Jennie MacFarland

Jennie is the Coordinating Biologist for the Arizona Important Bird Area program and an employee of the Tucson Audubon Society. She likes birding and other cool nerdy activities.

Author's posts

Spring 2020 IBA Survey Opportunities

2020 Spring IBA Survey Season Join us for this year’s exciting Spring Surveys We have quite the spring survey season forming for this year! We will be investigating Bendire’s Thrashers in Avra Valley Northwest of Tucson. We are also planning some Gilded Flicker surveys and Elf Owl surveys in the desert habitats near Tucson. Looking …

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Craig’s Big Year Birdathon in AZ IBAs

Flammulated Owl chick at Mogollon Rim Snowmelt Draws IBA

2016 is Craig’s Big Year! Veteran Arizona birder and Audubon Arizona volunteer “Bird Nerd” Craig Anderson hits the road to visit as many of Arizona’s 46 Important Bird Areas – and see as many species of birds – as possible from March through December. Join him on his journey through Arizona’s wild places, and save …

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Searching for Cuckoos on the Coronado National Forest

Snoozing Racoon in cottonwood tree

by Olya Phillips, Bird Survey Assistant at Tucson Audubon and University of Arizona student I am a University of Arizona student majoring in Wildlife Conservation and Management. After I took an ornithology class, I fell in love with birds. Before, I didn’t even notice how many beautiful avian species we have in Tucson. Soon I …

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Grand Canyon National Park Dedicated as Global Important Bird Area

By Jennie MacFarland, Tucson Audubon Conservation Biologist On September 13, 2014 the Grand Canyon National Park was officially dedicated as an Important Bird Area of Global Significance. This IBA is only one of fourteen Global IBAs in Arizona and the only one that qualified as Global for three different species. The highest profile bird that …

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Piles of Purple Martins on the Lower San Pedro

By Jennie MacFarland, Arizona IBA Program Biologist, Tucson Audubon As someone who lives in Tucson, how much do you really think about Purple Martins? Purple Martins are those birds who live in big white apartment style bird houses right? I think I once saw a really cool one for sale in Sky Mall. For most …

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Eastern “Azure” Bluebird Blitz a Success!

Azure Bluebirds showing breeding behavior very late in the season by Richard Thompson

For the first time the Arizona IBA program held an “all bluebird” survey of an area we have surveyed quite a bit, the Patagonia Mountains on Saturday October 26, 2013. Our target bird, the charming Eastern Bluebird, has an interesting background here in SE Arizona. The population here in some of our SE AZ “sky …

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Bendire’s Thrasher Survey at Chicken Springs Report

Thrasher nest in cholla by J. MacFarland

This past April the Arizona IBA crew and Arizona Field Ornithologists co-led an expedition to an area west of Wikieup near Lake Havasu called the Chicken Springs Allotment, an area managed by BLM. We were there to inventory all birds with transects and nocturnal surveys but our main target was Bendier’s Thrasher. The whole weekend …

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Lower San Pedro Summer Season Summary

Coati on the Lower San Pedro

As this summer’s heat fades into fragrant fall with migration just around the corner there is a twinge of sadness that the Important Bird Area field season is winding down. It is also incredibly gratifying to look back over the last several months and review some of the amazing observations the Arizona IBA crew had …

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Elegant Trogon Survey Results 2013

Elegant Trogon, female, by Bob Wenrick

2013 Summary of Arizona Elegant Trogon Census Results by Rick Taylor, Count Compiler On the weekends of June 1-2 and June 8-9, 2013 some 79 volunteers turned out to census Elegant Trogons in all 5 border ranges in Southeastern Arizona where they are known to occur. Counters recorded all visual and audio observations in their …

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eBird Blitz of the Rincon, Catalina and Tucson Mountains

Tucson Sky Islands and Sonoran Uplands Proposed IBA - ownership

We are trying to make a new Important Bird Area around Tucson and need your help! The Sky Islands around Tucson and the excellent Sonoran Desert the connect them are excellent habitats for our native birds. The Arizona IBA Program is working to get this area recognized as an Important Bird Area and we need your …

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