The latest on Pygmy-owls

The latest paper on the Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-owl's (CFPO) decline near the US border in Sonora has recently came out. Aaron Flesch has been monitoring the CFPO's numbers in Northern Sonora for 6 years and hopes to continue the work this year, if funding allows. There appears to be a long-term decline in numbers in Northern Sonora. It's likely this decline is due to habitat degradation, but rainfall patterns might be a significant factor as well. More years of data will help determine what the future looks like for the Sonoran Desert CFPO.

The Pygmy-owl, although small, is a very charismatic bird. It has large and powerfull talons to kill and eat an impressive array of critters icluding gila woodpeckers, huge spiny lizards, and apparently a gambel's quail on rare occasions. Their homerange is expansive compared to elf and screech owls. I have been stared at by the piercing eyes of a pygmy-owl and thought, "I'm glad they're so little".

Download CFPO monitoring report here.
2-28-07 Daily Star Article

Save the Scenic Santa Rita's

This morning our favorite congressperson, Raúl Grijalva, held a special hearing on the somewhat outdated 1872 mining law, as well as the latest mine proposed for the private 3000 acre rosemont property (and adjacent Forest Service land) on the Northeast side of the Santa Rita Mountains. It is interesting that virtually no one in Southern AZ wants this mine, yet it is difficult for anyone to stop it. The 1872 mining law makes it very hard for the Forest Service to deny permission to Augusta, the Canadian Co. proposing the mine, not to mention the fact that local governments' hands are completely tied.

Thankfully Grijalva may soon be introducing legislation to withdrawal the Coronado and other Southern AZ land from mining completely.

The proposed mine is very large, yet even so the Santa Rita's are far more economically valuable to Pima County in a natural state. Birders and other tourists come from all over the world to visit the Santa Rita's as well as the areas near Patagonia and Sonoita... and many of them spend readily.

The land Augusta wants to destroy --

First Post -- Why a Blog...

One reason is due to the fact that I can't get myself to consistently write in my journal and would like to have more of a record of my life. At the same time it is an easy way to let people know what is going on in my life as well as in the region around Southern AZ and Sonora.

It also gives me a forum for writing stories about important happenings in this region. I recently made a website, but it is slower to change and this seems like a good forum for current events and is easily linked to and from it. Check out my website (linked below)... it has some of my art and photography, as well as info on threats to wild Nature in the state of Sonora, immediately south of us here in Arizona.

www.wildsonora.com

Sky
Tucson