July-August 2010 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon Society

8/9/2019 July-August 2010 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon Society

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Vermilionf l y c a t c h e r

5

Tucson Auuon Society | tucsonauuon.org

Vermilionf l y c a t c h e r

JulyAugust 2010 | Volume 55, Numer 4

Tucson Auuon Society | tucsonauuon.org

T u c s o n A u d u b o n s b i - m o n T h l y n e w s m A g A z i n e

m!

10 T b f s

11 wat a na?

btt spa

3 e n, la na, a t m

12 spa f s

Plus a pa

b & b

t p-t


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2 T AVermilion FlycatcherJulyaugust 2010

If I could choose a name for the monsoon, Id call it

the Juicy Season.

Monsoon is our second summer, following

the rippling, dry heat of the desert foresummer. It

splits the summer between dry and wet, and is thereasn we ave ve seasns.

The May and June foresummer is the

overactive childhot and fast moving. Wind and

st n te y; srbs an trees are its playtings.

Eddies sweep across the desert, moving two

directions at once. It remakes the desert after the

rebirth of spring, like a childs hand smoothing

te ry st befre rawing in it a wer r a

smiley face.

In Jne life is crepsclar; nergrn, waiting

for sunset. The troubling daytime air carries no

heat itself and quickly falls asleep at night, quiet

and cool. Animals do a brief dance against thedarkening sky, unafraid of the

marauding childs glare.

Monsoon is the

pubescence of the

year. The veins of

the desert begin to

w. Wases are wet.Jices w in plants tat

formerly only thought of dormancy and survival.

Leaves emerge, an te tgts f wers an

fruit begin to form. Vines grow where they never

had before.

With moisture comes a different, more

purposeful kind of activity. It is closer to adulthood,

to reproduction and garden tending. It has a goal

in mind, unlike the child. But maturity of mind is far

off, awaiting autumns cool. Mountain, moisture,

an win cnict like strng persnalities, playing

their forces out across the landscape. Tension

inevitably builds and creatures take cover, dodgingthe hail stones and lightning bolts that are an

inevitable part of the emergence of life.

The desert emerges stronger and sweeter after

the passing violence. There are strong odors,

many of them good. There is calm and coolthe

air has lost its edge. Theres a tropical sensibility.

Tis is wen te jices w. We rink te

aguas of sanda, meln, and tamarindo. Corn and

squash mature, one wound around the other, with

help from adult gardeners. This is when we eat

and drink. VF

Vermilion Flycatcheris published bi-monthly. For address

changes or subscription problems call 629-0510, or write

to Membership Coordinator, Tucson Audubon, 300 E.

University Blvd, #120, Tucson, AZ 85705. Submissions are

due the 1st of the month, two months before the date of the

issue. Please send submissions as Microsoft Word or RTF

cments, r plain text les, t Matt Grifts at mgrifts@

tucsonaudubon.org.

CoordinatorMatt Grifths 971-7924

ProofreadersJane & Warren Tisdale 749-2139andTucson Audubon staff and board members

Design/LayoutEng-Li Green

Tucson Audubon Society is dedicated to improvingthe quality of the environment by providingeducation, conservation, and recreation programs,environmental leadership, and information. Tucson

Abn is a nn-prt vlnteer rganiatin fpeople with a common interest in birding and naturalistry. Tcsn Abn maintains fces, a library,and nature shops in Tucson, the proceeds of whichbenet all f its prgrams.

Tucson Audubon Society300 E. University Blvd. #120, Tucson, AZ 85705

629-0510 (voice) or 623-3476 (fax)All phone numbers are area code 520 unless otherwise stated.

www.tucsonaudubon.org

Board Ofcers & DirectorsPresident Herb TrossmanVice President Mich CokerSecretary Robert MeridethTreasurer Lindsey Quesinberry

Directors at Large Ricar Fray, Sany Elers, Jlie Grn,

Lina Greene, Neil Markwit, Li Payne, Cyntia Prett,Jessie Sinn, Lina StiterBoard CommitteesConservation Chris McVie,DevelopmentSandy Elers, Education Cynthia Pruett,Membership Jessie Shinn, Finance Lindsey Quesinberry,PersonnelMich Coker, Nominating Vacant

Programs & ActivitiesField Trips Darlene Smyth 297-2315LibraryDavid West 629-0510Membership MeetingsJean Barchman 629-0510Rare Bird AlertAndrew Core | Report Rare Birds 629-0510

Staff(unless otherwise stated, dial 629-0510 plus extension)Executive DirectorPaul Green ext 7001

Finance and Operations Brad Paxton ext 7014

AccountantMichelle Bourgeois ext 7003

Membership CoordinatorJean Barchman ext 7002

Special Projects Erin Olmstead ext 7009

Education & Outreach Specialist Matt Brooks ext 7007

IBA Conservation Biologist Scott Wilbor ext 7004IBA Program AssistantBiologist

Jennie MacFarland ext 7005

Restoration Program ManagerKendall Kroesen ext 7006

Field SupervisorRodd Lancaster 256-6909

Restoration/Communications SpecialistMatthew Grifths 971-7924

Mason Outreach CoordinatorLia Sansom ext 7013

University Shop ManagerSara Pike ext 7008

Volunteer Coordinator/Agua CalienteShop ManagerBecky Aparicio ext 7011

Tucson Audubon Nature Shops300 E University Blvd #120 629-0510623-3476 fax / 629-0510 Shop Manager

Hours: MonSat 10am4pm (5pm Mon & Thu)

Agua Caliente Park, 12325 E Roger Rd 760-7881

Hours: 9am3:30pmThu(Julyand august)

VERMILIONF L Y C A T C H E R

5

Tucson Audubon Society | tucsonaudubon.org

VERMILIONF L Y C A T C H E R

JulyAugust 2010 | Volume 55, Number 4

Tucson Audubon Society | tucsonaudubon.org

T U C S O N A U D U B O N S B I - M O N T H L Y N E W S M A G A Z I N E

Monsoon!

10 Birds of Summer

11 Whats in a Name?Botteris Sparrow

3 El Nio, La Nia, and The Monsoon

12 Sparrows of Summer

PLUS a specialBirds & Businessdirectory pull-out

FronT cover: Grasspper Sparrw by

Tom Munson of Spokane, Washington. You can view

more of Toms photos at www.pbase.com/clinton62/root.

To have your photographs considered for use in theVermilion Flycatcher, please cntact Matt Grifts at

[email protected].

Fat10 Te Brs f Smmer

11 Wats n a Name? Btters Sparrw

12 Sparrws f Smmer

dpatt3 Cmmentar

4 News Rnp

8 Events an Casses

8 Events Caenar

14 Cnservatn an Ecatn News

16 Cnservatn Crner

17 Fe Trps

20 Brng Trave frm r Bsness Partners

21 Brs & Bsness Aance

21 Cassfe As

22 Natre Sps

23 Bens

T J saKendall Kroesen, Restoration Program Manager

BoThPhoToSKENdALLKRoESEN


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Julyaugust 2010Vermilion Flycatcher T A 3

The unique season we call monsoon

is something southern Arizonans

anticipate with the same passion asWilcats playoffs, the holiays, roeo,

an Match Play. We make it through a

long, hot perio in May an June, with

the payoff eing the thirst-quenching

Monsoon rain that gives humans, willife,

an vegetation the wherewithal to make it

through to Octoer when ays are shorter

an temperatures are, well, temperate.

The monsoon, which gets its name

from an Araic term meaning seasonal

change in win pattern, is still, with its

erce presence making it impossible to

miss, often misunerstoo.

h t f

The North American monsoon

develops out of two basic scientic

principles. First, that warm air is light

an uoyant while cool air is heavy an

ense. Secon, that rising air egets low

pressure while sinking air egets high

pressure.

As the eserts of northwest Mexico an

southwest Unite States ake in June, a

thermal, or heat, low pressure system

forms. This has with it the characteristicof counter-clockwise ow. At the same

time, the Four Corners region, where the

elevation is higher, is relatively cool. Over

this area (think northeast Arizona), an

area of high pressure forms in response

to the sinking, cool air. High pressure

has clockwise ow. The two systems,

the thermal low an the Four Corners

high, act as a conveyor elt for moisture,

pumping the air from Mexico, the Pacic

Ocean, an Gulf of Mexico into our state

(see Figure 1).

T

Although commonly calle themonsoon season, the term is a it

reunant. Since monsoon means

seasonal change in win pattern,

saying monsoon season is like saying

seasonal change in win pattern

season. Instea, it shoul just simply e

calle THE MONSOON.

lat ya

Monsoon 09 was a ust, likely

ecause El Nio rapily evelope

in May, 2009. El Nio is anomalously

warm sea surface temperatures in the

equatorial Pacic, from South America

westwar. Although El Nio is responsile

for relatively wet winters in Arizona, in

the summer months it pushes monsoon

moisture south an east of us. In 2009,

the monsoon only rought a it over two

inches of rain, aout a thir of normal.

T ya

The goo news is that El Nio has

weakene. Interestingly, the latest sea-

surface temperatures in the Pacic are

eginning to show a quick turnaroun to

La Nia conitions, El Nios opposite.

Typically, La Nia will help keep west-

to-east wins at ay in the Southwest,

resulting in increased ow of monsoon

moisture into Arizona from the south.

saft

Its worth remembering that ash

ooding is the leading cause of weather

relate eaths in Arizona. So, although

the monsoon is greete mostly with

excitement y Arizonas esert-hary

inhaitants, it can e quite angerous.

