Continue reading »]]> By Jennie MacFarland, Arizona IBA Conservation Biologist

Jennie talking about survey protocol with volunteers

          The very first training workshop for volunteer IBA surveyors in Yuma was held February 15, 2012. The recent interest from the members of the Yuma Audubon Society to become IBA surveyors was especially exciting as there are several IBAs right in their area that need surveying. Both Tice Supplee, Director of Bird Conservation at Audubon Arizona and Jennie MacFarland, AZ IBA Coordinating Biologist at Tucson Audubon Society made the journey to Yuma to lead this workshop.

            The day before the workshop Tice and I met at the Arizona Game and Fish Office in Yuma and spoke for awhile with Lin Piest about where the new volunteers can be best implemented. There are four IBAs within a short drive of Yuma, the Lower Colorado River Gadsden Riparian Area IBA, Mittry Lake Wildlife Area IBA, Imperial Reservoir IBA, and Imperial National Wildlife Refuge IBA. These volunteers will be especially valuable as our partner, Arizona Game and Fish, also has an interest in these areas and is very interested in what our surveys find there in the future.

Tice Supplee getting ready for field portion of workshop

            That evening, Tice and I gave a presentation to the Yuma Audubon Society on the Important Bird Area program, how effective it has been in Arizona and talked about the IBAs right in their back yard and the exciting birds that live there. The presentation went very well and there was lots of interest for the training workshop the next day.

            The morning of the 15^th, all 13 workshop participants met with Tice and I in the Yuma East Wetlands (right near the Yuma Territorial Prison) to learn how to conduct IBA surveys. First Tice and I went over the protocols and datasheets for the different types of surveys. Then we broke up the participants into teams and conducted two practice surveys. This was a great workshop with very enthusiastic participants. Yeah for Yuma!

 After the training was completed and Tice and I were headed for home, I took a little detour into the Twilight Zone. Right down the road, a little more west on the I-8 is a spot on the map called Felicity, California. This place is a monument to quirky, yet is surprisingly classy and only takes a few minutes.

Original Eiffel Tower stair case, where is it going?

Here I gazed at a piece of the original staircase from Eiffel Tower that just climbs into the sky.

The Flying Fickle Finger of Fate?

There is a bronze reproduction of the hand of God from the Michelangelo’s famous Sistine Chapel fresco that points off into the horizon. A huge granite maze with a history of pretty much everything winds its way around in an impressively huge design. My very favorite thing in Felicity is a giant pyramid that houses the official center of the earth (no kidding).

The pyramid that houses the center of the world!

The official center of the world! They tell you to stand on it and make a wish! ( I totally did it!)

On the floor of the pyramid is a bronze plaque with a small dot that is has been officially recognized by the government of France as the center of the earth. This was an amazing detour that I highly recommend to anyone visiting Yuma.

Continue reading »]]> By Jennie MacFarland, AZ IBA Conservation Biologist

San Rafael Grasslands IBA Survey Crew!

Saturday February 11^th dawned cold and clear over the San Rafael Valley as a caravan of cars came over the crest and into the valley. The Arizona Important Bird Area crew of 19 surveyors arrived in the San Rafael Valley IBA just as the sky was beginning to lighten. Many of these intrepid volunteers had arisen as early as 3:30 am to be here at this fleeting time of day in this beautiful spot. Just at the entrance of the valley, the crew stopped to enjoy the magnificent view for a moment and snap a group photo. We scanned the valley for Short-eared Owls soaring low over the grass to no avail, though later one of the teams did observe two. Then the crew split into 5 teams and drove to their appointed start points in the valley. The objective of the day was to record all birds seen but especially all of the Chestnut-collared Longspurs seen.

While the San Rafael Grasslands was identified as a state IBA in October 2011, we needed to establish that a wintering population of at least 240 is using the habitat for the IBA to be recognized as a Global IBA. This survey was the 4^th winter survey of this area in 2 years and I am happy to report that is was a huge success! Four out of the five teams reported sightings of Chestnut-collared Longspurs and overall the entire team reported a total of 833 of these wintering birds! This is tremendous, especially since this is the third survey in a row where we recorded more than the Global IBA threshold number. A large part of the success of these past three surveys was due to two classes that Homer Hansen graciously volunteered to teach the volunteer crew on grassland bird identification. This extra instruction gave the survey crew the confidence they needed to positively identify these notoriously tricky birds. Special thanks to Homer!!

