june 2009 trogon newsletter huachuca audubon society

8/9/2019 June 2009 Trogon Newsletter Huachuca Audubon Society

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New Mexicos Dancing Chickens by Mike Guest

Trogon News

H U A C H U C A A U D U B O N S O C I E T Y

P . O . B O X 6 3

S I E R R A V I S T A , A R I Z O N A 8 5 6 3 6

June 2009

Volume XXXII Number 2

Possibly one of the better kept

secrets in the birding fraternity

is the Chicken Festival held in

Milnesand, New Mexico eachApril. The 2009 event was the

eighth in a row. The festival

has its own web site

www.wildlife.state.nm.us/

recreation/prairie_ckn/

Festival.html but unless you

keep a close eye on it the first

thing youll notice is Sorry

Sold Out as attendance is

limited to 100 participants.

Previous year attendees aresent an early invitation to sign

upand many do, fast.

The prime attraction is view-

ing and photography of Lesser

Prairie Chickens on their leks,

generally 12 - 18 miles outside

of Milnesand. A posse of 12

passenger vans depart from the

Community Center at 5:00 am

sharp on both Saturday and

Sunday arriving at the leks

while it is still dark. At first allwe could ascertain were curi-

ous bubbling noises, then as

day broke so did the birds,

first as shadowy shapes then as

colorful entitiesin our case

some eleven males and three,

maybe four females. The males

strut around with bright red

swollen cheek patches, raised

head feathers, and prominent

moon-shaped tails. Confronta-

tions are many, with lots ofposturing and leaps into the

air, but they never seem to

come to blows. The females,

almost dowdy in comparison,

amble about and seem disin-

terested in the male showman-

ship. But every so often, appar-

ently at random, copulation

occurs, so fast if you blink

youll have missed it and will

just see the female vigorously

shaking herself after the event.

No one is allowed to leave the

vans during the displays. There

may only be one openable win-

dow in your van, but somehow

everyone who wishes to, can

reach it to take photos. My 3X

zoom was singularly inade-

quate at our site, but a fellowpassengers 10X zoom pro-

duced stunning images. When

all have had sufficient viewing

the vans return for a hearty

breakfast, and a short rest be-

fore the next tours begin.

These include archeology and

history, ecology of prairie dogs

or playa lakes, birding tours,

reptiles and amphibians, na-

tive plants and "point and

shoot" photo tips. The registra-

tion fee also included two din-

ners, two breakfasts, and one

lunch. This years fee was just

$90! You can bring your own

tent, self-contained van,

camper, or RV (electric hook-

up is available for a fee) or

choose to stay in a motel inTatum or Portales though

these are several miles away.

The festival is a community

event hosted by folks who

really want you to enjoy your-

self and will go out of their

way to make sure you do.

Heather and I had a great

time.

Calendar Highlights

Saturday June 13

HAS Annual

Meeting and

PotluckRamsey

Canyon Preserve 5

pm (see p. 7)

August 5-9

Southwest Wings

festival at the

Windemere in

Sierra Vista

Tuesday

September 15

first fall HAS

program

Lesser Prairie Chicken. Photo by Dan Williams.


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Trogon News Volume XXXII Number 2Page 2

El Triunfo Reserve, an iconic

tropical destination, first

caught my attention in theVictor Emanuel catalogue

many years ago. There is possi-

bly no finer mountain setting

in Mexico. And south of the

Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the

diversity of flora and fauna is

noticeably richer than to the

north. So when I learned that

Mark Pretti Nature Tours hadscheduled a special backcoun-

try trip to this reserve for

March 2009, my wife Liza and

I immediately signed up. The

trip involved hiking up the

interior slopes of the Sierra

Madre de Chiapas over a pass

around 2,000 meters elevation

(roughly 6,500 feet) to reach El

Triunfo, then hiking 16 miles

downhill almost to sea level

over the course of three days.

These trails had been in use

for over 100 years to haul

shade-grown coffee over the

mountains to the Pacific

Ocean. The higher elevations

presented exquisite tropical

cloud forest. Descending the

Pacific slope, we then passed

through evergreen coniferous

forest, junipers, and evergreen

tropical forest, before reaching

the lowland forest and scrub

of the coastal plain.

