THE QUARTERLY NEWS MAGAZINE OF TUCSON AUDUBON SOCIETY | TUCSONAUDUBON.ORG VermFLYCATCHERilion January–March 2012 | Volume 57, Number 1 Connections Connecting the Dots: IBAs Provide a Conservation Framework Migration: Southern Arizona’s Year-round Spectacle What’s in a Name? Ring-necked Duck Features THE QUART ERLY NEWS MAGAZIN E OF TUCSON A UDUBON S OCIET Y | TUCSON AUDUBON .ORG 11 Migration: Southern Arizona’s Year- round Spectacle VermFLYCATCHERilion 12 Connecting the Dots: IBAs Provide a January–March 2012 | Volume 57, Number 1 Conservation Framework Tucson Audubon Society is dedicated to improving 17 What’s in a Name? Ring-necked the quality of the environment by providing education, Duck conservation, and recreation programs, environmental leadership, and information. Tucson Audubon is a non-profit volunteer organization of people with a Departments common interest in birding and natural history. Tucson Audubon maintains offices, a library, and nature 3 Commentary shops in Tucson, the proceeds of which benefit all of its programs. 4 Events and Classes Tucson Audubon Society 5 Events Calendar 300 E. University Blvd. #120, Tucson, AZ 85705 8 News Roundup Connections 629-0510 (voice) or 623-3476 (fax) Connecting the Dots: All phone numbers are area code 520 unless otherwise stated. IBAs Provide a Conservation Framework 18 Conservation and Education News Migration: Southern Arizona’s Year-round Spectacle www.tucsonaudubon.org What’s in a Name? Ring-necked Duck Board Officers & Directors 21 Field Trips President Cynthia Pruett Vice President Sandy Elers 24 Birding Travel from our Business Partners FRONT COVER: Wood Duck at Fort Lowell Park in Secretary Ruth Russell Tucson by Tom Ryan. View more of his images at: flickr. Treasurer Richard Carlson 25 Birds & Business Alliance Directors at Large Gavin Bieber, Jennie Duberstein, com/photos/thomasryan. 25 Classified Ads Sandy Elers, Debra Finch, Richard Fray, Bob Hernbrode, To have your photographs considered for use in the Linda Greene, Jessie Shinn, Linda Stitzer, Herb Trossman, Claire Zucker 26 Nature Shops Vermilion Flycatcher, please contact Matt Griffiths at Board Committees Conservation Chair Chris McVie, [email protected]. Development Mich Coker, Education Jennie Duberstein, Finance Richard Carlson, Outreach Vacant, Nominating Linda Greene, Personnel Cynthia Pruett Programs & Activities Field Trips Kate Reynolds Library 629-0510 Membership Meetings Jean Barchman 629-0510 Why There is No Balance of Nature Rare Bird Alert Andrew Core | Report Rare Birds 629-0510 Prof. John Kricher, Wheaton College, Massachusetts. 2012 Gala Speaker Staff (unless otherwise stated, dial 629-0510 plus extension) Executive Director Paul Green ext 7001 Accountant Michelle Bourgeois ext 7003 Any form of biology is, in reality, a branch of through a period of rapid climate Finance ext 7014 Membership Coordinator Jean Barchman ext 7002 evolutionary biology. Failure to have some changes, a change that is likely Development Manager Erin Olmstead ext 7009 understanding of how evolution works makes forced by anthropogenic Volunteer and Development Coordinator understanding biology, and today, understanding actions. The natural world Kara Kaczmarzyk ext 7011 Environmental Education Coordinator Bété Pfister ext 7012 what is happening in the world, very difficult. of the twenty-first century IBA Conservation Biologist Jennie MacFarland ext 7004 Ecologists study how Earth’s ecosystems function. may bear little resemblance Habitats Program Manager Kendall Kroesen ext 7006 The relevance of this information goes well beyond to that that of recent Field Supervisor Rodd Lancaster 256-6909 Communications / Habitat Restoration the ivory towers of academe. It should be part of centuries. We have entered Matthew Griffiths 971-7924 every educated citizen’s understanding of his or the Anthropogenic era in which Operations / University Shop Manager Sara Pike ext 7008 University Shop Manager Matt Brooks ext 7007 her world. human influence is pervasive in all Tucson Audubon Nature Shops A couple of years ago I wrote a book. It was ecosystems. 300 E University Blvd #120 ext 7015 called The Balance of Nature: Ecology’s Enduring I hope to set you on the path to understanding 623-3476 fax / 629-0510 Shop Manager Myth. I wrote it for a broad audience, particularly the connections between evolution, ecology, and Hours: 10 AM–4 PM, Monday–Saturday Agua Caliente Park, 12325 E Roger Rd 760-7881 readers who thrive intellectually by seeing other areas of human thought and the realization Hours: 10 AM–2:30 PM , Thursday, Friday, Saturday connection among various disciplines such as that “nothing endures but change.” However, some (January–March) philosophy, history, and the sciences. Ecology has changes are better than others, and the deep philosophical roots, especially in the study of great virtue of being human, at least in natural history, and has enjoyed a vigorous growth theory, is that we have a choice. Our Vermilion Flycatcher is published quarterly. For address changes or subscription problems call 629-0510, or write in the previous century. Hopefully it will distinguish destinies are largely under our control to Membership Coordinator, Tucson Audubon, 300 E. itself in the present century. if we seize that control. Ecology University Blvd, #120, Tucson, AZ 85705. Submissions are I have studied and taught ecology for nearly is no longer the arcane study of due the 1st of the month, two months before the date of the issue. Please send submissions as Microsoft Word or RTF four decades and I am opinionated about it. I tell natural history. Ecology, in the documents, or plain text files, to Matt Griffiths at mgriffiths@ my students that questions dealing with ecology twenty-first century, may be tucsonaudubon.org. will accompany their lives throughout the present the key to human destiny Coordinator Matt Griffiths 971-7924 Proofreaders Robert Merideth, Tucson Audubon staff, century. The Earth’s collective biodiversity is in the twenty-second and volunteers experiencing its sixth major extinction event since century and Design / Layout Eng-Li Green multicellular life first evolved. It is also passing beyond. VF © 2012 Tucson Audubon Society 2 Tucson Audubon Vermilion Flycatcher JANUARY–MARCH 2012 COMMENTARY PAUL GREEN | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Connections Migrating Birds Show the Way It is a real thrill for a bird bander to migration are the result of human receive news of any recovery or recapture activities. As conservationists, we need to and education work. Arizona’s 42 of a bird they have banded (especially understand how we can be most effective Important Bird Areas become linked with when the bird is found alive). Can you at helping birds by identifying and those in other states, and in nations south imagine how Fred Dietrich felt when he addressing these threats. of our border, and become focal points for got the news that a Rufous Hummingbird Of course, what we observe in Arizona support of bird species targeted as being he had banded in Tallahassee, Florida, is a small part of a much larger process. in need of special conservation action. in January of 2010 was found later that While our conservation actions are Chapters in neighboring states can year in Chenega, Alaska? The bird’s flight necessarily local in implementation they work together through their IBA programs breaks all previous distance records for have to be at least continental-scale in to help sustain migration routes for birds. migrating hummingbirds. One wonders planning. For example, the long-distance The draft National Audubon plan what route it took to get from Florida to flights of birds depend upon energy stores builds on this Flyway-IBA framework with Alaska. for flight and most species need to stop some additional “cross cutting” initiatives. This one specific migration record is to refuel on their journey. Knowing the These include Creating Bird-Friendly a point of light in the hugely amazing most important stopover sites for each Communities (Urban Oases), Supporting phenomenon of bird migration in our species, and protecting these sites and Healthy Climate for Birds and People region during which millions of birds move their productivity, has to be a key element (addressing climate change), and Putting BURNS, WWW.JIMBURNSPHOTOS.COM RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, JIM & DEVA between their breeding and wintering of any strategy to help migratory birds. Farms, Ranches, and Forests to Work grounds each year. Every species How does Tucson Audubon become an for Birds. All of these feature in Tucson studied yields unique and fascinating effective player on the continental scale? Audubon’s draft Strategic Plan that will be stories of how animals adapt to changing In a happy coincidence, major completed this winter. circumstances. Arizona has some rather planning efforts by National Audubon The Florida to Alaska migration of the interesting phenomena around migration, and by Tucson Audubon have been Rufous Hummingbird was an inspiration including the importance of suitable happening in parallel over the last year. for our appeal to you to help build the stopover sites for birds that interrupt their Understanding the unrealized potential of strength of the Important Bird Areas migration to molt. Jennie MacFarland, our the chapter network, the new leadership program, as well as the education and Important Bird Areas (IBA) Coordinating team at National Audubon has been conservation work that will become an Biologist, presents some of these facts piecing together a new framework for increasing focus on these sites. Thank on p 14. We’ll be inviting those in our collaboration to create a more effective you for your donations, which have been community who know most about bird conservation network. very generous this season. migration through Arizona to write for A new vision puts migration pathways We know that many of our members these pages in the coming issues. central to a coordinated approach to have yet to make a gift to Tucson Bird migration is a process fraught grassroots bird conservation, with our IBA Audubon to support our work in with danger for birds, and many of the program providing the sites where people conservation and education.