Audubon Thursday Birder Winter Schedule 2012-13

[Rosyfinch]

Thursday Birder Winter Schedule

DECEMBER 6

Hike the open space at the east end of Copper followed by a Holiday Potluck with Joe Schelling: [e-mail]

Meet at 10:00 a.m. in the open space parking area for an easy one-mile walk. Afterwards attend a potluck lunch at the home of Cindy and Joe Harris. Soup, coffee and tea will be provided. Everyone else should bring other dishes to share with the group. Unwrapped gifts for the Toys for Tots program will be collected from those wishing to contribute. Directions to the potluck location will be handed out at the hike.
 
DECEMBER 13

Walk around the Albuquerque Open Space Visitor Center and nearby bosque with Maurice Mackey: [e-mail] Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the center’s parking lot. Turn east from Coors Boulevard between Montano Road on the south and Paseo del Norte on the north. The walk will end before noon.

DECEMBER 20

Walk the trails from the Shining River Bosque Open Space with Gary Shirk: [e-mail]

Meet in the open space parking lot at 9:00 a.m. It is located directly south of Paseo del Norte and north of El Pueblo Road on Rio Grande Boulevard. There is no exit from Paseo del Norte to Rio Grande Boulevard. Take the 2nd Street exit from Paseo and then take El Pueblo west to Rio Grande. The walk will about 1.5 miles and will end before noon.
 
DECEMBER 27

Walk around the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park with Becky Purvis: [e-mail] Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the parking lot. There is a $3 parking fee if you do not have a State Parks Pass or Friends of the RGNC Pass. Both passes may be purchased inside the visitor center after 10:00 a.m. The walk will end before noon.
 
JANUARY 3

Drive to several locations along NM 14 and San Pedro Estates in the east mountains with Lannois Neely: [e-mail]

Meet at 8:50 a.m. for a 9:00 departure near the Carl’s Jr. in the Four Hills Shopping Center on the south side of Central between Juan Tabo and Tramway Boulevard. The trip will end before noon. For those not driving the shared gas expense is $2 at five cents per mile.
 
JANUARY 10

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

Meet at 8:50 a.m. for a 9:00 departure from the parking lot on the west side of the Tijeras Senior Center. From NM 333 (old Rt. 66) turn north on Tijeras Avenue, just west of the Tijeras Library. The group will drive south of Moriarty and past Estancia to look for hawks. Lunch will be at the Old Mill in Estancia. The group should be back in Albuquerque in the late afternoon. For those not driving the shared gas expense is $5 at five cents per mile.

JANUARY 17

Visit the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area in Belen with Linda Heinze: [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, 455 N. Main, in Belen for Mexican food. The trip should end mid afternoon. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $4 at five cents per mile.

JANUARY 24

Visit the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge with Sei Tokuda: [e-mail] Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the parking lot behind the Hawthorn Suites on University and Gibson. 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.

JANUARY 31

Hike up Embudito Canyon with Gale Owings: Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the 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.

FEBRUARY 7

Walk around the Tingley bosque ponds with Lefty Arnold: [e-mail] Meet at 8:57 a.m. in a parking area located further south on Tingley Drive from the parking lot by the fishing ponds. This parking area is directly across Tingley Drive from a building at the zoo with a blue mural on it. To reach Tingley Drive, turn south from west Central. The group will have lunch afterwards at the Red Ball Café, 1301 4th Street SW.  

FEBRUARY 14

Walk in the Alameda Open Space with Judy Liddell: [e-mail] Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the open space parking lot on the south side of Alameda Boulevard. It is directly east of the Rio Grande River and west of the traffic light at Alameda and Rio Grande Boulevards. The group will have lunch afterwards at Village Pizza in Corrales.

FEBRUARY 21

The location for the February 21 trip has been changed since the Crest House will be closed for the winter and the group would not be able to sit inside to see the Rosy-Finches. Here are the new plans:

Drive to locations between Moriarty and Estancia, NM, to look for hawks with Rebecca Gracey, 505-242-3821, [e-mail]

Meet at 9:20 a.m. for a 9:30 departure near the Carl's Jr. in the Four Hills Shopping Center on the south side of Central between Juan Tabo and Tramway Boulevard. Bring lunch. The trip should be over in the late afternoon. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $4 at five cents per mile.  

FEBRUARY 28

Hike up Embudo Canyon with Rebecca Gracey: [e-mail] Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the trailhead parking lot located at the east end of Indian School Road in the Sandia foothills. This is an easy one-mile walk that will end 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. The walks start at 9:00 a.m. in the winter. 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: http://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], 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. Clink on ‘View and 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.