Fort Lowell Park with Christina Klock

Difficulty: Easy (easy walking around city park trails)

Less than 15 minutes from the festival venue, this is one of the best spots in Tucson to find Vermilion Flycatchers and the city park habitat (along with pond) offers a good variety of species. We’ll walk the grounds hoping to find Broad-billed Hummingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Cassin’s Kingbird, Lark Sparrows, and Lucy’s Warblers. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 10 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand.  Limited to 10 participants.

Broad-billed Hummingbird by Mick Thompson

Reid Park

Cassin's Kingbird by Lois Manowitz

Difficulty: Easy (Mostly flat walking on grass or concrete pathways)

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.

Cassin’s Kingbird by Lois Manowitz

Catalina Regional Park with Gerry Hodge

Difficulty: Moderate (some mild slopes–mostly flat ground and some loose sand in the wash)

This park in northwest Tucson near Catalina State Park became famous a few years ago for the appearance of a Fan-tailed Warbler. While we most likely won’t see one of those, we can expect to come across a variety of Arizona specialties including Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Phainopepla, Rufous-winged Sparrow, and Canyon Towhee. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 45 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Rufous-winged Sparrow by Jim Burns

Habitat Tour with Tucson Audubon’s Community Conservation Team

Difficulty: Easy (Less than a mile walking on excellent surfaces)

Join Tucson Audubon’s plant nerds who love birds on a tour of community habitat hubs working to connect people and wildlife to nearby nature in Tucson. We’ll take a peek at a completed Habitat at Home installation, move to a small pocket park in central Tucson, and complete our morning at Rio Vista Natural Resource Park along the Rillito River. Along the way we’ll share tips and resources on how to support birds and wildlife from your balcony, backyard, and beyond! Drive time to meeting locations from the festival venue is about 10 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Phainopepla by Shawn Cooper

Lakeside Park with Karen Howe

Difficulty: Easy (1.75 mile round trip on concrete and paved surfaces. Restrooms are available)

Lakeside Park in southeast Tucson is a great place to get to know your urban birds. We’ll be at the front end of the possibility of migrating shorebirds, wading birds, gulls or terns, so while unlikely, we’ll be sure to keep our eyes peeled for unusual birds as well. Osprey is a possibility. We’ll explore the lake and the adjacent lawns and ball fields. Likely sightings include Black-crowned Night-heron, hummingbirds (Anna’s, Black-chinned, & Broad-billed), Cassin’s Kingbird, Vermillion Flycatcher, Cooper’s Hawk, swallows, Abert’s Towhee, and more! Drive time to park and meeting location is about 15 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Osprey by David Kreidler

Mindful Birding with Holly Thomas

Difficulty: Easy (Expect easy walking on trails and some dry, sandy creek bed.)

Mindful birding is about the intention to focus on the present moment without judgment, just noticing and welcoming whatever shows up, opening our senses to take in the sights and sounds of birds.  Our morning will begin with an overview of mindful birding and its health benefits followed by a birding walk at Las Posta Quemada Ranch. Meet at the parking area at La Posta Quemeda at 6am. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 40 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Summer Tanager by Hemant Kishan

Tubac De Anza Trail with Tyler Ficker and Bill Lisowsky

Difficulty: Easy (Flat walking trails. Drive time to location approximately one hour.)

An easy stroll through this lush riparian corridor along the Santa Cruz provides many opportunities for migrants, Gray Hawks, flycatchers, and hordes of Yellow-breasted Chats. Rose-throated Becard, whose nests look like a large football hanging from the end of a branch, have nested along this trail the past few years. A volunteer from the Tubac Nature Center will also be on the walk to share local bird and nature experience. Time permitting, a stop at the Amado Wastewater Treatment plant on the way back could be good for Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. Limited to 9 participants.

Gray Hawk by Axel Elfner

California Gulch Adventure with Scott Olmstead and David Simpson

Difficulty: Hard (Steeper slopes or more rocky/rooted trails. Drive time to location approximately 2 hours on some rough road.)

This trip sets out in search of some of the avian treasures (at the very northern edge of their ranges here) for which southeast Arizona is renowned. The main event for the day is the chance to bird the rugged and remote California Gulch in search of Five-striped Sparrow, Varied Bunting, Gray Hawk, and Montezuma Quail as well as other species from south of the border. California Gulch is set in the stunningly beautiful Atascosa Highlands and requires a full two hours in the van each way to get to this spot, including some rough roads. Depending on recent reports, we will try to maximize our time in this area by birding other nearby sites such as Pena Blanca Lake or Arivaca to look for other SE Arizona specialties. Note: this trip may include a steep mile-long (round trip) trek into the canyon or we may be able to simply take a short walk on a rocky jeep track. Access conditions are variable and can be impacted by the monsoon rains. Lunch included. Limited to 16 participants.

Five-striped Sparrow by Lois Manowitz

Sabino Canyon Evening Hike with Bob Orenstein & Vernie Aikins

Lesser Nighthawk by Dan Weisz

Difficulty: Moderate (Will include walking in the dark, some uphill on dirt trails and some paved road. Total distance about 3 miles.)

Sabino Canyon night hikes during monsoon season are a local favorite past-time. Bring your flashlight as we walk up in the light and walk down in the dark in search of birds, toads, snakes, bugs, and more! Good possibilities for Lesser Nighthawk and Common Poorwill at sunset and we’ll hope for monsoon rains so we can see and hear Spadefoots and giant Sonoran Desert Toads. Lizards, scorpions, and tarantulas are crowd favorites and maybe we’ll run into a Gila Monster. We will go at a slow pace and be sure to bring a water bottle and be prepared for hot weather. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is approximately 25 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 20 participants.

Lesser Nighthawk by Dan Weisz

Birding in the Buff with Rick Wright

Difficulty: Easy (Flat walking trails in the city park)

Have you ever experienced the joy of birding without binoculars hanging around your neck or packing a camera? Join Rick Wright at Fort Lowell Park, one of the locals’ favorite birding destinations in Tucson, to experience birding in a new way. Optics, including cameras, are absolutely prohibited, on pain of possible mockery. Instead, let’s test our ears and eyes and memories by getting to know some of our commonest desert birds without technology, focusing instead on all the little clues that can help us identify birds without the need to see fine details. Drive time to the meeting location from the festival venue is about 10 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Vermilion Flycatcher by Greg Lavaty