Detailed announcements will be sent to AZFO members about one month in advance of each Field Expedition. Here are brief summaries – mark your calendars now! (TBD = To Be Determined, AT=@)

2023

Shorebird ID Workshop

Arizona Field Ornithologists is conducting a workshop on shorebird identification on Saturday, August 26. It will be held at Cochise Lake in Willcox, led by Keith Kamper and Doug Jenness. Another workshop may be scheduled around the same time in Maricopa County.

Late August provides the peak fall period when shorebirds are migrating in good numbers and variety in Arizona, plus you can often see adults and juveniles going through molt this time of year. Thorough shorebird identification takes extra time to carefully sort through the more abundant species to pick out similar, rarer species foraging or roosting among them. The cost will be $10 per person. Participation will be limited to 12. For meeting time and location contact: Doug Jenness, dougjennessATgmail.com

Recent Reports

Santa Cruz River, Green Kingfisher Survey - 1 July 2023: Arizona Field Ornithologists' most recent field expedition visited the Santa Cruz River near Tubac on 1 July 2023, to determine the number of Green Kingfishers along a nine-mile section of the river, until now a data gap in Arizona birding knowledge. This species seems to be increasingly reported in Arizona, particularly in Santa Cruz County, usually as a flyby. Birders have observed juvenile birds and confirmed nesting, but this was the first organized survey to assess the population’s size in the state. Read the full report here.