Thursday Birders and CNMAS SPRING FIELD TRIP 2016 Schedule

[Rosyfinch]

Thursday Birders and Central New Mexico Audubon Society SPRING 2016 Schedule

FOR LATEST SCHEDULES and updates visit the "TRIPS" tab on the Central New Mexico Audubon Society page

http://cnmas.newmexicoaudubon.org/

THURSDAY BIRDERS FIELD TRIPS

Thursday Birders meet almost every Thursday in Albuquerque. You don’t need to let the leader know you will be attending – just show up at the meeting spot no later than the specified time. If you have any questions email or call the trip leader for that particular day.
 
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Visit Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge
Becky Purvis: 505-688-1998, [e-mail].
Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the parking area on 2nd Street by the refuge sign. To reach the refuge, drive south on I-25 and take the Rio Bravo exit. Drive west on Rio Bravo to 2nd Street. Turn south on 2nd and drive 3.2 miles to the entrance. The group will drive to different areas of the refuge and take a couple of half-mile walks. The trip will end before noon.
 
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Albuquerque Open Space Visitor Center and nearby bosque
Joe Schelling: 505-797-9018, [e-mail].
Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the center’s parking lot on the east side of Coors Boulevard. The entrance road, Bosque Meadows Road, is located north of Montano Road and south of Paseo del Norte. It will be an easy one-mile walk. The trip will end before noon.
 
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Copper Trailhead Open Space
Barbara Hussey: 505-385-1165, [e-mail]
The Copper Trailhead Open Space is at the east end of Copper Avenue NE, east of Tramway Boulevard, in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. . Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the small parking area. There is also parking along Copper. There will be a one-mile walk that winds uphill and downhill on disintegrating granite. The walk will end before noon.
 
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Pena Blanca, NM, and Cochiti Lake
Judy Liddell: 505-220-7998, [e-mail].
Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the middle of the parking lot in the Far North Shopping Center on the west side of San Mateo and north of Academy Boulevard. Carpooling is encouraged since it could be challenging to the residents of Pena Blanca to have a caravan driving through their village. If you want to meet the group west of I-25 on NM 22 to Santo Domingo and Pena Blanca, contact Judy before April 7. Bring lunch. The trip should end in the mid afternoon. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $5 at five cents per mile.
 
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Embudito Canyon
Lannois Neely: 505-890-7881, [e-mail].
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 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.
 
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Rinconada Canyon in the Petroglyph National Monument
Sara Jayne Cole: Cell: 505-503-5599, [e-mail].
Meet at 8:30 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 two miles long on a trail that is relatively flat but is composed of soft sand. The walk will end before noon.
 
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Belen Marsh and Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area
Linda Heinze: 505-565-1441, [e-mail].
Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the parking lot behind the Hawthorne Suites on Gibson SE and University Boulevard or 8:30 at the Belen Marsh. To reach the marsh, take the first Belen exit from I-25, Exit 195, drive east one mile, turn south and park behind the Taco Bell. After birding at the marsh, the group will visit the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area on NM 47. The group will have lunch in Los Lunas at Teofilo’s on Main/NM 6 near the intersection with NM 314. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $3.50 at five cents per mile.
 
Thursday,  May 5 & Friday May 6, 2016
Thursday Birder Birdathon – Bitterlake NWR and Rattlesnake Springs
Bonnie Long: 505-379-1985,[e-mail] & Judy Liddell: 505-220-7998, [e-mail].
This event is a fundraiser for Central NM Audubon and Audubon, NM, as well as 24 hours of birding fun. The last time that the group held their Birdathon on this route was in 2009 when it was led by Sei Tokuda and Cheri Orwig, so the event will honor Sei’s contribution to New Mexico’s birding community.
The Birdathon will commence at 10:00 a.m. at Bitterlake NWR on Thursday, May 5, and will include birding there and at Rattlesnake Springs, as well as other area hot spots. The group will overnight in Whites City. On the morning of Friday, May 6, the group will meet at 6:00 a.m. back at Rattlesnake Springs and count birds until 10:00am, ending the 24-hour Birdathon.
Accommodations in Whites City fill up fast at that time of year, so an early commitment and reservations are important. To confirm participation in the Birdathon and receive a detailed itinerary, contact Bonnie Long or Judy Liddell by April 28.
 
