Cathy Wise

Community Science Manager

Cathy Wise (she/her) oversees community-based bird survey and habitat restoration projects in both Arizona and New Mexico. She initiated and currently directs Conservation Workdays and the “Downtown Owls” Burrowing Owl relocation program. Both efforts provide volunteers with meaningful, hands-on bird conservation project experiences. She leads Audubon Southwest's Native Plants for Birds initiative, and conducts and coordinates survey efforts for birds of concern including Pinyon Jay and the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

Cathy earned a Bachelor's of Science degree in Avian Sciences from University of California, Davis, and has studied birds throughout the southwest for over 20 years. She has worked as a wildlife biologist for several agencies including the US Forest Service, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Completed projects include bird point count monitoring of Utah’s remote and bear-rich Book Cliff region, land-bird mist-netting and banding at Point Blue’s Farallon Island Bird Observatory site and assisting with the surveys and the writing of the Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas (Wise co-edited). Cathy has been involved with raptor rehabilitation and education in California at the Davis Raptor Center and in Arizona at both the Liberty Wildlife Center and the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center.

Cathy is an avid hiker, climber, snowboarder, gardener, and beer enthusiast. Her favorite birds include Common Raven, tyrant flycatchers (esp. Western Kingbirds), small owls, and of course the Pinyon Jay.