We first flew to the capital of

Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutierrez, by

way of Mexico City. Tuxtla is a

sprawling city on the Rio Gri-

jalva. The river bisects not only

the city, but the mountains to

the north, forming the scenic

Sumidero Canyon where it

cuts a dramatic gorge on itsway to the Gulf of Mexico. We

spent our first morning of

birding here in mostly tropical

deciduous forest. During the

dry season, gray leafless trees

on mountain slopes are punc-

tuated by gaudy flowers like

those of rosa amarilla. Here we

enjoyed White-throated Mag-

pie Jays, Streak-backed Orioles,

Black-headed and Grayish sal-

tators, Rufous-browed Pepper-

shrike, an up-close-and-

personal Belted Flycatcher,

and Blue-and-white Mocking-

birds, the replacement for the

Blue Mockingbird that occurs

north of the Isthmus (and oc-

casionally makes it our to

neighborhood). After lunch,

we drove to Jaltenango, our

point of departure to El Tri-

unfo the next day. A good

nights sleep was definitely

needed prior to the long hike,

so naturally fireworks were set

off near our hotel on into the

night.

The next morning we climbed

into pickup trucks... the same

trucks used to haul cattle! But

there was no sign of the previ-

ous occupants, and the breeze

and views were pleasing. At a

creek crossing, we found a pair

of Russet-crowned Motmots,

Collared Aracaris, our first

Melodious Blackbird, and a

Laughing Falcon perched atopof a tree by the road. As we

approached Finca Prusia,

founded and still run by a Ger-

man family, we were treated to

a couple more Blue-and-white

Mockingbirds and Blue-

hooded Euphonias. Our bag-

gage was loaded onto the

mules and horses, and it was

time to head up the trail! We

were now hiking under a com-

El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve: the Gem of Chiapas, Mexico by Robert Weissler

Bino Box AvailableHuachuca Audubon Society, in partnership with Audubon

Arizona, is pleased to offer a free educational resource to the

community. We have a portable box containing 24 binocu-

lars, several field guides and a copy of the Science Takes

Wing lesson set.

Teachers are encouraged to check out the box for use with

their students. Scout and other community groups may also

use the box. Conservation starts with understanding so

share the wonder of birds with your favorite club or class

this year! The box is available for one-week periods.

To reserve the box, please contact Tricia Gerrodette in Si-

erra Vista at [email protected] or (520) 378-4937.

Recycle for HAS

Old cell phones plus laser and ink-jet cartridgesare still being recycled by Mike Guest on behalfof HAS, with over 300 items collected to date.Drop items off at Wild Birds Unlimited, RamseyCanyon Preserve, or the San Pedro House, plusduring any HAS meeting or field trip.


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pletely closed canopy. We en-

joyed close views of emerald

toucanet, followed later by the

first of many Cabanis' (azure-

rumped) Tanagers. The forestbecame taller the higher we

went. Bromeliads and other

epiphytes became more notice-

able. Ruddy Foliage-gleaner

and Spot-crowned Wood-

creeper popped up over the

trail.

We spent three nights in the

reserve. We planned on

roughing it only to find mat-

tresses inside the dormitory.

The food was excellent andfresh

(despite its

journey on

mules and

horses),

including

my favor-

ite, pa-

paya! Bet-

ter still

were close up views of Spotted

Nightingale-thrush and YellowGrosbeak at the waste pile out

back. On the trails, we often

heard the odd sound of the

wings during mating displays

of the Highland Guan, but it

was often difficult to see them

through the forest. We were

lucky to see many flashy male

Resplendent Quetzals well.

Harder to find was the en-

demic Horned Guan, a signa-

ture species for the reserve.Eventually, we did see a couple

and even got a few photos.

Quite a spectacular bird!

After three thrilling days cover-

ing the trails atop the reserve,

we headed up and over the

final pass that would take us

down the Pacific slope of the

mountains. Motmots were well

represented as we saw both

Blue-throated and Turquoise-

browed and heard Tody and

Blue-crowned motmots. We

made camp at three sites and

found we were accompanied

not only by the mules andhorses carrying our bags, but

also a team including two

cooks equipped with comal,

ten people in all! We even had

cool showers at each campsite.

These were luxuries none of us

expected. And the birds were

spectacular of course! At Li-

monal, we camped very close

to a long-tailed Manakin lek.

The dawn chorus at our final

campsite, El Paval, was incredi-ble. I got up before the sun to

find myself almost stepping on

Pauraques on the trail. The

evening before we scoped a

Black-and-white Owl. And

green jays were conspicuous

once again, this time right in

the campground.

Our final stop on the trip was

the southernmost city in Mex-

ico, Tapachula, just miles from

the Guatemalan border. Road-side Hawk was seen from the

highway as you might expect.

