Birding the Highlands of Guatemala
with
Hawks Aloft
and
Holbrook Travel
by Gail Garber, Executive Director
We were 12 strong, plus yours truly, and our birding guide extraordinaire, Pablo Navarro, a native of the Tikal region of Guatemala. Birding on the first morning of the trip brought some surprise "BOOMS!", somewhat of a shock to us Americans. Pablo, almost absent-mindedly, stated, "Oh the volcano must be going off again." Said volcano was none other than
Volcan del Fuego, where p
yroclastic flows on 3 June 2018 caused at least 110 fatalities, 197 missing, and extensive damage; with ongoing ash explosions and lava flows. Fuego was especially active while we were there, with 10-18 explosions per hour. It wasn't long before we became accustomed to the reverberations.
Some of our target birds were
Resplendent Quetzal,
Pink-headed Warbler,
Long-tailed Manakin,
Blue-throated and
Tody Motmots, and more. In all, we tallied some 225+ species, including the very surprising appearance of a mated pair of
Collared Forest Falcons exploring nest cavities,
Mottled Owl, some very cooperative
Ferruginous Pygmy Owls, loads of hummingbirds, and even a pair of
Black and White Owls!
In addition to birding, we also learned about Mayan culture by visiting a woman's weaving cooperative to learn how they create their unique textiles. Mayan religious practices were observed when we visited a
Maximom ceremony in Santiago. But, the most fun of all must surely have been the "
Chicken Buses," a complete and total surprise to all of us! Guatemala has no public transportation system and many of its citizens live in rural villages. Individuals dream of saving up enough money to travel to the United States to purchase an old school bus, and then dress it up in new finery, including distinctive painting, chrome, improved engine performance, roof racks and flashing lights, bringing it back to Guatemala to serve their communities. The uniqueness of each Chicken Bus is essential, so folks can easily find the bus from their village and know that it will get them home again.
Our group was remarkably compatible with that special sort of camaraderie that makes for an incredible journey. Thank you to all who participated: Margy Best, Ed Chappelle, Mary Chappelle, Cat Daffer, Jim Hewitt, Edel Mayer, Tom Mayer, Mary McCracken, Mary Raje, Kathleen Ramsay, Sami Sanborn, and Kim Sorensen. Thank you Holbrook Travel and Stefanie Plein for making the detailed arrangements that made our trip so special.
Are you interested in a new adventure with friends? Our trip to the
Darien region of Panama, a World Heritage site, is coming up quick - November 9-18, 2019. Only a few spots remain!
Top Photo (clockwise from top left): Pink-headed Warbler, Watching Hummingbirds, Squirrel Cuckoo, sunset at Los Andes, Birding the slopes of
Atitlan Volcano, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, and our guide, Pablo Navarro.
Side Photo (Top to Bottom): Chicken Bus, Mayan weaver, textiles, and Maximom ceremony
Images by Ed Chappelle, Gail Garber, Jim Hewitt, Tom Mayer, and Kathleen Ramsay
|
|
Birding and Photography at the Ladder Ranch
An Exclusive Members-only Event
Saturday, May 11
$200 per person
Whether your passion is birds, photography, archaeological sites, petroglyphs, or geography, this promises to be an unforgettable experience. We are partnering with Ted Turner Expeditions (TTX), to enable a very limited number of guests to spend a full day exploring the
Ladder Ranch
. Its 156,000 acres encompass four tributaries of the Rio Grande, the
Animas Mountains, and the Seco, Palomas, and Cuchillo streams. E
ach has different ecosystems and is home to diverse wildlife including elk, bison, mule deer, javelina, and over 250 species of birds. The Ladder Ranch is also rich in history, with ancient artifacts and adobe home sites ready to be explored.
Some of the southern New Mexico bird specialties here include Scaled and Gambel’s Quail, Common Black Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Acorn Woodpecker, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Cassin’s Kingbird, Cactus Wren, Tree Swallow, Bridled Titmouse, Phainopepla, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-throated Sparrow, Hooded Oriole, Scott’s Oriole, and some unusual warblers: Grace’s, Black-throated Gray, Black and White, and Lucy’s. It is common to see 40-60 species on a casual day and, if migration is hopping, sometimes things are going so fast that you can’t even count the birds!
Depending on the interests of participants, each UTV (the primary mode of transport in this terrain) will focus on either photography or birds, with no more than three guests in each vehicle, plus one HAI trip leader, either Gail Garber (birds) or Larry Rimer (photography), plus TTX guides, David Barfield, or Ken Stinnett. If your interest is photographing birds, we will focus on that. If seeing birds and seeking out specialties excites you, then that will be the focus. The groups will meet up for a gourmet lunch, prepared by Chef Taffy Glenn of the Sierra Grande Lodge.
