Desert Purple Martins need your creativity!  The hesperia subspecies of Purple Martin, those that breed only in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and northern Mexico, needs your help.

Desert Martins nest exclusively in cavities in giant saguaro and cardon cactus.  Their range and population size, now down to 5,900 individuals, seems limited by available nest cavities.  Unfortunately, fires fueled by invasive grasses are leading to massive losses of saguaros—young ones and giant mature ones alike.  It takes 100-150years before saguaros achieve the size necessary to host martin nest—that’s too long for martins to wait.   That’s where you come in.

Tucson Audubon and project partners are sponsoring a nextbox design competition with $2,000 in cash prizes. Visit their website to learn how you can participate in the contest and potentially design a Desert Martin house that will facilitate their long term survival and help increase their population size.

In the meantime, Tucson Audubon’s Desert Purple Martin Project is protecting all the giant saguaros they can and planting young ones after burns, and in areas expected to become good saguaro and martin habitat in the future.  If designing nestboxes isn’t your thing, consider sponsoring a saguaro hotel or newly planted seedling!

This work is made possible through the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Climate Adaptation Fund, and the Disney Conservation Fund, Arizona Game and Fish and private donations.

Photo courtesy of Samantha Bean

We are proud to introduce you to the passionate efforts of Samantha Bean.  If you, too, are a voice for safely retaining dead trees for wildlife, we’d love to hear from you and receive your photos!  For more information see Samantha’s recent article.

Throughout the United States ambassadors for dead trees use their gardens, patches of forest, local parks and out-of the-way green spaces to advocate for their safe retention when possible.  Sometimes they use our habitat tree signs to explain why ’that ugly dead tree has not been removed completely’; and they refer those who are newly curious to our website for more information.  

Photo by Willie Linn

The findings refute the theory that the birds’ skulls act like helmets, absorbing the shock of impact. Instead, they minimize it to strike harder. Read more…

Early in 2019, Lara Tseng, then a middle school student aged thirteen, submitted to the Southern California Bluebird Club (and its auxiliary program, the Cavity Conservation Initiative) a request for funding for her proposed study of calcium intake by Western Bluebirds.  She proposed using existing bluebird nest boxes to collect the data.  Since Lara was already the organization’s youngest nest box monitor,  it was natural that she also requested that the Club’s experienced nest box monitors assist her in collecting the data. 

Lara posed the hypothesis, designed the methodology, supervised the project participants, collected, and interpreted the data. The study was conducted during the 2013 breeding season.  Lara received support from several professionals in the process of writing her manuscript.  

The manuscript has recently been published in the Journal of Emerging Investigators, 8 December 2021 Vol 4  I 6.  It took a year to bring it to a standard suitable for publication.  Lara illustrated a remarkable level of determination to accomplish this.  She found it a valuable experience in the rigors of scientific study and reporting.

We applaud her.  We are immensely proud to have supported her work and look forward to her promising future as a scientist.   Lara is now a biology major in her first year at California State University Los Angeles.

Please use this link to read the full manuscript. 

Throughout the year sapsuckers drill wells for sap in healthy and stressed trees. In early spring, the bird first drills narrow, circular wells into the tree’s xylem—the inner part of the trunk—to feed on sap moving up to the branches. After the tree leafs out, the sapsucker begins making shallower, rectangular wells in the phloem. This is the part of the trunk that carries sap down from the leaves. These phloem wells are continually maintained with fresh drilling, so the sap will continue to flow. Here’s a cool video of the yellow-bellied sapsucker, an eastern species, at work.  Look for the arrival of the female (the second bird) to see how she dips her insect-filled bill into sap.  It’s safe to guess she has young to feed.

Sapsuckers tend to choose sick or wounded trees for drilling their wells, and they choose tree species with high sugar concentrations in their sap.  In addition to sap, sapsuckers consume cambium and opportunistically pick insects trapped in sap. The greatest damage to trees is done on warm winter days and in spring just before migration. 

Though arborists understandably bemoan the sapsucker’s injury to trees, the species’ contribution to forest ecosystems is significant.  By drilling sap wells for their own consumption, the birds also provide a food source for other birds, insects and even mammals. All are free to ‘double dip’ as much as they want.

Does the sapsucker kill the tree?  Yes, sometimes, especially if the it inflicts repeated injury to the trunk or a branch.  Death is a certainty if the wells girdle the entire circumference.  Sad, you think?  Well, not so fast!  Assuming the tree is in a healthy forest, woodland, or riparian area, and assuming it is left to die in place, its death commences a new and commendable life.  It benefits many forest organisms in ways amply described by many biologists and foresters.  Ultimately, its nutrients are recycled into soil, and new plants emerge in its place.  This is Nature’s plan.  Unfortunately sapsucker wells can be costly to orchard growers who suffer loss of fruit production when trees are injured.  Commercial wood producers also pay a heavy price in stained or distorted wood. 

