Nesting Platforms for Western Cordilleran Flycatchers with Charles Van Riper III

The Benefit of Nesting Platforms for Western Cordilleran Flycatchers in SW Colorado and Mt. Lemmon, AZ

The Western Cordilleran Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis occidentalis) breeds throughout the higher elevations of the Intermountain West, including the forests on Mt. Lemmon and other Sky Islands in Arizona and Mexico. Classified as a crevice-nester and considered nest-site limited, this flycatcher typically places its nests on recessed locations such as rock ledges, nooks in stream banks, behind loose tree bark, or withing the roots of wind-blown trees. Anytime a bird species is nest-site limited, the addition of artificial nesting substances can often enhance breeding. Join Tucson Audubon and Dr. Charles Van Riper III for this virtual presentation on utilizing artificial nesting platforms to enhance breeding of Western Cordilleran Flycatchers on Mt. Lemmon.

Charles van Riper III is currently an Emeritus Professor at the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, and is also an Emeritus ST Ecologist with the US Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center in the Department of Interior. He is an author of over 300 scientific papers and 28 books, and is the co-editor on a series of 11 books about The Colorado Plateau, a series published by the University of Arizona Press. He is a past President of the Wildlife Disease Association and was on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Wildlife Diseases and The Condor. He began his bird research in Hawaii working on the impact of introduced parasites on native Hawaiian birds, with a focus on malaria and avian pox. His present research focuses on neotropical migrant Passerine birds in Western North America, and their whole annual cycles throughout Mexico and into Central America.

Registrants will be emailed a Zoom link a couple of days prior to the event.

Registration for this virtual event is free.

Header Image: Western Cordilleran Flycatcher by Charles Van Riper III