Only six inches of owing water can

sweep a car into a raging wash. Lightning

microursts, an lining ust storms also

pose a threat to life an property. This

monsoon, lets all stay informe an safe,

making enjoying the season a snap. VF

Chuck George is the Chief Meteorologistat KOLD Channel 13 at 5, 6, and 10pmin

Tucson. He is the recipient of many awards

for his informative weathercasts. A University

of Arizona graduate (master of engineering in

water resources), he received a bachelor of

science in meteorology from the University of

Oklahoma. He continues his love of learning

by keeping up with all the changes in earth

science, and imparting his knowledge to his

viewers each evening.

guesT commenTAryChuCk GEoRGE

ChuCKGEoRGE/KoLdChANNEL13

e n, la na, a t m

T q a a tt Aaatpat t t apa a watpaff, t a, a mat Pa.

Figure 1: High pressure forms over the Four Corners,while low pressure forms near Yuma.


4/28


Thank you to all who contributed to

Birdathon 2010! Sixty participants

(incling 17 rst-time Biratners!)

made up this years crew of twenty

teams, sharing the Birdathonexperience with more than 350

supporters in our local community and

beyond! Thanks to your dedication

and generosity, Tucson Audubon is

the real winner. Together we met our

goal, raising over $25,000 for Tucson

Audubons important conservation and

environmental education programs.

At the recent Birdy Brunch, several

tp Biratners were recgnie fr

their outstanding efforts with some

exciting pries. Kenall Kresen f te

Bearded Tyrannulets took Birdathon

fundraising to the extreme this year,

collecting 67 individual pledges and

ver $3,500! he is te Gran Prie

winner of a well-deserved Tropical

Birding northwest Ecuador tour for

two!

The Most Species Seen glory

belngs t Te Gn Birers,

expertly led by Tucson Audubon

volunteer and pro-birder John

Yerger. They earned their spot on

the Birdathon Plaque of Honor by

recording 142 species on their big

ay. Matt Grifts an is 24 hrs

in the Old Pueblo teammates ticked

120 hard-earned species by bike,garnering the Low Carbon Birdathon

title and goodies from The Ordinary

Bike Shop. Our friendly Agua Caliente

Park Natre Sp vlnteers,

captained by Becky Aparicio, tallied

80 species right in their backyard

arn te park; t celebrate, te Bir

Brains will enjy a pia party frm

Brklyn Pia Cmpany. Tp yt

birder (and youngest Birdathoner)

Jules Wyman raised over $1,100 for

Tucson Audubon and took home a

great new pair f Vrtex Rar 10x42

binoculars for his efforts!

Finally, many of this years

participants earned a limited edition

T-shirt featuring Rick Wheelers

superb artwork. Birdathoners: This is

your badge of honor and a great way

to share the excitement all yearwear

them with pride! (Someone stopped

me in the grocery store recently to

ask all about Birdathon when I was

wearing mine!)

Special thanks go to our All-Star

leaers Gavin Bieber, Ric hyer,

Larry Liese, Scott Olmstead, and

John Yerger for lending their time,

talent, and enthusiasm to this years

event. Get reay fr mre fn,expert-led offerings in 2011! We

sincerely appreciate the support of our

Birdathon sponsors, Tropical Birding

and Hughes Federal Credit Union,

an fr te great pries genersly

nate by te Arina-Snra desert

Museum, Beyond Bread, Birders

Diary, birdJam, Bookmans, Brooklyn

Pia Cmpany, Te Internatinal

Wildlife Museum, The Ordinary Bike

Shop, REI, Summit Hut, Tucson

Abn Natre Sp, Vrtex optics,

and The Wild Bird Store.To read some highlights from this

years team outings, visit Tucson

Audubons new blog: www.blog.

tucsonaudubon.org.

Tucson Audubonnews rounduP

A gat b bat ThAnK you!mak aa f t a:Ap 8 t ma 8, 2011

Erin Olmstead, Special Projects

Left t rigt: Beare Tyrannlets arging ner pints f bir Id ring teir Biratnbig ay; yngest Biratner, Jles Wyman, raise ver $1,100 fr Tcsn Abnan tk me a great new pair f Vrtex Rar 10x42 binclars fr is effrts; KenallKresen raise mre tan $3,500 an receive a ig ve an te Gran Prie f a well-deserved Tropical Birding Ecuador tour from Erin Olmstead at the Birdy Brunch.

Tucson AudubonMeets with OtherUrban AudubonChaptersPaul Green, Executive Director

Representing Tucson Audubon, one

of the most effective urban Audubonchapters in the country, I meet almost

yearly with the leaders of other similar

chapters around the country. In

June, I joined the leaders of Portland

Abn, Seattle Abn, Glen

Gate Abn, Abn Sciety

f Western Pennsylvania, an New

York City Audubon to discuss issues

of mutual concern. By meeting in the

fces f Natinal Abn in New

York City, we were able also to meet

wit staff f Natinal Abn.

Frank Gill, Presient f NatinalAudubon, Dan Rutberg, Chief

Infrmatin an Aministrative ofcer

and Chuck Remington, Director of

Field Support also joined us. While

much of the time was spent in

executive director talk perhaps the

greatest outcome of the meeting was

active encouragement by President

Gill fr te capters t cperate

in initiating a collaborative urban-

focused project that could be tested in

different cities across the nation.

Chapter leaders from across thecountry will be headed for Tucson

for the next meeting of the Audubon

urban Capter Netwrk in Febrary

2011.

PAuL&ENG-LIGREEN

KENdALLKRoESEN

Volunteer Days is a project of the

TgeterGreen prgram (a Natinal

Audubon program funded by Toyota)

that seeks to engage more persons

who have never volunteered before,

and who represent populations that

are rarely engaged by environmental

volunteer programs. Kendall Kroesen,

the brains behind pulling the volunteer

days together, has just secured our

third consecutive granta green

hat-trick of grantsfor the increased

amount of $9,000. Over the next

year, we will be rganiing at least

12 volunteer events in partnership

wit ter rganiatins. If y want

to register as a Tucson Audubon

volunteer, please contact our

Volunteer Coordinator Becky Aparicio

at 520-209-1811 orbaparici@

tucsonaudubon.org.

Tucson Audubon Scores a Green Hat-tric!

Yng TgeterGreen vlnteers alaway giant reed roots. See p 9 for morepts f TgeterGreen events.


5/28


Nt nly are tere many Imprtant

Bird Areas that are fantastic birding

destinations near Tucson, several

IBAs are also truly wonderful areas

perfect for bird watching right here

in town. A great example of an IBA

birding gem on the edge of Tucson

is Tanque Verde Wash, an area we

have been surveying since 2009 for

future IBA recognition. The reach we

are investigating extends from the

Crna Natinal FrestRincn

District to Craycroft Road. This large,

winding wash is thick with riparian

vegetation bordered by mesquite

bosque. Our IBA surveys to date (3

IBA teams, 4 locations, 18 surveys)

have found that the diverse vegetation

along the wash provides habitat for

106 species, including classic riparian

and desert birds as well as some

rarities.

Some familiar species seen here in

abundance by IBA surveyors include

Lesser Glnc, Wite-crwneSparrow, Phainopepla, and Annas

Hummingbird. Tanque Verde Wash

is also home to many species of

conservation concern. Six species

on the Audubon WatchList have

been recorded here. These species

are Yellow listed Aberts Towhee

(11.6 individuals/linear kilometer)

and Lucys Warbler (6.1/lin. km)

which can be found in relatively high

abundance, along with Brewers

Sparrow (6.1/lin. km), occasional

Rufous-winged Sparrow (0.5/lin. km),

and even Elf Owl in the upper reaches.

Bells Vireo (9.3/lin. km), a WatchList

Red listed species (highest concern),

can also be found here although, as

experts at hiding in foliage, they are

more often heard than seen. Two other

species of conservation status, quite

remarkably close to the city, are a shy

pair f Gray hawks nesting n te

wash and, often undercover, nesting

Nrtern Bearless-Tyrannlets.

Tis is an area te Arina IBA

Program is trying to conserve and

steward. Our recent IBA Stewardship

event on May 8 mapped and

cataloged about 100 stressors

(in 4 km), primarily invasive plant

patches, but also walls/fences,

dump piles, and clearing of riparian

habitat. We plan to address some

of these stressors this fall. Pima

County Flood Control District

has been our key partner, and

has helped us provide guidancematerials to landowners along the

wash, distributing a riparian values

brochure that we produced with

funding from the county.

While conducting IBA surveys, I

have encountered some striking bird

drama that ranks high in my lifetime

birding nostalgia. One morning a

Red-tailed Hawk fell out of the sky,

snatched a small rodent from the sand

less than 20 meters from us, and

proceeded to enjoy his breakfast in

a nearby tree. Another survey began

wit earing a Great-rne owl

calling nearby and being answered

by another one on the other side of

the wash. Later that morning we were

able to see both of the owls napping,

occasionally waking to sleepily call to

each other. If you would like to explore

a riparian haven for birds without

leaving town, check out Tanque Verde

Wash. I hope you too will encounter

some bird drama you will not soon

forget.

BOTHPHOTOSSCO

TTWILBOR

Taq v waa ibA st ustP iptat b hatat a

Birdingc t TJennie MacFarland, IBA Program AssistantBiologist, Tucson Audubon Society

Tanqe Vere Was begins in Crna Natinal Frest an extens westwar t its cnence wit te Pantan Was t frm te RillitRiver at Craycrft R. unfcial access t te Tanqe Vere Was is by many nrt-st ra crssings. Abns IBA Prgram isworking to bring attention and conservation to this highly valuable bird habitat in the eastern Sonoran desert and within the Tucson basin.

