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Today, fast approaching the three-quarter century mark, I am penning my 300th post in Rosyfinch Ramblings. Before the days of File Transfer Protocol, and before the word “blog” was invented, I created the rosyfinch.com  web suite devoted to the birds of the Sandia Mountains, near our former home in New Mexico. In those days I wrote daily updates in HTML code by hand, and uploaded strings of ASCII characters via a telephone modem. When I started using blogging software in 2006, I simply intended to record memories from my childhood in New Jersey. In my fifth post, Discovering Birds, I tried to remember how and why I ever got into bird watching.

How lucky I was to have had a father with an infectious interest in the natural world. I remembered those long walks with him in the woods (Habitats and Inhabitants) and, more recently on Father’s Day, described how I especially felt his his loss.  Now we and our children try to inspire our grandchildren to put away the Wii’s, Game Boys and iPods and get outdoors. See Birders Start Young, and Early Birder.
 
I recounted adventures from my medical career, as the Rookie Doctor in Town , and wondered Why It’s Called Medical “Practice”. Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, I entered the field of public health, only two weeks after receiving a telegram: Greetings, You’ve Been Drafted .  Providing medical care in the aftermath of Hurricane Camille, and Closing the Grand Canyon were but a couple of highlights of many exciting experiences in public health practice.

I always wanted to marry a bird-watcher, but this never happened until after I retired to the mountains of New Mexico. Don’t look so startled– Mary Lou and I just celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary, but she suffered as an SOB (spouse of a birder) for many years before I could say “Finally, I’m Married to a Bird-Watcher.“  You may also be interested in How Mary Lou Became A Birder.

We do not feel the need to travel far and wide to enjoy the beauty of nature, whether from the windows of home, in backyards, or in local patches of semi-wild land. From early childhood, I have found Beauty in the Commonplace, mostly in the good old USA. While Mary Lou and I keep life bird lists, and have taken several wildlife-oriented jaunts and cruises, neither of us has a compulsion to see all the birds of the world. We greatly enjoy seeing just that tiny sample of the avian multitude that live in, or visit our neighborhood.

Muscovy Duck in flight:

No, this is not a Frog-mouthed Four-legged Crow, but rather part of a ritualistic encounter between two male Boat-tailed Grackles in our yard. They take turns posturing, and soon one will open his mouth and flap his wings while the other points his bill to the sky. They posture and then the other bird does the same. At no time did both birds sing and flap at the same time. This went on for several minutes, until they peacefully walked away from each other and resumed catching dragonflies on the lawn. Click on image and view sequential photos of the “dance” at the “comment” link below the photo.

Boat-tailed Grackles perform a ritual “dance:”

I’m still experimenting with my little Canon A-1100 IS point-and-shoot. It packs 12.1 megapixels. This is a cropped image zoomed 4x optically to about 25 mm focal length. If you click on the photo, an image will appear below it, lightly cropped and not zoomed at all, about 6mm focal length:

Great Egret:

The Canon A-1100 takes surprisingly sharp macro photos, such as of this Garden Snail (Zachrysia provisoria):

This big Lubber grasshopper was on the glass of our patio door, again captured by my little point-and-shoot:

I had been hearing little chirps in my garage in the vicinity of the corner where I store my fertilizer and garden stuff. The chirps would stop whenever I got near, and I could not find their origin, though I presumed it might be a tree toad or frog, or maybe a Mediterranean Gecko. When potting a plant one morning I reopened a bag of potting soil. Inside were at least 6 or 7 of these little frogs, about 3/4 inch in length. Greenhouse Frogs live in plant litter and their tadpoles develop into frogs inside the eggs, so they don’t need a pool or pond to breed. They lack webbing between their toes and have been erroneously called toads. Native to the Caribbean, they have invaded most of the Florida peninsula. Listen to an mp3 of their little chirps that I heard:   puca.home.mindspring.com/mp3s/Greenhouse.Frog.mp3

Greenhouse Frog:

A Green Heron dropped by our back patio just before we departed for Illinois:

When the birding slows down there are always butterflies, and it is fun to separate the Queen…

…from the Soldier:

• enclosure: http://puca.home.mindspring.com/mp3s/Greenhouse.Frog.mp3 159916 audio/x-mpeg

YMCA entrance sign:

(Continuation of previous post)

We last visited the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado several times in the 1970s and ’80s, when I attended continuing medical education conferences of the American Academy of Family Physicians. I combined the trips with a few vacation days. We’d pack our children into the station wagon and drive up from Dallas. The children were kept busy with Day Camp programs, and the conference schedule allowed us for family fun, such as hay rides, hiking and sightseeing. Although the facility is now much larger, the cabins are stil fairly secluded. As their parents had before them, our grandchildren also enjoyed a wonderful selection of Day Camp activities.