Several deterrents can be used and often have at least partial success.  There really is no sure way to stop a bird from foraging on a tree.  Sight and noise deterrents can be found on-line.  Some, especially malar strips, have been reported to work quite well.  Plastic owls are usually ineffective.  Birds quickly learn they are not a threat. 

Care must be taken when installing plastic netting, wire mesh, or other material to cover bark or fruit trees. Plastic netting can trap birds and have a deadly outcome.  Avoid covering bark any longer than necessary.  Bark needs sunlight and air.  Furthermore, make sure the covering is tightly stretched in place.  Loosely secured material, when whipped by strong wind, can break free and harm bark or snap small branches.  Sticky products are not safe deterrents to birds and can be lethal.  By struggling to get free, birds can break wings and legs and injure themselves in other ways.  They are inhuman even for those for which they are intended.  All native birds are legally protected, so shooting them and using toxic substances is illegal.

Since sapsuckers are unable to recognize our personal or commercial interests, let’s continue to seek safe, creative ways to live side by side with them.  And if you are fortunate to observe a sapsucker, you might consider the millions of years it took to shape its form and function so that it can be in service to the  health of our planet.

You are likely familiar with the saying, ‘right tree, right place’?  Behind the expression is a message  that without careful selection and management, trees are more likely to fail or do harm.  The same care is needed when selecting a nest box design, a location for it, the method of installation, maintenance etc.

Cavity nesting birds are likely to breed successfully in boxes designed for their species, placed in suitable habitats and where predation risks are lower. But several other factors need to be considered as well.  When not chosen or placed correctly, the wrong box in the wrong place can be a disaster waiting to happen. 

Many volunteer-run organizations support cavity nesting birds by monitoring nest boxes during the nesting season.  They appeal to us in earnest.  More volunteers are needed to replace those that retire.  This is not a difficult or full-time commitment.  It can be a safe activity even during a pandemic.  Best of all,  the work offers numerous rewards.  Before you consider installing a new box elsewhere, please consider assisting these organizations in caring for the successful boxes they have in place…or for that matter in filling other operational needs.  Also check your local Audubon Society for similar opportunities:

• The Southern California Bluebird Club
• California Bluebird Recovery Program
• North American Bluebird Society
• American Kestrel Partnership
• Tree Swallow Project
• Wood Duck Society
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology NestWatch Program

The Northern Flicker is the second largest, most widespread and migratory woodpecker in North America (except for Hawaii which has no woodpeckers).  Unlike most other woodpeckers, its coloration is suited for its ground foraging habits.  An untrained eye would find little to suggest this bird is a woodpecker, and even less likely to guess its remarkable adaptions for its specialized role. A young boy fascinated by all things ‘gross’ would light up like a Christmas tree to discover the Flicker’s impressive and ‘eeky’ abilities. 

The flicker is a primary predator of underground ants, eating more than any other North American bird. Stomach contents suggest a thousand a day.  Its diet, however, includes many other arthropods, including those found in trees (especially those with decay), and even in cow patties. In fall and winter, fruit and large seeds are preferred.

Its barbed tongue protrudes almost 2 inches from the bill, aided by elastic bony rods to which it is attached.  These rods wrap and rest around the back of the skull, enter the right nostril and cavity of the upper jaw.  When the bird deploys its tongue, the rods catapult it forward.  When the bill is shut, they swing back into place.  To capture many ants at a time, the flicker’s large salivary gland excretes sticky mucous which covers the tongue as it shoots forward. 

Unfortunately, the bird’s decurved bill is best suited to be applied as a pickax rather than a chisel.  This makes it less ideal for excavating in wood.  Consequently, the flicker frequently reuses old, excavated cavities, easily excavates in saguaro, and chooses aspen (when available) because of the tree’s propensity for heartwood rot.  About 14 days are required for the work.  About sixty or so cavity-nesting birds (as well as many other wildlife) nest and seek protection in the abandoned cavities of woodpeckers.  The family Picidae are vital carpenters of the bird world.

Where dead snags are available in spring, the Flicker can be found in montane forests, isolated woodlands in the desert, city parks and urban neighborhoods.  Breeding time varies by region but ranges from February through July.  Its nest may be as low as six feet above ground.  If you approach a tree cavity about 3 inches in diameter and detect the sound of bees inside, you may be hearing the Flicker’s nestlings attempting to scare you away.  When possible, delaying tree care until they have left is the best practice.

