Regional & International Tours
We're looking for a few curious, enthusiastic travelers to share in-depth adventures in some of our favorite regional international destinations. Group size will be small to ensure a quality experience.
Hummingbirds of Arizona
August 2013 (dates TBA)
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. Summer thunderstorms bring a second spring to the "sky island" mountains and valleys. Blooming wildflowers and the area's famous feeding stations attract up to 15 hummingbird species plus many other colorful birds, butterflies, and much more.
Most field trip destinations will be of particular interest to hummingbird aficionados, but we won't neglect the songbirds, raptors, butterflies, and other wildlife that make this region so special. The tour will include short presentations to give you an in-depth understanding of hummingbird natural history and identification. Participants will also have the opportunity to see research in progress at SABO's hummingbird banding stations. To compensate for early mornings and avoid thunderstorms, most days will incorporate an hour or two of siesta time in the afternoon.
Featured lodging for this tour will be Casa de San Pedro Bed & Breakfast, adjacent to the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. One night will be spent at Portal in the Chiricahua Mountains. The tour follows the Southwest Wings Birding Festival.
Price TBA. Package will include 6 nights lodging, ground transportation from Casa de San Pedro B&B, and meals from dinner the first day through breakfast the last day. Alcoholic beverages, guide and lodging gratuities, and other personal expenses are not included. Limited to 8 participants. A deposit of $200 is required to hold your reservation. For additional information, please contact SABO at
reservations@sabo.org or
(520) 432-1388.
Belize & Tikal
not currently scheduled
Join the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory for an adventure in the tropical kingdom of the ancient Maya! This tour will introduce you to many of the region's outstanding natural areas and archeological sites and the hospitality of comfortable lodges that cater to birders and other wildlife enthusiasts.
Your leader, SABO naturalists Sheri Williamson, has been a fan of Belize since her first visit in 1983. Sheri is internationally known for her expertise in hummingbirds but is also a butterfly and plant enthusiast and has studied the art and history of the ancient Maya. Her love of the natural and human history of the Maya region inspired a chapter in Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die: Birding Experts Share The World's Greatest Destinations by Chris Santella. The expertise of local naturalist guides will complement Sheri's thirty years of experience in tropical birding and natural history.
Early spring is a particularly good time to enjoy warblers and other migrants headed north to nesting grounds in the eastern U.S. and Canada as well as tropical residents such as hummingbirds, toucans, parrots, trogons, and more. Highlights of previous trips include Little Tinamou, Jabiru Stork, King Vulture, Snail Kite, White Hawk, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Barred Forest-Falcon, Orange-breasted Falcon, Ocellated Turkey, Crested Guan, Great Curassow, Yucatan (Yellow-lored) Parrot, Stripe-throated (Little) Hermit, Purple-crowned Fairy, Collared Trogon (photo, above left), Collared Araçari, Tody Motmot, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Tawny-winged Woodcreeper, White-collared Manakin, Yucatan Jay, Black-faced Anthrush, Black-throated Shrike-Tanager, Crimson-collared Tanager, Montezuma Oropendola, Ocelot, Black Howler Monkey, Spider Monkey, White-nosed Coatimundi, Red Brocket Deer, Morelet's Crocodile, Green Iguana, and Striped Basilisk. An active Harpy Eagle nest discovered late last year in a remote reserve in central Belize increases the chances of sighting this monarch of the forest.
Price TBA, will include lodging, meals, in-country transportation, local guide services, entrance fees, tips, and local taxes. Airfare to Belize, alcoholic beverages, laundry, other personal expenses, and airport exit tax are not included. Belize tours are limited to 6 to 10 participants. E-mail SABO for reservations or more information.