Arizona Bird Call
Information for Arizona birders including summaries of research and analysis related to bird conservation and protection. Introductions to common Arizona birds, Arizona birding hotspots, governmental and non-profit agencies charged with bird conservation.
Podcast host Mike Ameigh is a retired professor/academic administrator with the the State University of New York. He holds a PhD in Public Communication from the Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.
Episodes
157 episodes
Episode 157 - September 25, 2024
A description of how raptors have been observed using fire to drive prey from hiding places in grasslands in Australia. Some field biologists have documented this behavior, even speculate that birds may have taught early humans to use fire for ...
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Season 4
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Episode 157
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34:38
Episode 156 - September 18, 2024
Four captive California Condors are set to be released into the wild from Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona at the end of September. The public is invited to witness this dramatic event in person or virtually. Banding of Am...
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Season 4
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Episode 156
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42:46
Episode 155 - September 11, 2024
A description of an encounter with the rare Zone-tailed Hawk on our patio in central Arizona. According to the Sibley Guide to Birds (2nd Edition) Fewer than 300 nesting sites are known to exist in North America.Excerpts from the newsletter...
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Season 4
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Episode 155
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37:19
Episode 154 - September 4, 2024
An update by Charles J. Babbitt, Conservation chair of the Maricopa Audubon Society on effects of groundwater pumping by mining operations in the Pinto Creek basin near Superior, Arizona. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of the U.S. Fish an...
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Season 4
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Episode 154
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27:09
Episode 153 - August 28, 2024
An introduction to the Coloradito, the Red-faced Warbler, one of the most sought-after birds by visitors to Arizona. A report on the historic Yavapai-Apache water agreement recently concluded with multiple partners working to achieve sustainabl...
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Season 4
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Episode 156
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28:24
Episode 152 - August 21, 2024
An update on the possible return of Desert Martins to the Sonoran Desert. Desert Martins only nest in Saguaro cacti, and Tucson Audubon is asking area residents to be on the lookout for this elusive species.A report on recent audio detectio...
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Season 4
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Episode 152
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36:03
Episode 151 - August 14, 2024
A report on a multi-million dollar WaterSMART grant awarded to a consortium of organizations including Audubon Southwest to restore riparian corridors along the Gila River southwest of Phoenix. Projects will include removal of invasive species ...
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Season 4
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Episode 151
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30:43
Episode 150 - August 7, 2024
A report on the importance of citizen scientists, overwhelmingly volunteers, serving as ecological stewards along the U.S. Mexico border. Stereotypically characterized as drawn from the ranks of retirees, many are students, professionals, indiv...
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Season 4
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Episode 150
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39:41
Episode 149 - July 31, 2023
A report on July birding along the Mogollon Rim in northeast Arizona and a riparian area between Eagar and Springerville during July. Written by Rob Bettaso, Field Trip coordinator and editor of the Osprey Overlook, newsletter of the W...
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Season 3
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Episode 149
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24:13
Episode 148 - July 24, 2024
Report from Western Water News on recent shorebird surveys conducted in Arizona. A look at hybrids, those perplexing, confusing, sometimes difficult to ID birds that often defy description. Bird of the episode: Buff-breasted Flycatcher. Birding...
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Season 3
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Episode 148
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26:28
Episode 147 - July 17, 2024
In a detrimental development for conservation of birds and other wildlife nearly 3,000 local newspapers have closed their doors in recent years, many highly regarded for their coverage over the years. Local media often perform a 'watchdog' func...
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Season 3
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Episode 147
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32:49
Episode 146 - July 10, 2024
Third and final installment of reading of 'Must Add Water' from the Spring 2024 edition of Audubon Magazine regarding the state of saline lakes in the western United States and remote areas of Latin America with particular focus on Wilson's Pha...
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Season 3
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Episode 146
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31:41
Episode 145 - July 3, 2024
Part two of 'Must Add Water,' an article from Audubon Magazine's Spring 2024 edition regarding the critical importance of saline lakes as stopovers for migrating waterfowl and other wildlife. Bird of the episode: Lucy's Warbler. Birding hotspot...
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Season 3
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Episode 145
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31:32
Episode 144 - June 26, 2024
First of a three-part series of readings from Audubon Magazine regarding saline lakes in Western North America and the critical role they play for migrating water birds. Parts 2 and 3 will be included in episodes 145 and 146 respectively. Bird ...
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Season 3
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Episode 144
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34:02
Episode 143 - June 19, 2024
A report on woodpeckers that bang away on metal and other non-wood surfaces here in the Sonoran Desert. A report in an ongoing series that describes how bird's have been given human names and the growing movement to change some to be more refle...
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Season 3
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Episode 143
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35:25
Episode 142 - June 15, 2024
Announcement by Tucson Audubon Society that it has begun a process to change its name. The purpose is to delete the name of John James Audubon, an avowed racist who kept and sold enslaved people. A new report describes ongoing abandonment of mi...
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Season 3
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Episode 142
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30:10
Episode 141 - April 17, 2024
An update on the status of the imperiled Pinyon Jay of Arizona's highland pinyon pine woodlands from Charles Babbitt, Conservation Chair of the Maricopa Audubon Society. A report on detections of bird. species by the Haikubox installed at...
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Season 3
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Episode 141
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36:09
Episode 140 - April 10, 2024
Renowned ornithologist and Audubon field guide editor Kenn Kaufman explains why tyrant flycatchers are so difficult to identify here in the Southwest. It's not about looks; it's about vocalization, he says. A report on the world-famous 'Thrashe...
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Season 3
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Episode 140
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32:53
Episode 139 - April 3, 2024
A report on effects of groundwater depletion on riparian birds. Ongoing residential and industrial development across Arizona is significantly reducing surface water in key riparian zones, disrupting natural ecological patterns on which birds a...
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Season 3
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Episode 139
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38:03
Episode 138 - March 27, 2024
A report on new research that describes how the Nightingale, an Old World flycatcher that got a mention in Homer's Iliad, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and countless other poetic and dramatic works over many centuries on its way to lit...
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Season 3
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Episode 138
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34:23
Episode 137 - March 20, 2024
A report on research indicating Southwestern Flycatchers are adapting to climate change genetically by interbreeding with individuals from diverse population clusters in the Northwest and interior western US. A profile of the colorful Northern ...
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Season 3
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Episode 137
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35:01
Episode 136 - March 13, 2024
A report on the Arizona Field Ornithologist's field expedition to Lake Havasu on the Colorado River January 27, 2024. A 'save the date' for another field expedition, this to Springerville AZ in search of breeding Mountain Plovers. White M...
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Season 3
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Episode 136
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36:36
Episode 135 - March 6, 2024
A report on a novel approach to increasing the stock of seeds from plants preferred by the threatened Montezuma Quail. Quail hunters are donating sublingual pouches of harvested birds from which undigested seeds are collected and stored, then p...
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Season 3
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Episode 135
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33:50
Episode 134 - February 28, 2024
A report on efforts by the Cocopah Indian community to restore portions of the lower Colorado River riparian zone including critical delta bird habitat. These efforts are being supported by recently awarded federal grants and corporate philanth...
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Season 3
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Episode 134
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28:29
Episode 133 - February 21, 2024
A report on a recently awarded multimillion dollar grant from the U.S. Highway Administration to Arizona Game and Fish Department and Arizona Department of Transportation for construction of wildlife overpasses/underpasses along Arizona portion...
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Season 3
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Episode 133
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32:38