CAREFREE CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT SUMMARY

The 12th annual Carefree Christmas Bird Count was held on Friday, January 2, 2004. Some 85 field observers and 16 feeder watchers teamed up to find 104 species and 14,390 individual birds. These figures represent record high totals for participation as well as for individual birds.

New species for the count were a Western Kingbird at the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, an Olive Warbler at Lower Camp Creek and a Pyrrhuloxia along Tranquil Trail in Carefree. This brings our cumulative total to 152 species. In addition our first “Sooty” Fox Sparrow turned up at Lower Camp Creek. Species noted on the count for just the second time were Gadwall, Merlin, American Crow, Black-throated Gray Warbler and White-throated Sparrow.

Gambel’s Quail, Gila Woodpecker, Cactus Wren, Chipping Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch were among the 20 species found in record numbers. We needed just two more Curve-billed Thrashers to set a record for that species. Last year Carefree had the national high count for Gambel’s Quail, Cactus Wren and Curve-billed Thrasher; our numbers for this year suggest that a repeat performance is possible. White-crowned Sparrow was our most abundant bird.

Our area leaders were Don Baer, Harvey Beatty, Diane Berney, Greg Clark, Troy Corman, Cynthia Donald, Herb Fibel, Jay Follett and Daniela Yellan. Joining us for the first time was Donald Dann of Highland Park, Illinois who has been nominated to serve on the Board of Directors of the American Birding Association. Thank you all for your support of this count.

CHAPTERS, STATE OFFICES AND FRIENDS

I reported to you in the spring of 2003 that National Audubon board committees have been struggling for years to define who its local chapters are and what they have in common. Currently, the bigger question with which NAS is trying to deal, is how to integrate the activities of these 500 diverse chapters with National Audubon state offices (which soon will be in each of our 50 states) into one cohesive and viable conservation organization.

This awesome task is currently in the hands of National board member Bill McQuilkin and his "ad hoc" (which means 'temporary', or, better, 'until its task is completed') NAS committee on Chapters. One of the committee's earliest recom­mendations, quickly adopted by the NAS board, was to phase out the practice of National Audubon sharing approximately $5.50 of each person's NAS annual dues with the local chapter to which that person was assigned. Rather than cutting the tail off all at once, it was decided by NAS that the first year of this cutoff, chapters would receive 75% of their dues share, 50% the following year, and 25% the next, whereafter a new and much more conservative system, with greatly reduced divisions of dues with the local chapters, at times, potentially, as little as zero dollars to the chapters, would be put into place.

In the year that the dues share was scheduled to be 25%, McQuilkin's NAS Ad Hoc Chapters Committee had not yet come up with its final recommendations, and amidst an outcry from chapters, it was decided to hold the "safety net" dues share for another year at 50%. In January of this year the NAS board agreed to continue the "safety net" dues share at the 50% level for yet another year.

 So, this coming October MAS will receive a third check from NAS that equals approximately $2.75 per NAS member assigned to our chapter.

Because of the vicissitudes of the dues share issue, and because in the past dues share had totally funded distribution of the Wren-dition and had also covered the cost of providing other services to our NAS assigned members, Maricopa Audubon and other local chapters created direct-to-their-chapter donation systems called "Friends". Your "Friends" donations helped pay for Wren-dition printing and mailing costs and enabled us to set up a new plan, which called for sending one free copy to each new NAS member assigned to the chapter, and, thereafter, copies only to those who became "Friends of Maricopa Audubon". Since NAS has not cut off our dues share entirely as we had anticipated as yet, and because of an anonymous $5,000 "Friends" donation, your chapter finds itself with a modest surplus of revenue this current fiscal year. I'm pleased to report that a significant portion of this additional income has been used to publish Mike Rupp's and Jim Bums' Beginner's Bird Guide for the Phoenix Area, with pictures of our 26 most common local bird species, and bird descriptions printed in both English and Spanish, which will be used as an important educational tool. We are also purchasing our own display tent for use at nature festivals that are put on annually throughout the area.

Your board sincerely hopes that we are meeting the expectations of our "Friends" with our high quality "Cactus Wren-dition" and with our efforts to conserve our environment and educate our community about birds, other wildlife, and their habitats.

DECEMBER, JANUARY, & FEBRUARY 2004

By Janet Witzeman

A Pacific Loon was observed below Parker Dam Dec. 6 (CB,SS) and another, or the same, was seen in Bill Williams Delta Jan. 10 (KR). A juvenile Pied-billed Grebe, seen at 115^th Ave. and the Gila River Dec. 13, indicated late nesting activity (TC). A Clark’s Grebe, uncommon in the county, was reported below Horseshoe Dam in January (RH). Numbers of Am. White Pelicans remained for the winter in the southwest valley: about a dozen were counted near 115^th Ave. and the Gila River in early and mid-December (RJ,TC) and numbers increased at Gillespie Dam from five in late December to more than 90 in mid-February (TC et al.). The immature Brown Pelican at Tempe Town Lake was seen there again in late December (LN) and mid-February (TG). Another individual was observed at one of the Indian Bend Rd. ponds in Scottsdale Jan. 11 (TC) and Feb. 10 (CR).

