The Cochise County of Arizona is a bird watcher’s dream. Located in the southeastern section of Arizona, it has a great mix of national parks, Forest Service property, state parks, Arizona Game and Fish property, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) holdings and the famous Nature Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon property.

Spring seems finally to be here, and we have even had some nice spring weather. The thoughts of birds are turning toward their nesting season, as is evidenced by the increasing volume of birdsong. Owls are no exception, as they call more frequently at this time of the year as well. Some may already be on their nests while others are selecting their nesting sites.

At first glance, it seems unlikely that there is a connection between the abundance of white-tailed deer and the long-term documented decline of many songbirds. But let’s take a closer look.

Amazingly enough, deer used to be scarce, with low populations nationwide prior to 1900. Their populations rebounded once restrictions on hunting were put in place and now they are incredibly abundant, making this perhaps one of the most successful wildlife conservation efforts ever.

Three cheers for local knowledge! Although Arizona is a birder’s paradise, it is a challenge to find birds you want to see even if there is a guide to show you the way. So we rediscovered the importance of chatting with birders in the areas where we hoped to observe birds we had never seen before.

It’s the season for the ospreys to return, which, along with the arrival of red-winged blackbirds and other migrant icterids and an uptick in birdsong volume and variety, signals a kickstart in bird awareness right about this time each year.

The question was, “How do you find places to bird watch and stay when you are traveling in the Bird Buggy?” It has been a challenge at times, but mainly a combination of word of mouth, internet research and dumb luck. Vineyard birders Tom Rivers and Lanny McDowell loaned us books entitled How to Find Birds in: Arizona, Texas and Southern California which give specific details on where to locate good birding areas in those states and also how to find information on the latest sightings in an area.