Arizona Bird Call

A Hurricane Hilary follow-up... a look at research that investigates where birds go during a hurricane and other major weather events. A report on a wildlife overpass planned for Interstate 40 near Flagstaff that will allow Elk, Deer, Pronghorn and other large mammals to cross the highway unimpeded by vehicular traffic. Bird of the episode: Glossy Ibis. Birding hotspot: Tempe Town Lake. Friend-of-wildlife organization: Southwest Biological Science Center. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in the days and weeks ahead.

A report on recent research that shows hummingbirds actively prey on an invasive insect that has been devastating blueberry, raspberry, blackberry and other fruit crops. Growers are installing hummingbird feeders in berry patches to attract them. Bird of the week: Eared Grebe. Birding hotspot: Riggs and Price Road ponds in Maricopa County. Friend of wildlife organization: biological sciences program at Grand Canyon University, Phoenix. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in Arizona.

A sampling of July 2023 postings to the American Birding Association Arizona-New Mexico listserv by seasoned birders in Yuma County and southeastern Arizona. Bird of the episode: Dark-eyed Junco. Birding Hotspot: Rousseau Sod Farm complex at Scottsdale. Friend of Wildlife organization: Friends of the Ironwood Forest. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.

A report on new scientific evidence that changes in atmospheric pressure affect bird behavior in migration. More specifically, studies have found that departure times during migration can be predicted with weather data.  Another report on bi-partisan support for continuation of the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Bird of the episode: Double-crested Cormorant. Birding hotspot: Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Friend-of-wildlife organization: Quail Forever/Pheasants Forever.org.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has restored protection for the Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl based on accumulating evidence it is struggling to maintain its nesting range in the Tucson area. Once listed as endangered that status was set aside in the face of pressure from developers. Bird of the episode: the Downy Woodpecker. Birding hotspot: the remote Vekol Wash in the south-central Arizona borderlands region. Friend of wildlife organization: Navajo Nation Fish and Wildlife Service. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.

A report on the devastating Diamond wildfire west of Scottsdale earlier this summer posted by the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy.  An assessment of its impact on the McDowell Conservancy Preserve and surrounding desert landscape is underway.
A report from the BBC on how Magpies in Europe have turned the tables on human efforts to discourage their presence where it is not wanted by using anti-bird spikes and similar material to protect themselves and their nestlings from predators.
Bird-of-the-episode: the Common (European) Starling. Birding hotspot: Ash Canyon Bird Observatory. Friend of Wildlife organization: the National Park Service. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up across Arizona.

A report on how the uniquely southwestern Lucy's Warbler got its name, and the controversy over whether to replace it. Lucy Baird was an extraordinarily successful ornithologist who helped establish the Smithsonian Institution as the premier scientific repository for bird identification and categorization. Bird of the episode: the Kingbird. Birding hotspot: St. John's Sewage Treatment Ponds in northeastern Arizona. Friend-of-wildlife organization: Arizona Association for Environmental Education.

Caring for birdwatching equipment in the wild including binoculars, photography gear, video cameras. An introduction to the Greater Roadrunner, fearless predator of the Sonoran desert. Bird-of-the-episode: Crissal Thrasher. Birding Hotspot: Jacques Marsh atop the Mogollon Rim near Show Low, AZ. Friend-of-wildlife organization: Friends of Tonto National Forest. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.

Maricopa Audubon Society bird list update including new recent sightings. Results of the Global Big Day bird survey, the most data ever gathered by eBird. Bird of the episode: Cooper's Hawk. Birding hotspot: Chiricahua Mountains region of southeastern Arizona. Friend-of-wildlife organization: Rocky Mountain Research Station based in Colorado that has a field office with staff at Flagstaff. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.

A report on how birds and other wildlife keep cool during the heat of the Arizona summer. Bird of the episode: Crested Caracara. Birding Hotspot: Big Horn Mountains Wilderness. Friend of wildlife: Arizona Ecological Services Field Office. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.