Welcome, Jo, to Tucson Audubon's weekly update.

As you will see below, Saturday May 14 is International Migratory Bird Day. Celebrate with a field trip to Madera Canyon where you can view a variety of migratory birds! The trip will produce a checklist of sightings for eBird's first Global Big Day. How many species can birders see worldwide in one day?  Be a part of this mind-boggling experiment!

International Migratory Bird Day also celebrates the 100-year-old Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The MBTA was one of the defining Audubon achievements of the early 20th century. Unfortunately, the MBTA has been under attack in congress. We haven't come this far to give up now! Let congress know what you think via the American Bird Conservancy's action alert page. 

A new film, The Messenger, documents many of the perils of migratory birds in North America. Some of the massive losses resulting from collisions with buildings in Canada have been addressed precisely because of the MBTA. Watch a clip here. If you missed the screening at The Loft recently, it is said that the DVD/Blu-ray will be available soon at the filmmaker's website.

Enjoy birds on May 14 and every day! And take action to protect them!

Kendall Kroesen, e-News editor, 520-209-1806

Plant Milkweed, Get Monarchs!

THIS WEEK!

• Thursday May 12
• Friday May 13
• Saturday May 14

International Migratory Bird Day | May 14

Meet at Marana Regional Airport parking lot, 11700 W Avra Valley Rd, Marana, AZ (light refreshments provided).

Remember to let congress know you value the Migratory Bird Treaty Act via the American Bird Conservancy's action alert page on this issue.

Celebrate Birdathon Success

We will congratulate our winners and celebrate another season of Birdathon. Tucson Audubon will provide hors d'oeuvres; additional food and drinks will be available for you to purchase during the restaurant's Happy Hour.

If you raised $50 or more, you will receive a Birdathon t-shirt!

PRIZES, including high-end binoculars, will be awarded to Birdathoners in the  "Traditional" category for a variety of categories including: a grand prize, most species seen, most funds raised, youngest birder.

ADDITIONAL PRIZES will be awarded to Traditional and Non-traditional Birdathoners alike, if you record a Black-bellied Whistling Duck, a Greater Roadrunner, and/or an Elf Owl during your Birdathon.

RSVP here.

Images: Elegant Trogon by Donna Tolbert-Anderson, Yellow Warbler by Tom Ryan, Violet-crowned Hummingbird by Dan Weisz.

Ducey Vetoes 3 Bills for Good Governance & Groundwater Management!

Tucson Audubon worked to defeat these bills. Two of the controversial bills, SB 1400 and SB 1268, were an attack on Arizona’s 1980 Groundwater Management Act. These bills were criticized by water managers, water experts, conservationists and other opinion leaders. Through the Western Rivers Action Network we collectively sent over 2,500 letters of opposition were sent! Despite opposition, the bills passed both houses—leaving the governor’s veto as the last hope. Ducey said: "We're not going to allow bills that get in the way of the 1980 Groundwater Management Act or take away from the work of the people that have come before I came into office in protecting Arizona's water.'' 

These vetoes help avoid unsustainable groundwater use, which protects surface flows in places like the San Pedro River, a globally significant migratory corridor, pictured above. 

The third vetoed bill, HR 2568, would have unfairly tipped the balance of power away from local municipalities toward development interests with regard to the management of Community Facilities Districts. Community Facilities Districts are allowed to bond for major infrastructure required for new developments. If passed, we believe this bill would have had major implications for the sustainability of Arizona’s future growth and water use. 

Please take a moment to thank Governor Ducey for vetoing SB 1400 and SB 1268 through the Western Rivers Action Network alert system. You can also thank him directly here or call: 602-542-4331. Read the full AZ Daily Star article.

Speak out for Southwestern Willow Flycatchers by May 16
Another endangered bird is under attack because the habitat it needs to survive is prized by developers. Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (image by Muriel Neddermeyer) are songbirds once found commonly in river and streamside habitat in the Southwest. Today, the last 500 to 1000 breeding pairs struggle to survive in regions where 90-95 percent of their habit has been lost and where they are beset with challenges.

