“Love is in the Air” February 14 with Paul Wolterbeek of Boyce Thompson Arboretum @ Gilbert Community Center

Northern Saw-whet Owl photographed in March at BTA by Marceline Vandewater.

Join Desert Rivers Audubon at our monthly meeting February 14, 2012 at Gilbert Community Center, 130 N. Oak St., Gilbert, 7pm, for “Love is in the Air” with Paul Wolterbeek of Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Free.  All are welcome!

Valentines Day, means that “Love is in the Air,” but our guest speaker would argue that love is sometimes lurking behind a tree, holding binoculars and a camera, and taking notes.

No, he’s not a creepy stalker or a papparazzo – Paul Wolterbeek is one of those dedicatedstaffers we know & love over at Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Paul coordinates BTA’s volunteer program and also the public event series, arranging guided bird walks and presentations by nature photographers; summer evening concerts and how-to-juice-prickly-pear-cactus-fruit classes.

He’s one of those people who appears to love his job, and has an infectious love of birds, mammals and our Sonoran Desert … and on this evening he will share anecdotes about some of his favorite spots at BTA (maybe even share a few “secret undisclosed location” places nearby for birding, too!), with a slide show of BTA birds photographed by some of the top avian artists we have in AZ: Brendon Grice, Richard Ditch, Cindy Marple.

Paul Wolterbeek with juvenile coopers hawk.

With any luck, Paul’s sweetie (and summertime owl research boss, Amanda) may be here, too; her lively presentation on Mexican Spotted Owls was a highlight of our 2009 speaker series.

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. Light refreshments served.

Tourists on the Wing: Rufous Hummingbirds Passing Through Arizona Now

Rufous Hummingbird on the wing through Arizona.

by Eileen M. Kane
Communications Director
Desert Rivers Audubon

Heading from Mexico up to Alaska & the Pacific Northwest for the summer  (can you blame them), the Rufous Hummingbird is all about eating to gain weight for the big trip. So if they’re a little more aggressive than our laid-back Anna’s Hummingbirds at your feeders, well, you understand.

First spotted late this February in the still-snowy Huachucas, Rufous have been recorded at their earliest appearance in the Dragoons this year (2/26/11, record was 3/6/08). Saturday, Rufous were spotted at SaddleBrooke and then again at Boyce Thompson Arboretum Sunday.

As the Rufous Hummingbird needs to double it’s size for this migration, consider putting out an additional feeder. Ask Dave or MaryAnne at Mesa’s Wildbirds Unlimited for advice (and thank them for their ongoing support of Desert Rivers).

With their rusty orange heads, our distinctive hummer tourists should be buzzing about your garden at this time. Check our Bird Habitat guide for ideas on attracting hummers and other wildlife visitors to yard or patio.

We have also adopted the Hummingbird Habitat at Desert Breeze Park from Chandler Parks & Recreation and many hummer-friendly plants have been added recently by our volunteers. Check it out & tell us what you think.

Hummingbird Habitat at Desert Breeze Park, Chandler.

Hummingbird Habitat at Desert Breeze Park, Chandler. Public art by Joe Tyler.

Love Is in The Air (and Sometimes Under a Rock) @ Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Click here for the checklist of birds that frequent the arboretum grounds.

Join Desert Rivers Audubon at our monthly meeting February 14, 2012 at Gilbert Community Center, 130 N. Oak St., Gilbert, 7pm, for “Love is in the Air” with Paul Wolterbeek of Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

Taylor Family Legume Garden

Valentines Day, means that “Love is in the Air,” but our guest speaker would argue that love is sometimes lurking behind a tree, holding binoculars and a camera, and taking notes.

No, he’s not a creepy stalker or a papparazzo – Paul Wolterbeek is one of those dedicatedstaffers we know & love over at Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Paul coordinates BTA’s volunteer program and also the public event series, arranging guided bird walks and presentations by nature photographers; summer evening concerts and how-to-juice-prickly-pear-cactus-fruit classes.

He’s one of those people who appears to love his job, and has an infectious love of birds, mammals and our Sonoran Desert … and on this evening he will share anecdotes about some of his favorite spots at BTA (maybe even share a few “secret undisclosed location” places nearby for birding, too!), with a slide show of BTA birds photographed by some of the top avian artists we have in AZ: Brendon Grice, Richard Ditch, Cindy Marple.

With any luck, Paul’s sweetie (and summertime owl research boss, Amanda) may be here, too; her lively presentation on Mexican Spotted Owls was a highlight of our 2009 speaker series.

Come early to browse our mobile book shop, visit, and learn about volunteer opportunities with Desert Rivers Audubon. Light refreshments served.