Naturalist View August 2010

Monsoon storms, Lightning and Toads

In Arizona, the monsoon begins with the extreme dry heat of May and June, when temperatures rise to 100 plus degrees. As the atmosphere warms, the dry jet stream moves northward and the winds shift up from the south bringing in humidity and moisture from the Sea of Cortez. Once the moist air arrives, the intense summer sun heats the air, creating cumulonimbus clouds, which lead to afternoon and evening thunderstorms and spectacular displays of lightning. It’s a great time to sit out in the patio and watch the storms move up the Catalina Mountain range from Pusch Ridge toward Saddlebrooke. Of course sitting on your patio is not the safe thing to do, and I am not recommending that you watch lightning storms while having a beer on the porch.

What do you do when lightning is near?

  • Avoid high ground, water, solitary trees, open spaces, metallic objects. Search for low   ground, ditches unless they contain water or if the ground is saturated, then find clumps of shrubbery or trees, all of uniform height.

  • Remove all metal objects, bracelets, watches, rings, if possible. It is best to crouch down on the balls of your feet with your hands over your ears. There should be at least 20 feet between you and other people. Do not all huddle together.

  • If you are in a fully enclosed metal automobile, seek refuge with all the windows rolled up and your hands in your lap.

  • Avoid all metal shelters and sun shelters. If golfing, put down the clubs and get off the golf course.

Some Interesting Lightning Data

  • Around the earth there are 100 lightning strikes per second. That’s over 8 million a day!

  • Americans are twice more likely to die from lightning than from a hurricane, tornado or flood.

  • Annually, there are more than 10,000 forest fires caused by lightning.

  • 85% of lightning victims are children and young men aged 10-35 engaged in outdoor recreation and work 

    activities such as golf.

Toads in Saddlebrooke

I’m sure that by this time you have noticed that the toads are active as the monsoon rains are very important to their life cycle. During the summer monsoon season, Sonoran Desert Toads (Bufo alvarius) are common, nocturnal visitors to yards near water. They emerge after the summer rains in order to feed and breed in large, temporary rain pools. Eggs are laid in the puddles and permanent ponds. Larvae metamorphose in as little as two weeks. This species lives from 10 to 20 years.

During the rest of the year, Sonoran Desert Toads hibernate underground. These huge toads like to gorge on insects, especially beetles, near outdoor lights or lighted windows and doors. Male Sonoran Desert Toads will also get into swimming pools and then call to attract females.

With their large size and frequent habit of sitting nonchalantly out in the open as they wait for something edible to happen by, Sonoran Desert Toads might seem to be an easy target for predators, but these large, slow toads are very well defended. If picked up or mouthed by a predator, Sonoran Desert Toads will exude a potent, milky white toxin from their parotoid glands. If ingested, their toxin is capable of seriously sickening or killing potential predators.

Residents are usually aware of the Sonoran Desert Toad (formerly known as the Colorado River Toad) but other toads found in Saddlebrooke include the Red-spotted , Great-plains and Woodhouses toads. For the last 10 years I have taken a census during the Moonson rains by counting the toads at certain locations around the golf courses. Last year I took my brother and my niece on what started as a light rain but ended as a real gully washer. My niece and I had a great time; I’m not so sure my brother did. We all got very wet but counted 127 toads. As I write this in Late June, I am waiting for that Monsoon rain and looking for volunteers for this years toad count.

Sonoran Desert Toad

A Toad for all Seasons

Oh big fat toad

upon the road

why do you sit so still?

The rain has come

to cool your tum

your pond begin to fill

With Summer's song

don't sit too long

a lady passing by.

Her favour's give

new life to live

don't leave her there to sigh….

By Jayne Scott

Suggestion: If you leave a water dish outside for your pet a toad may sit in it at night and leave some of its toxin in the water. Just in case rinse out and refill before your pet drinks from it in the morning.

Symptoms of poisoning in pets

 • Pawing at mouth

 • Licking of lips and drooling

 • Dazed or uncoordinated behavior

Treatment

 • If the animal is conscious, rinse its mouth with a gentle flow of water. Don't force water into the throat; run 

   the water gently from the side of the mouth out the front.

