Gambel’s Tales
The Newsletter of the Sonoran Audubon Society
Volume 8 Issue 7
At our next meeting….
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 7 p.m.
Rich Ockenfels—Pronghorn Antelopes
Richard Ockenfels is the Terrestrial Research Program
Supervisor for the Arizona Game and Fish Depart-
ment’s Research Branch. He has worked for the De-
partment for over 25 years. His specialty is ungulate
research and management, having spent most of his
career studying white-tailed and mule deer, javelina,
and pronghorn antelope. He has studied pronghorn
intensively since 1989 across northern Arizona. Most
of his research deals with the impacts of humans on
pronghorn (fences, water developments, sport harvest,
livestock grazing and livestock diseases) and their
habitat use patterns and movements.
He has written numerous articles and also a book enti-
tled “Coues White-tailed Deer - An Annotated Bibli-
ography.” This is a must have book if you are inter-
ested in the Coues Deer.
On the right, Richard Ockenfels receiving the Arizona
Wildlife Federation’s McCullough Award in the pro-
fessional category in 2001.
Page 1
March, 2007
What’s Happening in our Chapter?
By Your Editor, George Wall
The Sonoran Audubon Society board meeting con-
vened at 7 p.m. on January 3, 2007. The attendees
were board members Bob McCormick, Karen La-
France, Anne Durning, Chuck and Loretta Richards,
Dick Fogle, Suzanne Cash, George Wall and Daniela
Yellan. Chuck Kangas, Tice Supplee and Rich
Schooler were also present.
1. After approving the minutes, the first order of
business were the committee reports.
A. Membership: Chuck Kangas reported that
we currently have 652 members total. He also ex-
plained the database received from National. Suz-
anne Cash is now calling all new members to make
them feel welcome.
B. Conservation: Tice Supplee noted that we
were not on the list of organizations tied in with
“Teaming for Wildlife”. We will join.
C. Field Trips: The next meeting of the com-
mittee is at 1 p.m. on April 12, 2007. Trips will be
scheduled through the summer.
D. Finance: Loretta Richards reported that
$2,047.75 was received from National for dues.
2. Here are a few of the other items discussed at the
board meeting that included the Retreat, Tres Rios
Nature Festival, AAC Meeting, IBA, and newsletter.
A. On the Retreat, the main topic was commit-
tees.
● Education and Outreach Committee needs
to be formed. George Wall will set up the first
meeting in order to get a chairman to prioritize ideas
and projects.
● Karen LaFrance will call a meeting to get
the Publicity and Public Relations Committee going.
(Continued on Page 4)
Gambel’s Tales
 EVENTS IN AND AROUND THE VALLEY
Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Project
They have bird walks, nature programs and other items of
interest. Their location is 2439 S. Central Ave., Phoenix.
Check the website at www.phoenix.gov/riosalado.
Frank Insana leads bird walks on Sunday, March 4,
(program # 21499) and Sunday, March 11, (program #
21500). All walks start at 8:00 a.m. and go to 10. You
meet at visitors’ plaza on the north bank at Central Ave.
You need to make reservations in advance by visiting
http://phoenix.gov/PARKS and click on “classes and
programs”. Enter the program number listed above. You
can also call 602-262-6863 and leave a voice mail.
Desert Botanical Garden
Each Monday morning from now through April, 2007,
there will be bird walks from 8 a.m. to approximately 10
a.m. There will be additional walks on the second Satur-
day of each month at the same time. They see as many as
40 birds during these walks.
Desert Botanical Garden entrance fees of $10.00 ($9.00
seniors) apply unless you’re a DBG member. Member-
ship is $55 a year. See their website at www.dbg.com
for further information.
Hassayampa River Preserve
Here are some of the events scheduled at this lush birding
habitat.
Hassayampa is having two more sessions of bird banding
led by Anne Leight Watzek on Sunday, March 4, and
Saturday, March 24, starting at 7:00 a.m.
On Saturday, March 21, 2007, from 8 a.m. - 11 a.m.,
Kathe Anderson will be teaching a basic birding class.
March 29-April 1, 2007, is Hassayampa’s 20th anniver-
sary celebration. To see the schedule of all events on
these three days go to http://gosw.about.com/od/
bestsightstosee/a/hassayampa_3.htm
Reservations and fees may be required for some of the
above events.
