Gambel’s Tales

The Newsletter of the Sonoran Audubon Society

Volume 10 Issue 8 April, 2009

At our next meeting…. Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 7 p.m.

Tim Cullison: Kittlitz’s Murrelet with Alaska Wildlife

In June-July, 2008, Tim Cullison enrolled in a summer

course in Marine Ornithology given by the University of
Alaska-Juneau. Tim participated in a research study on
the declining Marbled Murrelet and Kittlitz's Murrelet.

He will present a Power Point presentation on his experi-

ences as well as discuss some of the other wildlife he
observed including Orca, Humpback Whale, Sea Otter,
Brown Bear, Steller's Sea Lion and many Bald Eagles.

Tim Cullison, is not only a member of the Sonoran Audu-

bon Society, but is currently handling the publicity for
our programs and is also on the Education Committee.

Come out and see one of our own in what should be an

exciting program.

Kittlitz’s Murrelet pictured at right

QUICK LOOK: What’s Happening in our Chapter?

By Your Editor, George Wall
The Program……………………….………… Page 1
What’s Happening in our Chapter……….... Pages 1-2 The Sonoran Audubon Society board meeting convened
SAS Trip Schedules/Estrella Walks..……... Pages 2-3 at 7 p.m. on March 4, 2009. The attendees were Bob
Tres Rios Report………………………..….. .. Page 4 McCormick, Karen LaFrance, John Arnett, Carol
Focus Birds: Gilded Flicker & Elf Owl …..… Page 5 Schooler, Chuck Richards, Rich Schooler, Andrée Tarby
Capuchinbird/Treasurer’s Report…….…........Pages 6 and George Wall.
Yuma Trip and Pictures……………………….Page 7
Events in and around the Valley ………….......Page 8 After approval of the minutes from the prior month, com-
Officers & Committees………………………..Page 9 mittee reports were made.
Calendar of Meetings ………………...…… Page 10
As of January, there were 673 National (NAS) Sonoran
Audubon Society (SAS) members and 102 Friends of
SAS.
(Continued on Page 2)

Gambel’s Tales
Page 1
 (Continued from Page 1) Meet at the McDonald’s Restaurant in Green Valley at
What’s Happening in our Chapter? the Continental Road exit off of I-19 at 7:00 a.m. Call
the leader to confirm participation and knowledge of
Both the 2nd Saturday and the 4th Sunday bird walks are
meeting place and time. This trip might be extended
having good attendance.
into Sunday morning.
There are several upcoming events for both March and Difficulty: 1 Bring a lunch.
April which the Education Committee will handle.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Yuma/Salton Sea Trip with Henry Detwiler was a Page Springs
success including the spotting of a LeConte’s Thrasher. Leader: Rich Schooler 623-930-8904
[email protected]
Karen LaFrance proposed submitting a Together Green
Innovation Grant to develop a leadership camp in Arizona. Page Springs is a fish hatchery where water also at-
The SAS Board retreat was scheduled for Saturday, Sep- tracts many birds. There are also Arizona Sycamore
tember 5, 2009, at the Nature Conservancy’s Hassayampa and cottonwoods surrounding the water. Bridled Tit-
River Preserve meeting room if it can be reserved. mouse is a resident and Common Black Hawks nest
regularly. There is a birding trail that is a part of the
The SAS picnic is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, No- Page Springs Important Bird Area.
vember 1, 2009, at Robbins Butte Wildlife Area.
Difficulty: 1 Bring a lunch.
The Arizona Conservation Summit held in Tucson was
well attended. Meet at McDonald’s just off Carefree Highway taking
Exit 223 off Rte. 17.to leave at 6:00 a.m.
Overlooked: At the February Board Meeting, a Nominat-
ing Committee was formed. Chuck Richards, Bob McCor- Saturday, April 25, 2009
mick and one other will be on the committee for the com- Yarnell Park and Area
ing year. Leader: Eleanor Campbell 623 977-7639
[email protected]
General Membership Meeting: Because of a family
emergency, Amy Leu, our scheduled speaker couldn’t Exploration of the park and side streets in tiny Yarnell
make it to the March meeting. As a replacement, George in the Weaver Mountains at 4,700 ft. north of Wicken-
Wall showed a PowerPoint DVD on Exotic Birds. Forty burg should reveal a variety of resident, migratory and
plus people attended the meeting. summer nesting birds. The park has woods, a stream
and a ravine where Summer Tanager, Black-headed
Grosbeak, Phainopepla and Juniper Titmouse have
been seen. The Acorn Woodpecker is a resi-
dent. There could be Bullock's Oriole and warblers
Spring/Summer 2009 Field Trips searching the wooded habitat for food.
REQUIREMENT: On all trips, YOU MUST make res-
ervations by calling the leader. The leader can then give Difficulty: 1 Morning only, but plan to eat in a popu-
updated information as to the meeting place, times, etc. lar local restaurant.
Also, some trips are limited in size.
Meet at Bell Recreation Center, corner of Hutton Dr.
Saturday, April 4, 2009 and Boswell Blvd, in Sun City to leave at 6:30 a.m.
Madera Canyon OR at Wickenburg Community Center at 7:30 a.m.
Leader: Richard Kaiser 602 276-3312 (Take Rte. 60 northwest to Wickenburg. Cross the
[email protected] bridge over the Hassayampa River and immediately
turn right onto the street that takes you to the large
Situated in the Coronado National Forest in southern Ari- white building and parking lot.)
zona, this is one of the nation's top birding areas. The habi-
Monday, May 4, 2009
tat varies from the grasslands of Florida Canyon to a heav-
Fossil Creek
ily wooded area above the 5,000 foot level. We will be
Leader: George Wall 623-875-7057
looking for birds from parking areas at the famous Proctor
[email protected]
Road, Bog Springs and Santa Rita Lodge feeders. Species
we will look for include Painted Redstart, Arizona Wood-
This is an area off of Rte. 260 on the other side of
pecker, Yellow-eyed Junco, Ash-throated Flycatcher, and
Camp Verde. Fossil Creek is a unique warm-water
Elegant Trogon.
perennial stream that flows from a complex of springs
14 miles to the Verde River.
Difficulty: 1 Bring a lunch.
(Continued on Page 3)