Overall it was a great day! All of the teams reported that they had a great time and observed lots of interesting birds. After a long morning of surveying, it was time for lunch. The crew met in Patagonia and dined on delicious pizza from the Velvet Elvis, yummy! All that remains is to apply for Global status with the world-wide committee for this IBA. While in Patagonia, we also had a chance to observe the very obliging Williamson’s Sapsucker that has been reported in the park in Patagonia for a time. Judging from all of the holes he has drilled into that tree, he has been there quite awhile!

I would like to personally thank all of amazing volunteer surveyors: Mark Sharron, Farrish Sharron, Jim Gessaman, Tom Skinner, Jim Chumbley, Tim Helentjaris, Matt Griffiths, Bill Grossi, Joan Czapalay, Becky Aparicio, Diane Holsinger, Sharon Kearns, Katelyn Blakemore, Mary Ellen Flynn, Gay Gilbert, John Reuland, Jim Watts and Heidi Lauchstedt. Special thanks to Mark Sharron for the amazing bird photographs seen here and taken during the survey!

Here is a truncated list of some of the 56 species observed by the crew:

Gadwall          8

Williamson's Sapsucker

Mallard            10

Northern Shoveler       16

Ring-necked Duck      1

Pied-billed Grebe        20

White-tailed Kite        4

Northern Harrier         50

Sharp-shinned Hawk  2

Red-tailed Hawk        14

American Kestrel        22

Merlin  1

Prairie Falcon  4

Greater Roadrunner    3

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl         2

Acorn Woodpecker     5

Gila Woodpecker        3

Ladder-backed Woodpecker  3

Northern Flicker          9

Gray Flycatcher          1

Black Phoebe  1

Say’s Phoebe   9

Northern Harrier male

Vermilion Flycatcher  1

Loggerhead Shrike      14

Mexican Jay    18

Chihuahuan Raven      2

Common Raven          34

Horned Lark   303

Bridled Titmouse        2

Bushtit                        10

White-breasted Nuthatch        4

Marsh Wren    1

Ruby-crowned Kinglet           1

Western Bluebird        10

Curve-billed Thrasher   2

Northern Harrier female

Green-tailed Towhee  1

Rufous-crowned Sparrow       1

Chipping Sparrow       252

Brewer’s Sparrow        24

Vesper Sparrow          187

Lark Sparrow  50

Lark Bunting   5

Savannah Sparrow      374

Grasshopper Sparrow  8

Lincoln’s Sparrow       5

White-crowned Sparrow         116

White-tailed Kite

McCown’s Longspur   50

Chestnut-collared Longspur     833

Unidentified Calcarius sp. (Longspur)   54

Red-winged Blackbird           65

Eastern Meadowlark   63

Western Meadowlark  3

Unidentified Meadowlark      43

Continue reading »]]> By Jennie MacFarland, Arizona Important Bird Area Conservation Biologist

View of Tucson from Tumamoc

During the last two weekends in January 2012, an amazing event was taking place on Tumamoc Hill in Tucson. This hill is wildly popular as a challenging walk for those looking for a workout, but there is much more to this hill than many realize. The reason that the University of Arizona decided to host this event was to share the amazing native and scientific history of this hill with those who regularly walk up and down its steep slope. Archaeologists have discovered remnants of two different Native American villages on this hill, one so ancient they are not sure who was living there and the other Hohokam. After these villages were abandoned, the hill remained an important spiritual place for the Tohono O’odham and many artifacts and petroglyphs have been found on and around Tumamoc Hill.

Mike Rosenzweig at Tumamoc event

Jennie with TBC poster

This hill, right next to Sentinel Peak or “A Mountain” as it is locally known, also has an impressive scientific history. In 1903, Tumamoc Hill was chosen out of many locations in the

Tumamoc Research Station

Southwestern United States to be the site for The Desert Botanical Laboratory funded by Andrew Carnegie. Some of the earliest studies on desert plant ecology were conducted here and the 9 remaining plots for vegetation surveys established in 1905 are the oldest existing vegetation plots in the world. The next year a fence was installed around the entire hill to keep out the livestock that had long grazed this area and the scientists quickly noticed changes in the vegetation. From this point on, Tumamoc Hill became an outdoor lab where the impacts of human use of the desert could be studied. In later years, this hill is also known as the origin point of Reconciliation Ecology, the idea that one way to make up for habitat lost to human use, such as urbanization, is to make what habitat remains in these areas as hospitable for wildlife as possible.

