Categories: Field Trip
Longspurs at Las Cienegas and Cowboy Festival with Jennie MacFarland
Longspurs at Las Cienegas and Cowboy Festival
Sunday Nov 5, 2023 – 8am, South Entrance of Las Cienegas
This field trip combines birds and local culture! Join Jennie at the south entrance of Las Cienegas NCA at 8am. We will bird this area and then head south of Highway 82 into the nearby Davis Pasture to look for Chestnut-collared Longspur flocks. There is a cattle pond on the south end of this parcel of Las Cienegas NCA that is favored by longspurs. The pace will be slow and mostly driving but we will be walking short distances over uneven terrain and through tall grass.
After we watch birds until about 10am we will head to the Empire Ranch area on the north end of Las Cienegas to enjoy the Cowboy Festival. This is a huge event with lots of activities and demonstrations and celebrates Arizona’s Western History and Culture. You will then be on your own to explore and enjoy the festival.
Tucson Audubon will be tabling at this event all weekend Nov 4-5 and will have a Global Important Bird Area Dedication ceremony at 10am on Saturday Nov 4 as part of the Cowboy Festival. The Las Cienagas Important Bird Area has qualified as a Global IBA for Chestnut-collared Longspur, one of the fastest declining bird species in North America. Bathrooms will be available at the end of the trip. High clearance vehicles are recommended to go into Davis Pasture. We can carpool for the short journey from the South Entrance of Las Cienegas to Davis Pasture for those comfortable with carpooling.
More about Cowboy Festival here: https://www.
Limited to 10 participants
Leader: Jennie MacFarland
Registration for this event is free!
Header Image: Chestnut-collared Longspur by Keith Wiggers