Archives: Festival Events

Difficulty: Moderate. Some walking on mild slopes, and possibly rocky/uneven surfaces, but mostly on gravel road. Drive time to location approximately one hour on paved & gravel roads.

Join Patagonia resident and guide, Jake Thompson, to bird his favorite birding patch. Harshaw Creek in the Patagonia Mountains is lined with oaks and sycamores making it a great location for woodpeckers, flycatchers, tanagers, and more. We might catch a look at one of the Coppery-tailed Trogons that breed through here and Mexican Jays are common in the oaks. Limited to 9 participants.

Mexican Jay, John Hoffman

Difficulty: Moderate. Walking along mostly level trail but with uneven surfaces for around 2 miles, there is one area with steep stairs. Bathroom on-site. Drive time to location about 80 minutes.

Patagonia Lake is the top eBird hotspot in the state thanks to its mix of waterbirds and great riparian habitat. Mexican Duck, Ruddy Duck, and Neotropic and Double-crested Cormorants should be readily seen on the lake along with raptors, flycatchers, and tanagers along the Birding Trail. As one of the few “large” bodies of water in SE Arizona you never know what could show up. Limited to 9 participants.

Ruddy Duck, Greg Lavaty

Difficulty: Moderate. Although this is a generally flat natural trail, conditions can vary. You may encounter uneven or sandy footing, and depending on recent rains a few spots could be damp or slightly slippery. There may also be the occasional need to step over small branches or natural obstacles. Bathroom on-site. Drive time to location approximately 90 minutes.

Located in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Casa de San Pedro is an eco-friendly nature haven that offers a setting for fantastic birding along the San Pedro River and at their hummingbird feeders. Join local leaders Gordon & Lori Lam to enjoy many hummingbirds such as Black-chinned, Anna’s, Rufous, Broad-tailed, and Broad-billed, along with other likely species including Swainson’s and Gray Hawk, Western Kingbird, Botteri’s Sparrow, Lucy’s Warbler, and Lazuli Bunting. Limited to 9 participants.

Lazuli Bunting, Mick Thompson

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, Botteri’s and Cassin’s Sparrows, 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.

Five-striped Sparrow, Richard Fray

Difficulty: Moderate. Some steeper slopes or more rocky/rooted trails, but mostly walking on gravel road with little incline for about 1.5 miles round-trip. Bathroom near trailhead. Drive time to location approximately 90 minutes, including some gravel road.

An interesting man-made lake makes a great water source and stopover for migrants and nesting birds. The adjoining canyon is a good location for Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Hutton’s Vireo and Hepatic Tanager, with Coppery-tailed Trogon as a remote possibility. Montezuma Quail favor the hillsides surrounding the lake, but are notoriously hard to see or hear. Other interesting species could include Gray Hawk, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and Varied Bunting. Expect to walk on groomed trails around the lake and a gravel/loose rock forest service road through the canyon. Limited to 9 participants.

Hepatic Tanager, Hemant Kishan

Difficulty: Moderate. Mostly flat walking trails on some uneven and rocky terrain often exposed to sun. Bring 1-2 liters of water. Drive time to Arivaca is about 75 minutes.)

Just outside of the small town of Arivaca is the Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge where efforts to re-introduce the Masked Bobwhite are being undertaken by a group of conservation partners. We’ll focus our birding efforts at the Arivaca Cienega and along the Arivaca Creek where we’ll look for Black Vultures, Gray and Zone-tailed Hawks, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Tropical Kingbird, and buntings. Limited to 9 participants.

Gray HAwk, bryanjsmith

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 Bell’s Vireo, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, 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, Lois Manowitz