Our cabin (Robin’s Nest), at 8,500 feet elevation, was flanked by those of our children and grandchildren:

Missing from this photo of the Schneider clan are our daughter Karen and her husband Randy, who had to return home because of his brother’s sudden death, and our son-in-law Roly, who took the picture:

Bachelor groups of elk gathered near the cabins. In the fall they will fill the air with their bugling, and compete with each other as they assemble the females into harems:



A Pine Siskin gathered nesting materials beside our cabin:



This Tiger Swallowtail provided a photo-op::

Having left my butterfly guide back in Florida, I found this Common Ringlet, a species that has expanded its range southward from Canada:

We joined our younger daughter and family on a scenic drive through southern Colorado to New Mexico, staying two nights at The Inn on the Delta in Espanola:

The rooms were cozy and luxurious:

A male House Sparrow perched in the Inn’s courtyard:

 

We made side trips to Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch, NM, and to Taos Pueblo. The vibrant colors and forbidding topography of Ghost Ranch inspired many of Georia O’Keefe’s paintings:



The hills, sculpted by wind and water, are rich in fossils:

Remarkably, a pair of Barn Swallows had plastered their mud nest on the smooth metal surface of one of the portal lights at the museum at Ghost Ranch:

After two nights in Espanola, we departed for Albuquerque by way of Santa Fe, where St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral loomed over the old city:

In Santa Fe’s Central Plaza, our granddaughters made friends with two vendors and a macaw:

Following the Turquoise Trail southward, we drove up to Sandia Crest before descending into Albuquerque. The hummingbird feeder at Crest House attracted quite a crowd of Broad-tailed Hummiingbirds. Here, a male hovers, a mile above the City of Albuquerque:

Before departing for California, we visited the ancient Acoma Pueblo, situated west of Albuquerque, high on an arid mesa. At bottom of this page, view a slide show of the Pueblo (select full screen mode). This is the Acoma mission church:

• Tour of Acoma Pueblo:

UPDATE: April 13, 2010. The flag has stopped waving. The last flocks of rosy-finches were seen on April 9th. Interestingly, the flocks at Taos Ski Valley disappeared at almost the same time. No stragglers have been reported at either location. The feeder has been taken down, but please report any late sightings. A summary of this past winter’s sightings and banding results may be viewed at this link. Now the hummingbird feeders go up, to be welcomed by Broad-tailed, Black-chinned, Calliope, and later, Rufous Hummingbirds. Check out the many links in rosyfinch.com for more information about great year-round birding in the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. If you have a request for information, or wish to provide a report on your birding trip to the Sandia Mountains, please visit the SANDIA CREST BIRDING FORUM.

**OTHER BIRD SIGHTINGS** PINE GROSBEAKS have been  seen  on November 22,  and again on December 14, at the 10K  trailhead along road to Sandia Crest, and seen on January 17 (and heard on the 31st)  in Kiwanis Meadow just south of the Crest House, along with a pair of  AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS

UPDATED ROSY-FINCH REPORTS Weather Note: Temperature at Sandia Crest (10,678′) is usually about 11 degrees cooler than that currently displayed at this station in Cedar Crest (7100′). Click on icon for full Sandia Mountain weather outlook. Notes from Feeder Project Coordinators,  Fran Lusso and Dave Weaver Date: April 13, 2010 Hi Ken, I went up to the Crest today, where it was clear and very windy with temperatures around 26 - 28 degrees (F).  The snow is dissipating quickly, with 1 to 3 feet in shady areas and most of the snow melted away in sunny areas.  I have attached a log update that shows the last recorded rosy finch sighting on April 9th.  The Crest House staff say that they have not seen any finches since “before the weekend”.  I waited over an hour and did not see any. I took down the feeder but left enough seed for the Crest House staff to continue to put seed out for a while longer in hopes of attracting any stragglers.  But I think it is likely that the finches are gone.  I will go up to the Crest next week to check on things and probably to bring down the project equipment and any remaining seed. Hope all is well! Dave …The Crest House is now serving sub sandwiches to order and still serving the rest of the old menu that does not require the grill, oven or fryer.  The staff says that visitors are doing fine with the new menu… Latest From the Rosy-Finch Banding Team February 28, 2010 Hi all, Today was another good day at the Crest House.  We only newly banded 2 Brown-capped Rosy-Finches but we recaptured 124 other Rosy-Finches.  Seven of these were birds from previous seasons that we had not seen before.  One was a Black Rosy-Finch that we originally banded on 5 February 2005.  She is now in her 7th year. The road was clear but there is a lot of ice between the parking lot and the Crest House. Nancy & Steve = = = = = VISIT THE BIRDING FORUM in ROSYFINCH.COM We have added a Sandia Crest Birding  community FORUM to the rosyfinch.com Web suite. This feature will permit all who have an interest in rosy-finches and year-round birding in the Sandia Mountains to directly post current observations, banding reports, photos, research updates, requests for information or assistance in planning a visit. We also invite all rosy-finch observers and researchers world-wide to utilize this new means of communication to exchange information.  It supplants the “Correspondence” feature; older correspondence may still be viewed at the second link below. VISIT OR POST TO THE SANDIA CREST BIRDING FORUM VIEW ALL PRIOR CORRESPONDENCE VIEW SIGHTINGS AND BANDING LOGS SANDIA CREST & NATURE CENTER BANDING SCHEDULE

Don’t miss seeing this stunningly beautiful local PBS documentary about the Sandias that includes a segment on the rosy-finches, now archived on-line.  Click on the thumbnail to the left for the  KNME Film, The Sandias, to view the movie on knmetv.org/  The four chapters of this film document a project for a one-night spectacular light show, but also delve into the cultural, geologic and natural history of the mountain. Chapter One describes the ecology of the Sandias, and features the rosy-finch banding project near the end. There are great views of the birds taken at the Crest House, at the feeders and in the hand, not to mention wonderful photography that makes me really miss my former mountain home!

Below is a view of the Paa-Ko Golf Course (about 7000 feet elevation, near the foot of the 13 mile road up to Sandia Crest, which is at 10,678 feet) on March 27, 2009. Click on the photo during daytime to see the current  Web-cam view of this same scene.