As is customary, the final night

of the tour we were treated to

a beautifully landscaped,

sprawling hotel. Birding the

grounds and adjacent native

habitat added new birds like

White-

bellied

Chachalaca

and Cinna-mon Hum-

mingbird,

plus many

giant wrens,

an endemic

for Chiapas,

and more White-throated Mag-

pie Jays. Mark would stir up

the birds with an imitation of

Ferruginous Pygmy-owl, onlythis time the owl came in to

check us out!

This was a memorable trip on

many levels: the pristine forest

of the Sierra Madre de Chia-

pas, the friendly and well-

organized expedition team

that accompanied us through

the mountains, and the cama-

raderie of the trip participants.If you are up for strenuous

hiking, you will be rewarded at

El Triunfo with spectacular

birds, including rare endemics

like the Horned Guan and

Blue-throated Motmot, and

lush tropical scenery.

Robert also took the photos. L-to-

R: El Triunfo, quetzal, pygmy owl.

Presidents MessageHello. Approaching the end of my third year as

President Im very pleased with the state of HAS

where we stand, what we do, and where we are head-ing.

Members are active in supporting The Nature Con-

servancy at the Ramsey Canyon and Patagonia-

Sonoita Creek Preserves, the Bureau of Land Man-

agement at the San Pedro River, and the National

Park Service at Coronado National Memorial. We

have had information tables at the Sierra Vista Earth

Day, the Spring Festival/International Migratory

Bird Day, and again at Fort Huachucas Safety Day.

My thanks to the many volunteers.

Our field trips and evening meetings are going well,

though sometimes attendance is a little lacking

absentees missed a great day in Garden and

Scheelite Canyons, and the colorful, interesting pres-

entation on Arctic Summer. We have more people

enrolled as Friends of Huachuca Audubon Society

than ever before, and we have assembled a fine slate

of candidates for officers and board members (see

page 7) for our June election. My sincere thanks to

all past participants and a special thank you to those

who are continuing in office.

With the aid of the Friends of the San Pedro River

we are replacing a few, and adding more, animalskulls to our Bird/Mammal trunk. This kit is being

well used at both our school visits and information

tables.

I hope to see many of you at our annual Potluck

Picnic/Election on June 13th, this year at the Ramsey

Canyon Preservehopefully a little cooler than our

past events by the river.

Regards, Mike

El Triunfo, continued


4/8


Summer

Outings

June 7 Monitoring

Hunter Canyon

June 13 Charleston

and points north

June 24 Ramsey

Canyon Preserve

June 28 Carr Reef

July 15 Ramsey

Canyon Preserve

July 18 San Pedro /Boquillas

July 27 Grasslands /

del Valle Road

Aug 2 Monitoring

Miller Canyon

HAS Summer Field Trips

Ramsey Canyon Preserve

Wednesday June 24: 6:00 am

Wednesday July 15: 6:00 am

Join us for a 2-3 hour Monday morning bird walk at The Nature Conservancys Ramsey

Canyon Preserve. The walk will go about 1 mile up through the preserve at a very relaxed

pace with some uphill walking. Meet in the Ramsey Canyon Preserve parking lot at the

end of Ramsey Canyon Road at 6:00 am. Wear sturdy shoes. Open to the public, but

standard preserve entrance fees apply: $5/person for a weekly pass; $3 TNC members or

Cochise County residents.

Leader: Alan Blixt (515-9458, [email protected])

Sunday June 28: Carr Reef and High-elevation Birds of the Huachucas

Meet at 6:30 am at the Perimeter Trail parking lot, then carpool to head up to the Reef

Townsite campground where the birding begins. Bring sturdy boots, hat, water, snacks.

Leaders: Robert Weissler (803-0794, [email protected]) andAlan Blixt (515-9458, [email protected])

Monday July 27: Grasslands and Del Valle Road

Field trip through the grasslands along Del Valle Road during the monsoon season with

numerous singing Cassin's and Botteri's Sparrows.

Meet 6:00 am at San Pedro House. Free and open to the public. Bring hat, snacks, and

plenty of water. Should finish by 9:00 am.

Leaders: Erika Wilson (234-4359, [email protected]) and

Alan Blixt (515-9458, [email protected])

Springtime in St. DavidBy Alan Blixt

On Saturday April 18th 15 folks met at 7:30 at the Monastery in St David. We recorded 65 species of birds during a 4

hour walk. We were treated to repeat performances by both beautiful Northern Cardinals and Vermilion Flycatchers. We

observed courtship behavior of several Black-chinned Hummingbirds and saw a Gray Hawk carrying nesting materials. We

found several species of warblers including Yellow, Lucy's, Orange-crowned, Wilson's, Yellow-rumped, Painted Redstart,

and Common Yellowthroat. We found a number of birds in a mesquite grassland area including Verdin, Bell's Vireo, Ash-

throated Flycatchers, Hammond's Flycatcher's, Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Curve-billed Thrasher, and Gambel's Quail. Along

the river we heard and saw the beautiful Summer Tanager, Bullock's Oriole, and Black-headed Grosbeak. What a day!