New Tucson Audubon IBAProgram Team Member!

Scott Wilbor, IBA Program

Conservation Biologist

The Important Bird Areas Program at

Tucson Audubon welcomes Jennie

MacFarland to the team! Jennies

psitin will be Arina IBA Prgram

AssistantBiologist. We are most

excited to have Jennie join us as

she brings needed skills as a recentgraduate in wildlife conservation and

management from the University

f Arina, an alreay as IBA

experience through her previous

volunteer efforts and training with

the program. Jennie is passionate

about working to conserve birds,

and brings great enthusiasm to her

work. In one three-day period this

past May (before she was hired later

that month), she did an early morning

IBA survey on day one, a 16-hour

Birdathon for Tucson Audubon

on day two (her team won!), then

followed that by participating in an

IBA Stewardship event on day three

and then worked her other job at

the time, that same weekend! Jennie

easily handled the challenging IBA

el wrk f te remte Cabea Prieta

Natinal Willife Refge wilerness

this past winter, and now will be

integral in our summer San Pedro

River an Patagnia el wrk.

Jennie continues to volunteer for thehmmingbir Mnitring Netwrk.

She will help with our Avian Science

Initiative including assisting our IBA

teams, using her biology background

t analye r bir srvey ata, an

she will help move our results to our

partners and communities to advance

IBA conservation. Jennie obviously

relishes her new Audubon work and

the new people she gets to work

with. We hope you get to meet her

soon, too!

Farewell to Sam

The IBA Program bids Samantha

Barnett, our recent University of

Arina wrk-sty stent, a fn

farewell after spending the last 8

months with program. Sam was an

exceptional IBA Program Assistant

w was tremensly efcient an

dedicated to excellence in all herwork, assisting the program in many

facets, including IBA bird survey and

vlnteer ata management, GIS

mapping, IBA Team bird surveys,

plus assisting in the preparation of

a recently completed major report of

our 2009 avian studies on the Lower

San Pedro River. Sam has taken an

internsip wit Sagar Natinal Park.

We wish her well and continued great

success in all her endeavors.


6/28


Contributions23%

Grants46%

Memberships6%

Other5%

Shop20%

Restoration21%

Out1

Conservation

14%Education

6%

Administration11%

Fundraising7%

Shop25%

Tucson Audubon members are

extraordinary travelers and their

birding interests take them to just

about every continent, includingAntarctica! Wed love to share your

experiences so send us some photos

of where you go and what you do

when you are there. Include a shot

of you reading your latest issue of

theVermilion Flycatcherin an exotic

locale and we might publish it. A fun,

surprise gift from Tucson Audubonis te prie. Email wit on te

road again in subject line to Becky,

[email protected] or

Matt, [email protected].

Left to right: Tucson Audubons Volunteer Coordinator Becky Aparicio with Embera Indiansat the Ro Chagres, Panam. Mike Byers, Tucson Audubon volunteer, sharing VermilionFlycatcherwith Discovery tour leader and Panama Audubon Society member, OctavioRis, at te Gatn dam in te Panama Canal.

Fat A t w

Tucson Audubonnews rounduP

Summer heat got you down? Well,

grab your binoculars and head to

Sierra Vista for the 19th annual

Stwest Wings Biring & Natre

Festival onAugust 59, 2010.

Many peple nt realie tatAugust is one of the best times to

watc birs in steastern Arina.

Southbound migrants are already on

the move, while our local summer

breeders are still here. This creates

a dynamic mix of bird species and

makes for fantastic birding. For

example, were else in Nrt America

can you see 1012 species of

hummingbirds at one feeding station?

Only here! Plus, the fun extends

beyond birds, with festival trips

an talks tat specialie in insects,mammals, and much more! This

years keynote speaker is Tucsons

own Rick Taylor.

Dont forget to stop by the

Tucson Audubon booth at the

festival. This year well have a large

setp tat incles r Natre Sp

as well as a booth with activities. We

look forward to seeing many of ourmembers at the event!

For more information on Southwes

Wings and to sign up for trips, visit

www.swwings.rg, r email inf@

swwings.org.

Tucson Audubon at Southwest WingsBirding & Nature Festival

Tucson Audubons Fiscal Year 2009Revenue and Expenses Summary

Brad Paxton, Finance and Operations Manager

revenue

exPenses

Revenue $1,144,200Expenses (1,140,700)

Investment Activity (51,900)

Net $(48,400)

Tucson Audubon is pleased tobecme te scal spnsr fr desert

Dwellers Centers (DDC). Their

mission is to promote wise desert

living practices regarding regional

heritage, water, energy, and land

use. Both Tucson Audubon and

DDC focus on education to help

people understand the workings of

our natural world, to promote natural

resource conservation, and to develop

citien avcates fr cnservatin.

Desert Dwellers Centers will

become a network of collaborative

and accessible community education

hubs where residents connect with

a wealth of regional resources, and

where local desert knowledge is

shared.

DDC will operate as a project of

Tucson Audubon and work under

our 501(c)(3) IRS status. Barb Skye

Siegel will run the program. In 2000,

Barb initiated the Sonoran DesertWeedwackers to restore desert

habitat. The group has removed more

than 120 tons of invasive African

grasses from desert habitats with the

help of thousands of volunteers.

DDC is seeking funds to create a

travelling adult educational program

and exhibit to teach residents how

to improve and maintain their desert

homes, gardens and neighborhoods

t maximie affrability, energy

efciency, mestic cmfrt, an

improve property values.

By becming a scal spnsr,

Tucson Audubon acts as a sponsor

for Desert Dwellers since it does

not have its own tax-exempt status.

Grants r cntribtins t desert

Dwellers Centers are made to Tucson

Audubon who manages those

funds on a fee-based contractual

arrangement.

l lt t dt

BECKYAPARICIO

Unaudited


7/28


NEW VOLUNTEERS

Janet MayMailing

Marcee SherrillMain Shop Sales

Sharon BaleACP Shop Sales

Carolyn HaldarIBA

Lorien TerseyMason CenterTHANkS

Thanks to all who helped with the

Ironwood Festival in May. Many

of you jumped in to assist where

needed, and this made the day a

great success. A very special thank

you to Betty McElhill who spent many

weeks sorting and pricing more than

a thousand dusty books and getting

them ready for the sale, as well as

coming early on festival day to assist

in their sales. Also Im grateful for all

the tabling event crews that made

the May and June extra community

events run smoothly.

NEW VOLUNTEER WANTED

We have many opportunities for

volunteers: I am particularly looking

for tabling event volunteers. Call

Becky at 209-1811, 760-7881, or

email [email protected].

August 59 Southwest Wings.

Li harrisn an Rick Ewars are

spearheading this four-day birding

and nature event in Sierra Vista, the

clest place t be in SE Arina.

Many volunteers are needed to

display, sell, meet and greet the

thousands of folk who visit from all

over the nation. This is an exciting

event that will also give volunteers an

pprtnity t enjy lectres an eltrips. See www.swwings.org.

Living with Nature Lecture Series.

Two volunteers are needed to greet

and sign in guests for this series,

which begins in September 2010 and

runs through May 2011

VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION

September 29, 9:3011:30 am

Volunteer Orientation for oldies

and goodies as well as our new

volunteers. Meg Quinn, author and

volunteer program coordinator forPima Cnty Natral Resrces,

Parks and Recreation will present

Garening fr Birs an Btteries.

Meg has been a long-time member

of Tucson Audubon and will present

a prgram n birs, btteries an

plants. Meet the staff of Tucson

Audubon as well and enjoy some

morning refreshments.

Doris Abrams needed to get her

retired husband Larry out of her

hair at least part of the day, once

in a while, so she signed him up

for volunteer duty at Agua Caliente

Parks Natre Sp. Te ter

shop for Tucson Audubon has

had the privilege of his help sincethe spring of 2005 when the shop

opened its doors, and Larry has

been keeping us in bad jokes ever

since. Hes also been the mainstay

of the Bird Brains Birdathon team

and its principal money gleaner.

In his own words:

Larry and his favorite wife, Doris,

grew up in the Chicago area where

they were a successful husband and

wife bank robbing team. Because of

the high price of gasoline for theirgetaway car, they retired in 2001

and moved to Tucson. Doris now

teaches beginning napping, while

Larry teaches several advanced

napping courses. They are reverse

snowbirds, spending 6 to 8 winter

weeks in Zihuatanejo, Mexico,

where Larry, known as the birdbrain

of Zihuatanejo, takes beginning

and advanced birders out to seebirds. Doris, an SOB (a spouse of

a birder), has two birds on her life

list, big birds and small birds. Larry

also writes for an English-language

mntly magaine www.ADIP.info

that is available in Zihuatanejo.

vt n rpBecky Aparicio, Volunteer Coordinator

volunTeer oF The monTh

Jim an Neen Alrt, Sirin Antia, Bryna Ben-Aser, Mariana Carreras, helen

Clark, Michelle Davidson, Silvine and Stewart Farnell, Christopher Florence,

Qentin Flrence, dnal Gliffe, olga harbr, Rb hastings, Yrel

Vanessa hayes, Jlie heilman, diane heimann, Katleen hill, Barbara Kit,

Richard and Cora Lawsky, Hal and Carol Lowry, Carol MacLean, Rodger

Martin, owen an Arlene McCaffrey, Clleen Meigs, Mark Nall, henry Ree,

Mr. and Mrs. Craig Reed, Ruth Romaro, Mary Sasse, Martin and Coe Marie

Slattery, Jerme an Natalie Smit, Gwen an Geral Swansn, Larisa

Thomas, Cynthia Thonvold, Dr. Brian and Christy Walker, John Woods

WELCOME NEW BIRDS & BUSINESS ALLIANCE MEMBERS

Cat Mountain Lodge as a Copper Level member

Living Fence as a Copper Level member

Swaim Assciates Lt Arcitects AIA as a Gl Level member VF

welcome new members!

