PROGRAMS

September 2003 through May 2004 

Meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month, September-April, at the Phoenix Zoo Auditorium.  Meetings start at 7:30, and feature a speaker, book sales, refreshments, and a chance to socialize with fellow MAS members.  Visitors welcome!

Join us for a pre-meeting dinner at Pete’s 19^th Tee, 1405 N Mill Avenue, Tempe (at the Rolling Hills Golf Course) starting at 6:00 p.m.  Meals average about $5.00 with a variety of choices on the menu.  Join us!  Except at the September meeting we will have our annual potluck starting at 6:30.  Each attendee is invited to bring a platter of his or her favorite h’ors de oeuvres, sufficiently large enough to serve at least six people.  We will provide the eating utensils, the plates, and the drinks.  The regular meeting will begin at 7:30.

Join us for a season of dynamic speakers and captivating topics!  Visit Iceland, Alaska, Peru, Mexico and Arizona to see our favorite creatures and their associated environments.  Learn to identify birds in the field by their sounds, get close-up and personal with digital photography, view habitat restoration along the Santa Cruz River, experience Arizona’s sky island ecosystems and discover major conservation efforts throughout the state.  Wow!  And if that isn’t enough to whet your interest, our banquet speaker for May 2004 is Kenn Kaufman!

To conserve space, only a short list of our speakers and topics is included in this edition of the newsletter.  A summary of each speaker’s topic will be available on our web site (www.maricopaaudubon.org). 

September 2, 2003  
David Reesor 
"Birds of Iceland"

October 7, 2003  
David and Jen MacKay  
"Birds and Natural History of Northwestern Mexico"

November 4, 2003
 Kathy Groschupf
"Identifying Bird Sounds in the Field"

December 2, 2003
Gary Rosenberg
"Digital Photography Through a Telescope:  A Tour Leader's Travels from Alaska to Peru"

January  6, 2004
Ann Phillips and Kendall Kroesen
Along the Santa Cruz River:  Its Birds and Reconstruction Efforts"

February 3 ,2004
 Peter Friederici
"Those Exotic, Thick-billed Parrots of the Sierra Madre"

March 2, 2004
 Bob Witzeman
"Sky Islands of Arizona:  Their Life Zones and Birds"

April 6, 2004
  Pat Graham
"The Nature Conservancy in Arizona:  Past Present and Future"

May 4, 2004
Kenn Kaufman 
??????? (stay tuned!)

  By Deva Burns

COMMITTEES/SUPPORT

Activist Alert: 
Shawn Bauer 
602-828-3607
shawnbaur@hotmail.com

Arizona Audubon 
Council Rep:
Herb Fibel 
408-966-5246
herbertsfibel@aol.com

Audubon Phone
408-829-8209 

Book Store

Field Observations
Janet Witzeman
602-840-6089 
jlwitzeman@aol.com 

Hospitality

Web Page
Michell Fulton
480-968-5141 
webmaster@maricopaaudubon.org 

Maricopa Audubon Web Site
www.maricopaaudubon.org 

AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE 

Bequests are an important source of support for the Maricopa Audubon Society.  Your chapter has dedicated itself to the protection of natural world through public education and advocacy for the wiser use and preservation of our land, water, air and other irreplaceable natural resources.

You can invest in the future of our natural world by making a bequest in your will to the Maricopa Audubon Society .  Talk to your attorney for more information on how this can be accomplished.

Cities and towns across the United States have found that birding festivals bring dollars to their coffers and provide education to both locals and visitors.  Phoenix recently joined this community of festivals with the Tres Rios Birding Festival.  MAS was one of several sponsors of this two day event.  Several MAS members volunteered this year but a special thanks goes to Mike Rupp and Cynthia Donald for also being on the Tres Rios Committee.  If you didn't attend this year please try to do so in year.

Although this is called the Summer issue, spring is in the air as the Wrendition is being prepared for publication.  The touching display of a pair of Black-necked Stilts reminds us that every Spring brings a renewal.

In our two conservation articles we are reminded in order for this renewal to continue for future generations, we must be forever vigilant.  I want Janet's column to continue to be an extensive list of sightings well into the next century.  Finally, Jim's Special Secies article and his Photo Quiz continue to delight and stump.

Be sure to check out our website at www.maricopaaudubon.org!

Although this issue of the Wrendition is labelled "Summer," preparation for its publication took place during the spring.  The balletic post-copulatory dance of the Black-necked Stilts on our cover is an evocative reminder of the renewal which spring brings to our natural world.