Entrance fees are $5, TNC members $3 and children 12
and under are free. For information or reservations call
928 684-2772 or e-mail: bmccollum@tnc.org
Normal visiting hours are Wednesday—Sunday from
8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Boyce Thompson Arboretum is now in their Winter
schedule. Their hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.
The price of admission is $7.50 for adults and $3 for chil-
dren ages 5-12.
Page 2
Bird walks for March start at 8:30 a.m. on Satur-
day, March 3, 2007, with Pete Moulton and Cyn-
thia Donald; Sunday, March 11, 2007, with Cindy
Marple and Vera Walters; Saturday, March 17,
2007, with Kathe Anderson and Troy Corman,
Sunday March 25, 2007, with Marceline Vande-
Water.
This is an ideal place to bird with two miles of
trails. If you don’t feel like birding, there are
plenty of other things to do. They have several
programs on birding and digital photography. For
driving directions or other details, call 520-689-
2811 or visit their internet website at
http://arboretum.ag.arizona.edu/
Birders’ Anonymous
Birders’ Anonymous, a group of birdwatchers, has
their monthly meeting from 10—11:30 a.m. They
meet on the third Friday of each month all year
around at the Church of the Palms on the corner of
Boswell and 103rd Ave. in Sun City in King Hall.
Their next meeting will be on March 16, 2007, and
Hillary Williams from Southwest Wildlife will
present a program on Arizona Wild Predators. For
further information contact George Wall at
gwall5@cox.net
Friends of Audubon Arizona
Sometime in the near future, there will be a new
chapter of the National Audubon Society and they
will probably call their chapter the Desert Rivers
Audubon Society. Check out their website at
www.desertriversaudubon.org for some of their
planned trips and events.
Celebration 2007
Those of you who were able to attend the Arizona
Audubon Council’s and Arizona Audubon’s joint
effort “Celebration 2005” in Sierra Vista can recall
what a wonderful event this was.
Part of the pizzazz was having a great selection of
Silent Auction and Raffle items. It’s not too early
to start collecting donations and gifts for this
year’s Celebration that will take place September
14-16, 2007, at the Fiesta Inn Resort in Tempe.
If you have any items for donating to this fund-
raising endeavor, please contact Doreen Lah at the
Audubon Arizona office at (602) 468-6470 or
dlah@audubon.org. There will be a lot more on
this event later. It’s just like going to a birding
festival.
Gambel's Tales
Join the National Audubon Society
Sonoran Audubon Society Officers, Board Mem-
New adult or family membership: $20.00 bers and Committee Contacts:
Seniors and students: $15.00
Officers
Renewal fee for seniors and students: $15.00
These fees cover membership in the National Audubon Soci- President: Robert McCormick 602-237-3951
ety and a subscription to Audubon magazine. An application mcbobaz@aol.com
form for National membership may be obtained from the Vice President: Karen LaFrance 602-788-9646
chapter at the regular meeting or by contacting klaf@cox.net
<chuckkan@mindspring.com>. Treasurer: Loretta Richards 623-594-6554
carichards@nowonline.net
Each year all National members in the Sonoran Audubon Secretary: Anne Durning 602-237-9635
chapter area receive the September Gambel’s Tales that de- a.durning@earthlink.net
scribes major chapter activities for the year. All monthly
issues of Gambel’s Tales may be obtained free from the chap- Board Members— Directors at Large
ter website <www.sonoranaudubon.org> or by mail for
$10.00 per year. If you wish to get the newsletter by mail or Suzanne Cash 602-942-0727 roxiep@msn.com
to be notified when a new issue is placed on the website, Dick Fogle 623-584-3922 rpfogle@yahoo.com
please contact chuckkan@mindspring.com or by mail to: Chuck Richards 623-594-6554
Sonoran Audubon Society, P O Box 8068, Glendale, AZ carichards@nowonline.net
85312-8068. For Information or questions call 623-939-6181. Alvin & Arlene Scheuer 602-938-4056
ahscheuer@earthlink.net
Andrée Tarby 480-948-1074 atarby@cox.net
George Wall 623-875-7057 gwall5@cox.net
Daniela Yellan 602-942-7791
SAS Web Site: www.sonoranaudubon.org danielay11@earthlink.net
Arizona Audubon Web Site: www.az.audubon.org
Friends of Audubon Arizona Web Site: Committees
www.desertriversaudubon.org Programs: Daniela Yellan 602-942-7791
danielay11@earthlink.net