 • If the eyes are affected, rinse them gently with water as well.

 • Wet the animal's coat to help keep body temperature down.

 • Take the animal to a veterinarian immediately.

Toad venom is not a great risk to humans who handle them, but you should wash your hands before touching eyes, mouth or nose after touching a venomous toad.

Thanks to all of you who are not using poisons to control pests. Let’s be good neighbors to our native plants and animals. I will be teaching “Natural History of the Sky Islands” again in October in Saddlebrooke. Any wildlife problems or questions call me 818-3545 or e-mail jecloer@aol.com

Naturalist View July 2010

Desert Plant Adaptations

 Last month, I wrote about how some of the animals of the desert adapt to the extreme temperatures and lack of water of their environment. Now let us look into some of the adaptations that allow plants to exist under the same harsh conditions. Like desert animals, desert plants have adapted to the extremes of heat and aridity using both behavioral and physical methods.

It has been said that desert plants survive because they have thorns, spines, taste bad or are poisonous. As true as this may seem, it’s not that simple. Anybody that has wandered in the desert has become aware of the plants’ defensive armor of thorns and spines. Most of us have had encounters with the “Jumping Cholla.” Of course, they really do not “jump,” but instead cling with their spines to anything that brushes ever so slightly against them. Many other desert trees and shrubs have also adapted by eliminating leaves and replacing them with thorns - or by greatly reducing leaf size. Such plants, like the Palo Verde, also usually have smooth, green (chlorophyll) bark on stems and trunks serving to both produce food and seal in moisture.

Xerophytes: Plants that have adapted by altering their physical structure are called xerophytes. Xerophytes, such as cacti, often have special means of storing and conserving water. They have few or no leaves; this reduces loss of water due to evaporation. Xerophytes are the largest group plants living in the deserts of the American Southwest. The Sonoran Desert is home to an incredible variety of succulents including the giant Saguaro Cactus, Mesquite, Paloverde, and Ironwood. A succulent can be defined as a plant that stores water in its tissues as a mechanism to survive periods of drought.

Phreatophytes: Plants that have adapted to arid environments by growing extremely long roots, allowing them to acquire moisture near the water table, are called Phreatophytes. A good example is the mesquite; its roots are the longest of any desert plant. Mesquite roots have been found in a copper mine shaft 160 feet beneath the surface. However, 90% of the roots of a mesquite remain in the top 3 feet of soil. The deep taproot helps the plant survive drought, while the surface roots are ready to soak up the scarce rainfall of the winter or the sudden downpour of the monsoon.

Two native mesquite trees, the Honey Mesquite and the Velvet Mesquite, are native to Saddlebrooke. Other species of Mesquite have been introduced into the area for landscaping. The Creosote bush is also one of the most successful of all desert species, because it utilizes a combination of many adaptations. Instead of thorns, it relies for protection on a smell and taste that wildlife find unpleasant. It has tiny leaves that close their stomata (pores) during the day to avoid water loss and open them at night to absorb moisture.

Other desert plants using behavioral adaptations have developed a lifestyle in conformance with the seasons of greatest moisture and/or coolest temperatures. These types of plants are referred to as perennials, plants that live for several years, and annuals, plants that live for only a season.
Desert perennials often survive by remaining dormant during dry periods of the year, then spring to life when water becomes available.
A familiar perennial is the Ocotillo. It survives by becoming dormant during dry periods, then coming to life when water becomes available. After rain falls, the Ocotillo quickly grows leaves to photosynthesize food. Flowers bloom within a few weeks in April When seeds become ripe and fall, the Ocotillo loses its leaves again and re-enters dormancy. During the summer monsoon the Ocotillo will often produce a new set of leaves but no new blossoms. The Ocotillo also has a waxy coating on stems which serves to seal in moisture during periods of dormancy.

