Santa Cruz Flats with Keith Kamper & Chrissy Kondrat

Difficulty: Moderate. Birding from vehicles and the road but very hot by mid-morning. Drive time to flats area approximately one hour. Will include driving on gravel roads.

This flat area of agricultural fields, mesquite bosques, pecan groves and desert scrub is rarely birded in the summer, but it can hold many surprises. Tropical Kingbirds should be fledging their young at this time, and we can expect to see them in the rows of pecan trees along the road. Raptors such as Black Vultures, Swainson’s Hawks, and Burrowing Owls and if we are lucky, an early Crested Caracara, are possible. Sludge ponds and flooded fields at this time of year have yielded a variety of shorebirds, waders and blackbirds, while swallows and flycatchers catch our attention in the air. It will be very hot by 10 am so put on sunblock, bring a water bottle, and wear a hat. Limited to 9 participants.

Swainson’s Hawk by Martin Molina

Tucson Botanical Gardens with TBG Docent

Difficulty: Easy. Mostly flat ground and good walking surfaces. Bathroom and water on-site.

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.

Abert’s Towhee, Greg Lavaty

Sycamore Canyon with Ethan Beasley

Elegant Trogon by Shawn Cooper

Difficulty: Hard. Round-trip hiking distance of about 2.5 hot miles, over very uneven tread and multiple, wet stream crossings. About two hour drive on some rough road. No bathroom on-site, prepare for backcountry experience; restroom stop before and after about 25 minutes from location. Plan to carry at least 2 liters of water. We will be away from the vehicle for at least 4 hours.

Rugged, remote Sycamore Canyon is legendary among birders for the rarities it has harbored over the years, as well as for its scenic terrain.  This steep-sided canyon is in the Pajarito Wilderness Area of Coronado National Forest.  It drains southward into Mexico, crossing the international border 5.6 miles from the trailhead off Ruby Road, west of Nogales.  Along the way we’ll encounter species typical of Oak-Juniper and Riparian habitats such as Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Mexican Jay, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and Hepatic, Western, and Summer Tanagers. We also have the potential to see rarities like Coppery-tailed Trogon, Rufous-capped Warbler, and Montezuma Quail. Lunch included. Limited to 8 participants.

Coppery-tailed Trogon by Shawn Cooper

Sunset Photography & Birding Walk at Reid Park w/ Fujifilm

Vermillion Flycatcher by Mick Thompson

Difficulty: Easy. Mostly flat, groomed trails at a city park. Bathrooms available.
Join us for a sunset birding and photography walk! Meet us at Reid Park where Fujifilm Tech reps will be on site to loan Fujifilm cameras/ lenses & binoculars and answer questions. See up close and experience the views through Fujinon clarity and stabilization and create beautiful images w/ X Series cameras and lenses. Bring water and your SD card.

Vermilion Flycatcher by Mick Thompson

Kingbirds and Myiarchus Flycatchers with Chris Benesh sponsored by Field Guides

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.

Southeast Arizona is rich in flycatcher diversity, and some of the more common and conspicuous ones include Tyrannus kingbirds and Myiarchus flycatchers. Birders often struggle with the subtle features that differentiate them, but you’ll have an opportunity to work this out in the field with expert Chris Benesh of Field Guides. A stroll through this lush riparian corridor along the Santa Cruz provides many opportunities for flycatchers, including Dusky-capped and Brown-crested Flycatchers and Tropical, Western, Cassin’s, and Thick-billed Kingbirds. Monsoon rains will dictate the portions of the trail we walk. Limited to 9 participants.

Brown-crested Flycatcher, Lois Manowitz

“Bird Words: Finding humor and joy in birding and its terminology” with special guest, Rosemary Mosco

Southeast Arizona Birding Festival Banquet & Culmination

Wrap up your festival experience with us as we celebrate more than just the new birds we’ve seen, but also the movement that birding is becoming—all over the world, and right here in Tucson. You’ll enjoy a delicious meal, receive a drink ticket, visit with friends, and hear from special guest Rosemary Mosco.

Rosemary Mosco is an author, illustrator, and speaker whose work connects people with the natural world. Her evening presentation, Bird Words: Finding humor and joy in birding and its terminology, celebrates birding with hilarious definitions and clever illustrations. This talk will highlight Mosco’s process, behind-the-scenes discoveries, and why birding definitions are so funny. You can find The Birding Dictionary and another of Mosco’s books, A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching, at our online Nature Store or in-person at the Nature Shop booth in the Nature Expo. (Limit of 120)

Tanque Verde Wash at Wentworth Road with Ragan Sutterfield

Difficulty: Moderate. Around two miles roundtrip on soft sand surface. No restrooms or drinking water available.  If there has been recent rain the wash may have standing, or flowing water and we may change our location.

This major wash flows west from creeks that drain from the northern side of the Rincon Mountains and provides diverse riparian vegetation for a variety of bird species. We will head downstream along the north side of the wash, first checking the brush for Lark Sparrow, Abert’s Towhee, Lazuli Bunting and more, then continuing to the large cottonwoods for Gray Hawk, woodpeckers, flycatchers, and warblers. Sunhat, water and good walking shoes are recommended. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 25 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Gray Hawk, bryanjsmith

Kingbirds & Myiarchus Flycatchers ID with Chris Benesh sponsored by Field Guides

Cassin's Kingbird by Lois Manowitz

Southeast Arizona is rich in flycatcher diversity, and some of the more common and conspicuous ones include Tyrannus kingbirds and Myiarchus flycatchers. Birders often struggle with the subtle features that differentiate them. In this talk, Chris Benesh of Field Guides will provide some helpful tips on features to focus on and a few shortcuts to help identify them correctly.  (Limit of 100)

Cassin’s Kingbird by Lois Manowitz.

Birding: The Comic Book You Get to Live with Killian Sullivan

What if birding were a comic book full of origin stories, epic quests, elusive nemeses, and unexpected superpowers? Killian, ABA’s Young Birder of the Year and possibly the youngest to reach 700 species in the US, shares his journey as a graphic novel come to life. His path has been shaped by mentors, friends, and a birding community who have taught, inspired, and challenged him. Killian’s story shows how birding is more than a hobby – it is a shared adventure where every birder writes their own heroic story. (Limit of 60)

Five-striped Sparrow art by Killian Sullivan.

Patagonia Area with Chris Rohrer

Difficulty: Moderate. Some walking on mild slopes, and possibly rocky/uneven surfaces. But mostly even and easy walking. Bathrooms available. Drive time to location approximately one hour on mostly paved roads.

The Patagonia area is one southeast Arizona’s best-known destinations for riparian birds. Some of the specialties found around Patagonia are Gray Hawk, Thick-billed Kingbird, Varied Bunting, Violet-crowned Hummingbird and Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet. There are many famous and wonderful places to bird here including the Patagonia Roadside Rest, Harshaw Canyon, and of course the Paton Center for Hummingbirds. Our exact itinerary will be at the leader’s discretion, based on where our target birds are being seen most readily. Limited to 8 participants.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Dan Weisz