Share with Wildlife | BISON-M

Tons of Diversity in the Bootheel

Allison radio tracks a nestling. (Ginny Seamster)

Have you ever driven through southwestern New Mexico, along I-10 west of Lordsburg, and wondered how species lived in this part of the state? In particular, where do they go? What features on the landscape are important to them? Using funding from the Share with Wildlife program, Dr. Martha Desmond and her graduate student, Allison Salas, from New Mexico State University are helping biologists at New Mexico Department of Game and Fish answer these questions for one inhabitant of the bootheel region of New Mexico; the Bendire’s thrasher.

Allison and her team of field technicians have been searching for Bendire’s thrashers in areas where pairs were detected in previous years, as well as adjacent areas, and mapping out current-year territories. They have been keeping a sharp eye out for signs of nest building, new nests, and indicators that nestlings are being fed. As of mid-April 2019, they already had over 20 territories with active pairs and nest building occurring. They had also already put radio transmitters on a few nestlings, with hopefully many more to come later this year. The data gathered using the transmitters help Allison determine where the nestlings go and what kind of habitats they use after they leave the nest. Allison and her crew are also performing vegetation and insect surveys that will inform assessments of the relationship between habitat variables and the reproductive success of Bendire’s thrashers.

Example of a yucca nest site. (Ginny Seamster)

Bendire’s thrasher nestling. (Allison Salas)

Allison and her team face many potential challenges while in the field. The breeding season for the Bendire’s thrasher is not well documented and appears to be ramping up much earlier this year than it did during similar surveys last year, meaning there is variability between years in terms of when is best to get out in the field to study this species. There are other thrashers found in the bootheel that can look quite similar to the Bendire’s thrasher (for example, the curve-billed thrasher). There are other species that nest in the bootheel that have similarly shaped nests and/or colored eggs (e.g., mockingbirds). There are many birds that are migrating through Hidalgo County in April, adding to the activity at Allison’s field sites and potentially obscuring Bendire’s thrasher behaviors. There is also the perpetual risk of predation by ravens and other species. The bootheel is far from a friendly place to live if you have to raise your babies on a nest; there is so little suitable cover and the ravens are always watching and on the lookout for their next meal! Thus, Allison and her team must try to outwit the ravens and visit nests only when ravens are not nearby.

Desert shrubland habitat in the bootheel. (Ginny Seamster)

The Bendire’s thrasher is able to nest in some surprising locations. From shorter yuccas – often those that grow in a clump of three – to mesquite with lots of thistle lodged underneath – Bendire’s thrashers as a species appear to utilized a diversity of woody plants as nest sites and call some fairly harsh environs home. However, individual Bendire’s thrashers may use the same sort of plant as a nest site year after year. Given the lack of cover in this area, it is impressive that any nestlings survive to the point of leaving the nest. Even when off the nest, the juveniles are still quite vulnerable as it takes them a few days to learn how to fly like adults. The Bendire’s thrashers seem to stay together as a family unit longer than most song birds; the parents take more care of their young, which makes sense given how many threats face their babies early in life! All hats are off to Allison and her crew for all of the new and exciting data they are collecting on the Bendire’s thrasher! The results from this project will be very useful in informing future management of the Bendire’s thrasher and its habitat.

The call for Fiscal Year 2020 project proposals is now closed. The projects selected for funding will be announced and posted on this website in late August/early September. Please contact the Share with Wildlife Coordinator, Ginny Seamster (virginia.seamster@state.nm.us), with questions.

These forms are provided for informational purposes to individuals and organizations submitting a proposal to the Share with Wildlife program in response to an active Call For Project Information. These forms should not be submitted to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish unless an employee of the Department directly contacts you and requests that you fill them out as part of the process of implementing a professional services contract for a new Share with Wildlife project.

Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form

Compliance with Government Conduct Act

DFA Agency Certification Form

Substitute Form W-9

Applicants for a Share with Wildlife project who intend to capture and handle animals or use live animals and/or animal parts for educational purposes for their project may need to obtain a scientific collection permit or educational program permit from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. Please see the Special Use Permits page for more information and contact dgf.permits@state.nm.us with questions.

New Mexico wildlife needs your help! Share with Wildlife funds numerous projects related to wildlife habitat enhancement, wildlife-related education, wildlife rehabilitation, and research on wildlife biology and ecology every year. All projects are made possible through donations made by members of the public. 

To make a donation, you may donate part of the refund on your state tax return; purchase a Share with Wildlife license plate or make any dollar amount donation online (minimum $2; see more information below); or mail in a check using this donation form. All donated funds go to supporting wildlife; none are used for administrative costs.

If you want your dollars to go even further in supporting non-game wildlife, consider donating to Share with Wildlife and purchasing a Habitat Management Access Validation simultaneously. Click here for more information about donating and here for information on our State Game Commission Lands.

Donations made to the Share with Wildlife program are tax-deductible for both federal and New Mexico state taxes. Please see U.S. Code Title 26. Internal Revenue Code – section 170c – Charitable Contribution Defined for more information. You may wish to further confirm with your tax advisor/preparer.

Thank you for your support of New Mexico’s wildlife!

Download the PDF to support wildlife by ordering the Share with Wildlife license plate. PDF made available from MVD New Mexico. The Rio Grande cutthroat trout plate is only available through the mail starting October 23rd, 2017. It may take 6-10 weeks to receive your trout plate from MVD.

On the Online Licensing System website (shown below) please enter your Username (or Customer ID or Email) and Password, and then click the Login button:

Once you are logged in, if you only wish to donate to Share with Wildlife, click on the Share with Wildlife button on the home page:

Type any dollar amount (minimum $2.00) you wish to donate in the Enter Donation Amount box (shown below) and click Review Order:

Dismiss any pop-up windows (shown below) regarding purchasing other items by clicking the OK button:

Click the Add to Cart button (shown below) at the top of the Review Order page:

On the next screen, click Checkout and continue on to complete your purchase.

OR

Once you are logged in, if you are purchasing other items through the Online Licensing System, go to License Sales | General License Sales from the Main Menu (shown below):

After you read the Terms of Agreement on the next page and click the Continue button, you will see a list of Available Products. Locate the Share with Wildlife Donation product ($10 donation only) OR the Share with Wildlife Extra Donation product ($2.00 minimum donation; type dollar amount in Enter Donation Amount box) and click the check box next to (add to order). Click the Review Order button:

Dismiss any pop-up windows (shown above) regarding purchasing other items by clicking the OK button. Click the Add to Cart button (shown above) at the top of the Review Order page. On the next screen, click Checkout and continue on to complete your purchase.