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Southern Arizona is a great place to bird in winter! Yes, the trogons and hummingbirds have largely departed (but not all of them), and the Hooded Oriole nests hang empty in the sycamores. But other species have arrived to take their place. The wide and scenic Sonoita and San Rafael grasslands secret away a multitude of pipits, larks, sparrows, and longspurs. Bendire's, Crissal, and LeConte's thrashers sing from mesquite trees on the sparse desert flats west of Buckeye. Sandhill Cranes, numbering in the thousands, rise bugling from protected roosting and feeding sites in the Sulphur Springs Valley. A plethora of raptors ply the vast blue desert skies searching for prey and thermals. Winter irruptives, including Lewis's Woodpecker, Mountain Bluebird, and Lawrence's Goldfinch, appear in varying numbers from year to year, brightening the subdued landscapes when they occur. And Mexican species regularly wander across the border to add a tropical twist to the triplist.

This short tour is designed to sample the riches to be found in the lowlands of Southern Arizona in the winter: several productive watering holes and desert haunts around Phoenix and Tucson, the extensive riparian areas around Patagonia and Nogales, the San Rafael Grasslands near Sonoita, and the consistently birdy Sulphur Springs Valley near the Mexican border southeast of Tucson. Among the many species we'll be looking for during our stay are Ferruginous and "Harlan's” hawks, Bald and Golden eagles, Crested Caracara, Prairie Falcon, Mountain Plover, Hammond’s, Gray, and Dusky flycatchers, the notoriously difficult-to-see Sprague's Pipit, an impressive assortment of sparrows including Grasshopper, Baird's, Rufous-winged, Rufous-crowned, Sagebrush, Bell's, Black-chinned, and Brewer's, and large numbers of Chestnut-collared and smaller numbers of Thick-billed (formerly McCown's) longspurs.

Additionally, this season has produced some very exciting finds from "south of the border." Ruddy Ground Dove and Rufous-backed Robin are now annual in Arizona in winter. Eared Quetzal, Short-tailed Hawk, Green Kingfisher, Nutting's Flycatcher, Rose-throated Becard, Sinaloa Wren, White-throated and Aztec thrushes, Blue Mockingbird, Crescent-chested and Rufous-capped warblers, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, and Streak-backed Oriole have also made recent appearances at this season. Who knows what it might be this year? Your guide is very experienced in the region and has plenty of local contacts, so we'll have up-to-the-minute information as to where and when any of these unusual species might be present. If you're looking to escape the winter "blahs" and soak up some winter sun and see some exciting wintering birds, head to southern Arizona for a truly exceptional winter birding experience and see this wonderful state as you never have before!

Select the KEY INFO tab or click here for our itinerary plus space requests, status, fees, limits, and guides for any departure.

Client comment
"This was a wonderful tour experience. The best features were the thousands of migrating Sandhill Cranes and the associated wetland birds, the diversity of habitats, and the mornings in the canyons before the sun warmed the air. I liked it all. We saw more than 130 species that included many life birds for me and rarities. I think this was a magnificent tour that highlighted ecology and different habitats. I would do it again." N.B., ARIZONA WINTER SPECIALTIES<