 The Arizona Bird Committee (ABC) maintains a list of rare birds in Arizona. The rarest birds are classified and "Review Species" and the less rare are classified as "Sketch Details" species. See the list here. How many of these species have been seen at the Water Ranch? From 2002-2010, 37 of these species have been found at the ranch, some multiple times, so that there are records of at least 55 individuals of these species in six years. The Water Ranch is only 110 acres so this is a pretty remarkable record. Probably the only location in the state, of this size or smaller, that rivals the Water Ranch is Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson. Sweetwater is only half the size of the Water Ranch and has a good record of producing rarities. The only available comparison is a no doubt incomplete list on eBird for Sweetwater Wetlands. It lists 260 species, but only 16 of those are Sketch Details or Review species. This suggests the Water Ranch may have a better record of rarities, but it would be interesting to see a more complete list compiled for Sweetwater. Nevertheless, it is remarkable how productive these two urban habitat islands are. For now, the Water Ranch stands as the premiere location of its size in the state for finding rarities as defined by the rare bird committee. Review or Sketch Details Species seen at the Water Ranch 2002-2009:
Report Rare Birds You Find If you see any birds on this list or any other birds on the ABC rare bird list, you can contribute to understanding of bird distribution in the state by reporting documentation (written description or photos) to either the editors of North American Birds (Sketch Details species) or to the Arizona Bird Committee (Review Species) as described here. |