Vermilion

Tucson Audubon Society | tucsonaudubon.org

f l y c a t c h e r
September–October 2009 | Volume 54, Number 5

Birding, Volunteering, and

Citizen Science
2 Glimpsing the Heartbeats of
Natural Systems
3 Discovery through Citizen Science
12 Tucson Audubon’s Mason Center
14 Building a Community
Birding Resource
16 What’s in a Name?
Aplomado Falcon
17 East Meets South

T u c s o n A u d u b o n ’ s b i - m o n t h l y N e w s Ma g a z i n e

Tucson Audubon Society is dedicated to improving
the quality of the environment by providing
education, conservation, and recreation programs,
environmental leadership, and information. Tucson
Audubon is a non-profit volunteer organization of
people with a common interest in birding and natural
history. Tucson Audubon maintains offices, a library,
and nature shops in Tucson, the proceeds of which
benefit all of its programs.
Tucson Audubon Society
300 E. University Blvd. #120, Tucson, AZ 85705
629-0510 (voice) or 623-3476 (fax)
All phone numbers are area code 520 unless otherwise stated.
www.tucsonaudubon.org
Board Officers & Directors
Messages 622-5622
President Herb Trossman
Vice President Mich Coker
Secretary Robert Merideth
Treasurer Vacant
Directors at Large Mary Kay Eiermann, Richard Fray,
Sandy Elers, Julie Gordon, Linda Greene, Craig Marken, Neil
Markowitz, Liz Payne, Cynthia Pruett, Adrian Quijada, Bill
Roe, Jessie Shinn, Linda Stitzer
Board Committees Conservation Chris McVie,
Development Sandy Elers, Education Cynthia Pruett,
Membership Jessie Shinn, Finance Vacant, Nominating
Robert Merideth
Programs & Activities
Field Trips Darlene Smyth 297-2315
Library David West
Membership Meetings Jean Barchman
629-0510
622-5622
Rare Bird Alert John Yerger | Report Rare Birds 798-1005
Staff
Executive Director Paul Green 777-9525
Finance and Operations Brad Paxton 629-0757
Accountant Michelle Bourgeois 629-0757
Education & Outreach Specialist Matt Brooks 622-2230
Membership Coordinator Jean Barchman 622-5622
IBA Conservation Biologist Scott Wilbor 628-1730
IBA Program Assistant Ruth Wilderman 628-1730
Restoration Program Manager Kendall Kroesen 206-9900
Field Supervisor Rodd Lancaster 256-6909
Restoration/Communications Specialist
Matthew Griffiths 206-9900
Mason Outreach Coordinator Lia Sansom 971-6238
University Shop Manager Sara Pike 622-2230
Volunteer Coordinator/Agua Caliente
Shop Manager Becky Aparicio 760-7881
Tucson Audubon Nature Shops
300 E University Blvd #120 629-0510
623-3476 fax / 622-2230 Shop Manager
Hours: Mon–Sat 10 am–4  pm (5 pm Mon & Thu)
Agua Caliente Park, 12325 E Roger Rd 760-7881
Hours: 9 am–3:30 pm Thu (Sep); Thu, Fri, Sat (Oct)
Vermilion Flycatcher is published bi-monthly. For address
changes or subscription problems call 622-5622, or write
to Membership Coordinator, Tucson Audubon, 300 E.
University Blvd, #120, Tucson, AZ 85705. Submissions are
due the 1st of the month, two months before the date of the
issue. Please send submissions as Microsoft Word or RTF
documents, or plain text files, to Matt Griffiths at mgriffiths@
tucsonaudubon.org.
Coordinator Matt Griffiths 206-9900
Proofreaders Jane & Warren Tisdale 749-2139 and
Tucson Audubon staff and board members
Layout Eng-Li Green
2 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009
Features
12 Tucson Audubon’s Mason Center
14 Building a Community Birding
Resource
16 What’s in a Name?
Aplomado Falcon
17 East Meets South
Departments
3 Commentary
4 News Roundup
9 Events and Classes
18 Conservation and Education News
20 Field Trips
23 Birding Travel from Our
Business Partners
24 Birds & Business Alliance
25 Classified Ads
26 Useful Resources
26 Nature Shops
27 Bookends
Glimpsing the Heartbeats of Natural Systems
A guest opinion by Frank Gill, retired Chief Scientist of National Audubon, former Vice President
of the Academy of Natural Sciences, and author of Ornithology and Birds of the World:
Recommended English Names.
Citizen science is a key to our future. It
brings together science, a sense of personal
responsibility, and a greater cause—our
natural environment.
In his inauguration speech, President
Obama reminded us that we cannot “consume
the world’s resources without regard to effect.”
Much of his speech was in the context of
specific challenges that our nation faces
today but many of his words have a broader
resonance. He said, “What is required of
us now is a new era of responsibility—a
recognition on the part of every American that
we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the
world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept,
but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge
that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit,
so defining of our character than giving our
all to a difficult task.” He spoke of honoring
those who “. . . embody the spirit of service—
[who show] a willingness to find meaning in
something greater than themselves.”
One of the world’s greatest resources,
biodiversity, is in decline as we destroy
and degrade natural habitats worldwide.
Responsible stewardship of our remaining
biodiversity is a pressing challenge and a
most difficult task. But grassroots initiatives
based on citizen science will help to meet the
VERMILION
Tucson Audubon Society | tucsonaudubon.org
F L Y C A T C H E R
September–October 2009 | Volume 54, Number 5
Birding, Volunteering, and
Citizen Science
2 Glimpsing the Heartbeats of
Natural Systems
3 Discovery through Citizen Science
12 Tucson Audubon’s Mason Center
14 Building a Community
Birding Resource
16 What’s in a Name?
Aplomado Falcon
17 East Meets South
TUCSON AUDUBON’S BI-MONTHLY NEWS MAGAZINE
Front cover: Aplomado Falcon by
Bill Schmoker. Bill is a widely-published bird
photographer (www.schmoker.org/BirdPics), a
busy speaker and trip leader, and is proud to
be a Nikon Birding ProStaffer.
To have your photographs considered for use
in the Vermilion Flycatcher, please contact Matt
Griffiths at mgriffiths@tucsonaudubon.org.
challenge that we now face.
By engaging large numbers
of individuals, citizen science
provides the closest possible
glimpse of the “heartbeats”
of natural systems, and piques
countless individual human spirits
in the process. Observations collected by
people and stored in various ways represent a
real-time record of an area’s biodiversity.
Countless citizen scientists around
the globe contribute records online for all
taxonomic groups of plants and animals.
In doing so, these volunteers help science-
focused environmental organizations with
limited resources to collect information they
could not otherwise obtain, and to take
meaningful actions. Building a global database
can help us become good stewards of our
planet’s biodiversity. New technology gives
us greater capacity to handle information,
broadens our scope by allowing instant
integration and display of environmental data,
and allows us to scale from our local woodlot
to entire continents. But the keystone is the
“think global, act local” network of people
who give freely of their time and service for an
important cause. You could be a part of this.
Please participate. Thank you. VF
 Commentary
Paul Green | Executive Director
Discovery through Citizen Science
As children, we learned about our
world by observing and manipulating
things around us, learning from the
outcomes, interacting some more
and, little by little, understanding how
things worked. We may have reached
out to pick up an insect, got stung,
and quickly learned to avoid the black
ones with yellow stripes. If we became
young scientists, we formalized this
I
process. We made observations, asked
questions, formed hypotheses, performed
experiments to test those hypotheses,
reached conclusions, and so came to
better understand the world around us. If
we are fortunate, this process of personal
discovery of our world will continue with
us until our dying day.
What most of us think of as “science” is
that part of our understanding of our world
that has been determined by the scientific
method, complementing the other ways
by which we come to know our world. So
what then is Citizen Science? Ultimately,
it is citizens discovering more about their
world under the guidance of professional
scientists. More often, it is citizens
collecting data for professional scientists
who analyze and disseminate the results.
At Tucson Audubon, Citizen Science
is about learning, empowerment, and
building a constituency for conservation
as people count birds. Our quest is to
engage you in asking questions about
your natural environment, and to help you
gather information to answer questions
that you and professional biologists are
asking. As a growing number of people
become part of the process, it is our intent
Doris Evans
Unstructured learning outdoors during our early years is an essential part of developing a positive relationship with
our natural world. Tucson Audubon creates opportunities for hands-on experiences for people of all ages through our
education programming.
that you will become empowered to take
action on behalf of places important to
you and important to wildlife, giving birth
to a new culture of conservation. As Frank
Gill, retired Chief Scientist of National
Audubon, said (see p 2), Citizen Science
also brings a different scale to scientific
inquiry. It allows professional scientists
to conduct research over significant
geographic regions and long time periods
that the scientist asking the question
could never achieve alone.
Citizen Science-derived analyses of
population trends for Rusty Blackbird
show a 5.2 percent decline annually
since 1965/66. This translates to a
total decline of 86.4 percent over
40 years.
The Christmas Bird Count, where
birders collect information on numbers
and distribution and send results back to
the Science Office of National Audubon,
is one good example. This vast amount
of data, subjected to intense statistical
scrubbing, is now producing significant
information on the effects of our rapidly
changing climate on bird distributions.
When coupled with information gathered
through another Citizen Science project,
the Breeding Bird Survey, we learn about
bird populations and their distributions
year-round.
In 1997, National Audubon
collaborated with the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology in an experiment called
the Great Backyard Bird Count to see
if taking Citizen Science to the internet
Jean Barchman
September–October 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 3
could bring about
mass participation. It
did, with 94,000 checklists
submitted this year, 1120 of those from
Arizona! Shortly after, Audubon and
Cornell collaborated to develop a freeform
checklist program called eBird. Using data
mining techniques, eBird is beginning to
reveal information about bird distribution
changes. eBird data become part of
the Avian Knowledge Network (AKN),
which integrates observational data on
bird populations across the western
hemisphere. In turn, the AKN feeds eBird
data to international biodiversity data
systems, such as the Global Biodiversity
Information Facility (GBIF). In this way,
any contribution you make to eBird
increases our understanding of the
distribution, richness, and uniqueness of
the biodiversity of our planet. And it all
begins with your birding checklist!
Perhaps best of all for us (in Tucson)
is our Tucson Bird Count, developed at
The University of Arizona. The Tucson
Bird Count is the only recurring volunteer-
based, citywide, urban bird-monitoring
project in the world. It is now being cloned
into new projects in Ottawa, Ontario, and
Fresno, California. New participants are
needed and always welcome.
Offshoots of Citizen Science include
citizen stewardship, of which the
Important Bird Areas (IBA) program (see
p 5) is one example. Birders nominate
areas that are of great importance to
birds, collect data on bird populations
at those areas, and organize citizen
groups to undertake conservation
actions to steward those sites that are
accepted as IBAs. The IBA program is
an extraordinary example of community
conservation in action.
On p 14–15 of this issue, we
encourage you to contribute to a new
project, AviAtlas, to help us develop a
new resource for birders in our region.
While not strictly Citizen Science, it will
develop community knowledge around
a series of urban birding locations and
provide us with some urban birding
trails—and promote birding tourism in
Tucson. VF
 Tucson Audubon

Ann Audrey
News Roundup

Birdday Party comes to Agua

Linda Farm in Santa Cruz
County
Sandy Elers, Development Chair

Tucson Audubon continues to and other reptiles found at

celebrate its 60th Anniversary with a Esperanza Ranch. There will be

Both photos Kendall Kroesen

Birdday Party at Agua Linda Farm on
Saturday, November 7, from 11 am to
3 pm. With activities for all ages, this
event is for the whole family, from little
kids to grandma and grandpa. Agua
Linda is located about 45 minutes
south of Tucson, just east of I-19 at
the Agua Linda Road exit.
Adults will enjoy wagon rides to
the Santa Cruz River for guided bird
walks along its banks and views of
the Esperanza Ranch conservation
easement that Tucson Audubon
manages. These trips will run every
20 minutes or so from 11 to 1. Staff
will talk about the easement, how it is
being managed, and the outcomes of
our habitat restoration work.
There will be special bird walks
with a naturalist for school-aged
children. A short introduction to birding
will be conducted for the kids. A bean
bag toss, a petting zoo, and a maze
will also be available.
Everyone will find Robin Llewellan
and her reptiles interesting. She
will show her poster of the snakes
other live animal presentations
and talks about birds.
The Tucson Audubon
Nature Shop will be there with
books, games, binoculars,
and many other items from
the in-town shop. There will
be something of interest for everyone.
Lunch will be served from 11:30 to
1. Burgers and garden burgers will be
available with chips, beans, salad, and
soft drinks. The water from the farm’s
well is so good we encourage you to
bring your own flask or cup for a cool,
refreshing drink. Tables and chairs will
be set up under a tent, and blankets
for picnicking will be available.
There will be a special 60th
anniversary program about the
Esperanza Ranch Conservation
Easement at 1:30, followed by a
Birdday cake.
The Agua Linda Farm is an all-
natural vegetable farm, owned and
operated by Stewart and Laurel Loew.
Their farm store is open on Saturdays
and Sundays throughout the growing
season,
offering sustainably-
grown vegetables and fruits. The
Loews are committed to making an
environmental difference on their
beautiful farm. More information
about the farm is available at http://
agualindafarm.net.
Entry is by donation of $10 for
individuals, $20 for couples, $25 for
families, and includes all activities Agua Linda Farm is flanked by the Tucson
except lunch. Lunch cost is $12 for Audubon managed Esperanza Ranch
conservation easement.
adults and $10 for kids. Guests are
encouraged to bring cups or bottles for Directions: To get to Agua Linda
water, a chair if you like, binoculars, Farm, take I-19 to the Agua Linda exit.
and checkbooks. Prepaid tickets will At Agua Linda Road, go east across
receive a souvenir bookmark. the highway to the frontage road
Please call Jean Barchman, 622- along I-19, turn right (south) onto the
5622 for more information or to make frontage road, and follow the signs to
a reservation. the Agua Linda Farm.

Please notify us when you move—permanently Keep in touch by email or Facebook

or between seasonal addresses
During the summer months, Tucson Audubon receives a significant number
of “undeliverable” notices for the Vemilion Flycatcher. The USPS charges us
50 cents each time they notify us that a copy of the Vemilion Flycatcher was
undeliverable. The post office has informed us that they will hold mail for an
address for up to two weeks only after which mail to that address is marked as
undeliverable. Please help us to keep costs down by letting us know when you
move between addresses. Contact Jean Barchman at 622-5622 or jbarchman@
tucsonaudubon.org with your address change.
Matt Brooks
A lot can happen in two months. Urgent conservation issues, for example, need
attention and input from our community. Deadlines for education program sign-
ups approach (such as our Riparian Family Institute pictured below) and we
want to make sure you know about them. For these and other reasons, Tucson
Audubon sends out emails to members and to others. To sign up for our email
newsletter simply go to our website tucsonaudubon.org and look for the “sign-up
email” box. You can unsubscribe at any time.
If you have a Facebook account, you can also join Tucson Audubon’s
Facebook Group. It is a great way to connect with the Tucson Audubon
community and other regional conservation organizations. If you don’t have a
Facebook account, just go to facebook.com and sign up.

