It’s the gray bird with the rusty-colored breast and the blood red eyes. She’s the one that greets you each morning when you leave for work with a hearty Kek-kek-kek! She likes that big tree in the park too but spends much of her time hanging out in your back yard. Interestingly, no little songbirds come to your feeder while she is around. She is a Cooper’s Hawk, our most common urban nesting raptor. They seem to be in every neighborhood that has at least one large tree. Each year, they raise 1-4 babies. If you are lucky, you might get to watch them grow up, from little white puff balls to gangly, long-legged youngsters flapping furiously on the side of the nest. Later, you might see them learning to hunt, chasing everything that moves, but rarely catching anything.

Hawks Aloft is conducting a study of the hawks and owls that nest in your neighborhood and also in the Middle Rio Grande bosque. This includes Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Swainson’s and Red-tailed Hawks, Screech Owls and Burrowing Owls in addition to Cooper’s Hawks. We are seeking volunteers who are willing to locate and observe nests throughout the breeding season (April – August). These citizen scientists will be responsible for visiting the active nest or nests that are nearby and documenting nesting activity such as when the female is incubating, when young can first be seen, the number of young and the dates that they leave the nest.

We will conduct a free training class for citizen scientists:
Thursday, March 15 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
3841 Midway Place NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109

We also seek volunteers to work with our education program, assisting with programs to schools in the community and outreach booths geared to the general public. We hold raptor handling training classes at 10:00 a.m. on the third Saturday of each month (March 17, etc.) at our office, located at 6715 Eagle Rock Avenue NE, STE A.

For more information or to register for one or more classes, please call 505-828-9455 and ask for Amelia, Cristy, or Gail.

Amelia and one of our Great Horned Owls demonstrate the gular flutter together. Gular fluttering is a cooling behavior in which birds rapidly flap membranes in the throat to increase evaporation.

Hawks Aloft Lectures and Refuge Tours for Festival of the Cranes

Raptor ID Tour
Wednesday, November 16: 9:00am – 11:30am
Bosque Visitor Center
Join Erik Andersen from Hawks Aloft to scout out some of the many species of raptors that winter in the Rio Grande Valley. We’ll visit public areas of Bosque del Apache and possibly travel some of the back roads of Socorro County in search of rarities such as Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk and more. Limit 22. Meet at the Visitor Center bus stop.

Raptor ID Lecture
Wednesday, November 16: 1:00pm – 2:30pm
Fidel Center, Socorro
Have you always wondered about the mysterious world of raptor identification and just what that large hawk flying overhead might be? Join Erik Andersen for an enlightening look into the world of raptors and how to distinguish them from one another. Plumage characteristics, season, behavior and habitat all provide clues to their identity. Thanks to the wildlife photographers that donate their work to Hawks Aloft, this program promises to be a visual art show. Limit 50.

Songbirds of the Rio Grande Valley
Friday, November 18: 9:00am – 10:30am
Fidel Center, Socorro
Have you ever seen a yellow-billed cuckoo? Or heard the hauntingly beautiful song of the hermit thrush? Did you know that it is possible to identify some birds by the sound of their feet scratching in the leaves? Some of the habitats of the riparian woodland along the river support incredibly high densities of birdlife, from common species to seldom seen or heard rarities. Other areas support tragically low numbers. Hawks Aloft’s Trevor Fetz will show some amazing photos and share fascinating information about the many birds found here and how they adapt to an ever-changing environment. Limit 50.

Life and Times of Rio Grande Raptors
Friday, November 18: 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Fidel Center, Socorro
The sandhill crane and the golden eagle in a life and death encounter; fledgling Cooper’s hawks and American crows forming a juvenile pack; Swainson’s hawks feasting on bats; burrowing owls and Ferruginous hawks sharing the same prairie dog towns: both predators but one also prey. Erik Andersen and volunteers from Hawks Aloft will share real life stories and fascinating life histories of some of the raptors that call New Mexico home. They’ll bring several of their live educational raptors so you can get up close views and photographs, too.

Mark your calendars for these events this weekend.

Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area
Gail Garber, Executive Director, will speak at the WWCA on Saturday, September 17 at 10 a.m. She will present the “Life and Times of New Mexico Raptors” The program will include live non-releasable raptors, presented by Garber, Chuck Brandt and Chellye Porter.

Wild Birds Unlimited – Las Cruces, 4th Anniversary Celebration
Stop by the store for anniversary celebrations and visit the Hawks Aloft booth on September 17th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. See the 2011 Raffle Quilt in person and buy your raffle tickets!