Recently, the station on Anderson Mesa detected individual birds representing two species: a Flammulated Owl and an American White Pelican.  The station at Rancho Tres Brisas detected a Northern Shoveler. What makes these detections so meaningful is that our data regarding these individual birds are combined with the data from other stations to provide important information on the bird’s travels. The American White Pelican, for example, was tagged in July 2024 at the nesting colony on Gunnison Island in the Great Salt Lake of Utah and detected by the Anderson Mesa station in late May 2025.  Between those dates, this individual was detected by more than a dozen sites, including one on the west coast of Mexico about 640 miles south of Anderson Mesa.  The migratory paths of these birds will inform research and conservation efforts. 

Meet "Frumpy Flow"

#1.  Flammulated Owl #58928 detected by our Anderson Mesa IBA station on May 4, 2025

When "Flow's" tag pinged our Anderson Mesa IBA Motus station, Northern Arizona Audubon's monumental Motus efforts were rewarded. "Flow" was tagged by Kate Stone as a hatch-year individual on Sept 3, 2024. Kate's field notes were that it seemed very "fresh" with both juvenile down present and flight feathers still in pin, and that perhaps it was from a local nest. She told us that because of this transitional molting the bird appeared "frumpy." 

Kate and her team are conducting research on the MPG Ranch:

With more than 15,000 acres of conservation property in Western Montana, MPG Ranch stewards large, undeveloped landscapes for wildlife habitat and the enjoyment of future generations. We conduct research and collaborate with other local organizations and researchers that design and implement outreach and public education events. MPG Ranch research

Kate generously responded to our enquiries with this information on their tagging and tracking program: "We’ve tagged 6 Flammulated Owls in the past few years and hoped to learn more about the migratory routes and overwintering areas, but the lack of Motus coverage in AZ and NM has limited our results. We’re glad to see more stations like yours popping up."

Kate said they feel good about the detection at Anderson Mesa IBA station, noting that "... it lasted for 12 minutes and represents quite a few “hits” with a transmitter that has a 30-s pulse rate."

Kate added that Flammulated Owls' general direction as detected by other Motus stations tells the story that these raptors seem to "stick closer to the foothills/mountains where perhaps forested habitat is attractive to them?" This is obviously one of the research questions. We will be following up on results that their important findings reveal. 

Flamms are on the Yellow Watch list:

There is little information on Flammulated Owl populations, but they appear to be declining. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 5,500. The species rates a 15 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score and is on the Yellow Watch List for its restricted range. Flammulated Owl has a low reproductive rate and is found mostly in older forests, which can be under pressure for logging. In addition to habitat loss or degradation through selective logging, Flammulated Owls may be sensitive to pesticides that affect their insect prey. Flammulated Owl life history - All About Birds - Cornell Labs

During the fall of 2024, two wildlife rehabilitation facilities in Metro Phoenix admitted 54 Flammulated Owls. Presumably due to the excessive heat during migration? Which is a  question that needs more study.  Three experts have formed a team that will test the birds for a range of different factors affecting their health:

1.  Jason Struthers, a veterinarian/professor at Midwestern University
   
2. Jeff Foster, Infectious Disease, Wildlife Biologist, and Pathogen Genomics professor at Northern Arizona University
3. Jay Carlisle, an owl expert from Boise State

We look forward to publications on this team's progress that may inform what happened to these owls. Ultimately, NAAS may be able to advocate for protections to help this species. 

#2.  American White Pelican # 57645 was tagged on 7/17/2024 and detected by our Anderson Mesa IBA Motus station On April 28, 2025.  It flew to us after pinging a station located on the Reserva Ecologica Bahia de Santa Maria; a station that is part of the Coastal Motus Network in Northwest Mexico. The flight from Bahia de Santa Maria to Anderson Mesa was part of its 1171 km flight past or to 16 Motus stations. Here is more info on the project description:

Project description

The American White Pelican nesting colony on Gunnison Island in the Great Salt Lake of Utah is regularly one of the largest colonies in the Pacific Flyway. Drought and low lake levels have exposed a land bridge between the island and the mainland. This has posed conservation concerns for the colony. We have been monitoring productivity, and dispersal from the colony using bands and visual markers for resight. This project represents the first opportunity to place transmitter tags on juvenile birds. UDWR American White Pelican Project

Project info:  

As MOTUS tower coverage expands across the Intermountain West, this study will leverage this emerging technology to better identify critical habitats and stopover sites. With increasing threats from climate change, declining lake levels, urban encroachment, and water diversion, the need to understand movement ecology and site fidelity is urgent—particularly for conservation priority species like the Northern Pintail, whose bag limits were recently increased in response to shifting population models. Project Objectives: Identify key wetland and upland habitats used by waterfowl species within and beyond Utah’s borders. Document migratory pathways, site fidelity, and inter-annual movement variation. Contribute to flyway-level understanding of waterfowl migration ecology. Provide data to inform habitat conservation and management strategies in the Great Salt Lake ecosystem and beyond. Bander Qualifications: The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has over 70 years of experience banding waterfowl. Project lead Jason Jones has personally participated in banding efforts for over 18 years, bringing extensive field experience and expertise in avian capture, handling, and marking techniques. Motus project link

Closing the Gap: NAAS Expands the Global Motus Network for Wildlife Conservation

Northern Arizona Audubon filled a gap in the global Motus network in 2024. We heard about tracking birds using a backpack tag from Edwin Juarez during an Arizona Bird Conservation Initiative (ABCI) meeting sometime around 2018, and our ears perked up… thinking how cool is that technology? Since then, it’s only gotten better. Funded by an Audubon in Action grant in 2024, NAAS installed two wildlife tracking stations (thanks to further advances we are now able to detect Monarch butterflies). With our wildlife detections, NAAS will be aiding in gathering science-based data for hemispheric conservation purposes. Our goals are: 1) To educate the public about migration, bird losses, and conservation needs; 2) To effect land-management conservation decisions near the Important Bird Areas where these stations are collecting data; 3) To bring distant cultures together around the love of birds. We’ve still got our ears perked up as we await the ping of our first bird.

See the Northern Arizona University (NAU) article on NAAS Motus stations: 

• NAU Lumberjack article
  

View YouTube short video:

• About NAAS Motus stations