Birds of Coldwater Farm

Posted on April 6, 2020 by GarryRogers

Introduction
My Birds of Coldwater Farm is an illustrated guide to 146 bird species seen at Coldwater Farm from 1997 to 2022. I included photographs, conservation status, and comments on species abundance trends at the Farm. Keywords: Birds, Coldwater Farm, Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona, Conservation, Natural History.

Bird Identification

The photographs and comments in this book will give you a name and some information for the birds, but you will also want a field guide. You can find one in most bookstores and you can download an app for your phone. Field guides help you distinguish similar bird species and they provide much more information than this book. Away from my desk, I use the Audubon Society Bird Guide app. It has pictures, recordings, range maps, and descriptions of each species’ preferred habitat and its mating, nesting, and feeding behavior. It also describes nests, eggs, and conservation status. At my desk, I use the fabulous Cornel Lab Birds of North America Online. Both the Audubon app and the Cornel Lab website have simple interactive tools that will let you become an instant success at bird identification (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/).

Bird Conservation

With concern for the health and survival of the birds, I dug into the published conservation literature on each species. I found that two species at the Farm, the Southwest Willow Flycatcher, and the Yellow-billed Cuckoo are on the U. S. endangered species list and numerous other species that visit the Farm are in decline. Philipe Guerrero and other ornithologists helped identify many of the birds.

The book is available in all the usual places and here’s the Amazon link.

Rogers, Garry. 2021. Birds of Coldwater Farm, Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona, Coldwater Press, Prescott, AZ. 177 p.

Most of the birds are shown in the Photo Gallery

Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona Wins Gold

Posted on July 1, 2017 by GarryRogers

Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona Wins Literary Classics Gold

July 1, 2017 –Literary Classics International Youth Book Awards (LC) announced award winners today. LC previously awarded Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona the LC Seal of Approval. Today the book was honored with the LC Gold Award.

Literary Classics Awards Ceremony

This year, Literary Classics International presents awards on Sunday September 3, 2017. The awards event includes a round-table discussion for authors, a writers’ conference, book signing, and authors’ reception in conjunction with the Great American Book Festival.

Excerpt and Book Details

The past decade’s droughts, storms, and spreading deserts show that humanity is changing the Earth. Research coming from many sources shows that worldwide animal extinctions are occurring 100 times faster than in Earth’s previous mass-extinction events recorded in the fossil record.

Extinction isn’t the only concern. Total loss of a species results after years of decline. The Living Planet Index, which measures abundance levels of 14,152 monitored populations of 3,706 vertebrate species, shows that a worldwide crash is occurring. On average, monitored species declined by 58% between 1970 and 2012.

Loggerhead Shrike

One of the oldest and most familiar citizen-participation activities is the Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count. Wildlife biologists have used the Bird Count to monitor bird species populations. A recent analysis of the Count’s results show that many U.S. bird species are declining. Some of our most familiar birds appear in current counts less than half as often as they did just 50 years ago. For example, over the past 50 years, sightings of Loggerhead Shrikes, a common Arizona species, declined by 72%. The Shrike in the photograph at left is the only one I have seen in 19 years of watching at my place.

Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) wildlife biologists conclude that at least 58% of Arizona’s native birds are definitely declining and . Another 20% are of possible long-term concern. The U.S. Endangered Species Act protects only 1% of Arizona bird species.

The reason for the declining numbers is not a mystery. Researchers have shown that the declines are due to the impact of human activities, chiefly:

habitat destruction (building and farming)
resource harvests (logging, livestock grazing, and water diversion)
habitat deterioration caused by introduced invasive plants
habitat poisoning with pesticides, toxic wastes, and in the case of the oceans, acidification due to CO2 increases and increases in organic runoff from the land.

The human impact is a direct result of human construction, land clearing, and resource consumption. Our total global population is nearing 7.5 billion and we are using the Earth’s renewable resources faster than natural processes replenish them.

Unless we control our population and consumption or unless drought, disease, pollution, and rising temperature control them for us, the environmental impacts of our growth will eventually eliminate upwards of 80% of our bird species.

