VERMILION

Tucson Audubon Society | tucsonaudubon.org

F LY C A T C H E R
January–February 2009 | Volume 54, Number 1

Tucson
Audubon
60th Anniversary
A Strong Past
A Bright Future 2
A Vermilion Route 3
The Executive Directors
Speak 14

What’s in a Name: Flammulated Owl 11

Tumamoc Hill: People and Habitats 12
Urban Landscaping for Bell’s Vireo 13
Sabino in Winter 16

T U C S O N A U D U B O N ’ S N E W L O O K B I - M O N T H LY N E W S L E T T E R
 FRONT COVER: Vermilion Flycatcher by
Tom Ryan. This small stunning flycatcher
has been Tucson Audubon’s logo bird for
60 years. Tom Ryan is an amateur wildlife
photographer whose favorite subjects are
birds. See more of his images at
Tucson Audubon Society is dedicated to improving http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/gallery/
the quality of the environment by providing education, tag/tomryan.
conservation, and recreation programs,
environmental leadership, and information. Tucson Do you have photos of birds that you
Audubon is a non-profit volunteer organization of would like to see featured on the front
people with a common interest in birding and natural
cover of the Vermilion Flycatcher? If so,
history. Tucson Audubon maintains offices, a library,
and nature shops in Tucson, the proceeds of which please contact Matt Griffiths at 206-9900
benefit all of its programs. or mgriffiths@tucsonaudubon.org. Or
Tucson Audubon Society check out our Contributors Guidelines
300 E. University Blvd. #120, Tucson, AZ 85705 posted at tucsonaudubon.org for full
629-0510 (voice) or 623-3476 (fax)
All phone numbers are area code 520 unless otherwise stated specifications.
www.tucsonaudubon.org
Board Officers & Committees
Messages 622-5622
President Herb Trossman
Vice President Mich Coker
Secretary Robert Merideth Features Departments
Treasurer Tom Rehm
Conservation Chris McVie, Development Sandy Elers,
11 What’s in a Name: 3 News Roundup
Education Cynthia Pruett, Finance Tom Rehm, Flammulated Owl 8 Events and Classes
Nominating Robert Merideth
Additional Directors at Large Clark Blake, Mary Kay Eiermann, 12 What is Tumamoc Hill up to? 17 Conservation & Education News
Sandy Elers, Julie Gordon, Linda Greene, Craig Marken,
Robert Mesta, Liz Payne, Susan Randolph, Bill Roe, Jessie 13 Restoring Urban Habitat for
Shinn, Linda Stitzer, Bob Wenrick 19 Field Trips
Programs & Activities Target Species: Bell’s Vireos
22 Birds & Business Alliance
Field Trips Darlene Smyth 297-2315
Library David West 629-0510 14 The Executive Directors Speak Members Listings
Membership Meetings Chris Harrison 629-0757
Rare Bird Alert John Yerger 798-1005 16 Sabino in Winter 24 TAS-ifieds
Report Rare Birds 798-1005
Staff 26 Nature Shops
Executive Director Paul Green 777-9525
Operations Manager Michael Monyak 629-0757
Education Program Manager Carrie Dean 622-2230
Outreach Specialist Matt Brooks 629-0751
Membership Development Chris Harrison 629-0757
Membership Coordinator Jean Barchman 622-5622
IBA Conservation Biologist Scott Wilbor
IBA Program Assistant Ruth Wilderman
628-1730
628-1730
A Strong Past, A Bright Future
Restoration Program Manager Kendall Kroesen 206-9900
Field Supervisor Rodd Lancaster 256-6909
Sara Pike, Main Nature Shop Manager
Restoration Specialist Matthew Griffiths 206-9900
Mason Outreach Coordinator Lia Sansom 971-6238 Along with other changes marking Tucson The rectangular frame serves as a stamp of
University Shop Manager Sara Pike 622-2230
Agua Caliente Shop Manager Becky Aparicio 760-7881
Audubon’s 60th year, we introduce a new authenticity and reflects the stability of an
Nature Shops Tucson Audubon logo! Our redesigned organization with a long, rich history. It projects
Tucson Audubon Nature Shop Vermilion Flycatcher logo (see upper left and our intention to continue well into the future.
300 E University Blvd #120 629-0510
Hours: Monday–Saturday, 10 AM–4 PM
above right) captures, in a visual image, all that The yellow background reflects the Sonoran
(10 AM–5 PM Monday & Thursday); closed Sunday Tucson Audubon has represented in our past 60 Desert sun. The blue represents our stunning
623-3476 fax / 622-2230 Shop Manager years, and all we hope to achieve in the future. Sonoran Desert blue skies and all creatures
Tucson Audubon at Agua Caliente
Roy P. Drachman Agua Caliente Park Our new visual image conveys Tucson inhabiting the earth. The red of the Flycatcher’s
12325 E Roger Rd 760-7881 Audubon’s continued commitment to supporting plumage represents the positive energy of
Hours: Tuesday, Friday, Saturday 9 AM–3:30 PM
birds and bird habitat. Its distinctive design Tucson Audubon.
Vermilion Flycatcher is published bi-monthly. For address clearly sets us apart from other organizations Tucson Audubon would like to thank
changes or subscription problems call 622-5622, or write and provides a fresh perspective on Tucson Christine Scheer, the logo artist, for her creative
to Membership Coordinator, Tucson Audubon, 300 E.
University Blvd, #120, Tucson, AZ 85705. Submissions Audubon’s mission. Its brightness brings our talent.
are due the 1st of the month, two months before the date passion to the public, and it speaks to all ages Our new visual image will leave a lasting,
of the issue. Please send submissions as Microsoft Word by bringing the Vermilion Flycatcher up close positive impression on all who see it. This image
or RTF documents, or plain text files, to Matt Griffiths at
mgriffiths@tucsonaudubon.org. and personal. The open mouth asks us to care is memorable and should help ensure that
Coordinator Matt Griffiths 206-9900 and challenges us to become active in our Tucson Audubon will be recognized and
Proofreaders Jane & Warren Tisdale 749-2139 conservation efforts. respected by all. VF

and Tucson Audubon staff

Layout Eng-Li Green

2 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009

 COMMENTARY
PAUL GREEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
A Vermilion Route
I love maps. Growing up in England, I loved
those detailed Ordnance Survey maps that
revealed the history of my environment, from
prehistoric earthworks to Roman roads, and
villages that migrated as the landscape
changed. On those same maps, modern lines, in
bright vermilion, form a network across the
represented landscape, indicating the main
“trunk roads,” providing clear ways to move from
where you are to where you want to be.
This article is a kind of road map for our
new, reborn Vermilion Flycatcher. What you
hold now replaces the red, black, and white
newsletter that you have been receiving. Having
completed six decades of working with the
community of southern Arizona to appreciate
and conserve our natural environment, this is an
opportune time to update how we interact with
you, our supporters and partners, as well as the
rest of the world. The starting point in this
process was a new logo with a more
contemporary look. Sara Pike explains
the thinking behind the new logo on the
opposite page.
Of greater importance was the question of
how we could improve communications and
access to information for all stakeholders,
including members, staff, board, volunteers, and
partners. How can we better organize and
provide information to make it easier for all of us
to find what we need? How can we highlight the
interactions among our different areas of work
and activities? Our slogan—“conservation,
education, recreation”—might leave an
impression of distinct classes of activities. In
practice, each is intimately linked to the others.
For example, education is one of the most
effective ways to bring about conservation, and
who can go out birding without learning
something new each time? Our goals include
breaking down the “silo” perception of those
activities.
We have designed the new-look Vermilion
Flycatcher (which you will also be able read on
our website) with the above objectives in mind.
In time, we shall also be expanding the range of
electronic methods through which we
communicate, using forums, blogs, and other
techniques.
From now on, you will receive a new
Flycatcher every two months on the odd-
numbered month. While it looks different, the
biggest change is with the organization of
material, and you will find a listing of what is
where on the page opposite.
First, we have grouped short items into
distinct “departments” placed near the front and
back of the magazine. To lead off, we have
combined the news from various programs into
a new Tucson Audubon News Roundup section:
you can learn about interesting developments,
achievements, and how you can become
involved. The News Roundup section is followed
by a Tucson Audubon Events section that
includes a summary calendar.
Towards the back, you will find detailed
listings of our free bird walks led by expert
volunteer leaders, details of other bird travel
opportunities, services provided by our Birds &
Business Alliance members, and book and
product reviews. There is also a news section to
keep you informed about news of regional
importance in our sphere of interest: birds and
birding, environmental education, and
conservation issues.
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon
In the middle pages of the magazine you will
find the substantive articles. For this first re-
designed issue, we include a new series written
by Larry Liese called What’s in a Name,
illustrated by George West, with Flammulated
Owl as the first piece. We would like to make
more use of color images to illustrate the articles
and would welcome contributions to help build
our digital image library. The new magazine
layout will continue to evolve and we hope to
include sketches, postcards, and comments
from you, our supporters.
Remember also that we have a page for
advertising, whether you are an individual or a
Birds & Business Alliance member (see
page 24).
Finally, we are printing our newsletter on
paper that is 50% recycled, 25% post-consumer
waste, and the virgin pulp is from sustainable
managed forests. The inks used are water-
based soy inks, and our Tucson printer,
Sundance Press, implements a wide range of
green practices.
Ultimately, the Vermilion Flycatcher is an
important tool to help us achieve the goal of
establishing a sustainable community in
southeastern Arizona in which there continues to
be a place for wildlife because of how effective
we are as stewards of our natural resources.
We hope these changes to our newsletter
help you feel that you are a better steward of our
natural environment through your support of
Tucson Audubon. VF
The Vermilion Flycatcher has
been through a few iterations
over the years, going from
typewritten, photocopied,
and stapled sheets to the
more recent two-color
printed newsletter, and now
a full-color magazine. At far
left is a particularly historic
issue from December 1963
that begins with the tragic
news of President Kennedy’s
assasination.
3
 TUCSON AUDUBON
NEWS ROUNDUP
The toilets have arrived!
Lia Sansom, Mason Audubon Center
Outreach Coordinator
There are countless other titles
that would fit this update (“A
Large Load Finally Delivered to
Mason’s Doorstep,” etc.) but
they may not be entirely
appropriate for this new,
cleaned-up newsletter.
However we want to say it, the
news is that after eight years of
planning and permitting, the
commercial-grade composting
toilets for the Mason Center are
finally here and ready to go in
the ground!
These toilets are a major
component of the upgrades
that have long been planned
for the Mason Center so that
we may expand our interaction
with, and availability to, the
public. They will be a part of
Kudos and cookies
Jean Barchman, Membership Coordinator
The Staff and Board honored the shop
and office volunteers Thursday,
December 4 with a reception in the
library room. The volunteers’ help is
essential to the success of Tucson
Audubon nature shops and in
assisting the office as a mailing crew.
We thank the local businesses for
providing gift certificates to be used as
door prizes: Chili’s Restaurant, Fry’s
Food Stores, Jack Furrier’s Western
ALL PHOTOS: KENDALL KROESEN
Above left to right: Cookie exchange table; long-serving volunteers Jean Rios (15 years) and Kathy Olmstead (29 years).
4 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009
an ADA-compliant public
restroom built with strawbale
and we expect construction to
commence in early 2009.
ANDREW BENNETT
This and other future
upgrades reinforce Tucson
Audubon’s vision of the Mason
Center to serve as a
demonstration site for
sustainable design and Lia Sansom with one of the new Clivus Multrum commercial composting toilets.
technology. If you would like to
receive regular updates on the these new, compelling, live music,
progress of this project or composting toilets and to dancing, food
participate in the “Bathroom figure out just how they work, and drink. Look
Raising” (like a barn raising, then mark you calendar for for more details
just a little different), then Saturday, April 25 for the in the next issue
contact Lia Sansom at Ironwood Music Festival, of the Vermilion
lsansom@tucsonaudubon.org starting around 5 PM. We will Flycatcher.
KENDALL KROESEN
or 971-6238. celebrate the 10th anniversary
If you are looking for an of the dedication of the Tucson
opportunity to make use of Audubon Mason Center with
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
• Liz Anderson
• Buffalo Exchange
• Economy Birding Services, Inc.,
Tire, Outback Steakhouse, Romano’s TUCSON AUDUBON VOLUNTEERS Clifford Cathers
Macaroni Grill, The Melting Pot, • Sarah Craighead
Denny’s Restaurant on Oracle, Desert • Margaret Ellsworth
Bloom Nursery and Landscaping, and
• Richard Filley
Mane Street Hair Salon. Hors
• Mitchell & Charlotte Griffith
d’oeuvres were provided by Trader
• William Harrison &
Joe’s on Oracle. There was a cookie Elise Schepeler
exchange afterwards.
• Kathryn Hines
Of the volunteers attending, a total
• Janice Johnson
of 138 years of service was tallied.
YEARS OF SERVICE • Karen Jones
Awesome!
• Jane Klipp
• Lt. Col. Bruce Larsen
• Milton Mallory
• Kenny & Melissa Miller
• Clayton Niles
• Pam Phillips
• David Popham
• Carol Pry
• Richard Stevens
• Ann Marie Wood
Jean Barchman,
Membership Coordinator
 Farewell to Vivian
MacKinnon
Paul Green, Executive
Director
We bid farewell to Vivian MacKinnon
from our Membership Department.
Vivian brought to Tucson Audubon a
knowledge of birds and birding and a
wide range of skills from a diverse
background that included catering,
managing recreational facilities, retail,
and public outreach. She had an easy
way with members and volunteers. I
was always impressed at how she
could turn a call from someone with a
concern into a warm and friendly chat
that resolved any issue the caller may
have had.
Our Membership Department will
continue to provide high quality
services to Tucson Audubon members
as we transition to a new Membership
and Development Manager.
Please join with me in wishing
Vivian all the best in her future
endeavors.
JESSIE SHINN
Vivian in the Tucson Audubon Nature
Shop on University Blvd.
Winter is a beautiful time to restore habitats
Kendall Kroesen, Restoration Program Manager
Tucson Audubon’s habitat
restoration program is working
through the winter to conserve
and restore bird habitat at sites
along the Santa Cruz River.
Conserving habitat—
preventing losses—is hard
enough work. Restoring
damaged habitat is an even
bigger job. We need your help!
We have public volunteer
days scheduled for February
14 and March 14 at
Esperanza Ranch. Work days
Monitoring migrating birds in Lower San Pedro IBA
Scott Wilbor, Important Bird Areas Program Conservation Biologist
In mid-January, our IBA teams Our trained IBA volunteers Verde watershed, and
will begin their 2009 bird will be asked to help in a group Patagonia/Santa Rita Mountain
surveys at sites across Arizona. effort within the Lower San area the top priorities for 2009.
Seven more surveys will follow Pedro River IBA in April to As you’ll see on pages 19–
throughout the year at assess bird migration use of 21, many popular field trip
Important Bird Areas that we the river corridor. destinations are
are monitoring. Visit our We have made the Important Bird
growing Arizona IBA Bird conservation and protection of Areas. Look for
Survey Database to see past the Lower San Pedro River, the the IBA logo.
results, www.aziba.org. greater Sabino Creek/Tanque
JOHN HOFFMAN
Tucson Audubon initiated the Arizona Important Bird Areas Program in 2001. San Pedro River in winter (above) is the
location for IBA bird surveys in April. To donate to this program, please contact Scott Wilbor swilbor@tucsonaudubon.org.
last from 8 AM to noon. The Northern Harriers swoop past
group meets in Tucson at 7 AM us and the winter sparrows are
to carpool down to the site. twittering. Red-tails soar
We will be planting trees, overhead.
shrubs and grasses during There will be other
these work days, as well as opportunities to volunteer as
picking up trash and doing well, such as removing invasive
other restoration tasks. giant reed from Sabino
It can be an absolute joy to Canyon. See the Vermilion
spend a winter Saturday Flycatcher calendar of events
W S CLARK / USGS
morning outdoors at this (page 8) for these and other
conservation easement north upcoming conservation
of Tubac. Most days are sunny volunteer opportunities.
and cool this time of year.
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 5
 TUCSON AUDUBON
NEWS ROUNDUP
Learn how the desert works this April
Carrie Dean, Education Program Manager
If the urge to get back to nature is
calling and after reading about
Flammulated Owls (page 11) you are
inspired to learn more about our
unique Sonoran Desert home, then
we have the class for you!
Tucson Audubon’s Institute of
Desert Ecology, run since 1971,
brings the enthusiastic teaching of our
local experts to participants from
around the world. Over two thousand
individuals have graduated to date,
learning and sharing experiences that
connect them with the varied habitats
of the Sonoran Desert.
Right: Expert herpetologist Cecil
Schwalbe (on the right) has been
bitten numerous times but his
enthusiasm for sharing his boundless
knowledge remains infectious. Below:
Geologist Bob Scarborough once
dangled from helicopters but today he
demystifies time with a magic
geologic time stick in the perfect
outdoor classroom setting of Catalina
State Park.
SARA PIKE
6 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009
Focusing on Sonoran Desert
ecosystems, emphasis is on the
dynamic relationships between plants,
animals and the physical elements of
the desert. The Institute is held at
Catalina State Park, located in the
foothills of the spectacular Santa
Catalina Mountains near Tucson.
The fee of $425 per person ($395
for Tucson Audubon members)
includes park entrance fee and
camping from 4/15 to 4/19, expert
instruction and all meals beginning
with Thursday breakfast and
continuing through Sunday lunch. The
Institute ends Sunday, April 19 at 2 PM.
The $80, non-refundable deposit must
accompany the registration form.
Register early to reserve a space. The
balance ($345/non-members and
$315/members) is due by March 6,
2009. No refunds given for
cancellations after April 3.
For more information or
to register, please visit our website
www.tucsonaudubon.org/
education/ide.htm or call 622-2230.
SARA PIKE
VOLUNTEER OF
THE MONTH
DOUG EVANS
Doris Evans is a Volunteer
Naturalist and helps with the
Education Program. She was
born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
and moved to Tucson in 1962.
In 1970 she joined Tucson
6
Audubon Society (TAS) until
1978, then rejoined in 1988 to
the present. A retired teacher,
Doris lives with her husband,
Doug. Besides helping TAS, she
also volunteers for Pima County
Natural Resources, Parks and
Recreation.
SIX QUESTIONS
First time you went birding: In
the 5th grade when we had a
bird unit and my dad and I took
his binoculars and birded in the
Milwaukee County parks. I still
have those binoculars (don’t
use them—just have them as a
keepsake).
Your level of birding:
Intermediate
Favorite place to go birding:
Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson
(winter—it’s Whitewater Draw).
Unusual event that happened
while birding: Seeing a King
Vulture flying within a flock of
Turkey Vultures while on a
Tucson Audubon Birdathon in
the Yucatan.
Favorite bird and where did
you see it: I have had so many
favorite bird sightings I can’t
begin to answer this one.
Other hobbies: Travel,
photography, reading, hiking.
 Fun and fundraising
Paul Green, Executive Director
Will you commit to doing a
day’s birding (a “big day”) for
Tucson Audubon this spring?
And to asking at least a couple
of your friends and colleagues
to sponsor your day of birding?
It’s a natural way to connect the
fun of birding with saving
habitats. By saying yes, you will
become part of our Tucson
Audubon Society’s annual
spring fundraiser, Birdathon.
This year teams will be out and
about from April 10 through
May 10.
If you have not taken part in
a Birdathon before, we hope
that this is the year you decide
Birding in Panama with Tucson Audubon
November 13–21, 2009
Tucson Audubon is restarting
its international birding tour
program in partnership with
Tucson-based international bird
tour company WINGS. We kick
off our program with Panama
as our destination, one of those
fortunate places where two
great avifaunas meet. The
Central American birds of
western Panama gradually
drop out as the isthmus
narrows to join South America,
and such classic Neotropical
groups as hummingbirds,
antbirds, woodcreepers, tyrant
flycatchers, and tanagers
become increasingly diverse
and increasingly dominant.
Our November tour will
coincide with this exciting
PAUL & ENG-LI GREEN
Green Honeycreeper
to take the plunge. Since the
event is not until April, all you
need to do now is to pencil in a
date on your calendar when
you will go birding. Once you
have done that, the rest is easy.
The next step is to find a
friend or two with whom to go
birding. If those people include
first time birders and younger
people, so much the better.
Then, think of who you can get
to sponsor you at either a per-
species-seen amount or a flat
rate. We will provide more
information in the next issue.
Meanwhile, you can visit
www.tucsonaudubon.org/
region’s drier season, when
resident species are joined by
migrants from North America,
creating a rich constellation of
tropical and boreal birds. We’ll
be based in the acclaimed
Canopy Tower and the newly
built Canopy Lodge, from
which we’ll explore such
remarkable birding sites as
Pipeline Road—arguably the
best birding in Central America
—and the Talamancan
Foothills.
Highlights from Gavin
Bieber’s most recent tour here
include a Tiny Hawk on a nest,
a stunning male Blue Cotinga,
19 species of hummingbird
including White-tipped
Sicklebill and Veranguan
Mango, six species of trogon,
and gaudy Rufous-winged,
Bay-headed, Emerald, Silver-
throated, Golden-hooded,
Crimson-backed, and Flame-
rumped Tanagers. We can look
forward to similarly exciting
birds against a background of
wonderfully varied landscapes,
superlative fresh food, and
great camaraderie!
Matt Griffiths (left) and Matt Brooks
were members of Mount
Lemmonheads, one of two bicycle
teams in the 2008 Birdathon.
chapter/birdathon.htm to read
interesting and fun accounts by
past birdathon teams. Last year
a number of teams opted for
zero- or low-carbon birdathons.
The trip will be led by Gavin
Bieber. A native of Canada,
Gavin is a well-known and
popular field trip leader for
Tucson Audubon and a Senior
Leader at WINGS. Gavin has
birded and led tours in western
Europe, North and West Africa,
Bolivia, Peru, Panama, Mexico,
the US, and Canada. A familiar
fixture on southeast Arizona’s
birding scene, Gavin also
serves as the director and lead
guide for St. Paul Island Tours
and has enjoyed working in the
Pribilofs since 2002. But it is
the American tropics that have
increasingly captured his
fascination in recent years, and
in addition to his Panama tours,
Gavin is currently constructing
new itineraries to Guyana and
the Caribbean. The Tucson
Audubon representative on this
trip to Panama this will be our
Restoration Manager,
Kendall Kroesen.
Prices are in the region of
$4100 plus single supplement.
Contact Chris Harrison
charrison@tucsonaudubon.org
for more details.
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon
2007 Birdathon team, Sparrow’s
Wenches (left to right): Sara Pike, Lia
Sansom, Mich Coker, Jessie Shinn,
Carrie Dean.
Your year-end gifts
We extend a big THANK YOU to
everyone who has sent us their year-
end gifts. If you have not sent us your
tax-deductible donation, it’s not too
late. We have some very specific
needs in education, conservation,
advocacy, and development. Each of
these programs has an immediate
need of $25,000. In Education, Carrie
Dean is seeking to launch a new
youth birding program. In
Conservation, Scott Wilbor is seeking
to develop our new program of
community conservation along
Tanque Verde and Sabino Creeks. In
Development we are seeking funds to
hire a development professional on
contract to help us in our fundraising
efforts. Finally, we need financial
support for our work in advocating for
changes in legislation to support our
natural environment. To discuss ways
you can help, please contact Paul
Green at 520-777-9525 or
pgreen@tucsonaudubon.org.
Sign up for
email news
We augment the Vermilion Flycatcher
with regular email messages that
contain news about upcoming events
and activities and important
conservation updates, including calls
to action. Around one half of our
members currently receive these
emails. If you would like us to add you
to the list, please email
charrison@tucsonaudubon.org with
your full name and your email
address. VF
7

