|
Other Information SE
Arizona Rare Report
Rare Birds Nature Shop Agua Caliente Shop Mason Audubon Membership AZ IBA Program Education Program Habitat Restoration Development Executive Director |
Tucson Audubon Society Halcones means “falcons.” We have had our share of falcon sightings at the Tucson Audubon habitat restoration site, but the ones who visited on February 21 were some of the rarest. These Halcones are young birders from the town of San Lazaro, Sonora. San Lazaro is near the southernmost point in the great horseshoe turn the Santa Cruz River makes as it flows through northern Sonora. Like many parts of the Santa Cruz River, the valuable riparian wildlife habitat along the river near San Lazaro is threatened. The community relies on cattle ranching for the bulk of its income and, given their need for drinking water, it is very difficult to keep the cattle from walking along the river. When they do so, they nibble off recently germinated willows and cottonwoods, as well as the understory shrubs that could provide shelter and forage for birds and other wildlife. For several years the Sonoran Institute has been working with residents of San Lazaro to help provide alternate sources of water for cattle, and to find ways to exclude them from the river. The Sonoran Institute is, like Tucson Audubon, one of the organizations that have taken a keen interest in preserving and restoring habitat along the Santa Cruz River. In the course of these efforts, a group of youngsters became interested in learning about wildlife, particularly birds, along the river. Now of middle-school age, they nicknamed themselves the Halcones. The Halcones are already experienced birders. This is largely due to mentoring by a birder from Hermosillo named Eduardo Gómez Limón. Eduardo has quietly, but expertly, guided and taught the Halcones. Together they do regular bird-monitoring surveys along the Santa Cruz River in Sonora. Those who attended the Tucson Audubon membership meeting on March 10 heard a presentation about these surveys by Eduardo and by Joaquín Murrieta, who is Associate Director of Sonoran Desert Ecoregion Program for the Sonoran Institute. The Halcones arrived late in the morning after a long drive from Sonora. Accompanying them were Joaquín, Eduardo, and Alfonso González, an employee of the Sonoran Institute in San Lazaro. Also in attendance were Scott Wilbor and Kendall Kroesen of Tucson Audubon, Jennie Duberstein of the Audubon-sponsored Proyecto Corredor Colibri, and Mark Briggs, an expert in riparian restoration. Jennie Duberstein presented each of the Halcones with a copy of Kenn Kaufman’s field guide, Birds of North America, which had been donated by the publisher. Scott Wilbor, already familiar with the Halcones from trips to Sonora, explained the bird-monitoring procedures used at the restoration site. Kendall Kroesen explained some of the habitat restoration efforts going on at the site. Most adults in attendance were bilingual, so communication went smoothly. During a birding jaunt down the river the Halcones saw many of the same winter species they see along the river in Sonora. Stopping at a stand of cottonwoods, Mark Briggs explained to them the “pole planting” procedure often used at riparian restoration sites. Then the group cut several small- to medium-sized branches from the cottonwoods. When everyone had at least two branches, the group headed back to the cars. The Halcones later visited a habitat restoration site on the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Reservation, where they planted the poles in the ground. All too soon the kids had to return to San Lazaro. But Tucson Audubon staffers hope that sightings of Halcones will continue along the Santa Cruz River, on both sides of the border.
Bird questions? Check Birding | General questions? Contact: Tucson Audubon Society | Webmaster: Email This page was updated on 07/13/06 |