TBC Sign up station

A major project that came from this philosophy is the Tucson Bird Count, the first annual urban bird census in the world and the reason that Tucson Audubon was involved with the Celebrate Tumamoc event. Tucson Audubon will now be coordinating the Tucson Bird Count in partnership with the University of Arizona. Jennie MacFarland, a staffer with TAS and the Conservation Biologist for the Arizona Important Bird Area program will be mainly coordinating the count and designed a poster for the Tucson Bird Count with key information about participation and results. Many people stopped by and chatted about the TBC or birds they had seen around town. The event was a huge success with lots of people learning about the Tucson Bird Count and over 30 people signing up to help with the annual count. It was a very enjoyable two days with beautiful weather and lots of fun company!

An example of some of the art at Tumamoc

Continue reading »]]> Atascosa Highlands Christmas Bird Count 
By Matt Griffiths

What a great way to start a new year of birding! Jennie MacFarland and I participated in this amazing count for the first time. It covers a wide swath of the very wild Atascosa mountains, taking in many canyons and open grassland just north of the border with Mexico. This includes such hot spots as Sycamore Canyon and California Gulch among others. Adding to this diversity, the count circle includes Pena Blanca and Arivaca lakes. A fun fact: It has the highest concentrations of Montezuma Quail, Rock Wren, Canyon Wren, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Canyon Towhee, and wintering Elegant Trogon of any CBC circle in the country. The opportunities are endless and I can’t wait for next year!

Anyway, Jennie and I were covering the Corral Nuevo section on what turned out to be a very quite day, bird-wise. Lucky for us, the forest road we were following was also very quiet and the scenery was great! We traversed oak studded rolling hills that were separated by wide drainages that in almost every case contained running water! The high peaks of the Highlands towered over us to the east, and we found a section of hoodoos along our road which was a nice surprise.

An interesting hillside microhabitat of pinyon pine and juniper didn’t yield the explosion of birds we had hoped, but our day was still going fine with oodles of Chipping Sparrows, a few Rufous-crowned Sparrows, and great looks at a male Red-naped Sapsucker. Closer to the full Big Tank, we found the hot spot of the day with yet more sparrows including a lone Vesper Sparrow, Spotted Towhees, a small flock of Eastern Bluebirds, but none of the Western Scrub Jays that were found in previous years.

We finished the day exploring the side roads of the area and then listening for owls back up on Ruby Road. Not surprisingly, the owls were quiet but the sunset was amazing!

For all the info on the Atascosa Highlands count run by Rich Hoyer, see his Blog

Continue reading »]]> By Jennie MacFarland, AZ IBA Coordinating Biologist

On the cold morning of December 9^th, 2011, two members of the AZ IBA team headed out to search for Grey Vireos. This endeavor was part of a larger effort organized by Arizona

Waterman Mountains in Ironwood NM

Field Ornithologists to determine where this species winters in Arizona. It has been documented that the winter range of this species is closely tied to the occurrence of Elephant Trees (Bursera microphylla) which produce a red fruit on which the vireos feed. This means that the species switches from its diet of insects in the breeding season to fruit in the winter, a rather unusual strategy in the avian world.

Abandoned Mine Site

This coordinated effort had teams searching for the Grey Vireos in locations where Elephant Trees are documented, but not Grey Vireos. Tim Helntjaris and I headed out to our assigned area of the Waterman Mountains in Ironwood National Monument. I had never been out here and was astonished by the beautiful views and the remote feeling of the area. This area seems like true wilderness with few roads and limited access. There are however, abandoned mining sites that are a harsh reminder of this areas exploitative past.  