Education:

Field Trips: Donna Smith 623-556-9535

rms15247@cox.net

Finance Treasurer: Loretta Richards 623-594-

6554 carichards@nowonline.net

Hospitality: Dan Bohlmann

dansbohlman@prodigy.net and Charles Kangas
and 623-931-6677 chuckkan@mindspring.com

KARL’S BAKERY Publicity: Karen LaFrance 602-788-9646

klaf@cox.net

Membership: Charles Kangas 623-931-6677

chuckkan@mindspring.com

Newsletter: George Wall 623-875-7057

gwall5@cox.net

Conservation: Tom Lazzelle 602-843-8451

tlazzelle@cox.net & Karen LaFrance 602-788-9646
klaf@cox.net

Gambel’s Tales
Page 3
 (Continued from Page 1)
What’s Happening in our Chapter?
● The membership committee needs to be
expanded.
B. Bob McCormick reported on the Tres Rios
Nature and Earth Festival to be held at the PIR park-
ing area March 17-18, 2007. The festival still needs
volunteers. The board agreed to donate $500 to the
festival.
C. The Arizona Audubon Council meeting is on
Saturday, February 10, 2007. See the separate report.
D. The monitoring for IBAs was discussed. Pic-
tures are needed for a couple of the areas.
E. The monthly SAS Newsletter was discussed.
George Wall wants to get the newsletter to the Web-
master by the 22nd of each month; so he needs to re-
ceive all input no later than the 19th.
F. There is a Coalition for Mountain Preserves
with the theme Spring in the Mountains which will be
held March 3, 2007, at the North Mountain Park Visi-
tors’ Center. SAS can be part of the coalition.
—————————————————————
Dick Fogle presided at the regular monthly member-
ship meeting held on February 14, 2007. Sean Saville,
National Outreach Coordinator in the Audubon D. C.
Policy was our guest speaker and gave an informative
program.
Global Warming: An excerpt from Feb-
ruary 2007 Audubon Advisory
“Audubon supports a mandatory cap or limit on
greenhouse gas emissions and reductions in carbon
emissions by at least 15% to 20% below current levels
by 2020, with 80% reductions by 2050. The Global
Warming Pollution Reduction Act of 2007 (S 309)
would add a new title to the Clean Air Act, with mul-
tiple programs designed to curb dangerous interfer-
ence with the Earth’s climate. It would have the most
sweeping effect of any piece of global warming legis-
lation currently proposed in Congress. We'll be asking
for help with S 309 in the near future—watch for an
alert.”
This is one of the “hot” topics taken out according to
the top conservationists.
Page 4
Arizona Audubon Council Notes
By George Wall
Here are some of the important points and informa-
tion from the Arizona Audubon Council Meeting
held on Saturday, February 10, 2007.
• Sean Saville, the National Outreach Coordinator
in the Audubon D.C. Policy Office, gave a nice
presentation on some of the things happening
with issues and some of the “Hot” topics for this
year.
• Tice Supplee talked about the organization
“Teaming for Wildlife”. The AAC will join.
• Ruth Russell and Janice Miano discussed the
“Celebration 2007” that will be held September
14-16, 2007, at the Fiesta Inn Resort in Tempe,
AZ. Lots of good speakers and activities are
planned.
• Tice Supplee discussed a cooperative partner-
ship with the AZ Riparian Council and Audubon
AZ. AAC signed on.
• Sarah Porter gave a very nice presentation on the
Rio Salado Nature Center.
• Robin Silver gave a presentation on what’s hap-
pening in conservation.
• Audubon Arizona, the Chapters and some com-
mittees gave their reports.
• Next Council meeting sponsored by the Sonoran
Audubon Society will be on June 2, 2007.
The New Logo for Celebration 2007
I Need Articles for the Newsletter
Have you seen some unusual bird in your backyard or on a
trip?
Have you gone on a birding vacation trip?
Do you have a story about nature or birding that others
might enjoy?
This is your newsletter and we can make it a lot better if
some of you would submit some articles and pictures. Just
send them to gwall5@cox.net
Gambel's Tales
 Tres Rios Nature and Earth Festival
March 17-18, 2007 -- Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. &
Sunday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
New Location for 2007 and its FREE!! -- B&M
Wildlife Area - located on the Gila River adjacent to
Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ari-
zona.
Speaker Series: The speaker series is at the core of
the Festival experience. This is an opportunity for
people of all ages to really learn about our native
wildlife, culture and community.
The adult talks cover topics ranging from Bald Ea-
gles to Bats and Beavers. A yearly favorite is the
Hummingbird talk! If you are interested in hot hiking
spots, environmentally safe products, archaeological
sites or the history of the west valley, then there is
something for you as well.
The kid talks are just as diverse and (maybe) a little
more fun! With topics like “The Busy Little Bashful
Beaver: Tales from the Beaver Pond” and “The Myth
of the Big Bad Wolf – Are you Afraid” it will be
hard to beat! There are storytelling, talks, sing-alongs
and so much more – you may not want to leave the
“Talks” stage and explore the rest of the Festival!
Booths: Exhibitors, sponsors and organizations will
have booths that will be sure to entice you. Support
them.
Food and Drinks: Food and drinks will be available
for purchase at several spots.
originals. Along with them, a mix of cultural music
and local performers will be sure to please. For ex-
ample, we are thrilled to have the West Valley
Youth Orchestra returning for the Saturday per-
formance.
Fishing Clinic: Free! First-come on-site registra-
tion. It’s an instructional clinic for youth and adults.
Learn about warm water fishing in Central Arizona:
which fish are present, how to catch, clean and pre-
pare them for the table. Fishing equipment pro-
vided, no licenses required. The clinic and river are
within walking distance from the Festival! So bring
yourself and have some fun!
For more information about the Festival visit their
website at http://www.tresriosnaturefestival.com/.
The Pantanal—Brazil & Argentina
Are you interested in going on a REAL birding trip
where you’ll see hundreds of birds that you’ve
probably never seen before? Then come with me
and a couple of other members of the Sonoran
Audubon Society and Audubon Arizona to the Pan-
tanal of Brazil and Argentina. The trip is limited to
14 people. We’ll leave on August 31, 2007 and
we’ll return on September 12, 2007. This trip is
being sponsored by Audubon Arizona and managed
by Field Guides. For more information, contact me
immediately.—George Wall

