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.

Turn Garbage to Gold

Audubon @Home, Arizona

by Krys Hammers
President
Desert Rivers Audubon Society

The goal of course  is rich garden compost, which will help your vegetables or landscape plants thrive.  The most obvious advantage to composting is the nutrients that are added to the soils when you add compost, but it can also enhance pest control and eliminate diseases in plants.

Of particular importance in our desert, compost helps soils retain moisture longer.  According to the EPA, it can even help to clean up contaminated soils.  It has additional benefit of diverting organic solid waste from landfills, where it can contribute to production of methane, a greenhouse gas

and acidic leachate.

Most cities, including Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa can help you get started with composting.  They may offer classes with all necessary information to get you started.  They will also deliver a compost bin to your house.  Mesa charges $5 refundable deposit for the bin.  You can also buy bins in yard and garden stores.  The fancier models have mechanisms to help you turn the compost pile.

The concept is simple you add green and brown organic matter, dampen it and turn it over and before long you have compost.  The

Greens provide nitrogen.  This waste would include green yard clippings, fruits and vegetables, coffee grounds and filters and breads and grains.

The Browns provide the carbon.  They would include saw dust, straw, shredded paper, dried yard clippings, nut shells, egg shells, dryer and vacuum cleaner lint.   You do not want to add plastics, dairy products, meats scraps, oil or lard, pet waste, yard clippings that have been treated with pesticides, weeds, glass or metal.

You should have about 4 parts browns to every of part of greens.

The pile needs air and moisture. Most of the bins have ventilation holes and you will need to aerate the pile by turning the contents every week or every time you add to it.  You will need to dampen the pile to keep it moist.  The pile will actually generate warmth as the materials decompose.  In the summer, it may be necessary to keep the pile in a shaded or partially-shaded area.

Your compost is ready when the material is dark brown and crumbly.  You can sift your compost to get a finer soil additive.  If you find any materials that haven’t decomposed completely, you can add it to your new pile.

Your plants and garden will thank you and you can feel good about reducing your need for fertilizers, pesticides, as well as helping to reducing greenhouse gases.