The Flicker is one of the most vocal woodpeckers.  The bird is fond of announcing itself with  a  kee’er or kee’ew.  Once recognized, its Wicka and Peah calls are also unmistakable.

The species is steadily declining in North America.  Construction reduces ant nests and simultaneously attracts the non-native European Starling which outcompetes Flickers for nest sites in some regions.  But arborists can mitigate for the greatest impact on the Flicker and other species that rely on its nest cavities by safely managing snags and live trees with heart rot, when possible. Though not well substantiated, pesticides on golf courses, agricultural fields and urban lawns are thought to be a contributing factor.

We’ve Received a Matching Gift Offer!

Dear friends,

A private donor, Charlotte Adelman, native plant author from Illinois, has generously agreed to match your tax-deductible donation to the Cavity Conservation Initiative until a total of $6,000 is donated.  

This means every $1 will become $2.  Every $25 will become $50.  Every $75 will become $150 etc.   Ms. Adelman doubles your ability to make a difference.

She is a passionate ambassador for native flora and fauna.  Ms. Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz have authored three books which are listed below.  They champion our mission and invite you to do the same. 

We are an unceasing voice for the habitat value of standing dead trees and healthy, diverse forests.  For understandable reasons these trees are steadily removed across our landscape.  They are, nevertheless, critical habitat for woodpeckers, other cavity-nesters and a myriad of wildlife. 

We provide alternatives to removing all dying trees entirely. Yes, it is possible to carefully select which ones to save.  Some can be safely managed as wildlife trees. When allowed to die in place, a tree’s habitat value can sometimes equal or exceed its years in good health.

Many of you already share credit for our success.  You have advocated for dying trees in your communities or safely retained them on your property.  Thanks to you, nearly half the states in the United States have trees that display our wildlife tree signs!  We applaud you!

This match ends on November 31.  Thank you for your consideration.  Please use this link to make a tax-deductible gift now. 

The Midwestern Native Garden- Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers & Plants, An Illustrated Guide. Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz


Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees – Gardening Alternatives to Nonnative Species, An Illustrated Guide. Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz


Prairie Directory of North America – The United States, Canada and Mexico – Second Edition. Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz

From a very early age, I was drawn to birds. The first question I asked about birds was, “Why won’t they let me hold them?” I was three at the time. I am thirteen now. Since then, there isn’t a single day that I don’t seek answers about nature. I love questions that make my world bigger, more interesting, and reveal new discoveries.

Asking questions is how I learned about bluebirds. In 2018 I became a nestbox monitor for the Southern California Bluebird Club (SCBC). The following year I conducted a year-long science project in my backyard. I wanted to see if birds would consume crushed eggshells as a source of calcium. While I found that they did so during the breeding season, the project raised another question. Would the Western Bluebird also do so? This has become my science project for 2020. In this article I would like to describe this project. I would also like to share my interest in technology. I strongly believe that exploring science and learning about technology are keys in helping birds and conserving our planet. I am grateful to NABS for the opportunity to tell my story.

I am an only child. My parents support and help me overcome obstacles to becoming a scientist. Their love and sacrifice nourish my interests in birds, nature, technology, and all the related sciences. My mom gets up before dawn on weekends and during school breaks to get me to classes and events. We often spend hours in heavy traffic. She waits for me at the library or naps in the car.

Around age 10, I discovered to my dismay that my school friends and adult acquaintances often didn’t share my love of nature. In fact, some showed outright disdain. I was surprised, and disappointed. Frustration grew as they dismissed and belittled what I cherish. However, my parents advised me not to take it personally, to respect differing opinions, and most of all to not give up.

As fate would have it, I met my mentor, Ms. Gillian Martin, at a local nature event. She is the founder of the Cavity Conservation Initiative (CCI), a program of the Southern California Bluebird Club (SCBC). She is an inspiration because she works tirelessly to convince people to preserve dead trees for wildlife. Ms. Martin took me under her wing. I began to help out at some of her events. I learned first-hand the need to take action and speak up for causes I believed in. It was up to me to present and convince others that helping birds and conserving nature is important. She illustrated that perseverance is key.

While volunteering at an Arbor Day event, I met the mayor of Mission Viejo, California. He invited me to speak in front of the city council about my experience as a bluebird monitor. The presentation went well but I felt my message about conservation didn’t connect with my audience. I started to wonder how I could improve my public speaking skills to further my cause. Soon after, Ms. Martin introduced me to Mr. Steve Kaye, a professional public speaker as well as a nature photographer.