Canoe Floats: Canoe floats will be offered on the Can I Stump You?
river at the Festival.

Hikes: Guided hikes and walks will be offered dur-

ing the festival. This year there’s a hike to Monu-
ment Hill. Also, a 1.5 mile nature trail will be a hit.
Walk the trail or take the hay wagon ride around the
site.

Bird Watching: Bird watching is one of the fastest

growing forms of outdoor recreation. Come find out
what it is all about! “Birders” from the local Audu-
bon Chapters will be on site and tours will be offered
throughout the day. They will provide binoculars for
your birding walk. If you have your own binoculars
and field guide – bring them along.

The Entertainment : Our headlining group this What bird is this?

year is the Back Porch Band based in the Phoenix
area. It is a five-piece bluegrass band providing a The bird in the February newsletter was a Bornean
mix of bluegrass, old-time, traditional, folk and Peacock Pheasant. No one sent me an answer. This
month’s bird should be easier—it’s a U.S. bird.

Gambel’s Tales
Page 5
The Rosy-Finches
By George Wall

When I moved to Arizona in May of 1999, I had cer-

tainly never heard of a Rosy-Finch, let alone hundreds
of other birds that I’ve come to know and love in the
past few years. Then as I began to add to my U.S. Life
List, I noticed them in my birding books. By this time,
I had of course seen the House Finch (who hasn’t?)
and I’d also seen the elusive Purple Finch and Cas- Brown-capped Rosy-Finch
sin’s Finch; however, no Rosy-Finch.

Like a dumb fool, I went to Albuquerque and Sandia

Crest (where I was informed they hang out) in May a
few years ago. Of course, there were no Rosy-
Finches. I was informed they arrive in the winter. Ok,
I’ll go in the winter, I said to myself.

