Welcome to the Huachuca Audubon Society
The Huachuca Audubon Society (HAS) offers monthly meetings in the form of
lectures or slide shows on birding and natural history
subjects. Meetings take place in Sierra Vista, usually on the third
Tuesday of the month, September through May. Frequent birding trips to
a variety of birding hotspots are offered year round.
Whether in the area for a few days or newly relocated here, you are
invited to join us in any activity offered.
Join our Trogon News e-mail list for chapter announcements: email our
webmaster.
Breaking News!
Coming soon - revised Huachuca Audubon by-laws. Members will be
asked to vote on them at the annual meeting June 2nd.
When a Snowy Owl met the locals. Check out the
story
Does a Big Year sound fun? Contribute to the
Arizona County Year List Competition (uses Silverlight 5).
Looking for a tool to find eBird Hot Spots? Try
BirdingtheCloud.net.
Schedule of Events for May 2012
[E-mail
us
about coming events & corrections]
Local Programs and Events
5th, all day Saturday. FSPR
International
Migratory
Bird
Day/Spring
Festival at San Pedro House.
Learn more...
10-11th, Thursday and Friday. 19th Annual Southwestern Willow Flycatcher
Survey Training
in North Tucson (1st day) and Dudleyville (2nd day).
Contact Greg Beatty at Greg_Beatty@fws.gov.
12th, Saturday, 5pm. Potluck/Presentation at A-W Research Ranch on
Under the Fence: A Pathway to Pronghorn Permeability.
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12th, Saturday, 5pm. Potluck/Presentation at A-W Research Ranch on
Under the Fence: A Pathway to Pronghorn Permeability.
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WHERE: Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch,
366 Research Ranch Road, Elgin, AZ 85611
Phone: 520/455-5522
WHEN: Saturday April 14, 5pm
WHAT: Potluck/Presentation at A-W Research Ranch on
Under the Fence: A Pathway to Pronghorn Permeability
by Scott Sprague, Wildlife Specialist, Arizona Game and Fish Department.
As one of Arizona’s most charismatic species faces growing challenges
from development, fragmentation, and a changing climate, it has become
clear that the persistence of pronghorn across our state requires
protection and restoration of key remaining habitats. Investigations
of pronghorn movements around highways in northern Arizona were
undertaken to guide efforts that would restore connectivity across an
important landscape. While the resulting recommendations for
long-term mitigations will be considered as those highways are
upgraded, the studies also provided important information on the
barrier effect of fences. A pilot study looking more specifically at
the interactions of fence characteristics and pronghorn movements spun
out of the original highways projects. The findings from these
related projects have contributed to a better understanding of the
state of this landscape and how best to reconnect the pieces in the
short term and restore this pronghorn habitat for long term
persistence. With implementation, these applications can be tested
and applied on this landscape and in other areas of the state. Such
efforts are already underway here in southern Arizona.
Potluck begins at 5:30 PM; presentation begins immediately after
potluck dinner.
RSVP:Please let Pat Kugler (
pkugler@audubon.org) know you're
coming so we can be sure that adequate tables and chairs are set up.
The presentation begins immediately after potluck dinner.
Please bring a dish to share and any beverages you prefer besides tea
and coffee. We will provide tea and coffee, dishes and flatware.
Regards,
Staff at Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch
366 Research Ranch Road
Elgin, AZ 85611
26th, Saturday.
SPRNCA IBA Global Qualification Survey.
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26th, Saturday.
SPRNCA IBA Global Qualification Survey.
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Call for Volunteers!
For the past seven years Huachuca Audubon Society has sponsored
seasonal San Pedro House Important Bird Area (IBA) surveys for
Kingfisher Pond and a one-kilometer segment of the San Pedro
River. There are 42 IBAs throughout Arizona, all State Level IBAs with
the exception of eight which have been elevated to the status of
Global Level, which is the highest level of conservation concern and
protection.
We now have the opportunity to elevate our State Level San Pedro House
IBA to a Global Level IBA encompassing the entire San Pedro Riparian
National Conservation Area (SPRNCA). Named the SPRNCA IBA, I am
coordinating this effort with Arizona Audubon, Tucson Audubon,
Huachuca Audubon Society, and BLM. Volunteers from Phoenix and Tucson
as well as local Sierra Vista birders will be helping to accomplish
this endeavor.
To accomplish SPRNCA IBA Global qualification, we need to document a
threshold of bird density for Bell’s vireo and Lucy’s warbler over a
series of non-contiguous one-kilometer transects (laid out ahead of
time) in primarily mesquite bosque habitat between St. David and the
Mexican border. This is planned as a one-day survey to take place on
the morning of SATURDAY, MAY 26 (Memorial Day weekend). We will
require approximately 36 volunteers to comprise the two observers and
one recorder required per transect. Actual survey time should average
around an hour-and-a-half per team, not counting travel to and from
the transect location.
