Advertise on podcast: Arizona Bird Call

Please note: Due to post surgery recovery from an elbow fracture to my dominant arm I am unable to continue production of the podcast at this time. Full recovery is expected by early 2026, but whether I can continue given other health issues is a question. This has been a solo act from the begining in 2021. This episode was produced before the injury, includes the conclusion of a series on the extraordinary recovery of the Lesser Snow Goose in western North America, increasingly a common resident of Arizona. A report on efforts underway to have Bendire's Thrasher elevated to threatened status following surveys that show dramatic declines in recent years. Bird of the episode: Barn Owl. Birding hotspot: Dankworth Pond State Park south of Safford. Friend of wildlife: Arizona Sustainability Alliance. I have arranged with the podcast distribution platform to keep all episodes available until further notice. Thank you all for your interest and loyalty, some of you from the very first episode. I started the podcast as what I thought might be a brief interlude during the Covid pandemic. More than 10,000 downloads later to more than 71 countries, more than 783 cities and principalities on every continent except Antarctica I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I hope you have found the podcast interesting and, from time to time, perhaps entertaining. Wishing happy birding to all of you wherever you are on the planet. - Mike Ameigh

Lesser Snow Geese, once a rarity in Arizona and western North America more broadly have rebounded from the brink of extinction as a result of adaptation to modern agricultural practices. In this podcast part 1 of an article from Audubon Magazine that describes major damage to wetland ecology resulting from this rebound. Bird of the episode: the Arizona Bald Eagle. Birding hotspot: Big Horn Mountains Wilderness, Buckeye. Friend of Wildlife: Arizona Sonoran desert Museum.

A brief explanation of how birds are 'smaht.' Kettles of hawks, vultures and other large birds of prey are passing through Arizona headed for South America in migration.  What is a 'kettle' and how does it form? Pinto Creek in Gila County is drying up from water extraction by mining operations destroying riparian ecology in the area. A tribute to Richard Glinski, long-time Arizona biologist and nature educator who passed away earlier this year.

A report by the Arizona Field Ornithologists on gaps in data regarding resident bird species in Arizona. These bird information 'gaps' are being addressed by volunteers and professional wildlife personnel statewide with updates posted to the AZFO website. A rare-bird-alert update for the last week in September for Maricopa County. Bird of the episode: Belted Kingfisher. Birding hotspot: Coon Bluff. Friend of wildlife: Arizona Trail Association.

A report on concerns about possible effects of aerial drones on raptors. Arizona Game and Fish Department's continuing work on installation of wildlife crossovers and underpasses along Interstate 17. near Flagstaff. A report from Tucson Bird Alliance on the Purple Gallinule wetland bird increasingly spotted in Arizona. Bird of the episode: Bell's Vireo. Birding hotspot: Borderlands Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. Friends of wildlife: Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, Tucson.

A report on research regarding shorebird use of the Colorado River Delta by millions of shorebirds in migration. Highlights from the Northern Arizona Audubon Society August newsletter. A closeup of the Lark Bunting, elusive winter resident of the Wilcox Playa often observed with other sparrows. Bird of the episode: Barn Owl. Birding hotspot: Beaver Dam Mountains wilderness. Friend of wildlife: Arizona Natural Plant Society.

The Crested Caracara, a desert scavenger and sometimes breeder in Arizona's Sonoran Desert, was spotted recently in Canada. Locals say it has been observed repeatedly and may be a year-round resident. The bird was scavenging in a town dump in the Province of Ontario. Wild burros, while not native to Arizona have adapted to the desert and are wreaking havoc on native plants including Saguaro cacti. Bird of the episode: American Wigeon. Birding hotspot: Blue Range Wilderness. Friends of wildlife: Arizona Master Naturalists.