I believe nature conservation was the great challenge of the 20th Century, and we failed the challenge. Human beings are imposing a mass extinction that now appears destined to wipe out most animals on Earth. I hope readers of this book will recognize the danger and help me find ways to stop the extinctions.

Bird Species Numbers

According to the information published by AZGFD, 551 bird species and subspecies occur in Arizona. Regular residents number 451.

World estimate: 10,000
U.S. estimate: 1,000
Arizona total: 551
Arizona birds regularly present: 451
Arizona regulars of concern (S1 to S3): 260 (58%)
Arizona regulars of possible long-term concern (S4): 95 (21%).
ESA Arizona regulars listed endangered: 6 (1%)
ESA Arizona regulars listed threatened: 1 (<1%)
ESA Arizona regulars of concern: 26 (6%)

Book Details

Title: Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona
Pages: 128
Identifiers: ISBN 978-1539511786 | LCCN 2016918263
Subjects: LCSH Dewey-Humboldt (Ariz.) | Agua Fria River Valley (Ariz.) | Birds–Arizona. | BISAC NATURE / Birdwatching Guides
Classification: LCC QL684.A6 .R63 2016 | DDC 598.09791–dc23
Download a FREE PDF copy.
List Price: $24.95
Description: This book describes the birds seen around the author’s home in the center of Dewey-Humboldt, a small Arizona town. A desert stream, the Agua Fria River, passes through the town and across land owned by the author. There, the river flood plain supports a 20-acre willow-cottonwood forest. Without houses or trails in its core area, the forest is a safe zone for wildlife. Thousands of birds belonging to more than 100 species stop to rest and forage in the small forest. The Southwest Willow Flycatcher (on the U. S. Endangered Species List) and several other rare bird species use the forest to build nests and raise families. The book lists 127 species observed in and around the forest. For each, the book includes seasonal abundance, conservation status, and a photograph.
Reviews
Purchase from:
Independent bookstores with books in stock
- Gifts and Games, Humboldt Station, Humboldt, AZ, (928) 227-2775
- Other bookstores can order the book from their distributor.
Internet

Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona Awarded Literary Classics Seal of Approval

Posted on June 27, 2017 by GarryRogers

Birds of Dewey-Humboldt Receives Literary Classics Seal of Approval

Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona just received the Literary Classics Seal of Approval (CLC). When the book appeared, I called on readers to watch for errors since I had made the questionable decision to edit the work myself. The CLC Seal suggests that errors were below the ‘intolerable’ threshold.

The book is a finalist for top honors to be announced July 1.

“June 27, 2017. Literary Classics is pleased to announce that the book Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona, by Garry Rogers, has received the Literary Classics Seal of Approval. The CLC Seal of Approval is a designation reserved for those books which uphold the rigorous criteria set forth by the Literary Classics review committee, a team of individuals with backgrounds in publishing, editing, writing, illustration and graphic design.” –Literary Classics.

“Literary Classics, an organization dedicated to furthering excellence in literature for young readers, takes great pride in its role to help promote literature which appeals to youth while educating and encouraging positive values in the impressionable young minds of future generations. To learn more about Literary Classics, you may visit their website at http://www.clcawards.org or http://www.childrensliteraryclassics.com.”

‘The H. sapiens Problem’ Print Edition is Available

Posted on January 3, 2017 by GarryRogers

“The H. sapiens Problem” by Garry Rogers

The print edition of ‘The H. sapiens Problem’ is available. Here’s how it starts:

Prolog

Why didn’t intelligence appear in Earth’s first complex creatures during the Proterozoic a billion years ago?

What if it did?

Life in the Proterozoic: Waves from a passing pancake-shaped oblate spheroid shake two small cigar-shaped prolate spheroids with long fine flagellates. One Pro-sphere waves its flags with a question for the other:

“Know why the Obo-spheres can’t tell a joke?”

“No, why?”

“Everything they say is sooo flat.”

Jiggles.

Plot

A conflict driven by greed and an ancient grudge ensnares Corr Syl and Rhya Bright, two beautiful young warriors descended from rabbits. Humans from a neighboring city become violent and local authorities ask the two warriors to investigate. Along the way, readers meet a truly evil spider (with spider shape), witness Corr Syl’s clumsy comedic aspirations, endure silly games by other warriors, and wonder at Rhya Bright’s enthusiasm for wrecking enemies who happen along. They will also meet Z99, an intelligent warship whose quantum manipulations of dark energy allow travel through the multiverse.

Characters

Corr Syl and Rhya Bright are rabbit descendants and members of Earth’s global multi-species Tsaeb civilization. Like all Tsaeb, Corr and Rhya are beneficiaries of millions of years of natural evolution, scientific advance, and social development. They have internal control over their bodies down to and including their genes. Their mental control is highly advanced as well, but experiencing love, perceiving beauty, and choosing life’s directions remain the uncertain outcomes of experience and nature just as they do for one of civilization’s newest species, Homo sapiens.
Corr and Rhya have trained as warriors, an uncommon specialty infused with knowledge developed during Earth’s post-dinosaur Age of War. Though still highly respected, warriors have faded from importance in the peaceful world of the Tsaeb. Unusual childhood experiences influenced Corr and Rhya’s decision to become warriors. However, Corr also dreams of becoming a comedian, next to warrior, the most honored profession, and Rhya is studying human psychology. These secondary interests illustrate the allure of those things we do not understand and for which we have no talent–awkward times ahead.
Z-99 is an intelligent warship that Corr discovers mothballed in an old museum.
Lactella is a Black Widow spider whose evil nature causes trouble through the entire story.
Ivan Johns is a human infested and controlled by Lactella.
Aaron Li and Ya Zhōu are typical human leaders (so you know what to expect).
Others: Numerous members of the Tsaeb civilization play their parts. All but the birds have human shape. All retain the original skin covering: the fur, feathers, and coloring of their ancestors.

Story Provenance — Corr Syl Stories Merged

The principal conflict in the earlier books, ‘Warrior’ and ‘Terrible’, is between the Tsaeb and the human species. I considered spinning off stand-alone Tsaeb stories, but I was more interested in developing the Tsaeb civilization as a mirror for human nature. ‘Terrible’ is not really an independent story. It is the concluding chapter in the Tsaeb-human conflict. In fact, reviewers said that ‘Terrible’ was difficult to follow without first having read ‘Warrior’. Thus, it seemed best to rewrite and unify the stories. ‘The H. sapiens Problem’, has fewer slow spots and more character detail. It concludes with the revelation that two warring alien species are approaching Earth. Given a chance, either will consume our planet, leaving nothing behind. I have always loved space opera. The next book has space ships, grand starry vistas, and desperate flights across the cosmos.

WHOOPEE!

Print Details

Publication Date: Jan 3, 2017
Publisher: Coldwater Press – (928) 925-7191 – PO Box 1011, Humboldt, AZ 86329
ISBN-13: 9781541157187
ISBN-10: 1541157184
Size: 6.0″ x 9.0″ (15.24 x 22.86 cm),
88,300 words, 390 pages
Print Identifiers:
ISBN-13: 978-1541157187
LCCN: 2016921063
ISBN-10: 1541157184
BISAC: Juvenile Fiction / Science Fiction
Subjects: LCSH Environmental protection–Fiction. | Conservation of natural resources–Fiction. | Human ecology–Fiction. | Environmentalism–Fiction. | Science fiction. | BISAC JUVENILE FICTION / Science Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7 .R633 Hs 2017 | DDC [Fic]–dc23
Audience: Teens
Price: $21.95
Available everywhere, including Gifts and Games in Humboldt, Arizona (928-227-2775).

eBook Details

Publication Date: Dec. 7, 2016
Publisher: Amazon/Coldwater Press
Size: 3499 KB, 88,000 words
ASIN: B01N6EOQ1T
Audience: Teens
Price: $ 2.99
Available from Amazon.com

Story Provenance

The principal conflict in the earlier books, Warrior and Terrible, is between the Tsaeb and the irresponsible human species. I considered spinning off stand-alone Tsaeb stories, but I was more interested in developing the Tsaeb future. Thus,Terrible is not really an independent story. It is the concluding chapter in the Tsaeb-human conflict. In fact, reviewers said that “Terrible” was difficult to follow without first having read “Warrior.” So, all in all, it seemed best to rewrite and unify the stories. I removed some of the slow spots, added some character details, resolved the conflict, and set up the approaching confrontation with two alien species, a confrontation that humans must face along with the rest of the Tsaeb in a struggle to survive a massive onslaught by two advanced alien species. I have always loved space opera. So, the next book will have space ships, grand starry vistas, and desperate flights across the cosmos.

Reviews

Write a review for Amazon.

Just Announced: “Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona” Won the AAA Book Festival

Posted on November 11, 2016 by GarryRogers

Winner for the Birds

AAA Festival

CHICAGO, IL, November 11, 2016. Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona was just announced the winner of the Animals, Animals, Animals Book Festival.

I sent a draft of my book to the Animals Book Festival and it won! It seemed like a long shot, but you never know. The book won in the birds category. The award ceremony is in Chicago on December 3.

“Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona” Available Now

Posted on November 10, 2016 by GarryRogers

Book: Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona

“Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona” is now available. Click here for the book description.

Purchase from:

Independent bookstores with books in stock
- Gifts and Games, Humboldt Station, Humboldt, AZ, (928) 227-2775
- Other bookstores can order the book from their distributor.
Internet

The birds

This section could be titled “Some of The Birds.” The birds below are a sample of the 127 birds I’ve seen in Dewey-Humboldt. Note: The photos are copyrighted.

American Robin (Turdus migratorius) With their bright early morning songs and tolerance for human neighbors, Robins are familiar to everyone. They love moist ground and lawns without pesticides. There you will often see the classic tug-of-war between a stretching earthworm and a straining bird. Robins like berries and gather around pyracantha and other shrubs in fall and winter. Description: Eight to eleven inches long, male and female similar, but male breast is deeper red. Robins have average life spans of six years. Nest: Female with help from male builds the nest in spring and lays four blue eggs two or three times during the year. Conservation: Easily poisoned by heavy pesticide use, and preyed upon by cats, hawks, and large snakes, Robins remain numerous and safe under current conditions. (Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. GarryRogers.com. Photo: en:User:Mdf/CCSA).

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) Barn Owls are the most widely distributed of all owl species. They hunt small rodents, and never take anything as large as a house cat or dog. Barn Owls range from 10″ to 18″ in height. They can live for 25 years, but because of human impacts and natural predators, they rarely live more than two. If you have a Barn Owl living nearby, you have probably heard its “shreee” sound that’s nothing like the hoots of the Great Horned Owls or the toots of the Northern Pygmy Owls that we often hear in Dewey-Humboldt. Nest: Large tree cavity, barn loft, or house attic. Farmers often place nest boxes around their fields. Conservation: Cats and other owls prey upon barn Owls, and pesticides in the tissues of their prey poison them. Some farmers have stopped using pesticides, but most haven’t. The owls are endangered in seven stats, but not yet in Arizona. (Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. GarryRogers.com. Photo: Female by Tony Hisgett).

Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) Black-headed Grosbeaks aren’t as large as Robins, but they are big enough to have trouble perching on bird feeders. Young birds flutter and flap as they learn to use the feeder. Grosbeaks eat berries and insects, but their large beaks are especially effective with seeds. The birds arrive in spring, build nests, and stay for the summer. They prefer a combination of large deciduous trees and lower shrubs. Their song is a rich warble similar to a robin’s but softer, sweeter, and faster. Nest: Female builds an open, loose nest in a shrub or tree and lays 2-5 eggs. Young birds leave the nest after 12-14 days but can’t fly for two weeks. They hang out on nearby branches and parents feed them. Conservation: Cats and hawks prey upon Grosbeaks, and pesticides in the tissues of their prey poison them. Wildlife biologists do not consider them endangered. (Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. GarryRogers.com. Photo: Male by GR.)

