Other Information
SE
Arizona Rare
Bird Alert
(520) 798-1005
Report
Rare Birds
(520) 798-1005
Email
a report
Nature Shop
(520) 629-0510
Agua Caliente Shop
(520) 760-7881
Mason Audubon
Center
(520) 744-0004
Membership
(520) 629-0757
AZ IBA Program
(520) 628-1730
Education Program
(520) 622-2230
Habitat Restoration
(520) 206-9900
Development
(520) 622-5622
Executive Director
(520) 622-5622
|
Birding Home | Access Updates | RBA | Dastardly Duos | Know Your Habitat | AZ/NM Listserv | Tucson Area |
Tucson Audubon Society
Know Your Habitat
by Larry
Liese
See the Know
Your Habitat home page
Articles in this series first
appeared in the Vermilion Flycatcher, newsletter of the Tucson
Audubon Society. To receive the newsletter, join the Friends
of Tucson Audubon.
Habitat 4: Mesquite Grasslands
|
|
Of the many birders who have taken a trip to Madera Canyon, how many have realized what avian pleasures can be seen along the drive there? Maybe not trogons or a long-hoped-for rarity such as Flame-colored Tanager, but what can compare to enjoying the song of a skylarking Cassin’s Sparrow? Or how about the challenge of identifying such U.S. range-limited species as Botteri’s or Rufous-winged Sparrows? Many a visiting birder leaves our state without seeing these wonderful birds on his or her first trip. On the road to Madera, a beautiful stretch of desert grassland rolls out on the bajada exiting the canyon mouth, covering all the area between woodland above and desert scrub below.
Situated in the Upper Sonoran Life Zone, desert grasslands are different from the fully-sod deep-soil type called plains grassland found in other areas such as the San Rafael Valley. They are characterized by a thin-soiled rocky landscape complete with intruding mesquites, cactus, ocotillo, agaves, and acacia trees. For much of this area these shrubs and trees seem to dominate the grasses, but it is still classified as grassland. The dominant native perennial grasses here are bunch grasses typically separated by intervening bare ground. They include Arizona cottontop, bush muhly, and pappusgrass, with other species also present.
Many birds breed in the grasslands here. Some, such as Eastern Meadowlark, breed in spring and early summer, while others such as the sparrows mentioned above prefer to wait until the monsoon rains begin. Additional birds to look for here include Prairie Falcon, American Kestrel, Common Poorwill, Western Kingbird, Say’s Phoebe, Lark Sparrow, plus many other species that also inhabit nearby desert scrub. The clumped grasses provide suitable nest-site locations for those species nesting on the ground, such as Botteri’s Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlark. Rufous-winged Sparrows always nest off the ground, here usually in palo verde, cane cholla or hackberry, though in other areas mesquites are commonly used. Cassin’s Sparrows may nest on the ground or in low shrubs to about twenty centimeters height.
Introduced grasses such as Lehmann Lovegrass have unfortunately pushed aside much of the native grasses. Besides affecting native grass coverage, they have other deleterious effects such as being more prone to the spread of fire. It’s unfortunate also for the animals that rely on the grass seeds, as the mixture of native grasses would provide a seed bounty layered in time as opposed to the feast-then-famine of a single species’ harvest. Cacti, such as barrel, cholla, prickly pear, rainbow, hedgehog and pincushion dot the landscape providing animals with additional food and moisture sources as well as shelter. A close look will show this area teeming with activity. Besides the birds, many rodents, insects and reptiles also make their homes here. I’ve seen deer in the area a number of times, and once a gray fox taking a snooze in a tree in Florida Wash during the Green Valley Christmas Count!
Now that the monsoons are on their way, next time you’re Madera-bound, allow for extra time to stop along the road through the grassland section, or go exploring on the various Forest Service roads in the area. A bonus in monsoon season is watching a (hopefully) distant lightning storm or catching a nice sunset. This beautiful area is one of southeastern Arizona’s treasures. If you’re interested in reading more, the book The Desert Grassland, McClaran and Van Devender, U of A Press, 1995, thoroughly covers the topic.
In the next issue we’ll head further uphill into the junipers and oaks of Madrean evergreen woodland. Here we’ll find many new bird species and a quite different vegetation community. See you then!
Bird questions? Check Birding | General questions? Contact: Tucson Audubon Society | Webmaster: Email
This page was updated on 02/21/06