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Southwest Wings Festival

Editor — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:26:33 +0000

The 20th Annual Birding and Nature Festival in Sierra Vista, or Southwest Wings, is both educational and fun, as participants learn about birds, reptiles, mammals and insects in southern Arizona. The festival boasts a busy schedule of events including 40 field trips (including overnight trips), a welcome reception, keynote address by Scott Weidensaul (the title being “Living on the Wind: The Miracle of Bird Migration”) and movie night. There will also be a number of free programs, including Warbler identification, Butterflies for Birders, choosing and using optics, Bird identification, Hummingbirds of the US, Birding by ear, Arizona Dragonflies 101, Ants of Southern Arizona, Photo workshop, Hummingbirds 101 and so much more. Registration for the event can be done online.

Date: 3 to 6 August 2011
Venue: Cochise College Campus
City: Sierra Vista
State: Arizona
Country: United States of America

Elegant Trogon (Trogon elegans)

Editor — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:50:35 +0000

The Elegant Trogon or the Trogon elegans is very similar to the rarer Eared Trogon, the difference being the barred undersurface of the tail and the white breast band. This stunning bird is related to the Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), the bird of the Maya emperor-gods. The Trogon has a small habitat range, which barely reaches the United States and so is a birder‘s treasure when they find it. Trogons are insectivorous but they often include small fruits in their diet. Their legs are weak and their bills broad, a clear indication of their diet and arboreal habits. They are fast flyers but don’t enjoy long distances hence the small habitat that they are confined to.

The Trogon is 10 inches or 28 to 30 cm long and has a short, stout hooked yellow bill, weighing 65-67 grams. It has an upright posture and the tail is long and square-cut at the tip. The male is beautiful and has a lovely dark, glossy, emerald green upper body as well as the head and upper breast. The breast also has a white band with the belly and tail coverts being crimson in color with a black band. The underpart of the tail is gray with white bars going across it, the head is black with a pale color around the eye.

The female is duller in color and is plain brown where the male is green, pink and crimson, with a white breast and light coffee-colored bands across the chest. The Trogon will nest 2 to 6 meters high in a shallow cavity like an old woodpeckers hole and has 2 to 3 eggs in every clutch.

The Elegant Trogon is restricted to the southeastern part of Arizona in the United States to northwestern Costa Rica, and at times in the southeastern and western part of Texas. The Elegant Trogon is considered a near passerine bird or a higher land-bird assemblage, a name given to those believed to be related to the true passerines because of their ecological similarities. The Trogon’s normal call is a croaking “co-ah co-ah co-ah” sound and sometimes it includes a chattering noise.

The Elegant Crane

Gray Hawk (Asturina nitida)

Editor — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:50:35 +0000

The Gray Hawk (Asturina nitida) is a small raptor that is 15 inches in length and has a wingspan of 35 inches. It is predominantly gray in color, with its throat and belly being white with barred gray coloring. Its upper tail coverts are white and it has very pale colored plumage under its wings. The Gray Hawk is resident to the southwestern United States regions, Mexico, Arizona, Central Argentina and Brazil.

Gray Hawks prefer to live in forests and woodland areas. It is not unusual to see them in agricultural fields, savanna trees and in open patches between forests. They prey on small animals, birds and snakes, and stalk their prey from perches in the trees. Once a prey animal has been sighted, the Grey Hawk will swoop down from the tree and catch its meal. Hawks are also known to hunt for prey, while gliding low to the ground, and are very agile hunters. They can maneuver themselves through the trees very swiftly. Nests are built high up in the trees from sticks, and are lined with leaves. Both the male and female will participate in the construction of the nest; of which the male will build the foundation of the nest, and the female will construct the bowl. The female hawk will lay between one to three white eggs that can sometimes be marked with red and pale blue. Only the female Grey Hawk takes part in the incubation of the eggs; however, the male provides her with food for the first two weeks. The incubation period is approximately 33 days. After the two weeks, the female is able to participate in hunting. It has not been established exactly how long it takes the chicks to be able to hunt. The chicks fledge the nest at approximately six weeks.

