Early Birds: April Picnic, Bird Watch & Centennial Challenge

By Joy Dingley
Early Birds Club
Desert Rivers Audubon

We seem to make a habit of choosing a date for our picnic that gives us extreme weather. One year it was torrential rain at Boyce Thompson Arboretum and this year it was extremely hot on our trip to some of the Salt River birding spots.

We made a good start by seeing a Harris Hawk at our meeting place of the junction of Power Road and McKellips and we continued to get some of our target birds, including Western Tanager, Lucy’s Warbler, Vermillion Flycatcher and, of course, Bald Eagle.

Birding the Salt River with Desert Rivers Audubon’s Early Birds children’s club.

We had time for a picnic at Coon Bluff but even by 10.30 am it was getting very, very hot and that’s as far as we got before we decided to call it a day. We have, however, added a lot of birds to our list which now stands at 77 species. That only leaves us 23 to get before the end of January 2013 and since we will be meeting mostly at Gilbert that’s a very challenging number.

The children now have a Summer Challenge to work on until we meet again in October.

We’re always happy to have new members join, aged between 7 and 14. So if you know of any families who might be interested you’ll find Jamie’s contact information on our website. We also enjoy having experienced birders go out with the older children at Gilbert on the third Saturday of the month so If you have some time and would like to help us get those last few birds please contact me, Joy Dingley,  joy.dingley@cox.net.

#FreeOwls: Burrowing Owl Habitat Project Continues @ Zanjero Park, Gilbert

Our Burrowing Owl Project @ Zanjero Park, Gilbert continues March 31st, 8-noon.

Zanjero Park, 3785 S. Lindsay Rd., Gilbert

We’ll be putting up a release tent and about 1pm the birds arrive to be released into

Volunteers help install artificial Burrowing Owl burrows @ Zanjero Park, Gilbert, October 2011.

the tent. The owls remain in the tent for another month to acclimate to the park and then we’ll release them to the artificial burrow habitat our volunteers installed in October in about 30 days (end of April). We have Maricopa Community Colleges Service Learning credits available for this project. Contact us for more info.

 

Steve Thomas, with Wild At Heart (our partners in this project) is coordinating more burrowing owl projects. Contact him for more info: stevepthomas@cox.net.

Rescued Flight: Raptor Rehabilitation with Desert Rivers Audubon, Liberty Wildlife & live birds, Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Desert Rivers Audubon Field Trips Director & Liberty Wildlife volunteer Susie Vaught with owl & friends.

Please join Desert Rivers Audubon and Liberty Wildlife for “Rescued Flight: Raptor Rehabilitation,” a presentation including live eagles, owls & hawks, Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 7-8:30pm, Gilbert Community Center, 130 N. Oak St., Gilbert.

The dedicated volunteers of Liberty Wildlife visit with rescued hawks, eagles and owls to demonstrate the resilience and care required of Arizona’s unique birds of prey. The physics of bird flight will be discussed.

This event is part of the 2012 Arizona Science & Technology Festival.

Come early to browse our mobile book shop, visit, and learn about volunteer opportunities with Desert Rivers Audubon including our Burrowing Owl release in Gilbert,  March 31, 2012. Light refreshments served.

Join Desert Rivers Audubon for the Great Backyard Bird Count February 17-20, 2012

Kick-off Saturday, February 18th @ Gilbert Riparian Preserve

Join Desert Rivers Audubon at the Gilbert Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, 2757 E. Guadalupe Road Gilbert, to kick-off the Great Backyard Bird Count, Saturday, February 18, 2012, 8am-12 noon.

Watch birds for at least 15 minutes…

The goal of The Great Backyard Bird Count is to watch birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count then enter tallies. Anyone can participate, it’s free, and no registration is required. Participants can count anywhere they wish, not just in backyards, but in neighborhoods, parks, nature centers, or anywhere they see birds.

Wild peach-faced lovebirds

Submit your list…

“This count is so fun because anyone can take part — we all learn and watch birds together — whether you are an expert, novice, or feeder watcher,” said Gary Langham, Audubon’s Chief Scientist. “I like to invite new birders to join me and share the experience. Get involved, invite your friends, and see how your favorite spot stacks up.”

