The Ranch is open to day visitors from 10 AM to 4 PM.  $5 per person. Groups of more than four people must call in advance.

JANUARY 2010 NEWS 

January 4^th:  The Christmas Bird Counts were held on the 2^nd and 3^rd, and the birds were lower in normal in both number of species and quantities of individual birds.  The Portal Count had approximately 99 species, about 25% lower than the 10 year average of 135.  The Peloncillo Count had approximately 74 species, down by about the same percentage.  Final numbers are not in yet.  Seed-eater numbers were down, as we had only 13 inches of rain (versus our 30 year average of almost 18), and many grasses neither grew nor set seed.  A number of species were represented by only one or just a few birds.  But the weather was beautiful – mid-twenties to mid-fifties over both days, and sunny with little wind.

The Ranch is quiet after many guests over the holidays, and won’t really be very busy again until March.  But the lucky people here are enjoying beautiful weather, the parade of animals through the property, and very good birding.  The only Painted Redstarts found on the Christmas Count were here at the Ranch, as were most of the Blue-throated Hummingbirds.  We also have Magnificent and Anna’s Hummingbirds, Hermit Thrushes, a Band-tailed Pigeon, and all of our residents:  Arizona, Acorn, and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Mexican and Western Scrub Jays, 4 pairs of Northern Cardinals, Pyrrhuloxias, Bridled and Juniper Titmice, Bewick’s and Cactus Wrens, Gambel’s Quail, etc.  Within the past several weeks we’ve had about 50 species on the property.

The coatimundi family party of 15 is still coming in about every other day for an hour or so of wreaking havoc on the feeders.  We now have the feeders firmly attached by snap hooks to the line, but they are still managing to unscrew or break off the bottoms of the hummingbird feeders, and when two or three are on the platform feeder swinging wildly, they get all the sunflower and milo dumped out on the ground where there’s a solid mass of other coatis gobbling it up.  All you can see is a mass of fur with many tails standing straight up.  They did manage to bring the entire line down just before Christmas, and then there was a big scrimmage between javelinas and coatimundis for all the spilled seed.  They act very like monkeys, and can walk the wire upright, or, if they slip, continue underneath it hand over hand (paw over paw?) like a sloth.  In any case, there doesn’t seem to be any branch or twig or place they can’t reach.  They also run across the roofs, squeaking at each other.  I keep hoping they will move on….

Hope to see you here soon!

Reed Peters

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