Page 2 Gambel's Tales

(Continued from Page 2) Stoneman Lake is northeast of Camp Verde off of I17
To reach it, you must travel a graded dirt road for several and is one of several spring-fed mountain lakes on the
miles. Some of the 41 birds seen in April 2008, were Ju- Mogollon Plateau and located 36 miles south of Flagstaff
niper Titmouse, Gray Flycatcher, Summer Tanager and and 125 miles north of Phoenix. Take Interstate 17 to the
Scott’s Oriole. Stoneman Lake Exit #306, and follow the clearly marked
signs. Red Crossbill, Pygmy Nuthatch, Mountain
Difficulty: 1 Bring a lunch. Chickadee and Northern Goshawk are residents. Pinyon
Jay and Acorn Woodpeckers are in abundance. The
Meet at the Burger King just off of 101 on Thunderbird group will also look for Lewis’s and Three-toed Wood-
to leave at 5:45 a.m. pecker in a burned-out area and for warblers nesting at
this high elevation. Picnic area and toilets are available.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
East Webber Creek Difficulty: 2 Bring lunch and water.
Leader: Dan Bohlman 602-938-8244
[email protected] Meet at the Burger King just west of 101 on Thunderbird
to leave at 6:00 a.m. OR at McDonald’s just off Carefree
This is one of the most beautiful places under the Mogol- Highway taking Exit 223 off Rte. 17 at 6:30 a.m.
lon Rim. There is a trail that leads out of the Geronimo
Boy Scout Camp and follows the stream into a canyon Friday-Monday, October 2-5, 2009
that slices into the Rim. It is unusual in that there are firs San Diego Pelagic & Land Birding
and spruce growing at this low elevation (6000 to 6500 Leader: Rich Schooler 623-930-8904
ft.) due to the shade provided by the canyon walls and all [email protected]
the water in the East Webber Creek due to springs feed-
ing it. There are all kinds of forest birds attracted by the Join us for a combination pelagic and land birding trip to
trees and water – Chickadees, Titmouse, Nuthatches, San Diego in October. We will be doing a one day pe-
Flycatchers, Robins, Jays, Woodpeckers, Vireos, war- lagic trip out of San Diego. The cost of the pelagic trip is
blers and much more. There is also a small lake there at $55 and the trip last approximately 10 to 11 hours. The
the Boy Scout Camp and open grassy areas that attract boat, the Grande, is an 85 footer with several restroom
other types of birds. The trail into East Webber Creek facilities and food service. The trip is sponsored by the
goes for around three miles. We will go for about 2 miles Buena Vista Audubon Society and will have five experi-
and then return by the same route. Those that don’t want enced guides on board. Some of the birds expected are:
to go that far can just sit down and relax and listen to the Pink-footed, Sooty, and Black-vented Shearwaters;
gurgling water and wait for the group to return. Leach’s and Black Storm-Petrels; Pomarine and Parasitic
Jaegers; Arctic Tern; Rhinoceros and Cassin’s Auklets;
Difficulty: 3 Bring a lunch. and Red-necked Phalaropes. Possible species include:
Flesh-footed Shearwater; Blue-footed and Masked Boo-
Meet at Fry’s Electronics Store, 31st Ave and Thunder-
bies; Northern Fulmar; Xantus’ and Craveri’s Murrelets;
