I’ve finalized the dates for my monthly Fun Birding Workshops for the rest of the year. Aimed at beginner and intermediate birders, we concentrate on having a great birding day, with a side subject or two to make sure we all learn something. For example, this Saturday we will be in the Sulphur Springs Valley. We’ll study and get to grips with several species of raptor, sparrow and thrasher, but we’ll also have great fun witnessing the incredible spectacle of thousands of Sandhill Cranes coming to roost at Whitewater Draw.
More information about Fun Birding Workshops
Each workshop is limited to ten participants, so please book early.
2010 Fun Birding Workshops in Tucson & SE Arizona
Saturday March 6th:
• Sulphur Springs Valley
Fun Birding Workshop around the Sulphur Springs Valley. We’ll drop in at Willcox Lakes, search the agricultural fields around Kansas Settlement and Elfrida for raptors, sparrows and thrashers, and spend the afternoon at Whitewater Draw for the unforgettable spectacle of thousands of Sandhill Cranes coming in to roost.
• Spaces available, book now.
Sunday April 11th:
• Patagonia
Fun Birding Workshop around Patagonia. We’ll visit the Nature Conservancy’s Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, plus the Paton’s house and Patagonia Lake for migrating birds, summer arrivals, and hummingbirds including the rather special Violet-crowned Hummingbird.
• Spaces available, book now.
Saturday May 1st:
• Catalina Highway & Mt. Lemmon
Fun Birding Workshop in the Santa Catalina Mountains. We’ll explore Babad Do’ag, Molino Basin, Bear Canyon, Bear Wallow, Summerhaven and Marshall Gulch, looking for some of the enigmatic summer visitors to our mountains and comparing species at varying elevations.
• Spaces available, book now.
Sunday June 13th:
• San Pedro River
Fun Birding Workshop around the San Pedro River. We’ll spend a long morning at San Pedro House and visit St. David in the afternoon. Breeding birds at San Pedro House include Gray Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Cassin’s Sparrow, and we’ll look for Mississippi Kite at St. David.
• Spaces available, book now.
Saturday July 10th:
• Hummingbird Special, Huachuca Mountains
Fun Birding Workshop Hummingbird Special in the Huachuca Mountains. We’ll visit Ramsey Canyon, Beatty’s Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon and Ash Canyon B&B for the amazing spectacle of Arizona’s hummingbirds. We could see as many as 10 or 12 species if we’re lucky, including White-eared, Lucifer, Blue-throated and possibly Berylline.
• Spaces available, book now.
Sunday August 8th:
• Shorebird Special, Willcox Twin Lakes
Fun Birding Workshop Shorebird Special. How many species can we see, and will you go home being able to identify all of them in the future? That’s the aim, as well as seeing some great birds at some of our more productive lakes and ponds. We’ll visit Benson WTP, Sunsites WTP and Willcox Twin Lakes, or other sites depending on where the birds are.
• Spaces available, book now.
Saturday September 11th:
• Santa Cruz River Migration
Fun Birding Workshop around the Santa Cruz River. We’ll witness late summer residents and early fall migrants as they head south along this important migration corridor. We’ll visit a variety of habitats including the world-class Santa Cruz riparian corridor at Tubac and Tumacacori, as well as fields and ponds at Rio Rico and Amado.
• Spaces available, book now.
Sunday October 3rd:
• Sweetwater Wetlands
Fun Birding Workshop on Tucson’s west side. We’ll start at Christopher Columbus Park where we’ll check out Silverbell Lake and the surrounding parkland and desert scrub, then spend the rest of the day exploring the amazing diversity of birds that fall brings to Sweetwater Wetlands. Expect the unexpected at this exciting time of migration in an urban birding hotspot.
• Spaces available, book now.
Saturday November 6th:
• Catalina State Park, Santa Cruz Flats
Fun Birding Workshop where we’ll spend the morning at Catalina State Park, getting to grips with some desert species, hopefully including Crissal Thrasher and Rufous-winged Sparrow. In the afternoon we’ll explore the Santa Cruz Flats in search of raptors, sparrows, thrashers and winter shorebirds. Mountain Plover, Crested Caracara, Sage and Bendire’s Thrasher and Sage Sparrow are all possible.
• Spaces available, book now.
Sunday December 5th:
• Tucson Parks and Urban Birding
Fun Birding Workshop around Tucson’s parks. We’ll experience urban birding at its finest in Tucson’s renowned parks and public spaces. We’ll visit Rillito River Park, Reid Park, Fort Lowell Park, Lakeside Park or maybe other sites, depending on where the birds are, in search of a wide range of species from woodpeckers to warblers to water birds.
• Spaces available, book now.



