Avi Kwa Ame National Monument ~ Birdsong and Blooms

APRIL 2026

Spring is here, and the air is humming with birdsongs, fly-overs and all kinds of bird nesting activities. Quail are marching their families about to forage while giving Marco-Polo type calls, and then resting in the afternoon shade of the blooming creosote bushes. Male phainopepla are chasing one another in low-altitude aerial acrobatics through the Joshua trees, trying to solve their territorial disputes while also impressing the ladies. Great Horned owl moms and dads are calling to each other throughout the night as they take turns watching their growing youngsters and hunting to fulfill their children's sizable appetites. The wet weather has brought an abundance of insects, flowers and seeds to our monument, and that is great news to our resident birds and those migrating through this month. 

We're also in the mood to celebrate this spring, and have been working hard to put the final touches on our monument's third anniversary celebration, to be held on April 25th. It will be a full day of free excursions, workshops, history and science talks, and even an afterparty fundraiser called "Happy Hour History," that you won't want to miss.