Sunset Birding at Lakeside Park with Hannah Buschert and Erik Ostrander

Difficulty: Easy (Just over a mile walking on excellent surfaces.)
Lakeside Park in southeast Tucson is a great place to get to know your urban birds, and the lake increases our chances for a rarity. We’ll explore the lake and the adjacent lawns and ball fields. Likely sightings include Black-crowned Night-Heron, hummingbirds (Anna’s, Black-chinned, & Broad-billed), Cassin’s Kingbird, Vermillion Flycatcher, Cooper’s Hawk, swallows, Abert’s Towhee, and more! Drive time to park and meeting location is about 15 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Cassins Kingbird by Alan Schmierer

Beginning Bird Photography at Reid Park with Jennifer Leigh Warner

Bring your camera gear… whatever you have and join Jennifer Leigh Warner of Wildside Nature Tours for this fun, casual photo walk-a-bout. Jennifer will help find subjects while discussing exposure, reading light, and composition while helping each person with setting up their cameras for quick response to the action. Specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 8 participants.

Cooper’s Hawk by Kristofer Drozd

Moths: A Nocturnal Exploration

Difficulty: Easy (Easily accessible location with a short drive)

On this trip, we will shine a light into the hidden diversity that exists in the Sonoran Desert! Pima County Naturalist, Jeff Babson will set up a UV light and see what treasures the night produces.  UV lights, also known as black lights, emit wavelengths that attract many insects, including moths and beetles.  Many of these insects are common, but live their lives in darkness and many people are unaware of their existence. Feel free to arrive anytime during the allotted timeframe. Great for families! Location will be at Sabino Canyon. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is approximately 25 minutes, and specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. $8 parking fee. Limited to 15 participants.

White-lined sphinx moth by Doris Evans

Scorpion Adventure with Chris Benesh

Difficulty: Moderate (Will include walking in the dark on possibly some uneven surfaces and gravel roads. Recommended to have a black light)

Go beyond the birds and explore the world of scorpions with Chris Benesh. Arizona is one of the world’s hot spots for scorpion diversity, especially Southeast Arizona! Location will be up to the discretion of the leaders based on weather, but will be within 45 minutes of the festival venue. Specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand.  Limited to 10 participants.

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

Lark Sparrow by Tom Brown

Difficulty: Easy (Mostly flat, groomed trails at a city park. 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.

Lark Sparrow by Tom Brown

The Spark Bird Project at Reid Park

Difficulty: Easy (Mostly flat, groomed trails at a large city park)

One of the most common themes in spark bird stories isn’t birds at all – it is other people! Spark people help draw others into a shared love of birds! Do you know someone who you think would love birds but who just hasn’t quite found their way to becoming a birder yet or who is definitely a birder but doesn’t see themselves in that way? This is the outing for them! Bring them along as we create a joyful entry-level celebration of birds! Welcome all ages, interests, and abilities! Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is less than 5 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Vermilion Flycatcher by Greg Lavaty

Accessible Birding at El Rio Preserve with Marcia OBara sponsored by the Town of Marana

Cinnamon Teal by Tom Brown

Easy (We’ll be doing stationary birding from the overlook. This field trip is designed to meet the needs of participants with accessibility needs.)
We’ll soak in the birds at this beautiful nature preserve area just northwest of Tucson in Marana along the Santa Cruz River which is also part of the historic Juan Bautista de Anza Trail. You’ll enjoy the view from the overlook where you’ll be able to scope the water to see a variety birds including waterfowl, shorebirds, and flycatchers. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 30 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Cinnamon Teal by Tom Brown

Photography Field Workshop: Bat Photography at Pond at Elephant Head with Dano Grayson

Difficulty: Easy (Most of the time spent in photography blinds)

The desert comes alive at night and the Pond at Elephant Head offers the perfect opportunity to catch it in action with your camera. Bat migration is happening during the monsoon season and offers an amazing experience. Join Wildlife Photographer, Dano Grayson for an evening of photographing bats and other wildlife at this private photography location. Important Equipment Needed for this Workshop: Camera with telephoto lens of at least 300mm along with tripod and shutter release cable. Limited to 8 participants.

Lesser Long-nosed bat Dan Weisz

Hummingbird Photography Field Workshop with Stephen Vaughan at the Paton Center

Difficulty: Easy

Hummingbirds can flap their wings up to 80 times a second, which can present quite the challenge for a photographer. This is the perfect opportunity to learn the specialized techniques needed to create stunning images of hummingbirds. We’ll traveling to the famous Paton Center for Hummingbirds and discuss ambient light, fill-flash and high-speed flash photography techniques. Join professional nature photographer Stephen Vaughan for this fantastic opportunity to experience the joys of photographing these flying jewels. Recommended equipment: Digital SLR, TTL flash, tripod and a telephoto lens capable of focusing close enough the fill the viewfinder with a 5 x 7 inch object. You can email Steve at StephenHVaughan@Gmail.com if you have questions. Lunch included. Limited to 9 participants.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird by Lois Manowitz

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


Difficulty: Easy (Walking on excellent surfaces at a city park)

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! Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is less than 5 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 15 participants.