TUCSON AUDUBON
EVENTS AND CLASSES
Sabino Habitat Restoration
Volunteer Day
January 4, Sunday • January 17,
Saturday • February 1, Sunday
• February 21, Saturday, 8 AM–noon
Sabino Canyon Recreation Area
Tucson Audubon continues to partner with
several organizations to remove invasive
giant reed (Arundo donax) at Sabino
Canyon Recreation Area. Volunteers are
needed on the first Sunday morning of
each month (contact Jim Washburn,
tucson.arundo@gmail.com, 626-4107) and
on the third Saturday morning of each
month (contact Jean Hengesbaugh,
tucson.arundo@gmail.com or Kendall,
971-2385). Wear sturdy shoes or boots, a
long-sleeve shirt and long pants to
protect the skin on your arms and legs, a
hat and sunglasses or safety glasses.
Tools and work gloves will be provided.
KENDALL KROESEN
Tucson Audubon’s Urban Habitat Program is part of a larger urban-oriented initiative designed to reconcile
the needs of people and wildlife through the enlightened design of urban and exurban spaces. The Urban
Wildlife Landscaping Course will train landscape designers to create landscapes that not only meet
traditional landscaping goals, but also provide food, shelter, and nesting opportunities for birds, and habitat
other small urban wildlife.
8 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009
Urban Wildlife Landscaping
Course
January 10–31, Saturdays 9–11 AM,
Wednesdays 7–9 PM
Wednesday meetings will be held at
the Tucson Audubon offices. Saturday
meetings will be held at other locations
where natural and landscaped
reference sites are available.
This course is designed for landscape
designers and installers, and other
interested parties. It consists of seven
meetings on consecutive Saturday
mornings (9–11 AM) and Wednesday
evenings (7–9 PM). Wednesday meetings
will be held at the Tucson Audubon
Society offices. Saturday meetings will be
held at other locations where natural and
landscaped reference sites are available.
A plant list, an optional reading list, and
other useful materials will be provided as
part of the cost of the course. Cost: $250.
To sign up, please send a deposit of $50
(not refundable after December 15). Send
a check to Tucson Audubon, Attn. Jean
Barchman, 300 E University Blvd, #120,
Tucson, AZ 85705, or call Jean at 622-
5622 with credit card information. For
more information about the course,
contact Kendall Kroesen at 206-9900,
kkroesen@tucsonaudubon.org cell or
971-2385.
Living With Nature
Lecture Series
TUCSON
Second Monday of the month,
September through April, 7 PM
DuVal Auditorium, University Medical
Center (UMC)
January 12, Monday
BEYOND JUST BIRDS—PUTTING IT
ALL TOGETHER with Rich Hoyer
Rich Hoyer has been an avid birder since
the age of 14. Well before then he was
fascinated with all facets of natural
history. As a pre-teen he began keying out
plants, rearing butterflies in his bedroom,
and identifying protozoans under the
microscope, and he has held a lifelong
fascination for reptiles and amphibians.
But after the discovery of birding, all of
these interests took a back seat, and he
became known as a skilled ear-birder,
Sabino Canyon:
The Life of A Southwestern Oasis
by David Wentworth Lazeroff
Find out much more about the
natural history of Sabino
Canyon in this beautiful book
by longtime Tucson Audubon
member, David Lazaroff.
Packed with information
and stunning pictures, this
makes a fine reference as
well as a great “coffee table” book. Available in
our nature shops. $17.95
Do you want to make your yard into an
inviting habitat for wildlife,
but don’t know where to
start? In our shops we
have a wide selection of
books on landscaping with
native habitat and wildlife
in mind. Available in our
nature shops. $24.95

