NAAS's two Motus stations are ready to track wildlife.  Our stations are connected with an international network that tracks more than 200 species of tagged animals including songbirds, bats, raptors, butterflies, seabirds and migrating dragonflies. Motus receiver stations situated throughout the world forward data to Birds Canada. That data is available for research and educational purposes.

On installation day, Kelly Cullen, of Niles Radio Communications, climbed down the tower, hooked up his computer to the brains of the system and waited for the test tags to ping the receivers he had just spent all day installing. The proof would be in the signal.

Several of us drove the tags some distance away while on a conference call with Kelly. We all held our breath until we heard "Yep, I got it. The big CTT tag is coming in strong."  Then he would change to a different page on the internal system and once again, we'd hold our breath to hear if the nanotag would be picked up? We actually cheered and raised our hands in joy and amazement that he was seeing the tiny tag's signature.

Later we got word from Anne Pelligrini, an Ornithologist and long-time NAAS member, that our station had been instrumental in her testing tags to make sure they were working. How exciting it was to know that we can help researchers verify that tags are working before they are placed on wildlife. And it helps us to find out how far away tags can be detected. 

Look for a ribbon-cutting event in the future. In the meantime, we'll monitoring our two stations waiting for the day that a ping comes in when a tagged bird (or other species) on the wing does a flyby!

For more information about Motus Wildlife Tracking Stations visit: https://motus.org/. 

Avian Point-Count Technicians in Four Corners National Parks

Spend your summer doing field work in the beautiful National Parks of the Southern Colorado Plateau! We are looking for field technicians to conduct breeding bird point-count surveys as part of a long-term monitoring plan for the National Parks.

PROJECT DATES: Early April – early July 2025

TRAINING: The field season will begin with a three-week intensive training period focusing on field safety and implementation of unlimited-radius point counts with distance sampling. Field crews should aim to have a good knowledge of the songs and calls of southwestern birds before the training period begins and will participate in online review sessions of bird songs prior to the in-person training period.

Read more:

SCP Point Count Technician Ad 2025 (1).pdf

Downloadable database of Bird and Pollinator friendly plants

Welcome to our database of bird and pollinator-friendly plants native to northern Arizona! Found on our Resources page or follow the link below.

It's organized by the type of plant—grass, forb, shrub and tree—and by each plant's elevational range: found only below 6,500 feet (Sedona, the Verde Valley, Winslow), found only above 6,500 feet (Flagstaff, Williams), and found both above and below 6,500 feet.  

Plants for Birds - downloadable/printable brochure and list

NAAS had 44 field trips & 3 big sits in the 1st 5 months of 2024. There were 12 leaders and 479 folks attending! That is an average of 9 events/month and 10 folks/event! Thanks to all for participating! There were many highlights, not only birds, but also butterflies. And more folks are taking pictures than ever before. To see all the highlights of these 47 events with pictures go to https://northernarizonaaudubon.org/Past-Event-Reports.

Looking for reliable volunteers for a new hummingbird banding site at Page Springs Fish Hatchery! This is a great opportunity to learn more about hummingbirds. Hilary Morejon from The International Hummingbird Society has become a permitted bander and is working with the Hummingbird Conservation Network on expanding hummingbird research in the Verde Valley. In order for this to happen, we need volunteers to help at the site. 

Contact Hillary Morejon: : hilhummingbird@gmail.com

Having been a member of the National Audubon Society for longer than she can remember and as a current member of two Audubon chapters (NAAS and Pasadena), Dr. Nancy Steele is excited to join the board of NAAS. She brings her skills from over three decades of running nonprofits and serving on nonprofit boards. She also brings her curiosity and research skills and is excited about the opportunities at NAAS to promote bird research and conservation.

Nancy is recently retired from her job as Executive Director of Friends of the Verde River, which she served from 2018 through 2023. She served as ED of Council for Watershed Health in Los Angeles from 2005 – 2015, and as interim ED for two organizations from 2016 - 2018. She founded the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy in 2000 and served as its President/CEO from 2000 – 2011, and as its Director of Conservation in 2017.

NAAS is so pleased that Nancy chose our conservation organization to work with in her retirement. As we head into the age of Motus research, her knowledge and experience will be extremely valuable.

Diane Hope recently contacted our chapter to write a KNAU Earth Note on the establishment of two Motus stations by NAAS. 

Listen to learn more: KNAU Earth Note on NAAS Motus stations

NAAS can further conservation knowledge to help make stopover sites for migrating birds safer. 

Support NAAS's goal of funding these Motus stations both above the rim on Anderson Mesa and below the rim on Rancho Tres Brisas.

• Live migration over Coconino County
  
• Live migration over Yavapai County
  

The Flagstaff monthly program was covered by Features Writer, Hava Herzog, for The Lumberjack (NAU's newspaper).  Hava interviewed NAAS, Southwest Audubon, the Grand Canyon Trust and NAU's The Wildlife Society club leaders to find out how we are all coming together to help save Pinyon Jay habitat. 

It's great when a like-minded group of conservationists focus on a conservation goal. 

"The Northern Arizona Audubon Society (NAAS) is a volunteer-led organization that engages in community science to educate and advocate for the conservation of birds and their habitats. NAAS gathered together Jan. 24 at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church for a presentation on the pinyon jay and how to help save it."

Pinyon Jay Community Science Initiative article

Dena Greenwood said to think of her when we see Western Bluebirds and many of us still do when we see those brilliant birds and hear their sweet contact calls as they keep in touch with each other. She left us far too early in June of 2018 and as an expression of appreciation NAAS members and other dear friends gave donations that created the Greenwood Fund:

"This is a fund established in memory of Dena Greenwood in recognition of her tireless and loving commitment to birds, the birding community and the preservation of the natural world of Northern Arizona."

Dena's beloved husband, Randy Miller, and friend, Brent Bitz, have created an enduring project for The Greenwood Fund that honors her life perfectly. In the upcoming years, NAAS will partner with Friends of the Verde River to establish a "Library Pollinator & Learning Garden" at the Camp Verde Library. Dena was an educator and her teaching will continue through this interactive garden space. 

The goal of the "Learning Garden" is threefold - to implement and demonstrate the capture and use of rainwater, to provide and encourage hands-on learning opportunities and experiences, and to turn a neglected area of library grounds into a beautiful garden space.  Dena would love knowing that water conservation techniques and the value of pollinators for the health of gardens are being taught. She would very much appreciate that people of all ages are being taught harvesting techniques for successful and sustainable greenspaces in the Verde Valley. 

Dena's memory lives on and will never fade from our hearts or the earth!

(This fund is now closed but rest assured your donations are being put to the utmost use to benefit the natural world and its future stewards.)