Hawks Aloft, Inc. – Page 2 – Conservation, Avian Research & Education

Working to preserve New Mexico’s wildlife and unique landscapes for many generations to come.

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Hawks Aloft, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization incorporated in 1994 and based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

We work to conserve indigenous wild birds and their habitats through avian research, conservation education, raptor rescue, and cooperation with other organizations.

We believe that this work helps to preserve New Mexico’s unique landscapes and wildlife populations for many generations to come.

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Explore Iceland: The Land Of Fire And Ice (Full – Waitlist Only)

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HAWKS ALOFT MEMBER TOUR JUNE 1 – JUNE 11, 2023 In the land of fire and ice, massive ice-blue glaciers contrast sharply with bright green meadows, black lava fields, and geothermal lagoons to create dramatic, captivating landscapes. The country’s avifauna is equally impressive: located at the junction of two oceans, it hosts a unique mix…

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Here’s one juicy bug (you might want to zoom in

Here’s one juicy bug (you might want to zoom in a bit) that won’t make it to the dung heap. Burrowing Owls, a diurnal species, will hunt at all hours of the day and night, but prefer dawn and dusk when nocturnal prey is most available. Invertebrates—chiefly insects, but also including worms, scorpions, sun scorpions and crustaceans—account for the greatest number of catches. Pellet studies, however, suggest that, in terms of biomass, vertebrates—frogs, toads, snakes, lizards, bats, rodents, songbirds, and waterfowl (in short, anything manageable)—make up the bulk of their diet. That vertebrate bulk can be quite impressive during nesting season, when the parents may cache surplus food, allowing the female to focus her time and energy on incubating her eggs and brooding her chicks. One study, done in Saskatchewan in 1997, turned up a single cache of more than 200 rodents! Thank you, Kristin Brown, for the photo.

Once the owls have prepared their burrow for egg-l

Once the owls have prepared their burrow for egg-laying and chick-rearing, they may spruce up the entrance (not visible in our photo) with any available trash—bottle caps, bits of tinfoil, cigarette butts, paper scraps. Since mate selection and nestbuilding will have been accomplished by this time, the décor most likely has less to do with any sort of avian aesthetic sensibility than with the need to advise other house-hunters that this burrow is occupied.
Also not shown in the photo: a not-so-decorative carpet of animal feces—livestock manure is popular—which is nonetheless attractive to dung beetles and other delectable insects, making the six-legged critters easy prey for the resident Burrowing Owls. Thank you, Kristin Brown, for the photo.

You’re most likely to find Burrowing Owls in wid

You’re most likely to find Burrowing Owls in wide-open, sparsely vegetated terrain. Do bring your binoculars and, if possible, a spotting scope. As you can see in our photo, they’re well camouflaged, and also quite small. Those sturdy legs are well adapted for digging a burrow in which to live and raise their young. These owls are known for taking over burrows from prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and tortoises—not to mention piles of PVC pipes left lying around by humans! When a more natural substrate (i.e., loose soil) is available, usually in the form of an existing burrow, a mated pair will work together to enlarge and maintain it. The finished burrow is usually less than 3 feet deep, but its numerous twists and turns provide ample space for its resident family. Unlike most bird species, Burrowing Owls are well adapted to life underground by a relatively high tolerance for carbon dioxide—an adaptation they share with other burrowing animals.
This adult Burrowing Owl is taking advantage of a dirt-mound lookout—an important factor in selecting a nest site. Other potential lookouts include bushes, fence posts, and road signs. Thank you, Tony Giancola, for the photo.

A wise old owl? That venerable old trope might not

A wise old owl? That venerable old trope might not come immediately to mind when you encounter a charming little Burrowing Owl standing on a dirt mound—or poking its head over the edge of a burrow that it may or may not have appropriated from its prairie-dog neighbors. This little fellow is the only New World representative of the genus Athene, named after the Greek goddess of wisdom. Athena is commonly associated in classical iconography with the Little Owl (Athene noctua, i.e. “night owl”) of Eurasia and North Africa. Its New World cousin is aptly named Athene cunicularia; the species name translates as “miner” or “burrower” and is derived, in turn, from the Latin word for “rabbit!” Thank you, Larry Rimer, for the photo.

