Sangre de Cristo mountains over Santa Fe

Welcome to the Sangre de Cristo Audubon Society

We are a recognized chapter of the National Audubon Society, with a membership region that covers most of north-central New Mexico and includes Santa Fe, Taos, Los Alamos, Las Vegas and many other communities. We take our name from the iconic Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which extend from the Colorado border to just south of Santa Fe. Habitats within our region range from riparian areas along the Rio Grande, Pecos and Canadian rivers to the short-grass prairie of eastern New Mexico and forested mountains that in places rise above timberline to over 13,000 feet.

As part of one of the nation’s oldest and most effective science-based environmental organizations, we focus on educating the public and advocating for a wide variety of conservation issues that will help preserve diverse species and their habitats for decades to come.

We recognize that Sangre de Cristo Audubon Society represents a landscape that has been occupied for millennia by peoples of diverse cultural backgrounds. We honor that diversity and believe that just as we strive to protect biodiversity, we must include and respect the many peoples and cultures that call northern New Mexico home.

Conservation in Focus

Audubon Leadership Conference 2025 Coming in July

The next Audubon Leadership Conference is scheduled for July 17-20, 2025, in Montreal, Canada. This out-of-country location reflects Audubon’s shift to a hemispheric approach to conservation, and the conference will be a gathering of leaders from across Audubon’s community of staff, partners, and campus and community chapters. The conference is designed to connect conservation leaders around the hemisphere with each other in an environment that facilitates learning and innovation.

Scientists Eavesdrop on Sleeping Birds

Many bird species need to learn their songs and have specific brain regions dedicated to learning them. Some scientists have observed sleeping birds making “lip-syncing” movements as their singing muscles twitched, and wondered – could birds be rehearsing song?

Field Trips

Melrose Woods Migrant Trap

May 3rd and 4th – evening and morning
Leader: Shane Woolbright

Melrose Woods is a rather famous migrant trap and has the distinction of having one of the largest lists of warblers of any site in North America. Many eastern species are found here in the first two weeks of May.

Peña Blanca Bosque and Cochiti Lake

Saturday, March 15, 2025 – 7:30 am
Leader: Chris Chappell, Take Flight Birding & Nature Adventures

We will walk through the bosque in Peña Blanca, and also bird at the Cochiti Dam spillway and on the west side of Cochiti Lake. Winter bird diversity here is high, with over 50 species for the day expected.

Programs

Evening Programs, Spring 2025

Our evening programs have resumed! Program meetings starting in February 2025 are held at Unitarian Universalist Church, 107 West Barcelona Road, Santa Fe.

Energy Management in Migrating Hummingbirds

Shayne R. Halter, UNM
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 — 7:00 pm
Unitarian Universalist Church

Shayne’s research investigates how four species of hummingbirds balance their energy levels, as they transit the arid landscapes of the American Southwest.

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