continue 0.4 miles before turning right on Trailhead Road. This is an easy one-mile walk that will end before noon.
 

JANUARY 22

Visit the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area in Belen with Linda Heinze: 505-565-1441, [e-mail], for a 1.5-mile walk. Meet at 8:50 a.m. for a 9:00 departure from the parking lot behind the Hawthorne Suites on Gibson and University Boulevard or 9:45 at WWCA on NM 47. Lunch will be at Rutilio’s Mexican Food in Los Lunas near the intersection of NM 47 with NM 6. The trip should end mid afternoon. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $4 at five cents per mile.
 

JANUARY 29

Walk in the Alameda Open Space with Gale Owings: 505-255-8333. Meet at 9:00 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.

 
FEBRUARY 5

Visit the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge with Judy Liddell: 505-271-0912, [e-mail].  Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the parking lot behind the Hawthorne Suites on University and Gibson. A secondary meeting place will be McDonald’s in Socorro at 9:15 for a quick rest stop and just enough time to get food to go. The group will depart for the Bosque del Apache at 9:30. Bring lunch. A $5 entrance fee or Federal pass is required per car. The group should be back in Albuquerque in the late afternoon. For those not driving the shared gas expense is $10 at five cents per mile.

 
FEBRUARY 12

Walk in Calabacillas Arroyo with Maurice Mackey: 505-897-0415, [e-mail]. The group will meet at 9:00 in the parking lot that is located on the west side of the Rio Grande River. The area is reached by driving north on Coors, past Paseo Del Norte. After passing Irving Boulevard on the west, turn east on Westside Drive. Look for the Nicky V’s Pizzeria sign. Follow Westside Dr. about 0.2 of a mile to a gate on the left. Turn left onto Calabacillas Road and then turn right to reach the parking area. If driving south on Coors from Corrales or Alameda, get in the left turn lane at Nicky V’s. The walk will end before noon.  

 
FEBRUARY 19

Drive to Sandia Crest to look for the Rosy-Finches with Barbara Hussey: 505-385-1165, [e-mail]. Meet at 9:50 a.m. for a 10:00 departure from the west side of the Four Hills Shopping Village located on Central Avenue between Tramway and Juan Tabo. Snacks or lunch may be bought at the Crest House restaurant as the group waits inside for the Rosy-Finches to arrive at the feeders. A $3 parking fee or Federal Pass is required per car. For those not driving the shared gas expense is $3 at five cents per mile. The trip should end in the early afternoon.

 
FEBRUARY 26

Walk the perimeter of Los Poblanos Fields Open Space with Lefty Arnold: 505-514-9398, [e-mail]. Meet at 8:57 a.m. in the open space parking lot. From Montano, east of the Rio Grande River, turn north on Tierra Viva and take the first left into the Open space parking lot. There will be a sign for Rio Grande Community Farms. It will be an easy one-mile walk ending before noon.

 
OTHER BIRDING OPPORTUNITIES:

Central New Mexico Audubon Society has occasional weekend field trips. These are found on their website, http://www.newmexicoaudubon.org/cnmas, or in the Burrowing Owl publication of CNMAS.

 
NATURE CENTER BIRD WALKS

Join Saturday and Sunday morning bird walks at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park located at the far west end of Candelaria NW beginning at 8:30 a.m. There is a $3 parking fee without a State Parks Pass or Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center Pass. Both may be purchased in the visitor’s center after 10:00 a.m.

 
THURSDAY 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

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], 264-1052.

Wildlife Rescue located near the Nature Center for injured birds: 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’ or ‘Hotspot Explorer’, 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.