Color-coordinated warblers courtesy of

USFWS. L to ROrange-crowned, Common

Yellowthroat, Wilsons, Yellow.

Note: Carpool passengers are expected to provide adequate compensation to their drivers, about 8 cents per mile. Gracias!


5/8

WEEKLY

Sundays at 7 am during summer months (8 am October through March)

Bird Walk at Sierra Vista Environmental Operations Park. Limited to

20 participants with two docents.

No Monday morning walks at Gordon Lewiss place during June, July,

August.

MONTHLY

2nd Wednesdayat 7 am April-September (8 am October-March); Bird

Walk at San Pedro House.

4th Saturdayat 7 am April-September (8 am October-March) Bird Walk

at San Pedro House. (South off Hwy 90 just west of the San Pedro River)

Regular Events

Friends ofthe San Pedro

Summer Field Trips


Forest Service MonitoringT r a i n i n g S e s s i o n s

Learn about the Coronado National Forestsstudy of the effects of fuels treatments

(thinning, prescribed burns, and other

methods to reduce the risk of high-severity

wildfire and improve forest health) on birds

and other wildlife. Three field trips will

demonstrate the methods and skills re-

quired to carry out the protocol for collect-

ing data on cavity-nesting and other breed-

ing birds of the Huachuca Mountains for

this multi-year Forest Service study. Bring

sturdy boots, water, hat, snacks.

Leader: Robert Weissler (803-0794,[email protected])

Sunday June 7 Hunter Canyon SpringMeet 7:00 am at the Hunter Canyon park-

ing lot adjacent to Highway 92 (south on

Hwy 92 past 3 Canyons Rd at the top of the

rise before Stump Canyon), then carpool

0.6 mile up to the spring. Learn the moni-

toring protocol and get to know this hidden

delight with large sycamores and bubbling

spring.

Sunday August 2 Miller CanyonMeet: 7:00 am at the Forest Service trail-

head parking lot, located just below Beattys

Orchard at the upper end of Miller Canyon

Road (west off Highway 92). After trying out

the bird monitoring protocol (and we find

Huachuca specialties such as Red-faced and

Graces warblers, Hepatic Tanager, Greater

Pewee), participants have the option to

spend time at the hummingbird feeders at

Beattys orchard. The trail is rough and

steep, so bring water and wear sturdy shoes

and be prepared for a 2 mile uphill hike at a

relaxed pace. A small fee is required to ac-

cess the upper feeders at Beattys.

The actual monitoring will be a solitary or very

small group activity taking place at dozens of

locations on the Sierra Vista Ranger District.

Saturday June 13: Charleston and Points North

Strenuous 10-mile hike north from the Charleston Rd Bridge, passing

rock art, the Narrows, and other points of interest.

Meet: 7:00 am at the Millville Trailhead 1/4 mile east of the San Pedro

River on Charleston Rd. Bring sturdy shoes, hat, water, snacks. Free and

open to the public.


Sunday July 18 Boquillas Section of San Pedro TrailModerate 8-mile hike south on the San Pedro Trail from Fairbank to

historic Little Boquillas Ranch and the ruins of Boston Mill, then back

along the adjacent San Pedro River. There should be plenty of birds at

the ranch and the vicinity of the river.

Meet 7:00 am at the Fairbank parking lot 1/4 mile east of the river on

Hwy 82.Bring hat, water, snacks. Free and open to the public.


Check the web site (http://www.huachuca-audubon.org )

for the latest updates to the schedule of events.

Want to help track birds at night, even when youcan't see them? Find out how to build your own tracker atWired Magazine's website link. Cornell University orni-thologist Andrew Farnsworth would like our data and he

makes the set-up sound pretty simple.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/birdmonitors/


6/8

Trogon News Volume XXXII Number 2

Page 6

Norman AdamsDouglas

Sandra BeremanSierra Vista

Victoria BlairSierra Vista

James BondHereford

Jewett ColemanHereford

Cappy GordonDouglas

Norm Johnson FamilyGlendale, Arizona

Glenn & Marlys JolyNew Hope, Minnesota

Carol Kamka .Elmhurst, Illinois

LatimerPearce

Esther LeithmanPearce

Jim Lundberg

Fort Thomas, Kentucky

Richard & ChristineMontgomerySierra Vista

Robert PrattSierra Vista

Christine RhodesBisbee

Arlene RipleySt. David

Regina RutledgeSierra Vista

Patricia SandersonWillcox

John ScaranoSierra Vista

Frank RutherfordDouglas

Rosemary TarenskeenSierra Vista

Rosemary VernonSierra Vista

Verona WebbSierra Vista

Welcome New Members

And thanks to a l l o f you loya l renewingmembers , too.

