Archives: Festival Events

Difficulty: Moderate (some walking on mild slopes, drive time to location about 50 minutes on paved roads)

Enjoy birding where Tucson residents escape the summer heat in the small mountain hamlet of Summerhaven.  We’ll look for mixed warbler flocks which may include Red-faced, Orange-crowned, Virginia’s, Townsend’s, Hermit, Wilson’s, and Grace’s Warblers. Birding in the conifer forests of Mt. Lemmon can also produce species like Hairy Woodpecker, Steller’s Jay, Mountain Chickadee, and Western Flycatcher. Limited to 9 participants.

Red-faced Warbler, Greg Lavaty

Difficulty: Moderate. Fairly flat dirt walking trails that may be muddy, for 1 – 2 miles roundtrip under mostly shaded areas. Bathroom nearby at Ron Morriss Park. Drive time to location approximately one hour.

A stroll through this lush riparian corridor along the Santa Cruz provides many opportunities for fall migrants, Zone-tailed and Gray Hawks, Thick Billed, Tropical, Cassin’s and Western Kingbirds, and many chats, tanagers, and warblers. There might even be a chance of seeing Rose-throated Becards, though their numbers have been declining along the river. Monsoon rains will dictate the portions of the trail we walk. Limited to 9 participants.

Thick-billed Kingbird, Martin Molina

Difficulty: Moderate. Some walking on mild slopes, and possibly rocky/uneven surfaces, but mostly on gravel road. Drive time to location approximately one hour on paved & gravel roads.

Join Patagonia resident and guide, Jake Thompson, to bird his favorite birding patch. Harshaw Creek in the Patagonia Mountains is lined with oaks and sycamores making it a great location for woodpeckers, flycatchers, tanagers, and more. We might catch a look at one of the Coppery-tailed Trogons that breed through here and Mexican Jays are common in the oaks. Limited to 9 participants.

Mexican Jay, John Hoffman

Difficulty: Moderate. Although this is a generally flat natural trail, conditions can vary. You may encounter uneven or sandy footing, and depending on recent rains a few spots could be damp or slightly slippery. There may also be the occasional need to step over small branches or natural obstacles. Bathroom on-site. Drive time to location approximately 90 minutes.

Located in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Casa de San Pedro is an eco-friendly nature haven that offers a setting for fantastic birding along the San Pedro River and at their hummingbird feeders. Join local leaders Gordon & Lori Lam to enjoy many hummingbirds such as Black-chinned, Anna’s, Rufous, Broad-tailed, and Broad-billed, along with other likely species including Swainson’s and Gray Hawk, Western Kingbird, Botteri’s Sparrow, Lucy’s Warbler, and Lazuli Bunting. Limited to 9 participants.

Lazuli Bunting, Mick Thompson

Difficulty: Moderate. Some walking on mild slopes, but still on excellent surfaces. Bathroom at Empire Ranch. Drive time to location approximately one hour plus driving on gravel/dirt roads.

Las Cienegas is a 45,000-acre national conservation area with high desert grasslands, riparian strips and perennial streams, marshes, and juniper-oak woodlands. Here we can find grassland breeders such as Cassin’s, Botteri’s and Grasshopper Sparrows, Chihuahuan Meadowlark, and Loggerhead Shrike, as well as riparian-associated species including Gray and Zone-tailed Hawks, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blue Grosbeak, Yellow Warbler, and Summer Tanager. Las Cienegas is great for mammals, too — we’ll visit a colony of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs (road condition permitting) and keep an eye out for Pronghorn Antelope. Limited to 9 participants.

Chihuahuan Meadowlark, Alan Schmierer

Difficulty: Moderate. May involve walking a narrow rocky trail in Florida Canyon with uneven surfaces and some increase in grade. Drive time to location about one hour on paved and gravel roads. No bathroom on-site.

These two canyons are just north of the more famous Madera Canyon and offer fabulous birding in riparian areas flanked by upland desert and grassland. We’ll bird mostly from the road in Box Canyon looking for the rare Five-striped Sparrow, nesting Gray Hawks and Thick-billed Kingbirds, singing Rock and Canyon Wrens, Botteri’s and Cassin’s Sparrows, and Bullock’s, Hooded, and Scott’s Orioles. Perhaps we’ll catch a glimpse of the soaring resident Golden Eagles. From the Florida Canyon parking lot we’ll keep our eyes open and ears alert for Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Black-chinned and Rufous-crowned Sparrows, along with Varied Bunting. Depending on water levels and bird activity we could work our way up higher along the creek as well.  Limited to 9 participants.

Five-striped Sparrow, Richard Fray

Difficulty: Moderate. Some steeper slopes or more rocky/rooted trails, but mostly walking on gravel road with little incline for about 1.5 miles round-trip. Bathroom near trailhead. Drive time to location approximately 90 minutes, including some gravel road.

An interesting man-made lake makes a great water source and stopover for migrants and nesting birds. The adjoining canyon is a good location for Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Hutton’s Vireo and Hepatic Tanager, with Coppery-tailed Trogon as a remote possibility. Montezuma Quail favor the hillsides surrounding the lake, but are notoriously hard to see or hear. Other interesting species could include Gray Hawk, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and Varied Bunting. Expect to walk on groomed trails around the lake and a gravel/loose rock forest service road through the canyon. Limited to 9 participants.

Hepatic Tanager, Hemant Kishan