Summer Arizona: Jul 21—28, 2008

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Tour Leaders

Kim Eckert

Kim Eckert, with over 40 years of birding experience throughout the U.S. and Canada, has now been guiding birders or teaching b...

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Violet-crowned Hummingbird — Photo: Brennan Mulrooney

Visit the famed birding hot spots of Southeast Arizona during "second spring." We will seek out the majority of the southwestern specialty birds amid beautiful canyons, forests, and grasslands on this shorter version of our spring tour.

Throughout North America it is the norm to experience four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. While some residents of the far north or south might complain about having fewer than that, in Southeast Arizona they are blessed with five. Each year, usually about mid-summer, the monsoon rains start to fall and the deserts turn green, et voila, second spring! Our Summer Arizona tour is timed to take advantage of this second coming of spring and all of the avian riches it brings. In addition to a flush of bird activity, the afternoon showers that characterize the monsoon serve to lower the temperatures significantly. Combine this with the fact that we spend much of our time in the mountains and canyons, and we often experience surprisingly pleasant temperatures on this tour.

One of the greatest attractions of birding Southeast Arizona at this time of year is the hummingbird show. The combination of breeding residents, fall migrants, and rare summer visitors means that in a good year 15 species could be present. Because of this potential, we will visit many different feeding stations in hopes of cashing in on this diversity that is unique north of Mexico. We expect to see Broad-billed, Violet-crowned, Blue-throated, Magnificent, Black-chinned, Anna's, Broad-tailed, and Rufous hummingbirds. Costa's, Calliope, Allen's, and Lucifer hummingbirds are less likely, but still very possible. Most exciting, and one of the major reasons for the timing of this trip, are the Mexican species that occur in Arizona mostly as post-breeding wanderers: Berylline and White-eared hummingbirds, and Plain-capped Starthroat. Each year at least one of these species shows up, and sometimes all three!

In addition to hummingbirds we'll have a chance to look for most of the Arizona specialties such as Gray Hawk; Elegant Trogon; Arizona Woodpecker; Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped, and Sulphur-bellied flycatchers; Tropical and Thick-billed kingbirds; Mexican Chickadee; Rufous-winged Sparrow; and other grassland sparrows. Summer is also a great time for vagrants and this tour has recorded Short-tailed Hawk, Rose-throated Becard, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Aztec Thrush, Rufous-capped Warbler, and Flame-colored Tanager in recent years.

Good accommodations; easy to moderate terrain; moderate trail walking; some midday breaks; cool and rainy to very warm and dry conditions (depending on the monsoons).

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