Arizona Bird Call

Update from Arizona Fish and Game Department on recent eagle nesting surveys across the state.  A report on virtual fencing technology showing promise for controlling ranging cattle in sensitive riparian habitats. A report on the American Robin in Arizona. Bird of the episode: Black-legged Kittiwake. Birding hotspot: Tucson Mountains IBA. Friend of wildlife organization: East Valley Wildlife Rehab...

Southwest Audubon update on the Colorado River draw-down crisis and what is being done about it. Introduction to ornithologist and naturalist John Cassin for whom Cassin's Finch and other birds are named. Bird of the week: Bullock's Oriole. Birding hotspot: Mt. Lemmon in the Catalina Mountains southeast of Tucson. Friend of Wildlife organization: Friends of Brown Canyon Ranch near Sierra...

  Northern Arizona University students team up with Northern Arizona Audubon Society on a recent birding field trip, a collaboration showing great promise for advancing the ranks of professional naturalists in Arizona. A report on the recent western bluebird nest box season by NAAS. A report on the recent monsoon rain season in the central highlands from Prescott Creeks. Desert Foothills land trus...

Avian flu virus detected in dead pelicans at Phoenix Zoo. Deaths among wild birds including Canada Geese in the Phoenix area suggest the disease is widespread in Arizona. West Nile Virus has been killing crows across North America. Cornell's Lab of Ornithology has developed a vaccine proven effective but needs a means to administer it in the wild. Report on autumn birding at the Paton Center...

Alert from Arizona Game and Fish Department regarding bird flu symptoms among wild birds that includes safety information for waterfowl hunters. Nina Mason Pulliam Audubon Center reopens following pandemic closure. Tips on how to keep pests away from hummingbird feeders. Bird of the episode: Brewer's Blackbird. Birding Hotspot: Yaki Point on the Grand Canyon south rim. Friend-of-wildlife-orga...

Introduction to early American naturalist Thomas Say for whom Say's Phoebe, a well-known Arizona bird, is named. Bird of the episode: Black-throated Gray (or Grey) Warbler. Birding hotspot: Agua Fria National Monument in Central Arizona.  Friend of Wildlife organization: Northern Arizona Forest Fund. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in Arizona.

An introduction to Birdcast, a new free online tool that shows nocturnal bird migration in real time. Urgent alerts regarding closings of facilities at Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam due to drought conditions. Bird of the episode: Bridled Titmouse. Birding Hotspot: Mount Ord, 50 miles northeast of the Phoenix Metro. Friend of wildlife organization: Wild Arizona. Calendar of bird-friendly even...

Southwest Audubon's Western Water News report on the effect of drought conditions on birds in the Colorado River watershed. How - and by whom - Anna's Hummingbird was named. Bird of the episode: Bonaparte's Gull. Birding hotspot: Patagonia Sonoita Creek TNC IBA. Friend of Wildlife organization: Friends of Canoa Heritage Foundation. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizo...

AZ Governor seeks applicants for opening on Arizona Game and Fish Commission. Birders welcome. Statutory eligibility requirements apply. New app Bird Migration Explorer tracks bird migration in remarkable detail. Bio of John Stevens Henslow, mentor to Charles Darwin and for whom Henslow's Sparrow is named.  Bird of the episode: Ladder-backed Woodpecker. Birding hotspot: Lower San Pedro River...

More than 100 bird species are named for people. There is a growing movement to change those names to describe the birds, not the people, many of whom were slave holders, grave robbers and supremacists.  But not all. Some were extraordinary, selfless naturalists to whom birders owe a huge debt of gratitude for their work. This episode includes my thoughts on the subject and some of their stories. ...

Invitation to view captive California Condor release at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona. Report on recent hummingbird banding and species tracking by the Northern Arizona Audubon Society. Followup to a request by National Audubon Society to offer suggested name changes for Arizona bird species named for people.  Bird of the Week: Lark Bunting, a regular sparrow in southern A...

Updates on the Southeast Arizona Bird Festival and the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo survey underway in central Arizona. Watching for MacGillivray's Warbler in southern Arizona. Colorado River crisis in the Grand Canyon National Park. Bird-of-the-episode: California Condor. Birding hotspot: Upper Santa Cruz River IBA. Friend-of-Wildlife organization: Yuma Conservation Garden. Calendar of bird-...

Breeding behavior of the elusive Rose-throated Becard along the Santa Cruz River. Bird of the episode: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. Arizona birding hotspot: Sonoita Creek/Patagonia Lake IBA. Friend of Wildlife organization: Sonoran Desert Museum near Tucson. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in the weeks ahead.

