Our chapter is seeking a ninth board member, preferably with an interest in program development and the six evening programs that we host each year, to join our board and help revitalize our activities. In this role, you will help recruit presenters, arrange venues for the presentations, and assist our board member in charge of communications to get the word out. Our evening programs are free for anyone to attend. No particular expertise or background is necessary. All that is required is a curiosity to identify topics, schedule presenters who would interest chapter members, and encourage members to attend. The nine-member board works collaboratively, and your fellow board members will assist you in building the program calendar. In addition, you will participate in the board’s regular quarterly business meetings. As a board member, you will have a voice in our other activities, including field trips to birding hotspots; advocacy for conservation at the local, state, and federal levels; collection of data for climate watch; and keeping members informed through our website (audubonsantafe.org) and emails. If you think you might be the right person for our board opening, send us an email telling us a little bit about yourself to the following email address: robertlguenther5@gmail.com

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A few months ago, the Sangre de Cristo chapter board sent an email survey to everyone on its distribution list to gauge their interest in participating in various chapter activities. The response was encouraging. Sixty percent of the 2,000-plus recipients opened the survey. And though an undetermined number of recipients encountered technical problems responding to the Constant Contact survey, many recipients took the extra step and sent emails with their responses, ideas and suggestions.

Overwhelmingly, respondents (83%) said that they are interested in participating in evening programs organized by the chapter. However, 43% said they have never done so, with some expressing concerns about travelling to and from Randall Davey Audubon Center at night. In addition, respondents were almost evenly split between preferring in-person or Zoom meetings.

One of the clearest takeaways from the survey is that evening presentations need to give members the option of attending in-person or via a computer at home. The chapter board has decided to find a venue that satisfies members’ desires for evening programs that can be conveniently accessed both in-person and via a Zoom. The board hopes to have identified a solution in time for the Fall program season.

In the past, internet bandwidth issues at the Randall Davey Audubon Center have prevented the chapter from offering hybrid in-person/Zoom meetings from that location. Previously, the chapter had hosted evening programs at various locations but stopped when rental fees were raised.

In the meantime, the board continues to study your responses regarding field trips, program topics and other activities, and to take steps that will enhance the value of the Sangre de Cristo Chapter of Audubon to you.  

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The Legislative session in 2024 was a short, 30-day session solely focused on the state’s budget. But in that short time, we saw huge successes for conservation funding, which will ensure restoration and protection work will happen on the ground at a far greater scale than New Mexico has ever been able to do.

New Mexico’s 2024 legislative session ended with a historic $300 million appropriation for the Land of Enchantement Legacy Fund. This will support land and water conservation, agriculture, and outdoor recreation projects.

In the 2023 session, Audubon was part of a large coalition which worked to establish the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund. Prior to this fund, New Mexico did not have a dedicated source of revenue for conservation work. Not only did this mean agencies had to request additional money from the legislature every time they wanted to do a large project not within its regular budget, it also meant we did not have the often-required matching dollars to secure federal money.

Click here to read full story in the Audubon Southwest newsletter

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Rosy-faced lovebirds are charismatic, petite parrots. They also aren’t afraid to use their heads — literally — to get around an awkward situation. A new study offers the latest evidence of the problem-solving prowess of the clever birds.

“They’re these incredibly smart animals who are really good problem solvers, and that also extends to the way that they move,” said Edwin Dickinson, a biomechanist at the New York Institute of Technology.

The parrots proved their talents to Dr. Dickinson and colleagues recently in a lab as they navigated perches that got smaller and smaller. When a rod got thin enough, the birds gave up on trying to keep their balance with two feet. Instead, they moved beneath the wire, hanging from their beaks and swinging their legs and bodies, almost like a monkey swinging from tree to tree in a forest.

Click here to read full story in the New York Times

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A new study has shown why Cooper’s Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks can share the same backyard when hunting at bird feeders. The research analyzed more than 1,000 observations of accipiter predation from Project FeederWatch, a partnership between the Cornell Lab and Birds Canada, which collects data from people across the U.S. and Canada who count birds at their feeders each winter.

The study revealed which birds are on the menu for the two well-known feeder stalkers. Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks are North America’s most common accipiters – the group of hawks that specializes in hunting birds on the wing. Their ranges overlap widely, and researchers wanted to know if differences in prey preferences might be one reason that these two similar species are sometimes able to share the same space.

Cooper’s Hawks are much larger than sharpies – on average, they weigh twice as much and are 50% longer. Nevertheless, the research team found that small songbirds – especially finches and sparrows – were top menu items for both Cooper’s and sharpies. The overall favorite: Dark-eyed Juncos. “Juncos are like the popcorn of the avian world,” says lead author Eliot Miller, a postdoctoral fellow at the Cornell Lab.

While the petite Sharp-shinned Hawks heavily favored these smaller species, the bulkier Cooper’s Hawks went for both the popcorn and the hot dogs. Along with taking their share of small birds, Cooper’s Hawks frequently targeted medium-sized birds such as doves, starlings and blackbirds. “The smaller birds are much more abundant across different habitats,” says Miller, “so it makes sense that both hawk species would exploit that resource.”

The FeederWatch data also showed that many of the most-preyed-upon bird species – including juncos – shared a tendency to forage and feed on the ground. On the contrary, small songbirds such as chickadees and nuthatches – which abscond to a safe perch after quickly plucking seed from a feeder – became hawk food much less frequently.

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