Another example of perennials that utilize dormancy as a means of evading drought are bulbs, members of the lily family. The Coyote gourd has a bulb that springs to life after the summer monsoon, sending out 20 foot runners with yellow flowers that develop into the orange sized gourds. The fruit pulp contains toxic and extremely bitter chemicals that humans use to make soap, which reportedly repels body lice. Natives eat the nutritious seeds, which contain up to 35% protein and 50% fat. Coyotes and some other animals can eat the seeds even when tainted by the pulp. Javelinas eat tuberous roots, which they can sniff out even when there is no vine above ground. Native people have used the gourds as containers and dance rattles since prehistoric times.

Annuals (Ephemerals)
The term "annual" implies blooming yearly; but since this is not always the case, desert annuals are more accurately referred to as "ephemerals." Many of them can complete an entire life cycle in a matter of months, some in just weeks. Desert plants must act quickly when heat, moisture and light inform them it's time to bloom. Ephemerals are speedsters of the plant world, with flower stalks bursting out in a few days. The peak of this bloom may last for just days or several weeks, depending on the conditions. Most annual desert plants germinate only after heavy seasonal rain, and then complete their reproductive cycle very quickly. They bloom profusely for a few weeks in the spring, accounting for the annual wildflower displays of the deserts. Depending on the winter and spring rains, these displays can be spectacular or hardly noticeable. The seeds left behind that are not eaten by the birds, small mammals and insects may lie dormant for years until conditions are right for germination.

• Mesquite Tea: Place 1 lb. of mesquite pods in 1 gallon of water. Boil pods, at a rolling boil, for 30 minutes. Remove pods & strain. Cool broth & serve over ice.

• Mesquite BarBQ: All those mesquite pods lying around that need to be picked up can be used instead of expensive mesquite firewood or charcoal on your BarBQ. I recommend soaking the dry pods in water for 10-20 minutes then throw them directly on the briquettes or grill and cover to impart that mesquite flavor.

I have been very busy picking up pack-rats, mice etc. that residents have been live trapping and wish to thank you all for not using poisons. I only had one secondary poisoning in May, a dove that had feed on some poison seeds that had probably been intended for something else.

Naturalist View June 2010

Adapting to the Heat

One warm afternoon last summer, I was trying to get a picture of a SGB (Small Gray Bird) with my telephoto lens. This bird was busy hunting for food, and like most SGB’s, would not pose for any length of time for a photo. I am a reasonably patient man (ha!), but this bird kept in the shade. I thought that it would soon land in a sunny spot so that I could get the shot I needed for identification. It became evident that this was not happening. Eventually it dawned on me that what I was observing was an adaption that this bird had made to the summer heat. By staying in the shade, it could keep from overheating as it was gathering food. I observed this bird over the next few days and found that this behavior was consistent; it never did give me an opportunity to take the picture I wanted.Nature always has found ways to adapt to environment. The big challenges for adapting to the Sonoran Desert are the heat and water. Let’s take a look at how some local animal species adapt to our area.

A nocturnal lifestyle, which keeps them out of the heat of day (and out of human sight as well). The mountain lion is a good example. The wide variety of prey the cougar hunts ranges from rodents and rabbits to cattle and deer. This solitary animal can travel miles in search of food. The mountain lion has adapted itself well to the environment of the Sonoran Desert. It only hunts during the night, while during the heat of the day it takes shelter in caves and crevices in the mountains. You may be more familiar with the nocturnal roaming of the Javalina, the ringtail cat or the desert toads. Even the small rodents such as the white-throated wood rat (pack rat) are essentially nocturnal.

Living in burrows, which are cooler and more humid.This often goes along with the nocturnal lifestyle, and the burrow becomes a place to sleep during the hot day. Burrow diggers are called fossorial. One of my favorite fossorial residents is the round-tail ground squirrel. Round-tailed ground squirrels are social, living in small colonies. They hibernate through the winter months, emerging in early February to take advantage of the new spring growth. They breed shortly after coming out of hibernation; 6 to 7 young are born in March or April. By May, the youngsters accompany the mother to the surface. The young come out for several hours of playing and feeding until the temperatures rise; then they return to their burrows until late in the afternoon when temperatures start to cool. They stand on their hind legs trying to get a better view as they watch for their many predators. Because they depend on vegetation for moisture, these squirrels estivate (Estivation is another form of dormancy, or "sleep") for a few weeks during the summer drought, until the summer rainy season again brings new growth and food.

