Tag Archives: birds

Birds of Coldwater Farm

Posted on by
Reply

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 Coldwater Farm | Photo Gallery

Posted on by
12

Photographs of the Birds of Coldwater Farm

Here are pictures of the 137 birds observed at Coldwater Farm through 2017. Click photographs to see photographer credits in image titles. For information on the birds’ conservation status, refer to Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona available from Amazon, Gifts and Games in Humboldt, Arizona, and online.

Red-shouldered Hawk (bird) (Buteo lineatus) in the Cloisters City Park in Morro Bay, CA
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Chipping Sparrow, Cabin Lake Viewing Blinds, Deschutes National Forest, Near Fort Rock, Oregon

.

How Bird-Friendly Are Your Windows?

Posted on by
9

GR: Birds and other wildlife are declining because of these human activities:

  1. habitat destruction (building and farming)
  2. resource harvests (logging, livestock grazing, and water diversion)
  3. habitat deterioration caused by introduced invasive plants
  4. habitat poisoning with pesticides and toxic wastes

 

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; occasionally you will see one hanging upside down from the feeder perch, it’s embarrassed blush hidden beneath its fine new feathers. Grosbeaks eat berries and insects, but their large beaks are especially effective with seeds. Their song is a rich warble similar to a robin’s but softer and sweeter (Photo: Male Black-headed Grosbeak above and Lazuli Buntings below by GR).

Numerous issues are present in each of these four topics. For instance, the sounds of our construction machinery is harmful to birds. In the article below, Sally Perkins discusses the hazard that windows create, and offers some solutions.

“It’s our responsibility to take care of all animals on this planet, to protect them from harm and keep them from extinction. With that in mind, we need to pay a little more attention to the windows we’re installing both on high-rise buildings and in our homes. Astonishingly, around 1,000,000,000 birds are killed every year in the United States as they unwittingly fly into the windows of our man-made structures.

Despite the fact that not all birds are killed on impact, a large number of them eventually perish regardless; a devastating result of the internal damage, bleeding and brain trauma caused by the initial collision. The fear is that a number of species, such as the Wood Thrush, Painted Bunting, Warbler, Kentucky Warbler and the Worm-eating Warbler are at risk of becoming extinct if the problem persists.

The good news, however, is that there are a number of materials and tricks we can employ to alert birds to the oncoming danger of a transparent or reflective surface, some of which are listed below.

  • 1. Angled Glass
  • 2. Fritted Glass
  • 3. Etched or Sandblasted Glass
  • 4. UV-reflective Glass
  • 5. Decals and wind chimes
  • 6. External shutters, including Venetian blinds
  • 7. Tape Strips
  • 8. All-season bug screens
  • 9. External shades and awnings
  • 10. The whitewashing of unused windows
–Sally Perkins, PennJersey (Continue reading: Ensuring Your Windows Are Bird Safe.)

Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona Wins Gold

Posted on by
6

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, 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.”

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

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 by
8

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.&#8221;

Bird species vanish from UK due to climate change and habitat loss

Posted on by
3

GR:  Human population growth, conversion of land to farms and cities, and rising temperatures are driving most species toward extinction. Naturalists are observing sinking populations around the world. As more populations reach zero, extinctions accelerate and will be roaring along by century end. They will not slow until only the most adaptable (weed) species remain. The progress of wildlife loss will eventually begin to cause human population decline. Whether or not our species escapes extinction in the centuries ahead, depends on rapid reversal of population growth and elimination of fossil fuel use. Such turns of events seem unlikely as the enormous wealth of the fossil-fuel companies and the owners of our industry and distribution systems have enthralled our leaders. So call or write your congressmen today. Let them know you will support them if they turn away from wealth and accept their responsibility to lead.

A family of willow warblers at a summer nest site in Scotland. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

“Climate change has already led to the vanishing of some bird species in parts of England, where intensively farmed land gives them no room to adapt to warming temperatures. The revelation, in a new scientific study, contradicts previous suggestions that birds are tracking global warming by shifting their ranges.

Meadow pipit have disappeared from sites in the south of England. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

“The research found that birds that prefer cooler climes, such as meadow pipits, willow tits and willow warblers, have disappeared from sites in south-east England and East Anglia, where intensive crop growing is common.

Meadow pipits, willow tits and willow warblers have disappeared from sites in East Anglia due to crop farming. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

“Birds are facing a double-edged sword from climate change and declines in habitat quality,” said Tom Oliver, at the University of Reading, who led the new study. “In England, birds really look like they are struggling to cope with climate change. They are already being hit with long-term reductions in habitat quality and, for the cold-associated birds, those losses are being further exacerbated by climate change.” —(Continue reading: Bird species vanish from UK due to climate change and habitat loss | Environment | The Guardian)

“Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona” Available Now

Posted on by
Reply

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.

Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona

Posted on by
1

Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona

front-cover-with-white-borderThere is a new book on the birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. The book has photographs, notes on seasonal abundance, and conservation status for the 127 species I’ve seen around my home on the Agua Fria River in the center of town.

My place is on the edge of a small 20-acre willow-cottonwood forest growing along the Agua Fria River. The forest is the dark green patch in the lower right-center of the header photograph. The river is perennial through the forest and there are large stock-watering ponds that are now used only by wildlife. Without houses or trails in its core area, the forest is a safe zone for wildlife. Thousands of birds stop to rest and forage, and many spend their summers there. Rare birds such as the Southwest Willow Flycatcher, Common Black Hawk, and Gray Hawk build nests and raise families.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo by mdf

Yellow-billed Cuckoo by mdf

In August, 2016, Felipe Guerrero identified the calls of mature Yellow-billed Cuckoos near the edge of the forest and we photographed a fledgling.  Western North American populations of the Cuckoo are in steep decline. The species is rare in central Arizona where I live, and rarer still to be producing fledglings here.

The final version of the book will be in print next month. Advance review copies in PDF format are available. Please download a copy and give me your feedback.

>>Download Birds of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona.

Preparing The Book

In 1997, I began making lists of the birds and other wildlife I saw around my 20-acre farm on the Agua Fria River in the town of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. After a few years, I gathered the lists together in one notebook. While doing this, I researched the various species groups (birds, grasshoppers, mammals, etc.) and compiled lists of all the species known to live in or to visit Arizona. The Arizona Wildlife Notebook, published in 2014, includes lists of all those species categorized in eleven groups (amphibians, ants, birds, butterflies and moths, dragonflies and damselflies, fish, grasshoppers and other singing insects, lizards, mammals, snakes, and turtles). The book gives common and scientific names and estimates of species health and stability. It’s a handy tool for recording species anywhere in the State of Arizona.

Birds of Dewey-Humboldt Arizona, is a chapter from the full notebook with added details and photographs for observed species. The book is a report to my community that I hope stimulates others to record their bird sightings.

I recommend uploading bird sightings to the online checklist program at http://ebird.org. Operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, eBird provides basic information on bird abundance and distribution at various spatial and temporal scales. Placing sightings on the eBird website will help ornithologists and other naturalists working on bird conservation.

This book has common and scientific names alphabetized by common name, and it has an index. Finding a bird name can be tricky because the common name isn’t always what we think. For instance, the list gives Arizona’s two Robin species as “American Robin” and “Rufous-backed Robin.” The index is often more helpful. For Robins, it lists the species as “Robin, American” and “Robin, Rufous-backed.” It also gives page numbers for both species’ scientific names.

Caveat: My notes on dates of first sightings probably reflect the date I learned to identify a species, not the date the species first appeared near my home.

Protecting Birds

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

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 clearning, 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
  • 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. At the confluence of two small tributaries, 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.
  • The book will be available from:
  • Independent bookstores with books in stock

    • Gifts and Games, Humboldt Station, Humboldt, Arizona
  • Internet

 

 

Making Friends With Crows

Posted on by
1

GR:  Here’s an excellent DIY post for all you biophiliacs.  We have ravens (also corvids) around Coldwater Farm, but they will probably respond just as the crows do.

Feeding and watching wildlife can be worthwhile, but can lead to problems. Here are two links to the laws and advice concerning wildlife in Arizona:  FAQ (covers laws),   Living With Wildlife (covers individual species).

Crow“It’s a lot of fun to feel like you have wild friends, and feeding birds is a great way to connect with nature.  I’ve been asked many times how to make friends with local corvids, crows in particular.  While this post is mostly aimed at American crows in North America, it’s applicable to most corvids.  However, please be aware of local laws regarding feeding birds.

“The best way to get on a crow’s good side is through their stomach.  Unsalted peanuts in-shell work wonders (i.e. crow crack).  The best thing you can do is put out peanuts consistently and don’t look directly at the birds when you do so (at least initially).  Be conspicuous about you being the one to drop the food, but do not throw the food toward the crows or look at them initially, but do make sure they are in the area.  Then, go back inside.  It may take them no time at all to come to your food, or it may take them a while before they trust it.  Crows are very neophobic and suspicious, and even if it’s a food they love, they will be careful simply because it came from a human.  (I suspect if you live in an area with high traffic or restaurants nearby, they will take less time to come to your offering than if you live in a quiet, low-traffic suburban area.)”  From:  The Corvid Blog By Jennifer Campbell-Smith