Thursday May 12, 2016
Carlito Springs
Leah Henzler: 505-280-2085, [e-mail].
The Bernalillo County Open Space is located on the southeastern face of the Sandia Mountain Range. Meet 8:20 a.m. for an 8:30am 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. There are few parking places at the open space so carpooling is necessary. The group will caravan to Carlito Springs. The walk will be 1.5 miles in length on a good trail that is very steep in places. The walk will end before noon.
 
Thursday May 19, 2016
Pueblo Montano Open Space
Maurice Mackey: 505-897-0415, [e-mail].
Meet at 8:30am in the parking lot that is located on the south side of Montano Road and east side of Coors Boulevard.
 
Thursday May 19, 2016
Doc Long Picnic Area
Gale Owings: 505-255-8333.
Meet at 7:20am in the far west side of the Four Hills Shopping Village located on the south side of Central Avenue, between Juan Tabo and Tramway Boulevard. The walk will be on an asphalt trail about a mile long. A $3 fee or federal pass is required per car.
 

CNMAS Field Trips

CNMAS Trips occur irregularly throughout the year on weekends. Notice that some trips are overnight events. Be sure and contact leaders before you attend! Please make sure to contact your leader prior to the trip as plans may change, leaders appreciate it and some trips are limited to a set number of participants.  CNMAS and its leaders encourage car-pooling, especially on longer trips.

Saturday March 18th, 2016
Valle de Oro NWR
w/ Karen Herzenberg ~[e-mail] ~ [phone]
Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge in March could bring winter birds as well as early migrants/summer residents. The irrigation season begins March 15, so we may have newly flooded fields drawing in waterfowl and waders, shorebirds and swallows. Swainson’s Hawks begin to show up around this time but Bald Eagles may still be present. We will meet outside the refuge’s front gate at 8:00am. From there we can drive around the grounds and then walk in the bosque and/ or along the adjacent ditch. The walking portion will probably be about one mile round trip on the gravel levee road or sandy trails in the bosque. We will wrap up by noon. The refuge is located three miles south of Rio Bravo on Second St. in the South Valley. There is no entrance fee, but the Friends of Valle de Oro welcomes your membership and volunteerism. Restroom facilities are available.

Saturday April 16th, 2016
Alameda Open Space
w/ Lee Hopwood ~[e-mail]
We will meet at 7:30am in the parking area of the Alameda Bridge Open Space and walk along the west side of the river, welcoming back migratory birds and looking for year-round residents in the bosque. The walk will start at 7:45am and end at 9:45am. We can end the field trip at Flying Star for breakfast and compile our bird list from the walk.

Saturday & Sunday, May 21st – 22nd, 2016
Clayton Lake State Park
w/ Christopher Rustay ~[e-mail]
Meet Christopher Rustay at the State Park Visitor Center at 7:00am on Sunday, May 22. The normal fee for entering a State Park is required. We expect this trip to be a half-day but with the possibility of visiting other nearby locations in the afternoon. The park is approximately 13 miles north of the town of Clayton. Overnight fee camping (along with showers and restrooms) is available at the park, or one may stay in one of several motels in the town of Clayton. We will bird the lake and drive to the nature trail which is approximately 3/4 mile and requires walking on a few very short but moderately rocky hills (the rest of the walk is easy). This is a relatively poorly explored area during spring migration, and the trip is timed for a greater possibility of seeing eastern vireos and warblers as well as White-rumped Sandpipers depending upon water levels. There is also the possibility of visiting a location for Mountain Plovers about one hour away which could occur in the late afternoon on the 21st, if folks contact Christopher ahead of time.

Other Birding Opportunities

But that’s not all, we want to share the love! There are many other groups that organize trips in the New Mexico. Here we have provided a list of field outings sponsored by other organizations.
 

Rio Grande Nature Center Weekend Bird Walks
Every Saturday & Sunday – 8:30 am
w/ Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park

The FRGNC offers birding trips every Saturday and Sunday throughout the year starting at 8:30 am. Walks are FREE and open to anyone. They start at the Candelaria Wetlands Blind in the Northeast corner of the parking lot at the Rio Grande Nature Center and last from 1 to 3 hours touring the grounds at the Nature Center. Note that there is a parking fee of $3 unless you have a New Mexico State Parks Pass or Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center pass.
For more information about the Rio Grande Nature Center, visit the friends webpage by clicking here.
 

Sangre De Cristo Audubon Society Field Trips

Sangre De Cristo Audubon (based in Santa Fe, NM)  has regular field trips throughout the year. Click here to see a complete list of trips scheduled from April 2015 through April 2016.