We have had a great response to this years nature campfor kids. At Trogon News press time there were only a few

spots left in the June 22-26 session for 10-12-year-olds.

Three other sessions are completely full, and there are even

a few names on waiting lists.

The Nature Conservancy is hosting this program for the

11th time this summer. Huachuca Audubon and South-

west Wings generously provided financial support, and

volunteers from HAS ranks will be helping out.

Instructors Jane Chambers

and Judy Phillips have an

action-packed week plannedfor each group of partici-

pants. Kids will learn about

the plants and animals of

the Huachuca Mountains

and the San Pedro River

Valley. Jane and Judy will

highlight the fascinating

and beautiful connections

within the web of life and

what role our lives play in

nature and its conservation.

Activities are designed to be fun and interactive. Camperswill be provided with journals in which they will do some

drawing and writing. They spend four days in Ramsey Can-

yon and a fifth on the San Pedro River.

If you are interested in the June 22-26 session, please con-

tact me at 520-378-2785 X 112. Camp runs from 8:30 am

until noon.

Brooke Gebow, The Nature Conservancy

A Few Spots Left inRamsey Canyon Kid Camp


7/8


Saturday June 13

HAS Annual Meeting and Potluck5 p.m. Ramsey Canyon Preserve

27 Ramsey Canyon Road, Hereford

The membership is invited to join us for the Huachuca Audubon Society AnnualMeeting and Potluck Picnic at 5:00 pm, Saturday, June 13, 2009 at The Nature

Conservancys Ramsey Canyon Preserve. Bring a dish to share, utensils, and what-

ever you need to spend a pleasant evening outdoors.

The business portion of the event includes the election of new officers. The Nomi-

nating Committee has assembled the following slate of candidates for its board of

directors and officers for the 2009/2010 year that starts in July:

We invite additional nominations for any of these positions from the membership

at large at the annual meeting. The slate of candidates and the annual meeting an-

nouncement also are available atwww.huachuca-audubon.org

President, Mike Guest

Vice President, Robert Weissler

Secretary, Elaine Emeigh

Treasurer, Phil Tucker

Director, Ginny Bealer

Director,Alan Blixt

Director, Mel Emeigh

Director, Tricia Gerrodette

2009-2010

Committee Chairs

Field Trips, Alan Blixt & Robert

Weissler

Conservation, Tricia Gerrodette

Education, Ginny Bealer

Membership, Ginny BealerAudubon Adventure, Sally Rosen

Webmaster, Robert Weissler

Trogon News Editor, BrookeGebow

If you are interested in joining acommittee, we welcome additionalvolunteers! If you have a specialinterest in the monthly programssponsored by Huachuca Audubon,the Program Chair position isvacant. Previous experience is notnecessary, and guidance is alwaysavailable. Questions? Want tovolunteer? Please contacthas_admin@huachuca-

audubon.org.

Makeyourvoiceheardandvote!


8/8

Visit the website for current information:

www.huachuca-audubon.org

Webmaster, Robert Weissler

Submit Trogon News items to:

[email protected]

Print Trogon News Editor, Brooke Gebow

H U A C H U C A A U D U B O N S O C I E T YP . O . B O X 6 3S I E R R A V I S T A , A R I Z O N A 8 5 6 3 6

Huachuca Audubon Society Directory (520 area code)

President Mike Guest [email protected] 378-0667

Vice President Robert Weissler [email protected] 803-0794

Secretary Anne Graf [email protected] 603-2674

Treasurer Phil Tucker wbunlimited1013

@qwestoffice.net803-8440

Field Trips Robert Weissler

Alan Blixt

[email protected]

[email protected]

803-0794

515-9458

Education Ginny Bealer [email protected] 378-6341

Membership Ginny Bealer [email protected] 378-6341

Conservation vacant

Programs vacant

Committee Chairs

DirectorsGinny Bealer 378-6341

Tricia Gerrodette 378-4937

Dave Cunningham 378-2201

Sherry Cunningham 378-2201

Alan Blixt 515-9458

Arizona Audubon Council Representative

Tricia Gerrodette

(Officers and committee chairs may change effective the June 13, 2009 election.)

june 2009 trogon newsletter huachuca audubon society

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