Tucson Birding

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By Beth Blair

I’m sure you’ve seen it, a quintessential Tucson scene; A line of cars come to a screeching halt to allow a pair of Gambel’s Quails and their babies cross the road. One by one, they hop up onto the curb and disappear into the desert landscape.

Quail is certainly one of the most common bird species here in Southern Arizona, while other common sightings include Cactus Wrens, Curve-billed Thrashers, Greater Roadrunners and various hummingbird species. In fact, many of these birds and others can be found just outside the house … and even at work.

Oro Valley resident and Ecolab employee Jeff Blair and his coworkers have all but adopted a pair of Peregrine Falcons nesting nearby atop downtown’s Unisource Tower. With binoculars in hand, the employees also keep an eye on a pair of ravens nesting on the nearby Pima County Legal Services building.

While interesting birds can be found just about anywhere, there is nothing better than seeing them in their natural habitats and Southern Arizona is filled with great places to go sighting.

A short hop to Catalina State Park, at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, sits 5,500 acres and 150 species of birds common to the area. Either hit the trails with a good birding book or take one of the guided Friday morning walks with a local guide.

Another ideal spotting location is Tohono Chul Park. Five paths or trails run through the 49-acre park. Tohono Chul docent and author of Flowering Plants of Tohono Chul Park, Sue Feyrer, invites visitors to take part in the Birding Tours offered at 8:30 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday (cost is included in admission).

Since Tucson is situated along the migratory path between Canada and Mexico, we’re in a perfect location to observe many migratory birds. “We’ve recently seen some Wilson's Warblers and Townsend's Warblers migrating through here (at Tohono Chul),” Feyrer reveals.

“Tohono opens at 8 a.m. and the earlier you arrive, the better,” says Feyrer. As the saying goes, the early birder catches the Warbler.

To keep tabs on rare birds in Southern Arizona or report your own sightings, call the Rare Birds Hotline at 520.798.1005, hosted by the Tucson Audubon Society. A pre-recorded message relays recent sightings.

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