Newsletter of the Northern Arizona Audubon Society ™ Volume XLIII • Number 3 • January/February 2014 January Meetings February Meetings From the Andes to the Amazon: Plant, bird and animal recovery Condors to Toucans in the forest following the Straddling the equator, Ecuador is one of the world’s most bio-diverse countries. The Schultz Fire of 2010 country is blessed with over 1,600 bird species, The Schultz Fire of summer 2010 burned much of the eastern including 120 hummingbird species with side of the San Francisco Peaks. This fire was in many areas a fanciful names such as the Shining Sunbeam. very hard burn, with 70% of it regarded as moderate to high in With a land area about the size of Nevada, severity, with much of that occurring higher up in mixed conifer Ecuador’s physical geography includes the forests, which include Doug-fir, limber pine, bristlecone pine and Andes Mountains where 19,000’ glacier clad aspen, and killed much of the forest that it passed through. The volcanoes tower over surrounding grasslands. It consequences have been myriad and are continuing to manifest also includes a substantial chunk of the Amazon themselves, often in unexpected ways. In the interim there have Headwaters and Basin where indigenous been some wonderful studies on the recovery of all kinds of species peoples live their lives in the midst of major Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Photo by Bill Bouton of plants and animals and most of the news is pretty good. petroleum reserves. Gwen Waring will share with us what she has learned about In June of 2013, Brent Bitz embarked upon a four-week journey with a simple recovery of plants, animals and birds three years after the fire at goal in mind: experience this bio-diversity through birding. The idea was to start the February 19 (Sedona) and 20 (Flagstaff) meetings. She birding as high as possible and then drop down the eastern slope of the Andes visiting has conducted research in most western ecosystems and taught each ecological zone in turn. Brent will be speaking at our January 15 (Sedona) and natural history in her hometown of Flagstaff. Waring has a strong January 16 (Flagstaff) meetings and will share his experiences and photos of this commitment to teaching her community about the wild world exciting part of the world. around them, based on a belief that this connection is fundamental Starting in the Paramo grasslands at almost 14,000’ and in the shadow of a massive to a healthy world and healthy souls. volcano, Brent was able to see Condors, Carunculated Caracaras and Rufous-bellied The burning of trees which are killed but remain standing Seedsnipes. Living in a cold, high altitude habitat, these birds manage to live on the edge represents a major windfall for wood and bark-boring beetles, whose of what is possible with each carving out its own niche. populations would probably talk about these days for millennia to Moving lower in altitude, the next zone come, if they were so inclined. Of course, these creatures are key in was Tropical Cloud Forest. These moist recycling nutrients from these trees. Not surprising, woodpeckers environments are found at higher elevations have been having a field day in the burn site with its abundance below 10,000’. The extremely steep of boring insects, and also helping to reclaim this damaged mountainsides trap the clouds that then drench landscape. the forest with a fine mist. This creates a very Understory plants, including some that always show up after dense vegetation canopy ideal for supporting fire, are increasing and extensive through most of the burn site, giant tree ferns and many species of orchid. with endless stands of native lupines, locoweed and dogweed, Bird life is extensive and includes dozens and nonnative mullein, cheatgrass, lambsquarters and toadflax. of species of hummingbird, including Sword- All of these weedy species are doing a very important job now Hoatzin, Photo by Kate from UK billed, Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Glowing by stabilizing and enriching soils. Several years after the fire, Puffleg and Tourmaline Sunangel. Inca Jays flocked to the nearby trees and competed wonderful shrubs such as Fendler’s buckbrush and wax currant are with Masked Trogons for the fruiting trees. A personal highlight was the Crested Quetzal resprouting or re-establishing themselves. And on the Waterline resplendent in iridescent green and red. Road, bitter chokecherry is in its heyday, growing by leaps and Dropping further down the mountain slopes, the next stop was Sub-tropical bounds, after a long time of occurring in the shadow of forests. The Montane Forest. Located in a warmer zone around 6,000, Torrent Ducks dove in the shrubs are going to be very conspicuous for some time to come; rapids of steep mountain rivers. Blazing orange Andean