Sonoran Desert

Phoenix: A City for the Birds

by Diane Boudreau

Birds, birds, birds. Phoenix is a city filled with birds. Birds of many kinds. Birds of many colors. Some of these birds are native to the Sonoran Desert. Some are birds that have moved here to stay. And some are birds that are just passing through on their way to nesting grounds in other locations.

How many different kinds of birds live in Phoenix? No one is sure, for now. But lots of people are watching and counting birds to find the answer. If you see a stranger lurking around your neighborhood with binoculars at dawn, don't be alarmed. Chances are, you've come across a volunteer birdwatcher taking part in an important study.

The study is part of the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP-LTER) project at Arizona State University. Scientists in charge of the project want to find out what kind of impact all the new building and development is having on bird communities throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area.

About 90 local volunteers are helping to collect this information. Armed with binoculars and notebooks, they walk through Phoenix area neighborhoods at sunrise. They make note of all the birds they can see or hear.

Joan Powers is a volunteer. "Initially I got stopped a lot," she says. "People get wary when you're walking around with a clipboard and binoculars at odd hours of the day."

Today, people living in the neighborhoods patrolled by Powers recognize her. "I've been doing this for more than a year," she says. "Lots of people know me now. They ask, 'What new birds have you seen today?'"

"This study provides a unique opportunity to involve the public," says Mark Hostetler, a postdoctoral fellow at ASU who designed the bird survey project. The study was designed to highlight the connection between humans and their environment. [Hostetler is no longer at ASU. The first phase of the bird survey was completed in late 1999].

"The majority of the population lives in urban areas. Urban areas are expanding dramatically. But we don't really understand them. Ecologists don't really focus on urban areas. We'd rather hang around in forests," Hostetler laughs.

Things changed, however, when the National Science Foundation's LTER program selected Phoenix as one of two urban areas for long-term ecological study. The other city being studied is Baltimore, Maryland.

"Long-term" is an important part of the study, according to ASU scientists. Most studies like the bird survey only last for a year or two. CAP-LTER research, however, is funded for at least six years.

"In one or two years you can get enough information on common species of birds, but not the uncommon ones. For 80 percent of species, you need long-term study," Hostetler explains.

The main goal of the bird study is to establish a pattern. Is that pattern consistent year after year? What are the mechanisms causing the patterns? For example, does housing density or road traffic affect bird populations in Phoenix?

Volunteers typically study a one-kilometer area divided into 10 segments. They make a note of all the birds they can see or hear.

The study also involves some professional birders. These bird-watching pros study four key habitats: golf courses, new residential neighborhoods, older residential neighborhoods, and desert remnants like Papago Park.

As of late 1999, ASU researchers say that early study findings suggest that building and landscape design play a bigger role in attracting birds than zoning. In other words, the style of buildings and the type of vegetation around them matters more than whether they are houses, stores, or factories. This information could help designers plan more bird-friendly neighborhoods and developments.

Another important finding is that escaped pets are thriving and breeding throughout the Phoenix area.

"You'd be amazed at the number of caged birds that seem to be surviving in the neighborhood," says Powers. "In my study area we have a population of peach-faced lovebirds that has been surviving and enduring. They obviously escaped out of someone's house."

Peach-faced lovebirds are native to hot, dry African habitats. Arizona's Sonoran Desert has all the comforts of home for them. Unfortunately, these sweet green birds with the rosy faces may pose a threat to native Arizona birds.

"They are potential competitors against woodpeckers and other birds," says Hostetler. "The lovebirds can take over the giant saguaro cactuses."

Powers says that lovebirds aren't the only escapees she sees. Parakeets and parrots have also shown up on her list. Most days, however, she only sees about 15 of the same basic kinds of birds. But spring migration often brings in some odder species.

ASU scientists hope to learn more about migrating birds that stop to rest in Phoenix.

"Nothing is known about stopover ecology," Hostetler says. "We've seen lots of migrating birds coming through. There are more birds in Phoenix than outside the city. But the composition is different."

The bird survey is providing information that is useful to ecologists. Other people might use it as well. Planners and developers can use it to create communities that are more attractive to birds. The researchers are even trying to connect with realtors, encouraging them to use birds as a selling point.

The study data is readily available to planners, realtors, and anyone else through the Internet at http://caplter.asu.edu/eedata/index.jsp. Visitors can select a neighborhood to find out what species live there, or they can select a species to learn where it has been sighted. The site is updated regularly as data pours in from volunteers.

ASU scientists think that involving the public is one of the best parts of this project. Many of the volunteers are retired people. Children and teachers from many local schools also help to collect information about birds.

Teachers are trained to lead their students in conducting point counts. They stand in one place and count the birds in a 20-meter radius over a certain time period. Then they send the data in to the kids' section of the CAP-LTER Web site.

One goal of the project is to help connect urban kids to their environment. When he gives talks at schools, Hostetler often asks kids, "Where do chickens come from?" Many of them will name the local supermarket!

"Urban life is great–we have all these conveniences–but it's disconnected from nature. Understanding how humans affect the environment can help us minimize our impact." Hostetler explains.

ASU scientists, volunteers, and student researchers are working to reestablish that connection. Only through knowledge can people make changes.

To learn more about the Phoenix Bird Survey, or about how you might participate in other projects being conducted as part of the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research Project, contact the ASU Center for Environmental Studies at 480-965-2975. Visit the CAPLTER Web site at http://caplter.asu.edu/explorers/. E-mail to caplter.outreach@asu.edu