These two canyons are just north of the more famous Madera Canyon and offer fabulous birding in riparian areas flanked by upland desert and grassland. We’ll bird mostly from the road in Box Canyon looking for the rare Five-striped Sparrow, nesting Gray Hawks and Thick-billed Kingbirds, singing Rock and Canyon Wrens, and Bullock’s, Hooded, and...
This flat area of agricultural fields, mesquite bosques, pecan groves and desert scrub is rarely birded in the summer, but it can hold many surprises. Tropical Kingbirds should be fledging their young at this time, and we can expect to see them in the rows of pecan trees along the road. Raptors such as Black...
Walking the old road up Peña Blanca Canyon is a good location for Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Hutton’s Vireo and Hepatic Tanager, with Coppery-tailed Trogon as a remote possibility. Montezuma Quail favor the hillsides surrounding the lake, but are notoriously hard to see or hear, but we’ll be on the lookout. Other interesting species could include Gray...
We’ll combine birding, wine, and good food during this tour of the grasslands south of Sonoita at the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch. We’ll look for 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...
Rugged, remote Sycamore Canyon is legendary among birders for the rarities it has harbored over the years, as well as for its scenic terrain. This steep-sided canyon is in the Pajarito Wilderness Area of Coronado National Forest. It drains southward into Mexico, crossing the international border 5.6 miles from the trailhead off Ruby Road, west...
We’ll get an early start from Tucson to explore the east flank of the Huachuca Mountains. We’ll start by visiting the Nature Conservancy’s beautiful Ramsey Canyon and walk underneath the towering sycamores which offers a wide variety of Arizona specialty birds such as Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher and Hepatic Tanager, along with many hummingbirds. After our picnic...