Rich Hoyer
finding rarities in his home state of
Oregon, working on various bird studies
as far away as Russia, and working as a
naturalist guide for two summers on Saint
Paul Island in Alaska’s Pribilof Islands. He
then moved to Tucson in 1997 when he
began his dream job of leading birding
tours for one of the preeminent
companies in the field, WINGS.
While leading birding tours to such
fantastic places as Jamaica, Mexico,
Costa Rica, Bolivia, Brazil, and the
Galapagos, it was impossible for him to
ignore the amazing diversity of natural
history; his post-tour lists always included
all the reptiles, mammals, and butterflies
they saw, and he has become known for
his breadth of knowledge for all things
living. Beginning with a Butterflies & Birds
tour with Jim Brock in southeastern
Arizona in 1999, Rich created similar tours
with Jim to the Gómez Farías area of
northeastern Mexico, Costa Rica, and
Cristalino Jungle Lodge in Brazil. In 2006
he co-led the first Birds & Shakespeare
tour to Ashland’s famous Oregon
Shakespeare Festival with Bryan Bland,
and in 2007 he co-led a Birds & Plants
tour to Bolivia with Greg Corman.
This presentation will offer pictorial
highlights to show the varied natural
history and mix of interests that Rich
brings to all his tours.
LYNN FERYUS
February 9, Monday
POLE TO POLE with Peg Abbott
Comparisons between the Arctic and
Antarctica are natural. Peg will take a
close look at these similar and contrasting
polar regions. She will share images and
adventures from trips to Svalbard
(Norway), Greenland, Arctic Canada,
South Georgia, Falkland Islands, and the
Antarctic Peninsula. In addition to images
from whales to penguins and Ivory Gulls,
she'll share the magical beauty of ice in
low-angled polar light.
Peg Abbott is owner and guide of
Naturalist Journeys (a Birds & Business
Alliance member of Tucson Audubon), a
small travel company that puts people,
places, and remarkable experiences
together. She has worked in remote and
differing places around the world, from
seabird islands to wildlife refuges and
western ranches, from Alaska to
Argentina. She has a bachelor's degree in
biology and a master's degree in forestry
and wildlife to give structure to her field-
gained knowledge. “I've worked in wild
places, and every mile I've tread has
offered its lessons. I value the years of
experience as I take groups into new and
exciting places.”
GREEN VALLEY
Third Saturday of the month, October
through March, 10 AM
Green Valley Public Library
January 17, Saturday
RAPTORS OF CAVE CREEK CANYON
with Helen Snyder
Cave Creek Canyon’s nesting raptor
densities are the highest known in the US
and among the highest measured
anywhere in the world, due in large part
to the number of small insectivorous owls
that inhabit this canyon in the Chiricahua
Mountains. It is home to a large
population of Whiskered Screech-Owls.
The surprising concentration, only
recently confirmed, is five times that of
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon
EVENTS CALENDAR
Jan 4, Sunday 8 AM. Sabino Habitat
Restoration Volunteer Day (details p 8).
Jan 10–31. Tucson Audubon Urban Wildlife
Landscaping Course (details p 8).
Jan 12, Monday 7 PM. Living With Nature
Lecture, Tucson: Beyond Just Birds with Rich
Hoyer (details p 8).
Jan 17, Saturday 8 AM. Sabino Habitat
Restoration Volunteer Day (details p 8).
Jan 17, Saturday 10 AM. Living With Nature
Lecture, Green Valley: Raptors of Cave
Creek with Helen Snyder (details left).
Jan 23, Friday. IBA Tanque Verde Wash Owl
Survey. (details p 10).
Feb 1, Sunday 8 AM. Sabino Habitat
Restoration Volunteer Day (details p 8).
Feb 4, Wednesday. Tucson Audubon
Society’s 60th Anniversary Gala with Dr.
Michael Rosenzweig at the Arizona Inn.
Feb 9, Monday 7 PM. Living With Nature
Lecture, Tucson: Pole to Pole with Peg Abbott
(details left).
Feb 12, Saturday 10 AM. Living With Nature
Lecture, Green Valley: Arizona’s Amazing
Animals with Amanda Moors (details p 10).
Feb 14, Saturday 8 AM. Esperanza Habitat
Restoration Volunteer Day (details p 10).
Feb 18 through Apr 1. Artist Ruth Canada
presents Birds With Attitude watercolors in
the Ranch House Gallery at Agua Caliente
Park. Ruth will donate 20 per cent of all sales
to Tucson Audubon. Call 760-7881 for details.
Feb 21, Saturday 8 AM. Sabino Habitat
Restoration Volunteer Day (details p 8).
Feb 28, Saturday. Arizona Audubon
Conservation Summit at the Arizona Sonoran
Desert Museum. Contact Paul Green at 622–
5622 or pgreen@tucsonaudubon.org for
more information.
Mar 14, Saturday 8 AM. Esperanza Habitat
Restoration Volunteer Day (details p 10).
Mar 28 & 29. Riparian Family Institute. A
weekend event for the entire family focused
on the rich plant and animal life found
streamside along the San Pedro River. For
more information contact Carrie Dean 622-
2230 or cdean@tucson audubon.org.
Apr 16–19. Institute of Desert Ecology. See
page 6 for more information or contact Carrie
Dean cdean@tucson audubon.org or 622-
2230.
9
 TUCSON AUDUBON
EVENTS AND CLASSES
KENDALL KROESEN
Planting trees during a volunteer day at Esperanza Ranch, January 2008.
the world-famous Snake River Birds of
Prey National Conservation Area
managed by the BLM in Idaho. Cave
Creek Canyon is already the American
Birding Association members’ favorite
birding destination and a major
ecotourism destination, as well as the site
of many long-term research projects, due
to the presence of the American
Museum’s Southwestern Research
Station. Cave Creek Canyon is an urgent
candidate for a US Forest Service Special
Area designation as a Research
Zoological Area to be managed for
birding and ecotourism, and as a world-
class area for long-term scientific
research.
Helen A. Snyder is a retired wildlife
biologist living in Portal, Arizona. She and
her husband Noel spent their career
years helping save a variety of
endangered species such as the Puerto
Rican Parrot, the Snail (Everglade) Kite,
the California Condor and the Thick-billed
Parrot. In addition to research, Helen
writes, leads tours and occasionally
guides folks to see Cave Creek Canyon’s
spectacular raptor concentrations.
February 12, Saturday
ARIZONA’S AMAZING ANIMALS
with Amanda Moors
Did you know that hummingbirds can
beat their wings up to 90 times per
second and have a heartbeat ranging
from 500-1200 beats each minute? Even
the biggest badger will tip the scale at
only about 30 pounds, but he can move
more dirt that a human wielding a shovel.
And it’s true that “X” really does mark the
spot—if the spot you're talking about is
the footprint of a roadrunner!
Learn more about Arizona's Amazing
Animals from Wildlife Biologist Amanda
Moors, a resident of Globe, Arizona, who
10 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009
has studied everything from black bears
in New Hampshire to Spotted Owls, elk,
mountain lions, bighorn sheep, and
western box turtles all around the Grand
Canyon State.
IBA Owl Survey
January 23, Friday
Tanque Verde Wash
Starts one hour after sunset and extends
a couple of hours. Open to all birders with
the ability to identify owls by call.
Fun/spooky. Limited openings. Call Scott
or Ruth at Tucson Audubon IBA office at
628-1730 to sign up.
Esperanza Habitat
Restoration Volunteer Day
February 14 & March 14, Saturday
8 AM–noon
Esperanza Ranch conservation
easement north of Tubac
Volunteers help plant native vegetation,
control weeds and pick up trash at the
Esperanza Ranch conservation easement
north of Tubac. Tucson Audubon is
conserving and restoring habitat on this
300-acre conservation easement along
the Santa Cruz River. To sign up contact
Kendall Kroesen at 206-9900, 971-2385
cell, or kkroesen@tucsonaudubon.org.
This project is supported by Together
Green, an Audubon program with funding
from Toyota. VF
PIMA COUNTY NATURAL RESOURCES,
PARKS AND RECREATION
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION EVENTS
For more information contact: 615–7855 or
eeducation@pima.gov
Tucson Mountain Park Birding Walk
Join birding expert John Higgins for a guided
bird walk in Tucson Mountain Park. Spot
thrashers, wrens, quail, hawks and other birds
of the desert Southwest among the saguaros
and palo verdes. Bring binoculars and water.
Free, all ages welcome. Reservations not
required. Saturday, Jan 10, 8–9:30 AM. Pima
County Tucson Mountain Park Ironwood Picnic
Area, 1548 S. Kinney Road (on Kinney 1.5
miles south of Gates Pass Road or 3.8 miles
north of Ajo Way).
Feliz Paseos Park Birding Walk
Join naturalist Doris Evans on a stroll through
Feliz Paseos Park, where you’re likely to see
thrashers, Cactus Wrens, Gambel’s Quail and
other birds of the desert Southwest. Beginners
are welcome. Bring binoculars and water.
Free, all ages welcome. Reservations not
required. Saturday, Jan 24, 8–9 AM. Pima
County Feliz Paseos Park, 1600 N. Camino de
Oeste (On Camino de Oeste, ½ mile north of
Speedway/Gates Pass Road)
Sonoran Desert Kids Club:
The Life of Birds
We will take a peek at the life of birds as the
residents and migrants share habitat. Free,
kids ages 5–12 and their families. Reserva-
tions not required. Saturday, Jan 31, 9–10:30
AM. Pima County Agua Caliente Park, 12325 E.
Roger Road.
Wake Up with the Birds
Desert meets water at this unique oasis park,
providing a unique crossroads for migratory
and resident birds, some of which are unique
to southeastern Arizona. Spot cardinals,
thrashers, hummingbirds, songbirds and rap-
tors among the mesquites and palms.
Binoculars available for use during the walk or
bring your own. Free, all ages welcome.
Reservations not required. Every Tuesday in
January. 8:30–10:30 AM. Pima County Agua
Caliente Park, 12325 E. Roger Road.
VIR
EO
WHAT’S IN A NAME
Flammulated Owl
LARRY LIESE
So what’s so flammulated about a
Flammulated Owl, anyway? I’ve
wondered this for years. This is the first in
a new series of articles in which I’ll
feature bird species with interesting
names, explain how they acquired them,
add lots of interesting tidbits from their
natural history, plus add hints on how to
find and ID one in our area. I welcome
back all my old Dastardly Duos readers,
and I heartily welcome back the efforts of
Dr. George West, whose illustrations will
also adorn this column.
Now back to that owl. Flammulated
Owls (Otus flammeolus) are named for
their reddish color, from the Latin
flammeus “flame-colored.” This species
does not have distinct gray and red
phases, but instead has a clinal color
distribution with a core of gray birds with
coarse dark streaks centered in the Great
Basin and Rockies, slightly redder and
more finely-streaked birds to the
northwest, and much redder and
somewhat finely streaked birds to the
southeast (ours).
Though grouped with our screech-
owls, this species is of quite a different
character. They depend almost entirely on
moths and beetles for food, plus other
arthropods. It is thought that they cannot
process adult vertebrate bones—one pair
kept in captivity and fed bird carcasses
died within two days! They had been
described as taking vertebrate prey for
over a century before it was realized that
no hard evidence substantiated this.
Flammulated Owls are one of the most
migratory of North American owls. They
100 Birds and How They
Got Their Names.
By Diana Wells
Interested in why other birds
have the names they do?
This fun little book is full of
myths, legends and true
stories about how birds got their
names. Great trivia for those drives between
birding hotspots. Available in our nature shops.
$18.95
breed north to central British Columbia,
yet their winter range has a northern limit
in central Durango in Mexico. Availability
of prey is thought to be a large factor
affecting this. Of note, Elf Owls are also
mainly insectivorous and migrate south in
winter.
“Flammulated Owls are one
of the most migratory of
North American owls.”
Their habitat choice in our area is
strongly tied to ponderosa pine forest.
They prefer open, semi-arid forest with
some shrubby understory. They hunt for
food by gleaning from foliage, picking
food items from tree trunks and also from
the ground. They both nest and roost in
natural cavities and old woodpecker
holes—notably, abandoned flicker holes
in our area. Individual territories have
been known to be occupied for more than
twelve years running, though not by the
original individual. Life span in the wild
has been measured at up to eight years,
but much longer is possible.
An interesting fact is that this species
was long considered rare until birders and
researchers started imitating its
vocalizations and getting responses
around the 1940s and 1950s.
Flammulated Owls are now considered to
be the most common raptor of the
montane pine forest of the western U.S.
and Mexico. So, if they are so common,
you might be asking why you’ve never
seen one. Good question! It was one of
the reasons I picked this bird to write
about.
Flammulated Owls have one of the
lowest-frequency songs of any small owl.
Their hoots are often described as
sounding like a larger owl much further
away. Unpaired Flammulated Owl males
will sing for hours on end early in the
breeding season. In quiet forests these
hoots can carry for half a mile. When
approached they lower the volume
substantially, which explains why birding
lore tells that if you hear one it’s probably
right next to you. To try to find one at
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon
GEORGE WEST
night, get to the right habitat and listen for
soft, single hoots, repeated about every
two seconds. An even softer, lower-
pitched hoot is often added just before the
next one comes along. I liken the sound
to two metronomes of different pitch
synchronized with each other. Listen to a
recording to help recognize it in the field.
Nighttime visual identification might be
tough—hopefully the bird will be calling.
For those lucky daytime views notice the
distinctive dark eyes. No other small owl
here has them. Also note the small ear
tufts, short tail and relatively pointed
wings.
“So, if they are so common,
you might be asking why
you’ve never seen one.”
I must fess up that I’ve only had two
visual encounters with this owl. One was
a pair sitting next to their nesting cavity at
night near the end of the South Fork of
Cave Creek road in the Chiricahuas, and
one during the day far up a hiking trail
poking its head out of a hole. What a cute
little beastie!
So, if you’re out there in the woods in
spring (perhaps doing a Tucson Audubon
Birdathon on Mount Lemmon or Madera
Canyon?), remember to listen for this
remarkable little owl. You might be glad
you did. Good luck! VF
11
 SPECIAL FEATURE | URBAN BIRDS AND HABITATS
Reconciling
People and Wildlife
Some species are sensitive to human-induced changes to their habitat, and
their disappearance diminishes the quality of our of lives. We can create win-
win scenarios so that such species can thrive in human-altered areas through
reconciliation ecology.
What’s Tumamoc Hill up to?
MICHAEL ROSENZWEIG | DIRECTOR, TUMAMOC: PEOPLE & HABITATS, THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
A unique combination of ecology and
culture, Tumamoc is an 870-acre
ecological reservation operated by our
College of Science in the heart of Tucson.
Its innovative, long-term environmental
studies have made it a US National
Historical Landmark. A 2300-year-old
ruined village sits atop Tumamoc Hill and
the rich cultural context of two millennia of
human society lies at its feet.
Tumamoc’s Desert Laboratory gave
birth to the science of arid land studies.
Its permanent study plots include the
world’s nine oldest (1905). It is the world’s
first & oldest restoration ecology project
(1906). Today, the Lab studies dozens of
plant species; the record of their lives
provides a supersensitive biological
monitor of climate change.
At the same time, Tumamoc’s Alliance
for Reconciliation Ecology is developing
the science and social capital that will
build a future as green as the past. The
problem: mass biodiversity extinction.
Tumamoc is learning how to engineer
human landscapes in which people and
their everyday activities coexist with
diverse wild species.
What do human landscapes have to do
with saving biodiversity? Isn’t that the job
of our great biological reserves, such as
Saguaro National Park?
Sure. But without help from human
landscapes, they will fail. Nature will lose
some 90% of her species, maybe more.
KENDALL KROESEN
That shocking conclusion was forced on
Tumamoc’s scientists by 30 years of
research done all over the world, and I
am heavily involved in it. Birds and
mammals, plants and insects are sending
12 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009
the same troubling message, and sending
it from today’s world as well as the world
of deep time—400-million years of the
fossil record. Worse, math backs up the
data. The message is no hoax.
But we have no reason to despair.
What a pleasure it will be to engage
human landscapes in the effort. Audubon
and The Nature Conservancy do it
already. The US Department of Defense
is a major player. Projects in Britain and
“What do human
landscapes have to do
with saving
biodiversity?”
Europe, South Africa and the Middle East,
are redesigning human landscapes to
support certain species of wildlife. The
results? Sustainability, local pride in
fulfilling stewardship obligations, and the
joy of sharing our world with wild
neighbors. I call it Reconciliation Ecology
—sharing our land and having it too.
We Tucsonans are no slouches at
practicing reconciliation. Over the past
decade, the Tucson Bird Count has
enlisted hundreds of volunteers to
establish the urban habitat needs of bird
species after bird species. (The TBC is a
joint effort of scientists at Tumamoc, the
Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
and the School of Natural Resources.)
Similarly, The Tucson Hummingbird
Project has discovered the recipes we
need to grow the list of hummingbird
species that nest in our gardens. In
cooperation with Tucson Audubon,
Tumamoc works with neighborhoods to
G
MICHAEL ROSENZWEI
amoc Hill suggests
The view of Tucson from Tum
place for wildlife.
opportunities for making a
apply what we have learned—expanding
and enriching the areas where avian
success and human occupation take
place together.
Reconciliation Ecology in our region is
no small job. We face a complex of
ecological, social, economic and political
issues—scientific unknowns, aesthetic
unknowns, business-model unknowns
and a maze of regulatory constraints. To
go beyond the backyard, to reach the
entire community—rich and poor—we
must take on all those unknowns.
But Metropolitan Tucson is the perfect
place to do it. Our Sonoran Desert
landscapes pulse with life, a host of birds,
wildflowers, mammals, butterflies. These
already delight us and attract visitors from
all over the globe.
Imagine how empowering our example
will be to those visitors one day! They will
realize that they can do it, too. Yes they
can. And they will. So, thanks to Tucson,
our wild heritage will remain forever, and
our children’s children will enjoy the same
simple pleasure that humans have always
taken in nature since first we walked
the earth. VF
“. . . developing the
science and social
capital that will build a
future as green as
the past.”
Michael Rosenzweig is the author of Win-
Win Ecology and will be the speaker at
our 60th Anniversary Gala (see back
cover for gala details and page 27 for a
review of Win-Win Ecology).
 Restoring Urban Habitat
for Target Species
BELL’S VIREO
KENDALL KROESEN | RESTORATION PROGRAM MANAGER
SCOTT WILBOR | IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS PROGRAM CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST
As part of our Urban Program, Tucson
Audubon is promoting urban landscaping
that harvests rainwater, supports urban
birds and other wildlife, and addresses
the urban heat island effect. And while
urban landscaping will likely help many
bird species, we plan to focus on a select
few, namely those that appear on the
Audubon WatchList for Arizona
(http://az.audubon.org/BirdSci_
AZWatchList.html) and other more
common species that are declining
(http://stateofthebirds.audubon.org/
cbid/index.php).
Bell’s Vireo, which nests in parts of the
Midwest, Great Plains, Texas, the
Southwest and northern Mexico, and
winters along the west coast of Mexico
and Central America to Honduras, is one
species that is in urgent need of help.
Bell’s Vireo has “red” status on the
WatchList. In the Southwest, it has
declined precipitously probably as the
result of a combination of habitat loss and
parasitism from Brown-headed Cowbirds.
Members of this species are in southeast
Arizona from early March through mid-
October, with most reproductive activity
happening April through July.
According to the Tucson Bird Count,
Bell’s Vireo is absent from much of
Tucson, but is found along washes and
other dense vegetation in the foothills, the
east side (especially Tanque Verde
Creek), the Oro Valley area, and in the
foothills of the Tucson Mountains. You are
more likely to attract them if you live near
KENDALL KROESEN
Dense small mesquites and acacias on Dr. John
Madden’s property within the Sabino and Lower
Bear Creek IBA.
a wash or other areas where dense
vegetation already exists.
Bell’s Vireo is among the most difficult
Tucson-area species to attract to your
yard because of their specific habitat
needs. They require dense, shrubby
vegetation, which can be early
succession vegetation along streams, or
mature, dense vegetation along washes
or in mesquite thickets. The critical
element is dense understory and midstory
vegetation.
This species eats almost exclusively
small insects (caterpillars, bees, beetles,
wasps, grasshoppers, moths) and spiders
that it gleans from vegetation, so your
seed feeders will not attract Bell’s Vireos.
They forage widely through vegetation
levels, so a wide range of trees, shrubs,
and understory is helpful. This species
nests low—most often from 1.5 to 5 feet
off the ground, building its well-hidden
nests in dense shrubs and small trees.
Here’s how you can help support these
vireos. First, if you already have dense,
native vegetation on your land, especially
along a wash, do not clear or trim it!
Landowners are often tempted to clear
out dense vegetation in order to afford
access, create sight-lines, or simply to
make it look “cleaner.” These activities
reduce or eliminate the value of the
vegetation for Bell’s Vireo.
Second, if you have areas that you can
revegetate, plant the kind of native
vegetation they like! We suggest a variety
of small and large shrubs, and small
trees. Good diversity of plant species
makes it more likely that the insects and
spiders they like to eat will be present. We
think that some of the most useful around
Tucson would be shrubs like burro weed
(Isocoma tenuisecta), graythorn (Ziziphus
obtusifolia), condalia (Condalia warnockii
var. kearneyana), desert hackberry (Celtis
pallida), wolfberry (Lycium spp.), and
trees like netleaf hackberry (Celtis
reticulata), whitethorn acacia (Acacia
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon
VIREO
constricta), blue paloverde (Parkinsonia
florida), foothills paloverde (Parkinsonia
microphylla), and velvet mesquite
(Prosopis velutina). Screwbean (Prosopis
pubescens) may be helpful if you are in
bottomlands where additional moisture is
present in the soil. In upland areas
ironwood (Olneya tesota) is helpful. In
moist areas use seepwillow (Baccharis
salicifolia). Do not use the introduced
South American mesquites or other exotic
species. There are a variety of other plant
species that may be useful. Explore your
area and look at what dense native plants
are growing along washes.
Plant these trees and shrubs close
together so that as they mature, they will
grow into each other and create
continuous, intergrading vegetation. It will
take some time for them to mature and
create the kind of habitat Bell’s Vireo is
looking for. If you do not succeed in
attracting Bell’s Vireo, you will have
created habitat for a number of other
species—especially species that use
similar dense vegetation. These might
include Curve-billed Thrasher, Verdin,
Lucy’s Warbler, Pyrrhuloxia, Northern
Cardinal, and others.
Whatever birds you attract, make sure
to spend plenty of time outdoors enjoying
them, learning their vocalizations, and
becoming friends! VF
Bibliography
Brown, Bryan T. 1993. Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii),
The Birds of North America Online (A.
Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of
Ornithology; Birds of North America Online:
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/03.
Tucson Audubon Society. 2007. Finding Birds
in Southeast Arizona, Seventh Edition.
Tucson Audubon Society: Tucson.
Tucson Bird Count. 2008. Tucson Bird Count.
www.tucsonbirds.org.
13
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dra
books. The prospect that I would soon have to 1960
1 960

