Founded in 1962, the New Mexico Ornithological Society (NMOS) was organized to: gather and disseminate accurate information concerning the bird life of New Mexico; promote interest in and appreciation of the value of birds, both aesthetic and economic; support effective conservation of the state’s avifauna; facilitate opportunity for acquaintance and fellowship among those interested in birds and
nature; and issue publications as a means of furthering these ends. Our members include amateur ornithologists of varying skill-levels, as well as professionals. The New Mexico Ornithological Society serves as the primary clearing house for information on the distribution, occurrence, and status of New Mexico birds. NMOS sponsors several programs to gather and disseminate such data. Membership in the Society includes subscriptions to the two quarterly publications NMOS Bulletin and NMOS Field Notes. The Bulletin publishes articles of scientific merit concerning the distribution, abundance, status, behavior, and ecology of the avifauna of New Mexico, as well as announcements or reports of Society activities. The Field Notes provides a seasonal overview of the changing patterns of New Mexico’s birdlife, including unusual records, breeding and wintering range changes, and changes in seasonal occurrence and migration patterns. All data published in NMOS Field Notes, from 1962 to the most recently published volume, are available in a searchable computer database – the NMOS Field Notes Database. NMOS also sponsors the New Mexico Bird Records Committee, which was established to evaluate and archive unusual bird records, and to maintain the official State List of New Mexico birds. NMOS presents several Awards and Grants – the Ryan Beaulieu Research Grant and the Florence Merriam Bailey Lifetime Achievement Award. The New Mexico Ornithological Society holds an Annual Meeting. Features of the meeting may include:
Annual Business Meeting
Papers on ornithological research
Banquet with keynote talk by prominent ornithologists
Bird identification workshops
Illustrated presentations
Field trips
NMOS and its members also participate in a number of external programs and publications related to the birds of New Mexico, including the journal North American Birds, the North American Breeding Bird Survey, the Christmas Bird Count, and the North American Migration Count.
