The Silver City Bird Census Project: Your Help Needed!

Planning for the Silver City Bird Census Project (“Birding With a Purpose”), featured in our November 2025 program, is underway! The goal of this project is to conduct monthly bird censuses in local bird hotspots to facilitate analysis of annual and long-term trends in bird populations in southwestern New Mexico.

At a recent meeting of the project Planning Committee, and with guidance from our chapter Board, seven significant bird areas were selected to be censused once monthly beginning in January 2026: Bear Mountain Lodge, Cherry Creek Campground, City of Rocks State Park, Iron Bridge, Lake Roberts, Mangas Springs, and San Vicente Creek. At each of two widely separated points within each of these sites, stationary observers will record every bird heard and/or seen within a 15-minute census period between dawn and mid-morning. These data will be summarized and sent to the Planning Committee for data entry into a grand spreadsheet. Planning committee members are now at work preparing maps of the above seven sites that precisely identify the two census points within each.

We are seeking volunteers of all ages and birding skill levels to conduct these censuses. Let the team know of your interest by sending an e-mail to silvercitybirdcensus@gmail.com by Saturday, January 10, 2026. NOTE: If you are a beginning birder and would like to participate, great! We will pair you with an experienced birder.

** Several trainings in bird census protocol for this project will be offered in January 2026. **

Let the fun and learning begin!

Planning Committee: Maria Conklin, Yziah Jimenez, Devyn Scott, Madison (Madi) Vasquez, William (Bill) Norris)