Sweetwater Wetlands with Vernie Aikins of Naturalist Journeys

Difficulty: Easy. About one mile walking on easy dirt (and some concrete) walking paths. Bathroom and water on-site.

This artificial wetland is the premier birding hotspot in the Tucson Valley, offering a stunning variety of species that can be found here at any time during the season. Green Heron, Common Gallinule, Tropical Kingbird, Common Yellowthroat, and Abert’s Towhees are some of our prime targets. Join Vernie Aikins of Naturalist Journeys for a fun and diverse bird walk! Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 20 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 12 participants.

Common Gallinule, Scott Olmstead

Peppersauce Canyon with Rick Bowers

Difficulty: Moderate. Walking along gravel/dirt/rocky roads with some incline. About 1-2 miles in total. Bathroom on-site. Bring 2 liters of water.

Peppersauce Canyon, located on the north-side of the Catalina Mountains, is a beautiful oasis mostly shaded by huge sycamores lined with oaks, where Bell’s & Hutton’s vireos, Acorn Woodpeckers, and Western Wood-Pewees are common. We’ll walk up a somewhat rocky road looking for Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay, Rock & Canyon wrens, and Hooded Oriole and then finish up in the shaded campground for Black-chinned Hummingbird, Brown-crested Flycatcher, and more. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 80 minutes and it includes driving on gravel road that is passable for all vehicles. Specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay, Alan Schmierer

Santa Cruz River at Trico Road with Gerry Hodge

Difficulty: Moderate. Will involve around one to two miles walking on dirt paths that are “lumpy” and littered with cow pies. No bathroom on-site.

A walk along the Santa Cruz River northwest of Tucson can produce some great riparian birds during fall migration which will be beginning in August. Possibilities include Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cassin’s Kingbird, Bell’s Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat, Abert’s Towhee, and Lucy’s Warbler. Raptors such as Black Vulture, Swainson’s Hawk, and Great Horned Owl can be regular. This is part of the De Anza Trail and is called the Oit Par Trailhead (‘Old Town’ in O’odham). Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 40 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Yellow-breasted Chat, Shawn Cooper

The Secret Lives of Desert Purple Martins with Jennie MacFarland

Difficulty: Moderate. Will involve walking over uneven, rocky terrain and off trails relatively short distances in the desert. Participants must wear sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves, binoculars, hat and other sun protection. Bring water.

Be a part of the Desert Purple Martin Project research crew for a morning! Tucson Bird Alliance is using technology and a network of volunteers to learn more about these little known birds that nest in saguaro cavities during the monsoon abundance. We will visit several saguaros with active nests and use an endoscope camera and telescoping pole to peek inside the nests. We will be gathering real data points of what stage each nest has reached as specific timing of nests is still not completely known to science. Participants must wear sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves, binoculars, hat and other sun protection. Bring water and snacks, it heats up quickly in the desert! Specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Purple Martin, Richard Fray

Mindful Birding at Cienega Creek Preserve with Holly Thomas and Chris Benesh

Difficulty: Moderate. Expect a slow hike on dirt trail that has some loose rocks and moderate incline at times. Bathroom at the trailhead. Bring two liters of water.

Mindful birding is about the intention to focus on the present moment without judgment, just noticing and welcoming whatever shows up, opening our senses to take in the sights and sounds of birds.  Our morning will begin with an overview of mindful birding and its health benefits followed by a birding walk into the cottonwoods along Cienega Creek from the Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 30 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Summer Tanager, Hemant Kishan

Bird and Bike with Matt Griffiths and Wesley Homoya of Natural Selections Tours

Difficulty: Moderate.

Join us for a leisurely bike ride on a dedicated path around Reid Park in search of its varied bird life. Located right across from the DoubleTree hotel Festival site, the park is one of the best places in Tucson to see Vermilion Flycatchers! We’ll check the lakes of the park for any lingering ducks, cormorants, herons and egrets, and maybe even a Mexican Duck. The many species of large, native and exotic trees are good places to find early migrating warblers, vireos, orioles, and grosbeaks. We’ll take a trip to the nearby Hardesty pond for more marshy conditions and the chance at seeing Black Phoebe, Spotted Sandpiper, Song Sparrow, Abert’s Towhee, and other desert riparian species. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED A BIKE RENTAL. Limited to 8 participants.

Vermilion Flycatcher, David Quanrud

Madera Canyon with Janice Travis and Andrea Serrano

Difficulty: Moderate. Walking will mostly be on road or groomed trails but may have some steeper slopes with possibly rocky/rooted trail areas. Bathrooms available.

Iconic Madera Canyon is one of the top destinations for any birder. We’ll start in grassland habitat around Proctor Road looking and listening for singing sparrows first thing in the morning. Along with sparrows we will be looking for birds of upland riparian habitat including Bell’s Vireo, Blue Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, and Varied Bunting. Next we’ll head into the mid-elevation oak-juniper habitat, looking for desirable southeast Arizona species like Arizona Woodpecker, Painted Redstart, and Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher. After this we’ll spend some time walking along the nature trail and investigating the hummingbird feeders at the Santa Rita Lodge that make Madera one of the best spots for hummingbird diversity in the country. Maybe we’ll find an Coppery-tailed Trogon! Limited to 9 participants.

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Jim Burns

Cochise Lake with Louie Dombroski

Difficulty: Easy. Easy walking on dirt road/trail. Bring a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, water bottle, and be prepared for hot and sunny weather. No bathroom on-site but there is one in close by in Willcox.

This half-day trip to Cochise Lake in Willcox 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, Chihuahuan Raven, 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.

Scaled Quail, Ned Harris

High Elevation in the Catalinas with Mike Hillman

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 Western Flycatcher. Limited to 9 participants.

Red-faced Warbler, Greg Lavaty

Tubac De Anza Trail with Bill Lisowsky and Cedar Stanistreet

Difficulty: Moderate. Fairly flat dirt walking trails that may be muddy, for 1 – 2 miles roundtrip under mostly shaded areas. Bathroom nearby at Ron Morriss Park. Drive time to location approximately one hour.

A stroll through this lush riparian corridor along the Santa Cruz provides many opportunities for fall migrants, Zone-tailed and Gray Hawks, Thick Billed, Tropical, Cassin’s and Western Kingbirds, and many chats, tanagers, and warblers. There might even be a chance of seeing Rose-throated Becards, though their numbers have been declining along the river. Monsoon rains will dictate the portions of the trail we walk. Limited to 9 participants.

Thick-billed Kingbird, Martin Molina