Bridled Titmouse (Baeolophus wollweberi) ”Tit” is Old English for something small. Bridled Titmice may be small, but they are outstanding in other ways. They have unique facial markings, and they are among the most loquacious and the most human-tolerant of all the birds. They will trustingly take seed from your hand then fly to a nearby branch where they may surprise you with their jackhammer-like pecking that sends hull fragments flying. Titmice do not migrate though they wander about a bit in winter. They travel in small flocks that may include other bird species. Nest: Titmice lay four to eight white unmarked eggs in tree cavities and nest boxes. They appear to have mystery helpers at their nest that we have not identified. The birds can live more than six years. Conservation: Wildlife biologists consider the Bridled Titmouse safe now, but because of habitat loss and pesticides, the species is of possible long-term concern. (Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. GarryRogers.com. Photo by Dominic Sherony.)

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) Cedar Waxwings are medium-sized with very smooth feathers. They have a crest that often droops over the back of the head. The wings are broad and pointed, like a starling’s. The short tail is square-tipped. These birds are uncommon in Dewey-Humboldt. Though they usually form large flocks, I’ve only seen two groups of three birds. Waxwings pick berries while perching in berry-laden shrubs or trees or while hovering in mid-air. A line of waxwings perched on a branch sometimes pass a berry from bill to bill, until one of them swallows it. They also cruise over water hunting insects, like abdominous swallows. Nest: Waxwings lay three to five pale gray to bluish gray finely speckled eggs in loose nests built in trees. Conservation: Wildlife biologists consider the Cedar Waxwing safe in some areas and vulnerable to extinction in others. (Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. GarryRogers.com.)

Common Raven (Corvus corax) Ravens are smart. They create and use simple tools, they mimic human words, and they call one another to a newly discovered food source. Acrobatic fliers, Ravens can roll, somersault, and fly upside down. I’ve seen a video of a Raven using a large can lid as a sled, repeatedly carrying the lid in its beak to the ridge of a snowy roof, and sliding down to the eve fluttering its wings to say balanced. A friend with a Raven family pet told me that their mischief can be wearying. Wild Ravens have lived more than 22 years. Nest: Females do most of the work building the nest. They begin with large sticks and construct a base up to five feet across and two feet high. In a small interior cup, they lay three to seven green or blue mottled eggs. Conservation: Ravens adapt well to human impacts and may be one of the species that survives the sixth mass extinction. (Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. GarryRogers.com. Photo: Peter Wallack)

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) Juncos do not migrate, but in the fall, they often drift out of their mountain homes down to nearby valleys. They are especially common in D-H during fall and winter months. These small songbirds have black to light-gray hoods. Males tend to be darker and grayer, females tend to be lighter and browner. All have white bellies and white outer tail feathers that form a flickering V shape when they fly. Juncos eat seeds, insects, and fruit. They prefer to eat on the ground, so sprinkle a few seeds for them when you fill the feeder. Wild birds can live more than 11 years. Nest: Juncos nest in forested mountains. They build their grass and twig nests on the ground and occasionally in a tree. Conservation: Though Juncos are still numerous, the American Breeding Bird Survey reports that Junco populations declined by about 50% from 1966 to 2015. (Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. GarryRogers .com. Photo: Dave Menke)

Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii) Gambel’s Quail live in D-H’s chaparral-covered hills. They form coveys of 12 or more birds that roost and nest in shrub thickets. Once, a family of mom, dad, and a line of seven chicks dashed across the road in front of my car. I stopped, and just as the last of the chicks made it to safety, another chick entered the road far behind the others. Dad popped onto road, ran back, and pecked the slowpoke’s fluffy bottom, speeding its dash to catch up. The first covey to move into my place near the center of town came in 2014. The birds roost in a woodpile I made with dead shrub and tree branches. Quail are too plump for standard feeder perches, so be sure to scatter a few seeds for them when you fill the feeder. Quail lives are short, usually less than 4 years. Nest: Grass and twigs on the ground in shrub thickets. Conservation: Gambel’s Quail numbers fluctuate along with winter rain and spring plant growth. As our global warming-imposed drought continues, the D-H quail population will shrink. (Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. GarryRogers .com. Photo: GR)

Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) The flying insects this brilliant sky predator takes must be near-sighted and insensitive to color. Other flycatchers are of subdued color, but not this little fellow. Despite brilliant plumage, however, the male Vermilion Flycatcher is not overconfident. He courts his chosen mate by hovering and singing to her high in the air and by offering her butterflies and other brilliant insects. Nest: The birds build loose nests of grass and twigs in trees. The male brings food to the female while she incubates two to four white or creamy eggs with bold dark blotches and small lighter spots. . Conservation: Vermilion Flycatchers are declining in Arizona and other parts of their range due to human destruction of the moist habitats they prefer. The birds are still abundant at many sites and are not an immediate conservation concern. However, without our attention and care, they will continue to decline. (Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. GarryRogers .com. Photo by Charles J. Sharp)

Click on a photo for larger image, caption, and photographer.

Book Covers for Indie Publishers

Aside

I want to recommend a book cover designer to my #self-publishing friends. Rick Holland at VisionPress made two book covers for me. I’ve had covers made by others, but Rick’s are the best. What I like almost as much as the covers is the fact that one of DIY-publishing’s nagging headaches is gone: I’ve found a great cover artist! The work was on time, communications were smooth, and the results are great. You can’t ask for more.

The package I chose included a CD cover, a FB banner, and a 3-D display.

Terrible Sale

Posted on May 21, 2015 by GarryRogers

Corr Syl the Terrible on sale for $.99.

This science fiction novella tells how Corr Syl fights to rescue his dear friend Rhya Bright.

Buy from Amazon: http://mybook.to/Terrible

The Tsaeb (silent T, long a) warrior Corr Syl has discovered he hates killing and is brooding about his future when he learns that someone has kidnapped his friend and secret love, Rhya Bright. Ya Zhōu, seeking to remove threats to his power, uses Rhya as bait, unaware of the superior abilities of Tsaeb warriors. But when Corr captures his would-be assassins and Rhya overcomes a room full of guards and almost escapes, Zhōu realizes his mistake and flees with Rhya, leaving false trails and traps in his wake. Corr pursues in a mysterious old warship he borrows from a museum. Dodging bombs, missiles, and jet fighters, Corr follows Rhya and Zhōu to a fortress inside a dead volcano where the final trap awaits.

Click to learn more about Corr Syl.

Warrior on Sale Today

Posted on May 14, 2015 by GarryRogers

Corr Syl the Warrior, Prize-Winning Science Fiction Kindle eBook on sale for $0.99.

Corr Syl the Warrior is the first book in the #EcoSciFi series about the Tsaeb, smart descendents of Earth’s many animal species. The Tsaeb love humor, but they also live by lofty ideals, and stand ever ready to defend the Earth from enemies of equity and harmony.

“A beautifully written YA novel that will captivate environmentalists and sci-fi fans of all ages.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

This book is about the battle rabbit Corr Syl. As it begins, Corr’s plans for a nice long vacation are interrupted by the appearance of a beautiful young warrior trainee, Rhya Bright. As Corr sticks around striving for Rhya’s attention, the District Council calls on him for one task after another. Corr grudgingly does as the Council asks while he works on Rhya and focuses on his personal goal to become a comedian. In a society filled with comedians, Corr Syl can’t get a laugh. You’ll see why. Eventually, he discovers that his one-liners tear Humans up, and Rhya quietly wonders if he will put down his weapons and become a comic in Human nightclubs. Conflicts between Humans and Tsaeb build throughout the story, but Corr only loses sight of his personal goal when he is faced with a District Council request to execute a dangerous murderer. The murderer happens to be his first childhood friend.

You can read an excerpt and more here.