During a time of year
when there should be some 
quite interesting birding 


With numbers of waterfowl,
raptors, sparrows, and more
- much more
 

Also, during the tour, weather permitting,
a visit to an ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY
to see celestial objects in a clear night-time sky.  


March 19-27, 2010

(tour: FON/AZ-1, '10)

Tour to be led by Armas Hill.

Birds of southern Arizona (with photos)

Mammals & Other Wildlife in Arizona (including Amphibians & Reptiles) (with photos)     

Butterflies of Arizona (with photos) 

Plants of the Desert & Other Nearby Habitats  (with photos)

Birds of Sonora, Mexico (with photos) 

Mammals in Mexico  (with photos)

Amphibians & Reptiles in Mexico (with photos)

Highlights of Previous FONT Tours in Arizona

Highlights of Previous FONT Tours in Sonora, Mexico

Cactus Wrens are year-round residents in deserts 
in Arizona & Sonora.
(photo by Doris Potter during a FONT tour)

Itinerary:

Fri, Mar. 19:  Arrival mid-day in Tucson. Afternoon birding nearby, including the area of Mt. Lemon, for birds such as Lewis's Woodpecker, Townsend's Solitaire, Mountain Bluebird, and Mountain Chickadee. Overnight in the Tucson area.

Sat, Mar. 20:  Much of this day will be in the San Rafael Valley, a valley of grassland, in Arizona not far north of the Mexican border. This is a particularly good area during the winter for various kinds of raptors and sparrows. Also Chestnut-collared Longspurs can be in wandering flocks with which there can be a few McCown's Longspurs. Sprague's Pipits and Baird's Sparrows may not be easy to find, but they can occur. Overnight in the small town of Patagonia.

In the San Rafael Valley in southern Arizona, 
in March there would be less wildflowers in bloom
than when this photo was taken there in late August, 
but there would be more hawks and sparrows. 
March can be a wonderful time for nature in that scenic valley. 

Sun, Mar. 21:  In the morning, places to be visited in the Patagonia area will include the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Sanctuary and Patagonia Lake. At each, a number of birds should be seen. 
At the Patagonia Lake, expected, of course, would be waterbirds. Possibilities in the winter include: Common Loon, Eared Grebe, and Common Goldeneye along with other ducks.
In the reeds around the lake there could be rails, Wilson's Snipe, and Swamp Sparrow. Elsewhere by the lake, some birds of the desert should be present.   
In the afternoon, we'll head east to the town of Willcox, by way of Kansas Settlement in the Sulphur Springs Valley. Thousands of Sandhill Cranes winter in that part of the valley, and late in the day, we could have a nice encounters with some them that may still be there, as flocks fly about.
Overnight in Willcox.

Reflected clouds in Willcox Lake
Although no birds are to be seen in this photograph,
we should see plenty of them at the lake when we visit in January.  

Mon, Mar. 22:  Nearly a full-day of birding in the Sulphur Springs Valley near Wilcox. In addition to the many Sandhill Cranes already noted, we'll also see numerous other birds. Chihuahuan Ravens can be particularly common. At Willcox Lake, there should be an assortment of waterbirds, and some shorebirds too. Grasslands in the valley are the winter habitat of Hawks such as the Ferruginous and the Rough-legged. Sage Sparrows winter in patches of desert scrub. And many other species of wintering birds may be found, such as other sparrows in the grasslands and blackbirds in the corrals at ranches. Lastly, here, but certainly not least, Mountain Plovers can be seen in the open fields.
Late in the afternoon, we'll head south to the town of Douglas on the Arizona/Mexican border, where we'll spend the night in an historic hotel.  

The Ferruginous Hawk,
a raptor in Arizona
 in the winter and early spring.
 

Tue, Mar. 23:  In the morning, we'll cross the border into the northern Mexican state of Sonora, to go to a place, for birding & nature, that has been special for us in the  past. It's the property of a large ranch, about 30,000 acres, in the High Sonoran Desert. Elevations range from about 3,300 to 7,200 feet above sea level, and the area includes a number of habitats, from riparian woodland to desert. Additionally, there are some spectacular canyons to be explored and in which some notable wildlife is to be found. 