4 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009

Outstanding habitat recognized in Arizona’s two new IBAs
Scott Wilbor, Important Bird Areas Program Conservation Biologist
Arizona has two new Important Bird
Areas approved under National
Audubon’s program! Tucson
Audubon and Audubon Arizona jointly
coordinate the Arizona IBA Program,
and we now have documented 37
IBAs in Arizona (visit www.aziba.
org). At nine of these IBAs we have
been actively engaged in securing
their long-term conservation. The
Arizona IBA Science Committee,
comprising 10 members plus Audubon
staff, met June 30, 2009, in Phoenix
at the new Nina Mason Pulliam Rio
Salado Nature Center to decide on
nominations of three areas: Cave
Creek Ecosystem in Maricopa
County, Rio de Flag in Flagstaff, and
the Willcox Playa in southeastern
Arizona. Two of these nominations,
Cave Creek and Rio de Flag, were
submitted by Audubon members and
involved IBA bird surveys conducted
recently over 1.5 to 2 years. The
IBA program at Tucson Audubon
analyzed and summarized the data
for these nominations. The Willcox
Playa nomination was assembled with
data from the Arizona Game and Fish
Department over the last 17 years,
with information from Homer Hansen,
chairman of Wings Over Willcox.
Highlights of the two approved new
Important Bird Areas follow:
Cave Creek Ecosystem: This
IBA is reached from either the town
of Cave Creek or Seven Springs
Recreation Area, within the Tonto
National Forest. This area met IBA
criteria, Site Important to Special
Status Species, by supporting
outstanding densities of Abert’s
Towhee, Lucy’s Warbler and
Bell’s Vireo, and notably regional
populations of Gilded Flicker, Costa’s
Hummingbird and Elf Owl, and nesting
Common Black-Hawk. The area
also met IBA criteria for Exceptional
Representative Habitat/Ecological
Community, with its Sonoran desert
scrub bird community and Sonoran
desert riparian bird community. This
IBA seems to have it all, from nesting
Great Blue Heron and Zone-tailed
Hawk to Black-throated Sparrow in
abundance. Forty bird surveys were
completed through the IBA Program
(transects, area searches, nocturnal
point counts), and 125 species were
documented.
Willcox Playa (and Cochise
Lakes): This IBA is accessed from
the town of Willcox, from Apache
Station wetlands, or the Willcox
Playa Wildlife Area. Well known to
birders, this area was recognized for
Significant Concentration of Birds,
under two categories, Cranes and
Shorebirds. Typically 4000 to 9000
Sandhill Cranes, Grus canadensis
(Lesser, G.c. canadensis and
Greater, G.c. tabida, subspecies)
over-winter (Nov. through Feb.),
roosting for the night in the playa
area, and providing an outstanding
spectacle when they leave in the
dawn to forage within surrounding
fields of the Sulphur Springs Valley.
Shorebird numbers at Cochise
Lakes range from 400-800 birds
at one time, and bird watchers are
continually astounded at the diversity
they encounter within this group of
birds. They consist most abundantly
of Wilson’s Phalarope, Willet, Least
Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper,
Long-billed Dowitcher, Black-necked
Stilt, and American Avocet, plus at
least another ten species in lesser
numbers. The endangered and rarely
occurring Snowy Plover, may yet be
found nesting in the playa. Certain
shorebirds using the lakes irregularly
spike in numbers in some years,
like the flock of 310 Stilt Sandpipers
in May of 2009. Waterbirds and
waterfowl also find the IBA critical
as resting and feeding habitat during
spring and fall migration. Noteworthy
at Cochise Lakes are the White-
faced Ibis (low 100s), and large duck
numbers, dominated by American
Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, and
Ruddy Duck, which have flocks
in the mid 100s, plus many other
species. The grasslands surrounding
the margin area of the playa also
provide important habitat for species
of conservation status (e.g., wintering
Chestnut-collared Longspurs, resident
Above: Cave Creek Ecosystem IBA, with
Jewel of the Creek Preserve of the Desert
Foothills Land Trust, in the foreground.
This preserve is an ideal place to sample
this new IBA from Cave Creek, Arizona,
on the northern fringes of Phoenix.
Right: Shorebirds, like this American
Avocet, along with cranes, are the key
species groups we are recognizing in the
identification of the new Willcox Playa and
Cochise Lakes IBA.
Scaled Quail, and others). But, the
grasslands and playa remain mostly
un-surveyed, due to access difficulty
(the playa is mostly Department of
Defense owned, administered by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and
was formerly a bombing range). The
2009 crane count for the area was
16,000 birds, with Crane Lake on the
eastern margin of the playa supporting
more than half of these birds. These
exceptional numbers provided by
Arizona Game and Fish Department
surveys, easily qualify this area along
with Whitewater Draw IBA (identified
June 2008), as the two most important
crane wintering areas in the state of
Arizona, and part of the same wetland
ecosystem in the Sulphur Springs
Valley. The surrounding corn fields,
and the “waste corn” they provide in
winter, are an essential reason for the
crane population expansion in Arizona
since the late 1940s.
Rio de Flag was not selected in
this round, as the data at present
showed limited numbers for the
species of highest conservation
status in the ponderosa/pinyon pine
forest community, but still the suite
September–October 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 5
Tom Whetten
Frances Thurber
of four sites along the Rio de Flag
were deemed of local importance.
Audubon’s bird habitat certification
program (in-development) is one
option for the Rio de Flag proposal
going forward.
Our IBA surveys continue this fall
at priority sites in Arizona, and will be
key to the identification, monitoring,
and conservation of future Important
Bird Areas. We anticipate two areas
around Patagonia (Patagonia-Sonoita
Creek Preserve and the Patagonia
Mountains), and two desert sites in
the western Arizona desert (Organ
Pipe Cactus National Monument
and a complex of major desert
washes in Cabeza Prieta National
Wildlife Refuge), will be our next
IBA nominations. Please see the
schedule on our webpage (www.
aziba.org) and on the calendar in
this issue for opportunities for joining
the IBA Program in our coordinated
“backcountry” surveys, open to
experienced bird surveyors. Also,
our community-based conservation
action projects begin this fall around
the greater Sabino Creek IBA and
Tanque Verde watershed, and in
the Patagonia area. Please check in
with us!

Tucson Audubon
News Roundup
Smells like shorebirds:
Avra Valley is back
Rick Wright
Maybe it wasn’t our very first date,
but that sandpipery morning at the
effluent ponds in Champaign was
definitely the start of something big.
In the dozen years since, Alison and I
have visited sewage facilities around
the world in quest of birds—and we’ve
found few that can compete with
the Avra Valley ponds just west of
Tucson.
When construction began in
autumn 2006 to upgrade and update
the Avra Valley plant, not many of the
20,000 or more Tucson households
it serves so much as noticed: there
were no disruptions, no roadblocks on
the way to what is now a state-of-the-
art environmental facility.
But birders noticed. The plant was
closed to the public in January 2007,
and as construction stretched on,
month after month, we started to miss
it, and we wondered what wonders
had appeared there, unseen, during
the long seasons when the gates
were closed to us. Tricolored Heron?
Nelson’s Sparrow? Or even—a dream
All photos Rick Wright
Tucson Audubon receives second TogetherGreen Innovation Grant
Kendall Kroesen, Restoration Project Manager
Restoring urban habitats for birds of
conservation concern is a priority for
Tucson Audubon. During the past
year we have been working with
homeowners in Barrio Kroeger Lane,
located along the Santa Cruz River
near downtown, to create bird habitat
using native plants supported by
harvested rainwater in “rain gardens.”
Residents have been installing
6 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009
and nightmare at once—some bird
that hadn’t yet made it onto the list of
175+ species recorded there over the
years? We encourage birders to add
site details to the AviAtlas website
(see p 14).
All that’s behind us now. Not only
does Pima County now have a plant
producing A+-grade effluent, but Avra
Valley once again is accessible to
birders from around the world. Thanks
to the strong relationship between
Tucson Audubon and the county,
we’re back.
Some things have changed, of
course, in the nearly three years
occupied by construction. The old
plant, where birders used to enter
and register, is now off limits, entirely
surrounded by a tall fence that may
not be crossed; for the time being,
that also means that there are no
available restrooms (try Kennedy Park
at Ajo and Mission). Birders now enter
through the gate in the northwest
corner of the parking area. Instead of
going right (north) to the ponds, we
demonstration landscape elements
under guidance from Tucson Audubon
and our partners. The City of Tucson
is now working with us to create
additional landscaped habitats along
street right-of-ways.
Tucson Audubon has now
received a second year of funding—
$25,000—to continue this work for
another year! This year the non-profit
Black-necked Stilts are among many species of shorebirds and waterfowl that make the
Avra Valley wastewater treatment plant special. Mesquite bosques outside the plant add to
the range of species seen there.
now walk left (south) and walk along
the mesquite bosque before turning
north; walking along the narrow strip
of unstable earth along the fence is
strictly (and sensibly) prohibited.
Summer shorebirders will be
particularly grateful for another
change: the gate now opens at 6 am,
a cool hour earlier than in the past.
The gate is locked each afternoon
promptly at 2.
Plans for the future include the
installation of restroom facilities and a
picnic table in the parking lot; Tucson
Audubon will be consulting on native
landscaping in this area, which could
replace the gardens around the
former headquarters building as a
small-scale migrant trap. That work
Environmental Education Exchange,
headed by Tucson Audubon board
member Neil Markowitz, helped with
the grant writing and will participate in
the project.
This second year is designed to
get more people involved, including
students from TUSD “green schools.”
Students from these schools will
get opportunities to do “service
Rick Wright
will require donations, as will the
placement of benches on the paths for
contemplative birders.
Tucson Audubon and Arizona’s
birding community as a whole are
grateful to Pima County and to
Frank Gall, Plant Manager, for their
generosity to those of us who find
sewage facilities not just necessary
but entertaining. A little romantic,
even.
Rick Wright is the founder of
Aimophila Adventures and the
Managing Director of WINGS Birding
Tours Worldwide. You can keep
up with his and Alison’s birding
adventures at Avra Valley and around
the world at www.birdaz.com/blog.
Together
Green.org
act today- shape tomorrow
learning,” in which they contribute to
the success of a project while also
learning important lessons about
ecology and the environment.
Tucson Audubon looks forward to
working with Barrio Kroeger Lane for a
second year, and we hope that more
members will take part in the work
over the next year and take what you
learn back to your own neighborhood.
 VOLUNTEERS OF THE ­MONTH
Volunteer news roundup
Becky Aparicio, Volunteer Coordinator Andy and Joanne Hogan joined
the Tucson Audubon Society in
Welome, New Volunteers! 2006 and have been very active
Joel Gilb, youth birding as naturalists and docents in the
Lynn Kelley-Piper, general needs Tucson community. Originally from
Debbie Bartolazzi, shop and mail crew Connecticut, Andy is a retired health
Caroline Patrick, shop and education economist, and Joanne, who was
Sasha Hawman, shop garden born in the state of Washington, is a
Maggie Pearson, shop and display retired public heath statistician. The
Jutta Holzhaus, volunteer couple met in El Salvador where

