Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival: Sedona Garden Tour Field Trip
This trip is about backyards and attracting birds. We will visit two very different backyard habitats from all riparian on oak creek to mixed to all desert. We will see first-hand different methods to attract birds, from kinds of feeders to kinds of food. And at each stop we will not only bird, but also have a delicious progressive meal provided by the hosts.
Rating: 2
Transportation: Self-drive
Meal: Yes
Trip Guide: Nanette ArmstrongNanette Armstrong graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in Biology. She completed Nuclear Medicine Technology School and worked in the field for 10 years. She and husband Rich have been married 36 years and have been birding most of them. They’ve lived in Sedona 11 years. Her favorite job is being a mom. She has been involved in the local Audubon Societies everywhere they lived, participating in many Christmas bird counts. For Northern Arizona Audubon Society, she’s a Board member, the hospitality chair, the programs chair, and a Facebook moderator. Nanette occasionally leads field trips. She’s the workshop coordinator for the VVBNF. Nanette has lots of favorite birds especially the Western Kingbird and Common Nighthawk. She loves feeding the assortment of birds that live in or visit her backyard.
Trip Guide: Rich ArmstrongRich Armstrong became a serious birder with his wife Nanette 35 years ago when they lived in Texas. He has birded across North America, and now in Arizona for the past 11 years. He is the coordinator of the Sedona CBC, is the birding pal for the Verde Valley, and coordinates the North America Migratory Bird Count for Yavapai County. He is the local Audubon Chapter Steward for the Sedona Wetlands Preserve. Affectionately known as the ‘big mouth of the valley,’ he has led over 100 birding field trips at the Wetlands with his spotting scope always in tow– the ‘fastest scope in the west’. Rich Armstrong received a PhD in Nuclear Inorganic Chemistry from Stanford University, retired as a Major in the U.S. Army Reserves, and was a chemist for Texaco Chemical for 20 years.
Part of the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival
It’s the 2024 Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival! In 2024, join us as we explore the theme of migration and its impact on riparian areas in our environment. Our keynote speaker, Richard Crossley, will lead discussions, and the featured bird for the year is the common black hawk.
The Free Family Nature Festival at the Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival will be in the lagoon area on Saturday, April 27th from 9am to 3pm.
There will be armchair birding and guided bird walks all across the Verde Valley from April 25th – 28th that you do need to register for.
- Audience: Adult
- Genre: Field Sciences
- Type: Expo/Festival, Field Trip/Outdoor Activity, Tour/Walk