Get some local coaching…

Black-crowned Night Heron

“We’ll be able to coach East Valley residents in their bird identification skills Saturday during our free Family Birdwalk at Gilbert Riparian Preserve, Saturday, February 18, 2012, 8am-noon,” added Eileen Kane, Communications Director, Desert Rivers Audubon Society.

More than 92,000 checklists were submitted during the last GBBC, with more than 11 million individual bird observations. The data help scientists get the big picture about how bird populations may be changing across the continent over time.

…become a Citizen Scientist!

“This is a very detailed snapshot of continental bird-distribution,” said John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Imagine scientists 250 years from now being able to compare these data with their own.  Already, with more than a decade of data in hand, the GBBC has documented changes in late-winter bird distributions.”

Earn prizes, too!

The count also includes a photo contest and a prize drawing for participants who enter at least one bird checklist online. The GBBC is hosted each year by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon. The Great Backyard Bird Count is made possible in part by sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited.

Bring your Great Backyard Bird Count count sheets into Wild Birds Unlimited of Mesa, AZ & receive 2 lbs. of birdseed!

Christmas Birds

by Joy Dingley
Education Committee
Desert Rivers Audubon 

The British Robin is Erithacus rubecula; American Robin is Turdus migratorius.

If you know anyone from Britain the chances are that, one year or another, you’ll get a Christmas card from them with a Robin on the front. The European Robin is very different from the American Robin, while the American version belongs in the Thrush family the European Robin is a Chat. Only a few inches long these are indomitable birds that seem to have no fear of anyone or anything. Their life style included the search for worms and grubs turned up by pigs in forests. When the forests and the wild pigs disappeared from Britain they turned their attention to the gardens, often following closely as someone dug up the earth. You may remember the robin doing that in the children’s book “The Secret Garden.” Human activity makes them seem curious as they associate us with food sources. Many garden birdwatchers have a Robin “friend” they feed regularly.

Robins are also very conspicuous in winter. This is because Britain, particularly the southern part, gets an influx of Robins from the European continent where the winters are usually harsher and longer. Robins are extremely territorial, even pairs will only share a territory while they are bringing up the nestlings, and they sing all winter long to state their claims. Not only will they sing through the winter but they will sing all day and night until an intruder backs off.

So they were already connected with winter when a sartorial decision by the Royal Mail sealed the connection forever. During the Victorian period when Christmas cards where becoming popular there was, for a time, a uniform worn by the mail deliverers that included a bright red vest (or waistcoat as the British would say). This earned the postmen the nickname “Robin Redbreasts”. Given the English predilection for puns it wasn’t long before a few Christmas cards appeared with Robins holding envelopes in their beaks and the sentiment, “This Robin Redbreast brings you Christmas cheer.”

I expect only about 1 person in five hundred back in Britain knows about this story or even wonders why the Robin is so popular. So I’m not surprised that I haven’t yet had an answer to my question “Why is the Cardinal the Christmas bird in the US – is it just because it’s a red bird that’s seen in the snow?” Maybe there’s someone out there who can tell me all about it.

Desert Rivers Audubon & Wild At Heart Dig In Wildlife Development for Burrowing Owls in Gilbert

By Eileen Kane
Communications Director
Desert Rivers Audubon

Greg Clark, Owl Habitat Coordinator for raptor rescue and rehabilitation group Wild At Heart, talked about the struggle to preserve Arizona’s Burrowing Owls,  September 13, 2011, at Desert Rivers Audubon’s monthly meeting.

Burrowing Owl visits Desert Rivers Audubon's September 2011 meeting, photo by Linda Covey.

A Species of Special Concern, Burrowing Owls live their lives largely in underground burrows made by squirrels, coyotes, skunks and other animals. Small and active both day and night, Burrowing Owls are vulnerable to other birds of prey, animals, and construction.

With over 5,000 artificial owl burrows installed throughout Arizona, Greg describds his latest project with Desert Rivers Audubon to install 100 burrows at Zanjero Park, Gilbert. Immediately adjacent to active farmland, Zanjero is an example of the disturbed land on the fringes of suburban areas Burrowing Owls prefer.

