12: Tucker Davidson on Birds and Hope

Guest: Tucker DavidsonIt seemed unfair – asking Tucker Davidson to name his favorite bird. A senior water associate at Audubon Southwest, Davidson is a hopeless bird nerd – pulling out his binoculars as he drives Rio Grande levee roads and walks through Albuquerque’s bosque.Davidson joins Rin Tara and John Fleck to talk about the birds he loves, the places he loves, and how you can turn to birds to bring hope as drought and climate change dry New Mexico’s rivers.And you, too, can visit some of his favorite places in New Mexico’s Middle Rio Grande Valley:-        The Rio Grande Nature Center-        Albuquerque’s Open Space Visitor’s Center (especially the pond out by the parking lot, which Tucker and his Audubon colleagues help supply with water)-        The ponds in the bosque near Tingley Beach-        For the dirt-road adventurous, the “River Mile 60” area near Fort Craig-        Any farm road around the valley, especially after irrigation. The birds love it.Tucker’s birding bottom line: look for places where the water slows down.