Day 1: Arrival in Tucson

Today you should arrive at your convenience. You and your guide will meet for dinner, answer any questions and go over the tour and expectations for you trip. Your guide will verify with your before the start of the tour on specific locations and meet up times for the first morning.

 

Day 2: Tucson Hotspots

The morning will be spent at various hotspots ranging from golf courses and city parks to Sonoran Desert habitats. We do this to give us chances at some great birds like; Harris’s Hawk, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Greater Roadrunner, Abert’s Towhee and the stunning Vermilion Flycatcher. After your brunch and midday heat break, you will head out for the afternoon. Your guide will have the final say but likely you will start around 4:30pm. Afterwards, you will be visiting some exquisite Sonoran Desert habitat around the Tucson area. Key targets might include things like; Pyrrhuloxia, Curve-billed Thrasher, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Verdin, Lesser Nighthawk, Gilded Flicker, Purple Martin, Rufous-winged Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow and the oh-so common birds like Gambel’s Quail, White-winged Dove and Gila Woodpecker. You will spend your second night in the hotel near the airport.

 

Day 3: Tucson (Catalina Mountains) to Green Valley (Santa Rita Mountains)

Today is a very cool day. We mean that sort of literally as we attempt to out climb the heat by visiting the iconic Mount Lemmon just outside of Tucson in the stunning Catalina Mountains. This is a special area as you will find cycling through numerous habitats and birds as you climb to around 9200ft. You will start off in the Sonoran Desert and eventually end up in stunning high elevation pine forests where you will target some great birds like; Red-faced and Grace’s Warbler, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Yellow-eyed Junco, Painted Redstart, Pygmy Nuthatch and Plumbeous Vireo to name a few. In between the top and bottom you may run into great birds like Hepatic Tanager, Lucy’s Warbler, Rock Wren, Hooded Oriole, Blue Grosbeak, Northern Cardinal, Ash-throated Flycatcher and if we’re really lucky, we’ll try for a Black-chinned Sparrow. After a fantastic lunch on the mountain we will head down and continue towards our next set of mountains in Green Valley where we will spend the next few nights. The first afternoon we will spend at Box Canyon and chase your main target, the Five-striped Sparrow. You might also find birds like; Bell’s Vireo, Cassin’s Kingbird, Varied Bunting, and Loggerhead Shrike. As the sun dips below the mountains, you’ll head back towards the hotel or have your first night time excursion and search for targets in Madera Canyon like; Whiskered Screech Owl, Elf Owl and Mexican Whip-poor-will.

 

Day 4: Green Valley (Santa Rita Mountains)

During your stay in the Santa Rita Mountains you will be visiting two main areas. Madera Canyon and Box Canyon. The exact timing and location order will be up to your guide but likely your first morning will be spent in Madera Canyon. The earliest part of the morning will be spent at the feeders at Santa Rita Lodge. Here the hummingbirds spend the early morning perching on branches by the feeders. Hummingbirds present are usually; Rivoli’s, Broad-billed, Black-chinned, Costa and sometimes, the stunning Berryline Hummingbird. This is also when the light is best for photos. After some time here, we will move up the canyon and into the Madrean Oak habitat to search for our main targets like; Elegant Trogon, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Painted Redstart, Bridled Titmouse, Brown-crested Flycatcher and Arizona Woodpecker. For brunch we will return to Green Valley and have our afternoon rest period. The afternoon is a free afternoon where you and your guide will discuss what target is needed at this point. Another night time outing will also be discussed and executed if needed.

 

Day 5: Green Valley (Santa Rita Mountains) to Sierra Vista (Huachuca Mountains)

One last morning will be spent in the Santa Ritas, either Box or Madera Canyon or the grasslands below. If you haven’t done the grasslands below yet, it can be a great spot for Varied Bunting, Botteri’s Sparrow, Western Kingbird and Loggerhead Shrike. You’ll then take the dirt track over the mountains and on towards the Las Cienegas area to look for three grassland specialities, the newly named Chihuahua Meadowlark, Cassin’s and Botteri’s Sparrow. The light is typically not great at this point during the day but the location is on the way and with a later check in at the hotel, this is a good way to kill a little time and potentially get some decent shots. Once you arrive in Sierra Vista, we will check into the hotel and after a bit of rest, head out for the afternoon. You will likely take a trip over to Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary to target humimbirds, specifically the stunning Lucifer Hummingbird. You might also get Phainopepla, Bronzed Cowbird, Bushtit, Scott’s Oriole, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Lesser Goldfinch Anna’s, Black-chinned and Broad-billed Hummingbird. Your exact schedule when in the Huachuca Mountains will be up to your guide. You’ll be based here for three nights and there generally isn’t too many options for night time outings during this part of the tour.