The Greater Roadrunner has great cultural signific

The Greater Roadrunner has great cultural significance to the native people of the United States and Mexico. They are celebrated for their strength, speed, and courage. The roadrunner’s special foot shape was adopted by some Pueblo tribes as a ward against evil. It is shaped like an “X” with two toes facing forward and the other two facing back. The thought behind this is that it’s hard to tell which direction the bird is going, so the evil spirits are confused.

Thank you to Alan Murphy for the photo.

In general, it is less likely for a Greater Roadru

In general, it is less likely for a Greater Roadrunner to be seen in winter. One hypothesis scientists have is that they hibernate. Roadrunners have been known to experience torpor or a period where an animal will slow its body function down, so they might extend that time to last longer than one night. During the winter, their main prey items are less abundant so the energy needed to find them will be much greater. Having a period of hibernation can help extend the time between hunting sessions.

Thank you to Larry Rimer for the photo.

Getting ready to take on the big world outside! Ju

Getting ready to take on the big world outside! Just a few weeks before their encounter with our photographer, these two young Burrowing Owls were blind and helpless, completely dependent on their parents for food and care. By about day 5, with their eyes newly opened, Burrowing Owl nestlings become more aware of their surroundings, reacting to nest disturbances with “rattlesnake buzzing” vocalizations. For the first couple of weeks, the parents bring food into the burrow, directly feeding small morsels to nestlings. These youngsters, clearly beyond that stage, are waiting—patiently or otherwise—for a parent to return to the burrow entrance with their next meal. Thank you, Tony Giancola, for the photo.

More comfortable running on the ground, a Greater

More comfortable running on the ground, a Greater Roadrunner takes to the air only as a last resort. They fly when pressured by danger, such as when a predator is nearby. Any other flight they take is just a short distance to find a different perch or to and from their nest. A roadrunner will also fly to flush prey from their hiding places in desert scrub bushes.

Thank you to Alan Murphy for the photo.

Veterans of life under the hot desert sun, Greater

Veterans of life under the hot desert sun, Greater Roadrunners also need to adapt to the cold desert nights. In the early mornings, a roadrunner can be seen perched in the path of the sun’s rays. By raising their feathers, they expose their backs to those warming rays. Roadrunners’ black skin helps them absorb the sun’s warmth even faster.

Thank you to Gail Garber for the photo.

Like other avian species, the female Greater Roadr

Like other avian species, the female Greater Roadrunner constructs the nest while the male gathers the building supplies. However, the parents will alternate incubating the eggs and gathering food to feed their partner and chicks. Oddly, roadrunners have been known to engage in brood parasitism. They have been observed laying eggs in the nests of ravens and Northern Mockingbirds, letting the other parents raise the roadrunners’ offspring.

Thank you to Larry Rimer for the photo.

Both the male and female of a breeding Greater Roa

Both the male and female of a breeding Greater Roadrunner pair will defend their territory all year. During each breeding season, the pair renew their bond with a complicated and involved ritual where they chase each other and exchange gifts of rocks or food. The male will “wag” his tail to enchant the female while bowing. These behaviors lead to copulation where both individuals will grasp a gift that the male had brought the female.

Thank you to Gail Garber for the photo.

Greater Roadrunners are also known to eat venomous

Greater Roadrunners are also known to eat venomous prey, such as scorpions and rattlesnakes. To kill any prey larger than themselves, they repeatedly slam them onto the hard, rocky ground. Sometimes they work together with another roadrunner to obtain the more dangerous food source. One individual will distract the animal, jumping and flapping their wings, while the other sneaks up on it and land the killing blow (or blows).

Thank you to Larry Rimer for the photo.