Matt Griffiths
Andy was volunteering for the US

Mil Gracias, Danke
Thank you to the volunteers who
made the Kenn Kaufman events (see
p 8) in August a huge success: Laura
Cotter, Bill Wieboldt, Liz and Rick
Harrison, Jean Hengesbaugh, Cheryl
Goodberg, and Rosie Bennett.
Volunteer Training
Eleven volunteers participated in a
July 29th Optics Training given by
Cortland ThuDe of Vortex Optics.
Sara Pike, Matt Brooks, and I felt the
training really helped us all improve
our binoculars and scopes skills
and salesmanship. Keep your eyes
and ears open for further training
programs and volunteer opportunities
to make Tucson Audubon Society an
even more effective organization.
Volunteer Orientation
September 30. This first volunteer
orientation is a must for all volunteers
to cover history, philosophy, rules
and regulations, and give everyone
an opportunity to ask questions of Dr.
Paul Green and staff representatives.
Whether you’ve been a volunteer for
50 years or one month, you’ll find this
an important few hours of your time.
Coffee and snacks will be served.
9:30–11 am RSVP: Becky 622-2230.
Volunteers Needed
Days of Caring—September 12
and 16. Each year United Way
reaches out to community groups
to utilize their members in a specific
need that is not being met. This year
we’ve picked these two mornings
to complete the historic YWCA
restoration and beautification project
at the shop offices. You can sign up
through the United Way web site or
give me a call to participate 622-2230.
Invasive Plant Removal—October.
Contact Becky Aparicio (629-2230),
volunteer coordinator, or Kendall
Our newest Tucson Audubon volunteer,
ready to get to work!  Welcome Miles
Weston Griffiths (7/2/09, 7lbs 15oz, 20”).
Congratulations Elizabeth and Matt—a
good job well done!
Kroesen (971-2385), Restoration
Program Manager, to volunteer for
invasive plant removal during the
cool season. We will be reaching
out to Audubon members and
people who haven’t been involved
with us in the past. We need lots of
volunteers to help out and introduce
new recruits to hard work on behalf of
the environment. Starting in October
volunteer to help remove giant reed
and other invasive plants. Dates
will be announced via email, or call
Kendall or Becky Aparicio.
Our mission is to utilize all your talents
so we can have productive and happy
volunteers. Candidates will be placed
in areas suitable for their talents, to
meet staff and department needs.
Staff news: welcome to Brad Paxton, farewell Jean Boris
We welcome Brad Paxton as our new
Finance and Operations Manager.
Brad brings extensive experience
from a career of responsible financial
positions in the extractive industries
of mining, oil, and gas, and has a
strong sense of the need
for environmental
stewardship and
awareness. He has
an MBA and is a
Certified Public
Accountant, and
Brad has worked
and traveled globally,
Peace Corps. In addition to their
roles as naturalists at the Mason
Audubon Center, Andrew and
Joanne are docents at Tohono Chul,
and they volunteer as school tour
naturalists and educators at Oracle
State Park.
Whenever presented with a
request or challenge from the Mason
Center, Andy and Joanne step up
with enthusiasm. This past spring
they took on the task of developing
a new program that included the
interactive educational elements of
the Ironwood Festival, but focused
solely on reptiles. They called it
“Smile-with-a-Reptile Day” and it was
a huge success! Not only did they
bring together great presenters with
lots of fascinating live critters and
activities, they publicized the event
so well that over 150 people came
out, many of whom had never been
to the Mason Center.
Volunteers like Andy and
Joanne make the Tucson Audubon
Education Program shine!
including to Columbia, Australia, the
Philippines, China, Ecuador, and
Bangladesh. Tucson Audubon is
indeed fortunate to have a person
with Brad’s experience, skills, and
application. I hope that members will
take the opportunity of meeting Brad
at upcoming Tucson Audubon
events.
Brad says of his
appointment with Tucson
Audubon: ” I am very
excited to become part of
the Tucson Audubon Society.
I look forward to helping create
September–October 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 7
6
SIX QUESTIONS
First time you went birding?
Spring 1993
Level of birding? Andy and Joanne
describe themselves as novice
birders.
Favorite place to go birding?
Madera Canyon
Unusual event that happened
while birding? The first time
we visited Madera, people were
searching for actor Griffin Dunne,
who was lost, and there had been
reports of a mother black bear with
cubs in the area. We didn’t find
either.
Favorite bird and where did
you see it? Vermillion Flycatcher,
Sonoita Creek
Other hobbies? Joanne and Andy
enjoy hiking along with birding.
Andy takes pleasure in creative
writing, and Joanne plays the Native
American flute.
a strong financial and operational
platform from which the organization
can continue to grow and at the same
time learn more about birding and
conservation in Southeast Arizona.”
Meanwhile we send our thanks to
Brad’s predecessor, Jean Boris, who
needed to step back from her position
with Tucson Audubon because of
family commitments. Jean brought
a new and high level of financial
expertise and analysis to Tucson
Audubon upon which Brad is now
building. We thank her for dedication
beyond the call of duty.
 Tucson Audubon
News Roundup
Kenn Kaufman: making a
difference in our world
Paul & Eng-Li Green
Kenn Kaufman with young birders at Sweetwater Wetlands.
Who would attract 11 young birders
from all over the state to Tucson after
school was back in session? The
answer is, of course, Kenn Kaufman.
Kenn was in southern Arizona at
Tucson Audubon’s invitation, donating
a week of his time to our cause. It’s
a sign of Kenn’s generosity that he
headlined several events designed to
celebrate our 60th anniversary and
to raise funds for Tucson Audubon’s
work.
After spending time with the young
birders at Sweetwater Wetlands, Kenn
gave us a lunchtime presentation at
The Lodge at Ventana Canyon and
then was special guest at an evening
gathering at Dr. John and Sherri
Madden’s house on Sabino Creek.
The following morning we were off
soon after dawn on a birding trip that
ended in Miller Canyon and took in
Betsy Armstrong, Ned Bailey, Margot
Beeston, M.H. Brackett, Karin Butler,
Helen Comfort, Ginger Cox, Tom
and Kathy Cushna, Marcy Duke,
Randy Duke, Eliza Durbrow, Robert
Evans, Marian Farman, Phyllis
Folta, Dedrian Gibbs, Daniel and
Joan Gilb, Joel Gilb, Melody Gilkey,
Carol Grieshaber, Misty Gruber,
Harry B. Hooper, Glenn Johnson,
Jody Johnson, Martha Kamp,
David and Barbara Kane, Larry and
8 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009
National Audubon’s Appleton-Whittell
Research Ranch near Elgin. On
Saturday, Kenn gave the Tucson
Audubon-sponsored keynote address
at the Southwest Wings Birding
Festival, and signed a great many
books. We thank Birds & Business
Alliance members The Lodge at
Ventana Canyon in Tucson and the
Casa de San Pedro in Hereford for
accommodating Kenn during his stay.
We thank Kenn for his inspiring work
in educating people about the natural
world and the need to work to protect
it. Kenn is making a great difference
in the world through his teaching and
his example.
Kenn is currently revising his
classic book Advanced Birding. His
most recent book is Flights Against
the Sunset which is available through
Tucson Audubon’s Nature Shops.
Welcome new members!
Sharon Levinson, Nancy Long, Helen
Michielli, Max Midlam, Larry Miller,
Robert Miller, Jim Parker, Caroline
Patrick, Barbara Patten, Brad Paxton
and Laura LePere, Philip Peterson,
Ron Pulliam, Alison Reichle, Edward
Richards and Paula Gills, Judy
Scheig, Ron Serviss, Leslie Sinclair,
Mr. and Mrs. Leigh Spigelman, Alan
Sudweeks, Linda Sugerman, Jeff
Tannler, Carl and Jan Vail, Sandra
Wellstood, Morgan Williams
Community trips to learn about Sandhill Cranes
and raptors, in southeast Arizona
Tucson Audubon is organizing two conservation works as we marvel at
community trips to the southeast the spectacle of the Sandhill Cranes.
of our state to learn about Sandhill Our Birds of Prey trip to the
Cranes and the many birds of prey Sulphur Springs Valley, on Saturday
that spend their winter in the region. February 13, 2010, will be organized
The trip to see the Sandhill jointly with the Southern Arizona Bird
Cranes, on Saturday January 23rd, Observatory (SABO). Raptor experts
2010, will be organized jointly with from Tucson Audubon and SABO will
the Arizona Land and Water Trust. be on hand to help with identification
Experts from Tucson Audubon of the birds, tell us why they are there,
and the Arizona Game and Fish and explain the behavior of the birds.
Department will be on hand to talk Planning is at a preliminary stage.
about the biology of the cranes, and We’ll be traveling in buses from
representatives from the Arizona Tucson and would appreciate your
Land and Water Trust will talk about early indication of interest. Contact
planned conservation of the lands Jean Barchman on 622-5622 or
to ensure that the birds continue to jbarchman@tucsonaudubon.org.
thrive here in the winter. Our goal is There will be a charge to cover the
to show how the complex world of costs of buses and incidentals.
Doris Evans
Elaine R. Wilson / Naturepicsonline.com
Sandhill Cranes at Whitewater Draw
Coming in early 2010
A class for beginners / novices:
Backyard Birding and Beyond
Watch the web and the November–December
issue of the Vermilion Flycatcher for details
Young Birders Group that attended
the field trip with Kenn Kaufman
Riley Babson, Skylar Ehrenstrom,
Joel Gilb, Lucina Girga, Luke Girga,
Alex Lopez, Chris McAllister, Gabriel
Riegner, Micah Riegner, Sydney Smith,
Alex Sparks
Kendall Kroesen
Birds & Business Alliance
Desert Toyota of Tucson
Sundance Press
Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson VF
 Tucson Audubon
Events and Classes
Landscaping for Wildlife and Sustainability
September 12–23, two Saturdays and two Wednesday nights
Tucson Audubon HQ and various field locations
Lee Pagni
Water harvesting and use of native plants (like this Condalia) are catching on in Tucson. This course will help particpants
integrate these practices and many others into sustainable landscapes that create bird habitat.
What ecological issues can we address through
landscaping? Which birds are in Tucson and what
are their habitat needs? How do we go beyond
just using native plants to provide habitat for
birds? Tucson Audubon’s landscaping course will
consider these questions and many others.
Landscaping for Wildlife participants will meet
two Saturday mornings and two Wednesday
evenings between September 12 and 23. Saturday
classes (Sept. 12 and 19) will run from 7 am to
1 pm and Wednesday night classes (Sept. 16 and
Adult Basic Bat Ecology And
Viewing Program
September 11, 6:30–11 pm • Tucson
September 12, 6:30–11 pm • Nogales
Don’t miss this chance to see lesser long-
nosed (endangered) and Mexican long-tongued
nectivorous bats as they migrate back to Mexico.
These bats migrate here in the spring in large
numbers to give birth to their young, feeding on
saguaros and later agave flower nectar.
Dr. Ronnie Sidner will present two separate bat
ecology and viewing programs as bats drink at the
hummingbird feeders supplied by by Dr. John and
Sherri Madden in Tucson on Friday September
11, and by Linda Pfister in Nogales on Saturday
September 12. Light refreshments will be at both
venues.
Registration is $30 for Friends of Tucson
Audubon, $65 for non-members and includes a
membership in Tucson Audubon. Free for one child
age 10–15 per adult. Limited to 12 participants
per program. To register, contact Matt Brooks at
mbrooks@tucsonaudubon.org or 622-2230.
Participants in January’s clas
s said:
“This course was excellent.
Went into
enough depth to allow me
to translate
concepts into design.”
“Speakers who were passion
ate about
their subject—infectious!”
“I work better knowing wha
t you
Kendall Kroesen
showed me.”
This course will provide valuable information
and ideas for landscape designers, master
gardeners, do-it-yourselfers, and anyone else
interested in making their properties more
sustainable and friendlier to birds.
Course topics include:
• Problems of current Tucson landscapes, and
solutions
• Local bird diversity and what birds need
• Principles of sustainable design
23) will go from 7 to 9 pm. The classes are taught • The role of insects/arthropods
by Greg Corman of Gardening Insights and Paul • Rainwater harvesting and other hardscape
Green and Kendall Kroesen of Tucson Audubon. issues
Other great guest speakers will participate as well. • Native plant diversity, structure and density for
The course fee is $250. Please register wildlife
by contacting Jean Barchman at 622-5622 • Native plant availability in the nursery trade
or jbarchman@tucsonaudubon.org. If you • Irrigation strategies for plant establishment
have questions about the course, contact • Desert garden aesthetics
Kendall Kroesen at 971-2385 or kkroesen@ • Tucson Audubon’s landscape recognition
tucsonaudubon.org. program
Birds and Beers Meetup
Thursday, September 17, 5–7 pm
Tucson Audubon Library/Courtyard
Birds and Beers is a new opportunity for you to
mix and mingle with fellow birders each month.
This low-key event is a way for you to meet up
with friends and introduce yourself to those familiar
Bob Wenrick
listserv names you haven’t met yet. Share gear
tips, travel plans, and more, or bring your photos
on a memory stick to share with the group. BYOB
to this fun and informal gathering.
Are your hummingbird feeders being drained
at night? Two nectar feeders—lesser long-
nosed bat (above), which is listed as federally
Available in our Nature ­Shops
endangered, and the Mexican long-tongued bat,
Bats in Question by
an Arizona species of concern—are becoming
Don L. Wilson. A host of
common visitors to Tucson area hummingbird
bat facts, with photos by
feeders in late summer and early fall. Both
Merlin D. Tuttle. Topics
are gentle, beneficial pollinators. Visit www.
include: natural and
marana.com/bats or contact Ted Fleming at
evolutionary history,
ted@sonaura.net to find out how you can join
conservation status,
a bat monitoring project this summer. Ted will
impacts on humans and
be giving a presentation at Tucson Audubon’s
ecosystems. $24.95
Mason Center on September 26 (see p 13).
September–October 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 9
 Tucson Audubon
Events & Classes
Riparian Family Institute
October 17–18 • San Pedro River
Riparian Family Institute is a weekend trip for
the entire family that incorporates children’s
activities into an atmosphere in which everyone
can experience nature and learn together. The
Institute focuses on the rich plant and animal life
found streamside along the beautiful San Pedro
River near Dudleyville, Arizona. One of the last
free-flowing rivers joining Mexico and the United
States, the San Pedro River provides a green oasis
in the desert, and is home to hundreds of species
of plants, birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and
mammals. This river corridor is considered one
of the most biologically diverse areas in North
America. Families will delve into river ecology while
getting up-close-and-personal with streamside
flora and fauna. Hosted in cooperation with Pima
County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation,
and The Nature Conservancy. The price is
$260 for a family of four and includes all meals
from lunch Saturday to lunch Sunday. Camping
equipment and transportation to the site are the
responsibility of the participants. To register or for
more information, contact Matt Brooks, Education
Outreach Specialist, at 622-2230 or mbrooks@
tucsonaudubon.org. Registration is limited to 32
participants, so register soon.
Matt! Brooks
Tucson Audubon’s Living with Nature Lecture Series
Tucson Living with Nature
Lecture Series / Member Meetings
DuVal Auditorium, NE section of the University
Medical Center Bldg. 501 N Campbell Ave.
Program begins at 7 pm, second Monday of each
month September through May.
Green Valley Living with Nature
Lecture Series
Joyner-Green Valley Library, 601 N La Canada
Dr. 594-5295. Program begins at 10 am, third
Saturday of each month October through May.
Contact Jean Barchman, 622-5622 or
jbarchman@tucsonaudubon.org for more
information or visit tucsonaudubon.org.
10 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009
Lifelong Birding Series Specialty Workshops
September 2009–February 2010 • Various locations
As part of the Lifelong Birding Series and in
addition to the Moving to Mastery Class, Tucson
Audubon offers four specialty workshops that focus
on identification details for specific groups.
These workshops are open to all, but those
who have taken the Moving to Mastery class (see
below) will receive preference. Each ­two-­day class
will comprise one Wednesday lecture, 6 to 9  pm,
and one Saturday field trip, 7  am to 5  pm. Class
capacity is 10 participants.
Specialty workshops are $110 for members and
$145 for non-members and include a membership
in Tucson Audubon. Full workshop details can be
found in the July–August Vermilion Flycatcher.
Warblers, September 2 & 5, ­2009
Key structural characteristics and similar species
comparisons, with an introduction to learning
warbler v­ ocalizations.
Flycatchers, September 9 & 12, ­2009
Introduction to the diverse Tyrannidae family,
highlighting the ways to separate the kingbirds,
pewees, empids, and flycatchers of SE ­Arizona.
Moving to Mastery
October 14–November 11; Wednesday lectures 6–9 pm;
Saturday field trips begin 7 am and vary in length • Various locations
Yes, our Moving to Mastery course, designed for
adults with some birding experience and skills,
will help you become a better birder. Master birder
and educator Homer Hansen guides you through
the identification of difficult species groups and
provides tools to build up your birding abilities (bird
topography, introduction to flight and voice ID).
Five class sessions are reinforced with four
field trips. Lectures meet at the Audubon offices on
University Blvd. Field trips vary in length depending
September 14 • Tucson
Protecting Wildlife Both Sides of the
Border: Stories of the Cuatro Gatos with Sergio Avila
The Sky Islands are the merging grounds of tropical and
temperate climates. Sky Island Alliance has initiated
wildlife surveys in private properties of northern Sonora,
building cooperative relationships with landowners
to facilitate research and protect patches of habitat
throughout the region. Sergio Avila, biologist and
Northern Mexico Conservation Program Coordinator for
Sky Island Alliance, will present results from the surveys,
including wildlife videos and photographs.
October 12 • Tucson
Urban Raptors, Urban Myths with Jim Dawson,
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
James Prudente
Learn to identify this empid at Tucson Audubon’s
Flycatcher Specialty Workshop
Sparrows, January 27 & 30, ­2010
Detailed look at behavior, structure, and
identification characteristics of wintering sparrows.
Raptors, February 3 & 6, 2­ 010
Habits and morphology of raptors.
For more information or to register, contact Matt
Brooks at mbrooks@tucsonaudubon.org or 622-
2230, or visit www.tucsonaudubon.org/education.
on location and carpools will be set up. Price is
James Prudente
$250 for members and $285 for non-members,
which includes a membership in Tucson Audubon.
Only 20 spaces are available and the class runs
just once a year. The classes are filling up rapidly,
so sign up to ensure you have a spot. For more
information, contact Matt Brooks at mbrooks@
tucsonaudubon.org or 622-2230.
The Audubon Nature Shop will be open before
classes for your convenience.
October 14 • Green Valley
Ethnobotany and Birds in the Sky Islands
Region: A Wealth of Useful Plants with Vince Pinto
Naturalist and wildlife biologist Vince Pinto and his wife,
Claudia, run an outdoor environmental school Raven’s-
Way Wild Journeys that offer nature-based experiential
programs. Vince will talk about the wide variety of local/
native plants that have an amazing number of uses
(food, medicine, shelter, tools, rope, dye, fishing tackle,
and even bird calls!) for humans and birds alike, and
show how the same plants serve as vital resources for a
diversity of bird species.
November 9 • Tucson
The Careful Foot: Reconciling the Needs of People
and Wildlife with Prof. Michael Rosenzweig
 Events Calendar
40th Annual Institute of Desert Ecology
April 15–18, 2010 • Catalina State Park Sep 2 & 5. Lifelong Birding Series specialty
workshop: Warblers (details p 10)
Sep 9 & 12. Lifelong Birding Series specialty
Sara Pike

workshop: Flycatchers (details p 10)

