Sounds of Southeast Arizona
1) Sandhill Cranes in Willcox at Cochise lakes – Download here 2) Sandhill Cranes in Willcox at Cochise lakes – higher quality – Download here 3) Sandhill Cranes in Willcox – 40 minutes long at 32kbps
Feathered Friends – Pyrrhuloxia
This story originally appeared in the Jan-March 2014 issue of the Vermilion Flycatcher, the quarterly magazine of Tucson Audubon. This amazing desert-adapted bird can be a source of confusion for beginning birders. The male of this species is often mistaken for a female cardinal— and quite understandably, as they are very closely related. Once you know …
Feathered Friends – Summer Tanager
When you see the beautiful rosy-red plumage of the first male Summer Tanager of the year, you know two things. First: that spring is finally here and second: that you are in high quality cottonwood and willow riparian habitat. This handsome species is closely associated with this habitat in the Southwest and will nest along …
Feathered Friends – Anna’s Hummingbird
Any hummingbird feeder hung in urban Tucson probably has a resident Anna’s Hummingbird defending it from all intruders. This beautiful and rather large hummer is a common sight in back yards all over the city and the male’s striking rosy-pink flashing head plumage makes it a compelling reason to keep your feeders full of nectar. …
Feathered Friends – Phainopepla
This bird’s questioning “wurp?” call is a common sound in desert habitat in and around Tucson. With the male’s handsome glossy black plumage, flashing white wing patches and ragged crest this bird often described as a ‘black cardinal with a red eye.’ The female is similarly attired but in a matte slate gray that is …
August Is Awesome in Arizona for Hummingbirds
You most likely have heard that Arizona is a special place for Hummingbirds. Both the numbers and diversity of hummingbirds peak in Southeastern Arizona in August and this is just one more reason that Arizona is awesome in August! On this surface this seems rather odd. Why would hummingbirds be most abundant when it is …
Birds on the Move!
Fall Migration in Arizona and the importance of Important Bird Areas The migration of large numbers of birds through Arizona, spring and fall, is one of nature’s most breathtaking spectacles. As a concept, it seems simple enough. As the year wanes, the weather turns frosty and food becomes much more difficult to find. To survive, …
Feathered Friends – Green-tailed Towhee
This article originally appeared in the October-December 2014 Vermilion Flycatcher, the quarterly magazine of Tucson Audubon. As the weather cools in Tucson listen for the distinctive cat-like “mew” call of a Green-tailed Towhee that has come to stay through the winter months. This very attractive bird has a striking white and black striped face and …
Not Just Passing Through
A Wilson’s Warbler’s Journey Through Southern Arizona This article by Jennie MacFarland originally appeared in the April-June 2014 issue of the Vermilion Flycatcher, the quarterly magazine of the Tucson Audubon Society. As a birder in southern Arizona, it is always a treat to see a Wilson’s Warbler. The appearance of this species in our region …