This short birding tour is dedicated to the pursuit and detailed observation of owls and nightjars in the premier nightbirding destination in North America: Southeast Arizona. Our search will take us from dry, mesquite-lined washes in the desert to cottonwood and sycamore riparian woodlands and pine/oak and spruce/fir forests in the Huachuca and Chiricahua mountains as we seek up to eleven species of owls and four species of nightjars. Sunset of each evening will find us afield as we work on spotlighting such special birds as Whiskered and Western screech-owls, the elusive Flammulated Owl, the tiny Elf Owl, the rare Buff-collared Nightjar (very difficult in recent years), (Mexican) Whip-poor-will, and Common Poorwill. Other species more likely to be seen by the light of day include Barn Owl, Northern (Mountain) Pygmy-Owl, Great Horned, Burrowing, and Spotted owls, and Lesser Nighthawk.

But our birding won't be restricted to the nighttime. We should see upwards of 160 species on this short trip, including a fine sampling of the many Southeast Arizona specialties. Outings in the Tucson area, Huachuca Mountains, Willcox, and the rich Chiricahua Mountains should garner such species as Gambel's and Scaled quail, Zone-tailed and Gray hawks, Costa's, Magnificent, Blue-throated, and Broad-billed hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Arizona Woodpecker, Greater Pewee, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Mexican Chickadee, Crissal and Bendire's thrashers, Olive, Virginia's, Lucy's, Grace's, and Red-faced warblers, Painted Redstart, Five-striped Sparrow, Yellow-eyed Junco, along with many others. Now that's some "....& More"!

Since our time here is limited and the nightbird species to find are many (and we'll have but one chance for several of them), participants should be prepared for the possibility of irregular hours of sleep. Those interested in seeing these nightbirds at a more relaxed pace are encouraged to participate in our May ARIZONA: BIRDING THE BORDER tour.

Download an itinerary, triplist(s), request space, and see more about this tour...