From pine forest to desert scrub, from alpine meadow to riparian wetland, Albuquerque and its surrounding area in New Mexico offer an appealing variety of wildlife habitat. Birders are likely to see more than two hundred species during a typical year of bird-watching. Now, two experienced birders, Judith Liddell and Barbara Hussey, share their intimate knowledge of the best places to find birds in and around this important region.
Covering the Rio Grande corridor, the Sandia and Manzano Mountains, Petroglyph National Monument, and the preserved areas and wetlands south of Albuquerque (including crane and waterfowl haven Bosque del Apache), "Birding Hotspots of Central New Mexico" offers twenty-nine geographically organized site descriptions, including maps and photographs, trail diagrams, and images of some of the birds and scenery birders will enjoy. Along with a general description of each area, the authors list target birds; explain where and when to look for them; give driving directions; provide information about public transportation, parking, fees, restrooms, food, and lodging; and give tips on availability of water and picnic facilities and on the presence of hazards such as rattlesnakes, bears, and poison ivy.
Birding Hot Spots of Central New Mexico includes a "helpful information" section that discusses weather, altitude, safety, transportation, and other local birding resources. The American Birding Association's code of birding ethics appears in the back of the book, along with an annotated checklist of 222 bird species seen with some regularity in and around Albuquerque.
Judy Liddell is a board member of the Central New Mexico Audubon Society and a bird monitor for the Rio Grande Nature Center in Albuquerque.
In addition to being a former president and board member of the Central New Mexico Audubon Society, Barbara Hussey is also a founding member of the Rio Grande Nature Center.
"[...] Birding Hot Spots of Central New Mexico and Birding Hot Spots of Santa Fe, Taos, and Northern New Mexico are excellent birdfinding guides to the Land of Enchantment. Anyone – visitor or resident – who will be birding this area is highly encouraged to make use of them. As for me, I’m really wanting to go to central New Mexico now!"
– Grant McCreary (03/04/2017), read the full review at The Birder's Library
"Birding Hot Spots in Central New Mexico by Judith Liddell and Barbara Hussey is a must-have guide for the serious out-of-town birder who comes to Central New Mexico. The guide is practical, user-friendly and comprehensive. It starts off with an overall description of Albuquerque area's landscape, life zones, birds, possible hazards such as snakes, poison ivy, weather and altitude, etc. These factors are then applied to each selected site with the seasonal variation in bird species included. The information is presented clearly and logically thus adding to the fun of birding in the Albuquerque area."
– Sei Tokuda, retired professor of immunology and former chair of the Department of Microbiology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine
"Liddell and Hussey have written a guide that will be invaluable to central New Mexico visitors and local birders alike. But their explanations of the region's natural history and advice on places to go and things to see reach beyond the birds alone, making this book a treat for anyone who loves the outdoors."
– John Fleck, science writer, Albuquerque Journal
"Many birders are familiar with Judy Liddell's popular blog, It's a Bird Thing. Judy's blog entries often describe her local trips with the Thursday Birders, a dedicated group of Central New Mexico Audubon Society members who get out to interesting places every Thursday morning. Most of the Thursday Birder excursions are in or around the city of Albuquerque for a half day, making it easy to fit them into a busy schedule. Reading her narratives brings me back to the eleven years I lived in New Mexico. Judy is active in Central New Mexico Audubon Society. In additon to leading CNMAS bird walks, she serves as Vice President and Program Chair. She also is secretary of New Mexico Audubon Council and is a bird monitor for the Rio Grande Nature Center. With fellow birder and experienced birding guide Barbara Hussey, Judy has co-authored Birding Hotspots of Central New Mexico. In addition to long and dedicated service for the Rio Grande Nature Center, Barbara is a former President and Board member of CNMAS, and one of the founders of New Mexico Volunteer for the Outdoors."
– Rosyfinch Ramblings
"A must have for those birding in the region!"
– Ian Paulsen, Birdbooker Report, The Guardian
" [...] this guide focuses much more on getting you to a good spot for birding and telling you what to look for. This makes it infinitely more valuable to birders who visit the area infrequently or maybe for the first time [...] descriptions are very thorough but readable [...] the local recommendations are great [...] clean and simple maps show access points, trails, and points of interest and the good number of excellent photographs highlight habitat and species of interest [...] enough to break up the text and keep the book visually entertaining. The text is in a font that is crisp and easy to read [...] this is an excellent guide to the area [...] "
– Drew Weber, Nemesis Bird