A group of Neotropic Cormorants were found nesting in a gated community adjacent to the Ocotillo Golf Course in Chandler in February. Some were seen carrying sticks Feb. 21 and from 30 – 35 nesting pairs were observed in four eucalyptus  trees there Feb. 29 (RE,TC). This is the second nesting attempt in the county and state for this species, however, the first nesting attempt (in May 2003) failed. A large group of 86 Neotropic Cormorants were reported with 40 Double-crested Cormorants at the Cobble Ponds, Tres Rios Jan. 18 (TC). A huge concentration of more than 300 Double-crested Cormorants were counted on a lake at Price and Queen Creek Rd. in Chandler Feb. 29 (TC).

A Least Bittern was found in a new area Feb. 15 – at the Hassayampa River Preserve (WT). Great Blue Herons continued to expand their nesting areas: numbers were reported on nests in trees on Queen Creek Rd., w. of Alma School Rd. in Chandler Jan.  21 (AM), and others were seen nesting in the trees around the lake at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale Jan. 25 (MB). A Reddish Egret, discovered n. of Paloma Ranch Jan. 2 (BG), may have been the same one that was found at the Gila Bend Power Plant pond in September. Forty Cattle Egrets were counted at Paloma Ranch Jan. 26 (BG).

The adult White Ibis, frequenting areas s.w. of Phoenix since May 2003, was found again at a new pond in Palo Verde Dec. 27 (TC), and was observed in the same general area at least through February (m.ob.). Wintering White-faced Ibis are no longer uncommon: more than 50 were counted at Tres Rios Jan. 27 – 28 (ES) and more than 100 were seen near 107^th Ave. and Southern Feb. 13 (CR). Fourteen Black Vultures were sighted at 115^th Ave. and the Gila River Jan. 18 (TC).

Individual Greater White-fronted Geese were observed on the Tres Rios CBC Dec. 18 (fide TC) and at Lake Havasu City Jan. 23 (DP). In addition to the Ross’s Geese reported in November, there were two near the Rousseau Sod farm Dec. 13 (PD), one on the Tres Rios CBC Dec. 18 (fide TC), two in Palo Verde Jan. 7 – 10 (PD) one at Lake Havasu City Jan. 23 (DP), three at McCormick Ranch Jan. 26 (MM et al.), and six (with two Snow Geese) at the Maricopa Agricultural Center Feb. 8 (C&SW).

Three Eurasian Wigeons were found in the county this winter: one at McCormick Ranch from Jan. 17 at least to Feb. 16 (JH,SG,WT et al.), one at Paradise Garden Cemetery Pond in Scottsdale Jan. 28 at least to Feb. 24 (LM,SG,RD,JA et al.), and one at a pond adjacent to the Neotropic Cormorant colony in Chandler Feb. 29 (TC). Blue-winged Teal are not usually reported before mid-February, so the ones observed Jan. 17 at the Neely Ranch Ponds (JM) and in the effluent channel at 91^st Ave. Jan. 18 (TC) were early. A male Greater Scaup was found at the ASU Research Park Pond Jan. 11 at least to Feb. 16 (TC,JM) and three were reported in Bill Williams Delta Jan. 23 (DP). Two Surf Scoters and a White-winged Scoter were discovered below Parker Dam Dec. 6 (CB,SS); the White-winged Scoter remained at least until Feb. 7 (KR,BG,MS).

Two male Com. Goldeneyes were observed at 115^th Ave. and the Gila River Dec. 6 (RJ,TC); six were counted on the Salt/Verde CBC Dec. 16 (fide KR), four females were reported at PaloVerde Jan. 8 (MM), and one was seen at Tres Rios Feb. 7 (ME). Between two and seven Barrow’s Goldeneyes were reported below Parker Dam Dec. 6 – Jan. 24 (CB,SS,KR,BG,MS). Larger than usual numbers of Hooded Mergansers were found. In addition to the Hooded Mergansers reported in the fall, there were three on the Salt/Verde CBC Dec. 16 (fide KR), up to ten at the Scottsdale Pavilions Ponds Jan. 11 – 31 (TC et al.), between five and nine at Fountain Hills Lake Jan. 24 –25 (JA,L&KB), seven at the Tempe Marsh Feb. 1 (DStu), and one at the Zoo Ponds Feb. 8 (PM,CD). A male Red-breasted Merganser was found (with 240 Com. Mergansers) at McCormick Ranch Jan. 11 (TC) and five were observed at the Gilbert/Riggs Ponds Jan. 12 (CR).

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