bird in the parking lot on the north side of the building
Least, Ashy and Wilson’s Storm-Petrels; and Sabine’s
(N.E. corner) at 7:00 a.m.
Gull. Additionally, several sea mammals are likely.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The land birding portion of the trip will be on Sunday
Flagstaff Arboretum/Kachina Wetlands
October 4 to areas around San Diego to look for Southern
Leader: George Wall 623-875-7057 [email protected]
California specialties and shorebirds. We will develop
We will bird Raymond Park and the Kachina Wetlands the exact land birding itinerary as we get closer to the trip
first. Afterwards, we’ll go to the Flagstaff Arboretum that date. We may also possibly make a side trip either going
is nestled within the Ponderosa Pine forest at 7,150 feet. or coming to look for White-headed Woodpecker and
Over 100 species of birds have been seen there at one other montane species, if the interest is there. Several of
time or another. the people that have expressed interest in this trip have
birded the San Diego area in the past, so we do not plan
Difficulty: 1 Bring a lunch. to hire a local guide for the land birding portion.

Meet at the Burger King just off of 101 on Thunderbird We will be staying at an older motel adjacent to the Point
to leave at 5:30 a.m. or meet at Raymond Park at 7:30 Loma Sport Fishing Marina where the pelagic trip origi-
a.m. Directions to Raymond Park: Get off at Exit 333 nates from. We have blocked eight rooms for the group;
from I17, cross under I17 and make almost an immediate however, you will be responsible for making your own
right and the park is at that corner on the left. room reservations and pelagic trip reservations. It is rec-
ommended that the pelagic trip reservations be made by
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 mid-July as this is a very popular trip.
Stoneman Lake
Leader: Donna Smith 623-556-9535 The trip will be limited to 16 people. If you are inter-
[email protected] ested, please contact the leader.

Gambel’s Tales
Page 3
TRES RIOS NATURE & EARTH FESTIVAL
The Tres Rios Nature & Earth Festival was held March 7-8, 2009, at the B&M Wildlife Area located at Avondale Blvd. and
the Gila River. The Sonoran Audubon Society had a booth and also led several birding and nature tours.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all of those who showed up to help staff the booth and help on the bird walks as well as
other things. These people were John Arnett, Tina Bickel, Marian Bound, Eleanor Campbell, Dick Fogle, Joe Ford, Richard &
Karen Kaiser, Chuck Kangas, Tom Lazzelle, Bob McCormick, Lynn Miller, Charles & Loretta Richards, Rich & Carol
Schooler, Andrée Tarby and George Wall. If I missed anyone, I apologize.

The early morning bird walk at 7:30 a.m. produced 30 species of birds including an Osprey dive bombing a Bald Eagle. You
couldn’t ask for more than that.

The regular tours that started at 9 a.m. didn’t produce as many birds but everyone seemed to enjoy the walks.

At the Sonoran Audubon Society booth, it was kind of quiet in the mornings, but active in the afternoon. Besides handing out
information on our society, $250 plus in books were sold. Fantastic!