Jean Barchman, Membership Coordinator

happ bta!

Best wishes to our July birthday members: Michelle

Bourgeois, Fran Raffone, Michael Monyak, Barrie Ryan,Herb Trossman, and Henry Reed.

Best wishes to our August birthday members: Rodd Lancaster,

Patricia McConnell, Colleen Meigs, and Caroline Patrick

To sign up for our Happy Birthday program, please email Jean Barchman at

[email protected]

Below, top to bottom: Jayne Raffety (left)and Becky Aparicio at Tucson AudubonsNatral histry use Bk Sale bt

during the Ironwood Festival at TucsonAbns Masn Center; desertHarvesters at the Ironwood Festival.

BoThPhoToSMATTGRIFFIThS


8/28


9/28


TogetherGreen Volunteer Days (abve left t rigt): Prject MoRE stents install a rain garen; a vlnteer als giant ree t f Sabin Creek; giant ree vlnteers pse wit teTgeterGreen banner (TgeterGreen fne all tese effrts; see p 4 fr mre abt te new grant awar tat will fn frter vlnteer events ver te next year).

Ironwood Festival (belw left t rigt): Nancy zierenberg f Arina Native Plant Sciety emnstrates wer parts ienticatin; Jim dawsn, frmerly f te Arina Snra desertMsem, an an assistant sw a harriss hawk; E Mll f Tcsn herpetlgical Sciety sares is gper snake.

Riparian Family Institute (counter-clockwise from above left): Pais Wlgast an Pebe drew-Mre gf arn; Matt Brks leas a sessin n riparian abitats; olivia Issac getspersnal ne-n-ne time wit a esert enien; Catryn an Maya Rse sty aqatic life in te San Per River; relaxing at Riparian Family Institte.

PhILIPFoRTNAM

PhILIPFoRTNAM

MATTBROOKS

MATT

BROOKS

JAMIEWoLGAST

Institute of Desert Ecology (far left): Students, faculty,staff, and volunteers pose for a Class of 2010 group photo.

Important Bird Areas (left): The IBA Program and itsvolunteers explored deep into one of the most remotewilderness areas in the lower 48 states this past February,at Cabea Prieta Natinal Willife Refge, t cment birspecies of conservation concern (Le Contes Thrasher andters). Next year, we again will be explring tis expansivelower Sonoran desert in the western quadrant of theRefge. Get IBA training tis Nvember an lk fr srveyopportunities in late January 2011.VF

MATTGRIFFIThS

ALLTGPhoToSKENdALLKRoESEN

MATTGRIFFIThS

MATTGRIFFIThS

MATTGRIFFIT

hS


10/28


One of the most frequent questions

I get aske y visiting irers is, What

is the est time of year to come iringhere? As it turns out, the answer I give

is a two-month span, ut mysteriously

inclues the time of year when the fewest

irers are aroun. Unless you live for

longspurs or ale only in ucks, my

answer is always the same: mi-July to

mi-Septemer (i.e. summer), the onset

of the heat-riven summer rainy season.

First of all, if you come uring the peak

of migration, like most visiting irers o,

youll most likely e too early for potential

early-summer Mexican vagrants. Not

until May an early June of this year i

we hear aout Fan-taile Warler (5/7 &

5/20), Tropical Parula (5/31), an Yellow

Groseak (6/5) eing foun. Not a, ut

waiting can e even etter: last years

nonsoon still provie for sightings of

brown-acke Solitaire (7/16+), Lucifer

Hummingir (7/30), Aztec Thrush

(7/31+), Plain-cappe Starthroat (8/10+),

an Yellow-green Vireo (8/12). Clearly,

Mexican Vagrant Season egins after

the cool aytime temperatures an north-

oun migrants oth isappear.

Prior to the rains, many species

(e.g. Northern bearless-Tyrannulet

an botteris an Cassins Sparrows)

that may have een conspicuous when

estalishing territories an searching for

mates after arriving, fall into long perios

of quiet an inactivity while uiling

nests an sitting on eggs. An once

the rains egin, usually aroun the

4th of July, everything gets green,

making more foo an cover for prey

species, an more erries an sees,

therey making more foo for irs. Mostmigratory reeers time the feeing of

their young with the ounty of rainy-

season resources. Parents stay usy

all ay feeing nestlings that later, as

edglings, scuttle about learning parents

songs, chasing an egging for foo, an

generally making for conspicuous little

family paraes throughout the perio.

besies the southern vagrants,

conspicuous reeers an lush environs,

certain activities can e more fun an/

or practical in the high summer. For

instance, put on some water shoes an

walk Sonoita Creek. You might nd

Ruddy Ground-Dove, Green Kingsher,

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Rose-throate

becar, Yellow-green Vireo, Yellow

Groseak, or Streak-acke Oriole.

Or o a bir Family big day. For

example, 17 ycatchers would be

possile any summer ay y starting in

Patagonia, going through Rio Rico to

Madera Canyon, then nding a Willow

Flycatcher somewhere on the San Pero

River, an cleaning up with buff-reaste

in Carr Canyon or Fort Huachuca. Eleven

warlers, 15 sparrows, 14 hummingirs

(in July), or up to 18 aytime raptors coul

e searche for along similar low-to-high

routes.

Make sure to visit open grasslans

(e.g. San Rafael, Sonoita/Elgin,

Las Cienegas) an

transition grasslans

(e.g. along the San

Pero, aroun

Patagonia,

along foothills ofhigher ranges) to

clinch botteris,

Cassins, an

Grasshopper

Sparrows (an

Rufous-winge,

locally) y song.

Chihuahuan Raven is easiest, visually

an vocally, in summer grasslans away

from towns, umps, an nut-tree groves.

An Montezuma Quail numers increase

in August an Septemer, especially in

wet years. Scan Harshaw Roa in the

Patagonia Mountains, or Ruy Roa in

the Atascosa/Pajarito Mountains after

awn an efore usk.

Take a hike to an off-the-eaten-

path seep or spring. broa-leave an

fruit-earing trees collect near water in

the mountains an can e magnets for

irs such as Aztec Thrush, Fan-taile

Warler, Slate-throate Restart, an

Eare Quetzal, shoul iniviuals of any

of those species happen to e neary.

Sawmill an Comfort Springs in the

Huachucas are reaily accessile; bog,

Kent, an Sylvester Springs in Maera

Canyon an Mcbeth an Sprung Spring

near Josephine Sale are all in the

Santa Ritas an can e reache with

moerate hiking.

Amittely, forays in July through

Septemer put you smack into the

snake-mosquito-lightning-chigger

season, ut watching where you put

your feet, avoiing plant contact where

possile, staying off mountaintops an

out of rainages in the afternoon, anwearing your personal maximum of insect

repellent will go a long way towar your

comfort an safety. I hope none of those

little things are eal-reakers, ecause

its really a lot of fun to ir here in the

summer!VF

A bird-watcher since age ve, Matt Brown

moved to Patagonia in 1998. He operates The

Patagonia Birding & Buttery Co. and can be

reached at 520-604-6300 or lifebirds.com.

WHERE TO GO, bIRdS TO SEE

T b f sMATT bROWN

Tp t bttm: Te rst cmente u.S. recr fSinala Wren ccrre in Agst, 2008; like manysummer residents, Thick-billed Kingbirds wont be feedingyoung until July.

Left t rigt: only in te smmer in Arina can ne learnwhy Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks were once calledTree-dcks; Plain-cappe Startrats generally swup in July and August.


11/28


Want to see one of our areas reallyneat irs? Now is a goo time of year

to get great views of a special species

difcult to see in other seasons, and

only entering the U.S. here in southeast

Arizona an the southern tip of Texas

(where it is eclining). Males perch an

sing in ushes or on ocotillo stalks instea

of staying on the groun as is their usual

hait. botteris Sparrow (Aimophila

botterii) can e reaily foun locally in

healthy pockets of ungraze or lightly

graze grasslans.

Ill never forget my rst good looks at

a botteris Sparrow. We were in a car

looking sieways at the ir perche on

a twig aout twenty feet away. It was

singing its easily recognize song; ut

looking at the ir I coulnt latch onto

much in the way of eld marks. I knew

to look for a attened head and largish

ill, ut the rest of the ir just looke . . .

sparrow like! When I relate this to the

other irers in the car they all laughe

an sai that that was a goo clue that it

actually was a botteris.

botteris Sparrow is a fairly large,

rather at-headed, large-billed, and

roun-taile sparrow withoutconspicuous markings.

When looking for this ir,

e wary of the similar Cassins

Sparrow, which sometimes

occupies neary haitat.