The trip begins and ends at the The Sierra Grande Lodge
http://sierragrandelodge.com
, in Truth or Consequences with discounted lodging rates for Friday and Saturday nights for our group. (
Friday: King $176+ tax, Queen $156+ tax double occupancy. Saturday: King $188 + tax, Queen $175.50 + tax).
Due to the limited number of participants (6), registration will be available online beginning at noon on March 15, 2019. Open to members only! This link will not be live until then.
http://hawksaloft.org/member-events/
Phainopepla image by Doug Brown. Ancient sycamore trees along Animas Creek, by Larry Rimer.
|
|
Owls of New Mexico!
We are pleased to introduce our brand new T-shirt, featuring images of our Avian Ambassadors and nearly every single species of owl that might be found in our state. Designed by Scott Lowry, this unique T-shirt is the perfect gift for a loved one during the holidays. After all,
whoooo doesn't love owls?!
The shirt comes in both long and short sleeves. All shirts are $30 and can be ordered on our website or can be picked up at the office. Ladies sizes are available in short sleeves; all long-sleeved shirts are unisex, and we also have youth sizes in short sleeves.
|
|
Where Does the Water Go?
by Ellie Althoff, Education Coordinator
Throughout the year, fourth and fifth grade students that participate in Living with the Landscape learn about a variety of topics. Students start off pretending to be migrating birds; then they are trees in a forest affected by wildfire, and finally; townspeople living near a lake. In their last adventure, the students are exploring the concept of watersheds. First, I ask the students to place their hands together and I will tell them a secret: They have just created a watershed. A watershed is the area of land to which all water will drain to one point, whether that be a basin, river, or ocean.
The students sit around a beautifully drawn watershed (credit to our wonderful volunteer and talented artist, Lizzie Roberts) and are given story cards. Water is placed in a small bucket to represent a lake that the class has named. The best names given to the lake so far include Rio Grande Lake, Ocean Lake, and as we can never escape references to the video game Fortnite, Loot Lake. As the students read their story cards, the lake becomes polluted with industrial chemicals, plastics, and more. You can hear the students moaning as the story progresses, knowing that humans are negatively impacting their lake. The game wraps up with a call to action. What can we do to protect our waters? What can we do to clean this lake? As the students excitedly share their creative solutions, I see hope that our future leaders will be invested in protecting our waters.
|
|
A Productive Meeting, by Katrina Hucks, Raptor Rescue Coordinator
In February, Hawks Aloft personnel Gail Garber, Trevor Fetz, Amanda Schluter, and I attended the annual meeting of the New Mexico Avian Conservation Partners. It was held at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, a beautiful area just north of Socorro. New Mexico. Avian Conservation Partners focuses on conservation priorities within New Mexico, including birds and their vital habitats. During this meeting, several featured topics included:
Conservation treatment plans – Thinning, prescription burns, conservation grazing, and how these influence bird communities, can decrease the risk of catastrophic fire, and can increase ecosystem health.
Bird communities and changes over time – How different communities can shift with different treatment regimes, loss of habitat, etc.
Non-native species – How non-native species can still provide habitat if there is no plan in place for restoration with native species of similar structure.
Updates from working groups – These groups specialize in researching species of conservation concern throughout New Mexico and provide recommendations for habitat management.
Being together with fellow scientists and land managers from federal, state, and tribal agencies, environmental businesses, national laboratories, universities, and non-profits like us, was a valuable learning experience. It’s always nice to be able to share ideas and communicate with other people working to preserve our lovely New Mexico flora and fauna.
Image by Larry Rimer
|
|
Discover the Darien
& Canal Zone of Panama
with Hawks Aloft and Canopy Family!
November 9-18, 2019
Only 4 spots remain!
|
|
We are excited to offer our newest adventure destination tour – Discover the
Darien region of Panama
! Darien National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site! Mark your calendars for November 2019.
Panama, a biologically and culturally diverse country connects North and South America. It is a haven for wildlife watchers of all kinds, especially birders. The Canopy Family has operated ecotourism lodges in Panama since 1999. Their mission is “to share the nature, history and culture of the Republic of Panamá with passion and enthusiasm, focused on customer satisfaction and guided by the principles of conservation and social responsibility.”
This trip will be lead by Gail Garber, Executive Director, and Katrina Hucks, Avian Biologist. Katrina worked as a hawk migration counter at Canopy Tower in Panama prior to beginning work at Hawks Aloft.
