Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
and one adult were also detected during the surveys. It is unlikely that the eagles use this area as a
wintering habitat because two of the eagles were not of breeding age.
On the Cibola National Forest, populations of birds are monitored through the use of breeding
bird surveys (BBS) on geographic areas to detect population and trends during the breeding
period. There are two types of BBS done on the Cibola National Forest and both types of survey
routes are run on the district including: Mt. Taylor BBS (a USGS BBS route on the eastern side of
Mt. Taylor) and a shorter BBS route at Rinconada Canyon. There is one important bird area (IBA)
on the district at Rinconada Canyon. There are no important overwintering areas on the district.
High priority migratory birds are determine by consulting several lists including the National
Audubon Society Watchlist, the USFWS’s Birds of Conservation Concern, the New Mexico
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS), and the New Mexico Partners in Flight
(PIF) list. Those species potentially occurring in habitats similar to the permit area on the Mt.
Taylor Ranger District were reviewed. Table 38 summarizes species and habitat analyzed.
Table 38. Priority bird species and associated habitat
Priority Bird Species Habitat
Piñon jay (Gymnorhinus
cyanocephalus)**
Black throated gray warbler
(Setophaga nigrescens)**
Band-tailed pigeon (Columba
fasciata)
Gray flycatcher (Empidonax
wrightii)**
Olive-sided flycatcher
(Contopus cooperi)**
Black-chinned hummingbird
(Archilochus alexandri)**
Broad-tailed hummingbird
(Selasphorus platycercus)**
Scaled quail (Callipepla
squamata) **
Grace’s warbler (Setophaga
graciae)
Vesper sparrow (Pooecetes
gramineus)**
Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius
ludovicianus)**
Piñon-juniper woodland is used most extensively by this species but flocks also
breed in sagebrush, scrub oak, and chaparral communities.
This species can be found in piñon-juniper with some oak understory between
7,000 and 8,000 feet, but can also be common in more mesic piñon/juniper with
a high canopy closure.
This species may be found from piñon-juniper up through spruce/fir depending
on availability of food that includes a wide variety of mast such as fruits and
nuts, especially acorns and piñon pine nuts.
This species is found in piñon/juniper woodland up into the fringes of ponderosa
pine, together with some understory of oak, mountain mahogany, etc., and often
in semi-mixed xeric conditions.
Rare on all mountain districts, usually occurring in ponderosa, mixed conifer
and spruce/fir. Favors open forest and forest edges with snags.
On the Cibola National Forest, this species is the foothills hummingbird that
occurs on all mountain districts up to about 7,000 feet.
This mountain hummingbird is found from about 7,000 feet upward. It frequents
meadows and open forest with a shrubby component and forbs.
Primarily found in peripheral shrubby grasslands in the vicinity of canyon
foothills on the San Mateo, Magdalena, and Bear Mountain ranges.
On the district, this species is fairly common in ponderosa pine but may extend
into mixed conifer if ponderosa pine is also present.
On the district, this species is found in dry meadows with some shrub
component from about 7,000 feet to at least 8,400 feet.
Generally prefers juniper savannah or grassland/shrub habitats below 7,000 feet
in elevation.
224 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest