North America’s three rosy-finch species – Black, Brown-capped, and Gray-crowned – nest along talus slopes and snowfields up to 14,000 feet, among the highest altitudes for any birds in North America. Now, the threat of climate change is spurring new urgency throughout the Southwest to learn more about the health of rosy-finch populations.

The winter 2024 season of Climate Watch runs from January 15 through February 15. Birders throughout north-central New Mexico are needed to participate in this Audubon community-science effort. We already have observers in 12 areas around Cerrillos, Pecos, Santa Fe and White Rock, but need many more for easily accessible birdy areas including Galisteo, Lamy, Los Alamos, Española, Las Vegas, Taos and all parts north to Colorado.

In a victory for Lesser Prairie-Chickens, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced it will protect this iconic grassland bird under the Endangered Species Act. Two populations of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken will be protected by the decision: a Texas and New Mexico population that is being listed as endangered, and a separate northern population in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado that is being listed as threatened.