ual

isit
ng
for

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seek real employment lay heavily over me. I was P

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thus delighted to receive a phone call from a ia-Son

re $
oita Sanctuary

8w
CARRIE DEAN
friend who had attended a general meeting of the

hic
nc 1963
963

hi
Tucson Audubon Society. The board president lu des

TAS
$2.50 to Nat ional Au
had announced that Tucson Audubon had dubo
n

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decided to hire an executive director. Judy

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co

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Edison, then shop manager, confirmed that Kevin Dahl (left), in halloween costume, with Paul Green. AS

rog
sa Rare 1964
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news, and she gave me the name of Doug to nal A io Bird
udubon C Alert

TAS do
rei
ntro hapter
Forester, president of the board. duce
Masked Bobwhite Quail
Kevin Dahl

na
By early spring of 1992, I had become Tucson

tes $
Audubon’s first Executive Director. I went to work 1997–2001 n Fl
ycatcher logo is int 1965
965

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rodu
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ermilio
as a two-thirds time employee and, in the first A Decade of Desert Protection. As we passed

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Lucia Hoerr (Sayre) as full-time education ure

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conference table, no one thought we might be Co
director. Dr. Virginia Furrow was generous nse 1967
967 7
biting off more than we could chew. Assembled rva
ncy
towa
enough to cover one-half of the cost, and the were Tucson conservation leaders from two Pa
tago rds the pu
rchase of
nia-So
Tucson Audubon had sufficient cash flow to dozen groups who were meeting monthly to noita Creek Preserve
cover the rest: 1.67 employees. exchange news and ideas, and hear from 1971
71
Rog

Other projects came on fast. Mrs. Orpha various speakers. That particular day in 1997,
er

1s ld
t In s he
Mason still lived in her house on Thornydale logy i
Tor

County Supervisor Sharon Bronson told us that stitute

of Desert Eco
y
Pe

Road, but she planned to leave the property to ers

maybe a multi-species habitat conservation plan
t

on
Tucson Audubon. I remember phoning her on would help to save the Cactus Ferruginous
g ive
s 1974
74
a ta
lk an
her 100th birthday. We began to integrate the Pygmy-Owl. And so it began.... d boo
k signing at TAS
TA
Mason property into Tucson Audubon’s More than 10 years later, after hundreds of
TAS

Sh
as
education program, and it remains a treasure. an
p

meetings, the coalition born that morning—the

urc
1st Da

act
ive 1978
8
ha

I established workshops for adults that would Sp

Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection eake
ses

r’s Bu
vis &

take advantage of Tucson Audubon’s rich reau

Ra

(www.sonorandesert.org)—now has a Ha
y

l
sel
Rus

rm
educational resources, and we expanded our professional staff supported by 30-plus groups ‘Ga t o
t
mbel’s Quail’ prin
sell

adult institutes into Mexico and arranged a and 2,000 individual members. Tucson Audubon 1979
9
Fin
d
Jul

variety of workshops led by some of our member

ing

can be proud of our initial sponsorship and Bir hed

ia

ds ublis
ne

p
car

in S
experts. strong support of the effort. Because of the outheast Arizona is
W

ige
e

er

lc
fh

It was a challenging and stimulating job for coalition, Pima County has an award-winning arr o
ies nk
the e tru
me. After three years, I moved to the University conservation plan protecting the habitat of 55 ‘Nature
Shop’ in t h 1983 3
rs
M

of Arizona’s Southwest Center where I remain Or

endangered and threatened species. ph
aM
and continue to be proud of my association with Among the coalition’s accomplishments, two aso
ng
TAS

ives use
Tucson Audubon. stand out. In June 2000, President Clinton TAS permission to ams
ogr
m

her pr
ove a pa

prop n
established the Ironwood Forest National erty for educatio 1985
so
to

“I’ve learned that all you need is a good idea,

ffic ki

Monument, protecting 129,000 acres of federal ea d

n Blv
ng d nature cson p
e

the right group of people, and perhaps a little

r

shop from 30A N Tu

ac

land northwest of Tucson (only one month after lot s

cream cheese.” KEVIN DAHL acr the
oss ice
the stre and gains tw
et 1986
14 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009
 d
Tucson Audubon’s first Ironwood Festival at the

nte
p ri
Mason Audubon Center). In 2004, Pima County

en
er s

be
nte
voters approved (by 67 %!) $174 million for

e
av
olu
v rh Z
200
2009
2 009 00 tte tA conservation land acquisitions. Looking back, I
ov er 4 e w sle hou
ha s volumes of the n u g
TAS al of 55 thro have learned that all you need is a good idea,
t mbers, 35 IBAs
A to has 4195 me

ed
the right group of people, and perhaps a little

h
TA S

publis
Best fiscal year ever for the Nat cream cheese.
2
2008
ure Sho

LOREL PICCIURRO
a is
After working for Pima County, Native Seeds/SEARCH and
zon
p

Ari
Center for Biological Diversity, Kevin has returned to the
st

e a
ition of Finding Birds in South Historic Y as state representative for National Parks
7th ed
2
2007 Conservation Association.
Nature Sho
ry of the p
ersa
Anniv Tucson Audubon now has 14 staff, some seen here having
h
20t
Sonja Macys a light moment with special Thanksgiving Sale items from
2
2004
2001–2006 the Main Nature Shop in November 2008.
udubon Sanctuary
on A ek , The fall to winter transition in Tucson is
T ucs abino Cre , is set up the Ma
st g S
n
dde
np wonderful. The heat breaks and the habitat Paul Green
al 1

o rop
o n m
A udu b e mbe
rsh
ip i
er restoration team gears up for an intensive 2006–present
ty,

2003
2 003 sc
n

season of field work, engaging volunteers and

cs o

rea
ted
Since 1989, I have been exploring ways to
f Tu

an the public in meaningful outdoor pursuits like engage birdwatchers in meaningful conservation.
d
so

m
S
nd

The Frie gra removal of non-native plants, building water

by TA

Pro My work with the British Trust for Ornithology, the

A)
sary

s ( I B
ed harvesting features, and planting native seeds. American Birding Association, and most recently
2002
20
002 Area ish
t out

Bird tabl
nniver

Impo r t an t r e es Between 2001 and 2006, the restoration team National Audubon, was satisfying to a degree.
gram a
y pu

Restoration Pro grew to become a regional leader in the field of

0th A
ctor

However, the model presented by Tucson

Dire

habitat restoration, largely because of the

i ts 5

Audubon is, to me, the most gratifying and

2001
20
001
rce

dedicated professionals working on it and the

tes

effective.
ou

rd Habitat & Garde Res

bra

olya n
abundance of lands in need of help.
ho Perhaps it is because our work is regional
el e
Sc

Sc

Like many other programs that flourished rather than national in scope, so we can see real
TA

ed
tart an
d
2000
2
20 is s ed during my time, my predecessor Kevin Dahl outcomes on the ground. Perhaps it is because
websi t e
e d icat
S is d
The TA nter planted the seed for the restoration program. Tucson Audubon successfully integrates
The Mason Ce
d

Kevin’s enthusiasm for land-based conservation

ce

conservation with education and recreation,

du

New V ro
ermilion F i nt helped Tucson Audubon initiate the Important providing ways for people to easily graduate from
lycatcher logo is
1999
1
19999 Bird Areas program, habitat restoration, and
on Center learning about birds during a free field trip to
Audub for conservation lands as legacy gifts.
a son Iro citizen science bird surveys.
eM nw
Th a the gift by Orpha M Looking back, my greatest contribution was to A contributory factor is the multi-faceted
oo

iv aso
d

1998
19998 n help build the land-based conservation program
Pre

nature of the community in southeast Arizona

serv

through the acquisition of the Esperanza Ranch that allows academia, government, business,
ation

00
Birdathon raises $30,0 conservation easement and the Madden and the nonprofit community to work
and En

Property. These properties provide habitat for synergistically. This community provides the
s program is cr
995 izonte
1995
19 ea birds and other wildlife and they connect people
vir

or
t people who make our work possible.
onmental Education
ed

H
to place in a way that fosters a stronger While information is critical to conservation
f
s

or
vo

kis
e

connection to conservation. I am honored to

Nu

success in our community, we also need people

in Tu

have helped Tucson Audubon acquire these who understand the significance of that
cson

1993
19
993 of Ari
ersity zon
n d Univ ac lands and to have had the opportunity to get to information and can explain it to others. We need
S a ym o-spo
TA onors Frank
s

po nso know Dr. John Madden and help cement his people who understand what needs to be done
Sh siu r a
mo
Ba

TA ry n graz legacy gift. and can do it. Those people may be on our
r

wh ing
ose
1992
1 992 m e m Sonja lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where she is boards, within our membership, and working
sup o r
ports ial fund
the library Executive Director of Yampatika. She was recently married anywhere within our community.
f ro m t h e e s t a te o f
A gift Sar to Chuck Willard.
H a u sm a n R o o m which ho H
ah Two recent examples illustrate this: our
use au
st successful fight to ensure Clean Water Act
sm e TA

1
1991
an S l
h

th e U r b a protection of our rivers, and rebuffing the assault

1st in nB
cre ibra

i
TheStrangeplant, is olo
ate ry

on Santa Cruz County’s comprehensive plan by

Dr
s th
gy
pu

development interests.
Cu

ish
ed iculu
bl

rr

1989 its a plan mS

eries, It is a great privilege to be working within such
b m to m
s u ain
S rich and diverse non-profits here, many based in
rk e