I decided to go up to Sandia Crest in October, 2005, to

not only see the Rosy-Finches but to take in the an-
nual Balloon Festival. The weather was cold, the wind
was blowing and most of the balloons made it off the
ground even if just for a short time. The balloons were Black Rosy-Finch
pretty, but I wanted to see the Rosy-Finch. On the last
day of our visit to Albuquerque, we went to Sandia
Crest where I was informed that they weren’t there
and the best time to see them was when snow was on
the ground. Another bust!

Finally, a trip was scheduled by the Sonoran Audubon

Society to go see the Rosy-Finch in January, 2007, –
sign me up!

Nine of us drove to Albuquerque on January 26, 2007,

and the next morning we went to Sandia Crest where
snow was on the ground. Some of the first birds we
saw were the Rosy-Finches. We spent the next several Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
hours sitting inside the Sandia Crest Gift Shop & Res-
taurant not only enjoying the good food, but observing
all the different Rosy-Finches just on the other side of
the plate glass window. The birds were no more than
5-10 feet away from us. What a treat. We saw the
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, Black-Rosy-Finch and the
more prevalent Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. We also
saw the Hepburn’s variety of the Gray-crowned Rosy-
Finch that someday might be a full fledged species by
itself.

Everyone was pleased as punch as we headed down

the mountain on our way to other birding spots. We
had seen the Rosy-Finch and I added some life birds
to my list.
All of the following photos were taken by Vera Mark-
ham while on this trip.
Hepburn’s variety of the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
Go to http://www.rosyfinch.com/ if you’d
like to read about and see more pictures of the
Rosy-Finch.

Page 6 Gambel's Tales

 BIRDING SPOTS
By George Wall 33 - March 1, 2003 – Peregrine Falcon
23 - June 17, 2006 – Common Yellowthroat
This is the sixth in a series about birding spots in and 43 - October 9, 2006 – Little Blue Heron
around our area. For those of you who go birding,
you’ve probably been there; however, there may be a However, it must be pointed out that so far 181 differ-
few that haven’t or you may be a new birder. This ent species have been identified in the area; so, you
month’s spot is: never know what you might find on any given day or
time. For better viewing, I would suggest you take a
Phoenix Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Project scope.
This is an area that has been in the news a lot lately as
we are hoping this will become an Important Bird Area
(IBA) sometime in the future. Currently, teams are
counting the number of birds seen at least once each
month and when a new bird is found it is added to the
bird list on their website. Just in a stretch running from
7th Ave. to 19th Ave. in January, 2007, one team re-
corded 25 different species and this area didn’t even
include the 6 ponds.

Influx of water to the river and ponds

All photos by George Wall

The area currently encompasses a five mile stretch of

the Salt River just south of downtown Phoenix. This
once deteriorated dumping site is now transformed into
a lush riparian corridor for visitors to enjoy. The trail
system takes you through various habitats - explore the The Low Flow Channel
demonstration wetland pond inhabited by wintering
waterfowl and other birds. There is ample parking at all four of these locations

The goal of the Phoenix Rio Salado Habitat Restoration
Project is to restore the native wetland and riparian (i.e.
riverbank) habitats that were historically associated
with the Salt River, which once flowed year-round
through what is now Phoenix.
Their website at http://phoenix.gov/RIOSALADO/
provides a lot of information on classes, tours, maps as
well as the bird checklist.
*2439 S. Central Avenue (North east corner)
3212 S. 7th Avenue (South west corner)
2875 S. 7th Street (South east corner)
3203 South 16th St. (South east corner)
*this is the only trailhead that
currently has a restroom until
others are built.

Here are some of the species counts, date and best bird
seen on just some of the trips I have been on. Enjoy