Picture from the early morning birding tour led by Bob McCormick, Andrée Tarby and George Wall

Photo contest & Focus Birds

The Sonoran Audubon Society is focusing on Arizona’s Common Birds in Decline and has a photo contest going until April
30th. Winners’ photos will be used in the brochures, bookmarks, etc., that we will be producing over the next few months.
The Focus Birds: Phainopepla, Verdin, Cactus Wren, Yuma Clapper Rail, Gilded Flicker, Elf Owl, Yellow-billed Cuckoo,
Costa’s Hummingbird, Burrowing Owl and Black-throated Sparrow.
Rules are simple: Please try to limit the photo size to 1 Meg. Photos that have to be scanned may have a reduction in image
quality. Please respect all local, state, and federal laws in obtaining your photos. Submit photos with your name to mcbo-
[email protected] (or mail to Bob McCormick P.O. Box 674 Laveen AZ 85339) with the words Photo Contest in the heading.
The board will select all winning photos. There is a potential of three winners for each bird. If you desire your photo to be left
as is, please let us know, otherwise, we reserve the right to crop the photo to fit the media selected.

Page 4 Gambel's Tales

Life in the Saguaros to choke out native plants and continue the deadly fire cycle.
By Bettina Bickel In contrast to the rapid regeneration of invasive grasses such
Our iconic saguaros seem to have personalities of their as bufflegrass, consider the life cycle of the saguaro. A sa-
own. Most project an image of stately elegance, while guaro seedling must sprout underneath a nurse plant, where
others seem whimsical or even comical. Whatever their it is protected from some of the extremes of sun and cold. It
“personality”, saguaros are a vital part of the Sonoran must escape becoming a snack for some hungry creature.
desert ecosystem. Without them, the Sonoran desert Then, in order for significant numbers of seedlings to sur-
would not provide extensive habitat for cavity nesting vive, there must be a period of several consecutive mild and
birds, including two of our focus birds: the gilded flicker wet winters. After ten years, the little saguaro may be a cou-
and the elf owl. ple of inches high, and may attain a height of two feet after
30 years. Only after 50 to 100 years will it be large enough
Gilded flickers are one of the desert’s primary cavity to begin sprouting arms.
nesters, excavating nest chambers in saguaros that are
later used by a multitude of creatures. Their range in the Saguaros provide nesting habitat, food, and shelter for a mul-
United States is limited almost exclusively to Arizona’s titude of desert creatures. These magnificent saguaro forests,
Sonoran desert and cottonwood/willow riparian areas, which can take a century or more to recover, can be de-
where they are permanent residents. Nesting begins in stroyed almost instantly by bufflelgrass and other invasives.
early April, as nest holes are excavated in a tall saguaro Learn more by visiting National Audubon’s Watchlist
(at least 16 feet tall) or cottonwood. While gilded flickers online, and to find out more about invasive species in the
rely on saguaros for nesting habitat, like other flickers, Sonoran desert check www.desertmuseum.org/invasives.
they are ant specialists and are often seen feeding on the
ground. They can extend their tongue up to five inches
into ant holes!
Elf owls are one of the many secondary cavity nesters
who rely on the nest cavities excavated by flickers. Their
range in the United States is also limited almost exclu-
sively to Arizona, where they inhabit saguaro forests and
riparian mountain canyons. Male elf owls begin arriving
in March to establish nesting territories, with females
arriving later to choose a male and his territory. Elf owls
are not big on interior decorating, and use the nest cavity
“as is”, without adding any nesting material. The male
stays busy feeding the female as she incubates the eggs,
and continues to feed the female and young in the nest for
about two weeks. Elf owls are primarily insectivorous,
but the tiny owls are fierce enough to tackle even scorpi-
ons.
The National Audubon Society Watchlist includes both
gilded flickers (red status) and elf owls (yellow status)
due to their limited range and loss of habitat within their
range. Conserving the Sonoran desert and its large cacti
are priorities for ensuring the future of these species. Hu-
mans destroy habitat with suburban sprawl. Invasive
tamarisk chokes out native cottonwoods (and cavity nest-
ing habitat) in riparian areas. But one of the most danger-
ous threats is invasive grasses, such as red brome, foun-
tain grass, and bufflegrass, which promote an unnatural
fire regime in the Sonoran desert.
Plants such as saguaros evolved without fire, since his-
torically sparse fuels have limited fire to very small areas
of the Sonoran desert. Saguaros (and other Sonoran de-
sert plants such as palo verdes) are very susceptible to
fire, and usually do not survive it. But dense mats of Elf Owl—Photo by Tom Cheknis
bufflegrass promote fires, after which bufflegrass can
quickly regenerate even more profusely than before, only