Cock-of-the-Rock , Crimson- it’s as though it’s their turn. Pines are slowly starting to establish mantled Woodpecker and numerous colorful Tanagers live in the canopy. Stalking in themselves. The Forest Service is working hard to protect aspens the underbrush were both Chestnut-crowned and White-bellied Antpittas. that are resprouting from extensive underground stems. Finally reaching an altitude of only 600’ but some three thousand miles from Elk, deer, bear and wild turkeys have been using the burn site the mouth of the Amazon, he reached the Rainforest and the Napo River, a major for several years. Both the Northern Goshawk and the threatened headwaters tributary. Under a hot and humid sky and with daily thunderstorms, this Mexican Spotted Owl are nesting in the area, as well. They are was birding at it’s most intense. Clay licks draw hundreds of Cobalt-winged Parakeets nesting in live pines surrounded by dead trees. An increase in for their medicinal properties. Climbing up 100-meter high metal towers and traversing rodents, which often accompanies fire, is making the burn site all across narrow suspension bridges brought Scarlet Macaws, Toucans and the aptly the more attractive to these predators. named Paradise Tanager. Gwendolyn Waring is a writer, scientist and artist based in Brent is NAAS Board Member and is actively involved in various environmental Flagstaff. After conducting a great deal of research in this area, she organizations, primarily focusing on preserving our water resources and related riparian takes great pleasure these days in recounting the natural history of habitat. this region. She has written a book on the natural history of the Intermountain West which was published by the University of Utah ATTENTION!!! Press in 2011. She is currently working on a book on the natural MEETING TIMES CHANGED TO 7:00 PM!! history of the San Francisco Peaks. Page 2 INFORMAT I ON ... BLACK HAWK WATC H President’s Corner Springs/Bubbling Ponds that are being put in place after being By Bea Cooley designed by Randy Miller and Matt Crozier has put in many January / February 2014 hours on the ground for the project. Zack Zdinak designed and implemented the signage. Dena Greenwood has been the leader in establishment of the Sedona Wetlands Preserve and What in the world does NAAS do? is awaiting word on a Heritage Fund Grant to build a viewing Well, we do programs, sixteen every year to be exact. And, deck to allow sighting into the large pond that is currently off- judging by your attendance, you appreciate the subjects and limits. We are party to Western Rivers Action Network and the presenters and enjoy the programs. We do field trips and have just visited our Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick and will you seem to enjoy those as well. We do Citizen Science and be participating in a day at the Arizona legislature in March. have been collectively responsible for data gathered at Picture The above is a quick overview of what we are currently doing Canyon, Page Springs, The Arboretum at Flagstaff, backyard and it likely omits a few things. The message is: WE DO A LOT. feeders, FIVE Christmas Bird Counts every year. Our members And we need your help. In the coming months, we will be asking have been responsible for the surveys that resulted in several for your help on the Board of Directors and board committees. Important Bird Areas and much more. We maintain and The more folks we have working on carrying out our mission, support several Northern Arizona Bird Sanctuaries. the smaller the work load for each person. If you have interest And there are a number of things we accomplish that you and skills – notice that few of us can be considered Expert at may not know about. Debbie James has shepherded four what we do - please consider offering your talents, energy and Boy Scouts through their Birding Badge requirements. Matt ideas to the Board and our Mission. While we will be working Crozier has parsed the Coconino National Forest Plan and to identify individuals to work, we may not have information recommended an alternative for our support. Brent Bitz has about what you like to do, so please give us a hint and offer to been overseeing trail and viewing improvements at Page work on some aspect of our Mission. EXPAND YOUR Review of Remarkable Video ABILITY TO IDENTIFY BIRDS on Biology of Juncos Verde River Valley Nature Organization and by Zack Zdinak Northern Arizona Audubon Society are offering you an opportunity to learn to After watching this video, you’ll never look identify local, common birds with an emphasis on having fun. out at the Dark-eyed Juncos at your winter feeder the same! Two biologists and a filmmaker at Indiana University wrote, produced and directed the video, “Ordinary Birding 101 Classroom: January 17& 24 Extraordinary Junco“ in 2012.