Woodpeckers of Mt. Lemmon with Steve Shunk

Arizona Woodpecker by Mick Thompson

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (Some steeper slopes with possibly some rocky/rooted trails. Mostly drive-stop birding with shorter walks.)
Rising over 6,000 feet above Tucson, Mount Lemmon is the highest peak in the Santa Catalina Mountains at 9,157 feet, and a popular escape from urban life and the Arizona’s dry early-summer heat (before the relief of the cooling monsoon rains). It is also an incredible birding experience and biology lesson. Traversing six life zones, from the Sonoran Desert at the base to mixed conifer forests at the highest elevations, the 25-mile drive up the wide, paved, two-lane Catalina Highway is equivalent biologically to traveling from Mexico to Canada which enables us to see a fantastic mix of woodpecker species. We’ll make a special effort to track down Northern Flickers, Acorn, Ladder-backed, Gila, Arizona, and Hairy Woodpeckers along with a variety of other Southeast Arizona specialties such as Painted Redstart and Red-faced Warblers. A few hummingbird feeders are scattered about our route as well. Combine the birds with temperatures nearly 30 degrees cooler at the top and unparalleled scenery, it is hard to beat the Catalinas in August! Lunch included. Limited to 8 participants.

Arizona Woodpecker by Mick Thompson

Saguaros to Summits with Ken Blankenship

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (Drive-stop-birding, with some short hikes on uneven ground, generally low-impact birding.)
Experience the equivalent of driving from the Sonoran Desert to the Rocky Mountains — in a single day! We will start extra early to enjoy desert species at Saguaro National Park before it starts to sizzle: Cactus Wren, Gilded Flicker, Pyrrhuloxia, Rufous-winged Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, Verdin, and more. We will also bird nearby Agua Caliente Park for Vermilion Flycatcher, Hooded Oriole, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Bell’s Vireo, etc. Finally, we will ascend the Santa Catalina Highway to the high peaks of Mount Lemmon, featuring towering conifers and birds like Olive Warbler, Yellow-eyed Junco, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Rivoli’s Hummingbird, and much more! Lunch included. Limited to 8 participants.

Walker Canyon and Pena Blanca Lake area with Tim Helentjaris

Difficulty: Moderate (Will include walking along some graded roads and mostly level trail but with uneven surfaces for about 3 miles.  Drive time to location about 75 minutes)

This area is located in the southern mountains just a few miles from the border and west of Nogales with excellent oak habitat, and much less birder visitation than many other better known locations.  Walking along the old road/trail in the shade of the riparian zone and flanked by grasslands, we’ll have opportunity for many target species, including Montezuma Quail, Gray Hawk, Elegant Trogon, Acorn and Arizona Woodpeckers, Rufous-winged and Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Scott’s Oriole and Varied Bunting. Thick-billed Kingbird have also recently colonized this drainage and we’ll be actively hunting for them as well. After walking Walker Canyon we’ll enjoy lunch at a nearby picnic area by Pena Blanca Lake. Lunch provided, limited to 8 participants.

Happy Valley with Jake Mohlmann

Acorn Woodpecker by Dan Weisz

Difficulty: Moderate (Steeper slopes or more rocky/rooted trails. Drive time to final location approximately 85 minutes on some gravel/dirt road.)

This is a new trip headed to the east slopes of the Rincon Mountains east of Tucson. The gravel roads pass through mesquite bosque, riparian, oaks, and grasslands. We’ll stop at various trailheads and creek crossings looking for Gila, Ladder-backed, and Acorn Woodpeckers, Ash-throated Flycatchers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Bell’s Vireo, and many more. One of the main target birds will be Juniper Titmouse, not normally recorded during the festival, this is the best spot for them near Tucson. A Nutting’s Flycatcher was recorded in this area last year. The route will depend on creek levels and monsoon rains. Lunch included. Limited to 8 participants.

Going Batty with Karen Krebbs

Difficulty: Easy (Easy watching from pathway/parking area and short drive.)

Join Karen Krebbs on an adventure to watch thousands of bats come out of their roost at dusk. Karen has studied bats for more than 30 years and will share her vast knowledge of these misunderstood night creatures. This nightly Tucson spectacle even brings in a Cooper’s Hawk or Peregrine Falcon on occasion. You will meet Karen on-site on the east side of Tucson near Pantano and Broadway. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is approximately 15 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 15 participants.

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.

Lesser Goldfinch by Mick Thompson

Santa Cruz Flats with Keith Kamper & David Simpson

Difficulty: Easy (Birding from vehicles and the road but very hot by mid-morning. Drive time to flats area approximately one hour. Will include driving on gravel roads.)

This flat area of agricultural fields, mesquite bosques, pecan groves and desert scrub is rarely birded in the summer, but it can hold many surprises. Tropical Kingbirds should be fledging their young at this time, and we can expect to see them in the rows of pecan trees along the road. Raptors such as Black Vultures, Swainson’s Hawks, and Burrowing Owls and if we are lucky, an early Crested Caracara, are possible. Sludge ponds and flooded fields at this time of year have yielded a variety of shorebirds, waders and blackbirds, while swallows and flycatchers catch our attention in the air. It will be very hot by 10 am so put on sunblock, bring a water bottle and wear a hat. Limited to 8 participants.

Search for Bendire’s Thrasher with John Yerger

Difficulty: Moderate (Some walking on mild slopes, but still on excellent surfaces. Drive time to location approximately 50 minutes)

While not a real striking bird, Bendire’s Thrasher is sought after by birders because of its limited range which happens to be right here in Southeast Arizona. We don’t always get this on our festival lists though because of its preference for open desert scrub habitat and our preference for cooler canyons. They can also be tough to find this time of year, but we’ll set out today to the Avra Valley west of Tucson to see if we can pick one up for our life lists (and the festival list!). Limited to 9 participants.

Bendire’s Thrasher by Jim Burns

Moths: A Nocturnal Exploration with Jeff Babson

Difficulty: Easy (Easily accessible location with a short drive)

On this trip, we will shine a light into the hidden diversity that exists in the Sonoran Desert! Pima County Naturalist, Jeff Babson will set up a UV light and see what treasures the night produces.  UV lights, also known as black lights, emit wavelengths that attract many insects, including moths and beetles.  Many of these insects are common, but live their lives in darkness and many people are unaware of their existence. Feel free to arrive anytime during the allotted timeframe. Great for families! Location will be at Sabino Canyon. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is approximately 25 minutes, and specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. $8 parking fee. Limited to 15 participants.

White-lined-sphinx-moth by Doris Evans

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