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April 23
@ 6:30 am - 3:30 pm

$105

Event Information

Date:
April 23
Time:
6:30 am - 3:30 pm
Cost:
$105
Event Categories:
, , , , ,
Website:
https://na.eventscloud.com/website/91454/agenda/

Venue:

Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Cottonwood, AZ 86326 United States

Host Organization:

Friends of the Verde River
Phone:
928-641-6013
Email:
contactus@verderiver.org
Website:
View Organizer Website

Other

Date Custom:
04/23/2026
Allowed Ages:
Ages 18+
Audience:
Adults
Genre:
Field Sciences
Type:
Expo/Festival,Field Trip/Outdoor Activity,Tour/Walk
Labels:
Yavapai

Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival: Upper Verde IBA Field Trip

IBA Trip
Important Bird Areas are designated for good reason, and the Upper Verde IBA is indeed special. We will have the rare opportunity to access the verdant confluence of Granite Creek and the Verde Headwaters through private property. We will walk along Stillman Lake below basalt cliffs to a collection of fascinating petroglyphs. Birds possible in the confluence area include Peregrine Falcon, Common Black Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Summer Tanager, Canyon and Rock Wrens, migrating warblers and flycatchers, etc. There will be some discussion of conservation efforts and potential threats to this ecosystem. We will have lunch at the lovely Little Thumb Butte B&B. With remaining time, we may look for prairie dogs, Burrowing Owls, and other grassland species and consider other conservation issues.

Details: It’s a 45-mile (75-minute drive) over Mingus Mt. to the Safeway in Chino Valley, where we will have a restroom break and allow other participants to meet us. We will drive 15 minutes from there to Little Thumb Butte B&B and hike down a rocky ranch road to the confluence. Boots or sturdy footwear required, long pants recommended, and trekking pole could be useful. Expect 2-3 miles of walking, though pace will be slow. Rattlesnakes live in the area. If time permits, we will drive to grasslands to look for wildlife there, and the drive back to Dead Horse will be at least 90 minutes.

Meet the Van: 7:45am-2:15pm, Meetup  at the Safeway in Chino Valley (NE end of lot by Starbucks)
Rating: 3
Cost: $105
Transportation: Van and self-drive option

 

 

 

PPart of the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival

Join us 100 miles North of Phoenix in North Central Arizona’s Verde Valley for the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival. Experience birding during the peak Spring migration season at Dead Horse Ranch State Park on the banks of the Verde River. Close proximity to the Verde, Oak Creek, Sycamore Creek, and other perennial waters offers a wide selection of guided tours, hikes, and workshops in one of Arizona’s richest birding habitats.

Our experienced guides have extensive knowledge of birds and the unique habitat that makes this region special. The festival, presented each April by Friends of the Verde River, is a purpose-driven community benefit organization and 501(c) 3 non-profit working to preserve one of the last perennial flowing rivers in the American Southwest.

Festival site is at Dead Horse Ranch State Park.