A t
lvd te Pa at th

acquited co
T

ai n

w ly un wil
dlife habita
t the Historic Y, who can meet and discuss issues
ne ty
pro
1988
per
ty, Agua Calie B
n efficiently. Our diverse and supportive
AS i ty membership—you!—giving time, expertise, and
ers
T

mo niv
ve s nU funding completes the circle of conservation
to current location o
New
Vermili d
success. VF

on Flycatche duce
1987
1
199
9887 r logo is intro
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 15
 WHERE TO GO, BIRDS TO SEE
Sabino in Winter
LIZ PAYNE | FIELD TRIP LEADER
Changes are everywhere with the
advent of our striking new publication,
and I welcome you to a fresh format for
Audubon Afield. We’ll focus on the birds
of our region, recent and upcoming. You’ll
also find info on the diverse habitats in
our area and notes on regional birding
hotspots.
Recent sightings included some
interesting wings at Sweetwater
Wetlands: American White Pelican,
Barn and Northern Rough-winged
swallows, Plumbeous and Cassin’s
Vireos, American Robin, Summer
Tanager and Tennessee Warbler. A
Tennessee Warbler was also spotted in
the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve.
Catalina State Park saw Scarlet Tanager
and Wood Thrush. Short-tailed Hawk
and Osprey were spotted in Tucson,
while Red-breasted Mergansers showed
in Amado and Willcox. Rose-breasted
Grosbeaks and a Black-throated Green
Warbler were spotted at Madera Canyon.
A Magnolia Warbler was glimpsed in the
Huachucas, and a Yellow-throated
Warbler was found in Arizona City. A
male Elegant Trogon at Rio Rico and a
Gray Catbird in the Tucson Mountains
round out a great list. Check the recorded
or online Rare Bird Alert for more, or join
the Arizona-New Mexico birding listserv
(BIRDWG05).
Where to begin? Everywhere really—
we are so fortunate! Sulphur Springs
valley in January can’t be beat. Wintering
cranes flourish, and there are plenty of
LIZ PAYNE
Sabino Canyon is one of Arizona’s most scenic Important Bird Areas. To find out more about IBAs and to
download a Sabino Creek Habitat Guide for Landowners, visit tucsonaudubon.org/azibaprogram.
16 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009
raptors, sparrows and longspurs to go
around. Ditto for the Santa Cruz flats, lush
Patagonia, Mount Lemmon or Arivaca
Cienega. Heck, this is the desert
Southwest and it’s almost impossible to
have a bad day anywhere in January.
Sometimes though, a spur of the moment
birding break is just the ticket, and with so
many fine birding spots here in Tucson,
why not stay local? There’s plenty
happening right here, and small signs
already tease us of an approaching
spring. Have you noticed? Curve-billed
Thrashers and Northern Mockingbirds
begin to sing, Cactus Wrens begin to
breed and Great Horned Owls are calling.
If I want to decompress from holiday
drama, my favorite eastside hotspot is a
Southwestern oasis—Sabino Canyon
Recreation Area. I learned common
birds here, and I first heard a roadrunner
sing along the trail just past the Visitor’s
Center. It’s a cool, quick getaway; a
perfect spot to withdraw from the city and
give stress the slip.
To me, Sabino Canyon has it all. It’s
safe, never crowded when one’s out early,
sports lots of choices and, most
importantly, has cool, clear, w-a-t-e-r.
Because Sabino Creek supplies this
essential ingredient, the canyon boasts
varied desert habitats in short order. The
creek divides the riparian ribbon of
Fremont cottonwoods and Arizona
sycamores (deer and bobcats are seen
with regularity here), while not even a
quarter mile away, the Sonoran Desert
LIZ PAYNE
Thimble Peak and Sabino Creek in Sabino Canyon
—a great place to bird year round.
uplands, peppered by cholla, barrel
cactus, ocotillo and mesquites stretch well
into the distance. Up the Phoneline Trail,
palo verdes and giant saguaros interrupt
the rocky canyon slopes.
Close, beautiful, biologically diverse,
geologically significant, and birdy!
Phainopepla, Cactus Wren, Curved-billed
Thrasher, Gambel’s Quail, Black-throated
Sparrow, Northern Cardinal and
Pyrrhuloxia are confiding, permanent
residents in the Catalinas’ uplands. Gilas
and hummers are never far away. The
broad-leafed trees in the delicate riparian
stretches bear Yellow-rumped and
Orange-crowned warblers and sometimes
wayward passerines. Spring and summer
add more species, Scott’s Oriole, Bell’s
Vireo, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Brown-
crested Flycatcher, White-throated Swifts,
and of course, more visiting warblers. In
fact, a Chestnut-sided Warbler was
sighted just last week near the dam along
Sabino Creek, proving this a splendid
place year round.
As is typical in late winter and early
spring, it’s been warm, cool and cold
lately. We’ll likely see some freezing
temps and rain, but as we look toward
February, early migrants begin to appear.
Tree Swallows are evident, Western
Grebes and Cinnamon Teal can be seen.
Wintering ducks are showing brighter
plumage. Raptors and sparrows remain
abundant. Anna’s and Costa’s
Hummingbirds and thrashers will begin
nesting. Resident passerines burst into
song. Vermilion Flycatcher numbers build,
and before you know it it’ll be HOT again.
Treat yourself to a close encounter with
the Sonoran Desert. Hike Sabino Lake
Trail, or head up Esperero and see what a
few hours of Sabino Canyon can do for
you! See you afield! VF
 CONSERVATION & EDUCATION NEWS
CHRIS MCVIE, PAUL GREEN, KENDALL KROESEN, SCOTT WILBOR, CARRIE DEAN

Santa Cruz River

protection reaffirmed
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on December 3,
2008, reinstated “Traditional Navigable Water” status for two
portions of the Santa Cruz River—one stretching from Tubac to
Continental Road and the other from the Roger Road sewage-
treatment plant north to the county line. This designation brings
back the highest level of protection under the Clean Water Act .
The EPA and Army Corps of Engineers are evaluating the
remainder of the river.
This is good news for the Santa Cruz River, but there is no

PAUL & ENG-LI GREEN

guarantee that similar waterways and tributaries will receive the
same protection. Passing the Clean Water Restoration Act is the
only way to achieve this. For more information, see the link at
http://tucsonaudubon.org/conservation/scr_navigablewater.htm.

Davidson Canyon needs your help now

One of the main issues related to
Clean Water Act (CWA) protection
(see above) is how to protect
headwaters and ephemeral streams
(nth tributaries). If they are not
protected, serious consequences
occur downstream.
For the Santa Cruz watershed, our
particular and immediate concern
relates to a plan by California-Portland
Cement for two proposed limestone
quarries along Davidson Canyon.
Tucson Audubon believes that the
quarries should not be permitted and
developed for reasons that include but
are not limited to:
• Davidson Canyon is a Pima County
designated IRA (Important Riparian
Area) within a state designated
regionally critical wildlife corridor
underneath Interstate 10
connecting the Empire, Santa Rita,
and Rincon mountain ranges.
(See talking points at http://
www.tucsonaudubon.org/
conservation/davidson_canyon.htm
and also see Pima County’s
Mapguide at http://www.dot.
pima.gov/gis/maps/mapguide/ and
at Arizona Wildlife Linkages
http://www.azdot.gov/
Highways/OES/AZ_Wildlife_
Linkages/index.asp)
• The quarries and access road lie in
an area of high biological
significance containing habitat for
vulnerable species as outlined in
the county’s Sonoran Desert
Conservation Plan. Local and
national conservation groups, the
Pima County Board of Supervisors,
and the Santa Cruz County Board
of Supervisors have all stated that
mining should not occur in this area.
• Davidson Canyon supports two
perennial springs and several
species of concern such as the Gila
topminnow, Gila chub, Mexican
gartersnake, lowland leopard frog,
lesser long-nosed bat, and many
migratory birds.
• Davidson Canyon has recently
received state recognition as an
Outstanding Arizona Water from
the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality, approved by
the Governor’s Regulatory Review
Council, over the objections of
some business interests. This
designation means that no activity
that would cause permanent
degradation of water quality would
be permitted in the waterway.
Pima County has granted
California-Portland Cement a flood
plain use permit that would allow a
haul road across one crossing of
Davidson Creek (they will need four).
Supervisor Ray Carroll, who
represents the area, has said the
county should revoke the permit now
that the state has decided to give
higher protection to the area.
However, this only buys us a little
more time.
California-Portland Cement has
said it hopes to start work on pre-
mining activities in 30 to 60 days. The
county has spent millions of taxpayer
dollars over the last twenty or so years
to protect our water supply and quality
in the area, including purchasing the
Empire and the Bar V Ranches, and
contributing to the acquisition and
development of the Las Cienegas
National Conservation Area.
Cal-Portland needs to comply fully
with the CWA, and we want to insure
that they request review and
permission from the Army Corps of
Engineers for work affecting their four
proposed wash crossings. At the
moment, Cal-Portland maintains that
they can use a non-notifying
nationwide 404 permit. We believe the
project should require an individual
404 permit with greater official scrutiny
and an opportunity for the public to
comment. The Corps can exercise its
discretionary authority and insist on an
individual permit—if they receive
overwhelming public support.
Tucson Audubon encourages
members to write to the Army Corps of
Engineers advocating for an individual
404 permit with a public review and
comment period for Cal-Portland’s
proposal. Please write the Corps c/o
Ms. Marjorie Blaine, SPL, Senior
Project Manager/Biologist, USACOE,
5205 E Comanche Street, Tucson,
85707 or email Marjorie.E.Blaine@
usace.army.mil . You may also fax the
Corps at (520)584–1690. Time is of
the essence!
More information at
http://www.azstarnet.com/
allheadlines/270669.php.

JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 17

 CONSERVATION & EDUCATION
NEWS
Part of Sopori Ranch purchased by
Pima County
Pima County Board of
Supervisors finalized an
agreement between the
County, Arizona Land and
Water Trust, and the landowner
of the historic Sopori Ranch to
permanently protect more than
4,000 acres of the Ranch. The
acquisition, a two-year project
of the Arizona Land and Water
Trust, includes part of the
Sopori Creek and associated
pastures with grandfathered
irrigation rights. The rest of the
13,000-acre ranch, which lies
in Santa Cruz County, currently
remains in private hands.
“Due to its rich species
diversity, riparian areas, and its
Get involved! Be part of Audubon’s Arizona
Conservation Workshop
If you are interested in becoming an
effective Audubon conservationist in
Arizona, come and join others who
share that interest during a day-long
workshop at the Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum in Tucson on
Saturday February 28, 2009.
Among the goals of our Audubon
Conservation Workshop are to
determine what we consider to be the
most important wildlife conservation
threats in our state in 2009 and to
determine the scope of their
importance. Which threats span our
local region, the state, and the nation?
How do we in Audubon effectively
address these threats, and how do we
ensure that we work most effectively
within the context of other
conservation groups in the state, and
in the context of other chapters, our
state office, and National Audubon?
Inevitably, many of the issues upon
which we work will fall within broader
priorities for Audubon at the national
level, for example, questioning details
of land use and planning decisions
18 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009
cultural and historical value,
Sopori Ranch has long been a
high conservation priority for
the Arizona Land and Water
Trust,” said Jeff Hampton,
President of the trust’s board.
Stretching across the valley
between the Cerro Colorado
and Tumacacori Mountains, the
ranch connects an earlier
conservation acquisition—
Rancho Seco and Santa Lucia
Ranch.
The ranch will be protected
using voter-approved 2004
Conservation Bond funds, a
key addition to Pima County’s
conservation portfolio.
may be part of broader concerns
related to climate change and water.
Our day will be a mix of
presentations, discussions, and
smaller workgroups, and will include
representatives from other
organizations, our state office, each
chapter in our state (and perhaps from
other states also), and from National
Audubon. We anticipate setting up
workgroups to work on issues
following our summit, and there will be
homework to do in advance.
Please let us know today if you
want to be involved. Please send your
contact details to jbarchman@
tucsonaudubon.org or call Jean at
622-5622.
You’ll be able to access
homework materials online at
www.tucsonaudubon/ conservation.
In addition, we shall endeavor to find
local Audubon members who will
provide accommodations for those
traveling from outside the Tucson
area.
KENDALL KROESEN
East Ponds at Sweetwater Wetlands closed
A few months ago the western the west side. The stream south of
series of ponds at Sweetwater the parking lot and north of the
Wetlands in Tucson were closed for ponds also will be cleared and
some modifications. Starting in receive a liner, since dense cattails
January the east ponds will be and bulrushes have impeded flow
closed. Due to logistical needs and there. However, this will not affect
safety, the regular entrance, parking Hidden Pond—only the stream to
lot and restrooms will be closed. the east and west of Hidden Pond.
Signs will direct birders to temporary Construction is expected to
parking across the street a little begin in January, and the burn will
farther west from the current happen some time in March. The
entrance. A gate across the street liners are expected to be down
from the new parking lot will allow some time in April and this part of
pedestrian access. Portions of the the wetlands may be open toward
wetlands not affected by the end of April. However, this time-
construction will remain open. table is tentative.
The eastern ponds will be For progress reports or
drained and burned (a controlled information on access contact Bruce
burn happens annually, so this is Prior 349-5492. Terry Miley is a
not new), and liners will be placed in secondary information source, at
parts of the ponds as was done on 490-6873.
Fun family birding in February
The Great Backyard Bird Count is back for its twelfth year over the
weekend of February 13–16, 2009. Tucson once again led the
state in the 2008 count with 118 checklists containing 116
species, and many photos submitted, and we are looking for
increased participation across southern Arizona this year. The
event is excellent for engaging people new to birding. Read our
extended coverage in last year’s Vermilion Flycatcher
http://www.tucsonaudubon.org/verfly/VFFeb08.pdf or visit
birdcount.org.
National Audubon’s Annual
Members Meeting and
National Board Meeting 2009
Friday, January 30, and Sunday,
February 1, 2009; Fiesta Resort and
Conference Center, Tempe, Arizona.
ARLENE SCHEUER
The meetings are open to all
Audubon members. For information
or to attend, contact Lynn Tennefoss
at ltennefoss@audubon.org or 800- Abert’s Towhee
542-2748. VF
 TUCSON AUDUBON FIELD TRIPS
DARLENE SMYTH, FIELD TRIP COORDINATOR
KENDALL KROESEN
Whitewater Draw
January 3—Saturday 7:30 AM
Sweetwater Wetlands for New
Birders or Visitors to Tucson
As we stroll along paved/dirt paths, we
will chat about binoculars, field guides,
primary habitats, behaviors and
identification of common birds of this
reclaimed water site. We’ll likely share our
walk with warblers, hawks, woodpeckers,
flycatchers, sparrows, grebes, ducks,
rails, shorebirds, and others amidst the
cattail marsh, open-water ponds, shallow
basins, cottonwoods and willows, and
desert scrub along the adjacent Santa
Cruz River bed. Meet at Sweetwater
Wetlands parking lot. Done by 10:30 AM
(Local). Leader: Cynthia Barstad
cynthiabarstad@gmail.com
January 7—Wednesday 7 AM
Whitewater Draw &
Sulphur Springs Valley
Cranes, Winterhawks, owls and sparrows.
Meet at I-10 and Houghton at 7 AM. Heavy
rain cancels; bring lunch; be prepared for
hiking. 250 miles roundtrip.
Leader: Richard Carlson
rccarl@pacbell.net 520-760-4935
January 10—Saturday 6 AM
Chino Canyon
Meet at the Fry’s parking lot Irvington & I-
19, at 6 AM. Dress for the weather, sturdy
hiking boots recommended for 5 mile
round trip hike on old forest service road.
Bring water, snacks and lunch. We will
look for sparrows, raptors and desert
birds. Return by 2 PM. About 80 miles
roundtrip. Leader: Michael Bissontz
seetrogon@comcast.net 577-8778
January 13—Tuesday 6:30 AM
San Rafael Valley
Enjoy a trip through Harshaw Canyon and
the San Rafael Valley. This lush canyon
and vast grasslands habitat is home for a
special variety of wintering species. This
will mostly be a vehicle trip with some
hiking in thick grass possible. High
clearance vehicle carpooling is
recommended. Meet at Houghton and I-
10 at 6:30 AM (leader not present) or in
Patagonia in the parking area across from
the Stage Stop Inn at 7:30 AM. We’ll
carpool from there and return to
Patagonia by 11:30 AM. 150 miles
roundtrip. Leader: Clifford A. Cathers
AZCliffy@q.com
January 17—Saturday 8 AM
Hawks for Beginners: Avra Valley
Anyone who is new to birding or who just
wants to enjoy a morning of driving
around looking at raptors perched on
power poles is especially invited. A little
walking and standing on the side of the
road. Relaxed pace with time for you to
take long looks and us to answer
questions. At 8 AM we will carpool from the
Mission Library parking lot on the NW
corner of Mission and Ajo. Done by noon.
Driving on paved and graded dirt (muddy)
roads. Roundtrip of 30 miles. Contact
leaders if you have questions. Leaders:
John Higgins 578-1830
jghiggins@comcast.net and Vivian
McKinnon 323-6452
v_mackinnon@yahoo.com
January 19–20—Monday and Tuesday
Lake Havasu
This is a 2-day trip, with an overnight at
Lake Havasu City. The trip will leave from
Tucson at 5 AM and make a stop at the
Shell Station at Exit 119 of I-8, leaving
Gila Bend around 7 AM. A couple of hours
will be spent birding at the Thrasher Site
before the two-plus-hour drive to Parker.
In the Lake Havasu area we will visit
Parker Dam, the south shore of Lake
Havasu near the Bill Williams delta, and
the sites around Lake Havasu City. The
return trip on Tuesday will hit all the same
spots, as well as Arlington, Palo Verde,
and the Santa Cruz Flats. Targets would
be LeConte’s Thrasher and Sage
Sparrow at Buckeye; loons (possible
Yellow-billed), Barrow’s Goldeneye,
maybe Long-tailed Duck or Greater
Scaup, grebes and gulls in the Lake
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon
For the latest or expanded
field trip information
visit www.tucsonaudubon.org
or call us at 629-0757
General Information
Tucson Audubon field trips are free. For
general information call field trip
coordinator Darlene Smyth 297-2315.
For specific information about a trip,
contact the leader of that trip.
Please dress appropirately for your field
trip. Always wear sturdy shoes, a hat,
and use sun protection. Bring plenty of
snacks and water for yourself. Always
bring your binoculars, field guide, and
for most trips a scope can be useful.
Bring money to cover your share of the
carpooling and any required entry fees
(eg for state parks).
Arrival Times
Please arrive before listed departure
times. Trips will leave promptly at the
time given.
Carpooling Sites
 NW Tucson: Ina and Via Ponte—
commuter parking lot one block west
of Oracle and Ina, south side of Ina.
 Central Tucson: First Baptist Church
parking lot on west side of 5th Ave,
1½ blocks south of University Blvd.
Weekdays only.
 SW Tucson: I-19 and Irvington—
Fry’s parking lot.
 Green Valley: I-19 and Continental
Rd exit 63—McDonald’s parking lot.
 NE Tucson: Tanque Verde
Rd/Catalina Hwy—McDonald’s
parking lot.
Tucson Audubon strongly encourages
carpooling and for some trips it may be
required. Check the trip listings for
meeting/carpooling sites. You are
expected to reimburse the driver for the
actual cost of fuel. Drivers and trip
leaders are not expected to contribute.
Rare Bird Alert
Listen to the latest rare bird alert at 798-
1005. Report rare birds to the RBA
compiler at 798-1005 or
rarebirdalert@tucsonaudubon.org
After Your Field Trip
Don’t forget to stop in the Tucson
Audubon Nature Shop to check out new
books, see wonderful nature items, and
chat with volunteers.
19
 TUCSON AUDUBON
FIELD TRIPS
KENDALL KROESEN
The Patagonia/Santa Rita Mountain area is among the top priorities for Arizona’s Important Bird Areas
Program in 2009. See page 5, and visit tucsonaudubon.org/azibaprogram/ to learn more about IBAs and
how you can get involved.
Havasu area; and sparrows, hawks, and
Mountain Plover at Arlington and Santa
Cruz Flats. Roundtrip about 580 miles
(Tucson–Lake Havasu City), or 250 miles
if some people are interested in going
only to the Thrasher site. No sign-up for
the Thrasher-only people, but they have
to provide their own return transportation.
Sign-up for the whole trip started Dec 8
with a maximum of 10 people, preferably
in 3 cars. Leader: Diane Touret
dctouret@comcast.net
January 25 – Sunday 7:30 AM
Pima Canyon
Scenic Pima Canyon, in the Santa
Catalina Mountains, holds much of
interest to birders. We’ll observe year-
round avian residents of the Sonoran
Desert and riparian areas, as well as
wintering species. We’ll ascend the
canyon to at least the “First Dam”, with
the opportunity to climb higher into
grassland and oak habitat, depending on
our rate of progress. Wear sturdy hiking
footwear. The trail is rocky and uneven.
There may be wet stream-crossings,
depending on recent weather. We will
return by 2 PM. Contact the leader for
further details and to sign up. Leader:
Ethan Beasley ethanbeasley@yahoo.com
300-0049
20 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009
January 27—Tuesday 8 AM
Evergreen Cemetery
Mostly leisurely walking through a well-
wooded and grassy cemetery.
Bring lunch; a scope could be useful.
Meet on-site west of the Fort Lowell gate,
Oracle Rd. at W. Fort Lowell. Done by 1–
2 PM. Leader: Clait E. Braun
sg-wtp@juno.com 529-4614
January 31—Saturday 7:30 AM
Sulphur Springs Valley
Wintering Raptors
We will drive 250 miles in search of
wintering raptors in the Sulphur Springs
Valley. We will likely see buteos,
accipiters, harriers, falcons, owls and
possibly eagles on this trip. Bring drinks,
lunch, binoculars, raptor field guides and
a scope if you have one. Drivers are
requested to arrive with a full tank of
gasoline. Meet on the west side of
Houghton Road, just north of I-10 at
7:30 AM. Back by 5 PM. Leaders: Ned and
Linda Harris 751-2105 nedharris@cox.net
February 3—Tuesday 5:45 AM
Patagonia Lake State Park
We’ll spend the morning watching
wildfowl, flycatchers, and sparrows, and
hoping for gnatcatchers and trogons. The
trails may be muddy. Bring State Park
SARA PIKE
Catalina State Park is the venue for Tucson
Audubon’s Institute of Desert Ecology, run since
1971 in April. See page 6 for more details.
entrance fees/pass and lunch. We’ll bird
sites along the I-19 corridor in the
afternoon. Meet at Houghton Road/I-10 at
5:45 AM (leader not present) or at Green
Valley McDonald’s at 6:15 AM. 140 miles
roundtrip. Leader: Michael Marsden
birdanza@cox.net 269-6240
February 8—Sunday 8 AM
Catalina State Park—Canyon
Loop/Romero Creek area
This park is one of the best places to see
wintering and resident birds which include
Crissal Thrasher and Rufous-winged
Sparrows. Both should be up and singing
at this time. We’ll also visit the
petroglyphs and a very visible section of
the 6–12 million-year-old Pirate Fault.
Easy walking, about 3 miles round trip.
We cross the wash 5 times, so prepare
for wet feet. The park can be chilly early
in the morning. We’ll finish by noon. Meet
at the Northwest carpooling site (Ina Rd.
and Via Ponte) at 8 AM or at the trailhead
in the park at 8:30 AM. $6 per car entry
fee. Limited to 15 people. Contact leader
to register after Jan 25. 15 miles round
trip. Leader: Molly Bradshaw 219-5908
February 10—Tuesday 6:45 AM
Boyce Thompson Arboretum
This trip will include a leisurely
walk around the beautiful and usually
birdy grounds of Boyce Thompson
Arboretum State Park. Rare thrushes,
BrownTthrasher, and Winter Wren are a
few of the rarer species that have
wintered here in the last few years. We
will also visit one or more locations in
Pinal County on the way back to Tucson,
possibly including Oak Flats Campground
and Kearny Lake. Late afternoon return.
Bring State Park pass if you have one.
Limited to 11 participants in three
vehicles. Sign up with leader beginning
Jan 20. About 200 miles roundtrip.
Leader: Philip Kline
pgkline_uk@yahoo.com 419-5086
February 15—Sunday 6:30 AM
Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve
It’s back to Patagonia-Sonoita Creek
Sanctuary with Tucson Audubon this
morning, searching for wintering oddities
and little brown jobbers. Meet at the I-10
and Houghton Road carpool spot at
6:30 AM (leader not present) or at the
preserve parking lot along Blue Haven
Road at 7:30 AM. Remember, there’s a $3
fee for Nature Conservancy members and
$5 for non-members. 90 miles roundtrip.
Leader: Clifford A. Cathers
AZCliffy@q.com 762-3201
February 17—Tuesday 8:30 AM
Arivaca Cienega
Bird the loop trail at Buenos Aires
Refuge in Arivaca. Meet at 7:30 AM at I-19
and Irvington in the Fry’s parking lot to
carpool, or meet at 8:30 in Arivaca.
Limited to 10 participants. Contact the
leader to sign up starting Feb 1. 80 miles
roundtrip. Leader: M.E. Flynn
me.flynn@comcast.net 797-1743
February 21—Saturday 21, 7 AM
Sweetwater Wetlands for Beginners
Beginning bird watching at Sweetwater
wetlands. This trip is designed for those
Pima County Agua Caliente Park.
who are still learning the common birds of
the Tucson area, yet are interested in
branching out to see a few winter
migrants. We’ll enjoy any bird life that flies
into view. We’ll discuss the basics of
birdwatching and we’ll keep a list of birds
seen. Binoculars and field guide are
helpful. Leader will bring a spotting scope.
We’ll plan to finish up around 10 AM. Meet
at the Sweetwater Wetlands parking lot.
RSVP to leader by Feb 18. Leader: Sara
Pike 622-2230 spike@tucsonaudubon.org
February 24—Tuesday 7 AM
Madera Canyon
We’ll first check out the ducks at
the Green Valley Water Treatment Plant,
then the sparrows and desert birds along
the road to Madera. We’ll do a few short
walks in Madera depending on where the
action is at the time. Parking fee or
passes required for Madera. Meet at Fry’s
on Irvington at I-19 at 7 AM (leaders not
present) and McDonald’s in Green Valley
at 7:30. Finished by 11 AM. About 75 miles
roundtrip. Leaders: Bev and Clair
Postmus bpostmus@cox.net
February 28—Saturday 6:45 AM
Northeast Tucson Field Trip
Come out to the northeast side where we
will search for sparrows, frolic with
falcons, hunt for hawks, and wallow with
waterfowl. Great trip for beginners. We
will cruise Woodland Road, walk along
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon
the fields and ponds in the Castlerock
neighborhood, and finish at Agua Caliente
by 1 PM. There will be a stopping point at
11:30 AM for anyone needing to leave
early. Bring your enthusiasm! We will
meet at the McDonald’s on the northeast
corner of Catalina Highway and Tanque
Verde at 6:45 AM. Leader: Brian Nicholas
760-3583 VF
TUCSON AREA BIRDING
Buenos Aires NWR. Tucson Audubon bird walk
at Arivaca Cienega every Saturday at 8 AM,
November through April, whatever the weather.
Meet at the trailhead for a mostly level walk of
approximately 2 miles. You can expect to see 30
to 50 species depending on the season. To
carpool from Continental Shopping Center in
Green Valley to Arivaca Cienega and for more
information, call Bob Rolfson at 399-2873.
Wake up with the Birds at Roy P. Drachman
Agua Caliente Park. Every Tuesday. Pima
County guided bird walks for beginners and
families. Binoculars available. Meet at the
Ranch House. For information and times, call
615-7855 or contact eeducation@pima.gov.
Catalina State Park. Bird walks led by Denis
Wright on Fridays, 7:30–10 AM at the first picnic
area. Time will change in 30-minute increments
as weather/light conditions require. Open daily
5 AM–10 PM. Fee. Call 628-5798 for information.
Sabino Canyon. Birding and nature hikes.
Parking fee. Call 749-8700.
Saguaro National Park. Call 733-5153 (East)
or 733-5158 (West) for scheduled bird walks.
Tohono Chul Park. Birding walks at 8:30 AM.
Monday, Wednesday & Saturday. Open 8 AM–
5 PM daily. Entrance fee. Call 742-6455.
Tucson Botanical Gardens. Open 8:30 AM.–
4:30 PM. Entrance fee. Call 326-9686.
OTHER AREAS
Arizona State Parks. Birding and other walks;
www.pr.state.az.us. Fee. Call 602-542-4174.
Buenos Aires NWR. The refuge is open 24
hours a day, and visitor center open 7:30 AM–
4 PM seven days a week. Call 823-4251.
Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Open 8 AM–
5 PM. daily (last admissions 1 hour before
closing). Call 689-2811. Visit ag.arizona.edu/
BTA/ events/ birdwalks.html for bird sightings.
Ramsey Canyon. Open every day 8 AM–5 PM.
Fee. Call 378-2785.
Southern Arizona Bird Observatory. Tours of
birding sites available. Fee. Call 432-1388 or
visit www.sabo.org.
21