In Texas and Arizona, the Gray Hawk is considered a threatened species, even though is does not have an official conservation status. It is the low population numbers that have led these areas to implement conservation programs around the Gray Hawk, and to monitor breeding pairs. These projects can be very beneficial to the over sensitive Gray Hawks. They are known to be very skittish, and will sometimes abandon their nests as a result of an innocent domestic disturbance, such as a picnic that is held too close for comfort.

Montezuma Quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae)

Editor — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:50:35 +0000

The Cyrtonyx montezumae, or as it is more commonly known, the Montezuma quail, is seven inches in length and is a small, shy, stocky bird with round wings. It also has a short, rounded brown tail and is basically a ground-dwelling bird. This bird is mainly a Mexican species and can be found along the entire length of the western side of the country. The northern range of its territory goes into southern Arizona and New Mexico where they can be found in many small groups scattered in different mountain ranges. There are also small groups scattered in West Texas.

The adult male Montezuma quail has an attractive black and white harlequin face patterning and a dark brown belly. The male has a reddish-brown crest that goes backwards and covers his entire nape. The side of his breast and his flanks are a grey color with white spots speckled all over and the main part of his breast being a rich brown. His back is a dark brown with many reddish-brown colored streaks painted on and his wing coverts are also a brown color but have solid black spots to break the brown. Although the male has such decorative and bold patterning he is still relatively hard to spot, let alone study and census.

The female quail has an overall duller brown plumage in comparison to the male, with dark upper parts. She has the same black and white face patterning as the male but it is a more mottled brown and reddish-brown color. Like the male she also has a reddish-brown colored crest that covers the nape and she is touched all over with reddy-white streaks. The Montezuma quail is unlike any other quail because of its plumage and head shape. The female is however similar to the female Northern Bobwhite but the Montezuma quail has a darker belly.

These quails are secretive birds and it takes one quite a while to spot them in the grassy oak woodlands in the American Southwest and western Mexico. These beautiful birds in America are under threat because of the extensive habitat degradation and destruction that has taken place as well as the increased hunting that is taking place. Conservation efforts are being made to ensure the survival of a number of species of quails, including the fascinating Montezuma Quail.

Peach-faced Lovebirds Prosper in Arizona

Editor — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:27:26 +0000

There is something so enjoyable – so soothing – about watching a wild-bird frolic in your backyard. That pleasure increases somewhat when the bird in question is a peach-faced lovebird. These delightful little birds are not only a pleasure to look at, but their curious antics make for enjoyable bird watching.

The peach-faced lovebird is an attractive little bird with its peach-colored facial plumage, green body feathers and bright blue tail feathers. The small bill, grey around the eye and diminutive size – a body length of roughly 17 or 18cms – round up the picture and give it a very cute appearance. This is the creature that has gotten many bird lovers in Arizona out into their gardens where they can enjoy watching them at their leisure. Why is that unusual? Because the peach-faced lovebird hails all the way from south-west Africa where it thrives in natural arid habitats such as the Namib Desert. How then, did these non-migratory birds get all the way from Africa to Arizona in the US where they are now commonly spotted splashing around in backyard garden fountains or snacking at bird feeders? Well, it seems they had a little help.

According to Greg Clark, the creator of the peach-faced lovebird spotting website and a coordinator for the nonprofit group called Wild at Heart, the wild bird populations of this species probably originate from large aviaries that existed in the area a few years back. The birds bred well in captivity and before long, large flocks of them were flourishing. The aviary owners decided to turn the birds loose, creating a strong and large enough population for them to continue to reproduce well in the wild. However the true key to success of these birds is the fact that they were released in an environment which suited them down to the bone. The hot, dry and dusty arid conditions found in Arizona were similar to the conditions they enjoyed back home and so the peach-faced lovebirds thrived where other birds, such as parakeets and cockatiels, have failed. The planting of a number of exotic plants in the area and the absence of natural predators has further contributed to their success. Normally the existence of such a species would be problematic, but it seems that the peach-faced lovebird isn’t causing too many problems in its new habitat. In fact, its beautiful plumage and delightful behavior is catching the attention of non-bird watchers, drawing even more people to the wonders of nature. So, while authorities are keeping a strict eye on the little bird, it seems that for now, they are content to let them stay in their new home.