Gambel’s Tales
Page 5
 Capuchinbird
By Jerry Theis
In February, 2009, I went on a tour with Chupaflor Nature
Tours out of Albuquerque, N.M. to Venezuela. It was there
that I saw the unusual Capuchinbird—sometimes called the
Calfbird.

The Capuchinbird is a member of the Cotinga family, arbo-

real forest or forest-edge dwellers, most of whom eat at
least some fruit. The Cotinga family includes some of the
most beautiful as well as some of the most bizarre birds in
the New World. The Capuchinbird is a large, curious-
looking bird with a bobtail and heavy bill. It is mainly cin-
namon brown in color and has long feathers that can be
raised and puffed out like "tail-lights" during displays. Its
song is reminiscent of a distant chainsaw, emitted as the
bird pulls itself up to the erect position on a branch. Other
members of the Cotinga family that we observed were
White and Bearded Bellbirds, Golden-breasted and Hand-
some Fruiteaters, and Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock. In addi-
tion to cotingas, other specialty birds we observed included
Scissor-tailed Hummingbird (endemic to the Paria Penin-
sula), Horned Screamer (17 seen), Scarlet-horned Manakin
(doing it's moonwalk on a branch), as well as fledgling and
adult Harpy Eagles!

As you can tell by the birds seen, it was a great trip. Capuchinbird—Internet Public Photo

Treasurer’s Report
Year-To-Date — June ’08 – February ‘09
INCOME:
Collaborate Funding (NAS) $ 835.00
Friends of SAS 1,940.00
National Audubon Dues Share 2,052.75
Environmental Fund of Arizona 1,296.53
Book, Calendar, Tee Sales 861.00
Newsletter Mailing Fees 130.00
Savings Interest 55.97
EXPENSE:
Calendar Purchase $ 225.00
Chapter Operations 379.67
Education Committee (Books, etc.) 365.26
Equipment Purchases (Laptop, projector, etc.) 1,595.92
Hospitality 77.44
Insurance 265.00
Membership Committee 497.37
Newsletter 681.13
Printing 352.30
Speakers/Guides 1,116.98
Telephone (Service discontinued) 60.68
Tres Rios Nature Festival 500.00
Webmaster/Web Hosting 916.38
Current Liquid Assets:
Checking $3,439.92
Savings $8,474.09

Page 6 Gambel's Tales

YUMA TRIP —February 20-22, 2009
By Chuck Richards

The group arrived at the Wetlands Park in Yuma at noon on Friday where we had a picnic lunch. We then proceeded to bird
two areas south of Yuma before checking in at the motel. Early Saturday morning we met with Henry Detwiler, our guide
for Saturday and Sunday morning, and drove to the Salton Sea. There we searched for target birds (Lesser Black-backed
Gull, Yellow-footed Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull and Sprague’s Pipit) but only got the Glaucous-winged Gull and Sprague’s
Pipit. The other two were elusive. Sunday morning we again birded with Henry north and east of Yuma. Rails and Le-
Conte’s Thrasher were our targets and we got them. The weather all weekend was great as were our group - Tom Lazzelle,
Joy Dolhanczyk, Dan Bohlmann, Rich Schooler, Nancy Woods, Lorraine Thompson, George Drew, Dick Fogle, George
Wall, Carol Sharplin, Vera Markham, Donna Smith, Andrée Tarby and Loretta and Chuck Richards. A special thanks to
Henry Detwiler for a fine job as our guide. As a final count, we saw or heard 98 species. See the trip report on the web page.

Happy birders L-R: Tom Lazzelle, Henry Detwiler (leader), George Drew, Dan Bohlmann, Andrée Tarby, Dick
Fogle, Nancy Woods, Lorraine Thompson, Carol Sharplin, Joy Dolhanczyk, Donna Smith, Loretta & Chuck Rich-
ards and Rich Schooler.

FAMILY BIRD WALKS AT ESTRELLA

Sponsored by the Sonoran Audubon Society

Estrella Mountain Park is located on the south side of the Gila River in Goodyear at Bullard Avenue and Vineyard Road.
This riparian area consists of exposed shorelines, mature trees, the occasional marsh surrounded by desert scrub hillsides and
in the park itself, many mesquite, palms and other trees.

SATURDAYS: These walks are held the second Saturday of each month. The next walk will be on Saturday, April 11,
2009. Meet at the new visitor’s center parking lot at 8:00 a.m. There will be live raptors for viewing. The walk will last ap-
proximately 2 hours. For further information, contact Rich Schooler at 623-930-8904, [email protected].

It was another excellent turnout for the February bird walk as nine people showed up to participate. 32 species of birds were
seen including a Gray Flycatcher.

SUNDAYS: These walks are held the fourth Sunday of each month. The next walk will be on Sunday, April 26, 2009, at
8:00 a.m. Follow the signs to the dirt parking lot on the east side of the park. For further information contact Bob McCor-
mick at 602-373-2952 [email protected] or Andrée Tarby at 480-948-1074 [email protected].

There is a $6.00 per vehicle charge for entering the park; however, the bird walks and loaner binoculars are otherwise free of
charge.

Gambel’s Tales
Page 7
EVENTS IN AND AROUND THE VALLEY For those into bird banding and want to help set up the
Birders’ Anonymous nets, etc., the dates are Saturday, April 4, 2009. and Sat-
urday, April 25, 2009, starting at 6:30 a.m. However,
Birders’ Anonymous, a group of bird-watchers, has their you must contact Anne Leight at
next meeting on Friday, April 17, 2009, starting at 10 [email protected] at least two days beforehand.
a.m. at the Church of the Palms on the corner of Boswell
and 103rd Ave. in Sun City. Entrance fees are $5, TNC members $3 and children 12
and under are free. For information call 928 684-2772
The program for this month will be a DVD on the Lesser or e-mail [email protected].
Prairie-Chickens in New Mexico and the preservation of
their high plains grassland habitat. Boyce Thompson Arboretum

For further information on Birders’ Anonymous contact There will be guided bird walks April 4, 12, 18 and 26
Marshall Esty at 623-977-1637 or at [email protected]. from 8:30—11:00 a.m. led by Cindy Marple and Cindy
West on April 4, Troy Corman on April 12, Donald Pete
Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Project Moulton and Marceline Vanderwater on April 18 and
then Vera Walters and Kathe Anderson on April 26.
The city of Phoenix will be hosting a Migratory Bird Day
event on Saturday, April 4, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Boyce Thompson Arboretum is still in its winter sched-
at the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area, 2439 S. Cen- ule from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. except during special pro-
tral Ave. It’s FREE fun for the entire family. There will grams. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $3 ages 5-12.
be games, crafts, live birds, bird walks, butterfly tagging
For driving directions or other details, call 520-689-
and much, much more.
2811 or visit their internet website at http://
On Saturday, April 11, 2009, bird guide Thomas Gaskill arboretum.ag.arizona.edu/.
will lead a “Warbler” walk. This is the time of the year
Festivals
that warblers migrate. The walk is from 7:30-9:30 a.m.
(Course ID #52820). Meet at the visitors’ plaza on the north Yuma Birding & Nature Festival
bank at Central Ave. April 15-19, 2009
You need to make your reservation in advance by visiting
http://phoenix.gov/PARKS and click on Classes and Programs Where the Colorado River meets the Sonoran Desert,
and enter the course number. You can also call 602-262-6863 there's a rare mix of habitats and wildlife watching op-
and leave a voice mail. Note: The “Warbler” walk above has a portunities. Festival features trips into Mexico, to Salton
cost of $5 for adults, $1 for youths and seniors, Sea in California, and more. We're on the Colorado
River flyway, nearly 400 species of birds live or visit
Desert Botanical Garden here each year.
Every Monday and the second Saturday of each month, Contact: Yuma Visitor's Bureau, 202 South First Ave-
there is a bird walk starting at 8:00 a.m. nue, Suite 202, Yuma, AZ 85364 800-293-0071
Desert Botanical Garden entrance fees of $15.00 ($13.50 Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival
seniors) apply unless you’re a DBG member. Member- April 23-26, 2009
ship is $55 a year.
The Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival provides a
See their website at www.dbg.org for further informa- unique recreational experience to anyone interested in
tion. the natural world and fosters awareness of the impor-
Hassayampa River Preserve tance of habitat for the enrichment of all life in the
Verde Valley. The festival will be held at Dead Horse
On April 11, 2009, there is a Nature Fest. This is a day of Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, Arizona.
outdoor fun for the entire family. Highlights include non-
venomous snakes, live birds of prey, hourly nature walks, See their website at http://birdyverde.org.
crafts for kids and much more. Adults $5, kids are free.
Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival
August 5-9, 2009
There is an Interpretive Nature Walk on Saturday, April
25, 2009, from 8:30-10 a.m. This is an easy walk along This festival will be held in Sierra Vista, Arizona at the
the trails to catch sight of migratory and resident birds as Windemere Hotel. For more info, go to their website at
well as other wildlife. http://www.swwings.org.