Slender bodies with long limbs - are better for shedding heat. Snakes and lizards are good examples. They can move from one shady spot to another without absorbing as much heat. Lizards run by lifting their bodies and running on their tip-toes to keep their body from coming in contact with the hot ground. You may have noticed lizards doing push-ups. These are complex forms of lizard communication which can mean such things as “Hello, Gorgeous” or “Get your skinny rump off my rock.”

Adaptations for reducing water loss - specialized snouts and efficient kidneys are all part of this strategy. Some animals - i.e. the kangaroo rat - are so efficient that they never need to drink liquid water; they get all their water from the food they eat (including the water released when sugars are respired to form CO2 and water). Kangaroo rats have large cheek pouches that open on either side of the mouth and extend back to the shoulders. They fill the pouches with food, such as dry seeds, and then empty them by turning them inside out, like pockets. The overall color of the kangaroo rats can be anywhere between pale, sandy yellow, to dark brown, with a white underside. Tails tend to be dark with white sides and a tuft of longer hairs. A feature of the kangaroo rat is the animal's efficient kidneys. The kidneys recycle almost all of the water which is retained by the body. Even the nasal passage of the Kangaroo rat is large flat and convoluted so that H2O exhaled in the breath is condensed and reabsorbed. They also do not urinate and as a result do not have the strong odor of other rodents. Kangaroo rats lose water mainly by evaporation during gas exchange, and so have developed a behavioral adaptation to prevent this loss. As they spend a lot of time within their burrows to escape the heat of the day, the burrows become much more humid than the air outside (due to evaporative loss). When collecting seeds, they store them in the burrows rather than eating them right away. This causes the moisture in the air to be absorbed by the seeds, and the kangaroo rat regains the water it has previously lost when it then consumes them.

Because of this tremendous concentration ability, kangaroo rats never have to drink; the H2O produced metabolically within their cells during oxidation of foodstuff (food plus O2 yields CO2 + H2O + energy) is sufficient for their body. Also, kangaroo rats cannot lose water by perspiring, because they have no sweat glands. Kangaroo rats lose water mainly by evaporation during gas exchange, so have developed a behavioral adaptation to prevent this loss. As they spend a lot of time within their burrows to escape the heat of the day, the burrows become much more humid than the air outside (due to evaporative loss).

These are just a few examples of animal adaption. Keep in mind that any plant or animal that is native to the area has made the adaptations necessary to survive here. Learning about these adaptations is a lifelong fascinating mystery.

Wrestling Rattlers

Several people sent me these pictures taken by Saddlebrooke resident Linda Andrews. This was not a mating dance but was a “Combat Dance”. In the spring snakes are looking for a mate. In the snake world this accomplished with a sense of smell. A male will come across the “perfume” of a mature female and follow the scent to locate her. Since several males may be “on the trail” they often come across each other. In the case of rattlesnakes this may result in a dominance display or serpentine wrestling contest, rearing and falling and body slamming until one or the other concedes defeat and leaves the area. Once inseminated the female, after a gestation of 167 days will bear her brood live, in late summer. The young are born complete with fangs and venom, armed and dangerous at birth.

The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox, Crotalus comes from the Greek word crotalon meaning a rattle or a little bell; atrox comes from the Latin word atroc which means hideous or savage. Actually I find Rattlesnakes to be rather beautiful and certainly not savage. They have no desire to be near you or to waste their precious venom on something far to big to swallow.

