El Rio Preserve with Jim Gessaman and Matthew Woodhall sponsored by the Town of Marana

Green Heron by Hemant Kishan

Moderate. Mostly easy with paved trail and overlook, but some steep grade when walking down to sandy trails. Bathroom on-site.

Explore this 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 scan for a variety of birds including waterfowl, shorebirds, and flycatchers. A walk around the lake trail should turn up a good variety of species including Lazuli Bunting, Hooded Oriole, Green Heron, and Cinnamon Teal. 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.

Green Heron by Hemant Kishan

Madera Canyon in the Evening with Cedar Stanistreet and Marie Davis

Difficulty: Moderate. Short walks on mostly paved roads and some dirt trails with some incline. Will be birding in the dark; bring a flashlight if you have one. Will require good hearing to hear night birds. Bathroom on-site.

This is a unique opportunity to enjoy the beauty of evening monsoon birding in the iconic Madera Canyon. We’ll enter the canyon just before sunset and explore the canyon for birds as they finish up their day and then try to find nocturnal birds like Elf Owl, Whiskered Screech-Owl, and Mexican Whip-Poor-Will along with other desert critters. This is a great time of year to see all sorts of wildlife activity in the evening. We will not be using playback for night birds so chances of seeing them will be limited, but you never know! Limited to 9 participants.

Whiskered Screech-Owl by Jim Burns

Looking for Burrowing Owls with Alex Sundvall

Difficulty: Easy. Mostly birding around vehicle, possible short walks over dirt trail or on road. Be prepared for the heat and bring water. Drive time to locations about 40 minutes on paved roads.

We’ll travel up towards the small town of Marana just northwest of Tucson with hopes of finding Burrowing Owls. Once we find them, we’ll spend some time at a respectful distance admiring these unique long-legged owls. The surrounding agricultural fields and nearby water treatment facility will offer us the opportunity for a variety of other birds, including possible Lesser Nighthawks at dusk. Leaves from festival venue in 15-passenger van. Limited to 9 participants.

Image by Ned Harris

Saguaros to Summits with Ken Blankenship of East West Birding Tours

Olive Warbler by Shawn Cooper

Difficulty: Moderate. Drive-stop-birding, with some short hikes on uneven ground some at high-elevation, generally low-impact birding.
Join Ken Blankenship of East West Birding Tours to experience the equivalent of driving from the Sonoran Desert to the Rocky Mountains — in a single day! We will start extra early to enjoy desert species at Saguaro National Park before it starts to sizzle: Cactus Wren, Gilded Flicker, Pyrrhuloxia, Rufous-winged Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, Verdin, and more. We will also bird nearby Agua Caliente Park for Vermilion Flycatcher, Hooded Oriole, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Bell’s Vireo, etc. Finally, we will ascend the Santa Catalina Highway to the high peaks of Mount Lemmon, featuring towering conifers and birds like Olive Warbler, Yellow-eyed Junco, Western Flycatcher, Rivoli’s Hummingbird, and much more! Lunch included. Limited to 8 participants.

Olive Warbler, Shawn Cooper

Hummingbird Murals of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe with Dan Weisz

Difficulty: Easy (Very short walks from vehicle)

For a different kind of ‘birding’, take a tour of a number of beautiful outdoor tile murals depicting hummingbirds, created by artists of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. According to Louis D. Valenzuela, an accomplished Yaqui artist, the hummingbird “represents the Yoeme culture. The hummingbird is considered to be a spiritual bird that comes from the ‘Sewa Ania’ Flower World and is a messenger with powerful blessing and protection.” Limited to 9 participants.

Ramsey Canyon with Kristy Gallo and Sneed Collard

Difficulty: Moderate. Steeper slopes and some rocky/rooted trail, although the trail is well-maintained. Around two miles walking total. Drive time to locations approximately 90 minutes on paved road. Bathroom on-site.

One of the most beautiful canyons in all of Southeast Arizona, Ramsey Canyon is full of giant Sycamores and amazing biodiversity. Hummingbird feeders at the Nature Conservancy could attract Rivoli’s, Black-chinned, Broad-billed, and Rufous Hummingbirds as well as possible Violet-crowned or Blue-throated. We’ll walk the preserve trails and look for birds of the madrean evergreen forest including Coppery-tailed Trogon, Greater Pewee, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, and Painted Redstart. Lunch included. Limited to 8 participants.

Rivoli’s Hummingbird, Fred Mitchell

Sycamore Canyon with Scott Olmstead

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.

Montezuma Quail, Greg Lavaty

Parker Canyon Lake and Scotia Canyon with Jake Mohlmann

Difficulty: Hard. Steeper slopes or more rocky/rooted trails. Bathroom on-site at Parker Canyon Lake. Drive time to final location approximately two hours on some rough and curvy road.

This 130-acre, deep water lake is tucked back on the west slopes of the Huachuca Mountains and because of its location is under-birded but holds great potential. Grassy hillsides dotted with oaks may hold Montezuma Quail, Western or Eastern Bluebirds, Bushtits, flycatchers, and early migrants. Western Grebes and Ospreys have been seen catching fish out of the lake during summer and Cassin’s Kingbirds are quite common. We’ll also check out the under-birded Scotia Canyon where last year we had special birds including Coppery-tailed Trogon and American Goshawk. Lunch included. Limited to 8 participants.

Coppery-tailed Trogon, bryanjsmith

Cochise Lake with Janice Travis

Least Sandpiper by Lois Manowitz

Difficulty: Easy. Flat walking on groomed trails or roads. No bathroom on-site but there is one close by in Willcox. Drive time to location approximately 80 minutes.

This half-day trip to the Willcox area and Cochise Lake will add a wide variety of shorebirds to your Arizona and festival species list. Likely species include Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Wilson’s Phalarope, Long-billed Dowitcher, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Western, and Least Sandpipers. The lakes also play host to an array of migrant swallow species, as well as birds of the open grassland like Scaled Quail and Lark Sparrow. With sometimes hourly turnover, nearly every visit during migration has a good chance of turning up something unusual. This will be a very relaxed paced half-day trip with limited walking on level surfaces. Limited to 9 participants.

Least Sandpiper by Lois Manowitz

Birding with a Purpose: Paton Center for Hummingbirds with Ivy Ilkay and Alexis Stark

Difficulty: Easy. Mostly flat walking on well-groomed trails for no more than one mile at a stretch. Bathroom and water on-site. Drive time to location approximately 75 minutes on paved roads.)

The famous Paton Center for Hummingbirds is known for its backyard birds and scenic location dating back to 1973. Wally and Marion Paton first began inviting birders into their yard shortly after moving to Patagonia, and after their passing, the center was acquired by the Tucson Bird Alliance. Since then we’ve worked to improve the habitat by removing invasive plants, installing native gardens, and much more. Explore the area with Community Habitat Restoration Project Manager, Ivy Ilkay, and Paton Center Site Manager, Alexis Stark, for a first-hand tour of how the center is being re-invigorated and you’re also sure to find Violet-crowned Hummingbirds amidst the array of riparian specialty birds. Limited to 9 participants.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird by Dan Weisz