Please join us in submitting public comments before May 16 to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to oppose a developer-backed petition to remove Southwestern Willow Flycatchers from the Endangered Species List. You can find out more and send your own comments at www.audubonaction.org/site/Advocacy?id=2208

Community Celebrates Dedication & “Grand Closing” of New Crossings
On May 10 Tucson Audubon joined partners to dedicate two new wildlife structures across Oracle Road in Oro Valley. The ceremony also honored Ann Day, a former Pima County Supervisor and staunch supporter of wildlife. The well-attended event was the public’s only opportunity to view the wildlife-dedicated structures up close before being officially closed to human uses. Monitoring cameras will study wildlife use and document illegal uses. Media reports: Tucson News Now report. Learn more: Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection’s Frequently Asked Questions; Tucson Audubon’s April 22, 2016 Press Release.

Tucson Audubon Free Birding Field Trips

Rio Vista Natural Resource Park 
May 15, 7:00 a.m. Join popular leader Scott Olmstead in the small but birdy Tucson park. Register at www.tucsonaudubon.org/fieldtrips.

Volunteer at the 2016 Southeast Arizona Birding Festival!
Preparations are underway for the 2016 Southeast Arizona Birding Festival, August 11-14. We’ve changed this year’s festival to incorporate more of what August in southeast Arizona is all about—birding! See the Festival website for more details. One thing that has not changed is our need for volunteers.

If you volunteered for last year’s Festival and would like to do so again this year, great! Those that enjoyed their roles during last year’s event will be offered those same assignments this year. Watch for the Festival email for volunteers this week.

If you did not volunteer last year and are interested in doing so this year, please do! There are many different ways for volunteers to help out during our biggest annual event. Generally speaking there are two main categories of volunteers:

• Volunteer roles leading up to the festival
• Onsite volunteers
  

It takes many dedicated volunteers to execute a four day birding extravaganza—more than 80 people were helping last year. You may help with setup and take down, greeting visitors, vendor fair liaisons, food preparation, or provide support for activities and field trips--just to name a few areas.

Please contact Volunteer Coordinator, Josh Barron (209-1811), for more information or to sign-up as a volunteer!

Sign Up Now for Pre- and Post-Festival Field Trips
Did you know the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival has birding trips to locations in Mexico, the Chiricahuas and the White Mountains? Check out the offerings from Solipaso Tours and Borderlands Tours, there are still spaces available!

Volunteers still needed this month
There is an abundance of evidence, both anecdotal and scientific, that the ecological influence of tropical Mexico has grown over the last century in southeast Arizona. Elegant Trogons (image by Alan Schmierer) are part of this story with their United States range expanding over the last century. To further understand how many Elegant Trogons there are in the US, organized surveys happen every year in five of the region's Sky Islands.

• Santa Rita Mountains – May 21 Saturday
• Patagonia Mountains – May 22 Sunday
• Huachuca Mountains – May 28 Saturday
• Chiricahua Mountains – May 29 Sunday
• Galiuro Mountains – June 3-5 Dates TENTATIVE

Build Your Own Functional Birdhouses

A visit to almost any home or garden center presents birders with numerous cute and colorful contraptions that are sold as bird homes. But the fact is, many of these products provide anything but a safe refuge for your feathered friends.
Produced in association with the National Audubon Society, Audubon Birdhouse Book explains how to build and place functional DIY bird homes that are safe and appropriate for more than 20 North American species. Each of the easy-to-build boxes and shelves is accompanied by cut lists, specially created line diagrams, and step-by-step photography, making the projects accessible to those with even the most rudimentary woodworking skills. In addition, this practical and beautifully presented guide is packed with color photography and information about birds to help the reader properly place and maintain homes to attract birds. And because these projects are the product of years of experience and field-testing, you can be sure you’re getting the best advice regarding proper design, safe construction materials, and correct home placement to mitigate exposure to elements, pests, and predators.

$24.95 Member Price $22.49

 

NOTE: The Tucson Audubon Nature Shop will be closed June 6--June 11 for our annual inventory.

 

OPTICS

Vortex Diamondback 8x32
A great step up from your entry level Binoculars, the Vortex Diamondback series is known for producing rugged high performing binoculars great for birding. Surprisingly affordable, the 8x32 are durable, water proof and useful even in low light settings. They are ideal for birding around dusk! Stop in our nature shop and try this pair of binoculars to see if they are the right fit for you.

Member Price $189.99, Regular Price $210.99

Learn more about our shops and get directions

—Tucson Audubon Staff
(image by Angela Pritchard)