Magnificent Frigatebird and other rare species spotted in Pinal County in July. New bird banding program underway at Hassayampa Nature Preserve near Wickenburg. Rufous-backed Robins found to be nesting in southern Arizona. Bird-of-the-week: Black-crowned Night Heron. Birding Hotspot: San Pedro Riparian Natural Conservation Area. Friend-of-wildlife organization: Arizona Native Plant Society. Calend...

Students in the veterinary program at Midwestern University, Glendale AZ, establish a new student chapter of the National Audubon Society, are seeking collaborations with Audubon Society chapters throughout Arizona. A solar electric generation project has been approved for state trust land at Salome Highway and Baseline Road, the legendary 'Thrasher Site' west of Phoenix. What does that...

Third and final installment of a reading of 'Our Blinding, Blaring World' excerpted from an article by Ed Yong in the July/August 2022 edition of the Atlantic. Details how human technology affecting light and sound in Earth's atmosphere is confounding animal sensory systems.  Bird of the week: Juniper Titmouse. Birding hotspot: Santa Rita Mountains IBA. Friend-of-Wildlife organizati...

Second installment of a reading of 'Our Blinding, Blaring World' excerpted from an article by Ed Yong in the July/August 2022 edition of the Atlantic. Details how human technology affecting light and sound in Earth's atmosphere is confounding animal sensory systems.  Bird of the week: Inca Dove. Birding hotspot: Tuzigoot National Monument IBA. Friend-of-Wildlife organization: Americ...

Part 1 of a 3-part reading of Pulitzer Prize awardee Ed Yong's Atlantic magazine article 'Our Blinding, Blaring World.' How artificial light and sound is confusing the senses of thousands, perhaps millions of non-human animal species including birds. Suggestions on how to locate professional job and internship opportunities in wildlife conservation in Arizona. Bird of the week: Hutt...

A look back at Biosphere 2, an experiment that attempted to replicate Earth's biosphere artificially by locking specimens of multiple species of animals and plants including humans inside a large chamber near Oracle, AZ in the 1990s. The experiment ultimately failed but much was learned. Bird of the week: American Redstart. Birding Hotspot: Patagonia Mountains IBA in southeastern Arizona. Fri...

U.S. Congress moving legislation ahead to provide significant permanent funding boost for wildlife conservation in Arizona, among other states. Bird of the week: American Pipit. Birding hotspot: Upper Verde River Wildlife Management Area IBA. Friend of wildlife organization of the episode: Altar Valley Conservation Alliance. Calendar of Bird-friendly-events coming up in Arizona.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo spotted at Hassayampa River Preserve in Maricopa County.  Update on Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo survey underway in Agua Fria National Monument, Tres Rios (Avondale) among other riparian sites across Arizona. Audubon researchers collaborate on new process for mapping bird migration in Arizona and New Mexico.  Bird of the episode: Barn Swallow. Birding hots...

An introduction to the purpose of recharge ponds; what they are, how they are maintained by municipalities around Arizona and why they are some of the best birding spots. A report on a first-ever sighting of a Veery, a member of the Thrush family, in Yavapai County. Bird-of-the-episode: American Robin. Birding hotspot: Upper Little Colorado River IBA. Friend-of-wildlife organization: PrescottCreek...

Update on Avian Flu discovered among typically resistant wild birds in Arizona. Nature Conservancy report on efforts to mitigate excessive heat in metro Phoenix with native shade trees, sunlight deflectors and other methods. Bird of the episode: Black and White Warbler. Birding hotspot: Watson and Willow Lake IBA in Yavapai County. Friend of Wildlife agency: McDowell Conservancy, Scottsdale. Calen...

Nocturnal Flight Call (NFC) research provides surprising insight into nighttime migrating bird overflights of Arizona. Ways to minimize bird collisions with windows and other obstructions. Bird of the week: Belted Kingfisher. Birding Hotspot: Pinaleno Mountains IBA. Friend of Wildlife organization: Center for Biological Diversity. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in Arizona.

Center for Biological Diversity, Xerces Society, Advocates for the West sue USDA over pesticide spraying across vast areas of western states claiming devastating effects on birds and other wildlife. Bird of the episode: Arizona Woodpecker. Birding hotspot: Salt and Verde Riparian Ecosystem IBA in central Arizona. Friends of wildlife agency: Association for Environmental Education. Calendar of bird...