Information for Arizona birders including summaries of research and analysis related to bird conservation and protection. Introductions to common Arizona birds, Arizona birding hotspots, governmental and non-profit agencies charged with bird conservation.
Podcast host Mike Ameigh is a retired professor/academic administrator with the the State University of New York. He holds a PhD in Public Communication from the Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.
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 hotspot: Willcox Playa Cochise Lakes IBA. Friend-of-wildlife agency: Watershed Management Group based in T...
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: PrescottCreeks.org. Calendar of Bird Friendly Events coming up in Arizona.
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. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in Arizona.
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-friendly events coming up in Arizona.
Important information about what to wear for safe hot desert birding in summer. News about completion of Phase 3 of the purchase of Sopori Creek Ranch, part of a long-term plan that will provide perpetual protection of wildlife migration corridors in Southern Arizona. News about an ongoing marsh and water bird survey underway in the White Mountains. Bird of the week: Black-chinned Sparrow. Birding Hotspot: San Rafael Grasslands, headwaters of the Santa Cruz River. Friend of Wildlife agency: Ariz...
New research on how birds nests are constructed to resist forces of nature that might destroy them. Gnats, and how they support avian ecosystems in the Sonoran Desert. Recruiting interns and volunteers for the important Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo survey this summer. Bird-of-the-episode: Band-tailed Pigeon. Birding Hotspot: Sabino Canyon Tanque Verde IBA. Friend-of-wildlife: Center for Nature and Place at Prescott College. Calendar of bird friendly events in coming days in Arizona.
Follow-up on California Condor parthenogenesis report by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Northern Arizona Audubon stewardship grants. Pinyon Jay survey underway in Arizona's high country. Nature Conservancy forest thinning research report shows thinning can save trees. Wild at Heart bird rehabilitation center in Cave Creek having an extraordinary year. Bird of the week: Barn Owl. Birding hotspot: Lower Salt & Gila River ecosystem IBA. Friend of Wildlife organization of the week: Northern Arizona...
An article that describes a tribal model for wildlife conservation. A Mourning Dove and a Gambel's Quail take turns brooding each other's eggs in a flower pot in Cave Creek. Bird of the week: the notoriously elusive Black Rail. Birding Hotspot: Quigley State Wildlife Management IBA in western Arizona. Friends of Wildlife organization: Patagonia Area Resource Alliance. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in Arizona.
10-year-old birder Thomas co-hosts, describes spring migrants observed in a weekend of birding in the Sonoran Desert. Bird of the week: Yellow-rumped Warbler. Birding hotspot: Marble Canyon/Vermilion Cliffs IBA in northern Arizona. Friends of wildlife organization: Friends of Madera Canyon in southeastern Arizona. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in days and weeks ahead.
A report by Southwest Audubon on the creation of more than 150,000 acres of protected habitat for the endangered Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Bird-of-the-episode: American White Pelican. Birding hotspot: Mogollon Rim Snowmelt Draw IBA. Friends-of-wildlife organization of the week: Friends of Cave Creek Canyon in southeastern Arizona. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.
Report on a 2017 Arizona Field Ornithologists expedition to the Upper Agua Fria River at Humbolt, AZ. A report by Tucson Audubon on the Arizona Woodpecker. White Mountain Audubon's most recent biological sciences scholarship awardee. Bird of the week: Black-headed Grosbeak. Birding hotspot: Mittry Lake Wildlife Management Area in western Arizona. Friend of wildlife organization: Arizona Master Naturalists development program. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in the days and weeks ahead...
Broad-billed and Violet-crowned Hummingbirds at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds. Calurus: is he - or isn't he? - the oldest Red-tailed Hawk in the Southwest? Arizona Land and Water Trust workshop on farm soil conservation to benefits wildlife. Remembering Genaro Ruiz, Rio Salado Center Director and community leader in South Phoenix. Bird-of-the-epsidode: the Black Phoebe. Birding hotspot: Joshua Tree IBA. Friend-of-Wildlife-agency: The Urban Bird Foundation. Calendar of bird friendly events co...
Common Poorwill, a species known to birders of Arizona's deserts and highlands, is discovered on the Canadian prairie. A report on an Arizona Field Ornithologists expedition to Alamo Lake and the Santa Maria River in Lapaz and Mohave counties in 2019. Bird of the week: Anna's Hummingbird. Birding Hotspot of the week: Huachuca Mountains IBA in southeastern Arizona. Friend-of-Wildlife agency of the week: Superstition Area Land Trust. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in Arizona.
Revealing research on Starling murmurations. How to participate in the eBird gaps campaign by the Arizona Field Ornithologists. Bird of the week: Bald Eagle. Birding hotspot: Las Cienegas Important Bird Area (IBA) near Tucson. Friend of Wildlife Agency: Friends of Bill Williams and Lake Havasu National Wildlife Areas along the lower Colorado River in western Arizona. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in the days and weeks ahead.
Why birds rub their beaks on hard surfaces. Arizona Field Ornithologist expedition to the Southern Patagonia Mountains. Bird of the week: Bell's Vireo. Birding hotspot: Lower Oak Creek IBA. Friend-of-wildlife agency: Genius Loci Foundation. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in Arizona.
