Arizona Bird Call

A report on woodpeckers that bang away on metal and other non-wood surfaces here in the Sonoran Desert. A report in an ongoing series that describes how bird's have been given human names and the growing movement to change some to be more reflective of the birds themselves. A report on how some birds are using human-created materials to build their nests in urban areas throughout the Southwes...

Announcement by Tucson Audubon Society that it has begun a process to change its name. The purpose is to delete the name of John James Audubon, an avowed racist who kept and sold enslaved people. A new report describes ongoing abandonment of millions of acres of cropland across North America beginning in the 1980s. Some scientists speculate this will have a positive effect on grassland birds and a...

An update on the status of the imperiled Pinyon Jay of Arizona's highland pinyon pine woodlands from Charles Babbitt, Conservation Chair of the Maricopa Audubon Society.  A report on detections of bird. species by the Haikubox installed at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds. A report on a sighting of an Iceland Gull in Tucson. Bird of the episode: Long-billed Dowitcher. Birding hotspot: Willco...

Renowned ornithologist and Audubon field guide editor Kenn Kaufman explains why tyrant flycatchers are so difficult to identify here in the Southwest. It's not about looks; it's about vocalization, he says. A report on the world-famous 'Thrasher Spot' at Beeline and Salome Highway west of Phoenix. The site has been leveled to make way for a massive solar farm. Bird of the episo...

A report on effects of groundwater depletion on riparian birds. Ongoing residential and industrial development across Arizona is significantly reducing surface water in key riparian zones, disrupting natural ecological patterns on which birds and other wildlife depend. A report on a productive birding field trip to the Mogollon Rim lakes region in August, 2024 by members of the Maricopa Audubon So...

A report on new research that describes how the Nightingale, an Old World flycatcher that got a mention in Homer's Iliad, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and countless other poetic and dramatic works over many centuries on its way to literary stardom, has a new claim to fame. It develops a capacity for mimicking the territorial songs of competing males in perfect pitch. Ornitholog...

A report on research indicating Southwestern Flycatchers are adapting to climate change genetically by interbreeding with individuals from diverse population clusters in the Northwest and interior western US. A profile of the colorful Northern Shoveler, often spotted in Arizona during winter months. Introduction to Tucson Audubon's Mason Center. Bird of the episode: Lesser Goldfinch: Birding...

A report on the Arizona Field Ornithologist's field expedition to Lake Havasu on the Colorado River January 27, 2024. A 'save the date' for another field expedition, this to Springerville AZ in search of breeding Mountain Plovers.  White Mountain Audubon board member Rob Betasso report on a successful winter birding trip in search of Rosy Finches on Sandia Mountain near Albuquerque...

A report on a novel approach to increasing the stock of seeds from plants preferred by the threatened Montezuma Quail. Quail hunters are donating sublingual pouches of harvested birds from which undigested seeds are collected and stored, then planted in quail-friendly natural areas.  A report on sightings of Spotted Towhee in Maine - in winter - the first ever. Bird of the week: LeConte's Thr...

A report on efforts by the Cocopah Indian community to restore portions of the lower Colorado River riparian zone including critical delta bird habitat. These efforts are being supported by recently awarded federal grants and corporate philanthropy. Bird of the week: Least Sandpiper. Birding hotspot: Thunderbird Conservation Park and Arrowhead Lakes in Maricopa County. Friend of Wildlife organizat...

A report on a recently awarded multimillion dollar grant from the U.S. Highway Administration to Arizona Game and Fish Department and Arizona Department of Transportation for construction of wildlife overpasses/underpasses along Arizona portions of  Interstates 17 and 40. These structures are designed to allow large mammals and other wildlife to safely cross thoroughfares during seasonal migration...

An introduction to winter waterfowl birding across North America. Millions of waterfowl overwinter in Arizona, can be observed along riparian corridors and on lakes and reservoirs statewide.  An update on actions taken by several Audubon Society chapters in the Midwest that are stepping away from the Audubon name and forming a new organization. Bird of the episode: Long-billed Curlew. Birding hots...

A report on scientific research being done by the Sala Lab at Arizona State University with support from the Drylands Institute. The Sala Lab is working to document environmental changes that are leading some scientists to conclude the decades long drought plaguing the Southwest is not temporary and that the region faces permanent aridification. An overview of research on Caledonian Crows and Jays...

