Archives: Festival Events

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.

Southeast Arizona is rich in flycatcher diversity, and some of the more common and conspicuous ones include Tyrannus kingbirds and Myiarchus flycatchers. Birders often struggle with the subtle features that differentiate them, but you’ll have an opportunity to work this out in the field with expert Chris Benesh of Field Guides. A stroll through this lush riparian corridor along the Santa Cruz provides many opportunities for flycatchers, including Dusky-capped and Brown-crested Flycatchers and Tropical, Western, Cassin’s, and Thick-billed Kingbirds. Monsoon rains will dictate the portions of the trail we walk. Limited to 9 participants.

Brown-crested Flycatcher, Lois Manowitz

Difficulty: Moderate. Some walking on slopes/inclines at elevation. Bathroom will be available at different times. 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.

Steller’s Jay, Shawn Cooper

Difficulty: Easy. Flat walking on groomed trails or roads. Shade structures available. No bathroom on-site but we’ll stop before/after. Drive time to location approximately 80 minutes.)

This outing, sponsored by WINGS Birding Tours, will explore Cochise Lake where we should find a wide variety of shorebirds and is also the best festival opportunity 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 relaxed paced half-day trip with limited walking on level surfaces. Limited to 9 participants.

Scaled Quail, Ned Harris

Difficulty: Moderate. Some walking on mild slopes, but still on excellent surfaces. Drive time to location approximately 30 minutes. Bathroom at visitor center.

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.

Gilded Flicker, Bruce Taubert

Difficulty: Moderate. Some steeper slopes or more rocky/rooted trails. Bathroom available at trailhead. Drive time to location approximately 45 minutes.

The perennial stream flow and lush riparian vegetation at Pima County’s Cienega Creek Natural Preserve is an important nesting and migration corridor for a multitude of avian species. Home to Yellow-breasted Chat, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Bell’s Vireo, and Lucy’s Warbler, the creek has also hosted a number of vagrants. Cienega Creek has potential for Yellow-billed Cuckoo as well. Under the shade of towering Fremont cottonwoods, we will explore this well-watered and increasingly rare habitat on a half-day outing. This outing is offered in partnership with Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation (NRPR).  Limited to 9 participants.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Greg Lavaty

Difficulty: Moderate. Mostly flat walking trails along roads or dirt/gravel trails, but does involve some incline and uneven path along the river.

The agricultural fields of Marana northwest of Tucson provide some vital habitat for the localized Burrowing Owls and also opportunities for other open-land birds such as Western Kingbird and Horned Lark. Blackbird flocks are also regular which may include Yellow-headed Blackbird or Bronzed Cowbird. We’ll check out a number of birding hotspots in the area including the Wastewater Reclamation Facility (Stingray Drive), Hardin Road, and the Santa Cruz River near Trico Road. Limited to 9 participants.

Burrowing Owl, Ned Harris

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.

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.

Arizona Woodpecker, Mick Thompson

Difficulty: Moderate. Some walking on mild slopes, and possibly rocky/uneven surfaces. But mostly even and easy walking. Bathrooms available. Drive time to location approximately one hour on mostly paved roads.

The Patagonia area is one southeast Arizona’s best-known destinations for riparian birds. Some of the specialties found around Patagonia are Gray Hawk, Thick-billed Kingbird, Varied Bunting, Violet-crowned Hummingbird and Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet. There are many famous and wonderful places to bird here including the Patagonia Roadside Rest, Harshaw Canyon, and of course the Paton Center for Hummingbirds. Our exact itinerary will be at the leader’s discretion, based on where our target birds are being seen most readily. Limited to 8 participants.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Dan Weisz

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