Trip Highlights
- Look for Harpy Eagles! (as of this writing a new nest has been found with indications that the pair is incubating eggs)
- Visit the Darién region of Panama, a vast area of the eastern part of the country with no
roads and diverse wildlife. Stay at the Canopy Family’s Canopy Camp
- Explore local culture, including a native Embera village
- Take time to photograph the amazing wildlife that includes not only birds, but a vast array of other wildlife from butterflies to monkeys and reptiles
- Relax and enjoy rainforest-level views from the famous Canopy Tower.
Hawks Aloft has offered trips to Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, and other international destinations at least once a year to experience diverse wildlife and new cultures. Join Hawks Aloft and the Canopy Family on the trip of a lifetime!
Trip limited to 12 participants with three trip leaders. (Only 4 spots remain)
|
|
The Importance of Volunteering, by Angela Green, Office Manager
Hawks Aloft wouldn’t be here without the ongoing support of volunteers. Each person who donates their time and skills makes a huge impact on our mission. I recently investigated a couple of questions I had in this regard: Who volunteers? And why? What I found was very interesting.
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) performs research on volunteering in the United States each year. In 2017, the CNCS reported that approximately 30% of adult Americans volunteered. While Generation X had the largest percentage of people (36%) volunteering, Baby Boomers had the largest time commitment—more than 2 billion hours. That’s a lot!
So, why do people volunteer in the first place? They may volunteer for several reasons, but often the primary goals are to give back to the community and to satisfy a personal need, such as the desire to feel good—after all, volunteering feels great! Volunteering comes with many fantastic benefits. It combats depression, provides a sense of purpose, and can even improve a person’s health.
Hawks Aloft volunteers clean and repair mews, assist with outreach, house education birds, enter data, rescue injured raptors, and help with research studies. Our volunteers are enthusiastic and reliable, eager to do whatever it takes to get the job done. In fact, our volunteers work every bit as hard as our staff members!
Image of star volunteer Evelyn McGarry by Gail Garber
|
|
Help support our non-releasable raptors through our Adopt-a-Raptor program. Hawks Aloft houses and cares for 25 permanently disabled raptors (and one corvid!). Our Avian Ambassadors travel throughout the Southwest, helping us to educate the public about how to help protect these beautiful animals. We provide them with top-quality housing, food, and medical care for their entire lives. It costs an average of $2000/mo. just for their food. When you adopt a raptor, you help feed our birds, make home improvements, and provide veterinary care for one avian ambassador of your choice. Prices range from $35-$100 depending on the species.
Click here to Adopt a Raptor
such as Flame, our very tiny Flammulated Owl, photographed here by Larry Rimer. When you adopt a Hawks Aloft raptor you will receive:
- A one-year Hawks Aloft membership
- An Adoption Certificate
- An information sheet about the individual bird you have adopted
- Exclusive access to video updates about your bird
- Your choice of:
A professional 8×10 photo of your bird, or
A stuffed Audubon Bird with realistic vocalizations
|
|
Support Hawks Aloft by Shopping at Smith's!
Many of you have long been Hawks Aloft supporters, and a good number of you have also been longtime Smith’s shoppers. For those not in the know, the grocery chain has a program that provides a small kick-back quarterly to nonprofits when their supporters link their shopper’s cards to the organization.
The company recently changed their policies regarding the program—so even if you’ve signed up in the past, you may need to do it again! The good news is that it is easy to do.
2)
Either create an account or sign-in to an existing one
3)
Once logged in, click on “Account Summary” on the left sidebar
4)
From there, scroll down to “Inspiring Donations Program” and click “Enroll”
5)
A searchable list will come up, you can either search for “Hawks Aloft” or enter our ID number for the program, GL430
6)
Shop using your card and now that every time you do so, you help out Hawks Aloft!
We appreciate your ongoing support in this, and so many other capacities!
|
|
*Check out intakes and thank-you's after the Photographer's Gallery*
|
|
Photographers Monthly Gallery - Doug Brown
As we go to press, Doug Brown is leading another photography workhshop, this time in Ecuador. We were thrilled to receive two of Doug's newly photographed species, the
Sword-billed Hummingbird
and the
Collared Trogon
for the gallery. They are complemented by photos of two North American species, the
Common Loon
and the
Cinnamon Teal
. We are certain that you will agree that each of the featured birds are impeccably photographed. Learn more about Doug's workshops and view his photography at
Doug Brown Photography
.
- Sword-billed Hummingbird
- Common Loon
- Collared Trogon
- Cinnamon Teal
|
|
Thank You to our February Donors!
