Hawk Watch at Capilla Peak, Manzano Mountains — CANCELLED
Saturday, October 11, 2025
Leader: Rick Rockman rockmanrjr@gmail.com
Upper Los Alamos Canyon — Field Trip Report
May 24, 2025 — Rene Laubach, Leader
Six registrants, my wife Christyna and myself enjoyed stellar weather conditions, lovely scenery, and fine birding during this field trip. Although detecting birds mostly by sound in the beginning, we were eventually treated to good looks at a variety of colorful and interesting species–43 in all, including Acorn Woodpecker, Warbling and Plumbeous Vireos, a rare-flagged Gray Catbird, Hermit Thrush, Northern House Wren, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Bullock’s Oriole, Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, and five species of warblers–Virginia’s, MacGillivray’s, Yellow, Grace’s, and Wilson’s.
eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S242140912
Pecos Monastery — Field Trip Report
Leaders: Albert Shultz & Rick Rockman
Sixteen chapter members enjoyed a beautiful spring morning on Saturday, May 17, 2025, for a leisurely birding walk around the Monastery grounds. Bird activity was fairly good, and we were rewarded with views and songs of many summer birds and a few lingering migrants. The new leaves of the cottonwoods kept Yellow Warblers and Warbling Vireos mostly hidden, but Bullock’s Orioles made a good appearance. Circling swallows put on a great airshow over the more open parts of the trail — and scope views of perched birds revealed a couple of Northern Rough-winged Swallows among the dozens of Violet-green Swallows. Western Wood-Pewees were numerous, but except for a very obliging Black Phoebe at the riverside, other flycatchers were scarce, perhaps not yet returned from the tropics. Red-winged Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackles loudly dominated the cattail pond and marsh, and flyover Great Blue Herons and Pinyon Jays were a pleasant surprise. Near the end of the walk we spotted a pair of Northern House Wrens, busy tidying up a potential knothole nest cavity, unbothered by us onlookers. — Albert Shultz
Bird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S239502527
Melrose Woods — Field Trip Report
Shane Woolbright, trip leader
Eleven Sangre de Cristo Audubon members made the trip out to Melrose Woods migrant trap east of Fort Sumner on May 3-4. Unfortunately, migrant traps depend upon the weather cooperating, and on these days a strong southerly wind took the migrants northward. We did find a few fallouts such as Olive-Sided Flycatcher, Indigo Bunting and Parula Warbler along with a Brown Thrasher. Local birds included Cave Swallow, Chihuahuan Raven, Ferruginous Hawk, Lazuli Bunting, Bullock’s Oriole, Green Tailed Towhee.
The May 3 date may have been a little early this year; however, it was a good day for wildflowers as a recent rain had brought out a surprising amount of color in the area.
Pecos Monastery
Saturday, May 17, 2025 — 8:15 am
Leaders: Albert Shultz & Rick Rockman
We’ll meet at 8:15 am at the Benedictine Monastery, just north of the town of Pecos. An easy walk of less than a mile beside meadows, streamside trees, thickets and a small cattail pond should provide a good variety of local breeding songbirds, including several species of flycatchers and woodpeckers, Violet-green Swallow, Blue Grosbeak, Yellow Warbler and possibly American Dipper. We should be finished before noon. Bring binoculars, a sun hat, rain gear, drinking water, and a snack. Trip will be limited to 15 participants.
Contact Albert prior to May 15 for details and to register: shultzaw@gmail.com — 505-699-1521(cellphone)