We will start by birding Quail Springs Ranch Rd. Birding along this road allows us to see some very different birds from the backyard and llustrates how slight differences in the elevation can attract different birds.

Nancy’s House: With a variety of habitat, the majority of the land is native thornscrub. There is a fruit orchard and two fenced lawn areas with more fruit trees, roses, landscape trees, other garden plants, and a small pond in the back with bird feeders. We also have a vegetable garden and another area with blackberry vines. A sumptious brunch will be served. Directions will be sent to all registrants before the festival.

Rating: 2

Transportation: Self-drive

Meal: Provided by hosts

Trip Guide: Janie Ward-Langley

Living in the Verde Valley and having “on the job training” in the birding world Janie has come to love birding and helping others see what she sees through the lens of binoculars. She attributes much of what she learned to her Birding Teacher the late Dena Greenwood who was one of the early founders of the festival. She has participated in numerous Christmas Bird Counts, bird surveys and is a Leader for Northern Arizona Audubon for Birding field trips throughout the year. Janie (formally Stewart) was featured in the Lifestyles of Sedona Magazine article for doing a Big Year in 2020, breaking the record for the number of bird species sighted in Yavapai County in one year, with 303. The best part of birding is you can see birds wherever you travel and sharing them with others is icing on the cake. She says, “Birding is a passion and fun at the same time. Only other Birders can understand”

Part of the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival