Arizona Bird Call

News from the Northern Arizona Audubon Society December Newsletter. A Bureau of Land Management plan to save the Greater Sage Grouse in grasslands across the West. A report on the unique nature of bird vision. Bird of the episode: Elf Owl. Birding hotspot: Las Cienegas National Wildlife Area. Friend of wildlife: Friends of Sonoita Creek.

A discussion about bird memory. A description of the Northern Parula, a small New World Warbler sometimes encountered in Arizona. Audubon Southwest report on efforts to conserve and protect birds as renewable energy systems roll out across Arizona. Bird of the episode: Pied-billed Grebe. Birding hotspot: Bubbling Ponds important bird area in Cornville. Friend of Wildlife: Arizona Land and Water Trust.

How discarded fishing line (monofilament) endangers wildlife throughout Arizona and how to dispose of it properly. How Towhees and other birds use a variety of foraging techniques to uncover insect prey. Bird of the episode: the Common Whimbrel. Birding hotspot: Base and Meridian Wildlife Management Area west of Phoenix. Friend of wildlife organization: Desert Foothills Land Trust.

A report by Arizona Game and Fish Department on record-setting success in Bald Eagle nesting and fledging across the state during the 2024 breeding season. A report on efforts in the West to monitor saline lake populations of the Snowy Plover, especially on Great Salt Lake in Utah. Bird of the episode: Turkey Vulture: Birding Hotspot: Agua Fria National Monument in central Arizona north of Phoenix. Friend of Wildlife: organizations including the University of Arizona working to establish the Santa Cruz River Urban Wildlife Refuge, rhe first in Arizona.

A report on how birds invented the internet. How Canada Geese have expanded their range throughout North America including in Arizona. Bird of the episode: the Cactus Wren, North America's largest wren. Birding hotspot, Whitewater Draw and the Sulphur Springs Valley. Friend of Wildlife: Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection.

Some thoughts about a new book by renowned fiction writer and beginning birder Amy Tan, author of the long-time New York Times bestseller The Joy Luck Club and, more recently, Backyard Bird Chronicles that describers her experiences as a new birder and reveals her extraordinary talent as a bird illustrator based here on the west coast. Bird of the episode: Wilson's Warbler. Birding hotspot, the Aztec Feedlot east of Yuma, Arizona. Friend of wildlife, the Arizona Natural History Association.

An introduction to the Dicksissel, a seed-eating bird that breeds in the vast grasslands of the Great Plains, is sometimes spotted here in Arizona in migration. A report on how rodenticides commonly used to kill rats also kill birds of prey that feed on dead and dying rats and other rodents that ingest them. An article on Turkey Vultures that feed on roadkill and other carrion in the desert. Bird of the episode, the New World warbler, the Painted Redstart. Birding hotspot, Tinajas Altas, nine plunge pools that often capture rainwater and so become bird magnets in southwest Arizona. Friend of wildlife: Arizona Parks and Trails.

A commentary on the reliability of eBird and other citizen science data collection tools by White Mountain Audubon Society President Mary Williams. A description of differences between 'Old World' and 'New World' bird species. Bird of the episode: Great Crested Flycatcher. Birding Hotspot: Bartlett Lake Recreation Area. Friend of Wildlife: Sky Island Alliance.

The Paton Center for Hummingbirds has reopened following completion of Phase One of renovations that include replacement of the roof on the visitor's center. Four healthy California Condors have been released into the wild along the Arizona Utah border. Arizona Game and Fish Department reports the condors are adjusting well. Birders and other conservationists have asked municipal officials to reconsider creation of a new paved parking lot along Prescott Creek in the city of Prescott. Audubon's Western Water News reports more water is flowing into the Great Salt Lake thanks to an agreement among several organizations in Utah and Arizona.
Bird of the episode: Ridgeway's Rail. Birding Hotspot: the Thrasher Spot west of Phoenix. Friend of Wildlife: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Are so-called 'rare' birds tracked by eBird and other citizen-science tools really all that rare? That question comes up more and more often as more and more birding enthusiasts go looking in the wild. We have a take on that. A report on fall birding on the Mogollon Rim from White Mountain Audubon Society. A report by the Sonoran Audubon Society on a number of birding events coming up in October and beyond in Central Arizona. Bird of the episode: Orange-Crowned Warbler. Birding Hotspot: Seven Springs Recreation Area north of Cave Creek/Carefree, Arizona. Friend of Wildlife: Arizona chapter of the Nature Conservancy.