Naturalist View April 2010

A New Visitor to SaddleBrooke

For the first time in the ten years, I have seen the Coatimundi in SaddleBrooke although I had seen them in Catalina State Park on several occasions. Several people had sent me photos of one or more of them on their roof tops or in their yards. One had been in a resident’s yard and they were concerned about their dogs. I told them that it would probably leave on its own, but the next day it was still there. I then determined that it had injured its leg and was unable to climb the wall and was also severely undernourished. It is now part of our nature program and is doing very well. He may be seen at Catalina State Park on Saturdays and will be at our fourth annual “Saddlebrooke Wildlife Exhibit” on Saturday April 3rd in the patio behind HOA#1 Gift Shop from 10:00am to 2:00pm.

White-nosed Coati :Order Carnivora: Family Procyonidae: Nasua narica

Coati on roof

Physical Description:

  • Height 8 to 12 inches tall

  • Body length 13 to 27 inches

  • Weight 7 to 15 lb...

  • Color variable from cinnamon to black with a distinctive mask defined by white marks above, below

    and behind the eyes.

  • Tail is quite long, 13 to 27 inches, striped, and carried vertically.

  • Ears are small and rounded, mostly hidden in the fur. Feet are generally like those of a raccoon, with
    powerful long front claws.

General information:

Coatis are active day and night. They spend their nights in trees, with several animals sharing a perch. While the male prefers to travel alone (and may be referred to as the coati mundi, or solitary coati), the females and their young tend to travel in bands of 4 to 50 individuals. New-born coatis are altricial, or very immature at birth. The coati is a social animal, so it is very vocal with a lot of snorts, grunts, screams, whines and chatters. Most of the day is spent foraging; but during the hottest part of the day, they tend to nap in trees. Coatis swim well and are excellent climbers. They use the tail for balancing on branches and for slowing down the descent of the tree.

Injured and undernourished

Special anatomical, physiological or behavioral adaptations:

The stout claws and long snout are used together for food gathering. They have an excellent sense of smell, and we will see them snuffling along the ground. When they smell prey in the ground, they will stop and dig there. They can also push dirt with their snouts. They are very active hunters for small mammals (mice or rats), insects and bird eggs. The canines of the males are quite impressive and are used as warning signals.

Feeding habits:

They are omnivores, preferring small vertebrates, fruits, insects and eggs. They can climb trees with great skill while using their tail for balance. Most often they forage on the ground. They readily adapt to the presence of humans and will raid trash receptacles. They can be domesticated and seem quite intelligent.

Recovered fat and healthy

Behavior:

They are primarily diurnal, retiring during the night to a specific tree and descending at dawn to begin their daily search for food. However, their habits are adjustable.In areas where they are hunted by humans for food or where they raid human settlements for their own food, they become more nocturnal.While adult males are solitary, females and sexually immature males form social groups. They use many vocal signals to communicate with one another and also spend time grooming themselves and each other with their teeth and claws.

Naturalist View March 2010

Naturalist View March 2010…It’s Nesting Time


Spring is here, and the raptors are nesting! We have had Red-tail Hawks, Cooper’s hawks and Great Horned owls nesting here in Saddlebrooke. Our community provides shelter and food for these hunters.

Hawks are carnivores that belong to the category of birds known as raptors -- birds of prey. They have strong, hooked beaks; their feet have three toes pointed forward and one turned back (the Great horned owl reverses one toe when catching prey so that it has two forward and two back for a better hold); and their talons, are long, curved and very sharp. Prey is killed with the long talons and swallowed whole or torn to bite-sized pieces with its sharp beaks and talons.



Until recently some people shot raptors thinking that they were competing with ranchers and farmers for things like chickens. Remember the cartoon characters Henry Hawk and Foghorn Leghorn?

These cartoons were fun but may have perpetuated the notion that hawks were after the farmer’s chickens, when in reality they were more apt to be hunting the mice and rats in the fields. Certainly they are of great benefit to us here at Saddlebrooke. Not only are they fun to watch, but they hunt pack-rats and mice.

I wish to thank all of the residents who have stopped using poison bait to control rodents and have switched to live traps. Hopefully we won’t lose any more wildlife to secondary poisoning. On a sad note, we have recently found two Red-tailed Hawks that were shot! Both were found in Saddlebrooke but were probably shot in the hills near here. If the persons responsible are found, there are severe federal consequences.

Comparisons

Based on general body shape and flight habits, hawks are classified into different groups - the most common being the Accipiters and the Buteos.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk, the Cooper’s Hawk and the Goshawk are Accipiters. They have long tails and short, rounded wings that enable them to dart through and around trees in pursuit of their principal prey, other birds. Typically, they fly low with a series of rapid wing beats followed by a brief period of sailing, then another series of wing beats.

The Buteos are the largest of the hawks. They are the broad-winged, broad-tailed soaring hawks that are more readily seen because of their habit of circling high in the air or perching in trees or on telephone poles along the road. They include the Red-tailed, the Red-shouldered, the Swainson's, the Rough-legged and the Ferruginous hawks.

The Red-tailed hawk is large bird that feeds mainly on rodents. It flies fast and has excellent vision. It can spot prey from hundreds of feet in the air. The Red-tailed is commonly seen in Saddlebrooke.

Description

The Red-tailed is one of the largest hawks, usually weighing between 2 and 4 pounds. As with most raptors, the female is nearly 1/3 larger than the male and may have a wing span of 56 inches. This species shows a great deal of individual variation in plumage.

The adult has a rufous-colored tail that may or may not have a black terminal bar. Adults are dark brown on the back and the top of their wings. The underside of the bird is usually light with a dark belly band, and a cinnamon wash on the neck and chest. Immature hawks resemble the adults, except their tail is brown with dark bars, which molts in during its second year.

The adult Red-tailed Hawk is easily identified. When it leaves its perch on slow, measured wing beats, or turns while soaring overhead, the broad, rounded tail shows a rich, russet red, hence the name. Within its range, its frequent soaring and loud voice are a good pointer.

Curious Facts:

The eyesight of a hawk is 8 times as powerful as a human's.

Like all hawks, the Red-tailed Hawk's talons are its main weapons.

85-90% of the hawks diet consists of small mammals.

The Red-tailed Hawk has hoarse and rasping 2- to 3-second scream that is most commonly heard  while soaring.

When parents leave the nest, the young utter a loud wailing "klee-uk," repeated several times
- this is a food cry.

Behavior

The Red-tailed Hawk is the most widespread and familiar member of the American Buteos (large soaring hawks). They nest in the month of March in tall trees. Like all other Buteos, it does not fly fast but soars at high altitudes using its keen eyesight to spot the slightest movement in the grass below. It is an aggressive bird and vigorously defends its territory, especially during the winter months when hunting is difficult

Habitat

The Red-tailed Hawk is usually found in grasslands or marsh-shrub habitats, but is a very adaptable bird, being equally at home in deserts and forests

Food and Hunting

The Red-tailed Hawk is a most opportunistic hunter. Its diet is varied, but there is conclusive evidence that 85 to 90 % is composed of small rodents and rabbits. Snakes, lizards and birds fill out the menu.

Breeding

Mating and nest building begin in early spring, usually in March and continue through May. This is accompanied by spectacular aerial displays by both males and females. Circling and soaring to great heights, they fold their wings and plummet to treetop level, repeating this display as much as five or six times.

Nests are located from 35 to 75 feet high in the forks of large trees. The male and female participate in the building of the nest, which is a platform constructed of sticks and twigs, lined with greenery. Both males and females assist in nest construction. Nest sites may be used from year to year, since there is strong evidence that hawks mate for life. If the old nest is wind damaged, layers of new nesting material are added each year.

The female usually lays 2 dull-white to bluish-white eggs that are marked with a variety of irregular reddish spots and splotches. Incubation takes 28-32 days and is maintained almost entirely by the female. During this period the male hunts for both of them, bringing food to her in the nest.

When hatched, the young are covered with white down. They grow slowly and require much food, which keeps both parents busy. They remain in the nest for up to 48 days. During the last 10 days or so the young, which now appear as large as the parent birds, practice flapping their wings and balancing in the wind on the edge of the nest, preparing for the days when they will launch themselves into the air.

The hawks average lifespan in the wild ranges from 13 - 20 years.

Naturalist View Feb.2010

When February arrives in Arizona I start thinking about spring and start looking and hoping for a spectacular wild flower season. I remember a few years back when, my wife, Jeanne and I drove to Kitt Peak and looked out across the desert at spectacular gold and blue fields of Mexican gold poppy, lupine and owl clover.

The spring flowering season in Arizona spans from mid February to mid June with a peak from March to late April depending on rainfall and temperatures during the growing season. In the warmest areas of the lower desert it is normally a couple of weeks earlier. The winter annuals can create an incredible display, but do so only rarely. Later-blooming species bloom more dependably, but not in the great masses of color. Winter annuals such as lupines, poppies, and owl clover create carpets of color for which the Sonoran desert is so famous. This event may occur between late February and mid April. Annuals are highly dependent on rainfall. The massive and widespread displays may occur only about once a decade, when the winter rains are both earlier and wetter than normal. A good bloom cannot be reliably predicted more than a week before it begins and lasts at peak beauty for no more than a week or two. The local papers usually report when and where the best displays can be found.

Herbaceous perennials and small shrubs such as penstemon, brittlebush, and fairy duster also require rain to bloom but are less sensitive to its timing. They are somewhat more dependable than the annuals, making a good show in about half of the years and peaking in March. These species usually grow as individuals or in small patches and do not create the large masses of color. Nevertheless they are worth looking for and are photogenic to boot.

Cacti, because they store water, are fairly independent of rain. They bloom well nearly every year though wetter years produce more flowers. The greatest diversity of spring-blooming species can be seen in April. The cactus show continues as the abundant prickly pears bloom in early May, followed by saguaros from mid May to mid June.

Mid February we begin to see nesting activity of the Great horned owls and Red tailed hawks. You may have been hearing the owls calling to their mates around 4-5 am since late December and you have probably noticed pairs of hawks circling the skies in January. Like most raptors they mate for life but split up after the young are raised (so that they are not competing for hunting territory) then they seek each other out for the next mating season. Very romantic!

Naturalist View November 2009

The Ghost in the Clubhouse

Strange things were happening in the HOA#1 Clubhouse. The phone and computer lines were getting disconnected, and the cooks were sure that someone was stealing food at night. They posted signs in the kitchen and in the Roadrunner Grill stating “We know that you are stealing food. When you are caught, you will be prosecuted”. The patrol was put on alert to be watching for anyone around the clubhouse during late-night hours. This all came to my attention when I was called in to identify a calling card (scat) left in the middle of the operations manager’s desk. The scat and some footprints led me to believe that the culprit was Bassariscus astusus, (from bassar (fox), isc (little), and astut (cunning)). Of course it wasn’t a cunning little fox but it was a clever little mammal called a Ring-tailed cat. Not really a cat, but as with raccoons and coati mundis, ringtails are members of the Procyonidae (raccoon) family. They were called miner’s cats by early prospectors who found them easy to tame and useful rodent control in their mines and dwellings. Catlike in build, the ringtail is nocturnal, and hunts small rodents and insects. It also eats plant matter. It builds a den among rocks, in tree hollows, in houses or, in this case, the clubhouse, where it found a convenient source of food and water and lived in the crawl space between the dining room and the pro shop downstairs. The Ringtail is also the official Arizona State Mammal.

As I was going to be gone for several weeks, I left a live trap with the kitchen staff and told them as soon as they caught the ringtail they should call one of my volunteers who would then release it in a safe area away from the clubhouse. Four weeks later when I returned, I found that the ringtail had not been captured. When I questioned the kitchen staff I discovered that they had set the trap each evening with a piece of bacon and each morning the bacon was gone and the trap was sprung and empty. The problem was that they had not set the trap properly so each night the ringtail had a nice bacon dinner, and after the trap was sprung it simply pushed the door open and walked out. I reset the trap that night and the next morning we had the clubhouse ghost, which we named Rosie.

The Ghost

So, if you have if you have strange noises in your attic, it may be a ringtail, or a ghost. Give me a call.