Workshops
SABO offers a variety of educational workshops in birding and natural history. Mini-workshops include two to three days of activities, usually starting with a morning classroom session followed by field trips to a variety of hot spots appropriate to the subject and season. Don't have a full two or three days to spend? Ask about reduced rates for just one or two days of activities. To register for an upcoming workshop, please visit the
Calendar of Events.
SABO staff and volunteers also teach workshops for the Institute for Field Ornithology. The American Birding Association is responsible for format, pricing, and reservations for these events (see links below).
Sparrow-phobics Anonymous Mini-Workshop
February 9-10, 2013
Are you terrified at the thought of sorting through all those "little brown jobs"? You're not alone! Let fellow sufferers guide you through the basics of sparrow identification with a little classroom study and plenty of practice on the real thing.
This weekend workshop begins on Saturday morning with a classroom presentation covering the basics of sparrow identification, including season, habitat, field marks, behavior, and voice. The group will then do some leisurely exploration around the inn and along the San Pedro River to hone our new skills, with a midday break for a brown-bag lunch. On Sunday morning, the group will meet at Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area in the Sulphur Springs Valley to work on a slightly different group of sparrows before an optional picnic lunch. For more information, please e-mail SABO.
Owls & Trogons
May 2013
T
his 6-day, 5-night workshop and tour will open a window into the lives of some of the Southwest's most fascinating and mysterious birds. Though owls and trogons will be our focus, we won't neglect the other regional specialties that spring such a great time to visit southeastern Arizona, including White-eared Hummingbird, Red-faced Warbler, Arizona Woodpecker, and Abert's Towhee.
Mornings will be spent in the field, while afternoons and evenings will be divided between classroom sessions and additional field time. Classroom presentations will focus on cover the behavior, ecology, conservation and identification of Arizona's thirteen owls and two trogons. Field trips will visit a variety of habitats, from deserts and grasslands to conifer forests high atop the "sky islands."
Note: To minimize our impact on the birds, recordings will not be used in the field.
For the current workshop schedule, please visit the
Calendar of Events.
Hummingbirds of Arizona
August 2012 (dates to be announced)
From urban gardens to exotic birding hot spots, hummingbirds hold equal fascination for both novice and expert birders. In this week-long workshop and tour, 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.
For the current workshop schedule, please visit the Calendar of Events.
See also the list of
Regional & International Tours.