Join photographer Jeffry Scott as he shares tips and tricks to moving beyond photographing birds on a stick to birds in action. Knowledge and understanding of your subject is key to anticipating and reacting to bird behaviors, optimizing photographic opportunities. (Limit of 100)
Broad-billed Hummingbird by Mick Thompson
Manmade nestboxes are an essential conservation tool for secondary cavity-nesting birds, especially in areas where natural nesting sites are scarce. The Tucson Bird Alliance (TBA) has been at the forefront of developing innovative nestbox solutions tailored to the unique challenges of the desert Southwest’s harsh climate. Through ongoing research, TBA has pioneered practices that not only support the region’s avian populations but also inform species-specific nestbox studies. A remarkable success story involves TBA’s creation of a custom-designed nestbox for Lucy’s Warblers—one of only two cavity-nesting warblers in the U.S. and previously thought to avoid nestboxes. These uniquely shaped boxes now provide much-needed habitat, offering a safe alternative to the natural crevices in areas of habitat destruction and urbanization. Currently, TBA is applying the same research-driven approach to develop a nestbox design for the enigmatic desert subspecies of Purple Martins, a species historically not known to use artificial nest sites. Join us to explore the scientific process behind designing effective nestboxes and learn about TBA’s groundbreaking efforts in nestbox research and avian conservation. (Limit of 60)
Lucy’s Warblers and nestbox, Paula Redinger
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.
Yellow-breasted Chat by Shawn Cooper
Difficulty: Easy. 1 -1.5 miles on mostly flat surfaces with some uneven terrain
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 scope the water to see a variety of birds including waterfowl, shorebirds, and flycatchers. A walk around the new trail should turn up 35 or more species. 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.
Song Sparrow by Francis Morgan
Difficulty: Moderate (Mostly flat walking trails on some uneven and rocky terrain)
Las Cienegas is a 45,000-acre national conservation area with high desert grasslands, riparian strips and perennial streams, marshes, and juniper-oak woodlands. You will meet at Empire Ranch and bird the significant riparian areas along Cienega Creek. Here we can find riparian-associated species including Gray and Zone-tailed Hawks, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blue Grosbeak, Yellow Warbler, and Summer Tanager. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 50 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 8 participants.
Zone-tailed Hawk by Ned Harris
Difficulty: Easy
Join Victor Emanuel Nature Tours leader, Brian Gibbons, for a fall migration watch featuring flyover migrants in a phenomenon called “morning flight”. We’ll take in the morning flight from his backyard, located in east Tucson near the Pantano Wash. Brian’s yard is noted for once having a Juan Fernandez Petrel fly over, and while we probably won’t have this notable of a species, we will experience fall migration in a unique manner, noting kingbirds, swallows, mockingbirds, tanagers, and more. Specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.
Migrating Blue Grosbeak by Nick Pulcinella
Difficulty: Easy (Flat walking trails. Drive time to location approximately one hour.)
A stroll through this lush riparian corridor along the Santa Cruz provides many opportunities for migrants, Gray Hawks, flycatchers, and hordes of Yellow-breasted Chats. Rose-throated Becard, whose nests look like a large football hanging from the end of a branch, have nested along this trail the past few years. Monsoon rains will dictate the portions of the trail we walk. Time permitting, a stop at the Amado Wastewater Treatment plant on the way back could be good for Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. Limited to 9 participants.
Rose-throated Becard by Jorge Montejo
Difficulty: Moderate (some walking on mild slopes, drive time to location about 50 minutes on paved roads)
Enjoy birding where Tucson residents escape the summer heat in the small mountain hamlet of Summerhaven. We’ll look for mixed warbler flocks which may include Red-faced, Orange-crowned, Virginia’s, Townsend’s, Hermit, Wilson’s, and Grace’s Warblers. Birding in the conifer forests of Mt. Lemmon can also produce species like Hairy Woodpecker, Steller’s Jay, Mountain Chickadee, and Cordilleran Flycatcher. Back by noon. Limited to 9 participants.
Red-faced Warbler by Greg Lavaty
Difficulty: Easy (Flat walking on groomed trails or roads. 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, but also is the best field trip for Scaled Quail. Likely shorebird 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 Swainson’s Hawk, Chihuahuan Meadowlark 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.
American Avocet by Dan Weisz
Difficulty: Moderate (Some walking on mild slopes, but still on excellent surfaces. Drive time to location approximately 30 minutes)
We will travel through the iconic saguaro cactus forest of Saguaro National Park East around the Cactus Forest Loop Drive looking for Gilded Flicker, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher and other desert denizens. The tour will stop at the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center with its exhibits, restrooms and air conditioning. National Park entry fee included. Limited to 9 participants.
Image: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher