Come out to Bawker Bawker Cider House for some birds, brews, and bingo! You’ll put your bird ID knowledge to the test, compete to win sweet birdy prizes, and sip some of the best cider in town with your friends from Tucson Bird Alliance! Note that bingo will start promptly at 6:30. Drive time to the location from the DoubleTree is about 10 minutes. Limited to 60 participants.
Difficulty: Easy (1 -1.5 miles on mostly flat surfaces with some uneven terrain)
Join professional photographer, and founder of Experience Nature Tours, Ben Knoot, for a photography and birding experience at El Rio Preserve. This nature preserve area just northwest of Tucson in Marana offers an opportunity to see a variety of birds including waterfowl, shorebirds, and flycatchers. This will be a causal session of photography and birding and is perfect for anyone who would like to learn more about birds and camera techniques for bird photography. Bring your binoculars and your camera. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 30 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.
Black Phoebe by Mick Thompson
Difficulty: Easy (Just over a mile walking on excellent surfaces.)
This artificial wetland is the premier birding hotspot in the Tucson Valley, offering a stunning variety of species that can be found here at any time during the season. Green Heron, Common Gallinule, Tropical Kingbird, Common Yellowthroat, and Abert’s Towhees are some of our prime targets. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 20 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 12 participants.
Tropical Kingbird by JBurns
Capture the colors of Sonoran desert birds, from the vibrant red of a vermillion flycatcher to the subtle browns and tans of a cactus wren. Since the days of Audubon, art has been a way to understand birds on an intimate and detailed level. In this workshop, we will focus on the color found on birds of the Sonoran desert. First we will enjoy some colorful bird images from art history. Next we will use pastel to create color patches to match the colors of several desert birds. Step by step, I will walk you through pastel techniques that make this process of color matching fun and accessible to beginners as well as more advanced participants. Finally, working from a photo, we will create a vermillion flycatcher using these simple pastel techniques. Materials provided by The Drawing Studio, 2760 N. Tucson Blvd. Limited to 12 participants.
Invitation-to-Appreciation-Ode-to-My-Mothers-Wisdom-pastel-on-paper by Laura Milkins
Difficulty: Easy (Easy watching from pathway/parking area and short drive.)
Join Karen Krebbs on an adventure to watch thousands of bats come out of their roost at dusk. Karen has studied bats for more than 30 years and will share her vast knowledge of these misunderstood night creatures. This nightly Tucson spectacle even brings in a Cooper’s Hawk or Peregrine Falcon on occasion. You will meet Karen on-site on the east side of Tucson near Pantano and Broadway. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is approximately 15 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 20 participants.
Lesser long-nosed bat by Dan Weisz
Difficulty: Moderate (mostly flat walking trails on some uneven and rocky terrain)
We’ll bird Sabino Canyon Recreation Area walking a loop that includes both Sonoran desert upland and Sabino Creek riparian area. Gila Woodpeckers, Purple Martins, and Cactus Wrens should be readily seen with other desert and riparian birds. Meet at the ramada by the Visitor’s Center at 5700 N Sabino Canyon Road. $8 parking fee. Return to car by 9am. Sunhat, water and walking shoes always recommended. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 25 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.
Cactus Wren by John Kennedy
Difficulty: Easy (Mostly flat, groomed trails at a city park. Bathrooms available.)
The tall aleppo pines and eucalyptus, along with two large ponds, create great bird habitat right next to the festival venue. We’ll look for Black-crowned Night Herons, Neotropic Cormorants, Cassin’s Kingbirds, Vermilion Flycatchers, and more. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is less than 5 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 12 participants.
Black-crowned Night Heron by David Kreidler
Difficulty: Easy (Just over a mile walking on excellent surfaces.)
This artificial wetland is the premier birding hotspot in the Tucson Valley, offering a stunning variety of species that can be found here at any time during the season. Green Heron, Common Gallinule, Tropical Kingbird, Common Yellowthroat, and Abert’s Towhees are some of our prime targets. You’ll also have the chance to try out the new ZEISS SFL 50 binoculars and see how amazing they are in low-light conditions. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 20 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 12 participants.
Abert’s Towhee by Greg Lavaty
Difficulty: Easy (Mostly flat, groomed trails at a city park. Bathrooms available.)
Guided by seasoned bird photographer and OM SYSTEM Tech Expert Mike Amico, this casual walk at the nearby Reid Park welcomes both nature enthusiasts and photographers alike. Mike will offer insights into capturing breathtaking bird photos and fine-tuning camera settings for optimal results. Join us for a fun photo walk amidst nature, where we’ll appreciate the outdoors and experience beautiful bird moments together. Photographers using any camera system are invited. Birders without a camera are welcome too! OM SYSTEM will provide loaner equipment on a first-come, first-served basis. Limited to 10 participants.
Curve-billed Thrasher by Martin Molina
Difficulty: Moderate (Some mild slopes, most of walking in soft sand)
Join local field trip leader, Gerry Hodge, at this under-birded and hidden park in Oro Valley. Fall migrants, like Western Tanager and Lazuli Bunting, are beginning to come through and we will look for usual desert inhabitants, like the range-restricted Gilded Flicker. We will also check out a large rock with Indian petroglyphs. Most of the walking will be in soft sand, but it could be wet in places this time of year so please be prepared. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 45 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.
Gilded Flicker by Bruce Taubert