October Big Day Bird Walk
Date: Saturday, Oct 11, 2025 | ⏰ 8:30 am – 10:30 am
Where: Los Poblanos Open Space Community Gardens
Celebrate fall migration and be part of a global birding event called October Big Day. On October 11, birders everywhere will head out, whether to the backyard, park, or beyond to count as many species as possible using eBird. Every sighting helps create a global snapshot of bird diversity and supports science & conservation.
This beginner-friendly walk is a fun way to learn birding basics, spot fall migrants, and log sightings on eBird. Need an eBird account? Go here to create your free account! Want to learn more about eBird? Read Getting Started with eBird.
This outing is free & open to all! Bring your curiosity (and binoculars if you have them)! A porta-potty is available and the surface is flat with mix of dirt/gravel trail.
📍 Meet at the NW corner of the Open Space. Off Chavez go south on Nabor and park along the ditch near Alvarado Elementary School. Walk across the footbridge to the Community Gardens.
Bird Walk & Presentation - Save the Date!
Saturday, October 18 | ⏰ Starting at 8 AM
Join avian expert Josiah Lavender for a morning Bird Walk at Embudo Canyon, where you’ll explore our local birds and their fall behaviors. Then, continue the day at WBU East with Josiah’s “Avian Intelligence and Senses” presentation at 11am. Discover how birds think, perceive the world, and navigate their environments in remarkable ways. Bring your binoculars, curiosity, and love of birds for a day of learning and adventure!
Avian Intelligence and Senses Presentation at 11 AM
Contrary to the popular meaning of the term “bird brain”, birds possess remarkable mental faculties. Aspects of intelligence such as the ability to remember the location of stashed food, recognize human faces, use tools, solve complex problems, and learn vocalizations help birds survive in challenging environments, avoid predators, find mates, and maintain social relationships. Birds also possess highly attuned sensory modalities, such as eyes that perceive light beyond the humanly visible spectrum and, in some species, ears that can detect the sounds of prey moving beneath snow. These extraordinary capabilities have arisen through a complex history of evolutionary pressure mediated by harsh environments and the extreme energetic demands of powered flight. Join Josiah as he discusses the most remarkable aspects of bird brains, eyes, and ears, and how these features help them interact with their environment. - Josiah Lavender.
Josiah Lavender's Migration Presentation - September 13, 2025
Now available on our YouTube Channel @WildBirdsUnlimitedABQEast
Josiah Lavender is a first-year PhD student in evolutionary biology at UNM’s Witt Lab. As the founder of Lavender Birding Tours, he’s led numerous walks, sharing his extensive knowledge of local bird species. His deep passion for bird ecology and conservation makes each tour and presentation he leads just as informative as they are enjoyable. Please visit and follow us @WildBirdsUnlimitedABQEast on YouTube. Contact Josiah here.
Josiah Lavender's Migration Presentation Now Available on our YouTube Channel. Please visit and follow us @WildBirdsUnlimitedABQEast.