El Rio Preserve with Peggy Steffens and Brian Jones

Moderate (mostly easy with paved trail and overlook, but some steep grade if walking down to sandy trails)

Explore this nature preserve area just northwest of Tucson in Marana along the Santa Cruz River which is also part of the historic Juan Bautista de Anza Trail. You’ll enjoy the view from the overlook where you’ll be able to scope the water to see a variety birds including waterfowl, shorebirds, and flycatchers. A walk around the new trail should turn up 35 or more species. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 30 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Common Yellowthroat by Mike Henry

Catalina State Park with Gerry Hodge

Difficulty: Moderate (Some mild slopes, but still on excellent surfaces.)

This state park on the northwest side of Tucson sits adjacent to the western slopes of the Coronado National Forest’s Santa Catalina Mountains and contains a good mixture of desert scrub, mesquite bosque, and riparian vegetation. These habitats support a varied mix of bird species including Brown-crested Flycatcher, Rufous-winged Sparrow, and Northern Cardinals. We will explore the Birding Trail which crosses a seasonal wash and depending on monsoon storms you may get your boots wet. $7 parking fee. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 40 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Crissal Thrasher by Jim Burns

Birding with a Purpose: Plants & Birds with Tony Figueroa and Janice Travis

Difficulty: Moderate (Some mild slopes–mostly flat ground and good surfaces. Watch out for pokie cacti!)

The Sonoran Desert is amazingly dense with vegetation compared to other deserts, but this sensitive habitat is at risk due to invasive species such as buffelgrass. Join Senior Invasive Plant Program Manager, Tony Figueroa to hear how Tucson Audubon is constantly working to restore and preserve these places for future generations of people and birds to enjoy. We’ll find some great birds too as we explore the desert and riparian areas around Colossal Cave. Limited to 9 participants.

Summer Tanager by Hemant Kishan

Saguaro NP East with Troy Corman

Difficulty: Moderate (Some walking on mild slopes, but still on excellent surfaces. Drive time to location approximately 30 minutes)

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 by Bruce Taubert

Madera Canyon with David Simpson

Difficulty: Moderate (Some walking on mild slopes, and possibly rocky/uneven surfaces. Drive time to location approximately one hour.)

Iconic Madera Canyon is one of the top destinations for any birder. We’ll start in grassland habitat around Proctor Road looking and listening for singing sparrows first thing in the morning along with walking the nature trail and looking for 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 riparian trail and investigating the hummingbird feeders that make Madera one of the best spots for hummingbird diversity in the country. Maybe we’ll find an Elegant Trogon! Limited to 9 participants.

Varied Bunting by Martin Molina

Patagonia Area with Jennie Duberstein

Difficulty: Moderate (Some walking on mild slopes, and possibly rocky/uneven surfaces. 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 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 9 participants.

Thick-billed Kingbird by Martin Molina

Montosa Canyon with Sharon Goldwasser

Difficulty: Hard (Steeper slopes or more rocky/rooted trails. Drive time to location approximately one hour with some gravel roads.)

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. Our top target is the Five-striped Sparrow, a skulky sparrow which frequents the area.  We’ll also search for Black-capped Gnatcatcher, which has been breeding in the area for several years, and keep our eyes out for dazzling Varied Buntings on territory. Some more common species we might expect to encounter include Bell’s Vireo, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Canyon Wren, and Ladder-backed Woodpecker. Limited to 9 participants.

Five-striped Sparrow by Lois Manowitz

Birding is for Every Body: Planning Outings for Accessibility with Lindsey Stone

Are you a trip leader, educator or interpreter who wants to offer more inclusive outings?  Join Birdability team member Lindsey Stone for a field workshop focused on how you can make your bird outings welcoming for people with disabilities and other access needs.  You’ll learn how to engage with disabled birders as well as practical strategies to identify and address access challenges. Don’t miss this opportunity to create more welcoming birding experiences for everybody! Meet at Himmel Park. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is approximately 10 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 15 participants.

Verdin by Shawn Cooper

Tohono Chul with Ray Deeney

Difficulty: Easy (some mild slopes–mostly flat ground and good surfaces)

For visitors and those new to the Sonoran Desert, Tohono Chul’s easy-walking trails and gardens provide close-up looks at many of the desert specialties. Of the more than 500 bird species that spend time in Arizona during the year, 140 are known to have visited Tohono Chul, and on any given morning you might see up to 10 or 20 species here. All year long you can watch our state bird, the Cactus Wren, flit from cactus to tree and back again, chattering as he goes. Observe the Curved-billed Thrasher, with its saucy two-part whistle, scrabbling on the ground or nesting in cholla cactus. Enjoy our two year-round resident hummingbird species, Anna’s and Costa’s, as they dart about, feeding among the many colorful flowers. And be sure to look upward for a glance of our majestic Cooper’s Hawks, a pair of which has nested in the gardens for each of the last four years. Meet at Tohono Chul. Limited to 10 participants.

Costa’s Hummingbird by Francis Morgan

Reid Park

Difficulty: Easy (Flat walking on some sandy/gravel trails)

The tall aleppo pines and eucalyptus, along with two large ponds, create great bird habitat right next to the festival venue. We’ll look for Black-crowned Night Herons, Neotropic Cormorants, Cassin’s Kingbirds, Vermilion Flycatchers, and more. This is a great opportunity if you’re just getting into birding. Drive time to the meeting location from festival venue is about 2 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Vermilion Flycatcher by Greg Lavaty