Luckily the two are easily

istinguishe y voice or

with more difculty by

sutleties in plumage. The

botteris song is variale

ut typically consists of

a couple of one- an

two-syllale chip-likesouns followe

y a istinctive

ouncing-all

or accelerating

series of

whistle notes

that carries

quite well across istance. Its call

note is a single-syllale chip. Song of

male Cassins is often given in skylarking

ight (short, upwards ight intended to

impress females an maintain territory).

It consists of three sectionsa high trill,

then two lower notes followe y a last

mile-tone note. Though there are

other subtle eld marks to look for (break

out those eld guides!), try looking for

patterns on the irs ack. back feather

patterns of Cassins have a scallope

character, while botteris show ark

rown vertical streaks. Look also for

Cassins roune white tail-corners visile

in ight, though these can disappear

when worn.

Over the years there have eena numer of sparrow species place

into an out of the genus Aimophila.

Presently the other sparrows inclue are

bachmans, Cassins, Rufous-crowne,

an Rufous-winge, plus a half-ozen or

so limite to Mexico, with a few ranging

as far as Costa Rica. Five-stripe was

move to Amphispizafor a it ut recently

move ack into the genus.

Interestingly, the name Aimophila

comes from the Greek roots aima loo;

an phila fon of, ut whats so loo-

loving aout a sparrow?

Hmmm. Swainson is creite

with naming this genus in 1837

(A. aestibalisbachmans Sparrow).

Botteris Sparrow was rst described

y Philip Lutley Sclater (1857) in the

Proceeings of the Zoological Society

of Lonon as Zonotrichia botterii, an

later move to Aimophila. He name it in

honor of Matteo botteri (18081877), who

collecte the type specimen near Orizaa

in southern Mexico. born in Yugoslavia,

botteri was a naturalist an collector who

live in Mexico from 1854 until his eath.

So, where to go to nd one? One

easy spot youll proaly rive y on one

of your next iring trips anyway is the

roa to Maera Canyon. Although you

might encounter them anywhere from the

school in Continental to Proctor Roa, try

the grasslan area past the thir small

rige after the turnoff to box Canyon (a

mile or so efore Proctor). Listen for that

ouncing all song an youll proalynd one perched in a bush or ocotillo.

Goo luck!VF

btt spa a

a f a

at pkt f

a t

a aa.

WHATS IN A NAME?

Interesting stories about birds with interesting names

btt spaLARRY LIESE

Sparrows of the United

States and Canada. By

David Beadle and James

Rising. $29.95.Te enitive

photographic guide to

sparrows and their allies.ALANMuRPhY/ALANMuRPhYPhoToGRAPhY.Co

M


12/28


However, there is signicant grassland habitat

here, an a higher iversity of grass species than

many of the plains states. Although fracture an

no longer extensive, the semiesert grasslan

forms small prairies of pure grass along the

southeastern orer at elevations aove

4,000 feet. Elsewhere, it merges with esert

an pine-oak haitat, an is intersperse with

shrus an small trees. As such, it is home to

grasslan sparrows, incluing the Cassins an

Grasshopper Sparrows, foun here an east inthe prairies of the plains states, an the botteris

Sparrow, foun in the semiesert grasslans of

Mexico (see p 11).

The semiesert grasslan is aapte to this

ari climate, with over 90 percent of grass growth

from July to Septemer, uring the summer

monsoon. The typically heavy rainfall rings

aunance to all haitats: the arroyos run, the

plants ear fruit an see, insects hatch an

emerge, an ieal conitions converge for irs

to ree, molt, or forage to accumulate fat for

migration.

One of the signs that the monsoon has arriveis the clear, sweet song of the Cassins Sparrow

sung in ight as he descends with quivering

wings. As with most of our secretive grasslan

sparrows, a reeing Cassins is much more

conspicuous as he perches up to sing, louly

announcing his territory. Yet even with these

prominent ehaviors, the relationship of the

summer rains an Cassins Sparrow has ha

a few mysteries, some still unresolve.

In The Birds of Arizona, they

were escrie as a common post-reeing

summer visitant as nests with eggs ha not

een oserve! Soon after, in 1965, they were

ocumente as reeers, ut the next mystery,

their apparent increase in numers coincientwith the summer rains, was suggeste to result

from a mi-summer migration from the Great

Plains to Arizona to rear a secon roo. Such

migration now seems unlikely, ut Cassins

Sparrows can show up in unexpecte places,

or their numers can increase noticealy

where the rains have een aunant. A current

mystery is whether they are regionally nomaic

an opportunistically ree where conitions

are suitale.

SPECIAL FEATURE

spa

ofs

Cassins Sparrow

One maynot imagine

southeastArizona as

an extensionof the North

Americangrasslans:too many

mountainsan low-lyingeserts with

cacti, it mightseem.

HOMER HANSEN

Grasspper Sparrw



13/28

BirdingAdventure Birding CompAny

www.adventrebirding.comJohn Yerger & Keith Kamper4361 E Hayhrst StTcson, AZ [email protected]

Based in Tcson, this partnership of three gides(Keith Kamper, Jake Mohlmann & John Yerger)aims to provide the best gided birdwatchingtors in the regionand have fn doing it!Combined, we have 30+ years of experienceleading trips throghot North America. All are veryaooating, personable, an skille in the el.

eConomy Birding ServiCeS, inC.

Qality Birding With Yor Bdget in Mindwww.economybirding.comClifford A. Cathers13535 S Sndown Ranch RdVail, AZ [email protected]

Economy Birding Services, Inc. is locally ownedand operated professional bird tor companydedicated to providing the highest qality gidingservices at bdget friendly prices. Tor mywebsite at http://www.economybirding.com andask for a free qotation! Disconts providedfor seniors and mltiple day bookings. BdgetBird Giding for the Desert Sothwest.

roCkjumper Birding tourS

www.rockjmper.co.zaAdam Riley

PO Box 13872 Cascades3202 Soth AfricaPietermaritzbrg, KZN [email protected] 33 394 0225

Rockjmper Birding Tors arranges and gidestop qality birding and wildlife tors throghotthe world, with an emphasis on Africa, Asia,Madagascar and the Americas. Or teamof professional gides are some of the mostexperienced in the indstry and or torsoffer nbeatable birding experiences and valefor money.

SolipASo tourS /el pedregAl nAture lodge

www.solipaso.comDavid McKayPO Box 85580Tcson, AZ [email protected]

Specializing in small grop trips to throghotMexico, with a focs on birding, along with natraland hman history, cltral insight, delicios mealsand great lodging. Offering schedled trip dates aswell as cstom itineraries. Owned and operated byDavid and Jennifer Mackay and based in Alamos,Sonora, no one does Mexico better than Solipaso.

tropiCAl Birding

www.tropicalbirding.comNick AthanasFelix Oralabal N45 y Joaqin ParedesQito, [email protected]

Tropical Birding is an international tor companyoffering set-departre and cstom tors all overthe world. Or tors are led by experienced, fll-

time gides who are fn to be with, and they makeevery effort to ensre yo have the trip of a lifetime.

Tucson Audubons birds & business AlliAnce summer 2010

g y Bsss pss Cas: Bs & Bsss AsWhen yo need the services of a bsiness, and yo vale the needs of or pressred natral

environent, how o yo n a bsiness that shares yor vales? Now its easy: se a Birs

& Bsiness Ally. Need a realtor who is sensitive to living in the desert, a bird tor company that

vales conserving birds, a landscape architect who nderstands sing desert plants, a pizza

parlor or a hotel for a visiting birer? Look no frther than or Birs & Bsiness Allies. Bease

they spport Tcson Adbon, yo know these bsinesses have or natral environment in

mind and so have a broader, more progressive approach to rnning their bsiness.Take a look at the list on these pages, or browse the Birds & Bsiness section at or Natre

Shops (we have brochres and bsiness cards of or B&BA members there). Please give yor

bsiness to these forwar thinking people an help the to thrive in these iflt ties. An

if yo know a company that shares or vales, tell them to join the Birds & Bsiness Alliance.

Yo know it makes sense!

If yo are a bsiness bt not yet a member, please contact Erin Olmstead (eolmstead@

tcsonadbon.org or 520-209-1809) to join Tcson Adbons Birds & Bsiness Alliance.

PAuL&ENg-LigrEEN

V i s i T w w w . T u c s o n A u d u b o n . o r g / j o i n - A A m p - s u p p o r T / b u s i n e s s - m e m b e r s . h T m l

ADVENTuREBIRDING

ROCKJuMPERBIRDINGTOuRS

SAmWoodS/TroPicALBirdiNg

SoLiPASoTourS


14/28

pull

out

lodgingCASA AdoBe inn

www.CasaAdobe.netHarry Ridgway & Pala Jenkins181 Old Highway 80Rodeo, NM [email protected]

Welcome to Casa Adobe B&B located in

pictresqe Rodeo, New Mexico! Yor staypromises nsrpassed comfort and privacy ina rstic sothwest adobe hacienda. Nmerosfeeders invite a diversity of birds onto the secldedlandscaped gronds against a stnning backdrop ofnearby montains and desert vistas. For informationand bookings please visit www.CasaAdobe.net orcall toll-free 1-877-557-2275 (or 575-557-7777).

CASA de SAn pedroBed & BreAkfASt

www.bedandbirds.comKarl Schmitt & Patrick Dome8933 S Yell LaneHereford, AZ [email protected]

888-257-2050Casa de San Pedro Bed and Breakfast is anationally-acclaimed Arizona inn 90 miles fromTcson, near Ramsey Canyon, Bisbee, and SierraVista. The Inn is on 10 acres adjacent to the SanPedro River and Riparian National ConservationArea. Here yo can view 355 species of birds andhnres of btteries. Experts agree casa eSan Pedro is one of the most romantic Arizonagetaways and the most pscale Sothern ArizonaBed and Breakfast. Natralists, bird watchers,history bffs and environmentalists herald the innas a world-class accommodation with a heart.

