CNMAS Thursday Birders Spring Schedule

[Rosyfinch]

THURSDAY BIRDERS SPRING SCHEDULE

MARCH 5
Walk around the Rio Grande Nature Center
State Park with Leah Henzler: 505-280-2085,
[e-mail]. Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the
Candelaria Wetland Blind in the northeast
corner of the parking lot. A $3 parking fee,
State Parks pass or Friends of the RGNC pass
is required. One may use the restrooms and
purchase parking passes inside the Visitors
Center after 10:00 a.m. The walk will end
before noon.

MARCH 12
Visit San Lorenzo Canyon in the Sevilleta
National Wildlife Refuge with RebeccaGracey:
505-362-5095, [e-mail].
Meet at 8:20 a.m. for an 8:30 a.m. departure
from the parking lot behind the Hawthorn
Suites on University Boulevard and Gibson
SE. Bring lunch and a folding chair. The group
should be back in Albuquerque by 2:00 p.m. For
those not driving, the shared gas expense is $7
at five cents per mile.

MARCH 19
Travel to the Belen Marsh and Whitfield
Wildlife Conservation Area with Barbara
Hussey: 505-385-1165, [e-mail].
Meet at 8:20 a.m. for an 8:30 a.m. departure
from the parking lot behind the Hawthorn
Suites on University Boulevard and Gibson
SE, or 9:00 at the Belen Marsh. To reach the
marsh, take the first Belen exit from I-25, Exit
195. Then drive east one mile, turning south at
the Taco Bell and parking in their lot. We will
view the birds on the ponds and then drive to
WWCA on NM 47. There the group will walk
1.5 miles. For those not driving, the shared gas
expense is $3.50 at five cents per mile. We
should be back in Albuquerque by 1:00 p.m.

MARCH 26
Walk in the Durand Open Space in the South
Valley with Sara Jayne Cole: 505-503-5599,
[e-mail]. Meet at 9:00 a.m. in
the open space parking lot at 4750 Isleta SW.
To reach the area, take I-25 south and exit on
Rio Bravo, then drive west on Rio Bravo and
turn south onto Isleta Boulevard. There are no
restrooms at Durand, so one may want to stop
at the Twisters at 4275 Isleta SW. The walk will
be about one mile in length and will end before
noon

APRIL 2
Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Sandia Ranger District
in Tijeras and then drive to the Oak Flat Picnic
Area and perhaps the Juan Tomas Open Space in
the Manzanita Mountains with Maurice Mackey:
505-897-0415, [e-mail]. To
reach the Ranger District, exit I-40 at Tijeras and
take NM 337 south for 0.5 miles; the Ranger
Station is on the left. The walk will end before
noon.

APRIL 9
Walk in the Corrales bosque off Dixon Road
with Bernie and Pauline Morris: 505-369-1227,
[e-mail]. Meet at 8:20 a.m.
for an 8:30 a.m. departure from the shopping
area north of Alameda Road/NM 528 and east
of Corrales Road/NM 448. Park by the Boxing
Bear Brewing Company. The group will carpool
to the parking circle at the end of East Ella. The
walk should end by noon. Lunch is planned at
Village Pizza in Corrales afterwards.

APRIL 16
Drive to Peña Blanca and Cochiti Lake with Judy
Liddell: 505-220-7998, [e-mail]. Meet
at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 a.m. departure from the
Target parking lot at 1-25 and Paseo del Norte.
Meet in the northwest corner of the parking lot.
It is mandatory to have 3-4 people in each car
to reduce the number of cars driving through
Peña Blanca. If you want to meet the group west
of I-25 on NM 22 to Santo Domingo and Peña
Blanca, contact Judy by April 14. Bring lunch.
The group should be back in Albuquerque by
2:00 p.m. For those not driving, the shared gas
expense is $5 at five cents per mile.

APRIL 23
Travel to the Coyote del Malpais Golf Course at
2001 George Hanosh Boulevard,in Grants with
Ken Zaslow: 512-576-5309,
[e-mail]. Meet at 6:20 a.m. for a
6:30 a.m. departure from the northwest corner
of the parking lot of the Hotel Albuquerque, 800
Rio Grande NW. To reach the hotel from I-40,
take the Rio Grande exit and drive south to the
first stop light, on Bellamah. Turn east toward
the hotel and enter the parking lot on the right.
From Albuquerque the group will travel west
on I-40 for 75 miles. Take exit 89 from I-40 and
stay on the service road to the service station
on the north side of I-40 (600 McBride Road),
where the participants will regroup at about
7:45 a.m. If one plans to meet the group there,
tell Ken before April 23. The group will walk
about three miles around the golf course and
the ponds. One may bring lunch or buy it in the
club house. For those not driving the shared
gas expense is $7.50 at five cents per mile. The
trip will end by 3:00 p.m. back in Albuquerque.

