High Elevation in the Catalinas with Cameron Cox

Difficulty: Moderate (some walking on mild slopes, drive time to location about 50 minutes on paved roads)

Enjoy birding where Tucson residents escape the summer heat in the small mountain hamlet of Summerhaven.  We’ll look for mixed warbler flocks which may include Red-faced, Orange-crowned, Virginia’s, Townsend’s, Hermit, Wilson’s, and Grace’s Warblers. Birding in the conifer forests of Mt. Lemmon can also produce species like Hairy Woodpecker, Steller’s Jay, Mountain Chickadee, and Cordilleran Flycatcher. Back by noon. Limited to 9 participants.

Red-faced Warbler by Axel Elfner

Searching Saguaros for Flickers with Steve Shunk

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 especially looking for the Gilded Flicker. Brown-crested Flycatcher, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, and Verdin, among other desert denizens will be enjoyed as well. 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

Las Cienegas and Empire Ranch with Brian Gibbons

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. Limited to 8 participants.

Gray Hawk by Axel Elfner

Box Canyon and Greaterville Road Loop with Eric Ripma

Scott's Oriole by Mick Thompson

Difficulty: Moderate (mostly flat walking trails on some uneven and rocky terrain, includes some driving on rocky road)

This beautiful and scenic loop that starts near Madera Canyon and crosses the northern part of the Santa Rita Mountains offers fantastic birding during the monsoon season. The road goes along rugged Box Canyon where at least one pair of Five-striped Sparrows has been seen the past few years. Varied Buntings, Hooded and Scott’s Orioles, Canyon and Cactus Wrens, Pyrrhuloxia, and more will be singing their hearts out as you make various stops along the drive. The loop comes out just north of the ranching community of Sonoita. Limited to 9 participants.

Scott’s Oriole by Mick Thompson

Arivaca Cienega Area with Keith Kamper & Chris Brown

Difficulty: Moderate (mostly flat walking trails on some uneven and rocky terrain. Drive time to Arivaca is about 75 minutes.)

Just outside of the small town of Arivaca is the Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge where efforts to re-introduce the Masked Bobwhite are being undertaken by a group of conservation partners. We’ll focus our birding efforts at the Arivaca Cienega and along the Arivaca Creek where we’ll look for Black Vultures, Gray and Zone-tailed Hawks, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Tropical Kingbird, and buntings. Limited to 9 participants.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo by Greg Lavaty

Montosa Canyon with Alex Lamoreaux

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 can 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

Patagonia Lake and Patagonia Hotspots with Chris Rohrer

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

Some of the most well-known birding locations in Southeast Arizona, and the United States, occur in the riparian area that runs along the Sonoita Creek and around the small mining town of Patagonia. We’ll start at Patagonia Lake SP and look for waterbirds and riparian stalwarts like Gray Hawk and Summer Tanagers. After the lake we’ll check out hotspots around town before having lunch at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds courtesy of local favorite, Gathering Grounds, while we look for the star of the trip, the Violet-crowned Hummingbird. Limited to 8 participants.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird by Lois Manowitz

Hummingbird Safari with Karen Krebbs

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

This small-group excursion is a “can’t miss” for beginner birders interested in getting to know some of the area’s most dazzling birds and a few popular hummingbird locales around Southeast Arizona. Peak hummingbird diversity is happening and you’ll have the chance to see anywhere from 7 – 10 species. Beatty’s Guest Ranch and Ash Canyon are preliminary destinations but locations are up to the discretion of the leader and based on current observations. Lunch included. Limited to 8 participants.

Lucifer Hummingbird by Peter Hawrylyshyn

Mt. Lemmon: Sonoran Desert to Mixed Conifer Forest with Jake Mohlmann

Difficulty: Moderate (Steeper slopes or more rocky/rooted trails. Drive time to final location approximately 75 minutes.)

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. Our efforts will be concentrated on the higher elevations far above the desert below. We’ll look for typical mountain species like Steller’s Jay, Acorn Woodpecker, Spotted Towhee, and Plumbeous Vireo. We’ll make a special effort to track down a variety of warblers; Painted Redstart and Olive, Red-faced, and Grace’s Warblers all breed in these mountains and by August they are beginning to form mixed-species foraging flocks. 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.

Red-faced Warbler by Axel Elfner

Ramsey Canyon with Troy Corman

Difficulty: Moderate to Hard (Some steeper slopes or more rocky/rooted trails. Drive time to location approximately 90 minutes)

One of the most beautiful areas in all of Southeast Arizona, Ramsey Canyon is full of giant Sycamores and amazing biodiversity. Hummingbird feeders at the Nature Conservancy could attract Rivoli’s, Black-chinned, Broad-billed, and Rufous Hummingbirds as well as possible Violet-crowned or Blue-throated. We’ll walk the preserve trails and look for birds of the madrean evergreen forest including Elegant Trogon, Greater Pewee, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, and Painted Redstart. Lunch included. Limited to 8 participants.

Painted Redstart by Matthew Studebaker