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Tucson Audubon Society
March 29, 2024
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Welcome, Jo, to Tucson Audubon's weekly update.

I was just "a twitch too late" when I went up to Gordon Hirabayashi campground in the Catalina Mountains on Saturday to look for the Slate-throated Redstart. It was reported on Thursday and seen on Friday but not on Saturday. If I were a user of emoticons this is where the "sad face" would go. But many people got delightful views of the bird before it disappeared including Ken Murphy, our Field Trip Coordinator, who took the fantastic photo below.

What ties together all the things Audubon members do--from chasing rare birds to planting trees to sitting in a community meeting? It's a love for, and fascination with, wild birds. And with that comes a desire to keep the world a safe place for birds! Turns out conserving birds makes the world a better place for other wildlife too and ultimately results in a better quality of life for us.

So don't be a twitch too late. Act now. Chase a rare bird. Plant a tree. Make a nest box. Show a kid how to use binoculars. Write an email to your representatives advocating for conservation. Read on below for many such opportunities.

Interim email editor, Kendall Kroesen




Growing Skills for the Green Economy
Free Urban Restoration Workshops!
Join Tucson Audubon and the Western Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) high school to learn simple yet vital skills for restoring Tucson's urban ecology. Learn techniques for native plant propagation, rainwater harvesting, and other urban restoration techniques for home and community. Please RSVP (or contact for more information) to Andy Bennett(520) 262-1314.
 
THIS Saturday, March 28 | 8:00 AM
Urban Restoration Workshop

What can we do to restore the natural heritage of the Tucson basin? Learn to plan for home and community restoration projects, building and maintaining water harvesting basins, native plant restoration and other important factors. This will be a completely outdoors "learn-by-doing" workshop.
 
Saturday, April 25 | 8:00 AM
Rainwater Harvesting Barrel Installation Workshop

Get details on both of these workshops



Urban Bird Habitat Featured at the SAHBA Home Show

THIS WEEKEND March 27-29
Tucson Audubon has again partnered with the upcoming SAHBA Home & Garden Show at the Tucson Convention Center and will have a booth promoting our urban bird habitat programs and featuring the Bringing Birds Home initiative. Please come by and visit us!

Win tickets to the SAHBA Home and Garden Show by playing this quiz:
Just email the identity of the mystery bird at right to jmacfarland@tucsonaudubon.org with "Bird ID Quiz" in the subject line. Two winners will be randomly chosen.

ID Hint: This adorable bird is one of the first spring nesters to return to Tucson

Volunteers Still Needed for the SAHBA Show!
We need volunteers for our booth
. We are promoting our urban birds program through the Bringing Birds Home Recipe Cards, Nest Box Program and other materials. This is a great way to share our message with people we would never encounter otherwise! Contact Sharon Long, (520) 209-1811.



Living With Nature Lecture Series

April 4--Saturday 10:00 AM IN GREEN VALLEY
What's in a Nest Box? with Jennie MacFarland, IBA Conservation Biologist

Nest boxes can be a conservation tool for supporting bird populations in southeast Arizona. Over the last year, Tucson Audubon has been experimenting with nest boxes. In an interactive presentation, you will learn an experimental approach to determining the nest box preferences of cavity nesting species. Discussions will include temperature concerns, nest box placement and nest box design. Jennie will describe results of recent experiments regarding temperatures inside nest boxes. She will also introduce Tucson Audubon's vision for the "Win-Win for Azure Bluebirds and Arizona Vineyards" nest box project.

April 13--Monday 6:00 PM IN TUCSON
Same talk presented by Jonathan Horst, Tucson Audubon Restoration Ecologist

Find all the details




Where's the Best Place To Live?

Lucy’s Warbler Nest Box Experiment Takes Flight
With last week’s return of Lucy’s Warblers to the area, we’ve initiated a new experiment near Sabino Creek to attempt to determine what type of nest box may be most preferred by Lucy’s Warblers. Learn more at the April Living with Nature series presentations and look for an upcoming blog giving more details on the experiment. It will include information about the decidedly odd shapes and materials for the box types! 

If you want to get involved this spring, contact Jonathan (520) 971-6238.

 

Two Great Field Trip Choices April 4 | Birding at its Best!

