Left to right: Deb Sandin, Nancy Eisenstein, and Ben Eisenstein (photo by Diana Rosenblum)
Jim Hoagland
It was another successful year for the SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) Cuckoo’s Birdathon event. The SaddleBrooke Ranch Cuckoos, represented by Deb Sandin and Nancy and Ben Eisenstein, recently attended the wrap-up celebration party at Three Canyon Beer and Wine Gardens on a beautiful evening. The SBR Cuckoos, one of 29 teams, took home top honors in the category “Best Bucks for Birds” for raising the most funds for the Tucson Audubon Society with over $8,000 in donations and pledges thanks to friends, family, and the support of the SaddleBrooke Ranch community.
This is the fourth year that the SBR Cuckoos have participated and during that time, we’ve raised over $90,000, cumulatively, for Tucson Audubon. All the funds are used to support Tucson Audubon’s conservation, advocacy, habitat restoration, education, field trips, and scientific studies that help protect the birds of Southeast Arizona and their habitats, with programs like Desert Nestbox, Bird Safe Buildings, Saguaro Restoration, and collaborative research with researchers, conservationists, and recreationists.
The Tucson Audubon’s Birdathon ran from April 1 to April 30. The strategy this year was to include as many birders from SaddleBrooke Ranch as was reasonable. So, with that in mind, the group expanded to 12 birders. The 2024 group was led by Jim Hoagland, “Birdman of SBR,” and included former Cuckoo members Laurie McCoy, Karen Vanderwall, Deb Sandin, James Bradford, Rick and Sheree Gillaspie, and Tim DeJonghe. Joining us this year were four new members: Ben and Nancy Eisenstein and Gerry and Claire Tietje.
The 24-hour freestyle activities started the evening of April 23 with owling by two distinct groups in two different areas. Then the next morning, four separate groups explored various birding hot spot areas of Pinal County from Peppersauce Canyon and Campground, Oracle City and State Parks, Mammoth, Aravaipa Road, Santa Cruz Flats, and of course our own hot spot here at the Ranch. It concluded on April 24 with most members gathering at the pond by the Ranch House Grill.
By breaking into smaller groups, we felt we could cover more areas. Our goal this year was 150 species and to raise $5,000 for Tucson Audubon Society. Although we did not reach our self-imposed species goal, we did see 127 species and far exceeded our monetary goal. If you would like to see the full summary report, please contact Jim Hoagland at [email protected] for a copy.
We invite you to join the birding community for the upcoming Southeast Arizona Birding Festival 2024. It is the premiere festival and runs from Aug. 7 through 11, with lots of field trips, presentations, and a great exhibition hall. This year’s featured banquet speaker will be Kenn Kaufman, renowned ornithologist and author. The event is held locally at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel—Reid Park.
If you have not been on one of the monthly bird surveys of the SBR Nature Trail, contact Jim Hoagland at [email protected] to have your name put on the notification emails. Generally, we record between 25 to 35 species on the trail in the 2-hour leisurely walk. All skill levels of birders, including beginners, are welcome, and binoculars will be furnished upon request.