Page 8 Gambel's Tales

Join the Sonoran Audubon Society
Sonoran Audubon Society Officers, Board Members
This can be done in two ways: become a friend of the and Committee Contacts:
Sonoran Audubon Society or join the National Audu-
bon Society. The difference is as a “friend” all the Officers
money goes to our chapter. As a National member, you
still become a member of our chapter, but only a per- President: Robert McCormick 602-237-3951
centage of the money goes to our chapter; however, you [email protected]
get the National Audubon Society Magazine. Some Vice President: Karen LaFrance 602-788-9646
people choose to do both. See our website for the appli- [email protected]
cable forms. Treasurer: Carol Schooler 623-930-8904
[email protected]
New adult or family membership: $20.00 Secretary: John Arnett 623-695-0953
[email protected]
Seniors and students: $15.00
Renewal fee for seniors and students: $15.00
Board Members— Directors at Large
Eleanor Campbell 623-977-7639 [email protected]
All monthly issues of Gambel’s Tales may be obtained
Chuck Richards 623-594-6554 [email protected]
free from the chapter website
Rich Schooler 623-930-8904 [email protected]
<www.sonoranaudubon.org> or by mail for $10.00 per
Andrée Tarby 480-948-1074 [email protected]
year. If you wish to get the newsletter by mail or to be
George Wall 623-875-7057 [email protected]
notified when a new issue is placed on the website,
please contact [email protected] or by mail
Committees
to: Sonoran Audubon Society, P O Box 8068, Glen-
dale, AZ 85312-8068. Programs: Eleanor Campbell and George Wall—See
phone numbers and e-mail addresses above.

Education: Rich Schooler 623-930-8904

[email protected]
SAS Web Site: www.sonoranaudubon.org
Arizona Audubon Web Site: www.az.audubon.org
Desert Rivers Audubon Web Site: Field Trips: Donna Smith 623-556-9535
www.desertriversaudubon.org [email protected]
Maricopa Audubon Web Site:
www.maricopaaudubon.org Hospitality: Diana Barnum 623-215-3400 [email protected]

Publicity: Tim Cullison: 602-863-9744

[email protected]

Membership: Charles Kangas 623-931-6677

[email protected]

Newsletter: George Wall 623-875-7057 [email protected]

Conservation: Tina Bickel [email protected]

Gambel’s Tales
Page 9
Calendar of Monthly Meetings…

Location: Auditorium, Glendale Public Library, 5959 West Brown Street

(one block south of Peoria Ave. & 59th Ave. intersection) Time: 6:30 p.m. for socializing and
7 p.m. for the start of the meeting and program

April 8, 2009—Tim Cullison—Kittlitz’s Murrelet with Alaska Wildlife—also election night

May 13, 2009—Tom Hildebrandt: Speaker from the Arizona Riparian Council

Other Dates of Interest: April 1, 2009 7 p.m. Board Meeting at Glendale Library in small meeting room – all SAS mem-
bers welcome.

Sonoran Audubon Society

P.O. Box 8068
Glendale, AZ 85312-8068

Page 10 Gambel's Tales