Difficulty: Easy (some mild slopes–mostly flat ground and good surfaces)
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
Difficulty: Easy (mostly flat ground and good surfaces)
Located on the site of the historic Porter property, Tucson Botanical Gardens (TBG) is a five and a half acre collection of 20 gardens in the heart of Tucson, Arizona. A true urban oasis, Tucson Botanical Gardens was selected #4 in USA Today’s 10Best Botanical Gardens Readers’ Choice Awards, 2 years in a row. 20 curated gardens including the Cactus & Succulent Garden, Barrio Garden, Zen Garden, Bird Garden, and many more, showcase a diversity of plants both native and those you wouldn’t expect to see in the Sonoran Desert. Drive time to the meeting location from festival venue is 10 minutes. Limited to 15 participants.
Broad-billed Hummingbird by Greg Lavaty
Difficulty: Moderate (mostly flat walking trails on some uneven and rocky terrain)
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.
Gray Hawk by Axel Elfner
Difficulty: Moderate (Two mile loop over level, but often soft, uneven and dusty terrain. No restrooms are available)
Isabella Lee Natural Preserve, at the confluence of Agua Caliente and Tanque Verde wash in northeast Tucson, is a dry mesquite bosque providing year-round habitat for resident and migrant birds. Summer hosts Lucy’s Warblers, Bell’s Vireos, and Ash-throated Flycatchers. One or two pairs of Blue Grosbeaks are also possible along with many other Sonoran Desert loving bird species. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 25 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.
Lucy’s Warbler by Joan Gellatly
Difficulty: Easy (Flat walking on some sandy/gravel trails)
Join podcasters Hannah and Erik Go Birding for a walk in the riparian forest along the Santa Cruz River. This is a fantastic location for three types of kingbirds (Cassin’s, Tropical, and noisy Thick-billed) along with a wide variety of other desert riparian species like Inca Dove, Gray Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Bell’s Vireo, and Blue Grosbeak. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 50 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.
Tropical Kingbird by Jim Burns
The McNew Lab studies disease ecology of birds and their parasites and pathogens, and this will be your chance to see this work in action. This research specifically investigates associations between birds in ticks in the region, so we will be mist-netting and banding birds, checking them for attached ticks, and taking small blood samples to test for tick-borne diseases. The working group will demonstrate the techniques that are being used and discuss the research. We’ll meet at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds and specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 70 minutes. Limited to 10 participants.
Northern Cardinal by Mick Thompson
Difficulty: Easy (Mostly birding around vehicle, possible short walks over dirt trail or on road)
We’ll travel up towards the small town of Marana just northwest of Tucson with hopes of finding Burrowing Owls. Once we find them, we’ll spend some time at a respectful distance admiring these unique long-legged owls. The surrounding agricultural fields and nearby water treatment facility will offer us the opportunity for a variety of other birds, including possible Lesser Nighthawks at dusk. 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. Leaves from festival venue in 15-passenger van. Limited to 9 participants.
Burrowing Owl by Ned Harris
Difficulty: Easy (Very short walks from vehicle)
For a different kind of ‘birding’, take a tour of a number of beautiful outdoor tile murals depicting hummingbirds, created by artists of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. According to Louis D. Valenzuela, an accomplished Yaqui artist, the hummingbird “represents the Yoeme culture. The hummingbird is considered to be a spiritual bird that comes from the ‘Sewa Ania’ Flower World and is a messenger with powerful blessing and protection.” Limited to 9 participants.
Difficulty: Easy (Flat walking on groomed trails or roads. Drive time to location approximately 80 minutes.)
This half-day trip to the Willcox area and Cochise Lake 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 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.
Black-necked Stilt by Shawn Cooper
Difficulty: Easy (Flat walking trails. Drive time to location approximately 75 minutes.)
The famous Paton Center for Hummingbirds is known for its backyard birds and scenic location dating back to 1973. Wally and Marion Paton first began inviting birders into their yard shortly after moving to Patagonia, and after their passing, the center was acquired by the Tucson Audubon Society. Since then we’ve worked to improve the habitat by removing invasive plants, installing native gardens, and much more. Explore the area with Community Habitat Restoration Coordinator, Ivy Ilkay, and Paton Center Site Manager, Tom Brown, for a first-hand tour of how the center is being re-invigorated by Tucson Bird Alliance. You’re also sure to find Violet-crowned Hummingbirds amidst the array of riparian specialty birds! Limited to 9 participants.
Violet-crowned Hummingbird by Nick Beauregard