He kindly tutored me over several weekends. I learned ways to connect with an audience, convey facts in an interesting way, and keep their attention. Mr. Kay called it “owning the room.” One of the most valuable pieces of advice he gave me as a beginner was to be selective about audiences I sought. He suggested I avoid audiences whose minds are likely closed forever. He said I should choose people who are “in the middle,” or uncertain and still open.

“That’s where hope for change lies,” he said.

Mr. Kaye’s teachings helped me speak easily and confidently, even at science and tech fairs. This past winter when I presented the outcome of my 2019 project, and also proposed this year’s eggshell project to the SCBC, I really felt I connected with my audience; so much so that SCBC agreed to immediately provide a $500 grant to fund it.

I am not the first to study this topic. My project was partially inspired by a relevant study by Dr. Andre A. Dhondt of Cornell University titled “Variations in Calcium Use by Birds During the Breeding Season.” It was published in the January 2001 issue of The Condor. The study tested birds’ consumption of crushed eggshells at open feeding stations across North America, but the data did not include mention of the Western Bluebird.

To help me, more than a dozen SCBC monitors volunteered to collect data on 64 nestboxes throughout Orange County. The objective is to see if and when the Western Bluebird will consume crushed eggshells from a small, removable, clear plastic container affixed to the top of each box. Each container holds 5 grams of eggshells. The container has a lid with a small hole in the middle to allow the bird to access the eggshells.

In my study, monitors check the boxes and containers at weekly intervals. They will do this during the breeding season (from March to August). They all use the same model of digital scale (capable of measuring to 0.01 g) to weigh the eggshells to determine if and how much eggshell was consumed. After the weight check, volunteers refill each container back to 5 g of eggshells. Weekly checks also record the status of the nest so eggshell consumption can be compared with the stages of the nesting cycle. Although my data will not be complete until after the publication of this article, I have already seen some interesting consumption patterns by the bluebirds. I will be pleased to share my findings with NABS.

It’s been a challenge coordinating and communicating with all the monitors, managing a project budget, and developing clear and concise procedures. There are ups and downs, of course. I enjoy the supportive messages from volunteers, and the jolts of excitement when I see a bluebird investigating my eggshells. But then there are days when heavy rain delays data collection, or when unexpected issues come up. Nevertheless, I am grateful for all the different experiences that enrich me as a person.

So why did I choose to study eggshells and birds? It was an idea that was born out my concern over how people like to feed junk food to ducks and other birds in our parks. As NABS members likely already know, this can adversely impact the health and migration of birds, as well as public health. If I learn that providing sterilized, crushed eggshells is possible and practical in public places, I hope that people will be persuaded to feed this to birds instead of things like bread, chips, and other junk food.

Beyond my interests in birds, nature, and science, I am also keenly interested in technology, especially programming and computer science. I have been fascinated with biotechnology of late since it encompasses all my interests. Programming algorithms have helped determine biodiversity in an ecosystem as a whole and populations of individual species within a habitat. These algorithms can also be used to provide a platform for citizen scientists to input data on the biodiversity found in their own neighborhoods. They can be applied to understand the behavior of endangered species to help preserve their population and genetic diversity. Using websites and apps could greatly increase awareness and be crucial in educating the public about some of the most urgent problems that we are faced with today.

Skills in software engineering and biotechnology can help me contribute more to protecting animals and conserving nature. So far, I worked on a few demonstration projects such as a website on identifying my local bird species as well as an app that targets people, especially kids, to help conserve nature. These projects competed in Coolest Projects USA (a tech fair for 18 and under), winning 1st in web design in 2019 and 1st in app creation 2020.

While I can’t thank everyone who has supported me in my journey, I do want to acknowledge some key people who greatly shaped who I am today. I met Mr. Lindsey and Ms. Cathy Groves from the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles when I was three years old. The two of them are successful and inspiring scientists and have been incredibly supportive.

There is also Ms. Laura Cohen, a resource specialist at Laguna Wilderness Park who first introduced me to conservation. She is my “nature mom” who has opened up so many new interests and opportunities such as managing my own booth at multiple nature events that the park hosts.

And most of all, I wanted to thank Ms. Martin of the CCI. If it weren’t for a mentor like her, I would not have progressed this far. Through successes and disappointments, she has been there for me.

I am also grateful for the support of my school teachers, principals, and superintendent. Their encouragement and understanding mean a great deal as I work hard for the cause I support.

As I write this, I am thinking of all the conservationists who have come before me and are working earnestly to protect life on our planet. I want to honor them with responsible, helpful actions. While there is much for me to learn, I have my parents, my mentors, Sea & Sage Audubon, and the SCBC to help stay on course. With their support, I know I can make a positive impact for the causes I cherish. Thank you for allowing me to share my story.