Gambel’s Tales
Page 7
 Winter 2007 Field Trips
An * indicates a Birders’ Anonymous planned trip
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Robbins Butte
Leader: Bob McCormick 602-237-3951
mcbobaz@aol.com
Robbins Butte is a Wildlife Area administered by the
AZ Game & Fish Dept. This area hasn’t been visited
by our group of birders in a long time; so it’s an un-
known area as to what we’ll find. Occasionally there
are Sandhill Cranes and a White-tailed Kite is possi-
ble. Expect to see lots of hawks. Phil Smith, the
Ranger at Robbins Butte will be assisting on this trip.
Difficulty: 1
Carpool will leave from Denny’s 1 block N. of I-10
on Litchfield Park Rd at 7 a.m. or meet us at the pond
just east of Robbins Butte at 7:30 a.m.. The pond is
100 feet east of the locked gate (very easy to find).
*Thursday, March 8, 2007
Granite Reef/Coon’s Bluff
Leader: George Wall 623-875-7057
gwall5@cox.net
These sites on the Salt River in Tonto National Forest
always provide good habitat for ducks, herons, hawks
and Bald Eagles.
The mesquite forest is home to wrens, woodpeckers,
phoebes, juncos, and sparrows as well as flycatchers--
-even in Winter.
Difficulty: 1 Bring lunch.
Meet at Bell Recreation Center Parking Lot on Hutton
Drive near corner of Boswell in Sun City to LEAVE
at 7:00 a.m.
Saturday-Sunday, March 17-18, 2007
Tres Rios Nature & Earth Festival
See Separate article on this
Thursday, March 29, 2007
The Narrows of Oak Creek Canyon
Leader: Dan Bohlmann 602-938-8244
dansbolhmann@prodigy.net
This is a little known section of Oak Creek that has a
trail called the Huckaby that leaves a parking lot 1.8
miles up Schnebly Hill Road. It heads north along the
east side of the creek. This section starts out in Pine
and Juniper country above Oak Creek Canyon and
then drops down next to the creek where it is heavily
Page 8
shaded in Sycamore, Cottonwood and Ash trees and
has lots of flowing water and ponds that naturally
attracts lots of birds. In this area I’ve seen Blue Gros-
beaks, Summer & Western Tanagers, Warblers, Vir-
eos, Bullocks Orioles, Western Bluebirds, Swallows,
Lesser Goldfinches, Townsend’s Solitaires, Plain &
Bridled Titmouse, Flycatchers, Black & Say’s
Phoebe, Hairy Woodpecker, and Scrub Jays.
Difficulty: 2 Bring lunch.
Meet at Fry’s Electronics parking lot at the SE corner
of 31st Ave and Thunderbird. We will leave at
7:00am.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Lower Oak Creek Important Bird Area
Leader: Eleanor Campbell 623-977-7639
ercamp@juno.com
Officially designated, Lower Oak Creek Important
Bird Area includes Page Springs Fish Hatchery and a
birding trail that traverses through marshland to Oak
Creek southwest of Sedona.
This riparian corridor (cottonwood/willow/sycamore
and mesquite/hackberry bosque) supports a broad
diversity of bird species. Exploration of woods,
ponds and grassland at this time of year should be
ornithologically rewarding.
Lucy's Warbler and Bell's Vireo breed here. Mi-
grants such as Southwestern Willow Flycatcher,
Olive-sided Flycatcher and Virginia's Warbler pass
through. Cavity nesting species seen here in abun-
dance are: American Kestrel, Bridled Titmouse,
Brown-crested Flycatcher and Violet-green Swal-
low. Notable rare species also occur such as Com-
mon Black-Hawk and Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Difficulty: 1 All Day Trip. Bring lunch, snacks and
drinks.
Meet to LEAVE at 5:30 a.m. at Bell Recreation Cen-
ter, corner of Hutton Dr. and Boswell Blvd., in Sun
City OR at 6:00 a.m. at McDonald's just east of Rte.
17 on the north side of Carefree Highway (Exit
223).
Please call the leader to register and confirm meeting
place.
*Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Hassayampa River Preserve
Leader: Dick Fogle 623-584-3922
rpfogle@yahoo.com
(Continued on Page 9)
Gambel's Tales
 (Continued from Page 8)
Winter/Spring 2007 Field Trips
An * indicates a Birders’ Anonymous planned trip
Over 230 species have been recorded nesting or migrat-
ing along this riparian area where cottonwoods and wil-
lows surround running water and a pond. Trails traverse
mesquite thickets and cottonwood stands. There are
river overlooks where a variety of species are seen at
The Nature Conservancy’s preserve near Wickenburg.
Anna’s Hummingbirds are regulars.