April 4—Saturday 7:00 am
Fort Lowell Park

This is one of the best suburban parks for birding in Tucson. Come celebrate birds on a trip where Tucson Audubon birders mix with people from the park’s neighborhood. We check for rarities and look for waterfowl on the pond. Then we peruse the mesquite thicket in the northeast corner of the park for warblers, verdins and gnatcatchers. By 8:30 we overlook the Pantano and Tanque Verde washes where hundreds of Turkey Vultures take wing and circle to gain altitude for migration. Finished well before noon. No limit. Leader: Kendall Kroesen, (520) 209-1806. Sign up online!


April 4—Saturday 8:00 AM
Sabino Canyon 
Bird Sabino Canyon Recreation Area walking a loop that includes both Sonoran desert uplands and Sabino Creek riparian areas. The 4-mile walk includes rocky uneven trails. Meet at the ramada by the Visitor's Center at 5700 N Sabino Canyon Road. $5 parking fee. Return before noon. Leaders are Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists. Limit 15 participants. Sign up starting March 27. Leaders: Jean & Mark Hengesbaugh. Sign up starting March 27 here.


 See additional upcoming birding field trips.

 



Birdathon 2015 is Here!

Registration Opens March 26, Launch Party on April 9

Birdathon is when you go birding for the birds. Ask friends and family to support you by making a per-species pledge or by giving a flat donation. It is like a walkathon except pledges are per species, not per mile!

Join an expert-led team or do your own Birdathon in any consecutive 24-hour period between April 10 and May 10. Either way, come join us on April 9 for our Birdathon Launch Party from – 7 p.m. in the courtyard by the Nature Shop at the Historic Y (300 E. University Blvd.). We'll talk about strategies for doing a Birdathon "Big Day." Get tips and size up fellow competitors! This launch party will double as April’s Birds & Beer happy hour. See you there! 

Register starting Thursday March 26: tucsonaudubon.org/birdathon




Learn About Birds With Tucson Audubon

Birding by Habitat: April 4 – 18
Southeastern Arizona offers such excellent birding opportunities in part because of a wide variety of habitats: desert, sky islands and riparian. Come experience the fun of birding in different natural environments with instructor Lynn Hassler.

Advanced Topics: Birding by Ear: April 16 & 18

An opportunity to hone your identification skills based on vocalizations!

Get the details for all of these workshops and register online


Birders Needed for Tucson Bird Count

Count birds for the annual Tucson Bird Count spring census! If you are able to identify common Tucson-area birds by sight or sound and can figure out less common birds with a field guide, you are qualified to help with the count. You can survey your route any morning between April 15 and May 15 and all the routes are in town.

Contact Jennie at jmacfarland@tucsonaudubon.org or (520) 209-1804



Spring at the Tucson Audubon Nature Shop

It is official, Spring has sprung and we invite you to visit the Tucson Audubon Nature Shop to experience it firsthand. Our front-yard penstemons are a riot of color. Walk in our garden or relax on our beautiful bench while you watch a myriad of birds, bugs and people flurry about. Bring your binoculars or pick up a new pair just in time for the height of spring birding. Don’t know much about the wild flowers in our area? Pick up a copy of Mountain Wildflowers of Southern Arizona by Frank S. Rose. Come see what else may be in bloom, grab a coffee from our Donation Café and bring a friend to share the experience.


OPTICS

The NEW Eagle Optics Ranger ED 10x42
As optics consumers you may be familiar with the Eagle Optics Ranger series, recently Eagle Optics put a new spin on an old classic. We are proud to carry the NEW Eagle Optics Ranger ED series. This line from Eagle Optics is equipped with advanced ED prism glass housed in a tougher, more comfortable exterior case that offers the use a bolder and steadier grip. Waterproof, these optics are ideal for birders of all levels.

MSRP $ 374.44 Member Price $337.00


Thank you, Jo, for being a part of Tucson Audubon and helping to protect birds, other wildlife, and the places they live in southeast Arizona for future generations.


Tucson Audubon Staff
(image by Angela Pritchard)

 

 

 


Connecting people with birds & the places they live


Lucy's Warbler banner by Lois Manowitz


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