Birds of the Catalina Foothills Estates #7 Area

BIRDS OF CATALINA MTGHTS 7 AREA
Martin M. Karpiscak and SusanB. Hopf
Birds havelived with humansin urbanenvironmentssincethey were first constructed.
Hurnansand somebirds find that urbanareasreadilyprovide food, water and shelter. Population
density,therefore,alsocanbe much greaterin cities than in naturalenvironments.Bird species
that do well in urbanhabitatsare adaptableandableto adjustto the opportunities4nd conshaints
ofurban life. Alien bird speciessuchasthe rock dove,Europeanstarlingand housesparow are
cornmonin the cities of our nation andalsome found in our area.
Many bird species,unforhmately,do not do well in cities. This is especiallytrue of
speciesthat feedin or-beneatlshrubs(like Commongrounddoves)and arelow-flying or nest on
the groundQikeGambel'squail). Groundcoverin most urbanlandscapesis limited anddoes
not provide adequatehiding measfor the birds from cats,dogsor otherpredators. kisect-eating
birds, like flycatchersandwarblers,also aremuchlesscommonin more urban,lessvegetated
areasSouthernArizonais notedfor its diversebird life, which getsevenricher during
migrationperiodsin springand fall when manybirds passthroughon their way to or from their
wintering groundsfurthersouth. Natural areaswith high plant speciesdiversity and low human
populationdensitiestypically supporta greaternumberof bird speciesthan rnban areas.Iiathe
Tucsonarea"particularlywhereresidentialdevelopmenthasmaintainedttre native vegetation,
madrybird speciescanpersist. The bird speciescountfor Tucsonin 2001 was 140, some66 of
which havebeenspottedin the CatTarea.And therearewaysto encouragebirds. The bestway
is to make suretherearelargeareasof nativevegetationwherebirds can find the resourcesthat
backyardssid manicuredlandscapescan't provide. Plarrtsshouldbe of varioussizes,shapes
andgrowth forms (forbs,sbrubs,trees)to satisfythe varied needsof different bird species:fo'r
nestingsites,hiding places,roosts,andlook-outperches.Native plantsprorzidethe native
insectsor native firiits the birds know anddesire. Deadtreesandlimbs shouldbe left in placeif
possibleso theycanbeusedasperchesor nests.
It is not necessary
to havebird feedersin our yardsto enjoytheir presence.
Homeoumers,however,who do provide food shouldbe very cmefirl. Feedingstationsand
birdbathscan spreadbird diseases;dampor spoiledfood cancauselqfestiofis and atFactother
animals. Putting out only the amountof food that canbe consumedin lessthan thirly minutes
willreduce the risks of spoiledfood, diseaseandathactingothe,ranimals. Catsand dogsshould
be monitoredandcontrolledsincethey ae a problemto birds, especiallythosethat roosf nest
andforageon the ground. Pesticidesto controlinsectsshouldbe avoidedasmuch aspossible
andfresh water shouldbeprovideddaily.
We hopethis mticlewill encouragethe reader'sinterestin birds found in our own
neighborhood.Urbanandsuburbanareaswill continueto grow; yet this growth neednot be a
disasterfor all nativewildlife. Throughinformedland use,Tucson,and especiallyuniqueareas
suchas Cal7, may be ableto sustriina diversebird and animatcommunity,aiding in the
corrservationof speciesaswell asenhancingthe quality of life for the humanresidents.
The following list of birds was compiledin 2001 by Dr. William CalderIII, a leading
experton hummingbirds and oneof our neighbors.This list waspreparedfrom his manyyears
of observationin our neighborhoodinthe foothills areaof TucsoraArizona. Specieslisted as
*residents"shouldbevisible inthe AatT a:a,as
well asottrerparts ofthe CatalinaFoothills
EstatesDevelopmentthroughoutmost of the year. Severalspeciesarenotedare "migrants'',
meaningthat it is very unlikely that they will be seen. The other categoriesof observation
frequencyaredessiHinthe footrotestothe bird list.
References
UsedandAdditionalReading:
Cochran,C. and K. htrek, nd. TucsonBird WatchingGuide. Arizona Gameand Fish
Deparhent and TucsonAudubonSosiety,Tucson Ariznna.
MacMahon"tA. 1939- Deserts-TheAudubonSoeietyNative Guides. Alfred A. Knopf, New
Yorknpp.62-82.
Petersono
RT. 1990.-AField Guide to WesternBirds. HougbtonMifflin Company,Boston,
Massachusetts
The TucsonBird Cormt Birding Science,Conservation.2002.
http//www.tucsonb_irds.org/index.btml.
Bird List for Ca{l Area
Common Name
GreatBlue Heron
White-facedIbis
Vulture
Matlard
Hawk
s Havrk
Hawk
Hanis's Hawk
Zone-tailedHawk
Red-tailedllawk
AmericanKeshel
ine Falcon
Prairie Falcon
Ifilldeer
RockDove
insedDove
CommonGround-Dove
GreaterRoadnmner
Weste,rnScreech-Owl
CreatHornedOwl
Elf OwI
Observationt
Lesser
Broad-billed
BlaclcChinned
Anna'sH
Ccista's
Broad-tailedHummingbird
Selasphoruspl atycercus
RufousHumminebi
GilaW
Ladder-backedW
GildedFlicker
's Phoebe
w
Ash-throated
Shrike
Martin
Verdin
CactusWren
Rock Wren
Gnatcatcher
Northern
Curve-biUedThrasher
R
R
's Warbler
CommonYellourthroat
Towhee
Black-tbroated
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis sinilatus
Black-headedGrosbeak
Wilson's Warbler
MacGillivray'sWarbler
Warbler
Yellow-headedBlackbird
BronzedCowbird
Brown-headedCowbird
HoodedOriole
HouseFinch
Red Crossbill
LesserGoldfinch
M: migrant
F: flyby
S: summerW: winterR: residentRa:rareA: aliert
R
M
M
Ra
S
M
Ra