Arizona: Photo Tour
Tour Overview:
Southeast Arizona is one of those birding destinations that can be good at any time of year, although is arguably at its best during the monsoon season, when usually at its wettest and greenest. At this time of year a burst of new life occurs, and many bird species are best photographed at this time. This is especially true of the hummingbirds, one of the key groups visiting photographers wish to spend time with, and there is no better area for this on the continent. On this tour we will visit feeder set ups where Broad-tailed, Rivoli’s, Lucifer, Berryline Hummingbirds are all possible, in addition to North America’s largest species, the bold Blue-throated Mountain-Gem. Among the hallowed mountain destinations that will feature are Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca’s, Cave Creek Canyon in the Chiricahua’s, and Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita’s, which all have high value birds to photograph both at feeders and in the field. The forests in these sky islands are home to vibrant species like Elegant Trogon, Red-faced Warbler, and Painted Redstart, while the desert areas below host Gambel’s Quail, Greater Roadrunner, Gila Woodpeckers, Varied Bunting and the difficult to pronounce, Pyrrhuloxia. This part of Arizona provides plenty of stunning landscapes in which to photograph too, an often missed feature of this destination. This tour should appeal to those from the east, wanting to experience the vastly different western birds, but also those who have visited Arizona in a different season, or in a different year. There is so much to offer in Arizona it justifies multiple visits for no two single seasons are the same.