Desert Rivers Audubon is organizing volunteers to dig the burrows, 8am-2pm, Saturday, October 29, 2011 at Zanjero Park, 3785 S. Lindsay Road, Lindsay Road, South of Loop 202, Gilbert. In the spring, volunteers will again be needed to feed and care for the owls while they are acclimated to the site and before their release.

The Burrowing Owl Habitat Project is made possible by a grant from Together Green, an initiative by the National Audubon Society and Toyota to fund conservation projects, train environmental leaders, and offer volunteer and individual action opportunities that significantly benefit the environment.

Desert Rivers Audubon and Wild At Heart will also present a technology forum Wednesday, September 28, 2011, as part of the Gangplank Brown Bag Series lunchtime series. Both organizations are seeking advice and brainstorming on social media, mobile technology, and signage to enhance the public’s experience of this Burrowing Owl habitat.

UPDATE (10/24/2011) from Greg Clark:

“Zanjero Park is considered underutilized by the Town of Gilbert. It is designed for use by horses and there is evidence that horse owners do take their horses there for riding. But, it is not used much for that purpose. It has attractive recirculating water features and two well maintained ramadas that are occasionally used at lunch time by office workers. The main trail around the edge of the park is part of a larger trail used mostly by bicycles. This appears to me to be the main use in the park. There is a nice park bench area and plantings in one area in the middle of the trail.

“Because the park is devoid of grass it is not attractive to families with small children looking for a playground. For all these reasons the park doesn’t see much use. But, situated next to farm land, it is perfect for Burrowing Owls. The trail system and park bench would allow easy access to see the owls and small children would not typically be at the park running around and looking for fun opportunities to chase the owls. The low density vegetation will allow the owls good visibility, especially in the large basin area where the release sites are located. 100 burrows are being installed with four release sites.

“Once the owls are present the use of the park will go way up as people go to see the owls up pretty close.

“The close proximity of Campo Verde High School (adjacent to the park) could provide scientific and educational opportunities for the students via monitoring, owl behavior descriptions, pellet comparison studies with other nearby owl sites, and gathering video and still images for web site reports and creative writing.

“I anticipate that one release tent per year would go up for the next 4 years.”

UPDATE (11/14/2011) from Steve Thomas (conact stevepthomas@cox.net to volunteer):

If you missed #OWLDAY, Wild at Heart has another habitat install project, Saturday, November 19, 2011.

“On Nov 19th we will be constructing new homes for burrowing owls at a farm northwest of Gila Bend.  Travel time from Phoenix to the site is approximately 2 hours.

“The 400 new homes, or artificial burrows as they are called, are needed to relocate AZ burrowing owls who have been displaced by development and/or loss of their natural burrows and habitat.

“Building the burrows consists of placing plastic burrow chambers in the ground, connecting flexible access tubes to the chambers and creating ground-level entrances so the owls can get down inside their new home. We expect these new homes will support many families of owls for the next 20 years.

“Children are welcome at the event.  Children ages 10 and up can usually perform any of the tasks; children ages 8-9 can learn some of the more difficult tasks and be good helpers to an adult or teen. Children 4-7 may be able to paint the tubes and help carry supplies back and forth. Children under 4 will need constant supervision to be sure they stay safe.”

Greg Clark, Wild At Heart Burrowing Owl Habitat Coordinator, joins chapter president Krys Hammers and a rescued burrowing owl at Desert Rivers Audubon's September 2011 meeting. Photo by Linda Covey.

Cow Bird Conundrums

by Joy Dingley
Education Committee
Desert Rivers Audubon 

Cowbirds at bird feeder.

When I grew up in England every child knew the call of the cuckoo and that it laid its eggs in other birds’ nests. Yet, even when I was a grown up bird watcher no one could give me a reasonable explanation of why the bird should choose such a roundabout way to produce the next generation – still less how the behavior evolved. So when I got to theU.S.and found that Cowbirds followed the same route of absentee parenting I was delighted when I was given a rational explanation. Cowbirds apparently followed the great herds of buffalo around feasting on the attendant insects. When the herd moved, the birds moved and they didn’t have time to build a nest, incubate eggs and feed the young ones.