CAt mountAin lodge

www.catmontainlodge.comAngel Jackson, Innkeeper2720 S Kinney RdTcson, AZ [email protected] (fax)

cat montain Loge is a Sothwestern style Be& Breakfast bilt in 2009. We have 4 spaciosrooms with private baths, complimentarybreakfast at the Coyote Pase Caf next door,and a central cortyard. Birdwatchers andnatre lovers can explore the hiking and bikingtrails of the breathtaking Tcson Montains.

el ConquiStAdor reSort

pAtio HomeS ASSoC.

www.brendaobrien.com/el-conqistador-homes.htmlRichard CasePMB 331, 12995 N Oracle Rd., #141Tcson, AZ [email protected]

El Conqistador Resort Patio Homes consist of192 residences which border the golf corse ofthe Hilton El Conqistador Resort in Oro Valley.This self managed HOA works hard to preserve& live in harmony with or Sonoran Desert. Waterconservation & native growth a high priority.

down By tHe river B & B

www.downbytheriverbandb.comMike HgPO Box 3872255 Efken PlaceSt David, AZ [email protected]

Down By The River Bed & Breakfast in SaintDavid, with for themed rooms, joined the Adbonwhen opening in 2005. The 15 acre property,

kept in its natral state, abts and accessesthe San Pedro River at the northern end of theRiparian Area, and is close to the Cienega.

HeArtStone mountAin rAnCH

www.heartstoneranch.comWillow Bentley & Jo Schneider2702 E Spring StTcson,AZ [email protected]

More than 130 bird species have been spottedon or 9.5 ares near Parker canyon Lake.We have weekly and daily rates for a charming2 bedroom, 2 bath hose. It is srronded

by oak trees, has a large stone replae,a wrap arond balcony and rear patio.

tHe lodge At ventAnA CAnyon

www.thelodgeatventanacanyon.com6200 N clbhose LaneTcson, AZ 85750

[email protected]

Against the dramatic backdrop of the Santa CatalinaMontains, nestled in the foothills of this pristinesetting is the perfet vaation estination, the Logeat Ventana Canyon. With jst 50 spacios gestsites located within the gates of a private clb,The Loge offers a niqe an intiate vaationexperience. Be a member for a day or lifetime.The Loge at Ventana canyon is a for-iaongolf and tennis resort destination, voted #35 byConde Nast Travellers Readers Poll of the top 100golf resorts. Come and visit this Tcson classic.

loewS ventAnA CAnyon reSort

www.loewshotels.com/ventanacanyon7000 N Resort DrTcson, AZ [email protected]

Set against the foothills of the Catalina Montains,this 398-room resort boasts an 80-foot cascadingwaterfall as well as an edcational natre traildesigned by the Arizona Sonora Desert-Msemand Tcson Botanical Gardens. Nearby hikingand birding opportnities abond. Snset views,fll-servie salon an spa, tness enter, tenniscorts and two championship golf corses.

oASiS At wAy out weSt

www.wowarizona.comc J Vinent & mary Ellen Lanen5494 E Edwin RdTcson, AZ [email protected]

Beatifl gardens adorn a three acre privatenatre preserve. Warm hospitality, spectaclarviews, and abndant wildlife. Doorsteptrails into the Catalina Montains. Birdsabnant,varie, Hose List 138+. deliiosmen options.Rfos-winged Sparrows reglarly

visit . . . one of Tsons nest hingbiran bttery garens. dr. d. A. Zieran

rAnCHo eSmerAldA

www.ranchoesmeraldanogales.comJohn Ochoa2015 W Rthraff Rd., # 163Tcson, AZ [email protected]

The rancho at Esmeralda featres a spectaclarsolar powered Spanish Colonial lodge, forgrops of 1550 people, with pool/Jaczzi. Nowavailable for smaller grops is the lovely, new4 beroo, Las Avispas ranh hose, a great

place for spotting Elegant Trogons from theporch. Call 520-241-7072 for pricingwebsite

riverpArk inn

www.riverparkinn.com350 S Freeway RdTcson, AZ [email protected]

The Riverpark Inn is located in the heart ofDowntown Tcson with easy access to theareas major attractions. We are a fll-service,AAA 3 Diamond property with a restarant/bar on site. Or spacios gronds featre abeatifl 3-acre cortyard. All rates incldeor complimentary Fll American Breakfast

Bffet, free parking and free internet.

Spirit tree inn

www.spirittreeinn.comMary Jane Pottebam3 Harshaw Creek RdPatagonia, AZ [email protected]

The Spirit Tree Inn B & B sits on 52 acres alongone of Sothern Arizonas high desert creeksin the heart of the Coronado National Forest.We are 3 1/2 miles east of the small town ofPatagonia. We have for gest rooms andtwo casitas. The casitas are dog friendly.

Tucson Audubons birds & business AlliAnce summer 2010

V i s i T w w w . T u c s o n A u d u b o n . o r g / j o i n - A A m p - s u p p o r T / b u s i n e s s - m e m b e r s . h T

Lo

d

g

in

g

CJVINCENT/WAYOuTWEST

LoEW

SVENTANAcANYoN


15/28

ServiCeSBrooklyn pizzA

www.brooklynpizzacompany.comTony Vaccaro534 N 4th AveTcson,AZ [email protected]

Brooklyn Pizza Company: Fresh baked, hand

tossed, solar powered pizza. Voted best inTcson. Pick p, dine in, free delivery. SkyBar: Solar powered cafe by day, astronomybar by night. Nightly astronomy showsalong with deep space images displayedfrom or own telescopes. An alliance ofindependent bsinesses on Forth Avene.

deSert toyotA of tuCSon

www.deserttoyota.comBob Rockov7150 E 22nd StTcson, AZ [email protected]

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fArHAng & medCoff, pllC

www.fmazlaw.comMich Coker4801 E Broadway,Ste 311Tcson, AZ [email protected]

520-790-5433We are an Arizona-base law r offeringdecades of experience across mltiple practiceareas. Or top priority is to consistently providethe highest qality representation to a diversegrop of local, national, and internationalclients. At Farhang & Medcoff, we treat allclients as if they were or only client.

finAnCiAl ArCHiteCtS/kmS finAnCiAl ServiCeS

www.nanial-arhitets.omBrienne Dylewski3971 E Paradise Falls Dr., Ste 114Tcson AZ 85712

[email protected] Finanial Arhitets, certie FinanialPlanners James Walker and Brienne Dylewskiprovie stritly inepenent avie an nanialplanning geared to an individals goals andobjectives. For a complimentary consltationplease call 5208847550. Secrities & advisoryservices throgh KMS Financial Services, Inc.

fiore tile workS

www.oretileworks.omDavid McMahon1301 S 6th Ave., # 105Tcson, AZ [email protected]

Artist David McMahon, owner of Fiore Tile Works,creates amazingly detailed and colorfl Sonoranesertsapes is high re erai. many of hispieces are inhabited by sclpted native birds and

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HugHeS federAl Credit union

www.hghesfc.orgPO Box 11900Tcson, AZ [email protected]

Hghes Federal Credit union offers opportnitiesfor Tcson Adbon Society members andtheir family members to join Hghes. Takeadvantage of free checking, competitive savings,low loan rates, investment services and friendly

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kimBerlyn drew, mBA, ABrreAltor, long reAlty

www.KimberlynDrew.com4051 E Snrise Dr # 101Tcson, AZ [email protected]

Kimberlyn Drew is a Realtor who listens toclient needs, knows the market, and offersgreat service. Foothills-based, shes soldhomes from SaddleBrooke to Saharita, andhas spported TAS and its mission for years.Call Kimberlyn, MBA, Associate Broker, Birder,today! Kimberlyn Drew is an exceptionalRealtor.Dorothy Fitch, TAS Member

tHe living fenCe

www.thelivingfence.comBryck and Ssan Gibor3131 E Glenn StTcson, AZ [email protected]

The Living Fene offers natral ootillo feningto enhance the artistry of desert landscaping,creating an appealing barrier between yoryard and nwanted critters. Ocotillo fences maybloom with exqisite orange blossoms after each

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Snell & wilmer l.l.p.

www.swlaw.com400 E Van Bren StPhoenix, AZ [email protected]

Fone in 1938, Snell & Wiler L.L.P. is a fll-servie bsiness law r with ore than 400attorneys pratiing in six ofes throghotthe western united States, inclding Tcsonand Phoenix, AZ; Orange Conty, CA; Denver,

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SundAnCe preSS

www.sndancepress.comGene Mandish817 E 18th StTcson, AZ [email protected]

Sndance Press specializes in the printing & mailingof high qality short-rn magazines, newsletters,programs and catalogs. The company was fonded

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tuCSon AuduBon nAture SHop

at university & 5th Avewww.tcsonadbon.org300 E university Blvd, #120Tcson, AZ 85705520-629-0510 x7008

The Tcson Adbon Natre Shop offers awide range of materials for natre enthsiasts,inclding binoclars for bird watching andother willife viewing, el gies fro regional

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DORISEVANS

A r n m o r e A b o u T o u r b i r d s & b u s i n e s s A l l i e s A n d f o r l i n k s T o T h e i r w e b s i T e s


16/28


17/28


The botteris Sparrow is also a ir of

summer, with no ocumente winter recors in

Arizona. They typically arrive in late May, an

unlike the Cassins Sparrow, are on territory

singing prolically in June, but with the same

goal in min: to roo their young uring the

monsoon. For the botteris, the commencement

of the monsoon is the signal to lay their eggs.

