August + 41 Species including 16 Lifers for a total of 554
The highlight of August was attending the Tucson Bird Alliance's Southeast Arizona Birding Festival. I attended this festival in 2024 and was amazed at the bird diversity, the unique variety of habitats, and how impeccably well the event was organized. I promised myself I would return and if you go, you will vow to return, too.
This year's festival was from August 12-16, but I flew in early to spend an entire week in this magical area. The festival is held each year during the height of the monsoon season when early migrants, local nesters, and coveted regional specialties all thrive on the abundant rain and insects. Yes, it was hot...but it was so worth it.
This is a trip where you want to be at your birding location when the sun is coming up (around 5 am) and back at your lodging before 2 pm. Coming from the Eastern time zone made the early mornings much easier. Each afternoon I retreated to the comfort of air conditioning and watched the monsoon storms rumble in. This year's plentiful rains made the Tucson area green and vibrant - and of course exceptionally birdy.
I flew into Phoenix, which is about 90 minutes north of Tucson. There were no direct flights from Detroit to Tucson, and since I planned to rent a car anyway, it made sense to just fly direct and drive the difference rather than risk a layover. That proved to be a wise decision with severe storms tracking across the country causing many flights to be delayed or canceled. My Delta direct flight left Detroit on time and arrived a few minutes early at 10 am, where I stepped into the brutal 115 degree temperature in Phoenix.
My first stop was Encanto Park, just a short drive from the Phoenix airport. I carried plenty of water while I wandered around this beautiful park, and promptly sweated it all out in the suffocating heat. The effort paid off and I was treated to three Rosy-faced Lovebirds that flew past and landed in a palm tree. I watched them in the palm tree for several minutes, surprised at their diminutive size and unique shape - all body, and almost no tail. They weren't as "rosy" as the first picture, but more like picture #2, but they are a fascinating species that is thriving in the Phoenix area. (You can read about them here.) I also picked up the first of what would be MANY Gila Woodpecker and a pair of Gilded Flicker, which at first glance looked just like a Northern Flicker to me.
This year's festival was from August 12-16, but I flew in early to spend an entire week in this magical area. The festival is held each year during the height of the monsoon season when early migrants, local nesters, and coveted regional specialties all thrive on the abundant rain and insects. Yes, it was hot...but it was so worth it.
This is a trip where you want to be at your birding location when the sun is coming up (around 5 am) and back at your lodging before 2 pm. Coming from the Eastern time zone made the early mornings much easier. Each afternoon I retreated to the comfort of air conditioning and watched the monsoon storms rumble in. This year's plentiful rains made the Tucson area green and vibrant - and of course exceptionally birdy.
I flew into Phoenix, which is about 90 minutes north of Tucson. There were no direct flights from Detroit to Tucson, and since I planned to rent a car anyway, it made sense to just fly direct and drive the difference rather than risk a layover. That proved to be a wise decision with severe storms tracking across the country causing many flights to be delayed or canceled. My Delta direct flight left Detroit on time and arrived a few minutes early at 10 am, where I stepped into the brutal 115 degree temperature in Phoenix.
My first stop was Encanto Park, just a short drive from the Phoenix airport. I carried plenty of water while I wandered around this beautiful park, and promptly sweated it all out in the suffocating heat. The effort paid off and I was treated to three Rosy-faced Lovebirds that flew past and landed in a palm tree. I watched them in the palm tree for several minutes, surprised at their diminutive size and unique shape - all body, and almost no tail. They weren't as "rosy" as the first picture, but more like picture #2, but they are a fascinating species that is thriving in the Phoenix area. (You can read about them here.) I also picked up the first of what would be MANY Gila Woodpecker and a pair of Gilded Flicker, which at first glance looked just like a Northern Flicker to me.
Pre-festival Guided Birding with Nolan Walker, from American Birding Guides
My attitude is simple: if you're going to spend the money traveling to a birding location (airfare, hotel, rental car), spend the extra money and hire a local guide for at least one day. Not only will a guide take you to spots you'd never find on your own, but they will invariably make location suggestions for target species during the rest of your trip.
I birded with Nolan Walker back in January in the Lower Rio Grande area of Texas and found him to be both an exceptional guide and a wonderful person. When I found out he would be at home in Arizona during the festival, I reached out immediately. A fellow birder that I met at the Biggest Week Festival in Ohio, Jackie, was also attending the festival and booked Nolan for a day as well. Thanks to Nolan, I picked up several species I definitely would've missed if I had only attended the festival outings - namely the Five-striped Sparrow, Crissal Thrasher, and Zone-tailed Hawk. All lifers for me.
I birded with Nolan Walker back in January in the Lower Rio Grande area of Texas and found him to be both an exceptional guide and a wonderful person. When I found out he would be at home in Arizona during the festival, I reached out immediately. A fellow birder that I met at the Biggest Week Festival in Ohio, Jackie, was also attending the festival and booked Nolan for a day as well. Thanks to Nolan, I picked up several species I definitely would've missed if I had only attended the festival outings - namely the Five-striped Sparrow, Crissal Thrasher, and Zone-tailed Hawk. All lifers for me.
Jackie, Nolan, and me at Mt. Lemmon
Nolan and I birded the Madera Canyon area at first light where we checked off Botteri's Sparrow and Crissal Thrasher. While I truly appreciated those species, the absolute highlight for me was a spectacular, close-up look at three Lesser Nighthawks. I had previously seen them from a distance at dusk back in January down in the Everglades, but watching them at such close proximity was a treat. It gave me a great opportunity to study the subtle field markes that separate them from Common Nighthawks. Hint: the white patches on the Lesser are positioned much closer to the wingtips (rather than near the wrist, like on a Common), they are slightly smaller. and they forage and fly much lower to the ground.
