Oaks to Pines in the Catalinas with Jack Parlapiano

Difficulty: Moderate. Will involve some walking on mild slopes with some elevation and possibly on some rocky/uneven surfaces. Bathrooms available. Drive time to first location about 45 minutes.

We’ll start at the Gordon Hirabayashi Campground to search for birds of oak woodland such as Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay, Bushtit, and Scott’s Oriole before heading up to higher elevations and new habitats. A stop in Bear Canyon puts us in a beautiful canyon where we’ll search for Mexican Jay, Plumbeous Vireo, and Grace’s Warbler among others in the sycamores and pines. Depending on timing and activity we may visit other locations as well. Drive time to initial meeting location from festival venue is about 40 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand.  Limited to 8 participants.

Grace’s Warbler, Shawn Cooper

Sweetwater Wetlands with Vernie Aikins of Naturalist Journeys

Difficulty: Easy. About one mile walking on easy dirt (and some concrete) walking paths. Bathroom and water on-site.

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. Join Vernie Aikins of Naturalist Journeys for a fun and diverse bird walk! Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 20 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 12 participants.

Common Gallinule, Scott Olmstead

Peppersauce Canyon with Rick Bowers

Difficulty: Moderate. Walking along gravel/dirt/rocky roads with some incline. About 1-2 miles in total. Bathroom on-site. Bring 2 liters of water.

Peppersauce Canyon, located on the north-side of the Catalina Mountains, is a beautiful oasis mostly shaded by huge sycamores lined with oaks, where Bell’s & Hutton’s vireos, Acorn Woodpeckers, and Western Wood-Pewees are common. We’ll walk up a somewhat rocky road looking for Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay, Rock & Canyon wrens, and Hooded Oriole and then finish up in the shaded campground for Black-chinned Hummingbird, Brown-crested Flycatcher, and more. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 80 minutes and it includes driving on gravel road that is passable for all vehicles. Specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay, Alan Schmierer

Santa Cruz River at Trico Road with Gerry Hodge

Difficulty: Moderate. Will involve around one to two miles walking on dirt paths that are “lumpy” and littered with cow pies. No bathroom on-site.

A walk along the Santa Cruz River northwest of Tucson can produce some great riparian birds during fall migration which will be beginning in August. Possibilities include Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cassin’s Kingbird, Bell’s Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat, Abert’s Towhee, and Lucy’s Warbler. Raptors such as Black Vulture, Swainson’s Hawk, and Great Horned Owl can be regular. This is part of the De Anza Trail and is called the Oit Par Trailhead (‘Old Town’ in O’odham). Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 40 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Yellow-breasted Chat, Shawn Cooper

The Secret Lives of Desert Purple Martins with Jennie MacFarland

Difficulty: Moderate. Will involve walking over uneven, rocky terrain and off trails relatively short distances in the desert. Participants must wear sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves, binoculars, hat and other sun protection. Bring water.

Be a part of the Desert Purple Martin Project research crew for a morning! Tucson Bird Alliance is using technology and a network of volunteers to learn more about these little known birds that nest in saguaro cavities during the monsoon abundance. We will visit several saguaros with active nests and use an endoscope camera and telescoping pole to peek inside the nests. We will be gathering real data points of what stage each nest has reached as specific timing of nests is still not completely known to science. Participants must wear sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves, binoculars, hat and other sun protection. Bring water and snacks, it heats up quickly in the desert! Specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Purple Martin, Richard Fray

Madera Canyon with Janice Travis and Andrea Serrano

Difficulty: Moderate. Walking will mostly be on road or groomed trails but may have some steeper slopes with possibly rocky/rooted trail areas. Bathrooms available.

Iconic Madera Canyon is one of the top destinations for any birder. We’ll start in grassland habitat around Proctor Road looking and listening for singing sparrows first thing in the morning. Along with sparrows we will be looking for birds of upland riparian habitat including Bell’s Vireo, Blue Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, and Varied Bunting. Next we’ll head into the mid-elevation oak-juniper habitat, looking for desirable southeast Arizona species like Arizona Woodpecker, Painted Redstart, and Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher. After this we’ll spend some time walking along the nature trail and investigating the hummingbird feeders at the Santa Rita Lodge that make Madera one of the best spots for hummingbird diversity in the country. Maybe we’ll find an Coppery-tailed Trogon! Limited to 9 participants.

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Jim Burns

Cochise Lake with Louie Dombroski

Difficulty: Easy. Easy walking on dirt road/trail. Bring a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, water bottle, and be prepared for hot and sunny weather. No bathroom on-site but there is one in close by in Willcox.

This half-day trip to Cochise Lake in Willcox will add a wide variety of shorebirds to your Arizona and festival species list. Likely species include Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Wilson’s Phalarope, Long-billed Dowitcher, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Western, and Least Sandpipers. The lakes also play host to an array of migrant swallow species, as well as birds of the open grassland like Scaled Quail, Chihuahuan Raven, and Lark Sparrow. With sometimes hourly turnover nearly every visit during migration has a good chance of turning up something unusual. This will be a very relaxed paced half-day trip with limited walking on level surfaces. Limited to 9 participants.

Scaled Quail, Ned Harris

Desert Birds in Pastel Workshop with Laura Milkins at The Drawing Studio

Milkins-Laura-Invitation-to-Appreciation-Ode-to-My-Mothers-Wisdom-pastel-on-paper


Capture the colors of Sonoran desert birds, from the vibrant red and green of a Coppery-tailed Trogon 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 in 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 Coppery-tailed Trogon using these simple pastel techniques. All materials provided by The Drawing Studio.

Image by Cathy Wasson

Tucson Bird Alliance Presents: LISTERS at The Loft

Join us at The Loft Cinema for the 2025 documentary film, Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching, created by brothers Owen and Quentin Reiser and published on YouTube. The film will be introduced by Tucson Bird Alliance’s Alex Patia, who had a small “starring” role in the film! FREE, add to your Festival registration. Limited to 60 participants.
See The Loft Cinema info

Pokemon and Birding: Gotta Bird ‘em All with Christina Baal


Difficulty: Easy. Walking on excellent surfaces at a city park. Bathrooms on-site.

Calling all birders, AND Pokemon trainers! We’ll search midtown Tucson’s largest park for Pokemon and birds! Join artist and birder Christina Baal of Drawing 10,000 Birds on this epic search of our two favorite things at Reid Park. Pokemon was created by an individual who became fascinated with observing the insects and creatures living in his backyard. If you think about it, birding is just like Pokemon- but in real life! We will see just how many Pokemon are based on living (and non-living thing) things all around us, particularly birds, and see how many entries we can add to our group Pokedex while exploring the natural world. A fun activity to test your Pokemon AND birding skills and knowledge, and earn your very own Birder Gym Badge! Limited to 15 participants.