It sounded good to me and I’ve repeated the explanation to other people. However, I’ve now got doubts about it. Right from the start I should have asked, if there are still enough insects around to feed the young chicks then why aren’t there enough for the parents as well? Many birds feed their young the protein providing insects they need to develop but make do with a much less rich diet themselves.

Secondly I noticed this summer how often Cowbirds are coming to my seed feeders. There do seem to be more of them than I’ve noticed before but this isn’t the first year they have done this. Even at the Santa Rita lodge in Madera Canyon at the end of May they were vying with Black Headed Grosbeaks for possession of the seed feeders.  So if they aren’t dependant on insects they could have stayed with their chicks for a few weeks before flying on to where the Buffalo had migrated.

So I’m back to asking the same questions I used to ask about the cuckoo, how on earth did this strategy evolve, could the bird ever revert to looking after its own eggs if the surrogate parents disappear and what mechanism ensures that the parasite bird doesn’t wipe out all the possible surrogate parents if they are too successful in a given area?  Somebody out there must know!

Desert Rivers Baby Bird Photo Contest

Hummingbird Nest by Cindy Marple.

Have some great photos of baby birds?  If not, it is the season to get them.

Enter the Desert Rivers Audubon Baby Bird Photo Contest.

First prize is $50 Gift Certificate & second prize is a $25 Gift Certificate to Wild Birds Unlimited. Third prize is a copy of the National Audubon Society Guide to Nature Photography.

All entrants win the appreciation of the Desert Rivers Audubon Society.

Entries deadline extended to June 21, 2011.  You may enter more than one photo.

Files should be saved as your name and the number of your submission.

Files should be 600×800 pixels and <500Kb file size.

Curved-bill Thrasher Babies by Cindy Marple.

Desert Rivers Audubon retains the non-exclusionary rights to publish the photos in print and electronic media for all photos entered.

Judges are Cindy Marple, Mike Rupp, and Dave Covey.

Please be mindful not to disturb nesting birds.

Send a Request To Enter Photo Contest email to DesertRiversAudubon@gmail.com and you will receive an invitation to upload to our Picasa.com photo contest gallery. If you do not have a Picasa account, you will need one to upload to the gallery. They are free. Remember to follow us on Picasa!

In your post on Picasa, please submit the following:

Your Name

Phone number:

Email address:

Name of photo:

Date taken:

Camera Settings:

Any other Comments:

Thanks for your participation & good luck!

Guestblog: A Few Healthy Bird Feeding Techniques

When one of our members expressed concern that there seemed to be too many dead birds in her yard, MaryAnne Kenefic, Co-Owner of Wild Birds Unlimited, Mesa, had a few suggestions about preventing the possible cause, Canker, a protozoan infection.

By MaryAnne Kenefic
Wild Birds Unlimited
Mesa, AZ

Clean feeders, birdbaths and hardware every few weeks with a weak bleach solution (one part bleach to nine parts water) rinse and dry thoroughly before refilling the feeders. Or purchase a feeder that is made with Agion technology, which has antimicrobial properties, then just clean with soap and water.

Bird feeders with cracks and crevices are difficult to sanitize and should be replaced.  Use feeders that are easy to clean i.e. one with a quick clean release bottom.

Move feeders around to avoid build up of waste materials and bird droppings. Keep the ground below and around the feeders clean. Rake and discard seed debris or turn it under.

Give the birds room to move, feeders should not be crowded together. Add a feeder and spread the feeders farther apart. This will reduce the potential for disease transmission and reduce the birds’ stress.

Always discard seed that has become wet.  Limit the amount of seed provided in feeders to only the amount birds will consume in one or two days.  By lessening the amount of seed in the feeders, you ensure that the seed is eaten quickly and always stays fresh.  Always discard moldy, rancid or foul-smelling seed as it could present a health hazard to birds. Never mix old seed with new seed. Use a high quality seed. If you are unsure about the freshness of the seed, it is best to discard the old seed and provide fresh new seed.