Amazon Smiles Foundation
Charles Brandt
Niels Chapman
Charles and Sherri Karaian
Kroger
Sue Lyons
Miguel Palaviccini
Dave Parsons
Sondra Redwood
LaRita Rohla & Kevin Davis
Allison Schacht
Lynne Schluter
Ronald Thomas & Janet Brook
|
|
Our Veterinarians and Rehabilitators
Kariana Atkinson, DVM
Mary & Ed Chappelle
Linda Contos, DVM
Cottonwood Rehabilitation Center
Desert Willow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
Eye Care for Animals
Ray Hudgell, DVM
Gavin Kennard, DVM, DACVO
Daniel Levenson, DVM
Mike Melloy, DVM
Lisa Morgan
New Mexico Wildlife Center
Bob Peiffer, DVM, PhD
Petroglyph Animal Hospital
Kathleen Ramsay, DVM
Santa Fe Raptor Center
Southwest Veterinary Medical Center
Samantha Uhrig, DVM
Ventana Animal Clinic
Wildlife Rescue of New Mexico
|
|
February Intakes
Great Horned Owl – caught in barbed wire
Ferruginous Hawk – leg and wing fractures
Red-tailed Hawk – electrocuted
Great Horned Owl – wing injury
Cooper’s Hawk – wing injury
Common Raven – shot in coracoid
Cooper’s Hawk – car collision
|
|
And Thank You to Our Corporate Donors:
Amazon Smile Foundation
Avangrid Renewables
The Binky Foundation
Central New Mexico Audubon Society
Charles Schwab
Coca-Cola Foundation
Farmers Electric Cooperative
Four Corners Bird Club
Gathering of Nations
Holbrook Travel
Intel Corporation
Kroger Company
Land of Enchantment Wildlife Foundation
McFarland Cascade
Nichols Ranch
PNM Resources Foundation
Peabody Natural Resources Company
Sonepar USA
Summit Construction
Summit Line Construction
Tetra Tech
The Verdes Foundation
Wild Birds Unlimited
Wildside Nature Tours
Womack Wealth Management
|
|
Raptor Rescue Team
Nirankar Ambriz
Victoria Ambriz
Daniel Archuleta
Mary Bruesch
Ed Chappelle
Mary Chappelle
Joanne Dahringer
Shannon Harrison
Ty Horak
Denise Inight
Jeannine Kinzer
Arlette Miller
Laura McCammon
Bill McCammon
Evelyn McGarry
Julie Morales
Eliane Notah
Chellye Porter
Amanda Rael
Larry Rimer
James Robinson
Anita Sisk
Bruce Sisk
Davedda Thomas
Tony Thomas
Frank Wilson
|
|
Field Survey Teams
Chuck Brandt
Wendy Brown
Mary Bruesch
Ed Chappelle
Gill Clarke
Ed Clark
Charles Cummings
Vicki Dern
Roger Grimshaw
Fred Hashimoto
Joan Hashimoto
Jerry Hobart
Kay Jackson
Bob Kipp
Maurice Mackey
David Meyerson
Arlette Miller
Glenda Moore
Natalie Nunez
Bonnie Long
Dave Parson
Chellye Porter
Donna Royer
Susan Russo
Renee Robillard
Sam Sanborn
Allison Schacht
Martin Schelble
Dianne Schlies
Lisa Schluter
Mary Smith
Mary Walsh
Christie Wilcox
Steve Youtsey
|
|
Education and Outreach
Chuck Brandt
Mary Bruesch
Ed Chappelle
Mary Chappelle
Rebecca Ezechukwu
Evelyn McGarry
Arlette Miller
Chellye Porter
Elizabeth Roberts
Allison Schacht
Anita Sisk
Bruce Sisk
|
|
|
6715 Eagle Rock Ave NE
Albuquerque, NM 87113
|
|
|
Who We Are
Gail Garber,
Executive Director
Trevor Fetz,
Lead Avian Biologist
Ellie Althoff,
Education Coordinator
Angela Green,
Office Manager
Maggie Grimason,
Senior Editor
Katrina Hucks,
Avian
Biologist and Raptor Rescue Coordinator
Amanda Schluter,
Biologist
Mirinisa Stewart-Tengco,
Webmaster
|
|
|
|
Our Board of Directors
Alwyn VanderWalt
Chair
Mary Chappelle,
Vice-chair
Terry Edwards,
Treasurer
Sarah Beans
, Secretary
Dagny Cosby,
Board Member
Carter Cherry,
Board Member
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|