Moths: A Nocturnal Exploration with Jeff Babson

Difficulty: Easy (Easily accessible location with a short drive)

On this trip, we will shine a light into the hidden diversity that exists in the Sonoran Desert! Pima County Naturalist, Jeff Babson will set up a UV light and see what treasures the night produces. UV lights, also known as black lights, emit wavelengths that attract many insects, including moths and beetles.  Many of these insects are common, but live their lives in darkness and many people are unaware of their existence. Feel free to arrive anytime during the allotted timeframe. Great for families! Location will be at Sabino Canyon. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is approximately 25 minutes, and specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. $8 parking fee. Limited to 15 participants.

White-lined sphinx moth by Doris Evans

Going Batty with Karen Krebbs

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

Looking for Owls at Catalina State Park with Rick Bowers

Difficulty: Moderate (Will include walking in the dark on paved road & wide trails. Bring a flashlight or headlamp to see where you are putting your feet.  Total distance is about 1 mile.)

This state park is on the northwest side of Tucson and sits adjacent to the western slopes of the Coronado National Forest’s Santa Catalina Mountains. The mixture of Saguaro-Palo Verde desert scrub, mesquite bosque, and riparian vegetation makes great habitat for Western Screech-Owl, Elf Owl, Barn Owl and Great Horned Owl and other nocturnal creatures. While these species are possibilities, this is late in the season and seeing/hearing owls is not guaranteed. Be mindful that monsoon conditions could impact this outing. If clouds are minimal, the stars are fantastic! We’ll also look for any other monsoon critters that love the cool of the evening and the warmth of the road. We will go at a slow pace and be sure to bring a full water bottle and be prepared for hot weather. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 40 minutes. Specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Elf Owl by Jeremy Hayes

Sabino Canyon Evening Hike with Bob Orenstein

Lesser Nighthawk by Dan Weisz

Difficulty: Moderate. Will include walking in the dark, including some uphill on dirt trails and some paved road. Total distance about 2 miles. Bring 2 liters of water.

Sabino Canyon night hikes during monsoon season are a local favorite past-time. Bring your flashlight as we walk up in the light and walk down in the dark in search of birds, toads, snakes, bugs, and more! Good possibilities for Lesser Nighthawk and Common Poorwill at sunset and we’ll hope for monsoon rains so we can see and hear Spadefoots and giant Sonoran Desert Toads. Lizards, scorpions, and tarantulas are crowd favorites and maybe we’ll run into a Gila Monster. We will go at a slow pace and be sure to bring a water bottle and be prepared for hot weather. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is approximately 25 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 15 participants.

Lesser Night Hawk by Dan Weisz

Sunset Birding at Reid Park with Clay Taylor of Swarovski Optik

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 10 participants.

Black-crowned Night Heron by David Kreidler

Sunset Birding at Sweetwater Wetlands with Jehudy Carballo and Jamie Cunningham of Sabrewing Nature Tours

Difficulty: Easy. Less than a mile walking on easy hard-packed level trail. Bathrooms on-site. Bring water.

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 10 participants.

Common Gallinule by Scott Olmstead

Tohono Chul with Ray Deeney

Difficulty: Easy. A few mild slopes but mostly flat ground and good walking surfaces. Bathroom and water on-site.

For visitors and those new to the Sonoran Desert, Tohono Chul’s easy-walking trails and gardens provide close-up looks at many of the desert specialties. Of the more than 500 bird species that spend time in Arizona during the year, 140 are known to have visited Tohono Chul, and on any given morning you might see up to 15 species here. All year long you can watch our state bird, the Cactus Wren, flit from cactus to tree and back again, chattering as he goes. Observe the Curved-billed Thrasher, with its saucy two-part whistle, scrabbling on the ground or nesting in cholla cactus. Enjoy our two year-round resident hummingbird species, Anna’s and Costa’s, as they dart about, feeding among the many colorful flowers. And be sure to look upward for a glance of our majestic Cooper’s Hawks, a pair of which has nested in the gardens for each of the last four years. Meet at the Tohono Chul Admission Window. Limited to 10 participants.

Costa’s Hummingbird by Francis Morgan

Mission Garden—Tucson’s Birthplace with Michael Sadat

GRRO by Michael Sadat

Difficulty: Easy. Some mild slopes, but mostly flat ground and good walking surfaces. Bathroom and water on-site.

We’ll visit Mission Garden (at the base of “A” Mountain) which revives Tucson’s history through garden plots representing four millennia of multicultural and gastronomic history. Find some of the same birds that have been visiting Tucson gardens for 4,000 years! Drive time to the meeting location from festival venue is about 15 minutes. Limited to 10 participants.

Greater Roadrunner by Michael Sadat

“Big Sit” at Madera Canyon’s Santa Rita Lodge with Hollie Mansfield

Difficulty: Easy. We’ll enjoy the feeders from the benches and chairs. No bathrooms at the lodge feeders. Bring your own water.

Join festival volunteer and leader, Hollie Mansfield, for a 90 minute “Big Sit” at the Santa Rita Lodge feeders. We will enjoy the variety of birds at the feeder station, where benches are available. Possible birds include Rivoli’s Hummingbird, Acorn & Arizona Woodpecker, Mexican Jay, and Hepatic Tanager. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 55 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 8 participants.

Hepatic Tanager by Hemant Kishan

Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve with Nature Conservancy Volunteers Peggy & Marc Faucher

Difficulty: Moderate. Mostly flat walking trails on some uneven and rocky terrain, about 2 miles total. Bring 1 to 2 liters water. Bathroom on-site.

One of the best known U.S. birding hotspots with tall cottonwoods and willows lining a perennial stream. Open fields, mesquite bosque and a cienega compound the habitat diversity that make it a birding paradise. Listen for the Gray Hawk’s whistle in the cottonwoods while looking for Common Ground Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Thick-billed Kingbird, and more. Please bring $8 per person for Nature Conservancy fees. Be prepared to wear chigger protection. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 70 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand.  Limited to 10 participants.

Thick-billed Kingbird by Martin Molina