About our logo and web site

The Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory's logo was inspired by the diversity of habitats and bird species that make this corner of the U.S. so special. The foreground and background layers represent the deserts and "sky island" mountains. The plant is Palmer's Agave (a.k.a. "century plant"), a typical species of this region. Its towering, candelabra-like bloom stalk provides nectar and pollen for a variety of birds and other wildlife, and the dead stalks become perches for raptors or nest sites for Ladder-backed Woodpeckers. The bird is a buteo hawk, representing a group of raptors emblematic of the bird diversity of southeastern Arizona. Gray, Zone-tailed, Common Black, and Harris's hawks are tropical species at or near their northern geographic limits in our region, while Rough-legged Hawks are rare visitors from the Arctic. Red-tailed Hawks occur as residents and short-distance migrants (Fuertes's and Western subspecies) and long-distance migrants (Harlan's subspecies).

The colors of the web site were chosen to reflect the geology of the region. Copper has shaped the economic and social as well as natural history of southeastern Arizona. The colors of the native metal and those of its semiprecious ores--lapis lazuli, azurite, and turquoise in particular--pay homage to Bisbee's past as a mining community and its present as a haven for artists, craftspeople, and lovers of natural beauty.