Phoenix’s West Side

Trip Difficulty: easy, mostly birding from verhicles. Duration: 5.5 hours.

Thanks to studies conducted by Sonoran Audubon Society, there’s a great route around the Buckeye/Arlington area west of Phoenix, through agricultural fields that is reliable for Burrowing Owls and diurnal raptors, common desert species, plus waterfowl at canals and farm ponds. A recent trip netted over 50 species, including one Brown Pelican (very rare), White Pelicans, Sandhill Cranes and a Bald Eagle (reasonably reliable), among Western Meadowlarks, Loggerhead Shrikes and White-faced Ibis.

This is a long morning, starting at 7:30am in Buckeye and wrapping up perhaps 1ish. Lunch will be a picnic – perhaps without a picnic table. Mostly car birding. Limited to 7 vaccinated participants. Reservations required. Difficulty 1. Meeting place and carpooling logistics will be determined a few days before the trip.

Leader: Kathe Anderson

Registration for this trip is free. Register for this trip beginning on Feb 11 at 7:00 AM.

Header Image: Burrowing Owl by Mick Thompson