Bid For A Cause - Save A Bird!

by Gail Garber, Executive Director

This month, we feature the exclusive items that you can bid on at the live auction at our Benefit Fundraiser, Falcon Fiesta. (See detail below) Our ultimate goal is to build the New Mexico Center for Birds of Prey and this gala event is our premier celebration in 2018. Among the special attractions that night is a falconry demonstration by Paul Domski, Tyler Sladen and their falconry birds, as well as caricaturst, Peter Menice - get your features forever glorified via his pen. Below, I've attached the list of live auction items along wiht photos. Be sure to be there! There's no other way to claim these exclusive trips, photography workshops, and photographs. Check out these amazing opportunities!

Buy your tickets to the gala on our webstore-- click here!

Click Here to Register for Docent Training

Click Here to Register for the Photography Workshop.

In the event of inclement weather, a backup date has been set for November 11, 2018.

Meet our Emcee, by Maggie Grimason, Senior Editor

Dennis Chamberlain spent most of his adult life as a CPA but, when he retired in 2007 he was able to finally focus on a longtime passion. Chamberlain is, in fact, an artist, and more specifically—he is a photographer, avidly setting out in the world and documenting what he sees by framing it through the lens of his camera.

Chamberlain grew up in a home that prized the craft—his father even worked for Eastman Kodak, the iconic film manufacturer based out of New York that has consistently set standards for film quality and processing. Throughout his life, Chamberlain continued to dabble in the art, but in the past 11 years with more freedom and time, his practice has flourished.

An interest in landscape photography has made New Mexico not just a comfortable home but a wellspring of inspiration. Chamberlain and his wife have resided in Corrales for more than a decade, where the natural world is a continual inspiration for the photographer, who, with the advent of digital photography and composition, has expanded his repertoire and deepened his love of the craft.

Not just that, but fostering community is a paramount for Chamberlain. He is active in the Enchanted Lens Camera Club, chair of the Corrales Bosque Gallery, and president of the Professional Photographers Association of New Mexico. Through these organizations he has taught workshops and continued to develop as an artist—expanding his practice as a nature photographer and discovering new ways of working, like shooting on the street. It was through Enchanted Lens Camera Club that Chamberlain first connected with Hawks Aloft.

Since collaboration is such a key point of interest for us, we were hosting one of our photography sessions, where artists had the opportunity to study and photograph a few of their permanently injured, non-releasable raptors.

Participating in that event—and several visits to Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, where our state's Festival of the Cranes is held—were “wow” moment for Chamberlain. That emotional connection allowed him to produce from excellent photography and discover new ways to give back to the community. On Saturday, September 15, Chamberlain will emcee Hawks Aloft's 25th anniversary celebration, loving dubbed the “Falcon Fiesta.” This event, held at the Anderson-Abruzzo International Balloon Museum (9201 Balloon Museum Dr. NE) from 5 to 9pm is an effort to generate funds for the New Mexico Center for Birds of Prey. This center will be the first of its kind in our state, providing a home for permanently injured birds who share their stories with New Mexicans, as well as a site of rehabilitation and a vital touchstone for conservation education. ( Find tickets for the gala here!)

All of these activities spring from the primacy of the craft of photography in Chamberlain's life. He described long hours traveling down New Mexico's dusty back roads to discover new vistas, traveling throughout the region in order to learn and find new compositions, and waking well before sunrise so he can capture—in a single frame, in a single moment—that perfect light that we have in such abundance here.

Connect more with Chamberlain via his website dcphotoartistry.com, or attend the Falcon Fiesta on Sept. 15, from 5 to 9pm. Check out our website for more information.

Image by Dennis Chamberlain

Unusual Intakes, by Katrina Hucks, Raptor Rescue Coordinator

Since its inception in 2014, the Raptor Rescue Hotline has exploded in popularity. The hotline provides a valuable service for New Mexico’s wildlife, transporting injured raptors, corvids, roadrunners, and more to veterinarians and rehabilitators throughout the state. During 2014, 82 birds were brought in via the hotline. So far in 2018, we have placed 134 birds with veterinarians and rehabilitators via the Raptor Rescue Hotline, and it’s only September! We will likely surpass our record of 150 intakes before the year's end.

With the traction of the hotline, we have seen an increase in the number of Cooper’s Hawks, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Red-tailed Hawks, Swainson’s Hawks, and other usual subjects. However, we have also had intakes for species we have never gotten before, such as Elf Owl and Northern Goshawk. The Elf Owl, the smallest owl in the world, was brought to the Alameda Park Zoo in August with a wing injury. These tiny owls are about the size of a sparrow! The Alameda Park Zoo is not within the normal range of Elf Owl, so we have no clue where this little one came from. We expect it came from the bootheel of New Mexico. Only time will tell if the Elf Owl will be releasable. The Northern Goshawk also came to us in August. It had gotten tangled in a turkey pen near Grants and injured her wing. These two species are ones most of us have never seen close up, and our vets and rehabilitators have had the unique opportunity to work with more of New Mexico’s fascinating wildlife.

Photo by Gail Garber

Looking for a Carpentry Volunteer!

Calling all woodworkers!

Recently, an anonymous individual donated three mounted owl specimens--a Great Horned Owl, a Short-eared Owl, and a Barred Owl. Two of these species are not regularly found in New Mexico, thus creating a wonderful opportunity to see these birds up close. We will be using the mounts for various educational purposes, and they will need display cases. These cases will allow us to display and transport the mounts, keeping them from harmful sunlight, insects, and the ever-present New Mexico dust. If you are willing to donate your woodworking services or have display cases you can donate, please contact Gail.

Image by Katrina Hucks

Lavender in the Village Festival, by Angela Green, Office Manager

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.

1)      Go to Smith's Foods

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 - Tony Giancola

This month, we feature the photography of Tony Giancola.

Tony fell into bird photography mostly by chance. In 2001, he spotted three young Cooper’s Hawks playing in Alvarado Park, and stopped to take a few photos with a point-and-shoot camera. The following year, he discovered a nest and his future was sealed! Over the years, the pursuit of birds to photograph has led him on many adventures near and far. He has upgraded equipment several times and also taken workshops with local experts (Doug Brown, Jerry Goffe, Keith Bauer and David Powell, among others). For Tony, photography is strictly a hobby—his day job is software engineering—but photography certainly gets him out of the house! Please visit his website at https://www.giancola.com/