National Audubon Society

Vote for Southwest Bird of the Year 2024

We have some of the most fascinating birds in the southwest, but which one will be crowned Audubon Southwest’s Bird of the Year? Review our candidates and select your favorite! Vote here.

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Loggerhead Shrike. Photo: Gregory Beuhler/Audubon Photography Awards

Birds need our help. Here’s what you can do.

On Earth Day and throughout the year, Audubon advocates for a more sustainable future with climate solutions. Take the pledge to protect birds and our planet and check out the many ways you can get involved and make a difference.

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Rufous Hummingbird. Photo: Melina Cronin/Audubon Photography Awards

Birds Need Water: Lower Colorado River Tour

We all depend on the water from the Colorado River, including people and birds, recreation and tourism. Join us on this video tour of the Lower Colorado River, from Hoover Dam to the Salton Sea, featuring restored habitats, dams, canals, and reservoirs that were built to provide water in the arid southwest.

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Photo and video: Erika Flores/ Audubon Southwest

A Future for Birds and People in the Colorado River Basin

By 2026, the Bureau of Reclamation will adopt a new set of rules to manage the Colorado River and, as part of its process, is accepting stakeholder feedback. Audubon joined partner organizations to submit the “Cooperative Conservation Alternative.” This Alternative prioritizes Colorado River water supply reliability, ecosystem health, and providing opportunities to make management more equitable for all.

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Photo: EcoFlight

Update at the Arizona Capitol

It’s been busy at the Arizona Legislature this year, with more than 100 land and water-related bills introduced this session. Before the 2024 legislative session ends, let’s get a status update on the bills Audubon Southwest is tracking.

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American Coot. Photo: Jason Taylor/ Great Backyard Bird Count

Volunteer Appreciation

Rio Salado Audubon Center Pollinator Garden Planting

Thank you to the 100+ volunteers for planting native plants in the Rio Salado Audubon Center Pollinator Garden. The garden is a place for visitors to enjoy, including our native pollinators: bees, butterflies, and birds. Watch this video about the volunteer event.

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Photo: Erika Flores/Audubon Southwest

TigerMountain Foundation Volunteers

At Rio Salado Audubon Center, we appreciate TigerMountain staff who lead the care and upkeep of our nature trail system and native pollinator garden. They organize and host numerous community volunteer days at Rio Salado Audubon Center to plant new native species, remove invasive plants, and support the center's habitat restoration work. Read more

Photo: Danny Roper-Jones/Audubon Southwest

Sierra Club Volunteers at Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch of the National Audubon Society

Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch of the National Audubon Society Thanks Sierra Club Volunteers

The balance between wildfire-safe landscaping and a bird-friendly yard is a tricky one to find, but it’s not impossible. Once we settle on an approach, we're fortunate in having reliable volunteers who are always
willing take on the heavy labor of it all. Thank you to our Sierra Club volunteers for joining us for a full week’s worth of projects and to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management for supporting our efforts to keep the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch Firewise! Learn more about our research ranch

Photo: Steven Prager/Audubon Southwest

Thank you for a dozen years and counting!

Classical music composer, Eleanor Eisenmenger, has volunteered for the Randall Davey Audubon Center and Sanctuary for more than twelve years in our visitor center. Shortly after moving to Santa Fe in 1994, she began coming to the center for events, hiking, and to browse the nature store. Eleanor says about volunteering, “I have always felt strongly that every person who walks in the door is my friend. The very fact that they are here is proof that they are a kindred spirit. Over the years I can't remember ever being disappointed. Also, I love the birds and animals (especially bears and bobcats.)”
Learn how you can get involved

Photo: Audubon Southwest

Conservation Workdays

For the last 10 years, Audubon has partnered with the Wild at Heart Raptor Center to provide volunteer labor necessary to relocate displaced Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia). Once common throughout central Arizona, these small, ground-dwelling owls are disappearing rapidly due to development. Thank you to our partners and volunteers for supporting this effort! Read more

Photo: Cathy Wise/Audubon Southwest

Monitoring Pinyon Jays

Audubon Southwest teamed up with the Great Basin Bird Observatory and the Northern Arizona Audubon Society Chapter in 2022 to launch a community science project that has now grown to include six states and over 1000 observations. The power of this effort is that it provides a snapshot in time of the birds’ whereabouts across a vast landscape. These data will enable land managers to make wise decisions before acting on a resource management stage set with competing interests. Thank you to our partners and community for making this happen! Read more

Pinyon Jay. Photo: Lyndia Radice/Audubon Photography Awards

Bird of the Month: Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)

Swainson’s Hawk is one of those birds that can catch your attention when hundreds fill the sky overhead, mixed with migrating Redtail Hawks and an occasional Golden Eagle.

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Swainson's Hawk. Paul Gardner/Audubon Photography Awards

WORK WITH US

Randall Davey Audubon Center Summer Camp Educator
Connect kids with science and nature through outdoor investigations, games, crafts, and more. Lead groups of campers, ages 5-12, along the trails, through the forests, and along the river, all while learning and playing together. APPLY HERE

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Family Workshop: World Migratory Bird Day
May 18 at 10:00 a.m.: Fly over to the Rio Salado Audubon Center to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day! Join our Audubon educator for an interactive program to learn more about bird migratory journeys. We'll use binoculars to see birds in the garden and play a fun migration obstacle course where you get to be the bird! Each participant will make a sun catcher to take home and help birds avoid window strikes during their migratory journey. RSVP HERE
Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary Summer Camp
June 3 to July 26: Join us for eight weeks of nature day camps for ages 5-12. Educators guide campers through science explorations, investigating and playing through hands-on activities that encourage an appreciation and love of nature while surrounded by the natural beauty of Santa Fe. REGISTER HERE
Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey Training
June 20 and June 21: The 2024 Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo surveyor training will be offered in a hybrid format, with a virtual classroom session on June 20 followed by an in-person field session on June 21. Two field sites are available - one on the Santa Cruz River south of Tucson and the other on the East Verde River near the town of Payson. Space is limited and preference will be given to those with field work scheduled. REGISTER HERE

Donate today to protect the birds you love!

Help us continue to fight for the birds you love and the habitats they rely on. Your generous contributions are greatly appreciated. Leaving a gift to Audubon Southwest through your will, estate, or retirement plan can make a lasting impact on our work. It’s easier than you think! Most gifts cost you nothing now, require no minimum contribution, and enable you to change your mind at any time.

CONNECT WITH US

Audubon Southwest
PO Box 9314, Santa Fe, NM 87504
(505) 983-4609 | audubon.org

© 2026 National Audubon Society, Inc.

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