Beginning Birding at Lakeside Park with Kathe Anderson

Broad-billed Hummingbird by Shawn Cooper

Difficulty: Easy. Flat walking surfaces in a city park, with less than two miles covered. Bathrooms on-site.

Lakeside Park in southeast Tucson is a great place to get to know your urban birds and it’s possible to get some early fall migrants as well. Join the fabulous Kathe Anderson, who is one of the best birding teachers around, on an outing designed for those just getting into birding. We’ll explore the lake and the adjacent lawns and ball fields with likely sightings including Black-crowned Night Heron, hummingbirds, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cooper’s Hawk, and swallows. Drive time to park and meeting location is about 15 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Broad-billed Hummingbird, Shawn Cooper

Photographing Birds in Flight (Field Work Portion) with Krisztina Scheeff

Difficulty: Easy. Not a lot of walking, and all flat excellent walking surfaces.

To extend the classroom portion (which you have to sign up for separately), join Krisztina Scheeff in the field for a hands-on, real action photography lesson to put those skills you learned to work. The two hour field portion will truly test your patience and birds in flight photography skills but it will be a lot of fun and you will come away with added skills on how to photograph birds in flight! Bring a camera, and a tripod or monopod if you like. The field portion is suitable for bird photographers (beginners, advanced, and anywhere between), but cell phones won’t work for this workshop. Will hold this workshop either at the DoubleTree festival venue or at nearby Reid Park. Specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. To read more about Krisztina, please visit www.KSNaturePhotography.com. Limited to 15 participants.

American Kestrel by Krisztina Scheeff

Anza Trail at Santa Gertrudis with David Griffin

Difficulty: Moderate. Around 1 ½ miles of mostly flat walking on some sandy/gravel trails and road. No bathroom on-site. Bring water.

We’ll walk in the shaded riparian forest along the Santa Cruz River which 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.

Thick-billed Kingbird, Martin Molina

Birding with a Purpose: Cactus, Cottonwoods & Birds with Tony Figueroa and Jack Parlapiano

Difficulty: Hard. Will involve hiking/walking about three miles roundtrip with some mild slopes/wash crossings, but overall mostly flat ground and good surfaces. Bring 2 liters of water. Bathroom on-site.

Join Tony Figueroa, Director of the Invasive Plant Program, to hear how Tucson Bird Alliance is constantly working to restore and preserve these places for future generations of people and birds to enjoy. The Sonoran Desert is amazingly dense with vegetation compared to other deserts, but this sensitive habitat is at risk due to invasive species such as buffelgrass. We’ll discuss the ecology of the area and find some great birds, too, as we explore the desert and riparian areas around Colossal Cave. Possible bird sightings include Gray Hawk, Purple Martin, White-breasted Nuthatch, Canyon Towhee, and Varied Bunting. Limited to 9 participants.

Gray HAwk, Axel Elfner

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

“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

Butterflies & Birds with Robert Gallardo and Vernie Aikins of Naturalist Journeys

Difficulty: Moderate. More will be known when location is determined but expect some possible incline with some uneven or rocky terrain, but the trip will be planned to not be difficult.

Join Robert Gallardo of Emerald Valley Lodge in Honduras and Vernie Aikins of Naturalist Journeys on an adventure to look for something beyond our feathered friends. Location will be determined ahead of time based on butterfly activity. Robert is the author of “Guide to the Butterflies of Honduras” and oversees the Honduras Butterfly Festival. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue will be determined, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Monarch by Dan Weisz

Fort Lowell Park: Learn and practice Merlin Bird ID and Sound ID phone app with Laura Couchman

Difficulty: Easy. Mostly flat, groomed trails at a city park, no more than one mile walking. Bathrooms available.

Improve your bird ID skills using your smartphone!  The Merlin Bird ID app is like having a well-informed birding field trip leader in your pocket. Tucson’s Fort Lowell Park has a variety of habitats, is a great place to see and hear a variety of Tucson’s urban birds, and it’s only 5 miles from the DoubleTree Hotel. By the end of the outing you’ll know how to use all of the FREE Merlin Bird ID app’s great features: Sound ID, Photo ID, the Explore field guide, and more! IMPORTANT: Download the Merlin Bird ID app to your phone (iPhone or Android) before the field trip, and log in to (or create) your eBird username and password with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (if you have any difficulties, come 10 minutes early and we’ll do it together). Bring your phone (fully charged) and your binoculars, and we’ll learn and practice using the app to help you identify birds by sight and by sound. Beginners and young people are welcome; no prior experience with birding or with Merlin Bird ID necessary. Even if you have used Merlin before, it’s a good opportunity to practice its latest features and get your questions answered. Limited to 12 participants.

Vermilion Flycatcher by David Quanrud

Birding with a Camera at Sweetwater Wetlands with Krisztina Scheeff

Are you a birder and would like to learn more about your camera and how to capture your own photos? Join professional Nature Photographer Krisztina with KS Nature Photography for a casual session of birding with the added bonus of photography. This program is open to all ages, birders, photographers, and anyone who would like to learn more about the birds and about basic camera techniques for bird photography. Bring your binoculars and any camera, if you like (point and shoot, DSLR, Mirrorless – and any lens). Specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. To read more about Krisztina, please visit www.KSNaturePhotography.com. Limited to 12 participants.

American Kestrel by Krisztina Scheeff

Anza Trail at Santa Gertrudis with Pat Isaacson sponsored by Neblina Forest

Difficulty: Moderate. Around 1 ½ miles of mostly flat walking on some sandy/gravel trails and road. No bathroom on-site; use restrooms at rest stop along I-19 beforehand which is about 15 minutes from exit. Bring water.
We’ll walk in the shaded riparian forest along the Santa Cruz River which 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. This walk is sponsored and led by Neblina Forest. 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.

Thick-billed Kingbird by Martin Molina