Posts Tagged "Wildlife"

Wild Ducks

More than 200 ducks are present on my two stock ponds today. The number is typical for January, but not March.  Most have usually moved on by now.  More on Agua Fria birds.

Ducks on the Lilly Pond

AFOSA Founding Directors

Wildlife conservation begins with observation.  What have you seen lately?  Any interesting birds, mammals?  The Agua Fria River Basin is a great place to see wild animals in natural habitats.  Developers are eying the Basin, and have ‘mega’ plans to fill the space with streets and houses.  But for now, we only need to step out our doors to see native vegetation, birds, and insects.

This blog will report sightings and carry background information on conservation and general wildlife topics.  You can click ‘comment(s)’ at the end of the line under each post title to post a comment, and if you ‘read more’ you will find a comment space below the post.  You can also sign up to post your own observations.  Remember to include when and where when you write a comment.

Birds are one of the best known species groups.  They are highly visible, and many species are easily identified.  Conservationists often refer to birds as indicators of general environmental conditions.  The ‘canary in the coal mine’ idea.  Recent information form the National Audubon Society suggests the canary may be sagging.

The knowledge of bird species distribution and trends in Arizona is good at state and county levels, but is not so good for smaller areas.  A critical need is for an expanded network of repeated observations.  Contributions to this blog can help.

The photograph shows a Belted Kingfisher studying a pond near the Agua Fria River in the Town of Dewey-Humboldt.

Arizona Amphibians Are Declining

Arizona’s amphibians aren’t doing very well.  It seems that the more a species depends on water, the greater its risk of extinction.  Most of Arizona’s fish and many of its mollusks are in danger.   There is very little local data for our amphibians, but it is well documented that frogs and toads are disappearing around the world.  The causes are a ‘perfect storm’ of surface water diversion and use, water pollution, disease, and predation by invasive species.

The photograph shows a Woodhouse’s Toad, often heard crying in the woods along the Agua Fria River in central Arizona.

Checklists of plant and animal species one might see in a particular place make useful notebooks for recording sightings.  Sometimes called life lists, such notebooks take the place of the stamps, coins, and arrowheads collected by others.  Though their objects are different, all collectors want to protect their collections.  They are all curators or conservationists.  Checklists are one of the basic tools for nature conservation.

The photograph shows a Rock Squirrel on a fence post.  Normally seen serving as sentries atop boulders, this one lives in a colony near the Agua Fria River in Dewey-Humboldt, AZ, an area lacking boulders.