Sep 12. Bat Night with Rillito River Project
(955-3429)
Sep 12 & 16. Days of Caring (details p 7)
Sep 12–23. Landscaping for Wildlife course
(details p 9)
Sep 14. Living With Nature lecture (Tucson):
Protecting Wildlife Both Sides of the Border.
Sergio Avila, Sky Island Alliance (details p10)
Sep 11 &12. Adult Basic Bat Ecology and
Viewing program (details p 9)
Sep 17. Birds and Beers Meetup (details p 9)
Sep 18–19. IBA Bird Survey. Patagonia
Calling all Mountains, Humboldt Canyon system. Citizen-
Linwood Smith (left) has been teaching Sonoran Desert artists! If you Science or IBA experience needed. Camping.
idea for the 40th have a good
Ecology for IDE for 39 years! annual Institute IBA office: 628-1730.
Ecology T-shirt, of Desert
we’d love to see
end of Januar y we it. At the Sept. 26. Tucson Audubon NW meeting at the
The Institute of Desert Ecology is still months ’ll review the subm
we receive and iss ions Mason Center (details p 13)
away, but it’s already on our minds. Next year’s decide on a winn
design will then er. That
Institute will be an amazing milestone for Tucson grace our newest Oct 9–10. IBA Bird Survey. Patagonia
T-shirt. Obvious IDE
Audubon’s longest-running education program—40 ly, the submissio
n should be
Mountains, “High Range” canyons. Citizen-
Sonoran Desert
years of teaching Sonoran Desert ecology. We themed. For mor Science or IBA experience needed. Camping.
please email Mat e details,
are proud to have more than 2000 graduates from t Brooks at mbroo IBA office: 628-1730.
tucsonaudubon. ks@
the program from over the years, many of whom org.   Oct 12. Living With Nature lecture (Tucson):
have gone on to careers in a similar field or used Urban Raptors, Urban Myths. Jim Dawson,
the knowledge gained in teaching others. If you Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
have attended in the past, seriously consider a 17th. This is a good way to
reconnect with the faculty and relive some of Oct 14–Nov 11. Moving to Mastery course
refresher. If you’ve heard of the event but haven’t
the fun moments of past Institutes. The cost for (details p 10)
yet attended, this is the year to do it. In the spirit of
celebration of this milestone year, we’re offering a the Saturday meal is $30.00. Oct 17. Living With Nature lecture (Green
couple of fun ideas for past or future attendees: 2. T-shirt contest—See the boxed text above for Valley): Ethnobotany and Birds in the Sky
1. Graduation Dinner – If you would like to more information. Islands Region. Vince Pinto (details p 10)
attend again but aren’t able to come for the full To register or for more information, contact Matt Oct 17–18. Riparian Family Institute (details
program, you are welcome to join us for the Brooks, Education Outreach Specialist, at 622- p 10)
evening graduation meal on Saturday, April 2230 or mbrooks@tucsonaudubon.org.
Nov 9. Living With Nature lecture (Tucson):
The Careful Foot: Reconciling the Needs of
People and Wildlife. Prof Michael Rosenzweig
Tucson Audubon’s Second Annual Gala
February 2, 2010 • The Arizona Inn

Water is the theme of Tucson Audubon’s Second com where Available in our Nature ­Shops
Annual Gala and we invite you to come and Make you can also Birding Essentials by Jonathan Alderfer and
Paul & Eng-Li Green

a Splash for Wildlife! at the Arizona Inn on
February 2. Our keynote speaker will be Tucson
Audubon member Professor Robert Glennon,
Morris K. Udall Professor of Law and Public Policy
in the Rogers College of Law at the University
of Arizona. Robert is author of Unquenchable:
America’s Water Crisis and What To Do About It,
published in April 2009. His previous books include
the highly acclaimed Water Follies: Groundwater
Pumping and the Fate of America’s Fresh Waters
(2002). Read more about Robert at www.rglennon.
watch his recent Jon L. Dunn. A great book for beginners and
appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. advanced birders alike, this
We’ll have a live bird again, though it probably book is filled with information
won’t be a duck or cormorant! Right now we are on “how to” watch birds. It
asking you to do two things: make a note in your starts with basics, but also
calendar and consider which of your friends you includes many advanced
will invite. We are also looking for significant and birding techniques. The
elegant donations for our Silent Auction. For more book is a core resource for
information, please contact Jean Barchman at Tucson Audubon’s Moving
622-5622 or Sandy Elers, Development Chair, at to Mastery classes. $15.95
260-9171. VF

September–October 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 11

 Special Feature | Education resource development
Tucson Audubon’s Mason
Lia Sansom | Mason Center Outreach Coordinator
The Mason Center’s Conditional Use Permit
Left & Center: Kendall Kroesen; Right: Lia Sansom
On June 16, 2009, the Pima County
Board of Supervisors approved the
Conditional Use Permit for our Mason
Center property. On June 25, I found an
envelope in my office mailbox addressed
to the Tucson Audobon[sic] Society from
Pima County. Inside was a single piece of
paper entitled, “Pima County Zoning Use
Permit.” It took me at least five minutes to
understand this simple-looking document
was what I have worked hard to obtain
over the past four years. Its size seemed
incongruous with the nearly ten-year total
effort for it.
The Conditional Use Permit allows
Tucson Audubon to use the Mason
Center, which was previously zoned as
residential, as a public service facility.
Once we had achieved the zoning
upgrade, we could obtain a permit to
construct a small public restroom using a
strawbale structure to house a composting
toilet. The Conditional Use Permit will also
allow us to build a driveway and pathways
when we have the funds to do so.
These improvements will increase public
accessibility at the property.
So where are we in the construction
Bob Wenrick
process? When do folks get to stack
bales of straw and sling mud plaster onto
the walls? And most importantly, how
can you help? As I write this, the building
plans are being finalized and will shortly
be taken down to the County for permits.
12 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009
A schedule will be laid out for construction
and we shall begin! Before that can
happen, though, we need to amass a
group of skilled volunteers for some
of the construction tasks. Because of
the small scale of this project, volunteers
can easily assist with more than one
component.
• General construction assistant:
Assist lead contractor in all phases of
construction; must be skilled in general
construction tasks and physically
capable; must be willing to be on-site
through the entire construction process
• Framing: Assist with framing the
restroom
• Insulation: Install insulation in the
ceiling of the restroom and ramada
• Drywall: Hang drywall inside the
restroom
• Roofing: Assist with metal roof
installation
A volunteer naturalist leads a walk along one of
the nature trails around the Mason Center
• Painting: Prime and paint all necessary
areas, inside and out
• Plastering: We will either use stucco
or run this as an earthen plaster
workshop, depending on available
volunteers and materials cost
• Solar system installation, including
solatubes
If you are qualified and willing to assist
with construction, contact Becky Aparicio
at baparicio@tucsonaudubon.org or 622-
2230. With your help, we can see this
project to its completion!
What is the Mason Center
and how can I visit it?
The Mason Center is a 20-acre parcel on the
northwest side of Tucson dedicated to ironwood
tree preservation and environmental education,
honoring the wishes of William and Orpha
Mason who previously owned the property.
Visitor access is restricted to public events, like
the one on September 26 (see opposite page).
Tucson Audubon’s Mason Center
needs funds! The new construction
work at the Mason Center has a price tag
of close to $100,000. This would pay for
the restroom, driveway, pathways, and
maintenance of the existing buildings. If
you’d like to help us build, call Lia Sansom
on 520-971-6238. Thank you.

Center
The Mason Center is inching towards its goal of serving
as a demonstration site for sustainable design in home
building and landscaping. Sustainable design features
include (left to right) solar panels on the roof of the
classroom; rainwater harvesting cisterns; and the soon-
to-be-installed composting toilet.
Coming to the
Mason Center in September
On Saturday September 26 the first of what
is hoped will develop into a series of lectures
will be held at the Mason Center. A number of
members who live on the northwest side asked
if some programs could be scheduled in the
area, and we’ve responded.
When: Saturday September 26
Where: Mason Center, Thornydale and Hardy
Time: Formal program 10 am to noon
9:30 am coffee and pastries, dulcimer music by
Mary Walker, and social time. A diverse and
interesting program is planned, so we hope to
have a great turnout.
Program: The first speaker will be Carolyn
Campbell, Executive Director of the Coalition
for Sonoran Desert Protection. Her topic will be
Coming Conservation Challenges.
The next speaker will be Theodore (Ted)
H. Fleming, Adjunct Professor, Department of
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University
of Arizona, speaking about the citizen science
program for collecting data on nectar-eating
bats at hummingbird feeders (see p 9).
Mark your calendars for September 26!
Louis Benson
Champion of the Mason Center
If you happened to pass the Mason Center
on the evening of Saturday, June 27, you
may have wondered if there was an Ironwood
Festival going on. Cars lined both sides of Hardy
Road the entire length of the property. Actually,
by my count, there were more vehicles that night
than at any event held at the Mason Center
in the past 4 years. This was not an Ironwood
Festival or other such Tucson Audubon event,
but a celebration of the life of Louis Benson. If
you have ever been involved with setting up an
Ironwood Festival or any other grounds work at
the Mason Center, then you likely met Louis.
He was the long-haired man who emanated a
peaceful feeling while he worked, even while
expounding on the latest damage wreaked by
greedy developers upon the beautiful Tucson
Northwest. He has contributed countless hours
to improving the Center since its dedication to
Tucson Audubon in 1999, from cleaning out a
clogged toilet drain to building the large ramada
on the classroom.
For me, Louis embodied the purpose of the
Mason Center and conservation in northwest
Tucson. Sadly, the rampant development on
that side of town has marred the beauty that
people like William and Orpha Mason cherished.
Many people now see nothing beyond the track
developments, strip malls and crowded roads
when they are somehow forced to drive through
our northwest. Some give it up as a distended
appendage, destined to touch Phoenix. Louis
and other long-term residents in the northwest
September–October 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 13
Doris Evans
have been fighting this tide for over 15 years.
They even tried to establish the Town of
Tortolita between Oro Valley and Marana so
there would be an area where folks could
live gently on the land and not be taken over
by fields of concrete. These residents, often
called “Tortolistas,” still operate as a strong
community—whether formally recognized as a
township or not.
Through knowing Louis and the Tortolistas,
and knowing their cause, I have been able to
persevere in the battle to get the Conditional
Use Permit and build the composting toilet
restroom. Tucson Audubon staff may come and
go, but those folks are committed for the long
term and know the value of a conservation and
education center in Tucson’s northwest.
Louis was one of the few who really carried
the conditional use permitting process through
the various Tucson Audubon staff members
who have worked on it. He led the design of the
restroom until he fell ill last winter. He passed
away on June 13, 2009. His son, Jonas, is
carrying on his father’s work with the Mason
Center restroom and in their family business,
the Lou Benson Construction Company. I am
saddened to know that Louis will not see the
restroom erected, but I still imagine him standing
behind me as we complete this process, with the
dedication and kindness he always had. VF
Lia Sansom
Above: Louis Benson (left) and Doug McVie working
on improvements to the Mason Center in 2001.
 Special Feature | Citizen Participation

Building a Community
Birding Resource

John Kennedy
Paul Green and AAron Floyd

Tucson
Audubon and
AviAtlas invite
you to contribute
information on
your favorite
birding sites
in the Tucson
region in
order to build
a community
birding resource.