Jennie MacFarland

Tim Helentjaris

The most difficult part of this adventure was getting to our survey location which required a rather long walk through difficult terrain covered in pokey plants. The maps showed an old road, suitable for walking but not driving, that ran rather near our survey points, but we could not find it. As we bushwhacked through the desert and towards our points, we did observe some birds. There were Verdins everywhere and Phainopeplas gave their whoop call from several directions. One of the best sightings was a small group of Western Bluebirds foraging in the desert and an energetic Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Once we finally did reach our points, it was very easy to see the road we had been looking for. At least we could use it to get down when we were done.

Now it was time to conduct our surveys. There were indeed many Elephant Trees present in the area, but they all appeared to have died back, most likely due to the hard frost of last winter. At first, Tim and I despaired that they were

New Growth

Elephant Tree

dead. Then we noticed that almost all of them did have shoots growing from the base covered in leaves! While none of the trees had any fruits and we did not find any Grey Vireos on our surveys, perhaps the Elephant Trees will have recovered enough by next winter to produce fruits. Then maybe there will be Grey Vireos there to feast upon them!

Continue reading »]]> Saguaro NP BioBlitz Report
by Matt Griffiths

Vivian and Aleck in the boulders

A very birdy morning in the Rincon Valley greeted my BioBlitz team (Aleck and Vivian MacKinnon) on October 22. With some last minute manuevering we crafted for ourselves probably one of the best birding routes in either the west or east districts in Saguaro National Park. Our described path was to follow the Manning Camp trail up onto the saguaro-filled ridge, surely a great hike in this “off limits” area of the park guarded by the exclusive X-9 ranch. Once we arrived at Madrona Ranger Station though, a quick look at the map and a real look at the wonderfully lush Chiminea Canyon changed our minds without a second thought. We decided to explore the creekside habitat of towering sycamore, oak and feather tree, which is only found north of the border in these south-facing drainages of the Rincon mountains.

The hard work of scrambling over boulders all morning, some the size of a large SUV, paid off! Rock Wren was definitely the bird of the day, but sparrow diversity really surprised us. Right off the bat, while our eyes were still waking up, an unfamiliar sparrow song challenged us and turned out to be a Rufous-winged without the bouncing ball. The day produced Green-tailed Towhees, Lincoln, Black-chinned, Brewer’s, Chipping, Lark, Song, Black-throated, and numerous White-crowned Sparrows.

Chiminea Canyon is lush

The presence of water and large trees was certainly the reason for finding 40 species and a great cross section of birds from Black and Say’s Phoebe, Northern and Gilded Flicker, Blue-gray and Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Solitary Vireo, as well as Verdin to Western Flycatcher. Most surprising were a Painted Redstart flying in and perching above our heads and a single female Indigo Bunting we were able to pick out among the various sparrows.

Water!

Besides the amazing setting, other non-bird highlights included a great section of mammal tracks where mountain lion, coati and raccoon prints were put down in mud of perfect consistency. Canyon tree frogs easily outnumbered all other herps seen, while lowland leopard frogs were represented by a few twitchy individuals seen mostly as pond splashes. We got great looks at a black-necked garter snake who seemed to be frozen to a boulder in the morning shade.

Snake!

Tracks!

All in all the BioBlitz seemed to be a smashing success for us and Saguaro. While my bird route was not open to public registration due to access limitations, it allowed our team to complete a quality survey in an area that is rarely sampled. Many other survey routes turned out to be great introductions to birds and birding for a general public who can’t tell a cardinal from a woodpecker. In our Madrona area alone, hundreds of school children spent two days outdoors learning about a whole host of biological processes and getting hands-on experience. Some of them had never even been camping before! This is reason enough to hold an event like this every year!

Continue reading »]]> By Jennie MacFarland, Arizona IBA Program Biologist

Party on the Lemmon

On October 29th, 2011 Arizona IBA staff and volunteers gathered on Mount Lemmon to party! The Arizona Important Bird Area Program simply could not operate without its dedicated and talented volunteers! Our volunteers help with surveys, data entry and at special events such as the recent BioBlitz!

Very recently, Arizona added two new IBAs (San Rafael Grasslands for wintering sparrows and Aubrey Valley for migrating raptors) and expanded the Sabino Canyon IBA to include Tanque Verde Wash. This program simply would not have the 42 identified IBAs (5 of which have Global status!) without the data collected by our wonderful volunteer surveyors!

