Arizona's “Hawk Alley,” the famous Sulphur Springs Vall ey on the west side of the Chiricahua Mountains, provides a winter home for 14 species of raptors, including both Bald and Golden Eagles, and Harris’s , Ferruginous, and Rough-legged Hawks. It also affords approximately 30,00 0 Sandhill Cranes a safe haven from the snows that blanket the northern Uni ted States. A visit to the Sulphur Springs Valley is just one of the treat s that awaits participants as we explore one of the great avian wintering a reas in our country. There is also a pronounced pattern of Mexican bird va grancy at this time of year. Regular but rare species such as Least Grebe, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Green Kingfisher, and Rufou s-backed Robin are not unexpected. So-called “mega-rarities” are impossibl e to predict, but recent years have seen the first U.S. winter records of E ared Quetzal, Nutting’s Flycatcher, Aztec Thrush, Blue Mockingbird, and Cre scent-chested Warbler. Both Black-capped Gnatcatchers and Rufous-capped Wa rblers, formerly vagrants north of the international border, are now establ ished as year-round residents. In the past decade Christmas Bird Counts ha ve consistently turned up a handful or more Elegant Trogons, almost invaria bly the seasonally-colored red-and-green males. They join some of the most sought-after wintering birds in all of North America. Here the list includ es American Bittern, Mountain Plover, Sprague’s Pipit, Baird’s Sparrow, and both McCown’s and Chestnut-collared Longspurs. Irruptive species that may number in the hundreds or only a handful, depending on wild food crops and the severity of the season, include Sage Thrasher, Mountain Bluebird, Cass in’s Finch, Lawrence’s Goldfinch, and a host of sparrows. More reliable ar e Crissal and Bendire’s Thrashers—already in full song, Eastern and Wester n Bluebirds, Scaled and Gambel’s Quail, as well as Green-tailed and Abert’s Towhees, and virtually the full complement of Sonoran Desert breeding bird s. If awakening on a sunny winter morning to the chortling of Cactus Wrens , the whistled Whit-wheet! of Curve-billed Thrashers, and the variegated co os, calls, and songs of Greater Roadrunner, Inca Doves, Anna’s Hummingbirds , Gila Woodpeckers, Pyrrhuloxias, and the familiar “Cheery-cheery-cheery” o f scarlet red Northern Cardinals sounds like a refreshing way to greet the holiday season, we cordially invite you to join us in Southeastern Arizona this December.
Leader: <
a href="index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29:john-yerger&catid=1
8:leaders-and-staff&Itemid=155">John Yerger
Cost of "Arizona Winter Specialties" includes all meals, accommodations, entrance fees, and transportation begi nning and ending in Tucson, Arizona—$2195.
TO REGISTER: Print out a PDF Registration Form, call us at (520) 558-2351 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
See also: Arizona Owling Run (May 17-21, 2017) OR Alpine Arizona, Grand C anyon & Condors (August 14-20, 2017)
Photo: Rufous-backed Robin (female)
Arizona's “Hawk Alley, ” the famous Sulphur Springs Valley on the west side of the Chiricahua Moun tains, provides a winter home for 14 species of raptors, including both Bal d and Golden Eagles, and Harris’s, Ferruginous, and Rough-legged Hawks. It also affords approximately 30,000 Sandhill Cranes a safe haven from the sn ows that blanket the northern United States. A visit to the Sulphur Spring s Valley is just one of the treats that awaits participants as we explore o ne of the great avian wintering areas in our country. There is also a pron ounced pattern of Mexican bird vagrancy at this time of year. Regular but rare species such as Least Grebe, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Violet-crowned Humming bird, Green Kingfisher, and Rufous-backed Robin are not unexpected. So-cal led “mega-rarities” are impossible to predict, but recent years have seen t he first U.S. winter records of Eared Quetzal, Nutting’s Flycatcher, Aztec Thrush, Blue Mockingbird, and Crescent-chested Warbler. Both Black-capped Gnatcatchers and Rufous-capped Warblers, formerly vagrants north of the int ernational border, are now established as year-round residents. In the pas t decade Christmas Bird Counts have consistently turned up a handful or mor e Elegant Trogons, almost invariably the seasonally-colored red-and-green m ales. They join some of the most sought-after wintering birds in all of Nor th America. Here the list includes American Bittern, Mountain Plover, Spra gue’s Pipit, Baird’s Sparrow, and both McCown’s and Chestnut-collared Longs purs. Irruptive species that may number in the hundreds or only a handful, depending on wild food crops and the severity of the season, include Sage Thrasher, Mountain Bluebird, Cassin’s Finch, Lawrence’s Goldfinch, and a ho st of sparrows. More reliable are Crissal and Bendire’s Thrashers—already in full song, Eastern and Western Bluebirds, Scaled and Gambel’s Quail, as well as Green-tailed and Abert’s Towhees, and virtually the full complemen t of Sonoran Desert breeding birds. If awakening on a sunny winter morning to the chortling of Cactus Wrens, the whistled Whit-wheet! of Curve-billed Thrashers, and the variegated coos, calls, and songs of Greater Roadrunner , Inca Doves, Anna’s Hummingbirds, Gila Woodpeckers, Pyrrhuloxias, and the familiar “Cheery-cheery-cheery” of scarlet red Northern Cardinals sounds li ke a refreshing way to greet the holiday season, we cordially invite you to join us in Southeastern Arizona this December.
Leader: John Yerger
Cost of "Arizona Wint er Specialties" includes all meals, accommodations, entrance fees, and transportation beginning and ending in Tucson, Arizona—$2195.
TO REGISTER: Print out a PDF Registration Form, call us at (520) 558-2351 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
See also: Arizona Owling Run< /strong> (May 17-21, 2017) OR Alpine Arizona, Gra nd Canyon & Condors (August 14-20, 2017)
Photo: Rufous-backed Robin (female)
Photo by: Rick Taylor