Chiricahua Resource Council response to U.S. Air Force proposal to expand low altitude military flight training over critical bird habitat in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico. Bureau of Land Management and partners acquire Cross F Ranch that includes critical bird habitat in the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness region. Bird of the week: Black-chinned Hummingbird. Birding hotspot: Lower Colorado River Gadsden IBA near Yuma. Friend-of-Wildlife Agency of the week: Paradise Valley Mountain Prese...
Alert regarding U.S. Air Force proposal to expand Military Operations Areas in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico. Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) planning resources for highway engineering and maintenance projects that address wildlife conservation and protection. Bird of the week: Bendire's Thrasher. Birding hotspot: Cibola National Wildlife Refuge IBA. Friends of wildlife agency of the episode: Munds Park Trail Stewards. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizon...
A report on how drones are a threat to raptors, and how they are helping with bird conservation efforts. Birding the Hopi and Navajo Reservations. Bird of the week: Bewick's Wren. Birding hotspot: Havasu National Wildlife Refuge IBA. Friends-of-wildlife agency: Friends of the White Tank Mountains Conservancy. Calendar of bird-friendly events in coming days in Arizona.
An introduction to Birdability, a movement to make birding accessible to everyone. Results from the 2022 Great Backyard Bird Count. Bird of the week: the American Kestrel. Birding hotspot: Grand Canyon IBA in northern Arizona. Friends of wildlife agency: Friends of the Santa Cruz River. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in days ahead in Arizona.
Research underway on how birds may enhance Ponderosa Pine immune systems. Report on the Sedona area Christmas Bird Count. A commentary on bluebird trail building in Coconino County. Bird of the week: American Goldfinch. Birding hotspot of the week: Chiricahua Mountains IBA (Important Bird Area). Friend-of-wildlife agency: Phoenix Mountain Preservation Council
Southwest Audubon, Center for Biodiversity suing Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forestry Service for failing to control cattle in Agua Fria River and other riparian areas on the Agua Fria National Monument in central Arizona. Federal agents announce plans to begin shooting feral cattle destroying riparian habitat in eastern Arizona and New Mexico. Birding field trip reports from Northern Arizona Audubon and White Mountain Audubon. New bird banding program underway at Camp Colton near Flagstaff....
Light pollution of night skies are imperiling birds during peak migration. California Condors born without fathers sheds new light on wild bird parthenogenesis. Bird of the Week: the Lark Sparrow. Birding hotspot: Cave Creek IBA. Friend of Wildlife agency of the week: Friends of Sonoita Creek. Calendar of bird friendly events coming up this month.
A review of the 2020-21 FeederWatch survey data for the Southwest. Distinguishing between the Sagebrush Sparrow and Bell's Sparrow, formerly classified together as the Sage Sparrow. Bird of the Week: American Coot. Birding hotspot: Imperial National Wildlife Refuge in western Arizona. Friend-of-Wildlife Agency of the Week: Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.
A look at preliminary data from the Santa Cruz Flats Raptor Survey held January 15; an overview of excellent bird guides to the Verde Valley and Yuma County regions of Arizona; Tools for identifying birds by sound and through photos; Bird of the week: American Avocet; Birding hotspot: Gilbert Riparian Water Ranch; Friend-of-Wildlife agency: Arizona Land and Water Trust; calendar of bird friendly events throughout Arizona.
Effort to put Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl back on the Endangered Species list; Greater Phoenix Urban Aquatic Species Survey; Santa Cruz River Flats Raptor Survey; Bird-of-the-Week: American Wigeon; Birding hotspot: Camp Verde Important Bird Area (IBA); Friend-of-wildlife agency of the week: Wild at Heart bird rehabilitation center, Cave Creek; calendar of bird-friendly events in days ahead throughout Arizona.
Are Northern Cardinals here is Arizona really what they seem to be? Research suggests at least some southwestern populations could be separate species. Bird feeder hygiene tips to ward off bird disease including among hummingbirds. Bird of the week: Acorn Woodpecker; Birding hotspots: Sweetwater Wetlands and the Arivaca Cienega IBA in southeastern Arizona. Friend-of-Wildlife agency: Grand Canyon Trust. Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.
A review of the trivia game 'Bird Brains' as a teaching tool for improving birding skills and knowledge; A report on White-breasted Nuthatch irruptions across North America including here in Arizona; Bird-of-the-week: American Crow; Birding hotspot: Atascosa Highlands along the U.S.-Mexican border near Nogales; Friend of wildlife agency: Friends of the San Pedro River and Conservation Area; Calendar of bird friendly events coming up in days ahead in Arizona.
EBird list of rarely sighted birds spotted during mid-December in Maricopa County, Arizona; Report on a Arizona Field Ornithologist's expedition to northern grasslands in February 2020; Bird of the Week: Common Raven; Birding hotspots: Boyce Arboretum/Queen Creek IBA and Aubrey Valley and Cliffs IBA; Friend of Wildlife agency of the week: Sonoran Institute; Calendar of bird-friendly events coming up in Arizona.
