Verde Valley News – Northern Arizona Audubon Society (NAAS) presents Birding 101, a backyard birding class and field trip. Start inside the Library’s Terracotta Room on Friday, March 31st from 1:00-3:00 pm, and then meet Saturday morning, April 1 at 7:00a under the Ramada near Moser Lane at Rezzonico Family Park for a bird walk near the river, and immediately after, a carpool trip to the Camp Verde Sewer Treatment Plant for another bird walk. Never been birding before? Ask at the front desk to check out one of the four Birdwatching Backpack Kits at the Library to try it out.
Here is your chance to learn to identify the birds in your own backyard from one of the best, Dr. Richard Armstrong. Rich Armstrong earned his Ph.D. in Nuclear Inorganic Chemistry from Stanford. He retired from the Army as a Major, spent 20 years working at Texaco, and has been married to Nanette for 38 years. He and his wife have birded together in Texas, Oregon, most of North America, and now in Arizona for 9 years. He is the NAAAS steward of the Sedona Wetlands where he has led many field trips for NAAS.
This is a two-part class. Friday afternoon learning inside the library, and then the next morning go on the 2 walks outside to practice what you learned. For the outdoor bird walk on Saturday, April 1, please register on the Camp Verde Community Library Events Calendar https://bit.ly/425PxHq. There is a limit of 15 people for the Saturday walk, so after the limit of 15 people has been reached, you may register for a Sunday, April 2 bird walk https://bit.ly/4018CJh
For the outdoor bird walks:
- bring your own water
- wear sturdy shoes
- wear a hat or sun visor for shade
- don’t forget the sunscreen
Camp Verde Important Birding Area: The 17 mile stretch of the middle section of the Verde River from Parsons Park just west of I-17 to Rockin’ River Ranch State Park provides important habitat for resident and migratory birds. The Verde River is one of Arizona’s last remaining perennially flowing river systems, with healthy riparian vegetation, including the extremely rare Fremont Cottonwood-Gooding Willow gallery forest type. It provides a unique habitat that is preferred by bird species of concern, such as Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Common Black Hawk, Bell’s Vireo, Yellow Warbler, and Lucy’s Warbler.
Currently, the best access points to this IBA are Rezzonico Family Park in Camp Verde and the Clear Creek campground area in Coconino National Forest.
Camp Verde Community Library is located just off Montezuma Castle Highway at 130 Black Bridge Road, Camp Verde AZ. For more information about this or any other library program, call 554-8380 during library open hours Mon-Sat 9:00a-5:00p.
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