BIRDING TRAVEL
FROM OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS
ADVENTURE BIRDING COMPANY
www.adventurebirding.com
info@adventurebirding.com; 495-0229
South Texas: Specialties and Migrants in the
Lower Rio Grande Valley, April 4–12, $1890.
Leaders: John Yerger and/or Jake Mohlmann. Join
us in one of the top U.S. birding areas, led by
guides who have lived and birded there. With
specialties like Hook-billed Kite, Green and Ringed
Kingfishers, Great Kiskadee, Green Jay, and
Altamira Oriole, this is a major “hotspot.” We’ll
sample everything from tidal mudflats to
subtropical thornscrub to prime Chihuahuan
Desert. We’ve timed this tour to catch loads of
spring migrants, enjoy resident specialties, and
probably find a few Mexican rarities—all on the
same trip!
ANDEAN ADVENTURES
Sally Johnsen; 399-4050; empidonax@netzero.net
Moez Ali; 820-3499; moezali15@hotmail.com
Amazing Ecuador! 11nights/12days, March 23–
April 4, 2009, $1595 inclusive from Quito, Ecuador.
Active birding tour to five lodges on both sides of
the Andean slopes— Yunguilla, Santa Lucia,
Maquipucuna, Guango, and San Isidro. From the
cloudforest on the northwest slope to the paramo
at 14,000 ft. and temporate forests on the east
slope. Specialties include over 70 species of
spectacular tanagers and hummingbirds, antpittas,
ovenbirds, Cock-of-the-Rock lek, White-faced
Nunbird, Rufous-bellied Seed Snipe, Andean
Condor, Giant Conebill, Torrent Duck and much
more. Professional and local guides, private rooms,
delicious food. Contact for 5 day Amazon
Extension and more dates.
BORDERLAND TOURS
www.borderland-tours.com
rtaylor@borderland-tours.com; 882–7650 from
Tucson or toll-free at 800–525–7753
Oaxaca Valley and Grand Oaxaca, March 15–22
and March 21–29, $2895 per tour or $5690 for
both. Leaders: David MacKay & Dylan Radin. All 7
nights at one hotel, and a wide selection of
endemic birds are featured on our Oaxaca Valley
tour, along with plenty of time to enjoy the cultural
and archeological delights of the valley. Endemics
here include Ocellated Thrasher, Dwarf Jay, and
Red Warbler. The Grand Oaxaca tour loops
through cloud forest and rain forest across the
isthmus to the Pacific Coast, and features
endemics such as Bluecapped Hummingbird,
Citreoline Trogon, Wagler’s Toucanet, Red-
breasted Chat, and Orange-breasted Bunting,
among dozens of others.
Brazil: Of Harpy Eagles & Jaguars and Iguazu
Extension, September 1–15 and September 15–
18, $6595 & $2095 or $8590 for both. Brazil offers
more endemic species of birds than any other
country, as well as the best chance for the New
22 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009
World’s most impressive raptor, Harpy Eagle, and
its greatest feline, jaguar. In western Brazil, we’ll
visit a ranch where Harpy Eagles have held a
territory since 1998. In the world’s largest
freshwater wetland, the Pantanal, we are almost
guaranteed to see the largest member of the parrot
clan, Hyacinth Macaw. And jaguars—boating the
waterways here frequently permits the closest
approach to these big cats. The tour extension
combines great birding with the raw spectacle of
Iguazu Falls, with three nights at a hotel
overlooking the broken mile-long crescent of water
plummeting 230 feet over the falls.
NATURALIST JOURNEYS
www.naturalistjourneys.com
Toll-free: (866) 900–1146 or 558-1146;
info@naturalistjourneys.com
Wild Nature: Morocco, April 7–18, with extension
to Spain’s Andalusia April 18–24, $3990 from
Marrakech (single supplement $485). Leaders: Peg
Abbott and local expert guides. Morocco has a rich
cultural heritage. Join us for a mix of nature and
culture as we explore Marrakech, the Atlas
Mountains, the Draa Valley and Sahara Desert. A
highlight of this incredible journey is one night at a
Bedouin tent camp, where night skies are some of
the brightest on earth. Enjoy local cuisine and three
nights at the lovely Auberge Derkaoua. Regional
endemics and a great sample of European and
North African birds.
Wild Nature: Guyana April 1–11, with extension to
Karanambu Ranch April 10–14, $3590 from
Marrakech (single supplement $365). Leaders:
Narca Moore-Craig and local expert guides.
Guyana is South America’s hidden gem, home to a
distinctive assortment of birds of the odd Cotinga
family, from the brilliant Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock
to wine-and-white Pompadour Cotingas and elfin
Dusky Purpletufts. Tropical rainforest has been
growing here for millions of years, providing refuge
for red howler monkeys, giant otters and six of
South America’s elusive wild cats. We seek
Crimson Topaz Hummingbirds, Green-tailed
Jacamars, Bluecrowned Motmots, morpho
butterflies and more! Iwokrama Field Station / Atta
Rainforest / Rock View Lodge and Georgetown.
ROCKJUMPER BIRDING TOURS
www.rockjumper.co.za
info@rockjumper.co.za or
rockjumperbirding@yahoo.com
Spitsbergen—Land of Arctic Dreams June 26–
July 6, standard cabin $6525 per person.
Spitsbergen, lying a mere 600 miles from the North
Pole, is the largest island of the Svalbard
Archipelago. Draped in darkness during the
northern winter, this frigid land is dramatically
transformed into a place of perpetual sunshine
during the bright summer. The scenery is nothing
short of breathtaking: with towering snowcapped
mountains, forbidding glaciers and flowerstudded
tundra. Avian specials include Ivory Gull, King
Eider and Red Phalarope. Added to this, there is
an abundance of iconic Arctic mammals—whales,
walrus, Arctic fox, reindeer and the fabulous polar
bear. Join us on this unforgettable northern
expedition as we follow the footsteps of famous
adventurers of yesteryear.
TROPICAL BIRDING
www.tropicalbirding.com
Toll free: (800)348–5941 • info@tropicalbirding.com
TYRANNO TOURS—
KING OF SOUTHWEST ADVENTURES
www.tyrannotours.com
577-6546; tyrannotours@comcast.net
Copper and Turquoise—Morenci Copper Mine
Tour and Globe, Arizona Historic Open House with
Lodging at 1907 School House Noftsger Hill Inn
B&B. Fri Feb 20–Sun Feb 22. Also visits to Salado
Culture ruin, Boyce Thompson Arboretum,
turquoise factory/store. Includes sumptuous full
breakfasts. $395/person double; $495 single.
Feathers and Flours—Birding the Upper San
Pedro River with Naturalist Alan Blixt and Dining
with Chef Lark Beaugureau’s Cooking Class at
Casa de San Pedro B&B in Hereford. Sat Feb 28–
Sun Mar 1. Includes gourmet dinner with wine.
$295/person double; $375 single.
VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC.
www.ventbird.com
(800) 328-8368 • victor@ventbird.com
WINGS
wingsbirds.com • wingsbirds.com/blog
wings@wingsbirds.com; 320-9868
Mexico: A Week at Palenque,January 24–31,
about $2920. Leader: Rich Hoyer. Birders who love
Mexico return time and again to Palenque. This
small town with its spectacular Maya ruins lies at
the foot of the Yucatán Peninsula, just inland from
the vast Usumacinta marshes. North American
warblers, vireos, and other migrants share the
forest with toucans, parrots, trogons, motmots,
antbirds, and a host of other Neotropical residents.
We’ll become familiar with the regularly occurring
species and search for local rarities, as well as
have ample time to relax in the sun. Our week is an
excellent tour for a pleasant introduction to tropical
birding with the comfort and convenience of a
single base.
Texas: Whooping Cranes and the Rio Grande
Valley, January 31–February 8, about $2590.
Leader: Gavin Bieber. Most of the world’s wild
Whooping Cranes winter along a small stretch of
the Texas coast, and we’ll begin with a boat trip to
view these splendid birds. Farther south, remnant
bits of mesquite and riparian woodland harbor the
sought-after Rio Grande specialties, which we’ll
seek out in the Brownsville area, Santa Ana NWR,
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, and the
riverside below Falcon Dam. Winter can also
feature vagrants from Mexico, and our flexible
schedule will allow us to pursue any that are
present. VF
 Please welcome our newest Birds & Business Alliance Members
BUFFALO EXCHANGE
Buffalo Exchange is unique because clothing
and accessories are bought, sold and traded
directly with store customers. Used clothes can
be traded for any item in the store, including
jewelry and brand-new clothing. The ever-
changing inventory includes designer wear,
basics, vintage, jeans, leather and one-of-a-kind
items. Buffalo Exchange is a sustainable
company that works to protect the environment
by reusing and recycling clothing. The store
donates to local nonprofit agencies in the
community through its Tokens for Bags program,
which has generated nearly $285,000 for
hundreds of nonprofits since 1994, saving 5.7
million bags. Shoppers are encouraged to
accept a token instead of a bag for purchases,
and Buffalo Exchange donates five cents to a
charity of the customer’s choice.
Buffalo Exchange is located in Tucson at
2001 E. Speedway (at Campbell), phone 795-
0508, and the Eastside women’s boutique is at
6170 E. Speedway (at Wilmot), phone 885-
8392. In Nogales, Arizona, Buffalo Outlet is at
441 N. Grand Avenue), phone (520) 287-9241.
As of December 2008, the resale clothing store
chain has 34 stores and 2 franchises in 13
states. For more, visit
www.buffaloexchange.com and
www.myspace.com/buffaloexchange.
JOIN
Birds & Business Alliance
TODAY!
and connect with the
Tucson Audubon community
For more information and to join, contact Chris Harrison at
charrison@tucsonaudubon.org or 629-0757
JIM PRUDENTE
Tucson Audubon thanks the Birds
following Birds & Business Business
Alliance members for their Ally
ECONOMY BIRDING SERVICES, INC.
continued support.
“Quality Birding With Your Budget in Mind”
Economy Birding Services, Inc. is a new bird-
EAT:
guiding company run by Tucson Audubon
Brooklyn Pizza
member and field trip leader Clifford A. Cathers
out of Vail, Arizona. The primary business goal is
SLEEP:
to provide the highest quality birding experience
at the lowest possible price. Budget-minded full Adobe Desert Vacation Rental
service rates are targeted at birders on fixed or Beds & Bagels of Tucson
limited incomes and for anyone looking for a Best Western Inn Suites
bargain in this challenging economy. Discounted Down By The River B&B
rates are available for individuals over the age of Heartstone Mountain Ranch
55. A wide range of year-round activities are Rancho De La Osa
offered including target birding, custom tours, Spirit Tree Inn B&B
hourly jaunts, big days, leisure birding, tick and Sunflower Inn Suites of Bisbee
runs, feeder sits and photography outings. Tangled Web Properties
Focused solely on southeast Arizona, Cliff (Your business here!)
draws on 35 years of birding experience (17
years here in the desert Southwest) to help BIRD:
birders maximize success for their travel and Adventure Birding Company
time investment. His passion is to help others Borderland Tours
find birds, and every day is a new adventure. Economy Birding Services, Inc.
Please check out the company’s new web site at Naturalist Journeys
www.economybirding.com for information on Rockjumper Birding Tours
services, rates and availability. A wealth of bird San Carlos Aquatic Adventures
observation data, recent photos, and a daily Tropical Birding
blog of field activities can be found as well. TyrannoTours
Potential customers are encouraged to request Victor Emmanuel Nature Tours
a free quote for their trip and use it to shop Wild Birds Unlimited
around. VF
WINGS
(Your business here!)
Birds LIFE’S OTHER NEEDS:
Business Lou Benson Construction
Alliance Buffalo Exchange
Comcast Cable
Kimberlyn Drew, Realtor
Galeria La Sirena
Hughes Federal Credit Union
Daniel McQuestion
P2 Preparedness
Lori Pascarella, Financial Consultant
Snell & Wilmer, LLP
Tucson Electric Power
(Your business here!)
P.S. Do you enjoy birding here at home and
around the world? Do you support Tucson
Audubon’s conservation, education, and
recreation efforts? Well, so do the members
of Tucson Audubon’s Birds & Business
Alliance. They’ve put their money where their
mouth is by donating generously to Tucson
Audubon. In turn, we ask our members and
visiting birders to applaud their generosity by
using their services, and don’t forget to tell
them we sent you!
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 23

THE TAS-IFIEDS
CLASSIFIED ADS
You need to be a Friend of Tucson Audubon
or a member of the Birds & Business Alliance
to advertise in this section. Please contact
Chris Harrison in Membership Services for fee
information or to place an ad.
Feathers and Flours. Birding the upper San
Pedro River with with naturalist Alan Blixt and
dining with chef Lark Beaugureau’s cooking
class at Casa de San Pedro B&B in Hereford.
Sat Feb 28–Sun Mar 1. Includes gourmet
dinner with wine. $295 double/ $375 single.
577-6546 or e-mail to
tyrannotours@comcast.net.
BIRDS—Looking and Learning in the
Cooler White Mountains. Based at Rustic
Tal-Wi-Wi Lodge in Alpine. Thu May 21–Mon
May 25 (Memorial Day Weekend). Bird
guide/educator Kathe Anderson of Scottsdale
will lead in birding and classroom bird
learning—e.g., binoculars and books,
seasons and locations, spotting and
identifying, bird behaviors and songs.
$795/person double; $995 single. 577-6546 or
e-mail to tyrannotours@comcast.net.
Go Birding in Panama!
With Tucson Audubon and WINGS
November 13–21, 2009 • Stay in Canopy Tower
Leaders Gavin Bieber and Kendall Kroesen
See page 7 for more details.
ALL PHOTOS PAUL & ENG-LI GREEN
24 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009
Free Birding Field Trips, all skill levels
welcome! Our trips are led by the best
birders in southeast Arizona, and visit all the
hotspots. There is no better way to increase
your skill level than to bird with the best,
Tucson Audubon’s field trip leaders! See page
16 for more.
Tucson Audubon’s Lecture Series: Living
With Nature. Great speakers on topics of
interest for all wildlife enthusiasts. Admission
is FREE. In Tucson, second Monday of the
month and in Green Valley, third Saturday of
the month. See pages 23 & 24 for more
information!
It’s All at the Main Nature Shop! Are you
interested in finding the birds in southeast
Arizona? Let Tucson Audubon help you out!
Purchase your copy of Tucson Audubon’s
Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona for just
$24.95 ($22.46 for members!) and you will be
on your way to many birding adventures!
Carpooling to Lecture Series. Green Valley
TAS members wishing to carpool to TAS
Living With Nature lecture series in Tucson
contact Clark Blake in Green Valley at 625-
1015. Tucson Audubon members wishing to
carpool to Green Valley for TAS Living With
Nature lecture series contact Jean Barchman
at 629-0757.
Aviatlas — A new birding website open for
public contribution. We’ve put more than
18,000 ebird hotspot stubs on the interactive
map to start things off: Alaska to Chile, even
New Zealand. Check it out, document your
favorite hotspot, tell a friend. More to come
this fall. Founded in Tucson 2008
www.Aviatlas.com. VF
Advertise in the
Vermilion Flycatcher
Individual members and
members of our Birds &
Business Alliance can
advertise in the Vermilion
Flycatcher. Classified and
display ads accepted.
For a rate sheet, contact
Chris Harrison at 629-0757 or
charrison@tucsonaudubon.org
or go to our website
/www.tucsonaudubon.org/
verfly/index.htm
 OPPORTUNITIES @ TUCSON AUDUBON NATURE SHOP Support
Support Tucson
TucsonAudubon...
Audubon...
Volunteering is a great way to support Tucson and attention to detail will be helpful. (Once a
Become
Become aa Friend
Friend Today!
Today!
Audubon and to be around many people who share week, or once every other week.) MEMBERSHIP
MEMBERSHIP
your interests in natural history. The Nature Shop The shop relies on these individuals on a weekly $30/year—
$30/year—Individual
Individual
on University Blvd. is looking for a few good basis and prefers to have standing volunteers who $20/year—
$20/year—Student
Student
volunteers to help out in the shop. agree to volunteer consistently during the times $45/year—
$45/year—Family
Family
General Shop Volunteering includes greeting chosen. We are also willing to work with volunteers $20
$20/year—
/year—Senior
Senior (62+)
(62+)
customers, assisting customers with purchases, who are here seasonally if you are interested in
ringing up sales, answering the shop phone, volunteering on a certain day for a season.
Name
Name
helping to receive in new merchandise, and If you are interested in volunteering in the shop, but
maintaining general shop appearance. Training will cannot commit to a weekly time slot, we are happy
be offered. Birding and natural history experience to add you to our back-up volunteer list. This will Address
Address
is very helpful. Retail experience is helpful. require training in the shop so you are familiar with
sales procedures.
We are also looking for a few
specialty volunteers: Other volunteer opportunities: City
City//State
State//Zip
Zip
• Shop Display Volunteer—any one day, Book Review Writers— Do you love to read
Monday through Thursday, 4–5 hours. This books on natural history and then tell your friends Email
Email
volunteer will work with the Shop Manager to about them? We’re looking for volunteers
keep the shop displays rotated and fresh, fill interested in spending time writing book reviews for Phone
Phone
merchandise stock, maintain general shop our Vermilion Flycatcher newsletter. Before a
appearance and conduct General Shop review can be written, you will need to check with New
New membership
membership
Volunteer duties (listed above) as needed. shop management to be sure we can acquire the Renewing
Renewing membership
membership
Retail experience, visual merchandising book for sale before the review appears in the Please
Please email
email me me about
about Tucson
TucsonAudubon
Audubon
experience, and attention to detail will be very newsletter. events
events and
and conservation
conservation issues. issues.
helpful. (Once a week, or once every other Please
Please do
do not
not share
share my my contact
contact
For the volunteer opportunities listed above,
week.)
please contact Sara Pike, 622-2230,
information.
information.
• Shop Volunteer, including back office spike@tucsonaudubon.org and ask for a volunteer Please
Please do
do not
not mailmail me
me Vermilion
Vermilion
assistance—any one day, Monday through Flycatcher.
Flycatcher. I’ll
I’ll read
read itit online.
online.
application and more details
Saturday, 3–4 hours. This volunteer will help the DONATION
DONATION
shop management maintain the shop back-office II would
would like
like toto support
support Tucson
TucsonAudubon
Audubon
area including keeping our shipping area Tucson Audubon is also seeking a volunteer Society
Society with
with an an additional
additional contribution
contribution ofof
stocked with needed materials, taking Volunteer Coordinator. If you have experience of $25
$25 $50
$50 $100
$100 $$250.
250.
recyclables to the outdoor bin, keeping the organizing volunteers, please contact Paul Green Tucson
TucsonAudubon
Audubon Frequent
Frequent Flyer
Flyer Monthly
Monthly
feeders filled, maintaining our note card packets at pgreen@tucsonaudubon.org or 520-777-9525. VF
Donor
Donor Program:
Program: II authorize
authorize the
the charge
charge ofof
and conduct General Shop Volunteer duties $____
$____ per
per month
month for for ____
____ months
months toto my
my
(listed above) as needed. Organizational skills credit
credit card
card ($10/month
($10/month minimum).
minimum).
Tucson
TucsonAudubon
AudubonSociety
Societywill
willuse
usethe
thefull
fullamount
amountofofyour
yourtax-
tax-deductible
deductible
gift
giftfor
foritsitsenvironmental,
environmental,educational
educationaland
andrecreational
recreationalprograms.
programs.

METHOD
METHOD OF OF PAYMENT
PAYMENT
Check
Check (payable
(payabletotoTucson
TucsonAudubon
AudubonSociety)
Society)
WISH LIST MasterCard
MasterCard Visa
Visa AMEX
AMEX
EDUCATION PROGRAM • Gift card for Michael’s
Arts and Crafts store to purchase materials for kids’
LIBRARY • We would welcome any donations of
programs • New or good- condition Wesco Maxi Credit
CreditCard
CardNo.
No.
birding DVDs so we can replace videos in our
Mover Folding Hand Truck, 250lb. capacity • New
library; especially National Audubon Society’s
or gently used, good condition Leupold Yosemite
Guide to Birds of North America. Expiration
ExpirationDate
Date Amount
Amount$$
6 x 30 or 8 x 30 or Bushnell Birder 8 x 40
MASON CENTER • Large rugs for the house • binoculars for young birders (available for sale in
Heavy, insulating curtains of appropriate color for the Main Tucson Audubon Nature Shop) Signature
Signature
three medium-sized windows • Six nice, large
COMPUTERS • We are always in need of Please
Pleasesend
sendyour
yourapplication
applicationwith
withpayment
paymenttoto
rectangular folding tables.
computers and monitors less than three years of Tucson
TucsonAudubon
AudubonSociety,
Society,
FIELD TRIPS PROGRAM • Binoculars in good age and running Windows XP. We also need recent 300
300E.E.University
UniversityBlvd,
Blvd,#120,
#120,
condition for leaders to loan to participants. laptop computers running Windows XP. VF Tucson,
Tucson,AZAZ85705
85705
(Attn:
(Attn:Jean
JeanBarchman,
Barchman,
HABITAT RESTORATION PROGRAM • Locking Membership
MembershipCoordinator)
Coordinator)
metal storage cabinet. OR
OR join,
join,renew
reneworordonate
donateonline
onlineatat
www.tucsonaudubon.org
www.tucsonaudubon.org

JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 25

 Other Ways to Give!
Tucson Audubon Society is a registered
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 100% of your
financial and in-kind donations and membership
dues are tax deductible.
THE VERMILION SOCIETY
Create a legacy that will benefit others for
generations by including Tucson Audubon
Society in your estate planning. Your gift will
express, in a lasting way, your commitment to
preserving the diversity of southern Arizona’s rich
avifauna and the habitats they call home. If you
have already included Tucson Audubon in your
estate plans we hope that you will share this
information with us. We would like to express our
gratitude and welcome you to the Vermilion
Society. As always, your wishes for anonymity
will be respected. If you would like to know more
about how to designate Tucson Audubon as a
recipient in your will, please contact Executive
Director Paul Green at 622-5622 or
pgreen@tucsonaudubon.org.
DONOR WALL
Whenever you visit our offices and Nature Shop
on University Blvd you’ll notice our donor wall
honoring significant giving with brightly colored
bird and plant tiles. For information on making a
memorial gift or honoring a loved one with a tile
on our donor wall please contact Jean Barchman
at jbarchman@tucsonaudubon.org or 629-0757.
WORKPLACE GIVING
Donations can be made to Tucson Audubon
through payroll deduction for employees who
work for the City of Tucson and Pima County
through the Employees Combined Appeal
Program (ECAP). Designate our number, #1434,
as your recipient and your gifts will go to Tucson
Audubon; it’s just that easy!
Many other companies offer an employee
matching gift program where they match (some
even triple!) employee charitable contributions.
Many will do so even if you are retired. Check
with your employer for more information.
BASHAS’ “SHOP & GIVE”
Next time you’re in Bashas’ simply link your
Bashas’ “Thank You” card to Tucson Audubon
Society’s ID number, 27286, and from
September 1, 2008, through March 31, 2009,
one percent of what you spend will be donated
by Bashas’ to Tucson Audubon.
THE IRA CHARITABLE ROLLOVER
Legislation has been extended retroactive to
2008 and 2009. During 2008 and 2009, holders
of traditional IRAs who are at least 70½ years
old can transfer up to $100,000 per year directly
to charity — bypassing income tax. The
extension comes as part of the Emergency
Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, and enables
Americans to give to the causes they care about.
26 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009
TUCSON AUDUBON
NATURE SHOPS
Help promote Tucson Audubon Society.
Visit one of our Nature Stores to pick up
your new logo items!
You can show off your support in a variety of ways:
T-shirt
Organic cotton T-shirts are the way
to go. Who says you can’t bird-
watch in comfort and style? These
T-shirts come in two different colors:
stone/khaki or heather green.
$20 – $22
Water bottle
Don’t forget the water! Show you
care about conserving habitat for
birds with this reusable, stainless
steel water bottle. 24 oz. You can
choose your color in either stainless
or white.
$21.95
Car magnet
A simple car magnet is an easy way
to show your support for Tucson
Audubon. It will fit on most car doors
and you won’t have to worry about
any sticky residue. It’s easy
to apply, and looks so great
you’ll never want to remove it.
What a great and inexpensive
gift for a friend, too!
Size: 4” x 13”
$8.95
Cap
The shops offer two styles of organic
cotton caps. Keep the sun out of your
eyes while looking at the birds, and show
your support for Tucson Audubon at the
same time.
Choose from two colors, stone/khaki or
olive. (No photo available.)
$15 – $17
Pen
How many times have you wanted to make notes about a bird sighting, or put a check on
your checklist but couldn’t find a pen? We’ll make it easy for you to keep a pen in your
field vest, field guide pouch, or in your back pocket. This easy-to-grip, and easy-to-find,
pen will be the perfect addition to your bird-watching gear checklist.
$2.75
VF

Win-Win Ecology: How the Earth’s Species Can
Survive in the Midst of Human Enterprise
Michael L. Rosenzweig. 2003.
Oxford University Press.
ISBN 0–19–515604–8.
211pp. $45.00.
In a world that is often full of pessimism, this
optimistic book tackles a topic that remains central
to the work of Tucson Audubon. Mike Rosenzweig
gives us some hope for our future with the notion
that we can, with some creative thinking and
action, reconcile the needs of people with those of
wildlife, and he even gives a name to this field,
reconciliation ecology, a win-win scenario for
people and wildlife. We are all aware of the
correlation between decline in biodiversity and
economic development but, in the detail, there are
some interesting things going on.
Rosenzweig fills this book with examples to
support his thesis. In his chapter on Hardcore
Reconciliation, he gives detailed stories linked to
Eastern Bluebirds, Loggerhead Shrikes, Natterjack
toads, and Chiricahua leopard frogs. He shows
how, with some simple changes to the way we
manage our lands, we can enable species with
some special needs to thrive with us, and enrich
our lives in the process. In one chapter,
Rosenzweig focuses on landscape architecture
and gives us an idea of what each of us can do in
our own backyards. A chapter about the Red-
cockaded Woodpecker and the activities of the
Eglin Air Force Base in Florida helps us better
understand some differences between restoration
and reconciliation. He addresses issues of
economics, and of happy accidents that
demonstrate the principle (such as the shallow
canals of warm water produced by the Turkey Point
power plant in Florida that support American
crocodiles).
The style of the book is entertaining, and the
book is full of interesting analogies. Where some
basic science in the core of the book (relating to
species-area relationships) has the potential for
dryness, the author surrounds it with accessible
explanation. Humor is scattered throughout,
making this an enjoyable, entertaining, and hugely
thought-provoking book.
As a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology at the University of Arizona for more than
30 years, Michael Rosenzweig brings a wealth of
experience to inform his writing, and he conveys a
great sense of authority.
Dr. Michael Rosenzweig is the speaker at our
60th anniversary celebration gala on February 4 at
the Arizona Inn.
BOOKENDS
A Desert Illuminated: Cactus Flowers
of the Sonoran Desert
Photographs by John P. Schaefer
Essays by John Alcock, Mark A. Dimmitt,
John Janovy, Jr. & David Yetman. 2008.
ASDM Press. ISBN: 1886679016.
112 Pages. $26.00.
With an unprecedented look at the extraordinary
flowers of Sonoran Desert cacti, this unique book
combines natural history and art in ways that evoke
both an intellectual and an aesthetic reaction in the
reader. The book radiates through its art and
illuminates through its words, inspiring a deep
response to an often-unnoticed beauty in the
desert. Each page is filled with the elegant,
renowned, and detailed photographs of Dr. John
Schaefer’s beloved cactus flowers. The stunning
close-up photographs are wrapped in the visual
and contextual embrace of a Renaissance era
illuminated manuscript that anchors the volume to
humankind’s longstanding passion for science and
art. Four well-known biologists, John Alcock, Mark
A. Dimmitt, John Janovy, Jr. and David Yetman,
further illuminate the photographs in this book with
very personal essays.
John P. Schaefer is President Emeritus of the
University of Arizona, where he had an active, 21-
year career in teaching and research. A
conservationist and avid birdwatcher, he helped
organize the Tucson Audubon Society and founded
the Nature Conservancy in Arizona. In addition to
his academic and conservation work, Dr. Schaefer
enjoys a reputation as a skilled photographer. He
and Ansel Adams founded the Center for Creative
Photography at the University of Arizona in 1975.
VF
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon
TUCSON AUDUBON
NATURE SHOPS
SHOP HOURS
Main Shop
Monday–Saturday 10 AM–4 PM, except
Monday & Thursday until 5 PM
Located on the southeast corner of
University Blvd. and 5th Avenue.
Agua Caliente
Park Shop
In January & February:
Tuesday, Friday, Saturday 9 AM–3:30 PM
2nd and 3rd Sunday: 10 AM – 3 PM
Phone: 760-7881
Directions: From Tanque Verde Rd. and
Houghton, continue east on Tanque
Verde 2 miles. Turn left (north) onto
Soldier Trail, continue north for 2 miles.
Turn right (east) onto Roger Rd.,
continue ¼ mile to the park entrance
on the left (north) side of the road.
TUESDAY BIRD WALK
Agua Caliente Park
Tuesday 8:30 AM
Loaner binoculars available, meet in
front of the ranch house. For more
information, call Pima County Parks &
Recreation at 877-6111.
For permit requests and general
information about park rules and
regulations, call 749-3718
VOLUNTEER
Interested in helping out at our shops?
Contact Becky Aparicio 760-7881
(Agua Caliente Shop) or
Sara Pike 622-2230 (Main Shop)
27
 YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

6 PM
Arizona Inn
2200 E. Elm Street, Tucson

Dinner
Silent Auction
Speaker
Dr. Michael Rosenzweig

Limited to 150 tickets at $150 each. Buy your ticket today by calling Jean Barchman
©RICHARD FRAY

at 622-5622 or online at www.tucsonaudubon.org.

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Chris Harrison
at charrison@tucsonaudubon.org or 629-0757

NON-PROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE PAID
TUCSON, AZ
300 E University Blvd, #120 PERMIT #1345
Tucson, AZ 85705

Vermilion Flycatcher
Volume 54, Number 1 January–February 2009
The Vermilion Flycatcher is the newsletter of the
Tucson Audubon Society, a chapter of the National
Audubon Society. National Audubon Society members
and members of other chapters may receive the
Flycatcher by joining the Friends of Tucson Audubon.
See membership at www.tucsonaudubon.org.

28 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2009