Update on research into effects of wildfires on birds, their migratory and breeding habitats here in the Southwest. A species overview of the Ferruginous Hawk, North America's largest hawk, a regular in southern Arizona. Bird of the episode: House Sparrow. Birding hotspot: ASU Research Park, Tempe. Friend of wildlife organization: Central Arizona Project. A brief calendar of bird-friendly eve...

An article on the Short-eared Owl, one of a very few owl species readily spotted during daylight hours on perches above open spaces and along forest edges throughout Arizona. And, an article that describes how birds survive extreme cold. Bird of the week: Greater Yellowlegs. Birding hotspot: Kartchner Caverns State Park. Friend of wildlife organization: Global Drylands Center at Arizona State Univ...

The Phoenix area annual winter water bird survey is back after a one-year hiatus. Information on how to contribute. A report from Tucson Audubon on winter towhees now present at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds. A report on research that some scientists say supports the idea that drought is the new normal in Arizona, that the future will be characterized by permanent aridification. Bird of the we...

An article on winter finches in Arizona by Charles J. Babbitt, author of Birds of Arizona: What to Know, Where to Go. Bird of the episode: Great-tailed Grackle. Birding Hotspot: San Rafael Valley grasslands in southeastern Arizona. Friend of Wildlife Organization: The Peregrine Fund. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.

An article 'Do You Hear What I Hear?' that discusses how birds are able to make sounds outside the range of human hearing in addition to the songs and calls we do hear without the aid of technical devices. Bird of the episode: Green Heron. Birding hotspot: Alamo Lake State Park. Friend of Wildlife: Runnin'W Wildlife Center, Cornville. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in Ar...

An introduction to the MOTUS wildlife stracking system being rolled out across Arizona in cooperation with several Audubon Society chapters. Bird of the week: Green Tailed Towhee. Birding hotspot: Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Friend of Wildlife organization: Discovery Center at Lake Pleasant, a program of the Maricopa County Parks department. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in weeks ahe...

Species profile of Williamson's Sapsucker considered by many birders to be the most strikingly beautiful woodpecker of all North American woodpecker species. Bird of the week: Hairy Woodpecker. Birding Hotspot: Lost Dutchman State Park/Superstition Wilderness east of Phoenix in Central Arizona. Friend of Wildlife organization: Empire Ranch Foundation. Calendar of bird friendly events coming u...

Overview of the 'Sagebrush Sea,' a vast grassland ecosystem spanning much of the western United States and prairie regions of Canada, home to numerous native bird species. Conservationists and ranchers among other stakeholders are cooperating to sustain and in some areas restore critical breeding habitat for grassland birds. And, a report of native Arizona birds Bell's Vireo and Wes...

A profile of early American ornithologist Alexander Wilson for whom Wilson's Warbler, Wilson's Phalarope, Wilson's Plover, Wilson's Snipe and other species are named. Update on progress in construction of wildlife crossings of major highways in western United States. Bird of the episode: Hermit Thrush. Birding hotspot: Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt spanning Scottsdale and Tempe. F...

A report on progress being made in efforts to save the quickly diminishing Great Salt Lake in Utah, a critical migratory stopover for countless species of birds and other wildlife. A broad coalition of environmental and governmental organizations have organized to create a permanent solution to the crisis. And, a statement by the Arizona Water Coalition applauding Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs&apos...

A report on a research initiative by Tucson Audubon titled 'Save the Sonoran Saguaro.' participants will plant Saguaro Cactus seedlings and track their progress over time. An essay titled 'Highway of New Birds' that describes rare bird sightings in southern Arizona's high peaks; species typically found in the Rocky Mountains and northern Mexico that intermingle in Arizona....

A guide to a number of extraordinary higher elevation birding spots in Arizona's southeastern sky island region compiled by Tucson Audubon and The Sky Island Alliance, a binational consortium of ecologists in U.S. and Mexico. Bird of the episode: Horned Grebe. Birding hotspot: Table Top Wilderness nature preserve along the southern border region of Arizona. Friend of Wildlife: Arizona Bird Co...