IBA Focus: Atascosa Highlands with Jennie MacFarland

Difficulty: Moderate. May involve some steeper slopes or more rocky/rooted trails, but most of walk will be on dirt/gravel roads with little incline. Bring 2 liters of water. Drive time to location approximately 90 minutes, some gravel road.

The Arizona Important Bird Area website describes this area beautifully: Oak savannah and oak woodland with a heavy Madrean influence dominate almost all of the Atascosa Highlands with undulating bajadas of oak savannah, spectacular intact canyons and highly valuable riparian habitat, alive with streams and precious pools. The exact location will be at the discretion of Tucson Bird Alliance’s Conservation Biologist, Jennie MacFarland. We’ll search for a myriad of Arizona specialty species including Brown-crested Flycatcher, Bridled Titmouse, and Varied Bunting. Expect some walking on some rocky trails and/or forest service roads. Limited to 9 participants.

Varied Bunting, Martin Molina

Oaks to Pines in the Catalinas with Jeremy Dominguez

Difficulty: Moderate. Will involve some walking on mild slopes with some elevation and possibly on some rocky/uneven surfaces. Bathrooms available. Drive time to first location about 45 minutes.

We’ll explore the oaks to pines of the Catalina Mountains starting at the Gordon Hirabayashi Campground scrub oak woodlands which is good habitat for species such as Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay, Bushtit, and Scott’s Oriole. We’ll then head up into Bear Canyon which puts us in a beautiful canyon with sycamores and pines where we’ll search for Mexican Jay, Plumbeous Vireo, and Grace’s Warbler among others. Depending on timing and activity we may visit other locations. Limited to 9 participants.

Mexican Jay, John Hoffman

Box and Florida Canyons with Alex Lamoreaux

Difficulty: Moderate. May involve walking a narrow rocky trail in Florida Canyon with uneven surfaces and some increase in grade. Drive time to location about one hour on paved and gravel roads. No bathroom on-site.

These two canyons are just north of the more famous Madera Canyon and offer fabulous birding in riparian areas flanked by upland desert and grassland. We’ll bird mostly from the road in Box Canyon looking for the rare Five-striped Sparrow, nesting Gray Hawks and Thick-billed Kingbirds, singing Rock and Canyon Wrens, and Bullock’s, Hooded, and Scott’s Orioles. Perhaps we’ll catch a glimpse of the soaring resident Golden Eagles. From the Florida Canyon parking lot we’ll keep our eyes open and ears alert for Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Black-chinned and Rufous-crowned Sparrows, along with Varied Bunting. Depending on water levels and bird activity we could work our way up higher along the creek as well. Limited to 9 participants.

Thick-billed Kingbird, Martin Molina

Guindani Canyon with Tim Helentjaris

Difficulty: Hard. Prepare for about 3 miles roundtrip walking on some steeper slopes and rocky/rooted trail. Be prepared for sun exposure and bring 2 liters of water. Drive time to location approximately 50 minutes.

Guindani Canyon is situated on the east slopes of the Whetstone Mountains and accessed through Kartchner Caverns State Park. The trail begins in grassy desert with intermixed mesquites and a narrow line of oaks in the canyon bottom while the foothills are festooned with flowering agaves that attract a variety of hummingbirds, especially Costa’s, Black-chinned, Broad-billed and migrating Rufous Hummingbirds. Lucifer Hummingbird is possible as well. Wrens (Canyon, Rock, and Cactus) should be singing and it is a great spot for Scott’s Oriole and Varied Buntings. Limited to 9 participants.

Varied Bunting, Martin Molina

Montosa Canyon with Ethan Kistler

Difficulty: Moderate. Some steeper slopes with portions that may have rocky/rooted trails. Most walking is on groomed gravel road in shorter spurts. Drive time to location approximately one hour with some gravel roads. Bathroom available at mouth of canyon.

While Madera Canyon has long been the most visited spot in the Santa Rita Mountains, this adjacent canyon to the south is deserving of more birders’ attention. Join us on a half-day exploration of Montosa Canyon, which supports some hackberry thornscrub habitat as well as a nice drainage with scattered oaks and mesquites. Some more common species we can expect to encounter include Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Bell’s Vireo, Canyon Wren, and Ladder-backed Woodpecker. We’ll also target rare species which have nested in the canyon in past years, including Five-striped Sparrow. We’ll also keep our eyes out for dazzling Varied Buntings on territory. Limited to 9 participants.

Five-striped Sparrow, Richard Fray

Altar Valley with Alex Patia

Crested Caracara by Michele Weisz

Difficulty: Hard. Will include walking through desert with uneven surfaces for about 2-3 mile roundtrip. No bathroom on-site but we’ll stop beforehand at a gas station. Bring 2 liters of water. Drive time to location is about 75 minutes.

This area just southwest of Tucson has some of the highest biological diversity in the state but is little visited by birders. Amidst the amazing rolling landscape of Sonoran Desert and grassland we’ll hope to find numerous species characteristic of this rich desert habitat including Gilded Flicker, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Black-throated and Rufous-winged Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, and Varied Bunting. Crested Caracara are known to nest in this area as well. Limited to 9 participants.

Crested Caracara, Michele 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 travel 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.

Blue-throated Mountain-gem, Stephen Vaughan

Tohono Chul with Ray Deeney

Cooper's Hawk by Michele Weisz

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.

Cooper’s Hawk, Michele Wiesz

Sleep-in Special: Paton Center for Hummingbirds with Tom Brown

Difficulty: Easy. Will include short walks on mostly flat well-groomed walking trails with some sitting at hummingbird feeders. Bathroom on-site.

Join Tom Brown at the famous Paton Center for Hummingbirds which is known for Violet-crowned Hummingbirds dating back to when Wally and Marion Paton first began inviting birders into their yard shortly after moving to Patagonia in 1973. Now owned by Tucson Bird Alliance, thanks to the generous help of individual donors, the American Bird Conservancy, and Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, it is place to explore and experience the special birds of southeast Arizona. There are many great birds beyond hummingbirds including Inca and Common Ground Dove, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Lesser Goldfinch, and Blue Grosbeak. You’ll enjoy birding with Tom who has been instrumental in many of the recent renovations at the center. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 70 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand.  Limited to 10 participants.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Lois Manowitz

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


Difficulty: Easy. Walking on excellent surfaces at a city park. Bathrooms on-site.

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! Limited to 15 participants.