Northern Arizona Audubon Society upcoming events

Volunteer | Arizona Field Ornithologists Annual Meeting (18 Aug 2026)

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Looking for another way to support Arizona's birding community?

Our friends at the Arizona Field Ornithologists (AZFO) are seeking volunteers for their September annual meeting. Volunteers receive complimentary conference registration while helping welcome attendees and support the event.

It's a wonderful opportunity to meet birders from across the state, learn from experts, and experience one of Arizona's premier birding gatherings.

Interested? Contact us at contactus@birdnaas.org, and we'll put you in touch with the AZFO volunteer coordinator.

Location: Pinewood Country Club, 395 Pinewood Blvd, Munds Park, AZ

Volunteer Habitat Restoration Day at Kachina Wetlands (22 Aug 2026)

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Help us protect one of Northern Arizona's most treasured bird habitats!

Saturday, August 22, 2026
7:00–10:30 a.m.
Kachina Wetlands Preserve

Join Northern Arizona Audubon Society and the Kachina Village Improvement District for a morning of community conservation as we work together to remove diffuse knapweed, an invasive plant that crowds out native vegetation and reduces valuable wildlife habitat.

Whether you can stay for the entire morning or just an hour, your help will make a meaningful difference. Volunteers will be pulling and bagging diffuse knapweed to help restore healthy habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife that depend on Kachina Wetlands.

Not able to pull weeds? We'd still love your help! We're also looking for volunteers to assist with check-in, photography, identifying diffuse knapweed for weeders, tying bags, and other support tasks.

What to Bring

Work gloves
Water
Long pants and a long-sleeve shirt
Hat and sunscreen
Sturdy closed-toe shoes

We'll provide shovels, weeding bags, cookies, and fruit snacks.

RSVP

For more information or to RSVP, please contact:

Jan Busco
janicebusco@gmail.com
928-864-7037

Can't make it on August 22? Mark your calendar for our first Kachina Wetlands Weed Pull on Saturday, July 18, from 7:00–10:30 a.m.

Arbor Day Tree Planting at Picture Canyon (25 Aug 2026)

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Help Grow Bird Habitat

Arbor Day in Flagstaff comes at the perfect time for planting trees! (We know National Arbor Day is in April—but April isn’t exactly planting season in Flagstaff.)

Join Open Space and Northern Arizona Audubon as we plant trees along the Rio de Flag at Picture Canyon Natural & Cultural Preserve. This long-supported partnership helps restore habitat and create healthier landscapes for birds and people.

Bring work gloves, water, snacks, and sturdy shoes. Extra supplies will be available.

Tuesday, August 25 | 8:00 AM–12:00 PM
Picture Canyon Natural & Cultural Preserve

To learn more and sign up go to: https://volunteer.flagstaffaz.gov/PublicActivityVolunteerRegistration/203c7453-0e81-4263-bb84-b01fdc9e4a54

Trivia Night | Oh Hey, Pinyon Jay at Drinking Horn Meadery, Flagstaff (26 Aug 2026)

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Oh Hey, Pinyon Jay Trivia Night

Raise a glass and test your knowledge for a declining bird — The Pinyon Jay.

Join us at the Drinking Horn Meadery in Flagstaff as we spread awareness about the Pinyon Jay, while competing in a lively and fun-filled trivia night focused on Colorado Plateau flora and fauna, as well as birds, bands, and popular culture.

Date: Wednesday August 26, 2026

Time: 6-8:30pm

Location: Drinking Horn Meadery, 108 E Rte 66, Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Admission is free - come and join the fun!

About the Pinyon Jay:

The Pinyon Jay is an iconic and declining bird of the intermountain west. From 1967–2015, populations fell by 3.69% annually for an estimated total loss of 83.5%. But what does it have to do with mead?

Two things: water and climate. Dependent on thriving agriculture and reliable water, the future of your favorite brew, just like the Pinyon Juniper woodlands and the Pinyon Jay, depends on us acting now to protect precious natural resources.

To help spread the word, Flagstaff’s Drinking Horn Meadery is releasing “Oh Hey Pinyon Jay” mead for the fourth year! To celebrate the Pinyon-Juniper woodlands, they are brewing with juniper berries, prickly pear, and local honey – and bottles sport Pinyon Jay conservation labels. In addition to great mead, each bottle provides a call to action and a sign-up link where folks can go to join our growing team of community scientists.

We hope you’ll join us in raising a glass for the Pinyon Jay.

Program Meeting | An Unlikely Ornithologist—a Change of Career at 40 (23 Sep 2026)

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 01:00:00 GMT

What happens when you decide to change careers at 40—and that new career takes you around the world working with birds? Join Donna O’Daniel as she shares the fascinating story of her journey into ornithology, from returning to graduate school to working with birds in some of the world’s most remote places. Donna will share stories from her career, illustrated with large maps of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and a poster of Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, along with selected passages from her memoir, Reflections of a Redeemed Rebel: The Bird Lady’s Memoir. Discover how a career with birds can be exciting, rewarding, and sometimes surprisingly dangerous!

Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Time: Doors open 5:30pm, Program starts 6pm

Location: Community Library Sedona, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona AZ

Presenter: Donna O’Daniel

Presenter Bio: Donna O’Daniel is the author of Reflections of a Redeemed Rebel: The Bird Lady’s Memoir. Originally from Arizona, Donna began her career in administrative and legislative work before making a major career change at age 40. She returned to school at the University of Texas at Austin, earning a master’s degree in Biological Sciences and beginning a career that would take her around the world.

Her work with birds has brought her to remarkable places including the Falkland Islands, Aleutian Islands, Northwest Hawaiian Islands, Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, the Northern Marianas, Madagascar, Antarctica, and throughout the United States. Donna has also volunteered with several National Wildlife Refuges, including Loxahatchee and St. Marks in Florida and Imperial National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona.

In 2025, Donna was part of a successful effort to prevent the establishment of a military rocket base on Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, helping protect an important site for approximately one million nesting seabirds and wintering shorebirds.

Join the Flock!

This program is hosted by the Northern Arizona Audubon Society, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting birds and the habitats they rely on across Northern Arizona. Everyone is welcome! If you enjoy our events, please consider supporting our work by becoming a member, making a donation, or signing up for our newsletter.