To celebrate our awesome volunteers, the Arizona IBA program held a barbeque at the Rose Canyon picnic area on Mount Lemmon! All enjoyed grilled hotdogs/turkey dogs, grilled corn and many delicious goodies brought by attendees! Everyone enjoyed good company and conversation while dining on a great lunch! Later everyone participated in a bird trivia contest with the top prize being a $25 gift certificate to the Tucson Audubon Society Nature Shop and a copy of the newest edition of Finding Birds in SE Arizona (just released!) and second place also received a copy of the book.

When all of the excitement settled down, all volunteers present received a special custom hat so they can proudly display their participation in the IBA program! To all of our Arizona IBA volunteers, past and present, one-timers to those who have helped for years on end: THANK YOU! We couldn’t do it without you!

Continue reading »]]> by Jennie MacFarland, IBA Program Biologist

On October 21-22, 2011 the much publicized BioBlitz was held at Saguaro National Park. This was the 5th annual BioBlitz in a series of 10, each held at a different National Park, leading up to the centennial celebration of the Park Service. This 24 hour species inventory of the Park was both a scientific endeavor and an outreach opportunity.

Learning about the desert

On the 21st thousands of children from all over Tucson were brought to the park to learn about why biodiversity is important and how Saguaro National Park is a preserve of nature right in their own backyard. Tucson Audubon was heavily involved in the bird portion of their natural discovery. Our base camp was the Valley View Picnic Area where we helped the groups of children survey mini transects and look for birds. It was delightful to see how excited the children were to see a common bird such as a Phainopepla or Cactus Wren, birds that are old hat to the likes of us. The children were interested in everything and we did our best to keep up with the steady stream of questions. There were a few logistics bumps in the road, but overall it was a gratifying morning. Hopefully many Tucson children now have a firmer understanding of the natural world and how awesome it can be!

Now it was time for the science part to begin! I led a nocturnal bird survey of Saguaro National Park West while TAS volunteer-extraordinaire Tim Helentjaris led one in Saguaro East. The public was invited to sign up for many of the inventories during the BioBlitz so many people were able to experience what a biological survey is like. My team managed to hear several Great-horned Owls, one loud enough for the entire team of about 12 adults and 2 children to hear, several Western Screech-Owls and three Elf Owls. A tarantula stole the show for a few minutes when it was spotted crossing the road and everyone was excited to spot several scorpions glowing under a black light. The team seemed delighted at all the wonderful critters we uncovered together.

Blacklit scorpion

Bright and early the next morning it was time for my daytime bird inventory. Many TAS volunteers led bird inventory routes and the public was again invited to sign up to join a team. As a result many people who were new to birding or had never ever birded before signed up for these teams and could see for themselves just how much fun we have all the time.

Douglas Spring survey crew

My route was the Douglas Springs Trail to Bridal Wreath Falls in Saguaro East and it was beautiful! As we walked the route we turned up many expected species such as Black-throated Sparrows, Rock Wrens (both in high numbers!), Curve-billed Thrashers and Phainopeplas. The team was very excited to get good looks at these common species which was heartening to me. I guess they only seem common if you see them all the time. We also managed to spot some less usual birds during our survey. Everyone had excellent views of a Loggerhead Shrike which gave me the opportunity to tell them about the fascinating and “dark” side of these “butcher birds” which they loved! We also saw White-throated Swift, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Sharp-shinned Hawk and my favorite bird of the day, a Dicksissel!

It was a fun morning where we found lots of birds and several people walked away with a new appreciation of birding and how fun it can be! The BioBlitz was a good time and I would like to send out a big THANK YOU to all the TAS volunteers and staff that helped Tucson Audubon’s involvement go smoothly! I hope you all had a good time!!

Continue reading »]]> Latest IBA Adventure:
By Jennie MacFarland, IBA Program Assistant – Biologist

On the morning of Saturday April 16, a group of enthusiastic folks gathered in Tubac to celebrate the Upper Santa Cruz River IBA. The morning began with two bird walks which turned up many classic riparian species such as Wilson’s Warbler, Summer Tanager, Northern Beardless-tyrannulet, Bell’s Vireo, Barn Swallows, Lazuli Bunting and Gray Hawk. Some surprise birds also made an appearance including Pine Siskin, Bullock’s Oriole and Bridled Titmouse! It was fun to see so many species in such beautiful riparian habitat. It really showed us what Important Bird Areas are all about!