One of Tucson Audubon’s main goals is
to get people outside and watching birds. We
believe this is an important first step in learning
about our natural world that ultimately builds a
constituency for conserving the habitats that are
fast disappearing under development.
In addition to asking you to participate in
Citizen Science activities (Tucson Bird Count,
Christmas Bird Count, Breeding Bird Survey,
eBird, Great Backyard Bird Count, and others;
see also p 3), Tucson Audubon offers you the
opportunity of joining with us and AviAtlas to
develop a comprehensive birding resource
specifically for the Tucson area. Our goal with
Kendall Kroesen
locations to publish the Tucson Birding Trail
Map. The detailed map will reveal new birding
opportunities in Tucson to those of you who
thought you had covered it all. It will be useful to
traveling birders who use Tucson as an access
point to bird southeast Arizona (and provide a
boost for our local economy by encouraging
birders to stick around Tucson a little longer). It
will complement and expand our Finding Birds
in Southeast Arizona publication. But most
importantly it will be an essential resource to
those in our community just starting to bird.
While our immediate aim is to publish a
Tucson Birding Trail Map, in reality we will

this joint project is to showcase the birding
opportunities in Tucson and its immediate
vicinity.
One part of the project involves building an
up-to-date wiki type catalog of birding locations
in the Tucson region. These would include
birding hotspots, as well as good local parks
Roger Road WWTP
where you can polish your skills without traveling
very far. We will then use this catalog of birding
14 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009
probably develop a suite of trail maps (for
example, for a north/south Santa Cruz River trail,
and an east/west Rillito River trail). Each trail
would encompass a half-day of birding.
We’ll be developing a number of resources
to disseminate the contributed information. One
would be web-based, with details of the sites
and the birds, that can be accessed anywhere in
the world. Another would be printed brochures
 Kendall Kroesen
y

The golf course and lake at Arthur Pack Regional Park

Left to right: Cactus Wren; Great Egret in Reid Park

for birders to use in the field. A third would be

signage at some of the sites, to reach out to the
local community.
Will you help develop the birding resources
for our area? We hope so. This project
announcement is a call to mobilize the local
birding community to help collect information on
Tucson area birding sites through citizen science-
type efforts.
Here’s what you can do to help. The first part
of the project is to establish birding sites, and
to flesh out descriptions for those sites. Visit
aviatlas.com and check out the Tucson area.
Do you have a favorite birding location that is
not on the map? Now is your chance to add it!
Is your favorite birding location already on the
map but with no information? Now is your chance
to provide that information. We are looking for When you click on a hotspot on the Aviatlas.com map (left) and
choose to edit the details of the site, the form shown above opens.
site descriptions, directions, photographs, bird Fill in any gaps in the information if you can or make a note to
records, and more. collect the information on your next birding trip to the site. Take your
The minute you start adding information, you camera with you so that you can add photographs for users to view.
At this stage, we are most interested in developing descriptions of
are developing the community birding catalog the sites, as well as records of the birds seen.
that will be used to construct the Tucson Birding
Trail Map. What is the purpose of the trail? A
birding trail gives structure to a day’s birding and
enables birders to plan the day to take in a series
How do you get started?
of different habitat types. Structure encourages 1. Go to www.aviatlas.com and register.
people to go out birding.
2. Zoom into the map from world level to the
To help us get started, AviAtlas will make a
Tucson level. You’ll see the birding sites
presentation during the 2010 Living with Nature
pinned on the map.
Lecture Series. They will talk about how to utilize
AviAtlas to develop the Tucson birding sites. 3. Click on a site, review the information, click
“edit info” if you have anything to add.
Aviatlas was co-founded by Aaron Floyd and Eva Baird. 4. If your site is not there, you can add it by
Aaron is a freelance designer, birder, and fisherman. He
John Kennedy

clicking “create new hotspot”.

has a Bachelor’s of Architecture from Virginia Tech. Eva is a 5. Once the hotspot is created you can add
user experience architect and passionate birder. She has a descriptions, photos, and sightings. VF

BFA in Graphic Design from Virgina Tech.

September–October 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 15
What’s in a Name?
Interesting stories about birds with interesting ­names
Aplomado Falcon
Larry Liese
Falcons are a fun family of birds to
enjoy. Any birder seeing a Peregrine
Falcon go into a stoop after prey
or seeing a Prairie Falcon make its
horizontal “strafing run” can’t help but
marvel at these birds’ abilities. One of
the harder-to-encounter members of this
group is the beautiful Aplomado Falcon.
Once considered fairly common in our
part of the country, in the U.S. it can now
generally be found only in areas where
reintroduction programs are operating.
Nonetheless, an encounter with one of
these birds will leave one breathless. My
sole encounter with one happened in
Texas at the Laguna Atascosa National
Wildlife Refuge. Coming to a halt at the
stop sign on the end of the one-way
loop, I caught a blur to the left, and an
Aplomado Falcon landed in a yucca
fifteen feet outside my car window! I
couldn’t believe my luck, and (watching
in air-conditioned comfort, no less) took
in this bird’s awesome beauty at close
range.
Compilers often keep nesting raptor
species’ whereabouts under wraps, so
don’t look for this bird on the local Rare
Bird Alert postings. But if you happen
to be in areas north of their closest
natural stronghold in central Chihuahua
in Mexico, you might just see a wild bird
wandering north of the border, especially
in the fall. While chasing one—sighted
near Las Cruces, New Mexico, (missed
the bird by a week), we happened upon a
local resident who told us that they were
nearly annual over there that time of
year. “They wander
up north
16 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009
after monsoon season,” he related, “that
is, ‘til the wintering peregrines from up
north come and chase them back
south of the border.” Whether this
holds true often enough or not, some
lucky individuals have seen them there in
early September, so if you happen to be
driving by...
In the U.S. the Aplomado
Falcon can now generally
be found only in areas
where reintroduction
programs are operating.
Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis),
has an interesting derivation to its name.
The word “falcon” comes from the Latin
falx/falcis or “sickle,” for the family’s
curved beak and talons. Femoralis refers
to the bright coloring of this species’
upper legs. “Aplomado” seems to come
from both the Spanish word aplomar/
plomado “to plumb” and the Latin word
plumbum “lead,” in reference to a plumb-
bob, a lead weight on a string used to
show a true vertical line downwards. Our
bird apparently gained this moniker due
to its habit of near vertical descent when
stooping after prey, along with having
lead-colored plumage. The literature
notes that when these falcons go into a
stoop they continue to beat their wings
rapidly while descending for greater
speed. Now that would be fun to see!
Aplomados presently range from
introduced sites in Texas and New
Mexico (see The Peregrine Fund’s
website for further
details on that
George
West
George
West
program: www.
peregrinefund.org)
along with sparse natural
occurrences mostly in New
Mexico southward on through
Mexico, Central America, and
through much of South America. Habitat
preference in our area is of desert
grasslands with scattered yuccas and
mesquites. In Chihuahua, Mexico, they
prefer lightly grazed desert grassland
with scattered yuccas, mesquites, desert
willows, and little-leaved sumac. They
don’t build nests as some raptors do,
but either borrow (stick) nests or use
a site that works as is. Interestingly, in
more tropical areas they often use large
arboreal bromeliads for nesting sites.
Aplomados can adapt well to available
food items. These falcons eat mostly birds
and insects, but also bats, small rodents
and lizards. They are extremely agile
afoot and run swiftly after grounded prey,
and deftly hop from branch to branch
when pursuing prey through trees and
shrubs.
So, if you happen to be in an area
where Aplomados have been seen, keep
your eyes peeled for both perched and
soaring raptors in the right habitat. You
may be the lucky one that day and get
to see one of our more beautiful raptors.
Good luck! VF
Available in our
Nature S ­ hops
Raptors of Western
North America by
Brian K. Wheeler. The
most thorough guide to
the American West’s
raptors, fully illustrated
with hundreds of full-
color photographs and
detailed species maps. $29.95
 Where to Go, Birds to See
East Meets South
Rich Hoyer | Wings
September and October are exciting
months for birding in southeast Arizona.
Birds are on the move, and as a result
of breeding successes, their numbers
are at a yearly peak. But first let’s recap
what has been an exciting summer in
southeast Arizona.
The highest temps of the year did little
to keep us indoors when the first North
American record of Gray-collared Becard
was photographed in South Fork Cave
Creek in early June. Rick Taylor wrote of
that bird in the last issue of the Vermilion
Flycatcher and put everyone on the alert
for additional possibilities. And just a
few weeks later, one of his premonitions
became reality when Dave Jasper and
the Camp Chiricahua group of teenagers
he was leading found a Brown-backed
Solitaire in Miller Canyon on July 17th.
As I write this, the bird is still being seen
and heard singing its ethereal jangle of a
song, having moved to Ramsey Canyon,
exactly 3 miles to the northwest.
Other Mexican strays that have
kept visitors and locals entertained are
continuing Flame-colored Tanager,
Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Sinaloa
Wren, Short-tailed Hawk, Rufous-capped
Warbler and Buff-collared Nightjar. A
Rose-throated Becard briefly seen out of
habitat between Old Glory Canyon and
California Gulch, a fleeting Eared Quetzal
at Chiricahua National Monument, a very
out-of-season Ruddy Ground-Dove at
the Paton’s feeders in Patagonia, and
an Aztec Thrush in Ramsey Canyon
were additional prize finds. That’s a very
impressive tally for just two months. Some
of these may breed here as isolated
Rich Hoyer
Five-striped Sparrow
pairs but in
reality are
well beyond
their normal
ranges and
shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Birds like Five-striped Sparrow and
Buff-breasted Flycatcher have slightly
more established breeding populations
here, but they are still very local. Great
finds were individuals of the former in
Montosa and Florida Canyons and one of
the latter in Willow Canyon in the Santa
Catalinas.
We local birders are almost as
enthused about vagrants from eastern
North America as we are of those
from the south. This summer we were
treated to an unusually large number of
Yellow-throated Vireos, Rose-breasted
Grosbeaks, Northern Parulas, Gray
Catbirds, and Hooded Warblers. A
Kentucky Warbler and a White-eyed Vireo
also made appearances. A group of ten
White-rumped Sandpipers on June 4 at
Willcox was utterly mind-blowing with
13 the next morning, but the next day
they were gone. A Pacific Golden-Plover
there on June 26th and 27th was only the
second record for Arizona. A surprising
influx of Elegant Terns in the second
week of June seemed to be related to
the sudden abandonment of an island
colony in the Gulf of California due to a
warm water upwelling that presumably
decimated their food supply.
The usual numbers of White-eared and
Lucifer Hummingbirds were reported from
feeders as well as away from them, while
the number of Berylline Hummingbirds
has been unusually high this year. And
the mention of hummingbirds brings us
to my recommendations for birding in
this season. Numbers and diversity of
these jewels continue to be at peak until
the passage of the first cold front in early
October, so visits to Ash Canyon Bed &
Breakfast, Beatty’s Guest Ranch, and the
Paton’s feeders will be time (and money—
remember the $5 sugar fund fee) well
spent. It will be interesting to see if the
Paton’s male Ruby-throated Hummingbird
September–October 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 17
.kiwifoto.com
Taylor, www
Christopher
Brown-backed Solitaire
has survived another year to make his
third annual stopover on his way south
from who-knows-where in early October.
The pine-oak woodlands become quiet
this time of year, so it’s a good idea to
head to the river valleys and grasslands
and look for areas that received good
monsoon rain. Along desert washes and
ditches where sunflowers and grasses
thrived you might find concentrations
of sparrows, buntings, and grosbeaks.
Good areas for these are along the Santa
Cruz River anywhere from Nogales right
through to Tucson and north to Marana
(try checking out extensive crossing on
Sasco Road west of Red Rock), Arivaca
Cienega and Creek, and the San Pedro
River.
Several observers in recent years
have found that the first arriving Baird’s
Sparrows actually appear in early
September and may be more likely to
sit up on fences this early in the season.
The San Rafael grasslands is probably
the best place for this species. It’s
also vagrant warbler season, so any
isolated, lush patch of vegetation is worth
checking. Our local favorite, Sweetwater
Wetlands, is never a bad place to spend
your morning.
Finally, it’s a great time of year for
wildflowers and insects. Turn to page 830
in your Kearny and Peebles and start
keying out those amazing composites.
You’ll be amazed at the uniqueness of
Trixis and Lagascea if you can find them.
Use your digital camera to snap shots of
the myriad beetles, grasshoppers, moths
and butterflies, then spend hours at
Bugguide.net. It’s a great time of year to
be here. VF
Rich Hoyer is Senior Leader for
WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, www.
wingsbirds.com/leaders/view/18.
 Conservation and Education News
Chris McVie, Paul Green, Kendall Kroesen, and Scott Wilbor
Reprise for grasslands
The Sulphur Springs Valley Electric
Cooperative (SSVEC) wants to install
a 69kV line from Huachuca City to
Sonoita through the Babacomari
Ranch. The proposed new line
would run along an easement owned
by SSVEC that runs across the
grasslands of the historic ranch just
to the north of National Audubon’s
Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch, an
area of pristine desert grassland.
The Arizona Corporation
Commission (ACC) linked the
construction to SSVEC’s recent
request for a rate increase, and held
their final SSVEC rate hearing in
Tucson on August 17.
Paul & Eng-Li Green
An area of pristine desert grassland in the Audubon-managed Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch
Buffelgrass infestation in a Tucson neighborhood
18 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009
Following more than two hours
of verbal testimony from the public,
the Arizona Corporation Commission
voted to order SSVEC to halt
construction of the 69kV line, and to
conduct an independent feasibility
study to determine the most cost-
effective and environmentally
appropriate solution to possible
issues, and to conduct public
meetings. Tucson Audubon testified
at the hearing, asking for the
independent feasibility study.
Members of the communities
directly affected by the line questioned
the information presented by SSVEC
about the need for the line, and
for its route. The meeting revealed
significant distrust between the
community and the SSVEC. For
detailed information see www.
tucsonaudubon.org/conservation.
Meanwhile, the Appleton-Whittell
Research Ranch has been awarded
a TogetherGreen Innovation Grant to
create a model for rural communities
that will significantly reduce the
threat of greenhouse gas emissions
by producing electricity through
alternative methods, by implementing
energy efficiency upgrades on
existing structures, and by promoting
energy efficient standards on new
construction.
Brief notes
Wildlife Linkages
The Regional Transportation
Authority’s Wildlife Linkages Working
Group (www.rtamobility.com)
reviewed a proposal to construct
wildlife crossing structures along
State Route 77 (Oracle Highway).
Two underpasses and one overpass
are proposed to increase permeability
and maintain connectivity between
the Tortolita and Catalina Mountains.
The crossings would accommodate
large mammals such a mule deer,
bear, and mountain lion, as well as
smaller animals. The proposal will
be considered for funding in October
2009.
Land Acquisitions
Pima County’s Conservation
Acquisition Commission approved
the acquisition of Dos Picos in the
Tucson Mountains. The 60-acre
property protects a pair of prominent
landmark peaks and adds to the
Tucson Mountain Park boundary. The
purchase was funded by the Pima
County’s 1997 Open Space Bond.
Climate Change
The Pima County Board of
Supervisors approved a resolution
requesting that the U.S. Congress
pass legislation to reverse global
warming, and to create an informed,
well-funded framework to help state,
local, and tribal governments protect
natural resources and wildlife from the
consequences of a warming world.
Buffelgrass Study
On August 17, the Pima County Board
of Supervisors voted to allow a limited
test of aerial spraying of buffelgrass
on steep, remote hillsides. The project
would monitor effectiveness of two
application rates of glyphosate on
twelve, one-acre study plots located
in the Tucson Mountain Park. Full
information at www.pima.gov/nrpr/
pdfs/Buffelgrass_Info_0809.pdf.
Matt Griffiths
 Calling your representative
On June 24, Tucson Audubon
emailed all members on our email list
(see p 4 to sign up for our email list,
or email Jbarchman@tucsonaudubon.
org with your name and email
address) encouraging you to contact
your representative to vote in support
of H.R.2454—American Clean
Energy And Security Act of 2009. The
bill passed with a vote of 219–212
on June 26, and we thank you for
contacting your representative.
In Arizona, only Representatives
Edward Pastor (D, AZ-4), Rául
Grijalva (D, AZ-7), and Gabrielle
Giffords (D, AZ-8) voted for the bill.
Representatives Ann Kirkpatrick
(D, AZ-1), Trent Franks (R, AZ-2),
John Shadegg (R, AZ-3), and Harry
Mitchell (D, AZ-5) voted against the
bill, and Rep Jeff Flake (R, AZ-6)
abstained. The goal of the bill is to
create clean energy jobs, achieve
energy independence, reduce global
warming pollution, and transition to a
clean energy economy.
The bill binds the US to cutting
carbon emissions by 17% from 2005
levels in 2020 and 83% in 2050. It will
also set up a national cap and trade
system. Climate change is already
having profound negative effects
on birds (see www.birdsandclimate.
audubon.org/).
Despite being under significant
pressure to vote against the bill,
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords
voted for H.R.2454. We thank her for
her foresight, and we thank Congress-
men Pastor and Grijalva for their
support. Over the next few weeks, you
will hear an Audubon radio campaign
asking you to call Congresswoman
Giffords to thank her. You may also
receive a phone call from someone
connected with Audubon urging
you to call the Giffords office to
say “thank you.” Please also thank
Representatives Pastor and Grijalva
(see p 26 of the May–June Vermilion
Flycatcher for contact details).
TEP photovoltaic array in Springerville

