Join Skye Haas on a birding tour of Southeast Arizona, where we will be targeting the borderland specialties like Elegant Trogon, Spotted Owl, Rose-throated Becard, Mexican Chickadee, Thick-billed Kingbird and many more! Timed for the start of the monsoon season, known also as a second spring;  the desert blossoms at this time and a number of species like Varied Bunting and Botteri’s Sparrow initiate their breeding season, while in the high mountains the first waves of fall migrants from further north began to appear. The mountain canyons we will be visiting are gorgeous places with plenty of opportunity to soak in the visually stunning scenery. We will visit a variety of habitats and elevations and should tally in over 150 species of birds. In addition to the avian spectacle that is southern Arizona, this is a naturalist’s playground with lots of viewing opportunities for mammals, herps, butterflies and flowers.

The tour begins with a meet and greet dinner in Tucson on the evening of the 24^th. The following morning we will visit the Sonoran Desert habitat for lowland birds like Gilded Flicker and Phainopepla, then head off to the Chiracahua Mountains for a few days. This wild and beautiful country is the only spot in the US one can reliably find Mexican Chickadees! The Chiricahuas are a treasure trove of amazing birds, with Trogons, Blue-throated Hummingbirds and Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers. In the high-elevation pinelands we will look for birds including Greater Pewee and Short-tailed Hawk as well as flocks of migrant warblers like Townsend’s and Hermit mixing with local breeders like Olive and Grace’s. Down in the lower brushlands, rarer thrashers like Crissal and Bendire’s can be found.

We then head off to the Huachuca range with goodies like Lucifer Hummingbird, Buff-breasted (and hopefully Tufted!) Flycatchers, Red-faced and Rufous-capped Warblers and Spotted Owls as some of our targets.  Next we’re off to Patagonia where we will visit the Patton Center, which is one of the best places to see Violet-crowned Hummingbirds in the US, and the hills nearby can be excellent for Montezuma Quail and Black-capped Gnatcatchers. We will also visit the rugged and exceptionally beautiful Atascosa Highlands to track down Five-striped Sparrows and Buff-collared Nightjars, both species that just barely slip over the Mexican border into the US. We spend our final days in the Santa Rita Mountains birding the legendary Madera Canyon. Full of birds like Painted Redstart, Arizona Woodpecker, Whiskered Screech-Owl and Rivoli’s (Magnificent) Hummingbirds, Madera can be another excellent spot for Trogons. After our final day of birding here, we will drive back to Tucson for a farewell dinner on August 3^rd to conclude the tour.

We will be traveling by van for the duration of the tour, with lodging in hotels and birding lodges. The price of the tour includes lodging, transportation by van, breakfast and lunch and all entry fees Not included is air fare to Arizona and evening dinners. There will be a bit of elevational hiking, with a couple of moderately strenuous hikes, but we will also be doing some easier walks,  road birding as well as visiting several feeding stations, particularly for hummingbirds including rarities like Beryline and White-eared Hummingbirds. We rise early most days to beat the day’s heat, though temperatures are often quite comfortable in the mountains. It can be cool when rainy and some days particularly in the lowlands will be hot and dry. We will do some evening birding to look and listen for Nightjars and Owls.