In fact, egg-laying y botteris is precee y at

least -inch of rain, an typically they wait for

the rst heavy rain of -inch or more. By laying

at the start of the monsoon, botteris hatch their

young usually a month or so efore the Cassins,

an this temporal partitioning of resources mayallow them to ree in the same haitat with

minimal conict.

The Grasshopper Sparrow that rees in

southeast Arizona is the suspecies ammolegus,

note for its rusty tones. Name for their insect-

like song, the name is just as well-suite for

their foo preference: grasshoppers! during

the summer, insects make up over 60 percent

of their iet, with grasshoppers comprising half

or more of that percentage. The new growth

of grass uring the monsoon increases the

grasshopper populations, keeping the sparrows

well-fe. Like our other grasslan sparrows,

Grasshopper Sparrows spen most of their time

on the groun. As a visual preator, they will

hunt insects in open, are areas, an rely upon

their skulky ehavior an cryptic plumage to

allow them to forage quite a istance from cover.

The semiesert grasslans of southeast

Arizona have een home for sparrows for

millennia. Over the past century, with the

settlement of the West, haitat has een lost

or change. botteris Sparrow historically was

ocumente as far north as Oracle in the Santa

Cruz River Valley, an Fort Grant in the Sulphur

Springs Valley. On a larger scale, the conversion

of grasslan to agriculture an suivisionsthroughout North America has strongly

inuenced the decline of Grasshopper Sparrows

from an estimate 31 million in the 1960s to

11 million toay. No species can live without

a home. With thoughtful management of our

grasslans, future generations may continue to

enjoy a summer afternoon with ark gray clous

illowing, the smell of the rain on the win, an

the eautiful meloy of the Cassins Sparrow

falling from the sky. VF

Below, left to right: virga overte esert; (inset) GrasspperSparrow subspeciesammolegus;strm biling p ver te esert;Elgin grasslands

(All photos below by Homer Hansen

Left t rigt: Cassins Sparrw; Btteris SparrwALANMuRPhY/ALANMuRPhYPhoToGRAPhY.C

oM

Homer Hansen is the authorof the G.I.S.S. Series

identication guides, instructs

Moving to Mastery for Tucson

Audubon Society, and chairs

Wings Over Willcox. Homer

leads tours for festivals,

groups, and individual birders

Homers favorite Emberizid

is the Cassins Sparrow.

Contact him at aplomado@

aplomado.com



18/28


conservATion And educATion newsChRiS MCViE, PAul GREEN, kENdAll kRoESEN, ANd SCoTT WilBoR

AL

GILPATRICK

Painted Hills is a beautiful part of

te west sie f Tcsn; almst 300

acres between Anklam Road and W.

Speedway Boulevard as you drive

twar Gates Pass an te Arina-

Sonora Desert Museum. These

roads have been designated scenic

routes by Pima County. The threat of

building 250 houses on 300 acres in

that region is real, even though the

Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan

as ientie tis area as bilgically

signicant lan. Te evelpment

plan would affect around one-half of

the 10,000 Saguaro cacti on the site,

as well as important riparian areas

and wildlife linkages. Residents twice

voted for bonds to purchase this

property and, although the County

tried to buy the land, the owner sold it

to a developer instead. The developer

has asked for annexation to assure

water service. The County Board of

Supervisors voted 4 to 0 to oppose

the annexation. However, Tucson City

Council voted twice to move forward

wit annexatin prceeings. New

Council member Paul Cunningham

asked for reconsideration at the June

8 Council meeting.

By email (see p 16) we asked you

to show up for the June 8 meeting:

you did and the meeting was packed

t verwing. Prbably as a reslt,

the Mayor and Council voted to direct

the City Attorney to work with Pima

County over the next 30 days to

explore creative options to save the

Painted Hills without going to court.

Your presence and support allowed us

t live t gt fr anter mnt fr

Painted Hills, and we thank you for

your involvement and the Coalition forSonoran Desert Protection for taking

the lead. This action also reminded

Tucson City Council to keep the Citys

water service policy intact, with no

more water delivered outside the

obligated-to-serve areas in the City.

Meanwhile Ed Verburg of

Tucson Mountains Association

informs us that on June 15, Tucson

City staff presented the proposed

Water Footprint Study to the City

Council, and highlighted the various

comments received from the public.Staff recommended approval of the

proposed water policy, and responded

to many of the arguments presented in

letters they received, and mentioned

tat te Citien Water Avisry Grp

voted 8 to 0 to approve the policy as

drafted.

Karin Uhlich (Ward 3) made a

motion to accept the proposed water

footprint with two changes: 1) exclude

parcels on the west side, including

Painted Hills and adjacent parcels,

and 2) direct staff to coordinate withland use planning in other jurisdictions

and report back at the yearly review

point with any changes that should be

considered. Regina Romero (Ward 1)

seconded the motion. She mentioned

te imprtance f aving a General

Plan that designates environmentally

sensitive land. The two Council

members also agreed to add

langage tat empasies rainwater

harvesting and new technologies.

The Council passed the resolution

unanimously. You can read the

Citien Water Avisry Grps reprt

at www.tucsonaudubon.org/news-

events/consnewsne.html.

Meanwhile Tucsons TBreak

group (www.tucsonaudubon.org/

what-we-do/conservation/tbreak.html)

is formulating a vision for water policy

in Arina tat wl ave psitive

natural environmental outcomes as a

key component.

rtt AaRedistricting is the once-in-a-

decade opportunity to redraw the

states legislative and congressional

districts. This single act may do

mre t inence te make-p f te

legislature and its agenda over thenext 10 years than the sum total of all

elections during that period.

Every policy issue will be affected

by who is elected to the legislature,

and redistricting will affect every

legislative election for the next ten

years.

The Independent Redistricting

Commission (IRC) will govern

Arinas reistricting prcess. Tse

communities that actively participate

in the redistricting process will have

more power to shape the statetan ever befre; tse tat nt

will allow others to decide who will

represent them for the next decade.

The mission of the redistricting

commission is to administer the

fair and balanced redistricting of

the Congressional and Legislative

istricts fr te State f Arina. Te

cmmissin cnsists f ve members:

two Democrats, two Republicans,

and one Independent or third party

representative. The commission will

be selected in early 2011.

Members of the commission are

selected by a process that begins in

September 2010, when applications

are submitted to the commission

on Appellate Court Appointments.

This commission establishes a pool

f caniates qalie t serve n

te IRC, mae p f twenty-ve

nominees, with ten Democratic

nominees, ten Republican nominees

an ve nminees frm sme ter

party or non-party by January 8, 2011

For more information go to www.

areistricting.rg/.In May, we again asked you, by email,

to contact your Senators to ask them

not to support Senator Murkowskis

resolution to cripple the Clean Air

Act and let oil and other corporate

polluters off the hook.

Our efforts won through when, by

a narrow margin, the Senate voted

53-47 to uphold the Environmental

Protection Agencys authority to

regulate greenhouse gas pollution,

put science ahead of politics when it

comes to public health, and place our

country on a clean energy path. Our

wrk will nt be nise ntil we ave

comprehensive energy and climate

legislation.

Bt f Arinas Senatrs vte

in favor of Senator Murkowskis

resolution to cripple the Clean Air

Act. We ask that youcontact them to

comment on their votes.

ca A

T a t wat


19/28


Call for information:

Night-time Raiders atHummingbird Feeders

Were your hummingbird feeders

mysteriously drained during the night

last summer? Did you know the

midnight raiders were bats? Most of

Arinas 28 bat species eat insects,

but two migratory species drink nectar

and eat pollen from plants such as

the saguaro and agaves. These

bats are becoming common visitors

t stern Arina mmingbir

feeders in late summer and early fall.If you enjoy watching wildlife, we need

your help monitoring the wildlife in

your backyard!

The use of hummingbird feeders by

bats has been documented in southern

Arina fr many years. Arn 2006

we noticed that large numbers of

lesser long-nosed bats were foraging

at hummingbird feeders in the urban

areas surrounding the Tucson basin.

We are now detecting bats visiting

feeders more widely in southern

Arina an ave vlnteer mnitrsfrom as far north as Dove Mountain

near Pinal County, and as far south as

Ngales in Santa Cr Cnty.

If you are willing to participate in

the hummingbird feeder monitoring

project this year, please contact Dr.

Ted Fleming, Adjunct Professor,

university f Arina, at te@

sonaura.net with your name, address

(crss streets are ne if y wl

prefer not to give your street address)

ipce, an te general ates tat

you noticed your feeders drained. Any

photos of the bats using the feeders

are also extremely useful. If you dont

have access to email, please leave

a message at 797-5609. We will

provide you with information about this

years monitoring protocol. Additional

information can be found at the

prjects fcial website spnsre by

the Town of Marana (www.marana.

com/bats).

lk Aa t n et a lkot f o b

As we head toward the critical

Nvember electins, we will cntine

to draw your attention to the effects

your votes will have on birds, wildlife

habitat, and your own quality of life.