Birding in Madera Canyon, Arizona

Editor — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:58:46 +0000

The beautiful Madera Canyon, located in the Santa Rita Mountain Range in southern Arizona, is considered by many to be a bird-watcher’s paradise. The terrain on the approach to Madera Canyon is grasslands, which gives way to mountain forest. The area is renowned for its abundance of bird species and the relatively easy access to watch and photograph birds that are generally not seen elsewhere.

In the grassland area it is not uncommon to see the occasional roadrunner as well as several species of hawks. Western and Cassin’s Kingbirds have also been spotted. Approaching from north to south, the first recommended bird-watching area is the Proctor Road Trail which follows a creek bed with plentiful bird life, especially when it has rained and there is water in the creek.

The very best area for bird-watching and photographing is the Santa Rita Lodge, with a wide variety of species attracted to the platform feeders set up in various areas. All year round residents include the Mexican Jay, Acorn Woodpecker and White-breasted Nuthatch, with an Elf Owl as a long-time permanent resident of a utility pole near the highest cabin. Birds that are prevalent in summer include Black-headed Grosbeak, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch and Scott’s Oriole. More than twelve species of Hummingbirds have been sighted, with the Black-chinned, Broad-billed and Magnificent Hummingbirds being the most abundant. In the winter months the Dark-eyed Junco and Yellow-eyed Junco, as well as Cassin’s Finch take up residence in the area.

Regular bird-watchers in the area recommend getting an early start, especially for photography. The sun arrives in Madera Canyon about an hour after daybreak and this is the hour that affords the best photography opportunities. If you miss this hour, however, even in full sunlight there are shaded areas which are good bird-watching vantage points. It should also be noted that the sun leaves the canyon an hour or two before sunset.

Visitors to Madera Canyon are advised to bring their own food and refreshments and plenty of drinking water. Also, bearing in mind that exposure to the Arizona sunshine can quickly result in sunburn, it is recommended to use a minimum SPF30 sunscreen at all times. Sunglasses and a sunhat are also recommended. Bird-watchers who have visited Madera Canyon generally agree that a visit to this popular birding area is a very rewarding experience.

Arizona Snowbirds

Editor — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 12:54:23 +0000

Winter weather’s closing in on many North American towns. Most migrant birds have finished their move south, escaping the cold. Why not follow them? A winter trip to SE Arizona is a great cure for a bird-watcher‘s winter blues.

SE Arizona can entertain both casual bird-enthusiasts and hard-core birders. Both types often start their trip in Tucson. This city is surrounded by Saguaro National Park. Year-round bird species fill this desert land, including hummingbirds, wrens, quail, verdins, phainopepla, and woodpeckers.

Try the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, in the Park’s western half. The museum’s hawk shows and aviaries (including one buzzing with hummingbirds) can provide a great introduction to Arizona’s rich birdlife. The outdoor grounds also attract wild birds.

Ready for more adventure? Head for the sky islands, isolated mountain ranges around Tucson. These ranges’ cool, forested slopes attract many birds normally found in Mexico. Drive to the summit of Mt Lemmon, 9000 feet, right by Tucson. Or hike the trails of the Huachucas, Santa Ritas, or Chiricahuas, in search of birds like the Elegant Trogon, Bridled Titmouse, and Mexican Chickadee. Many B&B’s and lodges in the area cater to birders, and have busy hummingbird feeders nearby.

Many visitors are surprised how cold it sometimes gets in these sky islands. But no need to worry that snow will ruin your trip. If you’re visiting during a cold snap, try SE Arizona’s rich lowland preserves, such as the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek preserve or the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. There are plenty of birds here to help beat those winter birding blues!