Difficulty: 1 Morning only (A picnic area is available
for lunching after the trip.)
Meet at the south east corner of the Bell Recreation Cen-
ter Parking lot near corner of Boswell on Hutton to leave
at 7:00 a.m..
Also, you can meet at the Hassayampa River Preserve on
Route 60 about 3 miles southeast of Wickenburg, about
45 miles west of Glendale at 8:00 a.m. Donation to The
Nature Conservancy is $5 per person unless you’re a
Conservancy member and then it is $3.00.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Jackie Meck Lake
Leader: Chuck Kangas 623-931-6677
chuckkan@mindspring.com
Explore this rich habitat ‘lake’ at the confluence of the
Agua Fria and Gila Rivers, near Estrella Mountain Park.
This is part of the Buckeye Water District Conservation
Area. This is an opportunity to hopefully see many spe-
cies of waterfowl, as well as possible migrants along the
canal. There is a Great Blue Heron rookery and a Great
Horned Owl was spotted on the field trip there in the
fall.
Difficulty: 1 Morning only.
Meet at Sun Bowl parking lot on 107th Ave. just south
of Peoria Ave. in Sun City to LEAVE at 7:00 a.m.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Tres Rios
Leader: George Wall 623-875-7057 gwall5@cox.net
The Tres Rios Constructed Wetlands Project located on
the 91st Ave. is a haven for many bird species. The habi-
tats include open water ponds, running stream, marsh,
desert and woodland which provide a good environment
at any time of year for ducks, shorebirds, and migrating
passerines.
Difficulty: 1– Morning only.
Meet at Sun Bowl parking lot on 107th Ave. just south
of Peoria Ave. in Sun City to leave at 6:30 a.m. or meet
us there at 7:00 a.m.
Page 9
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Stoneman Lake
Leader: Donna Smith 623-556-9535
rms15247@cox.net
Stoneman Lake, situated in the Coconino National For-
est, is northeast of Camp Verde off Route 17. Stoneman
Lake is one of several spring-fed mountain lakes on the
Mogollon Plateau and located 36 miles south of Flagstaff
and 125 miles north of Phoenix. Take Interstate 17 to the
Stoneman Lake Exit #306, and follow the clearly marked
signs. Here are some of the birds of the Ponderosa Pine
forest: Red Crossbill, Pygmy Nuthatch, Mountain
Chickadee and Northern Goshawk are residents. Gambel
Oak woodland, wooded drainage and natural springs offer
habitat for Pinyon Jay and Acorn Woodpeckers which are
in abundance. The group will look for Lewis’s and
Three-toed Woodpecker in a burned-out area and for war-
blers nesting at this high elevation. Picnic area and toilets
are available.
Difficulty: 2 Bring lunch and water.
Meet at Bell Recreation Center, Boswell and Hutton Dr.,
one block south of Bell Rd. in Sun City to leave at 6:30
a.m. OR at the McDonalds just off I-17 and Carefree
Highway 7:00 a.m.
*Thursday, May 24, 2007
Yarnell and Area
Leader: Eleanor Campbell 623-977-7639
ercamp@juno.com
Exploration of the side streets in tiny Yarnell situated
between Phoenix and Prescott in the Weaver Mountains
at 4,700 ft. should reveal a variety of resident and summer
nesting birds. There is a community park with
woods and stream where Phainopepla, Summer Tanager,
Cooper's Hawk,Black-headed Grosbeak and Juniper Tit-
mouse have been seen.
In the environs of the peaceful Shrine of St. Joseph of the
Mountains and high desert Acorn Woodpecker, Spotted
Towhee and Bridled Titmouse are common.
Difficulty: 1 Morning only, but plan to eat lunch in a
local restaurant.
Meet at Bell Recreation Center, corner of Hutton Dr. and
Boswell Blvd., in Sun City to LEAVE at 6 a.m. OR at
Wickenburg Community Center at 7:00 a.m. (Take Rte.
60 northwest to Wickenburg. Cross the bridge over the
Hassayampa River and immediately turn right onto the
street that takes you to the large white building and park-
ing lot.) Please call the leader to register and confirm
meeting place.
Gambel’s Tales
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

March 14, 2007 Rich Ockenfels—Pronghorn Antelopes

April 11, 2007 Bill Grossi—Birding in Peru
May 9, 2007 Andy Holycross—More Snakes

Other Dates of Interest March 7, 2007, 6:45 p.m. Board Meeting at Glendale Library in the small meeting room. All SAS
members welcome.

Sonoran Audubon Society

P.O. Box 8068
Glendale, AZ 85312-8068
Ph: 623-939-6181

Page 10 Gambel's Tales