Scott Wilbor

Soon it was time for the actual recognition ceremony to begin. The attendees gathered in the community center and settled in for several presentations. Scott Wilbor, AZ IBA Conservation Biologist, kicked everything off with a brief welcome and run down of the morning would entail. Paul Green, Executive Director of Tucson Audubon Society, then spoke about how birding enriches a community and its economy. Then Scott talked about the IBA program itself, the Upper Santa Cruz River IBA and its importance to the birds that live there. Then Scott presented several certificates of appreciation to individuals and organizations that helped make this area an identified and now recognized Important Bird Area. Those recognized included volunteer IBA bird surveyors, the Tucson Audubon Society restoration crew, Friends of the Santa Cruz River, The Sonoran Institute, community leaders such as Amy McCoy, Richard Bohman and Sherry Sass. The ceremony then wrapped up with a reading by Ken Lamberton from his book: Dry River Stories of Life, Death, and Redemption on the Santa Cruz. It was a moving and appropriate ending to the ceremony.

It was then time for some refreshments! The attendees then moved outdoors and enjoyed some delicious brunch foods from Tubac Market, mingled and chatted, looked at the beautiful poster of the birds found in on the lower Santa Cruz River and a large map of the boundary of the IBA.

The event wrapped up just as the temperatures began to rise. But the excitement was not over! As the Tucson Audubon crew and volunteers were putting away everything from the event, we had some exciting avian visitors. First a Zone-tailed Hawk made an appearance overhead giving everyone great views. Then a pair of Grey Hawks circled very low over the building a few times and then headed over to the riparian area much to the delight of everyone on the ground. What a perfect end to the day!

This was a fun event made possible by the hard work of Tucson Audubon Society staff and volunteers and made successful by the enthusiastic attendees who took time out of their busy lives to be a part of this event! Thank you!

Continue reading »]]> Latest IBA Adventure:
Jennie MacFarland, IBA Program Assistant – Biologist

On the cold, crisp morning of December 10, a team of intrepid Important Bird Area surveyors traveled to the San Rafael Grasslands. As dawn steadily crept over the mountains, our caravan crested the top of the hill and suddenly the entire valley was laid out before us. The sight of sweeping vistas of golden grasses was breathtaking in the morning light.

San Rafael Valley

As the purpose of this venture was to establish and test out new IBA survey routes, we split up into teams of 2 or 3 and began to survey our assigned routes. Some problems such as locked gates and confusing road signs were speed bumps to the endeavor, but the teams powered through and figured out routes that would work. The on-the-ground information these teams discovered and reported back is invaluable to Arizona IBA establishing survey routes in this area for repeat surveying of grassland birds.

The teams also kept meticulous track of all the birds they encountered as IBA survey data. Some of highlights include Prairie Falcon, Eastern Meadowlarks, Vesper Sparrows, one Baird’s Sparrow out at the famous Vaca Corral, huge flocks of Horned Larks and large quantities of Savannah Sparrows. One team encountered a good number of Grasshopper Sparrows and a rolling, tumbling flock of Chestnut-collared Longspurs that called continuously and dazzled us with flashes of their white underwings. Another team, positioned further south, found unexpected birds such as Red-naped sapsucker, Mexican Jays and Phainopepla. The other two teams, positioned in the central valley, turned up some great birds as well such as Northern Harrier, Brewer’s Blackbird, House Wren and Brewer’s Sparrows. This was a fun day of surveying, survey route establishment and birding with some terrific birds turning up!
The Arizona IBA crew will be heading back out to the San Rafael Grasslands to formally conduct surveys on the routes we established this month. There were some target birds that eluded us, such as Sprague’s Pipit and McCown’s Longspur, that we hope to find in January and February when we journey back.

If you are interested in participating in these surveys, please contact the IBA office at Tucson Audubon Society at 209-1804 or email us at swilbor@tucsonaudubon.org or jmacfarland@tucsonaudubon.org. It will be a great time and we could use your help finding these amazing and secretive birds!