• Google:

April 15, 2009: The flag has stopped waving, as the flocks of rosy-finches have departed. Small flocks of about a dozen, with all three species and both races of the Gray-crowned, were present through March 31, and 1-6 were around up to April 8, when the feeders were taken down.  Be sure to view the BANDING  SLIDESHOW on the “Sightings” page. American Three-toed Woodpeckers are being seen at the Crest. Spring migrants are arriving en masse. Check out the links in rosyfinch.com for more information about birding the Sandias. Refresh your browser, as this page may update frequently. Also, see the message about the new Rosy-Finch FORUM.

The influx of the Coastal (Hepburn’s) race of Gray-crowned Rosy-finches peaked in the winter of 2006-07, when the team banded 104 birds (representing over 13% of all rosy-finches banded that winter). The previous winter marked the first captures of the Hepburn’s race (5 birds). Last winter the percentage of Hepburn’s decreased to 29 birds (6%). This winter, as of February 8, they represent only only 6 of the 221 captures (less than 3%). Little seems to be known about the fluctuations in species mix from one winter to another. We have seen unusual patterns of abundance in the Brown-capped species as well, both at Sandia Crest and in Estes Park,Colorado. This is an area ripe for research into possible factors, whether they may be related to climate fluctuations, local weather or habitat changes on breeding grounds or migratory routes, food supply, population pressures, and so on. Do they correlate with the irruptive behavior of other northern finches? The spreadsheets at this link provide day-by-day banding statistics, compiled since 2004. Their analysis may provide a starting point for further research.

UPDATED ROSY-FINCH REPORTS Note: Temperature at Sandia Crest (10,678′) is usually about 11 degrees cooler than at this Weather Underground station in Cedar Crest (7100′). Click on icon for full Sandia Mountain weather outlook. Refresh your browser, as this page may be updated frequently. NEW FORUM ON ROSYFINCH.COM We have added a rosy-finch community FORUM to the rosyfinch.com Web suite. This feature will permit all who have an interest in rosy-finches and year-round birding in the Sandia Mountains to directly post current observations, banding reports, photos, research updates, requests for information or assistance in planning a visit. We invite all rosy-finch observers and researchers world-wide to utilize this new means of communication to exchange information. ENTER THE FORUM HERE, TO VISIT OR TO POST. Notes from Feeder Project Coordinators: Date: April 15, 2009 From: Fran Lusso and Dave Weaver Subj: Last report of the season Hi Ken, Well, Dave went up to the Crest today (26 degrees and windy) and brought the log book and the remaining seed down.  There were no reported sightings since last week’s log (even though we got more snow over the weekend!) so we’ve shut down for the season.    Dave reports large numbers of robins and a standoff between a ground squirrel and an Abert’s squirrel… Hope all is well down there.   Fran & Dave   [One to 6 rosy-finches persisted through April 8, the day the feeders were taken down. In past years, a few have been seen up to the end of the third week of April.Ken] Date: April 9, 2009 From: Dave Weaver Hi Ken, We went up to the Crest yesterday.  Spring is almost here.  It was in the mid-30s with a building warm wind.  We did get a little bit of snow last night, much less than an inch, and thunderstorms are predicted for this weekend.  The air feels like spring, if you know what I mean. We took down the feeders as planned, but left some seed and the Log up there for at least another week.  The Crest House staff report seeing no more than 6 finches at a time, and usually only one or two.  And even those are seen very infrequently.  So, it looks like the season is officially over. Anyway, I have attached a Log Update, probably the penultimate one for this year.  Hope all is well! Best, Dave = = = = = = [Though we have stopped flying the rosy-finch flag, 3-12 stragglers have continued to show up at the feeders through yesterday, March 31. Please keep an eye out, as a few often persist through the first week of April. Larger flocks are still present at Taos Ski Valley. Ken] Date: April 1, 2009 From: Dave Weaver Hi Ken, We just returned from the Crest.  The road is clear and there is just a bit of snow left in the woods from last week’s snow.  A bit more snow may fall tonight and perhaps this weekend, but not enough to restore snow cover.  It is still winter up there though - 14 degrees, overcast and windy. As you will see in the Log Update, the Crest House staff are still seeing a few rosy finches, but very sporadically and in very, very small counts.  We left the feeders up until next week, but for visitation purposes the season does seem to be over.  We almost certainly will take down the feeders next week. Hope all is well!  Dave = = = = = = Date: March 25, 2009 From: Dave Weaver and Fran Lusso Hi Ken, We are back from the Galapagos - fantastic trip!  We went up to the Crest today and so have attached a Log Update.  There is almost no snow left on the mountain and the Crest House staff say that they have not seen a Rosy Finch since Sunday [March 22].  Nancy and the Banding crew saw a very few on Sunday.  We saw none today.  So, if the lack of sightings continues, we plan to take down the feeders and close out the season next week, probably Wednesday. There may be a light snow tomorrow and Friday (3 - 6 inches expected on top), so perhaps the finches will come out of the woods.  But we think they are already gone for northern climes. Link to Latest Sightings Log Hope all is well! Dave and Fran Latest Report from Rosy-Finch Banding Team: [The rosies appear to have departed. See http://rosyfinch.com/RosySightings.html for the normal departure dates of flocks and stragglers in previous winters. On March 15, the banding team appeared to have reached the saturation point, as nearly all the rosy-finches had bands on them.  Ken] = = = = = March 22, 2009 From: Nancy and Steve Cox Hi all, We did not capture any Rosy-Finches today.  We only saw 2 - 3 Blacks, 1 Gray-crowned (interior) and 1 Brown-capped and they spent very little time at the feeders. We will be calling Gene [Romero, Resident Manager of Sandia Crest House Gift Shop and Restaurant] and his crew before next Sunday to see if there are any Rosy-Finches around.  However, this is probably our last day.  We will let Ken Schneider know one way or the other. [They followed up, on March 27, with this note:] Hi all, As mentioned in the last update, last Sunday was the last day for this season.  Dave and Fran emailed that no Rosies were seen when they were up this week.  So, even though it snowed last night and today on the Sandias the field work is officially over for the season. Many, Many thanks for all that helped out this year. Nancy and Steve [Of interest, we heard from Gil Bachmann, Manager of the Kandahar Condos in Taos Ski Valley, who said (on March 27):] I was getting ready to write you Several weeks back, saying I’d not seen the flock of rosy finches for a while, just a few stragglers.  But then we got a couple big snows, and they are back in full force. Yes, I’ll let you know when they leave for good.  15 inches of new snow and 7 degrees this morning — I think they may stay a while.  .gil [SEE MARCH 27 PHOTO OF SNOW ON PAA-KO GOLF COURSE, BELOW] = = = = = [Laurel Ladwig’s friend, Deanna Nichols, provided the photos of the rosy-finch banding operation, taken in early February. They are included in her slide show on the Rosy-Finch Sightings page. Ken] Other Sightings From NM RBA: Bill Wittman on January 9 had a female AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER and two GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS at the Crest.  John Parmeter saw the THREE-TOED WOODPECKER on January 11 just below the trail to the Kiwanis Meadows. On Feb 22, many observers from the Audubon woodpecker quest saw the THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. VIEW ALL RECENT CORRESPONDENCE VIEW SIGHTINGS AND BANDING LOGS