Arizona Field Ornithologists (AZFO) third
annual statewide meeting
23–25 October, 2009, Tucson
Arizona Field Ornithologists, a
registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded
in 2005, “is an organization of
birders and ornithologists dedicated
to increasing the knowledge of the
identification, status, and distribution
of Arizona’s birdlife.” The AZFO
website (www.azfo.org) offers a
wealth of resources for birders
including Arizona Birds Online,
with articles on bird identification,
status and distribution changes, and
bird-finding. The site also offers a
user-friendly way to submit and view
photos of rare species, and an online
sound library. Their field expeditions
target specific areas to gather more
information on birds and birding
include “The Status of the Cactus
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl in Arizona
and Northern Sonora,” by Scott
Richardson, pygmy-owl coordinator
for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
since 2002; “Recent seasonal
distribution changes in Arizona Birds,”
by AZFO president and Arizona
Breeding Bird Atlas coordinator, Troy
Corman; and “Beaver reintroduction
in relation to breeding birds of
conservation concern along the upper
San Pedro River” by Glenn Johnson,
along with several other presentations.
Area birding clubs and organizations,
and AZFO’s used birding-book sale,
will all have tables throughout the day.
Sunday features more Tucson-area
Protect Davidson Canyon:
comments needed by
September 5
Cement and mining giant Arizona
California Portland Cement Company
(CalPortland) is moving ahead with
plans to mine calcium carbonate
in two open-pit quarries spanning
Davidson Canyon.
In early August CalPortland made
a formal application to the Army Corps
of Engineers, to be allowed to build a
mining haul road across the canyon,
which runs along Scenic Highway 83.
Davidson Canyon, parts of which were
recently designated an “Outstanding
Water of Arizona”, is a major tributary
to Las Cienegas Preserve, and
a critical link in a watershed that
supplies the Tucson Basin with up to
20% of its recharge.
TEP
Home
to protected
species, perennial
above-ground springs, and an
essential wildlife corridor, the
canyon’s vital place in the Sonoran
Desert ecosystem is unquestioned.
Furthermore, archeological
discoveries of objects considered
sacred to indigenous groups are
located within a stone’s throw from the
proposed pits.
The Army Corps of Engineers has
opened the public debate for a 30-day
comment period that ends September
5. Full information at the Empire
Fagan Coalition website. www.
empirefagan.org. VF

locations here in Arizona. field expeditions.

AZFO’s third annual statewide
meeting will be held in Tucson this
year, and is open to both members
and the birding public. Field
expeditions and lectures are free to
AZFO members, nonmembers are
asked for a $10 donation which can
Saturday evening’s dinner at
El Parador features the always-
engaging Rick Taylor, director
of Borderland Tours and author
of the ABA’s A Birder’s Guide to
Southeastern Arizona, as the keynote
speaker on “Vagrants from Mexico:
Both photos Kim Rego

be applied to AZFO membership fees What Birds Could Arizona Expect

for anyone joining during the event.
Friday, October 23 will see
afternoon mini-expeditions in the
general Tucson area. Saturday’s
presentations will be held at DuVal
Auditorium in the University Medical
Center in central Tucson. Topics
Next?” Tickets for the dinner are $25
and can be ordered online or by mail
(reservations due by October 15).
Visit azfo.org/annual_meetings/2009/
meeting_2009.html for more
information. The Davidson Canyon is home to protected species, perennial above-ground springs, and
is an essential wildlife linkage.

September–October 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 19

 Tucson Audubon Field Trips
Darlene Smyth | Field Trip Coordinator
September
September 1—Tuesday 5:30 am
Las Cienegas NCA
A wonderful mix of habitats—prairie
grassland, riparian woodland, cattail
marsh, mesquite scrub—should result
in a productive day’s birding. We’ll
be looking for Zone-tailed and Gray
Hawks, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Cassin’s
and Botteri’s Sparrows, as well as
migrants and anything unusual that may
be around. Bring lunch. Trip limited to 12
participants/4 vehicles. Contact Michael
to register. 80 miles roundtrip. Leader:
Michael Marsden 269-6240 birdanza@
cox.net
September 5—Saturday 6 am
Northeast Tucson
Meet at 6 am at McDonald’s at the
intersection of Tanque Verde and
Catalina Highway. We will explore the
ponds, fields, and washes in northeast
Tucson for post-monsoon activity. Areas
include Woodland Road, the Lakes in the
Castlerock neighborhood, and Tanque
Verde Loop. The diversity of habitats
usually brings a good variety of birds, and
is a favorite for raptors. We will wrap up
at 11 am. Great trip for beginners. Leader:
Brian Nicholas 760-3583 
September 8—Tuesday
Patagonia Hotspots
Exciting birding at some of the premier
spots around Patagonia for lingering
summer residents, southbound migrants
Scott Wilbor
Patagonia Mountains
20 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009
and perhaps a rarity or two! We’ll visit
Harshaw and Sonoita Creeks, Kino
Springs, Roadside Rest, the Patons’
and other sites for a nice mix of birds
and habitats. Trip limited to 15 birders.
Register with leader beginning Aug 25.
Roundtrip approximately 120 miles, return
by early afternoon. Leader: Moez Ali
moezali15@hotmail.com
September 11—Friday 6:30–9:30 pm
Madera Canyon Night Walk
We’ll explore the mysteries of
the night as we prowl for owls,
nightjars, Whip-poor-wills, skunks,
raccoons, snakes, bats, insects and other
nocturnal wildlife. We’ll look for eyeshine
and other fun signs of life. Trip limited to
12 participants. Call leader Pinau Merlin
at 546-9409 or email at pinaumerlin@
hotmail.com
September 12—Saturday 5:30 am
Scotia Canyon
This under-birded canyon on
the west side of the Huachucas
features a smattering of southeast
Arizona’s finest birds including trogons,
quail, tanagers and flycatchers. Join
Tucson Audubon Society for a (likely)
post-monsoonal trip to this isolated
haven. Meet at the Houghton and I-10
carpool spot at 5:30 am. Carpooling in
high clearance vehicles required. Bring
water, sunscreen and hat. Roundtrip
approximately 120 miles. Leader: Clifford
A. Cathers AZCliffy@q.com 762-3201
For the latest or expanded
field trip information
visit www.tucsonaudubon.org
or call us at 520-629-0757
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 appropriately 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
u
NW Tucson: Ina and Via Ponte—
commuter parking lot one block
west of Oracle and Ina, south side
of Ina.
v Central Tucson: First Baptist Church
parking lot on west side of 5th Ave,
1½ blocks south of University Blvd.
Weekdays only.
w SW Tucson: I-19 and Irvington—
Fry’s parking lot.
x Green Valley: I-19 and Continental
Rd exit 63—McDonald’s parking lot.
y 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.
Kendall Kroesen
Peppersauce Canyon
September 15—Tuesday 7 am
Tanque Verde Ranch
We have permission to visit this private
guest ranch located at the very end
of East Speedway. We will bird along
Tanque Verde Wash with 2 ponds,
mesquites and cottonwoods. Done by
noon—restroom and snack break at the
cars midway. A good trip for beginning
birders and those who need to get things
done later in the day. Meet at McDonald’s
on the NE corner of Catalina Hwy and
Tanque Verde Rd. Leader: Bill Wieboldt
885-1227 williamwieb@aol.com
September 19—Saturday 5:30 am
St. David, Wilcox and Benson
Mid-September can offer up plenty of birds
and often some pleasant surprises. We
will check out the riparian habitat at the
St. David Monastery, keeping alert for fall
migrants, then head to the Willcox Twin
Ponds to look for migrating shorebirds.
We’ll stop off at the Benson ponds on our
return to Tucson (by 4 pm). We will be
walking a mile or two over mostly level
ground. Meet at Houghton Road just
north of I-10. (180 miles roundtrip from
Tucson). Leader: Dave Dunford 571-0535
ddunford@dakotacom.net
September 22—Tuesday 6 am
Huachuca Canyon
It is still quite warm in town, so
an early start in this cool canyon
should be pleasantly rewarding as we
search for lingering breeding birds and
migrants. We will finish by late morning.
Have car registration, proof of insurance
and a photo ID available for entrance
onto the Fort. U.S. citizens only, please,
as non-citizen restrictions apply. This
trip is limited to 12 people, so make your
reservations with the leader starting
September 1 (e-mail preferred). Plan on
carpooling from Houghton Rd. north of
I-10 at 6 am (leader not present). More
Dragoon Mountains
details upon registration. (Approximately
180 miles roundtrip from Tucson). Leader:
Erika Wilson terika88@cox.net, 225-0393
(Tucson), 234-4359 (Sierra Vista)
September 26—Saturday 6 am
Peppersauce Canyon
Among the sycamores, oaks and junipers,
this is a great location for fall migrants.
We’ll be looking for tanagers, flycatchers,
warblers, vireos, etc. We’ve had an
American Redstart and an Olive-sided
Flycatcher here on previous September
field trips. Wear sturdy shoes. We will
finish around noon. Meet the leader at
Bashas’ parking lot in Catalina, on the
northeast corner of Oracle Rd. and Golder
Ranch Rd. Trip limited to first 15 who
contact leader beginning Sept. 1.  a pretty canyon through Chihuahua pines
Leader: Doug Jenness at d_jenness@
hotmail.com or 909-1529
September 29—Tuesday 6:30 am
Council Rocks, Dragoon Mountains
We’ll visit this interesting site, learning just
a bit about Native American history while
we check out any birds happening to be
about. A short stretch of steepish steps
cut into the rocks to access the main site
(not suitable for persons of limited
mobility). The dirt road in would be best
traversed in higher clearance vehicles,
so bring yours along if you can. Meet at
Houghton Road, just north of I-10. 130
miles roundtrip. Back by 3 pm. Leader:
Larry Liese 743-3520 or larryliese@
prodigy.net
September–October 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 21
Matt Griffiths
October
October 3—Saturday 7 am
Sweetwater Wetlands
Observe about 40 different species of
birds during a 3- to 4-hour walk around
Sweetwater Wetlands. The common
birds of the Tucson area and quite often
some surprises can be found among
the ponds and bits of desert in this area.
Meet at 7 am in the parking lot. Leaders:
Deborah Vath and Andy Robertson 615-
2285 AndrewRobertsonmd@comcast.net.
October 6—Tuesday 5 am
Humboldt Canyon, Patagonia
Mountains
This trip will be a 3-mile round trip hike up
and oaks. Hiking will be mostly on an
old mine road that is rocky and steep in
places. Wear sturdy footgear, sunscreen,
and bring lunch and water. After lunch we
will probably visit some other well-known
Patagonia localities. The trip is limited
to three high-clearance vehicles; please
email or call the leader on or after Sept
6 to reserve a place and arrange car-
pooling. (140 miles round trip) Leader:
Jim Hays 203-3489 or jhays@iname.
com (email preferred)
October 10—Saturday
Walker Canyon-Pajarito Mountains
We will visit this canyon off Ruby Road to
look for residents including Montezuma
Quail, fall migrants and possible Elegant
Trogon. Please wear sturdy hiking shoes,