Greater Roadrunners have many adaptations that hel

Greater Roadrunners have many adaptations that help them survive in harsh desert habitat. As water is not abundant, they get most of their hydration from their prey. Being omnivorous also helps. Roadrunners eat a wide variety of prey, such as reptiles, small mammals, insects, and even other birds! In addition to animal prey, roadrunners eat berries and seeds. Plant material makes up 10% of their winter season diet.

Thank you @dougbrown505 for the photo.

During the breeding season, the male Greater Roadr

During the breeding season, the male Greater Roadrunners develop bright blue and orange patches on the skin near their eyes. Their distinctive crests are visible year-round, raised and lowered at will. Males shake their tail feathers, perform a stylized dance to attract a female’s attention, and gift her presents of prey items to form their bond. Roadrunners reform the mating bond every year with the same partner.

Thank you Alan Murphy for the photo.

Meep! Meep! Unless you are Wile E. Coyote, you sho

Meep! Meep! Unless you are Wile E. Coyote, you should be delighted to hear the sound of the Greater Roadrunner. A resident of the American Southwest, roadrunners are a part of the Cuckoo family. They prefer ground travel to flying and are adapted to run over 15 miles per hour, outpacing a human. In dichotomy to their cartoon counterparts, coyotes present a real threat. The canines can run 43 mph, easily catching up to the birds.

Thank you Larry Rimer for the photo.

This handsome swallow, displaying its brown neckla

This handsome swallow, displaying its brown necklace, nests in arroyos and sand cliffs, where they excavate their own nesting burrows. The svelte Bank Swallow zips through the air with quick twists and buzzy wingbeats. Look for them in chattering nesting colonies dug into the sides of sandy cliffs or banks, or pick them out of mixed swallow flocks as they catch insects over the water. These birds occur on all continents except Australia and Antarctica—but in North America their numbers have mysteriously plummeted since 1970, and they are recognized as a Common Bird in Steep Decline. Thank you @Keith Bauer for this photo.

Cliff Swallows are the world's most colonial swall

Cliff Swallows are the world's most colonial swallow species, regularly forming colonies of 200–1,000 nests. They preen, feed, drink, and bathe in groups, and travel together in large flocks during migration and on their wintering grounds. Most of the year, Cliff Swallows sleep in trees, but during nesting season an adult will begin sleeping in the nest as soon as it is partially finished. They fight for nest sites by grappling in half-built nests or on the bare wall. Fighting birds sometimes fall into the water and manage to reach the shore by rowing with their wings. Nest owners defend their completed nests by sitting in the entrances, puffing up their head and neck feathers to look larger, and lunging at intruders. Each bird has one mate with whom it raises young, but the pair do not associate away from the nest, and both members frequently mate outside the pair bond. Thank you Doug Brown Photography for this image.

A flying stomach! Cliff Swallows eat flying insec

A flying stomach! Cliff Swallows eat flying insects, foraging during daylight hours in groups numbering between 2 and 1,000. They often take advantage of the thermal air currents that bring together dense swarms of insects. Their colonies serve as foraging information centers as parents make trips back and forth to feed nestlings: unsuccessful foragers follow their successful neighbors to food sources. They eat just about any insect that flies including flies, bees, wasp, ants, beetles, lacewings, mayflies, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies, and damselflies. Thank you Kristin C Brown Photography for this photo!

Wow! Check out the remarkable colors on this Clif

Wow! Check out the remarkable colors on this Cliff Swallow. In low light they appear brownish with dark throats and white underparts. In good light, however, they show dark metallic-blue backs and pale pumpkin-colored rumps. They have rich brick-red faces and a bright buff-white forehead patch resembling a headlamp. Thank you Kristin C Brown Photography for this photo.

Aerial insectivores, Cliff Swallows catch all of t

Aerial insectivores, Cliff Swallows catch all of their food on the wing, generally near water. These common and sociable swallows are nearly always found in large groups, whether they’re chasing insects high above the ground, preening on perches, or dipping into a river for a bath. Watch for them near the bridges that cross the Rio Grande. Thank you @Doug Brown Photography for this image.

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