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 2025,  I will be taking photos of the species I see in Costa Rica for seven days in March and in Southern Arizona for seven days in April. I will then create an online photo album and share all of the species of bird photos I have taken for Birdathon 2025.

I am so grateful to Tucson Bird Alliance for all they have done to help me become a birder and I want to give back by participating in the 2025 Birdathon.

The more I work with Tucson Bird Alliance, 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. 

This year I want to do all I can to help Tucson Bird Alliance because they have lost access to more than $1.4 million in habitat restoration funding due to the Federal Funding Freeze. I hope that you will join me with a donation to Tucson Bird Alliance. All of the money donated stays in Tucson and the donation is tax deductible.

Thank you for supporting Birdathon. I appreciate YOU and your contributions to Tucson Bird Alliance!

Peggy

Final Results

During Birdathon 2025, I continued my intention of photographing bird species and this year I birded seven days in Costa Rica and seven days in Southern Arizona.  I was able to photograph 212 species - 81 in Costa Rica and 136 in Southern Arizona and five species were photographed in both locations.  Some of the photos I am thrilled with and some I am just glad I was able to get a photo of the bird before it flew off, hid in the branches, was too far away, dove underwater or moved further back in the leaves before I could get the bird in focus in the camera.  I captured another 14 species of birds, but I rejected them because I just wasn’t satisfied with the quality of the images.

The highlight of the trip to Costa Rica was photographing the Resplendent Quetzal which was the focus of the tour.  We got to see the Quetzal on three different occasions and I was delighted with the photos of the male and his incredibly long tail - three feet in length. Another highlight was a hike through the forest to see an Ornate Hawk Eagle Nest with a 45-day old chick and the mother.  In addition, we hiked through cow pastures to see the Three-wattled Bell Bird.  A very unique bird with a very loud call - one of the loudest in the bird world. 

Last year during Birdathon, I exhausted myself by birding every day. So, this year I only chose to photograph seven days in Southern Arizona.  I had exciting adventures to Ajo (my first time to bird there), Mount Lemmon, numerous local Tucson Parks, the Paton’s Center for Hummingbirds, Madera Canyon and hotspots in the Green Valley area. There were two highlights in Southern Arizona.  After driving to many of the local parks one day to get the common birds, I saw a rare bird alert for a Pacific Loon.  I had never seen a Pacific Loon before and they are rare for Arizona.  I headed to Saddlebrook Ranch Golf Club and found the bird in a pond by the 18th green. The second highlight in Southern Arizona was the Flamulated Owl at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds. I have only ever heard this bird before, so it was awesome to not only see it, but to capture a photo.

I took over 10,000 photographs and you can view the best ones on my Steffens 2025 Birdathon Flckr Page. There are 3 pages of photos and you can look at them in full screen by clicking on the photo and using the arrow on the left of the photo to advance. At the bottom of the screen, you will see the name of the bird.  I would LOVE to hear what you liked the best.  

Here are some Birdathon 2025 highlights to share with you.

First Bird photographed – White Winged Dove at Hotel Bougainvillea in Costa Rica

Last Bird photographed – Lazuli Bunting at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds

Number of Checklists – 46

Total Species Observed – 290

Total Birds Observed – 3832

Total Quality Bird Species Photographed - 212

Highest Number of a Species Observed in Costa Rica – Clay Colored Thrush (Costa Rica’s National Bird) – 72

Highest Number of a Species Observed in Southern Arizona – Great Tailed Grackle – 197

Most Unusual Photograph – Costa’s Hummingbird with yellow on the throat – they have a purple gorget, but this one was covered in yellow pollen

Bird I was most surprised not to Photograph – Northern Mockingbird

10 Favorite Photographs

My favorite photographs in Costa Rica were:

• Resplendent Quetzal
• Three-wattled Bellbird
• Golden-browed Chlorophonia eating a berry
• Large-footed Finch feeding a chick
• Sunbittern displaying its wing patterns
• Violet Sabrewing in flight

My favorite photographs in Southern Arizona were:

• White-faced Ibis in flight at Sunrise
• Flamulated Owl
• Hermit Warbler
• Western Cattle Egret

Best Bird Splits - In 2017, the Magnificent Hummingbird was split into two species: the Talamanca Hummingbird and the Rivoli’s Hummingbird. I was able to see the Talamanca Hummingbird in the montane forest of Costa Rica and the Rivoli’s Hummingbird in Madera Canyon. In addition, in 2024 the House Wren was split into the Northern House Wren and Southern House Wren and I saw the Northern House Wren in Marana and the Southern House Wren in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Best Birds I wasn’t Expecting to see – I studied the birds I expected to see and photograph in Costa Rica and it was a complete surprise to see the White Hawk.  I created a spreadsheet of all of the birds I hoped to photograph in Southern Arizona and I had not planned on seeing so many warblers in Madera Canyon and was thrilled to photograph the Hermit Warbler.

I am the passionate birder I am today because of the Tucson Bird Alliance and after five years of volunteering and participating in events, I continue to be impressed with all the staff and Board 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”

Peggy

Pledges

• Peggy Steffens: $2/species photographed and $1 for every life bird photographed
• Clague Van Slyke: $50 plus $5 per species of raptor, owl and vulture. Can't wait to see your wonderful photos and to hear about your birdathon journey!
• Marcia Grand: $12/species

 PLEDGE (PAY LATER) 

 DONATE (PAY NOW) 

Birdathon is one of Tucson Bird Alliance’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 Bird Alliance’s mission to inspire people to enjoy and protect birds.

By donating to one or more Birdathon teams you are ensuring Tucson Bird Alliance'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 Bird Alliance 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!

Supporting a team by writing a check?

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

REGISTER YOUR OWN TEAM HERE
BACK TO BIRDATHON HOME PAGE