Paa-Ko Golf Course Webcam view on March 27, 2009. Click for current view.

• Sandia Crest Slideshow:

January 28: Flocks of up to over 100 rosy-finches of all three species are visiting  Sandia Crest, New Mexico. Keep an eye on the weather and road conditions before setting out on the 13 mile climb to the top. Transmitters have been placed on some birds. Check out the links in rosyfinch.com for more information.

---

UPDATED ROSY-FINCH REPORTS Note: Temperature at Sandia Crest (10,678′) is usually about 11 degrees cooler than at this station in Cedar Crest (7100′). Click on icon for full Sandia Mountain weather outlook. Note from Feeder Project Coordinators Date:January 28, 2009 From: Fran Lusso and Dave Weaver Hi Ken, Just back from the Crest - the road is clear with only an occasional icy patch from a bit of icy snow that blew through yesterday.  The temperature was about 10 degrees with a strong wind - probably 30-40mph.  Brisk!   We didn’t see any rosies while we were up there and there were no other birders (or any visitors) around at the time. The log is attached.   Best regards, Fran & Dave Latest Report from Rosy-Finch Banding Team: [We received the sad news that Steve Cox’s father passed away on January 24. We extend our condolences to Steve and his family. Carol Davis was in charge of the rosy-finch banding, and provided the report to Nancy. ] Date: January 25,2009 From Nancy Cox Hi all, Our crew banded only eleven Rosy-Finches today.  Ten were Brown-capped and one was an interior Gray-crowned.  Black Rosy-Finches were present but none were captured by the team. All three of the birds that were outfitted with transmitters last week were heard this morning. Link to updated banding spreadsheet Nancy = = = = = Date: January 18, 2009 From: Nancy & Steve Cox Hi all, Today we got to put transmitters on 3 birds (one of each species).  It was very exciting and we were able to refind the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch approximately 1/4 mile south of the Crest House around 4 p.m.  The Black Rosy-Finch was west of the Crest House at 4:30 p.m.  We also had the Brown-capped an hour after we banded it with a flock of Rosy-Finches near the Crest House. We newly banded 24 birds.  There were 17 Brown-capped, 5 Blacks and  2 Gray-crowned (both were interiors). We had a lot of volunteers today as well as two Audubon groups from Texas (Dallas/Fort Worth and El Paso).  Thanks for being so patient with the whole process.  It was a nice day. The road was clear but we are hoping for snow during the week. …We had a lot of fun today with finally getting to put transmitters on the birds.  We didn’t stay as long as planned but it was still a long day.  They are going to try to do some more transmitter work throughout the week. Nancy & Steve Other Sightings From NM RBA: Bill Wittman on January 9 had a female AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER and two GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS at the Crest.  John Parmeter saw the THREE-TOED on January 11 just below the trail to the Kiwanis Meadows. VIEW ALL RECENT CORRESPONDENCE VIEW SIGHTINGS AND BANDING LOGS

We have started a new Web page to document our Florida neighborhood “urban eagles,” now tending to one or more nestlings, the first of which hatched on January 17th:

If you live in New Mexico, or have been following the links to correspondence and live Web camera views on rosyfinch.com, you are well aware that the Sandia Mountains have received significant snowfall. The sun often returns quickly after a storm, and the lower elevations dry out pretty quickly. The road up to Sandia Crest, though plowed, may be hazardous with icy patches and drifts of blowing snow, so please check the links to weather and road conditions and drive carefully.

