Over the past few years, SunBird has been invaded by gophers. It seems that when the Santan Mountain Casino was in construction just southeast of SunBird is the time that these gophers discovered SunBird. These gophers travel underground and surface, leaving holes and mounds of dirt. Several of these can be seen throughout the community. Some residents have reported observing plants and flowers in their yard actually being pulled down through the dirt as the gophers ate the roots.
SunBird had contracted with a pest control company to address problem areas in the common area landscape. We also installed several solar sonic spikes in the ground, which vibrate and make noises regularly to help deter the gophers (not sure if they work, but we are trying them).
We had made some progress, and the problem was decreasing. Now, over the past few months, the gophers have returned with vengeance. If they appear with mounds of dirt in your yard, the best advice would be to contact a pest control company or check with a local hardware store for different methods of treatment. These gophers have been a pain to all of us.