A report on the release of five more California Condors at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona. This is the fifth year that new endangered condors have been introduced into to the wild through a program involving the San Diego Zoo, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Hawk Watch International and the Peregrine Fund, among other partners. A report on how saline lakes are making a comeback in southern California and western Arizona following sigificant rains during the recent monsoon season. Some scientists are celebrating this turn of events as the western drought continues, albeit cautiously. Bird of the episode: American Robin. Birding hotspot: Baboquivari Peak Wilderness. Friend of wildlife: Arizona Ecological Services Field Office.

A recent study by the Nature Conservancy confirms that thinning of forests here in the Southwest is good for trees and the wildlife sustained by them, including birds. An Audubon sponsored project involving scores of scientists has come up with a new way to track birds in migration. A report on how dressing for desert conditions, especially in the heat of summer, is critically important. Bird of the episode: Lucy's Warbler. Birding hotspot: Chevelon Canyon Wildlife Area. Friend of wildlife: Arizona Conservation Corps.

Arizona Game and Fish Department statement encouraging the public to not feed wildlife. Doing so has the potential to spread diseases and encourage dangerous encounters with humans. Birdability update on innovative technologies designed to give disabled birders and other outdoor enthusiasts access to nature trails and other wildlife viewing opportunities. A report on the elusive Five-striped Sparrow in Southeastern Arizona. Bird of the episode: American Redstart. Birding hotspot: Aztec cattle feed lot east of Yuma. Friend of wildlife: Arizona Bird Committee.

A report on new research showing that Arizona Bald Eagles are expanding their ranges to include regions of the Northwestern United States. A description of how birds conform to Zipf's Law, a pattern of communication commonly observed in human language where a few words are used very frequently while many words are used rarely. Those words (sounds in the case of birds) are simplified to make the communication process faster and more efficient. A Western Resource Associates statement on the condition of the Colorado River. Bird of the episode: American Pipit. Birding Hotspot: Aubrey Peak Wilderness. Friend of wildlife: Arizona Chapter of the National Association of Environmental Professionals.

A report on the Colorado River Oxbow Bridge collapse August 8, 2025. The bridge connected Cibola, Arizona to Palo Verde, California in the vicinity of the Cibola Wildlife Refuge. A description of the Sierra Madre Occidental, a unique high elevation mountain region along extreme western Mexico and parts of California and Arizona. Bird of the episode: American Kestrel. Birding Hotspot: Arizona State University Research Park. Friend of Wildlife: Arizona Solar Center.

Arizona Game and Fish Department is receiving reports of coyotes and other canids with Canine Distemper, an infectious and sometimes fatal disease that, while not a threat to humans can be transmitted to unvaccinated dogs and other pets exposed to wild canids in suburban parks and other urban areas. Symptoms are similar to behavior of animals with rabies. An in depth description of the unique ecosystems that comprise the Mojave and Sonoran desert regions of the Southwestern U.S. Bird of the episode: American Crow. Birding Hotspot: Ash Canyon Bird Observatory. Friend of Wildlife: American Ornithological Society.

Scientists have discovered that plants and animals, primarily insects but including birds, communicate by exchanging information through sound. This development has upended long-held scientific assumptions and is generating new lines of research on inter-species communication that could lead to dramatic changes in understanding animal and plant ecology. Lesser Goldfinches, common in Arizona, are expanding their range to the west and northwest where they were once a rarity. Ornithologists think that range expansion may be coming, not at the expense of resident populations, but as an enhancement. Bird of the episode: Western Bluebird. Birding hotspot: Tuzigoot IBA near Cottonwood. Friend of wildlife: Genius Loci Foundation near Tucson.

Recently ornithologists have determined that Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees, both familiar to Arizona birders, are interbreeding in the state altering certain behavioral and appearance characteristics known to both. A report on night moths that serve as important forage for night birds and bats. Bird of the episode: Pinyon Jay. Birding Hotspot: Quigley State Wildlife Management Area. Friend of Wildlife: Paradise Mountain Preserve Trust.