Good flocks of all three rosy-finch species (including both the interior and coastal races of the White-crowned) have been visiting Sandia Crest since mid- November, and there has not been a single day when observers, who spent more than a few minutes there, recorded a failure to see the species at the Crest House feeders. The snow storms may have been a factor in finally bringing the rosy-finches back to the Kandahar Condominiums in Taos Ski Valley. Taos is 120 miles to the northeast of Albuquerque, and the birds usually get there earlier and remain later than at Sandia Crest. Inexplicably, the finches appeared at TSV more than a month later than at Sandia Crest.

Here in Florida, we are putting up with cool nights and daytime temperatures in the high 70s. On some morning walks, the easterly breezes feel downright cold, but instead of winter finches, we have to settle for back yard herons and Wood Storks.

Fishin’ Buddies, a Snowy Egret and a Pied-billed Grebe share a school of fish at the edge of our back lawn:

Quite a soggy little grebe:



A couple of days earlier, this Tricolored Heron was also following the grebe around the lake shore:



A Great Blue Heron is keeping me in view:

Wood Storks feeding in tandem:

I used to think that the Wood Stork shaded the water to better see its prey, but it actually fishes by touch rather than sight. Small fish are said to gather and concentrate in the shade of its outstretched wing:

In our local patch of recovering Everglades, I encountered this White-eyed Vireo who had an attitude:

The vireo was singing loudly, but was well-hidden until it finally decided to pose for pictures:

Prairie Warblers also winter in our neighborhood:

See our latest general Blog post here.

The flag is waving, and flocks of up to 50 rosy-finches of all three species, including both the interior and coastal (Hepburn’s) races of the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, are now visiting the feeders at Sandia Crest House just east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Banding operations are underway on most Sunday mornings. See rosyfinch.com for more information, current sighting reports and correspondence.

PHOTOGRAPHERS, PLEASE NOTE: December 12, 2008 addendum– This post contains important information and suggestions that are intended to increase everyone’s enjoyment of the rosy-finches at Crest House. Please also read the two letters in the Comments section, at the end of this page. Thanks!

Photographers were in the spotlight at Sandia Crest House this week. First the Bad and the Ugly, and I will save the Good (and beautiful) for last.

Some patrons, probably birders, complained that their view was obstructed and the birds were being frightened away by photographers who stationed themselves on the deck. As those of you who have seen my “Cedar Crest Back Yard Birds” photos know, my bird photography in the past consisted of digiscoping through our great room windows with a point-and-shoot Canon A40 aligned with my Kowa scope by an adapter fashioned from a Durkee’s spice container. I obtained my first long (420mm) lens system this past spring, shortly after my son-in-law gave me a used Canon Digital Rebel EOS camera body. Though I thought my old fuzzy images were just wonderful, now I pay close attention to eye shine and feather detail in my avian portraits.

(c) 2008 Ed Ruden


On my recent visit to New Mexico, I was one of the transgressors. I positioned myself in the far left (SW) corner of the Crest House deck and braved the elements to get the photos published in this recent Blog post. True, I knew there were birders inside who were also enjoying the rosy-finches as a flock of 30 or so descended nervously on the feeders and departed all too soon. I was about 20 feet from the feeder, and some of the finches came within about 5 feet– so close that I had to switch to a macro setting to photograph them. Their skittishness was normal behavior for early-season Rosies, I assured myself, and was confident that I did not cause a disturbance. This well may have been true, but perceptions are important, and perhaps some non-avian feathers were ruffled.

While eating some humble pie, I made the recommendation (see the recent correspondence on this subject, which is also copied below, in the Comments section of this post) that photographers should either shoot from the comfort of the picture windows of the Crest House, or, if they wished to brave the elements, position themselves in the vicinity of the lower feeder. There, they have an unlimited choice of sun exposure and also a few trees to provide natural perches for their subjects. I should have coupled this recommendation with a plea to birders that they do not “own” the view, and to be patient with casual visitors and tourists who also visit the deck to capture the wondrous views of snow-capped peaks and the sprawling city of Albuquerque below.

(c) 2008 Ed Ruden

Ah, but now the Good! Even before the banders started their operations this weekend, a photographer “recaptured” a Black Rosy-Finch that had been banded at Sandia Crest a little over three years ago. Ed Ruden (Website) carefully cropped and enlarged the band on one of the birds he had photographed, and reconstructed the band number. Here is the sequence of photos that he used, and the graphic he produced, a replica of the band placed on the bird by the Rio Grande Bird Research team on November 27, 2005.

Here is what Ed saw on each of his images–

ABRE across, 2 along bottom:

22 along bottom, 41 along top, ABRE across:

OPEN across, 2 along top, 7 along bottom:

OPEN across, 22 along top, 716 along:

22 along top, 716 along bottom:

622 along bottom, 41 along top:

band along bottom, 41 along top:

Putting it all together, this is Ed’s product, and it was a perfect match:

 

The flag is waving! Flocks of up to 50 rosy-finches are now visiting the feeders at the Crest House Restaurant and Gift Shop in the Sandia Mountains just east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. All three species are present, including both the Coastal and Interior races of the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch.