APRIL 30
Hike Embudito Canyon in the Sandia Mountain
foothills with Lefty Arnold: 505-514-9398,
[e-mail]. Meet at 8:27
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 of a mile, turn right on Trailhead
Road and continue to the parking lot. This is an
easy 1.5-mile walk ending before noon.

MAY 7
Travel to Manzano pond in Manzano and
Quarai National Monument with Bonnie Long:
505-379-1985, [e-mail]. Meet
at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 a.m. departure from
the north side of the Sprouts parking lot in
the Four Hills Village Shopping Center on
Central Avenue and Tramway Boulevard NE
or meet Bonnie at the intersection of NM 337
and NM 55 at 8:50 a.m. Bring lunch. For those
not driving, the shared gas expense is $5 at
five cents per mile. The group will be back in
Albuquerque by 2:00 p.m.

MAY 14 and 15
Participate in the Thursday Birders Birdathon
led by Rebecca Gracey: 505-362-5095,
[e-mail]. This year the group
will meet at 10:00 a.m. on May 14 and will bird in
the Truth or Consequences area until 10:00 a.m.
the next day, with time out for dinner and sleeping.
The team has a goal of seeing 100 species in 24
hours.. We will stay together as a group, with the
aim of most people seeing or hearing most of the
species. Contact Rebecca if you would like to be a
member of the team, and she will email you detailed
plans and maps. It’s good if we all know each other,
so please attend some Thursday Birder outings
prior to the Birdathon. This is a fund-raising event,
with each participant pledging money per species
seen. The money raised this year will fund school
and summer ranger programs at Whitfield Wildlife
Conservation Area in Belen. Non-participants
who want to support the Birdathon’s contribution
to Whitfield are welcome to make additional
donations. Donations may be made by clicking on
the donation link on the CNMAS homepage,
http://cnmas.newmexicoaudubon.org and including
a comment that the donation is for the Birdathon.
Or checks can be made it out to CNMAS with
“Birdathon” in the memo line. Mail checks to
Central Mexico Audubon Society, P.O. Box 30002,
Albuquerque, NM, 87190-0002.

MAY 21
Walk in the Pueblo Montaño Open Space with
Susan Chaudoir: 985-302-2878,
[e-mail]. Meet at 8:00 a.m. in the
parking lot on the south side of Montano Road
and east side of Coors Boulevard. You can enter
from both of those roads. The lot is small and
another group meets there on Thursday, so it may
be necessary to park in the shopping center on
the south. It will be an easy two-mile walk ending
before noon.

MAY 28
Visit the Doc Long Picnic Area and Bill Springs
Trail in the Sandia Mountains with Linda Otterson:
505-280-3123, [e-mail]. To
carpool meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 a.m. departure
from the north side of the Sprouts parking lot in
the Four Hills Village Shopping Center on Central
Avenue and Tramway Boulevard SE. A $3 fee or
federal pass is required per car. The group should be
back in Albuquerque by noon, but lunch is planned
at the Green Side cafe in Cedar Crest.

Visit the newly revised Central New Mexico Audubon Society Website:
 http://cnmas.newmexicoaudubon.org

CNMAS Spring Field Trips:

Coyote del Malpais Golf Course
Sunday, April 19
Join Kim Score on a Sunday trip to Cibola
County’s famed hotspot, the Coyote del
Malpais Golf Course. Located one hour west
of Albuquerque in Grants, this beautiful golf
course has 16 lakes that attract numerous
breeding birds and many migrating species. In
addition to waterfowl, we are likely to find gulls,
dowitchers, avocets, stilts, ibis, phalarope and
several species of sandpipers.
Participants will be walking nearly three miles
round trip at 6,500 feet in elevation. We may
also visit other hotspots like the El Malpais
National Conservation Area.
Meet at 7:00 a.m. at the only gas station at
exit 89 off Interstate 40. Please RSVP to Kim
Score, [e-mail]. Carpooling also can be
arranged from Albuquerque.

Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve
Saturday, May 9
Visit the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve,
part of the Santa Fe Botanical Garden,
with Lefty Arnold (505-514-9398,
[e-mail])
Meet at 7:51 a.m. for an 8:01 a.m. departure
from the northwest portion of the Target
parking lot at 1-25 and Paseo del Norte.
Or meet at the parking area at the preserve
entrance, which opens at 9 a.m. To get to the
preserve from Albuquerque take exit 271 (La
Cienega) from I-25 and cross the interstate
then turn right (north) on the frontage road.
The parking area is about 1.2 miles north on the
west side of the frontage road. Parking will be
limited, so please carpool.
A $5-per-person donation will be collected at the
entrance; please have the exact amount.
When we arrive, Zac Carlson of the Botanical
Garden will introduce us to the 35-acre preserve.
eBird indicates that a total of 88 species have been
seen there in May, including Black-billed Magpie,
Mountain Bluebird and Willow Flycatcher.
The walk should end by noon. There are portable
toilets in the parking area. Bring lunch, water,
appropriate shoes and a sense of wonder.