The BRANT Factor – Sandia Rosy-Finch Project
Posted by Michael Hilchey on Nov 11, 2014 | 0 comments
Welcome to the BRANT Factor. This is the first in a series of blogs about BRANT’s conservation, research and education partners that set us apart from other tour companies. We want to show you how responsible travel can have a real impact on the world. This is why we’re so passionate and confident about BRANT’s success and importance. Thanks for your time, we hope you enjoy and become inspired:
Check, check, check! That’s the song of a smiling birder brandishing a green chile chicken quesadilla and sipping coffee at the Sandia Crest House in January. If you have all three Rosy-Finches on your life list, chances are good that this scene is pretty familiar. For over a decade now central New Mexico has been the one stop Rosy-Finch shop where many thousands of people have experienced the beauty of Brown-capped, Black, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches. For some, this means three ticks on a checklist, for others it’s a snowy mountain photo opportunity, and for some it has been the spark that lit their birding fire. But for everyone who has braved the icy mountain road to awe at these incredible birds, it’s a memory not soon forgotten. The site is also home to quite possibly the largest banding project focused on these high altitude specialists, the Sandia Rosy-Finch Project. All these thousands of visitors, bird bands and sought after birds begs the question, “why here?” And perhaps more importantly, “how?”
The idea to feed rosy-finches in the Sandias started with a gentleman named
Ken Schneider . Ken not only had the thought that rosy-finches, which at the time were irregular in the Sandia Mountains at best, might come to a feeder, but also that the Sandia Crest House, a locally run cafe and gift shop at the very top of the mountain, might be a great home for just such a feeder. Over the course of a few years Ken worked with the crest house, specifically with the live-in manager Gene Romero, and the Sandia Ranger district to have a feeder placed and stocked each winter. Rosy-Finches quickly caught on and over the years more and more birds have returned in the cold winter months. From Ken’s early experiments tossing seed into the parking lot all those years ago to what the Creat House is today is a long journey involving many important characters. The many volunteers who have helped keep the feeders running through the years, the creation of the banding project by Steve Cox,
Ryan Beaulieu and BRANT’s own
Raymond VanBuskirk through
RGBR, the dozens of volunteer bird banders, the new manager at the crest, the support from groups like
CNMAS,
New Mexico Audubon, and the donations of seed from
Lee Hopwood and the
Wild Bird Feeder!
Long story short, without all these people’s help there would never have been Rosy-Finches at the Sandia Crest – at least not like they are today! Here at BRANT we’ve done our part to help continue this tradition both for the enjoyment of thousands of birders and for the advancement of research and conservation awareness for these amazing birds. Outside of Lee, Raymond and Michael’s personal commitments to the project (which included coordinating the feeding effort, supervising and volunteering at the banding project, and donating seed), BRANT has committed 10% of our profits from all winter New Mexico tours, including
set-departure,
private and
day trips, to the project. This is generally in the form of buying seed for the feeders, although we hope to be able to contribute to the research project as well by helping to buy equipment and fund summer and winter banding projects! To date, we’ve donated several hundred dollars with a projected additional $850 donated through the end of this winter!
That’s the BRANT effect! We’re joining the dozens of other concerned individuals and organizations to support the continued success of the Sandia Rosy-Finch Project to ensure that these birds can continue to inspire wildlife enthusiasts for years to come!
If you like what we’re doing, check out our Crowdfunding Campaign, make a donation or share with your friends. Every little bit helps and don’t forget to look through our great perks!
– Michael Hilchey
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