Steller’s Jay at the Sandia Crest House deck feeder (Click to see its white “eyebrows,” characteristic of the Jays of the southern Rockies. In the NW USA, this species has blue streaks on its forehead.:

I’m a firm believer in the value of attaining my RDA, BirdChaser’s “Recommended Daily Allowance” of 20 bird species. Even though we spend most of the year on a lake in South Florida, it sometimes takes some effort to see 20 species on our usual 2-3 mile morning walk around our subdivision. The urbanized environment causes some bird species to absolutely avoid our neighborhood. Many others adapt to new resources created along the edges of the developed areas. A hardy few, mostly exotics, exploit and even depend on the greatly modified terrain of houses, lawns, imported palm trees and concrete roadways. Some mornings we decide not to get aerobic, and venture about a quarter of a mile away from our development and into our birding “patch” of protected and recovering Everglades. Here, we meet the bird species that shun civilization: Savannah, Swamp and Grasshopper Sparrows, thrashers, towhees, harriers, yellowthroats and Prairie Warblers…

As winter approaches, even exceeding my bird RDA does not seem enough to restore my balance with nature. Now into the second third of my eighth decade of life, I am aware that a peculiar affliction has taken its hold on me. My condition was diagnosed almost 10 years ago, not by a medical doctor, but by Hart Schwarz, a respected US Forest Service biologist. For this ailment, there is temporary relief, but no cure. “Finchophilia,” he proclaimed in a note to the birding community .

This past week Mary Lou and I had a delightful visit with our five Texas Panhandle grandchildren and their parents. We hiked Buffalo Lake NWR in Canyon and saw the Mountain Bluebirds (as depicted in a previous post) . The afternoon before departing, I hiked with two of the kids (Kenneth and Mary), and was amazed when my grandson Kenneth spotted a brown bird feasting on wild sunflower seed heads. “Look, Grampa, it has yellow on its wings!”

My eyes weren’t sharp enough to see the yellow, but I did capture this nice image of a Pine Siskin (click on the photo for more views that show the yellow):       

The next morning, we drove 4 1/2 hours west on I-40 into New Mexico, arriving at the Cedar Crest exit at about 11 AM. Since we moved away from The Land Of Enchantment in 2004, some changes were evident. Aside from the proliferation of strip malls along NM-14, we saw that Pinyon Pines had been seriously decimated by the double attack of drought, borers and disease (See: Bark Beetles, Three-toes and Fire ). Some woodlands at the 6500-7000 foot level seem to have been transformed from pinyon-juniper to Siberian elm-juniper and/or Russian Olive-juniper. As we climbed the road to Sandia Crest, we saw pines, fir and even spruce trees similarly stressed and killed. Patches of snow still covered shady areas and ice coated sheltered bends in the road as we ascended 13 miles to the top.

The rosy-finch feeders at Sandia Crest House were our objective. We arrived there at 11:30, and within 5 minutes a flock of about 50 Rosies descended for lunch. All three species were present. Black Rosy-Finches predominated, and I identified only one Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. We saw only one Interior (Hepburn’s) race among the 5-8 Gray-crowned species in the flock.

We enjoyed green chile cheeseburgers and the company of about a dozen birders who visited during the two days we spent there. I got so taken up with interpreting the rosy-finch species to visitors that I took very few photographs! I thought I missed a shot of the Brown-capped species, but the lone bird turned up in two of my photos.

All three species of rosy-finch swarmed like bees at the lower feeder. If you click on and then select the largest size, you will see the Brown-capped bird on the right side of the feeder. Note its bright pink undersides and lack of white on hindcrown:

This Black Rosy-Finch, at the deck feeder, was in excellent plumage. Note the yellow bill– it will turn black with the approach of breeding season:

Here, on the left, a Coastal (Hepburn’s or gray-cheeked) and an Interior race Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch feed on the surface of the Crest House deck with two Black Rosies:

Hepburn’s race of Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte tephrocotis littoralis) has become more common on Sandia Crest the past two years:

A Red-breasted Nuthatch provided some comic relief as we waited for the rosy-finches to return (Click on photo for more views):

Like the nuthatches, the Mountain Chickadees would grab a seed and fly off (Click on photo to see crown pattern):

At lower elevations along the road to Sandia Crest, we encountered three races of the Dark-eyed Junco. Gray-headed Juncos predominated in the spruce forest:

There were many Pink-sided Dark-eyed Juncos at the Cienega Canyon Picnic Area, but my best capture was this one, at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park in Albuquerque:

I only obtained one photo of the Oregon race of Dark-eyed Junco:

We encountered several Townsend’s Solitaires between 7000 and 8000 feet elevation. This one was quite cooperative as it foraged on the ground (Click for additional views):

Mammals seen in the Sandia Mountains included this rabbit-eared and skunk-tailed Abert’s Squirrel (Click for additional view)…



…a Chipmunk…

 

…and a Rock Squirrel:

UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS Central NM Audubon, Sunday, January 25: Sandia Mountains. Leaders: Raymond VanBuskirk and Jim Mosley. Meet at the south side of Dion’s in the Four Hills parking lot (south of Central and west of Tramway) at 5:15 AM to search for pygmy, saw-whet, and other owls. You can also meet the group later at 7:30 AM at Doc Long picnic ground. From there we’ll work our way up the mountain looking for winter finches, and other forest birds. We will end up at the Crest House where we’ll watch the Rosy-Finch banders and sip hot chocolate. Contact Raymond by e-mail Thursday Birders, January 29: Sandia Crest to look for the Rosy- finches with Karen and Gary Boettcher: Contact by e-mail. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Sandia Ranger Station in Tijeras, NM, on Highway 337 to arrange car pooling. We can buy snacks or lunch at the Crest restaurant as we wait inside for the Rosy-finches to arrive at the feeders. (Parking fee or pass required.) Weekend Bird Walks at the Rio Grande Nature Center: Meet on Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. during December, January and February. !ere is a $3 parking fee if you do not have a state parks pass or a Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center parking pass. Call 505-344-7240 or visit www.rgnc.org

The flag is waving! Today we received the first report of rosy-finch sightings at Sandia Crest!  Bob and Ima Hafernik of San Antonio, TX, called to say that they had confirmed sightings at the Crest House deck feeder of 6 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches this morning from about 10AM til a bit before noon.  

