Birding and Natural History in Southeast
Arizona
April 30 - May 6, 2024
Southeast
Arizona is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the United States. Habitats include the
Sonoran
Desert
with its dramatic columnar cacti, the Chihuahuan desert with its grasslands
and desert scrub, and the dramatic “Sky
Islands” where species from the Rocky Mountains and the
Sierra Madre come together. During
our journey, we’ll explore most of these habitats, encounter
a great diversity of plants and animals, and enjoy fine weather at one of the
richest times of year. We’ll visit
many of the birding and wildlife hotspots –
Madera
Canyon, the Patagonia area, Huachuca and Carr Canyons, and the San
Pedro
River. Species we’re likely to see
include elegant trogon, vermilion flycatcher, painted redstart, Grace’s,
Lucy’s, olive, red-faced and other warblers, 3 species of Myiarchus flycatcher
(ash-throated, brown-crested, and dusky-capped), northern beardless tyrannulet,
thick-billed kingbird, pyrrhuloxia, greater pewee, buff-breasted flycatcher, 4 species of kingbird (Cassin's,
western, thick-billed, and tropical), up to 7 species of hummingbirds, up to 14
species of sparrow (inlcuding five-striped, rufous-winged, rufous-crowned,
grasshopper, black-throated, and Botteri's), and many others.
On our nocturnal outings, we'll have good chances to see elf, whiskered-screech,
and western-screech owls as well as Mexican whip-poor-will, common poorwill, and
lesser nighthawk.
In
addition to birds, the area is well known for its butterfly diversity, with the
Huachuca Mountains alone harboring almost one-quarter of all the butterflies
found in the U.S. While May
is not the peak season for butterflies, we should see as many as 15 - 20
species. Mammal diversity in the area is high, and we've seen 20
species on past trips - these include round-tailed ground-squirrel, Arizona gray
squirrel, Coues' white-tailed deer, pronghorn, black-tailed jackrabbit, coyote,
bobcat, coatimundi, and javelina. And of course, with this being the
Southwest, there will be as many as 10 species of reptiles.
We’ll also spend time learning about the general ecology of the area
and explore the fascinating relationships among southeast Arizona’s
wildlife, geology, and regional climate.
The
2024 cost
is $2425 per person, double occupancy, and includes all lodging,
meals, tips, admission fees, and ground transportation from
Tucson,
AZ.
The single supplement for this trip is
$450. Limited to 8 participants.
Please
contact me for a detailed
itinerary.
Photo - Mexican spotted
owl by Judy Lin
Montezuma
quail by John Dicus