Having had the good fortune to attend both the 20th and 21st year of the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) Bird Count, I want to include in my blog this year’s bird count on January 25, 2020.
The Community (GRIC) invites local Audubon groups to join and share birding expertise with local participants.
From our meeting place at the Chevron Station on Casa Blanca Road and I-10, we were all able to choose one of five locations we wanted to bird. Richard and Jeanne Specht had invited me to carpool with them since they lived nearby and this would be their first visit.
Choosing a different location this year from last, I chose Area 5, Gila Butte. As I recall there were about 22 participants in our group, including a good mix of local families. The Spechts and Rob Bowker (a top local birder) were also in this group. Rob and I worked with Jerry Jensen (GRIC DEQ), local bird leader, to confirm our tally. One very young boy stood out for remembering that this was his 5th time participating; he was finding birds quickly for all of us!
Wahlean Riggs (Bobbie) who works with the DEQ also led us to the riparian areas and a large flat meadow area around Gila Butte.
Taking a census of birds over specified areas each year provides the Community with a record to compare year-to-year sightings over periods of time. Why was this bird not present this year? Why have the numbers of this bird increased so much? The data alert the Community members of trends that might be meaningful.
Our tally around noontime at a newly developed recharge pond/marsh area (GRIC-MAR-5) will certainly make a difference in the next tally. As we sat eating the lunch provided, we could see Northern Pintail flying into the water in front of us.
When we finished lunch at tables under the roofed pavilion, six young women performed native dances on the bare ground just outside the pavilion as two men shook gourd rhythms and chanted for each dance.
One of several gifts given us was their 2020 WINTER BIRDS of the Gila River Indian Community, 21st Anniversary Edition. Dr. David Pearson of ASU (and local avid birder) helped by providing photos and brief descriptions of each songbird. The booklet is a project of the Gila River Indian Community Department of Environmental Quality. It first provides each bird name in their own language followed by its common name in English plus its habitat and behavior - things that the children and parents can use to learn all about the birds that occur on their land.
Enthusiasm of the local participants indicated that the glossy 8.5”x 5.75” booklet is being put to good use.
In all likelihood, I'll return for their next Winter Bird Count.
Here's the data from my list submitted to eBird:
Gila Butte, Pinal, Arizona, US
Jan 25, 2020 7:40 AM - 10:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling 1.6 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Winter Bird Count (GRIC) 39°-69°F
24 species
Gambel's Quail 69
Mourning Dove 2
Greater Roadrunner 1
Anna's Hummingbird 5
Great Egret 1 fly-over
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Great Horned Owl 1
Gila Woodpecker 6
Gilded Flicker 2
American Kestrel 3
Black Phoebe 1
Say's Phoebe 1
Verdin 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 6
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher 2
Rock Wren 2
Cactus Wren 2
European Starling 16
Curve-billed Thrasher 2
Black-throated Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 9
Abert's Towhee 12
Orange-crowned Warbler 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S63779384
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