I LOVE birding and one of my favorite things about birding is taking photographs of the birds and sharing the beauty of birds.  For Birdathon 2024,  I will be taking photos of all the species of birds I see in April.  You can see the photos at Steffens Birdathon 2024.

I am so grateful to Tucson Audubon for all they have done to help me become a birder and I want to give back by participating in the 2024 Birdathon.

The more I work with Tucson Audubon, the more I am impressed with their work to inspire people to protect and enjoy birds and their habitat. Staff members and volunteers are committed to making a positive impact in Southern Arizona. I have participated in their efforts to eradicate invasive species, count birds on the Threatened Bird List to find ways to improve their habitat, planted saguaros, volunteered at the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival and I Iead birding field trips. Your contribution will help continue these programs and protect the beautiful birds that brighten our lives and their habitat. 

I hope that you will join me with a donation to the Audubon. All of the money donated stays in Tucson and the donation is tax deductible.

Thank you for supporting my Birdathon. I appreciate YOU and your contributions to Tucson Audubon!

Peggy

Birdathon Results

This year I decided to do something different and photograph all of the species I saw during the month and not do one big day counting all of the birds I saw and heard. I thought it would be easier – ha-ha the laugh was on me, but I had a blast! One of my birding friends, Danny Gin, called this the Great Expectations Birdathon. I had a plan, I had spreadsheets of where I EXPECTED to see and photograph the birds only to show up and the birds that had been there a few days earlier had already left on migration. Sometimes, birds are so uncooperative 😊

I learned that when I am typically birding, if I hear a bird like a Bell’s Vireo, Sora or Lucy’s Warbler, I look for it and maybe catch a quick glance of the bird and mark it down on my eBird checklist and move on. Having to get a photograph took a lot longer. For example, I went to Fort Lowell Park and heard three Bell’s Vireo loudly calling in a thicket. It took me 45 minutes to capture a photograph because the bird was hidden deep in the brush and when it did come out in the open, it was there for a only a brief second and flew off before I could focus – I have lot of photos of branches! But my perseverance paid off and I got a photo.

I took over 6000 photographs and captured 161 species and you can view them on my Steffens Birdathon 2024 Flickr Page. There are 2 pages of photos and you can look at them individually by clicking on them and when you hover the mouse over the image it will tell you the name of the bird. There is a slide show icon at the top of the page and you can see a slide show of all of the images. I would LOVE to hear what you liked the best. 

I want to share how awesome the Birding Community is at helping birders. Field trip leaders and others I birded with were so patient when I was trying to photograph a bird. It takes me a long time to try and get a photo of bird. The bird needs to stay still, move from behind the branches to a location where the lighting is optimal and that all takes longer than checking a bird off on the eBird list. Everyone also put up with my whining about a specific bird not being at the location I EXPECTED to see them. For example, I was at Paton Center and a total stranger came over to me and said “I heard you were looking for an Inca dove, there is one over here.” Where else would you experience that level of helpfulness – birders are the BEST! A huge THANK YOU to all of the people who helped me find and photograph the birds on my Birdathon!

Here are some highlights to share with you.

First Bird photographed – Yellow Rumped Warbler – Myrtle’s subspecies

Last Bird photographed – Summer Tanager

Number of Checklists – 53

Species Observed – 204

Birds Observed – 4957

Highest Number of a Species Observed – Great Tailed Grackle – 426

Bird I was most disappointed not to Photograph – Hooded Oriole in my backyard

Easiest Difficult Bird to Photograph – Sora – usually I only ever hear a Sora, but on my first day, one came out and posed at Sweetwater Wetlands.

Most Difficult Easy Bird to Photograph – Common Raven – I see Ravens everywhere on poles and flying over my house, but during the month of April I didn’t see one to photograph until April 28^th at the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve on a Tucson Audubon Field Trip with Donito Burgess.

Favorite Photograph – Some of my photos are only ID photos, but I was thrilled with most of my photographs. I really loved the American Kestrel holding the lizard and the Black Skimmer. However, my favorite experience was kayaking with my husband, Chuck, when he noticed a Great Blue Heron nest on an island. Usually, the nests I see are high up in trees in the rookery in Christopher Columbus Park and it was so wonderful to see the nest at eye level and the baby birds so close. Although, it was tricky to keep the kayak steady and aimed at the birds while the wind was blowing me in the wrong direction, I was able to take some photographs that I loved.

4 Mating Bird Photographs – Spring was in the air and I was able to photograph mating Turkey Vultures, Common Gallinule, Laughing Gulls and American Kestrels.

Best Rare Bird Photograph – I was able to photograph a Surf Scoter at Cochise Lake

Best Life Bird – I was thrilled to see my first Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Prothonotary Warbler and photograph them.

Best Lesson – Always take a photograph. I was birding with Clague Van Slyke and his grandson Henry for Henry’s Big Day Birdathon and we were at a lake early in the morning with terrible light and a large bird was flying towards us and I assumed it was another Great Blue Heron. It wasn’t until the bird flew over that we realized it was a Bald Eagle – so I only got a shot of the butt. Luckily, later in the day, a second Bald Eagle flew over and this time I didn’t miss the shot. The key lesson learned is that it is easier to take a photo and delete it than to miss a bird.

I am the passionate birder I am today because of Tucson Audubon and after four years of volunteering and participating in events, I continue to be impressed with all the staff does to inspire people to love birds and all they do to protect birds and their habitat. I know that the money you donated will be used wisely to continue their mission.

Thank you for “Giving a Hoot”

Pledges:

• Peggy Steffens: $2/species and $10 for every life bird
• Margaret Harris: $75
• Clague Van Slyke: $1/species, $ 10 for a photo of a pair of American Kestrels together, and $25 for a photo of a Pileated Woodpecker taken anywhere in April.
• Marcia Grand: $10/species and
  • $150 if you get all four (all must be ID’d and actually seen not just heard): snake, lizard, ground squirrel, rabbit
  • $150 if you see a coyote
  • $150 if you see five different types of waterbirds: ducks, cormorants, shore birds, grebes, herons, etc – anything that swims or is comfortable in the water.
• Joan Powell: $2/species

 PLEDGE (PAY LATER) 

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Birdathon is one of Tucson Audubon’s largest fundraisers and has existed for over 35 years! It’s a great way to use our love of bird watching to support Tucson Audubon’s mission to inspire people to enjoy and protect birds.

By donating to one or more Birdathon teams you are ensuring Tucson Audubon’s vital work can continue well into the future. Whether it's preserving critical habitats, educating future stewards of the environment, or advocating for bird-friendly policies, your support makes a tangible difference.

Birdathon donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Tucson Audubon Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Join us in making a difference for birds and their habitats by donating or pledging to a Birdathon team today!

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• Make checks payable to: Tucson Audubon Society
• Write the team name on memo line
• Mail to: 
  Tucson Audubon Society
  PO Box 91770
  Tucson, AZ 85752

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