Dave Weaver and Fran Lusso, coordinators of the feeding project, are visiting the Crest House this afternoon and will provide a follow-up report. Dave said that as far as he now knows, theirs is the first sighting for this season, although Lisa at the lunch counter told them she may have seen “one or two” yesterday. Thanks for the prompt report, Bob and Ima!! Later in the day, Dave reported:

I am just back from the Crest.  It is cold, windy and clear up there (16 degrees F with 20 - 30 mph wind).  Almost all of the small snowfall of Wednesday is gone.  In about 1 hour of watching I did see a flock of 10 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches, along with 2 Steller’s Jays, 1 WB Nuthatch, and 2 dark-eyed Juncos.  Did not see any Black or Brown-capped, so perhaps they are still on their way.

We plan to go back up to the Crest next week and will update the Log after that, I guess.  Hope all is well!

ROSY BULLETIN:  November 8, 2008: Today, both Gray-crowned (including one Hepburn’s) and Black Rosy-finches were visiting the feeders. November 11, 2008: All three species, including Hepburn’s, were reported to be  present.  See Correspondence link for details.

Once the birds are established at the feeders, we can expect Rio Grande Bird Research to publish a schedule for their Sunday morning banding operations. (Because of staffing limitations they will not band on Thanksgiving weekend). Check rosyfinch.com sightings and correspondence links for updated reports, and exploit other birding opportunities in the Albuquerque area. Plan to combine your visit with a stop at Bosque del Apache NWR, site of the Festival of the Cranes November 18-23.

Thursday Birder and Central NM Audubon Field Trips	Sandia Crest House Sighting Logs (1999 - 2008)	Table and Spreadsheet of all Banding Results	CORRESPONDENCE: Narrative Banding and Sighting Reports
ID Tips: the Four Rosy-Finch Races at Sandia Crest	Check Weather, Webcams and Road & Fire Conditions	Rosy-finch and Nature Center Banding Schedule	Return to ROSYFINCH.COM

Keep watching for this flag to start waving when the Rosy-Finches arrive at the feeders of the Crest House, in the Sandia Mountains just east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Feeders will be put up on Wednesday, October 29. Plan to combine your visit with a stop at Bosque del Apache NWR, site of the Festival of the Cranes November 18-23– flocks of all three species of Rosies should be at Sandia Crest by then!

ROSY BULLETIN: Wednesday, October 29: Fran and Dave put up two feeders today: One is to the east of the Crest House, and another is on the patio. Earlier in the day, a dead female White-winged Crossbill  was found on the sidewalk next to Crest House. No reports of rosy-finch sightings as yet, but we will keep you posted! <<Details at CORRESPONDENCE link>>

Bert Filemyr of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club photographed the road to Sandia Crest (NM 536) as it climbs Tejano Canyon (© 2004, used with permission):

The rosy-finches are now on their way to Sandia Crest. In three of the past six years, they have arrived at the Crest House feeders by the first week in November. This year, feeders are scheduled to be put up on October 29.

WINTER	FEEDERS PUT UP	FIRST ROSY_FINCH SIGHTING
2002	OCTOBER 30	NOVEMBER 19
2003	OCTOBER 19	NOVEMBER 15
2004	NOVEMBER  06	NOVEMBER 07
2005	OCTOBER 26	NOVEMBER 12
2006	OCTOBER 30	NOVEMBER 02
2007	OCTOBER 31	OCTOBER    31

Follow e-Bird for reports of migrating rosy-finches. As of today, the  eBird data base contains no evidence that the birds are on the move. In the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada, on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, is a the ridge in the Livingstone Range that the Piikani Blackfoot named Piitaistakis (”The Place of the Eagles”). It is an ideal location for observing the migration of large raptors, including golden eagles. The world’s largest golden eagle migration occurs along this flyway each spring and fall. The watchers keep track of the movements of smaller birds as well.

The interior race of the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (spelled “Grey-crowned” in Canada) breeds in these mountains, and the coastal (Hepburn’s or gray-cheeked) race nests to the west. Mid-October saw a surge in numbers of rosy-finches, as revealed by this selective search of the postings of the eagle-watchers:
 
September 19 [Day 25] 20 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches,

October 3 [Day 38] 86 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches

October 4 [Day 39] 25 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches

October 18 [Day 53] 552 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches

October 22 [Day 57] Finch movement comprised 786 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, 35 Pine Grosbeaks and 25 White-winged Crossbills. Two of 5 Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches feeding near the site at 0810 were the coastal subspecies littoralis (“Hepburn’s Rosy-Finch”), the first time they have been recorded at the site this season.

Their migration flight path to Sandia Crest takes them through Oregon, Utah, Wyoming Colorado and northern New Mexico, where birders are on the alert for their arrival. As soon as I hear of any reports I will keep everyone updated. 