Following this itinerary, a series of photographs, taken on that property in Sonora, during a tour we did there in 2008, shows some of the marvelous scenery, topography, and the flora & fauna to be found.

Wildlife does abound in the area. Pumas are said to be common. Deer and Coyote are as well. Many birds occur. During a previous tour, both Montezuma and Elegant Quail were found. In one of the canyons, there were Rufous-capped Warblers. A Mexican Yellow Grosbeak was seen, as were Five-striped and Rufous-winged Sparrows. The last of these species can be seen locally in southern Arizona, but not as readily as it has been in the past. Overall, the global range of the Rufous-winged Sparrow is nearly restricted to the Mexican state of Sonora.
What probably is best about where we'll be in the remote hills of Sonora is that it IS NOW, as places such as Arizona WERE in the past - before the "development" brought highways, agriculture, and many people. On the property in Sonora, such things are missing. The place is "natural". Oh, there are some cattle on the ranch, but not many. As one travels about on the property on tracks in a four-wheel drive vehicle, one can sense for a while, during the visit, what a "natural place" can be like - and how it was before the highways, agriculture, and many people.
Looking at the photos just noted, that follow below, one can see that a place that is quite similar in the United States to this special area we'll be visiting in Sonora is Big Bend National Park.
The first of 2 nights in the Sonoran hills.           

Wed, Mar. 24:  A full day of birds and other nature in the Sonoran hills. One of the birds we should see would be the Mexican subspecies of the Wild Turkey, known as the "Gould's Turkey". It has white in its plumage where other wild turkeys are buffy.
Also in the region, we'll see numerous other birds at Lake Angostura and along the Bavispe River. Not only will there be birds, but other wildlife too.
To give again an idea of how remote and wild this area is: during our last tour, as we stood on a hill overlooking Lake Angostura, we could see across the way a ridge clad on its upper parts with pines. It was there, we were told, that Geronimo had his last hangout. It was in such places that the Imperial Woodpecker once lived, and where today the Eared Quetzal still does.
In a nearby canyon, with steep walls, a couple years ago, a pair of Military Macaws were seen - the most northern sighting of that species, and the closest to the US.
Referring back to Geronimo for a second, one of the reasons why this part of Mexico has been so unpopulated is that it was, for over 150 years, the haunt of the aggressive, even ferocious, Apaches.
During our last tour on this Sonoran ranch, our early-morning wake-up call, just outside our windows, was the howling of Coyotes. Throughout the day, there were many birds, butterflies, and animals such as the Antelope Jackrabbit and the Coue's White-tailed Deer. Following dusk, owls called. After dark, the stars shone brightly, including a Milky Way that nearly jumped out at us. Our second overnight in the Sonoran hills.
 

Coyote

March could be a good time to see the Costa's Hummingbird, a bird of desert scrub. That species is not commonly seen in southern Arizona or northeastern Sonora during the late summer, when other hummingbirds commonly are. In northern Sonora, there have been a paucity of records from mid-July to mid-September. Where do they go? It's not known.

Costa's Hummingbird

Thu, Mar 25:  After some final birding and exploration on the vast ranch in Sonora, that was our home for 2 days, we'll travel north to the US-Mexico border, and then to Tucson, where we'll spend the night.

Fri, Mar 26:  Our last day of birding to be in the Tucson area, and to the southwest, in the area of Kitts Peak, where there is an astronomical observatory. For those who wish, there will be a visit to the observatory, during this, our last afternoon and night, to see more of what was in that star-lit sky above us when we were in the Sonoran hills and elsewhere during the tour. Our last overnight in Tucson, near the airport.

Sat, Mar 27:  Departure for home.   

The Black-bellied Whistling Duck 
occurs in far-southern Arizona & in Sonora, Mexico. 
(Photo by Howard Eskin)

Even more, on the 30,000-acre property of the ranch

Above: The desert plant known as Ocotillo.
Below: a hillside of it.
When in bloom, its bright red flowers attract hummingbirds.

Greater Roadrunner

A cluster of butterflies,
during one of our tours in Sonora, Mexico.