Tag: birds

Western Tanager - đŸ“· EF Sanborn

Watson Woods Riparian Preserve is for the Birds!

Did you know that Watson Woods Riparian Preserve is a key component of the larger Watson and Willow Lake Important Bird Area (IBA)? Riparian (streamside) areas like those at Watson Woods Riparian Preserve are unique environments. They occupy about Âœ of 1% of Arizona’s total land area, yet approximately 75% of the state wildlife species

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Impact Story: Belted Kingfisher

“Cottonwood and willow plantings created important habitat for belted kingfishers on Granite Creek.” It was December and conditions were cold and wet. I was the ‘foreman’ on the job which meant, among other things, that I was the first one on site in the morning and the last one to leave in the afternoon/evening. This

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Success Story: Bluebird

Western Bluebirds find restored habitat before it is completed Wikimedia During the Watson Woods Riparian Preserve Restoration project, we had a plating effort going during the end of February. The particular week we were in the field it happened to be raining and snowing quite a bit so Preserve conditions were a bit challenging. We’d

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Curious Avians: Do Birds Hold Funerals?

Interesting news from the avian world: birds display “cacaphonous aggregations” in response to finding one of their own deceased. In other words, they gather around the body of a deceased companion, oftentimes a noisy gathering. This begs the question: do birds hold funerals? This NPR story explores the recent publication that explains the science on

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Dirt From the Field – March 2011

March is here and even though there is still another week of winter according to the calendar, the signs that this year’s winter is over are very apparent.  One of the best places to see spring “happen” is down in Watson Woods.  I’ve been seeing robins, bluebirds and humming birds for a couple of weeks

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