If you are interested in participating in the SPRNCA IBA Global
qualifying survey, contact Elaine Moore at
elaine.moore@wku.edu or call
(520) 803-7646.
27th, Sunday.
Elegant Trogon Survey in the Huachucas organized by Rick Taylor.
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27th, Sunday.
Elegant Trogon Survey in the Huachucas organized by Rick Taylor.
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The bird surveying fun doesn’t need to stop there! The very next day,
May 27 there will be a separate survey in the Huachuca Mountains for
the aptly named Elegant Trogon. Teams of volunteers will be assigned
to different canyons within the mountain range. Last year the teams
scoured Ramsey, Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons among other
canyons well known as birding hot spots. These trogon surveys have
been going on for over 30 years and have tracked the US population
changes of these amazing birds through climate fluctuations and
fires. This is a great opportunity to explore a beautiful canyon and
possibly spot one of these beautiful birds for yourself. This promises
to be a fun day of adventure, camaraderie and birding!
For more information, contact: Tricia Gerrodette at
triciag2@cox.net.
Field Trips
9th, Wednesday, 7am.
FSPR Bird Walk. Meet at San Pedro House (SPH).
26th, Saturday, 7am.
FSPR Bird Walk. Meet at San Pedro House (SPH).
Note: due to the particularly high price of gas, car pool passengers
are expected to provide adequate compensation to their drivers, about
8 cents per mile.
Weekly Events
Every Sunday at 7am Apr-Sep (then 8am Oct-Mar),
Bird Walk at Sierra Vista EOP.
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Every Sunday at 7am Apr-Sep (then 8am Oct-Mar),
Bird Walk at Sierra Vista EOP.
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The Sunday bird walks at the Sierra Vista EOP (Environmental Operations Park)
sponsored by Huachuca Audubon Society, Friends
of the San Pedro River, and the Southeast Arizona Birding Observatory
start at 7 AM. Please come early as tours
are limited to 20 participants with two docents.
Every Monday at 7am,
Bird walks on the San Pedro River
(WALK SUSPENDED AFTER MAY!!)
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Every Monday at 7am,
Bird walks on the San Pedro River.
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NOTE: THIS WALK CONCLUDES AT THE END OF MAY!!
Join this 2-3 hour weekly bird walk
on the Gordon Lewis property at the San Pedro River.
Meet at 7 am, Monday mornings, at the pull-off just west of the
bridge, on the north side of Highway 92 (near Palominas; There is a
rusty quonset hut just before the turn-off, and a gate numbered
10663.) Check out the Google
map
of the location of the property entrance.
Bring water, sun protection, and adequate clothing; it will
be cold. This is a unique opportunity to visit private property with
incredible riparian habitat, including burrowing owl roosts. There
is no fee, and interested non-members are welcome.
Every Saturday in April and May at 4pm,
SABO Hummingbird Banding at San Pedro House (SPH).
Looking Ahead
Jun 2, Saturday.
HAS Annual Meeting, Election, and Potluck
at 2233 E. Boones Trail, Sierra Vista AZ.
Jun 7-8, Thursday and Friday.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey Training
at the Red Rock Ranger Station near Sedona.
Contact Matthew Johnson at
matthew.johnson@nau.edu.
Jun 9, Saturday.
Science on the Sonoita Plain - details to follow.
For additional nearby field trips and programs, check out the
Friends of San Pedro River and
Friends of Sonoita Creek.
Interested in butterflies? Check out the
Southeast Arizona Butterfly Association.
International Bird Tours
Birding Festivals
Aug 1-4. 21st Annual
Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival.
Learn more....
Aug 15-19.
Tucson Bird & Wildlife Festival.
Learn more....
In order to locate upcoming festivals, please consult the
American Birding Association
Birding and Nature Festivals Directory.
Mission Statement
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The goal of Huachuca Audubon Society members is to conserve and
restore eco-systems so that birds and other wildlife can flourish and
enrich the Earth's diversity. Members enjoy observing wildlife and
seek its protection through efforts to advance public understanding of
the relationships of all life forms and the consequences of
interfering with these relationships.
Huachuca Audubon Society members are concerned conservationists who
work to extend the public awareness of the value of conservation. They
also seek to inform and influence lawmakers so that their work may
reflect this value.
More about Huachuca Audubon
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Questions regarding Huachuca Audubon should be directed to the
web master.
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Last update: 17 May 2012 by REW.
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