Twelve independent chapters operate within the Audubon Southwest region. Consider joining a chapter near you to participate in bird-related events near you and engage on local issues. Read on for current chapter highlights!
Joint State Chapter Meeting, April 2-4, Phoenix
Join us for the biannual chapter gathering! Everyone is welcome to attend this fun, information-packed weekend of presentations, break-out groups, and of course birding! Learn more and sign up here.
Desert Rivers Audubon Helps Lucy’s Warblers
Desert Rivers provided seven Lucy’s Warbler nest boxes to the Marriott’s Camelback Golf Club in Scottsdale this spring. The boxes have the triangle design proven effective by Tucson Bird Alliance and were numbered and placed on mesquite trees around the riparian habitat, out of golfers’ way. In the fall, Desert Rivers will follow up with the golf club to determine if the boxes were used and to clean out any that were. Lucy’s Warblers are in population decline and listed as a Species of Conservation Concern by Arizona Game and Fish – primarily due to the loss of available nesting sites, which occurs most commonly in dense mesquite bosques along major waterways. Even in an urban environment, Lucy’s Warblers will seek out mesquite trees for nesting, so this effort will provide this cavity-nesting additional options in the urban desert.
Yuma Audubon’s Partnership with the Cocopah Tribe
Yuma Audubon Society is working with the Cocopah Tribe to monitor birds on their reservation along the lower Colorado River in Arizona. The bird monitoring is part of a larger project, where the Cocopah Tribe is also restoring habitat by removing invasive species like tamarisk at two distinct sites and replanting native vegetation to create extensive wetlands, cottonwood-willow forests, and upland habitats. Restoring this habitat is critical for both migratory and resident birds such as the Bald Eagle, Marbled Godwit, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Central New Mexico Bird Alliance Helps Survey Birds on the Rio Grande
This will be the sixth year of riparian bird surveys in partnership with Central New Mexico Bird Alliance in the Isleta Reach! Volunteer teams survey birds at seven outfall sites from Los Chavez to La Joya to document how birds use bosque habitats during the breeding season. Consider joining us this year—birders work in pairs to visit one of the outfall sites three times during the breeding season (May, June, and July). If you’re a new birder, this is a great opportunity to get out in the field with an experienced birder and sharpen your ID skills. Learn more about our bird surveys in the Isleta Reach here, and sign-up here to help.