Thursday Birder and Central NM Audubon Field Trips	Sandia Crest House Sighting Logs (1999 - 2008)	Table and Spreadsheet of all Banding Results	CORRESPONDENCE: Narrative Banding and Sighting Reports
ID Tips: the Four Rosy-Finch Races at Sandia Crest	Check Weather, Webcams and Road & Fire Conditions	Rosy-finch and Nature Center Banding Schedule	Return to ROSYFINCH.COM

Update on the Rosy-Finches of Sandia Crest, New Mexico. Flocks of all three species are expected to return in early November. Check out the links in rosyfinch.com for more information.

---

Steve Cox of Rio Grande Bird Research takes measurements of a newly banded rosy-finch at Sandia Crest as Carol Davis keeps the records (Photo by Martin Selzer, Copyright 2004, used with permission:

Readers of our rosyfinch.com Web suite know that the rosy-finch banding at Sandia Crest House is conducted by Rio Grande Bird Research, Inc. If you, as I, missed attending their Sandia Rosy-Finch Sponsorship Challenge “Meet the Banders” kick-off event in Albuquerque this past week, you still have the opportunity to contribute to an exciting new research project.  A National Audubon Society grant award to Central New Mexico Audubon Society has already been supplemented by pledges from other major donors for the next phase of the project (notably, Rio Grande Bird Research, Eileen Beaulieu, Central New Mexico Audubon Society Chapter, Robert Munro, Gale Owings, and Wild Bird Center, owned by Lee Hopwood and Nikki Love). This phase is outlined in the grant proposal below.

Nancy and Steve Cox of Rio Grande Bird Research describe Sandia Crest as the premier location in the world to view all three species of Rosy-Finch. “It’s also the best and most important place on earth to research these birds in their winter habitat. That’s where the Rosy-Finch Banding Research Team comes in. Their work could uncover secrets of Rosy-Finch roosting habits and help bird lovers make sure these beautiful creatures are still around to delight our grandchildren.”

The late Ryan Beaulieu, close friend of Raymond, Michael and Cole, exhibits a Black Rosy-Finch to visiting birders from Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (Photo by Naomi Murphy, Copyright 2004, used with permission):

During the Sandia Rosy-Finch Sponsorship Challenge gathering, Raymond Vanbuskirk, Michael Hilchey and Cole Wolf, three young researchers, and master bird bander Steve Cox reviewed the past, present and future of the Rosy-Finch project, and welcomed any donation to the Rosy-Finch cause. “Larger donations deserve special thank you’s: Bring or send us $50 and earn special recognition on the Benefactor Wall, which travels with the team whenever it is bird banding or giving a presentation; bring $100 and you’ll get a certificate recognizing your contribution to our environment and the Rosy-Finch Project. This research is overseen by the master bird bander and experienced researchers of Rio Grande Bird Research Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so all the money you donate is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.”

Central New Mexico Audubon Society’s (CNMAS)
Application For Collaborative Project Funding For FY2008

The three Rosy-finch species are some of North America’s most sought after and least understood birds. Sandia Crest is the most accessible place in the world where visitors can observe the three species together, while enjoying hot chocolate in the warmth of the crest house. Sandia Crest house has been known as the southern limit of these species’ range in the winter, but it is not known if the same individuals return year after year. To answer this question, a research project was needed.

In 2003 Ryan Beaulieu and Raymond VanBuskirk initiated the Rosy-finch Project under the auspices of Rio Grande Bird Research Inc. Other collaborative partners are CNMAS, Cibola National Forest Service, Wild Bird Centers of America, the owners and operators of the Sandia Crest House, and dozens of volunteers. Currently the project is headed up by Raymond VanBuskirk, Cole Wolf, and Michael Hilchey, local high school students. Raymond, Cole, and Michael are currently CNMAS board members.

For the past five winters under permit from US Geologic Service Banding Laboratory and the NM Department of Game and Fish, we have been capturing, banding, and taking many measurements of the birds, then safely  releasing them, in hopes that they will return in following years. To date we have banded over 1,000 birds and recaptured 47 from previous years. We plan to continue the banding to better answer our original question; we also plan to expand the project by using radio telemetry to study where these birds are roosting at night, where they go when they are not at the crest house feeders, and their general flocking behavior. To conduct this research $ 5,500 will be needed to obtain the proper and safe equipment. The equipment includes radio transmitters and receivers, snowshoes, GPS, and two-way radios. We have obtained $2,000 in funding from other sources, and the money from this grant, in addition to other grants we are applying for, would bring us much closer to our goal.

We plan to attach radio transmitters to three birds of each species, for a total of nine transmitters. All precautions will be taken to ensure the safety of the birds. Using the snowshoes, GPS, and radios, two teams of three individuals each will maneuver the mountain slopes, while triangulating the birds with the use of the receivers. After we have found the roost sites we will take observations on behavior, temperature of roost site, habitat, etc.

Not only will the data from this research add to ornithological knowledge, but it will also help to educate the public about bird and habitat conservation. Over the past five years the project has attracted dozens of volunteers from around the state, hundreds of birders and Audubon members from all parts of the country, and visitors from as far away as Germany, New Zealand, England, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Australia. Another educational tool that has been utilized by 56,737 “virtual” visitors is the rosy-finch website at www.rosyfinch.com. We hope that these visitors to the Crest House, and the website leave with an experience that broadens their love for the natural world, and a commitment to the importance of saving it.