We encrage y t visit te ArinaLeague of Conservation Voters

website www.alcv.rg t examine te

voting records of legislators. Question

those seeking election at the national

and state levels on their attitudes to

such issues as: funding and protecting

open space and riparian areas,

protecting species of conservation

concern, reducing carbon emissions,

preserving migratory and native

wildlife linkages, sustainable

development, water policies, and

other natural environment issues ofimportance to you.

Arizona State Proposition301refers to a measure that would

transfer the balance of the Land

Cnservatin Fn int te General

Fund. The voters established the Land

Conservation Fund in 1998 when they

apprve te Grwing Smarter Act

referre t te ballt by te Arina

Legislature. The dollars in this fund

provide a match for communities

to acquire state trust lands for

conservation, including lands that are

part of Pima Countys Sonoran Desert

Conservation Plan, and many more

besides.

By diverting dollars from the Land

Conservation Fund, the Legislature

hurts both conservation efforts and

educationdollars from the Land

Conservation Fund go into the

State Lan Trst t benet te Trst

beneciaries. Te primary beneciary

is public education. The Land

Conservation Fund helped purchase

Tumamoc Hill in Tucson in February

2009.

Arizona State Proposition109is a proposed constitutionalamendment that would include

hunting in the basic Declaration of

Rights in the Constitution. It would

ave a signicant an negative impact

on wildlife and wildlife management

in Arina by making it mre ifclt

to regulate the take of wildlife. Wildlife

belngs t all Arina citiens

hunters and non-hunters, anglers and

non-anglers, those who watch wildlife

and those who do not, for this and

future generations. Wildlife is held intrst by te State f Arina fr te

benet f crrent an ftre resients

as well as for the ecological integrity of

the state. Establishing a constitutional

rigt t nt an s vilates tat

basic trust responsibility and elevates

hunting and angling from being a

privilege to being a basic right. This

proposed constitutional amendment

wl pt nting an sing in Article

2 f te Arina Cnstittin, wic

is the Declaration of Rights in our

Cnstittin. Te Arina Cnstittin

should be for proclaiming rights that

guarantee fundamental democratic

principles, not for protecting privileges

to exploit our natural resources.

Arina State Prpsitin 109

could undermine the rights of the

people to initiate law. It also creates

cnicting prvisins regaring

initiative rigts witin te Arina

Constitution. We support the existing

rights of the people to initiate or

to stop laws via the initiative and

referendum process. The authors of

te Arina Cnstittin tgt tat

the initiative and referendum processwas important to provide a check on

the legislative branch. They thought

it was critical tat te citiens ave

an equal opportunity to create laws

directly via the initiative process.

Arizona State Proposition110refers to the ballot a constitutional

amendment that, if passed by the

vters, atries lan excanges

between the State Land Department

an te Feeral Gvernment. Te

land exchanges can be for two

purposes: they are for the protectionof military facilities, and for the

provision of proper management,

protection, or public use of state lands.

An exchange will have to be referred

to the ballot by the Legislature and

approved by the voters in order to be

consummated. All exchanges must

have two appraisals, an analysis,

and be vetted at two public meetings.

Full and up-front disclosure of the

parcels involved is also required.

While exchange proposals have been

on the ballot six times and defeated

by the voters all six times since

1990, this proposal includes the kind

of transparency and accountability

that is necessary to ensure that land

exchanges are in the best interest of

the trust and the larger public.

Our thanks to Sandy Bahr of the

Sierra Club for this information.

Left to right: Open space in the Tortolita Mountains. Aberts Towhee, a riparian bird of conservation concern

JohNhuNNICuTT

JoANGELLATLY


20/28


Conservation Corner!Are you emitting greenhouse gases?

We all do. Carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and others.You already know many ways to reduce your emissions: drive less,

rive a mre efcient car (r a

bike!), make your house

energy efcient, install

solar hot water,

solar panels, and

so on.

Another

innovative

way is a

carbon

offset. If you

do somethingthat emits a lot

of carbon dioxide,

you can pay to have that

same amount removed from the

atmspere. Tis is particlarly sefl if y are ying smewerean

activity that emits a lot of carbon dioxide.

Visit The Local Trust, a Tucson-based carbon sequestration

rganiatin (www.thelocaltrust.org). The Local Trust is run by David

Schaller and Jane Poynterboth good friends of Tucson Audubon. David

led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys sustainability efforts in the

West an Pacic Islans an mre recently wrke in Tcsns ofce f

Conservation and Sustainable Development. Jane, a former Biospherian, is

President of Paragon Space Development Corporation and recently spoke

at Tucson Audubons Ironwood Festival.

heres w it wrks. G t www.thelocaltrust.org and click on calculate

your carbon. Follow the directions to calculate how much you have

emitted, and the cost to sequester it. Then pick a project. Currently the trust

sequesters carbon through Tucson Audubon tree planting and through

installing solar hot water heaters on Habitat for Humanity homes. Then

make a payment! G t teir Web site an rea mre. VF

Kendall Kroesen, Restoration Program Manager

Jane Pynter is pictre abve wit Kenall Kresen (left) an Pal Green,

planting trees at Tucson Audubons Mason Center.

conservATion &educATion news

The 20102011 Migratory Bird

Hunting & Conservation Stamp is now

available at te Natre Sp fr $15.

This years stamp features artist

Robert Bealles American Wigeon.

Federal Duck Stamps are used topurchase wetlands and other valuable

abitat fr te Natinal Willife Refge

System, benetting many ifferent

birds and other wildlife.

Possession of a valid Duck Stamp

also provides free admission into any

Natinal Willife Refge tat carges

a fee. Hang one on your binoculars

with pride.

Contribute to the National Wildlife Refuges:Buy a Duc Stamp from Tucson Audubon

The Resolution Copper Company is

seeking to develop the old Magma

Mine outside Superior. Senators Jon

Kyl and John McCain introduced

S.409 (Steast Arina Lan

Exchange & Conservation Act of

2009) to acquire lands, including

some removed by President

Eisenhower from mineral exploration

and extraction in 1955 (Public Land

Order 1229). As of June 2010, the

bill is still under consideration in the

Senate. Tucson Audubon does not

support the passage of the act in itspresent form (see our website for

details).

Resolution Copper is now asking

for an Aquifer Protection permit,

which is intended to protect the

aquifer from contamination, and

an Arina Plltant discarge

Elimination System (AZPDES) permit

to discharge pollutants to waters of

the United States. These permits are

for the discharge of a total long-term

average w f3.6 million gallons

per day (mgd) of stormwater runoffand treated mine water. Resolution

Copper is also applying for an Aquifer

Protection permit for a new facility

located on the north bank of Queen

Creek directly west of the Town of

Superior. This will consist of treated

mine water from dewatering activities

associated with exploration in the area

of the Superior Mine to evaluate the

viability of an ore body. The maximum

discharge limit will be 662,400 gallons

per day, and will be discharged into an

unnamed tributary to Queen Creek in

te Mile Gila River basin.

We have posted the relevantdocuments to our website. A public

hearing will be held at the Superior

Senir Citiens Center, 360 Main

Street, Sperir, Arina 85173, n

Monday, July 19, 2010. There will

be an open house from 5:00pm to

5:45pm with the hearing to follow

immediately from 5:45pm to 7:30pm.

The purpose of the public hearing is

to allow the public to make comments

for the record. ADEQ will respond

in writing to all comments submitted

during the formal public commentperiod which will conclude July 16.

l t Pt?

s p f a atTucson Audubon sends out email alerts around one each week, containing

conservation alerts, event information, and other news. To sign up to

receive the alerts simply go to www.tucsonaudubon.org and click on the

Sign up email newsletter link on the right hand side of the page. You can

unsubscribe and resubscribe at any time.

In the April-May Vermilion Flycatcher

we revealed a plan to run a major

power line route through the Lower

San Pedro River Valley as part of

a proposed SunZia project that

would run energy from the White

Sans regin f New Mexic t a

sbstatin at Ely, Arina, an pints

west, sending energy all the way

to California.

Since that time the community

and natural environment groups have

been reviewing proposed routes

for the project, and questioning the

process of environmental scoping

that the Bureau of Land Management

has been implementing. We have

posted many of these comments on

our website and advise members with

an interest to read them here: www.

tucsonaudubon.org/news-events/

consnewsne.html. Keep up-to-date

through our email alerts (see below).

sza latt


21/28


J

July 3Saturday 7:30 to 9:30amstat wta Faot sDo you enjoy sharing the joy of nature and outdoor

activities with your children or grandchildren? Make

peant btter bir feeers; sketc an clr birs;

r ceck t a backpack lle wit family activities.

Well loan you the binoculars! Presented by Tucson

Audubon Society and Sunnyside School Districts

Stent urban Natralists (SASuN). Cilren age

414 must be accompanied by an adult! Leader:

debra Vat at [email protected] 490-4835

July 4Sunday 6am

sa P h ast. daWell explore the grassland, the river, and

Kingser an Black Pebe Pns lking

for area specialties. Rarities have been found

in the past so anything is possible. Well head

back to Tucson, stopping at St. David to look for

Mississippi Kites. It will be hot so well keep it brief.

Back in Tucson between 2:30 and 4:30, depending

on additional stops. Meet at Houghton Rd. north of

I-10. About 140 miles roundtrip. Chiggers possible

so bring repellant. Leader: Richard Fray rpfray@

dAKoTACoM.NET

July 6Tuesday 6:30am

stat wtaThe early arrival

July-August 2010 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon Society

Documents

Transcript of July-August 2010 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon Society