Tucson Audubon
Field Trips
sunscreen and hat, bring snack, lunch
and water for a 6-mile (3 in, 3 out) hike
along trail and creek bed. Limit 8 people.
Sign up with leader starting October
1st. Back by 3 pm. (150 miles round trip)
Leader: Michael Bissontz seetrogon@
comcast.net 577-8778
October 13—Tuesday 5:30 am
Arivaca Lake
This is a relatively under-birded
area that has attracted some notable
rarities in the past, including Northern
Jacana. We’ll be looking mainly for
migrants and hoping to come across
something equally exotic. Bring lunch and
we’ll bird Arivaca Cienega for an hour
or two in the afternoon. Meet at Fry’s at
Irvington and I-19 at 5:30 am (leader not
present), McDonald’s in Green Valley
at 6 am or the Cow Palace at Amado at
6:15 am. 120 miles roundtrip from Tucson.
Leader: Michael Marsden 269-6240 or
birdanza@cox.net
October 17—Saturday 6:30–9 pm
Star Party
Meet at the top (northern end) of
Campbell Ave. Sunset will be just before
6:30. This moonless night will be good for
seeing Jupiter and its Galilean moons.
Early evening, we should be able to spot
Venus low in the west, 12 days before it
passes between us and the Sun. There
are several bright stars, double stars and
colorful stars. Bring binoculars if you have
them. Note: if it is significantly cloudy,
do not come, as optics that work in the
visual spectrum cannot penetrate clouds.
Leader: Mike Smith 299-0122 or mssq@
comcast.net
October 20—Tuesday 7:30 am
Beginning Birding at Catalina
State Park
If you have always wanted to try
birding, come spend a relaxing morning
admiring our resident birds at this lovely
park. We will chat about bird behavior,
J. D. Trebec
Catalina State Park
don’t Forget to stop in our Nature Shop for your field and ID Guides, and other birding supplies.
22 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009
Available in our Nature S ­ hops
Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars by
David Chandler. The perfect companion for
instruction on how to star gaze with binoculars,
the ideal “first telescope.” $8.95
Guide to the Stars. This chart offers an up
close look at the layout of the stars in the
northern hemisphere, and can be adjusted to
show the stars for a particular date, time and
day. A must-have for any star gazer! $12.95
identification, books, binoculars…anything
that interests you about birds. The leader
will have a scope for detailed looks at
some of the more cooperative birds.
Register with the leader for specifics
and to determine if you will need loaner
binoculars. Leader: Darlene Smyth 297-
2315 dsmyth3@comcast.net
October 24—Saturday 6:30 am
Tubac, Arizona
Fall migration is underway and
hopefully a cold front or two has passed,
depositing species of interest in the
greenbelt along the Santa Cruz River at
Tubac. Join Tucson Audubon Society for
a stroll through the cottonwoods in search
of southbound vagrants. Meet at Fry’s
parking lot at Irvington and I-19 at 6:30 am
(leader not present) or at the Green
Valley McDonald’s on Continental Road
at 7 am. Bring water, sunscreen and a hat.
Leader: Clifford A. Cathers at AZCliffy@q.
com or 762-3201
October 27—Tuesday 6 am
Cienega Creek
Cienega Creek is a riparian jewel on the
outskirts of Tucson that is little explored
by locals. We’ll search this fine area for
migrants and resident species. The walk
will be 2–3 miles roundtrip. Wear sturdy
shoes. Back by 1 pm. Meet on the west
side of Houghton Rd, just north of I-10 at
6 am. Limited to 12 participants. Call or
email after October 15 to reserve spot.
Local. Leader: Matt! Brooks 623-2230 or
mbrooks@tucsonaudubon.org
October 31—Saturday 8 am
Beginners’ Trip to Agua
Caliente Park in NE Tucson
Join us for a leisurely stroll as we explore
the spring, ponds, and bosque of Agua
Caliente Park. We’ll focus on using
binoculars, finding birds quickly in our
field guides, what makes the park such
a bird magnet, and learning some of the
basic etiquette of a birding trip. Children
must be accompanied by an adult. Loaner
binoculars are available through prior
arrangement with the leader. Halloween
costumes welcomed and encouraged!
Meet in the parking lot of Agua Caliente
Park at 8 am. Leader: Vivian MacKinnon
323-6452 or arcvivian@yahoo.com
SPECIAL FIELD TRIP
May 4–11, 2010
Migration in Southwest Ohio
Blackburnian Warbler? Cerulean
Warbler? Pileated Woodpecker?
Scarlet Tanager? Acadian Flycatcher?
Henslow’s Sparrow? Philadelphia
Vireo?… More? Join Clifford Cathers
of Economy Birding Services, Inc.
for this exciting field trip to southwest
Ohio during the peak of the spring
migration. This little-birded section of
our country offers a wealth of birds,
lush deciduous forests, comfortable
and inexpensive accommodations,
interesting weather and memorable
food. Clifford will reveal his favorite
boyhood birding spots in search of 150
or more Eastern species, including up
to 35 varieties of warblers. Interested?
Contact Clifford at AZCliffy@q.com or
762-3201, or Darlene Smyth, Tucson
Audubon Field Trip Coordinator at
DSmyth3@comcast.net or 297-2315
for a detailed trip description, bird
checklist and registration form. Tucson
Audubon is testing a new concept for
overnight field trips where participants
share in the leader’s basic expenses.
Registration for this trip is $100.00
which is your total share of the leader’s
expenses. Register soon!!! Minimum 8
participants; maximum 15 participants
accepted.

Birding Travel
from our Business Partners
Adventure Birding C
­ ompany
www.adventurebirding.com
info@adventurebirding.com • 495-0229
San Blas: Mangrove Estuaries, Coffee Fincas,
Palm Forests and More. Dec 12–20, 2009, $1990.
Leader: Keith Kamper. The coastal fishing village of
San Blas is one of the premier birding destinations
in Mexico. We’ll visit mangrove estuaries, coffee
fincas, beaches and coastal lagoons. 25 Mexican
endemics possible including San Blas Jays,
Rufous-necked ­Wood-­rail, Cinnamon Hummingbird
and Golden Vireo. Jungle boat tour with oddities
like ­Boat-­billed Heron and Northern Potoo, even
iguanas and crocodiles! We will be based at one
motel throughout; so we can unpack, unwind and
enjoy the region’s natural and cultural history,
fresh mariscos and green flash ­sunsets.
South Texas: Specialties and Migrants in the
Lower Rio Grande Valley. April 3–11, 2010, $1890.
Leaders: John Yerger and/or Jake Mohlmann. Join
us in “the other” premier U.S. birding destination,
with guides who have lived and birded there. With
specialties like Great Kiskadee, Green Jay and
Altamira Oriole, how can you miss? We’ll sample
all habitats from tidal mudflats to subtropical
thornscrub to prime Chihuahuan Desert. Visit both
classic hotspots and lesser-known local secrets for
rarer residents like Clay-colored Robin and Hook-
billed Kite. This trip is timed to catch loads of spring
migrants, and probably a few Mexican rarities!
Nature Treks and P
­ assages
www.naturetreks.net.
­info@naturetreks.net • 781-789-8127
Copper Canyon, Mexico. Oct. 17–25 and
Nov. 28–Dec. 6. Unique 9-Day Birding Tour.
See breathtaking vistas of the Sierra Madre
Mountains. Enjoy the Copper Canyon Train
ride from sea level to canyon rim. Relax on the
tranquil float down the Rio Fuerte. The Copper
Canyon adventure combines the best of natural
history with diverse, cultural habitats. But the
emphasis on this trip’s itinerary is birding—for
the beginner—to the obsessed. $­2749.00 pp.
Alamos, Mexico. Nov. 13–18 and Dec. 11–16.
Guided Cultural and Historical Tour. Journey to
colonial Alamos in Southern Sonora, Mexico,
known for its charming colonial architecture and
elegant ambience. Search for neotropical birds
in the Sinaloa thorn forest and tropical deciduous
forest, and regional birds on the Rio Mayo river
and at mangrove estuaries on the Sea of Cortez.
Charming local restaurants! $1599.00pp
Rancho E
­ smeralda
www.ranchoesmeraldanogales.com
326-9686 ext. 19
Solipaso ­Tours
www.solipaso.com • info@solipaso.com
Alamos. October 19–24, 2009, $1700. Leader:
David MacKay. A day’s drive from Tucson lies
the colonial jewel of Alamos in the foothills of the
23 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009
coastal estuaries. This is one of THE best trips for
h­ ummers—­some of our tours have seen over 60
species! These are only two of our Ecuador ­tours—­
our complete lineup can be found on our ­website.
Sierra Madre. Join us for a week of birding where VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC.
the desert meets the tropics and the sea. We www.ventbird.com
spend four nights in Alamos at the beautiful El (512) 328-5221 • info@ventbird.com
Pedregal Nature Lodge and bird the environs of
Panama: Christmas at El Valle’s Canopy
Alamos for B ­ lack-­throated Magpie Jay, Mexican
Lodge: December 22-27, 2009, $1,775; and New
Parrotlet, Elegant Quail, ­Purplish-­backed Jay and
Year’s at Panama’s Canopy Tower: December 27,
many others. We’ll also do some coastal birding
2009-January 3, 2010, $2,975. Both trips in double
at Isla Huivilai and spend our last night by the
occupancy from Panama City. Lovely Panama,
ocean in San Carlos. Enjoy delicious regional
with its modern infrastructure, rich history, and
cuisine, the warm hospitality of the Mackays
spectacular birding is an ideal destination to
and a relaxed trip full of birding, botanizing and
spend Christmas and welcome the New Year.
exploring the area they call home. No one knows
Visit each of these remarkable lodges and receive
Alamos and southern Sonora like the MacKays.
a first-rate tropical birding vacation. Combine
Tour limited to 8 participants with one ­guide.
the two lodges on a single visit and experience
San Blas and the Durango Highway. February the rich diversity of the famed Canal Zone AND
21–March 2, 2010, $2570 Leader: David MacKay. the cool, lush forests of the western highlands.
Starting in the historic city center of Mazatlan, we Together, this trip promises approximately
bird the tropical deciduous forest before heading 300 species of birds. Tony Nunnery leads.
up to find the target species of the Durango
Belize: Chan Chich New Year: December 28,
Highway. We stay in Copala and bird Barranca
2009-January 3, 2010, $3,565 in double occupancy
de Liebre and the Panuco Road. Then on to the
from Belize City. This holiday trip to Belize’s Chan
jungle lowlands of San Blas and our home at the
Chich Lodge offers a sensational tropical birding
family-run and wonderful Hotel Garza Canela,
experience. Centered around one of the world’s
one of the most ­birder-­friendly hotels in Mexico.
great jungle lodges, this destination features
We’ll bird the key spots including Singayta
an immense, largely pristine lowland forest, an
Road, the coffee plantations in La Bajada, and
amazing abundance of wildlife, and ancient Mayan
Cerro de San Juan, and go on two boat trips
ruins. We can’t think of a better place to ring in the
up the San Cristobal River and the mangrove
New Year! Join David Wolf and Brennan Mulrooney
labyrinths of the estuary. There are a possible
in search of a dazzling assortment of tropical
35 endemics on this trip, including Tufted Jay,
birds and mammals including toucans, trogons,
Eared Quetzal, ­Rufous-­necked Woodrail, Military
parrots, tanagers, monkeys, cats, and more! VF
Macaw, Collared Forest Falcon and San Blas
Jay. Join us for one of our most popular ­trips.
Tropical B
­ irding
www.tropicalbirding.com
info@tropicalbirding.com • 1-800-348-­5941
Eastern Ecuador: High Andes to Vast A ­ mazon.
December 5–19, 2009. $3390 from Quito; March
5–19, 2010. $3690 from ­Quito. Starting from the
magnificent high Andes dotted with ­snow-­capped
volcanoes towering over 18,000 ft, we head
all the way down to the ­ultra-­diverse Amazon
lowlands. Well over 1,000 bird species occur in
this region, but we can see them in comfort as
we stay in some of the best lodges in Ecuador,
including San Isidro, WildSumaco, and Sacha
Lodge, which has the only canopy walkway in the
country. Tropical Birding’s main office is in Quito,
so we know this wonderful country like no one
else, and out tour leaders are second to ­none.
Southern Ecuador: Tumbesian Rarities and
Highland Endemics. January 21–February
4, 2010. $3140 from ­Guayaquil. Pacific coast
extension: February 4–7, 2010. $890 from
­Guayaquil. Birding in southern Ecuador has
experienced a remarkable renaissance in the last
few years. A series of brand new ­eco-­lodges and
bird reserves makes this trip an absolute delight
James Prudente
and accessible to anyone. There is a magnificent
variety of habitats and birds on this trip including
the ­endemic-­packed dry Tumbesian region, rich
Andean cloudforests, 13,000 ft. Paramo, and even Green Jay
 Tucson Audubon thanks
our Birds & Business Tucson Audubon’s
Alliance Members, who have Birds & Business alliance
shown their support for bird
conservation through annual
contributions and in-kind
donations. Please show them Please welcome our newest Birds & Business Alliance Members
you appreciate their support
for us by supporting them. Please choose these
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Adventure Birding Company
• 520-495-0229 • www.adventurebirding.com
Nature Treks & Passages
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Rancho Esmeralda • 326-9686
• www.ranchoesmeraldanogales.com
Solipaso Tours • www.solipaso.com
Tropical Birding • 800-348-5941
• www.tropicalbirding.com
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours
• 800-328-VENT • www.ventbirds.com
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Bed & Bagels of Tucson • 520-760-5595
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Borderland Tours • 800-525-7753
Brooklyn Pizza Company • 520-622-6868
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A well-kept Tucson secret since 1982, Sundance
Press has specialized in the printing and mailing of
short run, special-interest magazines, newsletters
and any type of saddle-stitched publications.
Founded on the philosophy of providing “big
publisher” service and quality to small publishers,
Sundance’s special expertise has built its business
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“Due to our specialization, we usually can help
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Any publisher or association serving a base
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send us printing specifications,” adds Jim Brush,
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Sundance Press is proud to be the printer
of the Tucson Audubon Society’s Vermilion
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622-5233, or from outside the Tucson area at
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Heartstone Mountain Ranch • 877-562-2955
Hughes Federal Credit Union • 520-794-8341
Kimberlyn Drew, Realtor • 520-237-1408
Lori Pascarella, Financial Consultant • 520-747-6167
Naturalist Journeys • 866-900-1146
Birds & Business Alliance
P2 Preparedness • 520-971-5971
Rancho De La Osa • 800-872-6240
Today! and connect with the
Ravens-Way Wild Journeys • 520-425-6425 Tucson Audubon community
RockJumper Birding Tours • www.rockjumper.co.za
For more information and to join, contact Paul Green
USFWS

Riverpark Inn • 800-551-1466

Spirit Tree Inn B&B • 520-394-0121
at pgreen@tucsonaudubon.org or 777-9525.
*Sundance Press • 800-528-4827
TyrannoTours • 520-577-6546
*Veterinary Specialty Center • 520-795-9955
Wild Birds Unlimited • 520-878-9585
For more information about our Birds & Business
Alliance members, including links to their
websites, visit www.tucsonaudubon.org
*New member

