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Scenic Arizona: A Birdy Winter Escape *FULL*

World-class birding, spectacular scenery, and sunshine…in February?

Join Stefan and Randy for a February escape to the birders’ paradise of southern Arizona. From the exciting specialty species to the always-pleasing regulars such as Vermilion Flycatcher and Mountain Plover, this trip will delight any level of birdwatcher.

Species diversity is high in the winter, with many winter specialties, some of which can’t be predicted ahead of time, such as Rufous-backed Robin and Green Kingfisher. On this trip, we will allow schedule flexibility to maximize our chances for these birds, but also for the more regularly rare wintering birds such as Louisiana Waterthrush. We’ll explore many different habitats, from desert to oak/juniper woods, between Phoenix and the world-famous birding spot in the small town of Patagonia.

We’ll kick the trip off with a visit to the beautiful Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, searching for target birds such as Neotropic Cormorant and Verdin. The next day we’ll search for several winter specialties in the Santa Cruz flats: Mountain Plover, Lark Bunting, Crested Caracara, and Chestnut-collared and McCown’s Longspur. We’ll also visit a whimsical garden park, the beautiful Desert Meadows Park in Green Valley, searching for hummingbirds among the cacti and flowers.

Just outside Patagonia, the beautiful Violet-crowned Hummingbird will likely be seen at Tucson Bird Alliance of Oregon’s Paton Center for Hummingbirds, a place dedicated to celebrating and conservating hummingbirds. We will make a few stops along the Santa Cruz river, birding the riparian areas. There are always a few rarities that we can look for en route. 

We will also spend half a day in the lower elevations of Madera Canyon, one of the best birding locations in the country and always a participant favorite, a migratory bird haven in the northern Santa Rita Mountains. There are many other stops on the itinerary, all nestled in spectacular scenery, fantastic birds, and exciting possibilities.

Lastly, a major highlight of winter Arizona trips are the five thrasher species we could find. Thrashers are charismatic, larger-than-robin-sized, highly vocal birds closely related to mockingbirds and catbirds. The resident thrashers sing primarily in January and February and can be difficult to locate outside these months. We hope to find them nicely queued and singing, and with luck, we could get a “thrasher slam” by finding LeConte’s, Crissal, Bendire’s, Curve-billed, and Sage Thrasher (a winter visitor).

Register today to travel with us to sunny Arizona!

World-class birding, spectacular scenery, and sunshine in February? Join Stefan and Randy in one of the best birding spots in the country for a wonderful birding trip you will not forget.

Register!

Trip Details

Trip leaders: Stefan Schlick and Randy Hill
Dates: February 14-18, 2024
Fee: $1,450 members / $1,750 non-members
Single supplement: $300
Included: All ground transportation, double-occupancy lodging, breakfasts, lunches, entrance fees, services of your skilled leader
Excluded: Airfares, dinners, alcoholic beverages
Limited to 10 guests.

Participant reviews from previous Arizona ecotours with Stefan:

  • Stefan has an incredible ear for birds and tries to help everyone get good looks at every bird.
  • Absolutely yes. The group size seemed ideal; the guides were great, the pace was fine, and the guides’ sensitivity to inclusiveness was excellent.
  • His knowledge and passion led us to the number of species that we saw, while his respect for the birds, their habitat, and their need for territory showed his sensitivity.
  • Stefan has excellent site and birding knowledge and is very patient, always kept his cool, professional manner. He kept us very well informed about what was coming up for travel, bird sites, restroom breaks. Good advice on expected morning temperatures and how long we would be in the field so everyone stayed comfortable.

Details

Start:
February 14
End:
February 18
Event Categories:
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Organizer

Tara Lemezis
Phone:
971-222-6131
Email:
tlemezis@birdallianceoregon.org