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