24 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009

 The TAS-ifieds
Classified ADs
Classified and display ads are accepted from
individual members and members of our Birds
& Business Alliance. Visit www.tucsonaudubon.
org/verfly for rates or contact Matt Griffiths
mgriffiths@tucsonaudubon.org to book an ad.
Arizona Field Ornithologist used
book sale Oct 24–25, in Tucson. AZFO, a
registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, requests donations
of bird related books and audiovisual materials,
donations are tax deductable In Tucson-area
please email Vivian at arcvivian.@yahoo.com
for drop-off or pick-up. In Phoenix-area email
Marceline at fieldtrips@cazba.org or drop them
at Desert Rivers, Maricopa, or Sonoran Audubon
meeting in early fall.
EL PEDREGAL Nature Lodge—Alamos, Sonora,
Mexico—Five luxurious guest casitas and central
lodge set on 20 acres of intact tropical deciduous
forest. Delicious regional cuisine, unrivaled local
knowledge and warm hospitality. Birding tours,
river trips, yoga classes and more available.
Special Tucson Audubon package available. For
more information: www.solipaso.com
The Oasis at Way Out West B&B/Private
Nature Preserve. A secluded trail side location
offers close-up wildlife observation and colorful
mountain sunsets. Bird our trails (135+ House List)
or the Catalinas. 20+ feeding stations, Naturalist/
Photographer on-site, Wi-Fi, Hydrotherapy spas,
Bike rentals, Eco-Excursions. WOWArizona.com.
520.825.4590.
Wanted: Volunteer Party Animal!
Do you like to cook and entertain? Do you like
putting together parties, soirees, galas??? Tucson
Audubon could use your talents to assist Sandy
Elers keep up with the many events and activities
we have throughout the year. This is an excellent
opportunity for the “Martha Stewarts” out there to
let their imaginations take flight. Call Becky 622-
2230, Volunteer Coordinator for more details. VF
Support Tucson Audubon...
Become a Friend Today!
Annual Membership subscription
‰‰$35 ­Individual Contributor $100 q
‰‰$50 Family Supporter $25­0 q
‰‰$35­Senior Supporter* Guardian $500 q
‰‰$25­Senior Discount* Steward $1000 q
‰‰$25 ­Student* Leadership Circle $2500 q
*Individual
Name
Address
City / State / ­Zip
Email
Phone
‰‰ New ­membership q Renewing ­membership
‰‰ Please email me about Tucson Audubon
events ­and conservation ­issues.
‰‰ Please do not share my contact ­information.
‰‰ Please do not mail me Vermilion Flycatcher.
I’ll read it online.
Donation
‰‰I would like to support Tucson Audubon
Society with ­an additional contribution of
q $25 q $50 q $100 q $­250.
MONARCH MADNESS
‰‰ Tucson Audubon Frequent ­Flyer Monthly
Do you enjoy hiking and exploring southern
Donor ­Program: I authorize the charge of
Arizona.? Are you drawn to the soaring $____ per month for ____ months to my
elegance and mystique of the monarch credit card ($10/month minimum).
butterfly? Combine both by joining the Tucson Audubon Society will ­use the full amount of your ­tax-­deductible
gift for its environmental, educational and recreational ­programs.
Southwest Monarch Project as a volunteer in
the field; finding, catching, tagging, and learning Method of ­payment
about these beautiful butterflies! Trips organized ‰‰ Check (payable to Tucson Audubon Society)
‰‰ MasterCard q Visa q AMEX
throughout the season, from early August to late
Chris Kline
October. Call JB at 861-0646 for details.  www.
swmonarchs.org  Credit Card No.
Expiration Date Amount $
Signature
Please send your application with payment ­to
Tucson Audubon ­Society,
300 E. University Blvd, #120,
Tucson, AZ ­85705
(Attn: Jean Barchman,
Membership Coordinator)
OR join, renew or ­donate online at
www.tucsonaudubon.org
September–October 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 25
 Other
UsefulWays
Resources
to Give! Tucson Audubon
Tucson
Living Audubon
with urban birdsSociety
andisother
a registered
wildlife can be
Nature Shops
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
rewarding. Here are some resources 100%for of
a better
your financial and in-kind donations
understanding of our relationships with them: and Tucson Audubon’s Nature Shops provide for your needs in natural
membership dues are tax deductible. history books and guides, birding optics and accessories, and gifts right
Have you spotted a bird band? Report it here:
THE VERMILION SOCIETY here in Tucson. We offer a great selection, the best prices, and member
www.reportband.gov discounts. Remember to shop locally.
Create a legacy that will benefit others for
Raptor questions,
generations nests found,
by including Tucson electrocutions,
Audubon
injuries or raptors nesting near electric poles: Skywatch West—The Complete Weather Guide
Society in your estate planning. Your gift will
check the inArizona Game by Richard A. Keen. Informative guide to the wide Got RainLog?
express, a lasting way,and Fish
your Dept. www.to
commitment
preserving the diversity of southern628-5376,
azgfd.gov/w_c/urban_raptors.shtml Arizona’s variety of weather in the American West—from Citizen Science takes a
rich4446.
ext. avifaunaIn theand the habitats
Tucson theycan
area, you callhelp
home. calm and predictable cycles to dramatic and walk in the rain.
If you have
prevent already included
electrocutions Tucson
by reporting Audubon
raptor nests unpredictable events. $24.95
Have you ever found it fascinating
in your
near powerestate
linesplans we hope
to Tucson that you
Electric will
Power, that your neighbor or friend may get
share this information with us. We would like
623-7711. rain on any given day, and you don’t?
to express our gratitude and welcome you to
Or thought it interesting seeing your
Injured birds—Tucson
the Vermilion Society. As always,
Wildlife your(www.
Center wishes
for anonymity will be yard being pounded with a monsoon
tucsonwildlife.com) canrespected.
recommend If you would
a local
like to know 290-WILD
more about(9453).
how toCitizens
designate downpour but, then drive down the
rehabilitator. should
Tucson Audubon as a recipient in your will, street a mile and see the road is dry?
keep in mind that rehabilitators are often
please contact Executive Director Indulge your curiosity and
inundated with baby or injured birdsPaul Green
or other
at 622-5622 or pgreen@tucsonaudubon.org. consider taking more action
animals and that common birds may not be
in tracking the rain in your own yard. The
accepted.
DONOR WALL
information you will supply is valuable for
Whenever you visit our offices and Nature Shop
For dead birds found, contact The University scientists throughout the state, and can be
on University Blvd you’ll notice our donor wall
of Arizona’s Bird Collection, where they can valuable for your own self knowledge, too.
honoring significant giving with brightly colored
often use the dead
bird and plant tiles.specimens. George
For information on Bradley,
making a Become a RainLogger!
621-3187 or gbradley@email.arizona.edu
memorial gift or honoring a loved one with a tile What is Rainlog.org? Rainlog.org is a
on more
For our donor wall please
information contact
on living withJean Barchman
wildlife, check cooperative rainfall monitoring network for
at jbarchman@tucsonaudubon.org
our website: www.tucsonaudubon.org/wildlife. or 629-0757. Arizona. Data collected through this network
WORKPLACE GIVING is used for a variety of applications, from
Donations can be made to Tucson Audubon watershed management activities to drought
Tucson Audubon planning at local, county and state levels.
Cool tip for desert dwellers
through payroll deduction for employees who
work for the City of Tucson and Pima County Nature Shops All you need to participate is a rain gauge
through ative human– wildlife and access to the Internet. We are asking
On e waythe Employees
to min imize negCombined Appeal
When you support your local Tucson
Program (ECAP). Designate thin ourgsnumber, es,
in hom volunteers to select a rain gauge, install it at
interactions is to avoid doing Audubon Society you are supporting
#1434, as your recipient and sseyour
s thagifts act
t attrwill home, and report daily total rainfall amounts
yards, schools, and busine birds and bird habitat conservation.
go to Tucson Audubon; it’s just that
areas. Do easy!
not feed through the online data entry form.
large wildlife into developed
Many other companies offer lina s cre ate
an employee s her ds We thank you!
wild mammals. Feeding jave ts.
Why do we need more rainfall data?
matching gift program where they match
for han dou
(some
m that roam suburbs looking
of thetriple!) SHOP HOURS Precipitation amounts are highly variable
even employee charitable contributions.
m, but
You ma y know how to act around the across Arizona due to topography and seasonal
Many
somyour
will do so even if you
ebody else in the
are retired. Check
neighborhood may think Main Shop weather patterns. This is especially true during
with employer for more information.
or feed them from Monday–Saturday 10 am–4  pm,
it’s okay to try to pet them the monsoon season, when thunderstorms can
BASHAS’
their hand.“SHOP recipe for disaster!
This is&a GIVE” except Monday & Thursday until 5  pm produce heavy rainfall that is very localized.
Next time you’re in Bashas’ simply link Phone: 629-0510
What products will come out of this
Located on the southeast corner of
your Bashas’ “Thank You” card to Tucson project? All data posted by volunteers is
University Blvd and 5th Avenue.
Audubon Society’s ID number, 27286, and available in real-time in maps through the data
from September 1, 2008, through March 31,
Contact Agua Caliente Park Shop
of what Lists
tab at the top of the page. These maps are
2009, one percent you spend will be September: Thursday useful in tracking high-resolution variability in
You can find contact informationAudubon.
donated by Bashas’ to Tucson for your elected October: Thursday, Friday & Saturday,
precipitation patterns and potential changes in
and 9  am–3:30  pm
THEgovernment
IRA CHARITABLEofficials on p 26 of the May–
ROLLOVER drought status. As more people participate and
June 2009 issue of the Vermilion Flycatcher. Phone: 760-7881
Legislation has been extended retroactive to From Tanque Verde Rd and Houghton, continue east on more information is gathered, the resolution of
2008can
You and 2009.
find During
a listing 2008 andand
of advisory 2009,
otherholders Tanque Verde 2 miles. Turn left (north) onto Soldier Trail, the maps will improve. VF

of traditionalonIRAs
committees whichwho are at least
members 70½ years
of Tucson continue north for 2 miles. Turn right (east) onto Roger Rd,
For more information on RainLog.org, contact:
old can transfer continue ¼ mile to the park entrance on the left (north).
Audubon staff andupvolunteers
to $100,000 peron
serve year
p 26 of Wake up with the Birds Thursday 8:00 am: Loaner Gary Woodard, Associate Director for SAHRA
directly to charity — bypassing income tax. The
the July-August issue of the Vermilion Flycatcher. binoculars available, meet in front of the ranch house. For more gwoodard@sahra.arizona.edu;
extension comes as part of the Emergency information call Pima County Parks and Rec. at 877-6111. 626-5399; www.sahra.arizona.edu.
Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, and enables For permit requests and general information about park rules (Information above about RainLog.org is taken directly from the
Americans to give to the causes they care about. and regulations call 749-3718 RainLog.org website.)

26 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009


Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America:
The Passerines,
Robert Ridgely and Guy Tudor
$49.95
This impressive field guide to all the passerines
(songbirds) of South America is a worthy follow-up
effort to Ridgely and Tudor’s authoritative desk
reference series, The Birds of South America
(Volumes I and II). Recognizing a need to create
a guide that was usable in the field but which also
incorporates much of the massive amount of new
information on South American avifauna gathered
in recent years, Ridgely and Tudor put a huge
effort into getting this book released. It contains as
many as 400 additional bird species that were not
illustrated in their previous works and deals with
new species splits for the whole continent.
Tudor’s illustrations continue to be top-notch,
and combined with Ridgely’s painstaking research
compilation, the book is a tour-de-force worthy of
high praise. The maps are arranged alongside the
plates for easy comparison—a weakness of many
other South American field guides. Concise and
organized descriptions are located in the second
half of the book for further study.
This book can be used as a field guide
anywhere in South America, but keep in mind that
it only deals with the songbirds of the continent,
not the non-passerines (hawks, waterfowl, etc).
There are a number of good country guides that
have come out in recent years, but this continent-
wide treatment is a worthy consideration no matter
where you are planning on traveling.
When you need a book, think of Tucson Audubon nATURE SHOPs first
Tucson Audubon’s Nature Shops have an a wide range of birding, natural history, and other book titles. You’d be amazed at the titles we
stock. We often hear members say things like “Thank goodness for [this or that] online book seller.” What we hope members will do is to call
our shop first and ask if we have a book they’re looking for. If we don’t, we can often get it for you quickly. So next time you need a book, give
us a call on 520-623-3476. You can also order books online at www.tucsonaudubon.org. Thank you for supporting your local book store.
BOOKENDS
Nature Activity Books – A Great Way to do directly experiencing, and sharing inspiration into
Science At Home! each lesson. Finally, where would any naturalist
Caroline Patrick, Volunteer be without his or her journal? Recording your
observations through writings and drawings is a
In his autobiography, John Muir commented that
simple and very fulfilling way to remember your
as a boy growing up in Scotland, “I was fond of
experiences and reflect and build on them as
everything that was wild, and all my life I’ve been
time goes by. Younger naturalists will enjoy My
growing fonder and fonder of wild places and
Nature Journal, by Adrienne Olmstead. This
wild creatures.” Like many of us, Muir’s passion
book is filled with interesting animal and habitat
with nature began in his own backyard, and led
facts and illustrations, a glossary of important
him to become one of the world’s most influential
terms, and plenty of space for children to express
naturalists. Far from Scotland but just as close to
themselves in the natural environment. For adults,
the natural world, the Nature Shop at the Tucson
Leslie and Roth’s Keeping a Nature Journal will
Audubon Society is equipped to inspire budding
inspire you to observe the world as a child does,
naturalists of all ages.
and record your feelings and observations through
Children have a natural affinity with the
such mediums as prose, poetry, drawing, and
environment. An excellent way to foster this
photography. In addition to these titles, the Nature
enthusiasm is through journaling and hands-on
Shop has a myriad of books for children and adults
activities. The Nature Shop has several books
designed to inspire engagement, refection, and
that inspire both children and adults in exploring
preservation of our natural world.VF
science and nature in their own backyards. DK
Publishing’s First Nature Activity Book is full of
creative projects designed to get children thinking
about the science behind the wonders of nature.
The book includes activities, descriptions of
equipment needed for each activity, and step-by-
step instructions and photographs for each stage
of a particular project. Similarly, Joseph Cornell’s
book, Sharing Nature with Children II builds upon
his earlier works and emphasizes the importance
of engaging children with the natural world. All the
activities in Cornell’s book follow his philosophy
of “Flow Learning” and incorporate the stages
of awakening enthusiasm, focusing attention,
September–October 2009 Vermilion Flycatcher Tucson Audubon 27
 NON-PROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE PAID
TUCSON, AZ
300 E University Blvd, #120 PERMIT #1345
Tucson, AZ 85705

Change Service Requested

Vermilion Flycatcher
Volume 54, Number 5 September–October 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.

Make a Place for wildlife on your wall

Own this Limited Edition
Martha Pille Roadrunner }}
We have a limited number of prints of this unique
color pencil drawing produced for Tucson Audubon’s
60th Anniversary by Martha Pille. It is a 16x20” giclée
print using archival-quality pigmented inks on Arches
Infinity medium textured, museum-quality paper.
The price is $120 unmounted while stocks last.
The print will be on display at our upcoming
Living with Nature lecture on Monday September 14
at the University Medical Center (see p 10)
About the Artist
Martha Pille began watching
birds when White-breasted
Nuthatches and Black-capped
Chickadees fed from her father’s
hand in northern Ohio. Now
it’s Cactus Wrens and Curve-
billed Thrashers in her backyard
in southern Arizona. Martha and her
husband Robert moved to Oro Valley in 1994.
For Martha, colored pencil drawings became a tool
for looking at things carefully and in detail, and birds
and botanical illustrations became favorite subjects. The
Greater Roadrunner and the rolling hills and grasslands
southeast of Tucson capture the spirit of Tucson
Audubon’s theme of “Making a Place for Wildlife.”
Sarnoff Custom Framing, 2504 N Campbell,
is offering a 15% discount on the framing of the
Martha Pille print. Ask for Jinou Naval.

Visit www. tucsonaudubon.org for event updates.

28 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher September–October 2009