Dozens of hummingbirds come daily into Ruth Russel’s yard — attracted to the sweet nectar in numerous feeders that hang on posts and from mesquite and palo verde trees.
She admiringly stares at the tiny red, violet, gray, white and brown hummingbirds that visit her all year at her home in the desert on Tucson’s west side.
Then there are the cactus wrens, the black-throated sparrows and the curve-billed thrashers she can spot from a window or an open door. For years roadrunners have nested on her property, successfully raising young.
Javelinas also feel at home on her land and one gave birth days ago — the piglet near its mama is visible through the brush.
A baby javelina hangs out with their mom in Ruth Russell’s backyard on July 23, 2019.
“I respect wildlife. They were here first,” said Russell, a native of Westfield, New Jersey, who moved to Tucson with family in 1969.
It is only fitting that the retired graphic artist was recognized this past Saturday at the National Audubon Society’s convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Russell was honored for decades of volunteerism on environmental causes and for her “tireless work as a bird advocate” on local, state and national levels of the Audubon Society, officials said.
“Ruth is a leader at all levels of Audubon. ... She is a relentless advocate for birds and their habitats,” Sonia Perillo, executive director of Audubon Arizona, said in a news release.
“She reminds us every day that birds are at the heart of the work we do, and she inspires our staff and volunteers to share the world of birds with all members of the communities we serve,” said Jonathan Lutz, executive director of the Tucson Audubon Society.
Russell served 12 years on the National Audubon Society board of directors as the Rocky Mountain regional director, including six years as a vice-chair. She was an advisory board member for Audubon Arizona and helped establish a state council of chapters, unifying members to advance science, public policy, and conservation measures for birds, officials said.
She also served repeatedly as a board member for the Tucson Audubon Society starting in the 1970s, and was instrumental in bringing the national convention to Tucson in 1989.
Ruth Russell, a retired graphic artist, says “much of what I may be credited with is due to (Tucson Audubon Society) members working together over the years.”
Birding and related activities generate $1.4 billion in economic activity annually in Arizona, according to the Tucson Audubon Society.
The elegant trogon — with brilliant plumage of red, green, white, black and gray — found from Costa Rica north to Southeast Arizona lures Russell to the community of Portal and the Chiricahua Mountains in Cochise County.
She enjoys spotting the rare trogon and, really, all species of birds because the creatures bring her joy.
“Tucson and Southeast Arizona is a mecca for birders. I don’t know any birders in this country who have not come or (don’t) want to come to this birding spot,” said Russell. “Birders want to see all the birds they can and to do that they have to travel.”
Russell says birdwatchers come here from all over to see the elegant trogon, above.
The trogon is not an endangered species but only a very small portion live in the United States.
Tucson Audubon conducts annual surveys and this year counted 166 trogons from May 18 to June 2 in Arizona, officials said. Eighteen were counted in the Chiricahua Mountains.
Tucson Audubon officials said trogons are most definitely one of the bird species most sought after by eco-tourists visiting Southeast Arizona.
The trogon is the logo this year for the Tucson Audubon’s Ninth Annual Southeast Arizona Birding Festival, Aug. 7-11 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Tucson-Reid Park.
“Receiving this award is a most humbling experience,” said Russell. “So much of Audubon’s accomplishments are due to volunteers in chapters all across the country. Tucson Audubon Society is one of the most active chapters, and much of what I may be credited with is due to members working together over the years.”
Birders are environmentalists and are active at the grassroots level, she said, adding that birders worry about water being drained from the San Pedro River because of abundant wells and development in areas that cannot support the growth. Russell has served on a state task force to save state land from development and on an international commission panel to study the San Pedro River.
“The San Pedro used to flow year-round and now you can find areas of the San Pedro that are dry,” she said, adding that she has witnessed the decline in water over the years while birding.
“My time with Audubon has been and continues to be an important part of my life,” said Russell. “I feel fortunate to be a part of a nationwide team working to protect the environment we share with all living creatures.”