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

Sabino Canyon Evening Hike with Jim Rorabaugh

Lesser Nighthawk by Dan Weisz

Difficulty: Moderate (Will include walking in the dark, some uphill on dirt trails and some paved road. Total distance about 3 miles.)

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 10 participants.

Lesser Nighthawk by Dan Wiesz

Tohono Chul with Ray Deeney and Carol Massanari

Difficulty: Easy (some mild slopes–mostly flat ground and good surfaces)

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 Gardens—Tucson’s Birthplace with Michael Sadat and Kendall Kroesen

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.

Cactus Wren by Mick Thompson

Tucson Botanical Gardens with TBG Docent

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.

Curve-billed Thrasher by Martin Molina

Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve with Nature Conservancy Volunteer John Hughes

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

Isabella Lee Natural Preserve with Karen Howe

Lucy's Warbler by Joan Gellatly

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

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). To read more about Krisztina, please visit www.KSNaturePhotography.com. Specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 12 participants.

Ruddy Duck by Greg Lavaty

De Anza Trail at Santa Gertrudis with Hannah Buschert & Erik Ostrander

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

Bird Research in Action Demonstration with Henrey Deese and the McNew Lab at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds

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