Arizona Bird Call

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 Thrasher. Birding hotspot: Lynx Lake in Prescott National Forest. Friend-of-wildlife organization: Gila Watershed Partnership of Arizona. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.

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 organization: Water Education Foundation. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in Arizona.

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 migrations and to cut down on vehicle collisions with wildlife. Bird of the week: Lawrence's Goldfinch. Birding hotspot: Mingus Mountain in Yavapai County. Friend of wildlife organization: the Salton Sea Coalition. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in Arizona.

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 hotspot: the Arboretum at Flagstaff. Friend of Wildlife organization: Gila River Indian Community of Arizona. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.

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 and how they protect food sources and caches from conspecific competitors. Bird of the episode: Ladder-backed Woodpecker. Birding hotspot: P.A. Seitts Preserve at Go John Canyon in northern Maricopa County. Friend of wildlife: American Ornithological Society.

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 events coming up in Arizona.

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 University. Calendar of bird-friendly events in days ahead here it Arizona.

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 week: the Hermit Warbler. Birding hotspot: Rawhide Mountains Wilderness. Friend of Wildlife: Natural History Institute, Prescott. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.

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 Arizona.

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 ahead in Arizona.

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 up in Arizona.

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 Western Flycatcher discovered for the first time in the province of New Brunswick in eastern Canada. Bird of the episode: Harris' Hawk. Birding hotspot: Glendale Recharge Ponds in Maricopa County. Friend-of-wildlife organization: Friends of Arizona Joshua Tree Forest. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in days ahead in Arizona.

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. Friend of Wildlife: Rio Vista Conservation Project. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.

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' decision to cancel water leases held by Fondomonte Arizona LLC that allowed the company to draw groundwater for commercial agriculture without limitations on quantity, and at no charge. Bird of the episode: Hooded Oriole. Birding hotspot: Picture Canyon near Flagstaff. Friend of wildlife organization: Western Field Ornithologists. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in the days ahead in Arizona.

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. Bird of the week: Hooded Warber. Birding hotspot: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Friend of wildlife organization: International Wildlife Museum, Tucson. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up 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 Committee. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.

On November 1, 2023 the American Ornithological Society, the scientific authority on the naming of bird species in the Americas, announced it will no longer allow birds to be named for people, and that it will begin a process to replace English bird names that have been named for people in the past. We will have the official announcement.
Bird of the week: Horned Lark. Birding hotspot: San Carlos Lake. Friend of wildlife organization: Central Arizona Conservation Alliance. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.

U.S. Supreme Court hands down ruling that limits EPA's authority to regulate commercial development of wetlands. Rio Rico residents and a consortium of environmentalists and wildlife conservation organizations challenge effort to bring commercial development to riparian corridors within the Rio Rico watershed. The proposal was withdrawn. Bird of the week: House Finch. Birding hotspot: Horseshoe reservoir on the Verde River north of Bartlett Lake. Friend of wildlife: Natural History Institute, Prescott. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in weeks ahead in Arizona.

A report titled 'Residential Neighborhood Diversity Study' by the The Central Arizona–Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) program. Bird of the episode: Greater Roadrunner. Birding hotspot: Roosevelt Lake at the headwaters of the Salt River. Friend of wildlife organization: VIDA Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Yuma. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.