More than 200 waterfowl spend January and February on the old stockponds at Coldwater Farm. Daily, I scatter six pounds of rolled corn on the causeway between two of the ponds. Most of the ducks in the photographs below are … Continue reading
Tag Archives: birds
Autumn Bird Feeding
After 3-month hiatus, refilled the songbird feeders and took a bucket of rolled corn to the ducks.
Ducks on the Lilly Pond
The duck population is up from a summer low of seven to about 70. Most of them were here last winter. When I called, the quacks exploded as if I had fed the day before.
Songbirds will be slower to return, but within a month there will be thousands of daily visits to the feeders. This year I am adding suet to the menu. Woodpeckers and flickers are always around. Let’s see if they would like a little extra fat.
Sightings today: House Finch, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Sharp-shinned Hawk, two Red-tailed Hawks, and several LBBs (grass sparrow).
Arizona Wildlife Notebook, Volume I: The Vertebrates
Arizona Wildlife Notebook, Volume I: The Vertebrates
This notebook has complete checklists for the amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, lizards, snakes, and turtles that live in Arizona. A brief introduction to each checklist provides references to field guides and notes on conservation. Symbols in the lists show the conservation status of all Arizona species as of July 1, 2012.
Arizona Birds
Birds are one of the best known species groups. They are highly visible, and many species are easily identified. Conservationists often refer to birds as indicators of general environmental conditions. The ‘canary in the coal mine’ idea. Recent information form the National Audubon Society suggests the canary may be sagging.
The knowledge of bird species distribution and trends in Arizona is good at state and county levels, but is not so good for smaller areas. A critical need is for an expanded network of repeated observations. Contributions to this blog can help.
The photograph shows a Belted Kingfisher studying a pond near the Agua Fria River in the Town of Dewey-Humboldt. Continue reading
GarryRogers Nature Conservation 