Sabino Canyon with Karen Howe

Difficulty: Moderate (mostly flat walking trails on some uneven and rocky terrain. Participants must be able to walk a mile in less than 30 minutes.)

We’ll bird Sabino Canyon Recreation Area walking a loop that includes both Sonoran desert upland and Sabino Creek riparian area. Gila Woodpeckers, Purple Martins, Cactus Wrens, and Phainopeplas should be readily seen with other desert and riparian birds. Meet at the ramada by the Visitor’s Center at 5700 N Sabino Canyon Road. $8 parking fee. Return to car by 9am. Sunhat, water and walking shoes always recommended. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 25 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 10 participants.

Purple Martin by Henry T McLin

Lakeside Park with Holly Kleindienst

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

Birding with a Camera with Krisztina Scheeff

Are you a birder and would like to learn more about your camera and how to capture your own photos? Join professional Nature Photographer Krisztina with KS Nature Photography for a casual session of birding with the added bonus of photography. This program is open to all ages, birders, photographers, and anyone who would like to learn more about the birds and about basic camera techniques for bird photography. Bring your binoculars and any camera, if you like (point and shoot, DSLR, Mirrorless – and any lens). To read more about Krisztina, please visit www.KSNaturePhotography.com. Specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand. Limited to 12 participants.

Verdin by Krisztina Scheeff

Christopher Columbus Park with Christina Klock

Difficulty: Easy (Flat walking surfaces, with less than two miles covered)

This city park on the west side of town hosts two lakes, Silverbell and Archer Lakes, that provide habitat for herons, grebes, a resident Snow Goose, and many other bird species. Vermilion Flycatchers are all over the place and the water resources bring a variety of other bird species to the park. Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 20 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand.  Limited to 10 participants.

Vermilion Flycatcher by Greg Lavaty

Las Cienegas Grasslands with Alex Lamoreaux of Wildside Nature Tours

Difficulty: Moderate (Some walking on mild slopes, but still on excellent surfaces. Drive time to location approximately one hour plus driving on gravel/dirt roads)

Las Cienegas is a 45,000-acre national conservation area with high desert grasslands, riparian strips and perennial streams, marshes, and juniper-oak woodlands. Here we can find grassland breeders such as Cassin’s, Botteri’s and Grasshopper Sparrows, Chihuahuan Meadowlark, and Loggerhead Shrike, as well as riparian-associated species including Gray and Zone-tailed Hawks, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blue Grosbeak, Yellow Warbler, and Summer Tanager. Las Cienegas is great for mammals, too — we’ll visit a colony of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs (road condition permitting) and keep an eye out for Pronghorn Antelope. Sponsored by Wildside Nature Tours. Limited to 9 participants.

Harshaw Creek and Patagonia Hotspots with John Yerger

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

Harshaw Creek is lined with Sycamores making it a great location for woodpeckers, flycatchers, tanagers, and more. We might catch a look at one of the Elegant Trogons that breed through here and Mexican Jays are common in the oaks. After exploring the Harshaw area we’ll head over to the Paton Center for Hummingbirds to look for Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Gray Hawks, and more. Lunch will be provided courtesy of local favorite, Gathering Grounds. Limited to 9 participants.

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

Big Sit With Feminist Bird Club at Barrio Hollywood

Join Tucson Audubon and Feminist Birding Club for a big sit! We will be doing some slow, passive birding in one spot for the full duration of our time. Observing birds and enjoying nature can take many forms so in addition to providing binoculars and field guides, we will also be providing art supplies (feel free to bring your own as well). Participants are welcome to join or leave us at any time. BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled and beginner birders are welcome!! Accessibility notes: There is wheelchair accessible parking. Bathrooms are available on site. Please bring a chair or blanket to sit on, plenty of water, snacks, and sun protection. Art supplies optional! Drive time to meeting location from festival venue is about 15 minutes, specific meeting instructions will be emailed beforehand.

Curve-billed Thrasher, Martin Molina