 

Day 6: Sierra Vista (Huachuca Mountains)

Your first day in the Huachucas will be a combination of a few different canyons. One such tactic  could be to go up Carr Canyon for the morning. Here the rough road will hopefully give way to not only some stunning views, but also some incredible birds. You’ll search through the pines at the top for birds like Buff-bellied Flycatcher, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Northern Flicker, Grace’s Warbler, Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay, Acorn Woodpecker, Canyon Wren, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Greater Pewee. After your daily brunch, and rest, you will venture out to another canyon. Perhaps return back to Ash Canyon or maybe visit Miller Canyon for great hummingbirds (season depending) like; Violet-crowned, Black-chinned, Broad-tailed, Broad-billed, Rufous and Rivioli’s Hummingbird. You will have a nice dinner before retiring to the hotel for the evening.

 

Day 7: Willcox and Patagonia

Today is a bit of a back and forth day but its actually pretty cool. The Huachuca’s lie right in the middle of two small towns, Willcox and Patagonia so today it merely serves as a base to access these two areas. An early morning departure will see you in Willcox around dawn. Here you will visit the grasslands and a large body of water for some great birds. The birds here vary year to year and are affected by the amount of rain so this will be at the discretion of your guide. Birds to target at the water would be Wilson’s Phalarope, Baird’s Sandpiper and stunning American Avocets. The grasslands around the lake typically hold Scaled Quail, Bendire’s Thrasher, Chihuahuan Meadowlark, Northern Mockingbird, Swainson’s Hawk and Western Kingbird. After brunch, you’ll head back towards your hotel, take a quick break and then head for the very tiny town of Patagonia. This mesquite woodland and riparian area is typically your best bet for birds like Yellow-breasted Chat, Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, Thick-billed Kingbird and the very very difficult to photograph Rose-throated Becard. You’ll have dinner in Patagonia and then take the 1.5hr drive back to Sierra Vista.

 

Day 8: Sierra Vista (Huachuca Mountains) to Portal (Chiricahua Mountains)

Today you will travel towards your last main destination of the tour, the Chiricahua Mountains. After one last morning around Sierra Vista as a ‘clean-up’ morning, you’ll take the long drive towards Portal. This is will be done after a nice relaxing brunch and maybe a resupplying of the snacks cache. Upon your arrival in Portal, you’ll check in to your lovely accommodation and kill a little time before heading out for the afternoon. You’ll likely spend the first bit of the afternoon in the lower elevations habitats of Madrean Oak Pine Woodland and Juniper forests. Target birds for these habitats would be things like; Juniper Titmouse, Montezuma Quail, Scott’s Oriole and Blue Grosbeak among many others. There are lots of great night time targets around Portal. If you haven’t secured Elf and Whiskered Screech Owl, those are accessible here as well as new targets like Western Screech Owl as well as being your best chance to photograph the range restricted Mexican Whip Poor Will.

 

Day 9: Portal Area (Chiricahua Mountains)

Your first full day in Portal will begin early photographing around the Cave Creek Ranch feeding area where Blue-throated Mountain Gems are often perching and singing with the morning chorus. You may also be able to photograph the local Arizona Woodpecker that typically comes near the peanut butter feeder. Before too much time passes you will head below the mountains into the Chihuahuan Desert. The more grassland style desert should give way to some great birds like; Scaled Quail, Crissal Thrasher, Chihuahuan Raven, Canyon Towhee, Cassin’s Sparrow, American Kestrel, Bendire’s Thrasher, Swainson’s Hawk and Greater Roadrunner. After your brunch and rest, you will likely travel up towards Paradise in more Juniper habitat. There is some potential for White-eared Hummingbird at a feeding station depending on the species seasonal movement and this area is also good for many of the birds previously mentioned.

 

Day 10: Portal Area (Chiricahua Mountains)

Today you will spend your morning up at the top of the mountains. The wonderful combination of Rustler and Barfoot Park will be your last pine forest experience of the tour. You’ll climb up the mountain early looking for some great birds like Steller’s Jay, Mexican Chickadee, Buff-bellied Flycatcher, Western Bluebird, Band-tailed Pigeon, Spotted Towhee, Hairy Woodpecker, and this is probably your best chance (again based on time of year, not a strong target) for the Olive Warbler. They are usually abundant but bringing them down for a photo this time of year is very very difficult. Once you finish with the parks, you’ll go down the other side of the mountain for a quick check for Mexican Spotted Owl. This bird is really hit or miss year after year but a quick search from your guide may prove fruitful and will definitely be a welcome addition to your catalog of photos. Your afternoon will be a ‘clean-up’ shoot based on whatever the guide believes you’ve missed or could do better on photographically.

 

Day 11: Portal Area (Chiricahua Mountains) to Tucson

The last morning of your tour will be a ‘clean-up’ morning. You can spend it in the pine forest, Chihuahuan Desert, Madrean Oak Pine or wherever you may need. You’ll spend the full morning here and after a last meal in the Portal area you’ll take the 3hr drive back to Tucson for a roughly 3:30pm arrival. After check-in and a quick rest, if it is required/desired, you can spend one last afternoon around Tucson Hotspots and the Sonoran Desert chasing things you missed on the first few days…after all, one last spectacular afternoon in the Sonoran Desert is a pretty sweet way to end this incredible tour around AZ.

 

Day 12: Departures

The tour ends this morning. The hotel offers a free airport shuttle so that you may leave at your leisure. A late evening departure on Day 11 may also be feasible depending on flight schedules.