Welcome to the Arizona Field Ornithologists’ (AZFO) web page and our inaugural quarterly periodical, Arizona Birds Online. I am thrilled to finally announce the initiation of this fledgling organization and to encourage many of you to become active members.  Enthusiastic individuals are needed to help mold it into a progressive and valuable forum for birders, biologists, and researchers. Many other states have similar organizations, and a handful of dedicated individuals decided that Arizona was well overdue. Although there are many routes that AZFO can take as more individuals get involved, the primary focus will be on obtaining, compiling, and disseminating recently acquired information on the birds of Arizona. In fact, the organization’s mission statement is as follows:

Arizona Field Ornithologists is an organization of birders and ornithologists dedicated to increasing the knowledge of the identification, status, and distribution of Arizona’s birdlife.

Please keep in mind however, that this broad statement may change slightly as the organization evolves and future endeavors are undertaken. At this time there are no membership dues and until they are established, we will continue to provide this information economically via printable online documents and frequently updated postings on the AZFO web page. In the near future, we plan to display statewide seasonal reports compiled from noteworthy observation you provide to us. Eventually, we will also produce a peer-reviewed publication to be called Arizona Birds, featuring photographs, articles, papers, and survey results of relevance to our mission. As the organization grows, we will also sponsor an annual conference in the state that will include workshops, paper presentations, and local field trips.     

For AZFO to progress, we need many active and dedicated members from throughout the state to take part in its evolution. This can be accomplished by submitting noteworthy field observations, writing articles, and participating in organized weekend bird surveys to remote or little known areas of the state. We hope to soon begin compiling information about bird distribution, numbers, migratory patterns, and breeding records throughout the state from seasonal reports submitted by birders like you. An important result of this activity will be to help establish the following information for each of Arizona’s 15 counties: a complete list of documented species, a list of species that nest or have nested, early and late nesting records, and arrival and departure dates for migrant and irruptive species. Once we compile this baseline information, we can then evaluate the significance of future local reports, document changes in the seasonal status of species, and have a much better understanding of statewide bird distribution.

Members can also help document and monitor the changing status of nonnative bird populations in Arizona, such as Eurasian Collared-Doves, Peach-faced Lovebirds, and Monk Parakeets. We also encourage you to participate in the upcoming countywide bird survey known as the North American Migration Count. There are more details on this event in the first issue of Arizona Birds Online, and you can click on the web page to view the 2004 results of these counts.

The ways in which you can support and participate in AZFO are boundless. They are limited only by the number of enthusiastic and active members we have. So come join us in our infinite quest to understand the dynamic nature of Arizona’s avian world and help create an open forum to share these new revelations and discoveries.

I look forward to working with you, both in and out of the field.

Troy Corman,
President

Arizona Field Ornithologists

AZFO Bylaws