Spring & Summer
River Walks
The
San Pedro River, a narrow green oasis rippling through desert grassland, is one
of the last wild rivers in the Southwest and one of the most endangered. These
3-hour guided walks through desert grassland and among towering cottonwood trees
will introduce you to the birds and other wildlife that make their homes in the
sanctuary of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. River
Walks depart from
Casa de San Pedro Bed &
Breakfast.
$10 per person for members of SABO and/or guests of Casa de San Pedro Bed & Breakfast, $15 for
non-members. Participation is limited, and reservations are required; prepaid registration is refundable only if unforeseen circumstances force SABO to cancel the walk. River Walks take place weekly
from late March/early April through May. Please check SABO's
calendar of events
for dates and registration.
Canyon Walks
The canyons of the Huachuca Mountains are home to some of southeastern
Arizona's most beautiful birds, including Magnificent Hummingbird, Painted
Redstart, Red-faced Warbler, and Scott's Oriole, plus an amazing variety of
other wildlife. These 4-hour guided walks will introduce you to the birds
and other wildlife of Miller Canyon in the
Huachuca Mountains. Canyon Walks begin at Beatty's
Guest Ranch & Orchard at the end of Miller Canyon Road and explore
moderately challenging trails in the Coronado National Forest
Miller Peak Wilderness Area.
$15 per person for members of SABO and/or guests of Beatty's Guest Ranch, $20 for
non-members. Participation is limited, and reservations are highly recommended; prepaid registration is refundable only if unforeseen circumstances force SABO to cancel the walk. Canyon Walks take place on an approximately weekly
schedule from late March/early April through May and July through September. Please check SABO's
calendar of events
for dates and registration. Personalized tours
of Miller Canyon for individuals and groups
are available with advance arrangements.
Whitewater Wetlands Walks
These 3-hour bird walks take place at the Arizona Game & Fish Department's
Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area between Bisbee and Elfrida, an oasis for breeding
and migrating birds such as hawks, eagles,
falcons, owls, waterfowl, and songbirds and winter home for
thousands of Sandhill Cranes (through early March most years).
Spring (Mar-Apr): $10 per person for members of SABO, $15 for
non-members. Participation is limited, and reservations are recommended for
these walks; prepaid registration is refundable only if unforeseen circumstances force SABO to cancel the walk. Whitewater Wetlands Walks take place
on an approximately weekly basis from late November through mid-April; please check SABO's
calendar of events
for dates. Custom walking tours of Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area for individuals and groups
are available with advance arrangements
Owl Prowls
Five species of small owls nest in the "sky islands" of southeastern Arizona,
but they can be difficult to find and identify. Join a SABO naturalist on a
no-tapes moonlight walk in search of Elf Owls, Whiskered Screech-Owls, and othert night creatures.
Two-hour Huachuca Mountain Owl Prowls take place in lower Miller Canyon. These walks are typically offered once or
twice per month from late March through May, depending on the timing of the full
moon. Owl Prowls begin with an introduction to owling ethics and the natural
history, behavior, and identification of the small owls of southeastern Arizona.
$15 per person for members of SABO, $20 for non-members. Participation is limited to 10, and reservations are required; prepaid registration is refundable only if unforeseen circumstances force SABO to cancel the walk. Please check SABO's
calendar of events
for dates and registration. Personalized Owl Prowls for individuals and groups
are available with advance arrangements.
May 2-8, 2010
Spend a week exploring southeastern Arizona's
hummingbird havens with Sheri Williamson, author of the Peterson Field
Guide to Hummingbirds and scriptwriter for the Advanced Birding
Video: Hummingbirds of North America. August is one of the most
exciting months for hummingbird watching in southeastern Arizona, with up
to 15 species present at the area's famous feeding stations and other
birding hotspots. The tour will include classroom presentations to give
you an in-depth understanding of hummingbird natural history and
identification. Most field trip destinations will be of particular
interest to hummingbird aficionados, but we won't neglect the many other
colorful species that make this region so special. Participants will also
have the opportunity to see research in progress at SABO's
hummingbird banding stations.
Price TBA. Package will include 6 nights lodging, ground transportation
from Tucson, and meals from dinner the first day through breakfast the
last day. Limited to 10 participants. For more information, contact SABO.
Parrots & Quetzals
August 23-27, 2009
Less than a day's drive from Bisbee,
the cool, green mountains around Madera, Chihuahua offer a refuge for hundreds of
endangered Thick-billed Parrots and many pairs of Eared Quetzals (formerly
Eared Trogon). These rare species share their mountain
strongholds with many birds familiar to visitors to Arizona's "sky islands"
as well as species that are rare to unheard of in the United States,
including Crescent-chested Warbler, Brown-backed Solitaire, White-striped
Woodcreeper, and Mountain
Trogon. Magnificent scenery, ancient ruins, and colorful local culture and
cuisine are
added attractions.Tours
include all transportation beginning in Bisbee plus lodging, meals, tourist
permits, entrance fees, and the services of local naturalist guides. Spring
trips typically enjoy the best views of parrots, while late summer trips
usually enjoy greater species diversity and more success seeing Eared
Quetzals. 2009 prices TBA. These tours are limited to 5 to 9 participants.
"Parrot season" is May to September; customized itineraries for 2 to 9
people can be arranged. For more information, contact SABO.
Madera, Chihuahua Photo Album
Tropical Birds of Sonora
March 2010
Join naturalists Sheri Williamson and Eduardo Gómez Limón for a
six-day adventure in beautiful and exotic Sonora, Mexico! Early spring
offers fine weather, fantastic birding, and gorgeous scenery as the
desert and tropical deciduous forest come into bloom. This area is
home to such tropical
beauties as Black-throated Magpie-Jay (photo, left),
Purplish-backed Jay, Social Flycatcher, Streak-backed Oriole, Blue
Mockingbird, Elegant Quail, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, and
White-fronted Parrot. Our principal destination will be the 326-year-old
Spanish colonial town of Alamos in southern Sonora (western Mexico's
answer to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, where the tropics meet the
temperate zone). The tour will also visit the
city of Navojoa on the lower Río Mayo and the seaside resort of San Carlos,
where Ospreys, Brown Pelicans, and Blue-footed Boobies perch on giant
cacti overlooking the Sea of Cortez.
Price TBA,
package will include transportation from Bisbee, five nights' lodging,
all meals, restaurant gratuities, and the services of expert local
guides. Tourist fees, snacks, alcoholic beverages, guide and lodging
gratuities, and other personal expenses are not included. This tour is
limited to 6 to 9 participants. For more information, contact SABO.
More information...
Institute for Field Ornithology: Owls & Trogons
May 3 - 9, 2009
CANCELED
Owls have always held a special
fascination for birders and other wildlife enthusiasts, but their
nocturnal habits make them challenging to observe. Trogons are less well
known than owls among the general public, but their colorful plumage,
tropical origins, secretive nature, and extremely limited distribution
within the United States spark the imagination of birders. You will have
a fantastic time as we explore the behavior, ecology, conservation, and
identification of the thirteen species of owls and two species of trogons
that occur in southeastern Arizona. Afternoon and evening classroom sessions will explore the lives of owls
and trogons in depth, while day and evening field trips into a variety
of habitats will give you first-hand experience with these fascinating
and mysterious birds. No recordings will be used in the field, and every
effort will be made to minimize our impact on the birds during this,
their nesting season. Field trips will also offer opportunities to
search for area specialties such as Red-faced Warbler, Arizona Woodpecker,
Crissal Thrasher, and Montezuma Quail, and enjoy up to a dozen species of
hummingbirds at the area's famous feeding stations. The workshop will
be based in Sierra Vista, near
the Huachuca Mountains.
For more information on this workshop, see the Institute for Field Ornithology schedule or contact
the IFO coordinator.
Institute for Field Ornithology: Hummingbirds
From urban gardens to exotic birding
hot spots, hummingbirds hold equal fascination for both novice and expert
birders. In this workshop you will learn natural history, behavior,
ecology, and identification of North American hummingbirds, with special
emphasis on the fifteen species that occur in summer in southeastern
Arizona. In many species, the gaudy
plumage of adult males is virtually unmistakable, while the more subtle
colors and intricate patterns of females and immature males present
identification challenges on par with raptors, gulls, and shorebirds.
These popular birds also have a tendency to wander far afield, so a
working knowledge of a variety of species is an asset to virtually any
birder anywhere in North America. Mornings will be spent in the field,
while afternoons will be divided between classroom sessions and
additional field time. Classroom presentations will focus on hummingbird
natural history and aspects of identification progressing from basic to
advanced, including aging and sexing, molt, behavior, voice, and wing
sounds. Field trips will visit a variety of birding hot spots of
particular interest to hummingbird aficionados but will not neglect the
many other species that make this region so special.
This workshop is not being offered in 2009. For more information on future offerings of this workshop, see the Institute for Field Ornithology schedule or contact
the IFO coordinator.
EOP Walks
In cooperation with the City of Sierra Vista, SABO, the Friends of the San
Pedro River, and Huachuca Audubon Society offer volunteer-led 2-hour birding tours of the
wastewater wetlands at the Environmental Operations Park on the city's east
side. These Sunday morning tours begin at 8 a.m. from October through
March and 7 a.m. from April through September. The tours explore areas normally off limits to the public.
Free. Participation is limited and on a first-come first-served basis; reservations are not accepted. Special
tours are available for groups of 6 or more with advance arrangements; for
more information on group tours,
contact SABO.