In this issue's two conservation articles we are reminded that if future generations are to experience this renewal we, the stewards of the present, must remain forever vigilant.  We must do whatever we can to see that Janet Witzeman's "Field Observations" feature remains at two pages or expands!

A wonderful start toward this goal was made this spring with the first Tres Rios Birding Festival.  Communities across the United States have found that birding festivals bring dollars to their coffers and provide education to both locals and visitors.  The Tres Rios event, conceived and designed by our new Membership Chairman, the energetic and resourceful Mike Rupp, is slated to be an annual affair.  MAS was one of several sponsors of the highly successful two day event, and several MAS members volunteered in so many helpful ways, but a special thanks goes to Cynthia Donald who joined Mike Rupp's Planning Committee.

If you would like to help in any way with the renewal of our vows to maintain our natural environment, check out our website at www.maricopaaudubon.orgor contact an MAS board member.

Needed—Book Store Volunteers!—If you are interested, contact any Board Member.

Children’s Field Guide-- There’s a new book in town!  Well, a new booklet in any event!  This spring, the Maricopa Audubon Society published a children’s field guide for 56 species of birds commonly found in the Phoenix area.  Running 30 pages and measuring just 4”x6”, this little book packs quite a wallop.  Conceived by MAS member Mike Rupp, the book took flight through the writing and photos of Jim Burns, another talented MAS member.  Unveiled at the Tres Rios and Feathered Friends festivals in March, the booklet is gaining in popularity.  It also has some unique features.  First of all, the text, in English and Spanish, is targeted at Kindergarten to pre-teen children.  (But I have it on good authority that it’s being read and enjoyed by adults as well.)  Secondly, it carries a strong conservation awareness message.  And finally, the organization is based on five “neighborhoods” (habitats) that begin with your Yard, and progress to the River, Ponds, Farmfields and Desert.  So, give it a “once over” at our next meeting.  It’s perfect for the children in your life or inquisitive adults who want to read about Pijiji Aliblanco o los Rascadores.

North American Owls:  Journey Through A Shadowed World--MAS writer/photographer Jim Burns' owl book has been published by Willow Creek Press and is now available in bookstores and online.  It covers our 19 owl species with color photographs, a CD of their vocalizations, thumbnails of their natural history, and compelling personal anecdotes.

Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas:  Volunteers are needed for the second PA Breeding Bird Atlas Project scheduled for 2004-2008. This atlas effort 

 comes two decades after the first atlas which documented 187 breeding species in theCommonwealth. The sponsors include the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Powdermill Nature Reserve, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and Pennsylvania Game Commission. To learn more or register to participate go to www.pabirdatlas.org.

The Birdseye Guide to 101 Birding Sites, Phoenix:  A guide published by Rupp Aerial Photography.  The maps are excellent, it is all in color and is $23.95.  For more information check www.ruppaerialphoto.com.

The Dovetail Directory  ( www.dovetailbirding.com ):  The Directory is an online catalogue of world birding tours, and our goal is to help  birders locate that special birding tour, to any of 85 countries around the world.  This is a free service. There are no hidden costs or surcharges. Tours are offered at the operators price. In addition to tours, the Directory also carries a comprehensive inventory of birding-related books.  For your further convenience we maintain a North American, toll-free number (877) 881-1145, and someone will always happy to take your call. 

Shade-grown coffee:  If you are searching for a source to purchase shade-grown coffee and haven’t been successful, try ABA Sales.  They carry seven kinds of Song Bird Coffee.  For information call 800-634-7736.

More birding and nature festivals.  www.americanbirding.org . and www.birdinghotspot.com .

Audubon Adventures:  Give the gift of discovery and share your love of the environment.  The program is designated for students in grades 4-6.  Introduce an entire classroom (up to 32 students) to the wonders of nature for just $35 (plus shipping charges).  You can select your favorite school or let Audubon do it for you.  For orders:  call 800/813-5037.

Maricopa Audubon T-Shirts
For information, contact Laurie Nessel at (480) 968-5614 or laurienessel@hotmail.com

Do you have an interesting story to tell about birding?  Please forward your submissions to the Editor—Deva Burns.  Check the back page for address/e-mail.  Actually, attaching an article to an e-mail is the absolute easiest way to submit an article.  If you have pictures or slides, you do need to send those to me directly.  Remember, all articles may not be published the first month after receipt.