High Lonesome BirdTours

Navigation

---

Tour Highlights

Patagonia and the San Raphael Valley for hummingbirds and Black-capped Gnatcatcher.

Wintering raptors and cranes in the Sulphur Springs Valley.

A visit to the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area: one of the Nature Conservancy's 12 "Last Great Places on Earth."

High-elevation species in the Huachuca Mountains.

The old mining town of Bisbee, now thriving as an artists' colony.

RESERVE YOUR PLACE NOW

Newsletter Subscribers

Sign up to receive our occasional newletter with details and pictures of tour sightings, special offers and reminders about up-coming tours. (Required fields are bold) Email Address * First Name * Last Name *

Winter Weekend at Ramsey Canyon Inn - Best AZ Winter Birding

DATES

February 11 – 15, 2011

COST (PER PERSON)

COST PER PERSON, DOUBLE OCCUPANCY: $1150

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $250

DEPOSIT: $350

INCLUDES

From Tucson Airport, includes four nights lodging, all meals, transportaton, en-try fees, guides, taxes, tips.

Not Included: laundry, alcohol, phone calls, other personal expenses

DIFFICULTY LEVEL

Easy, with one moderate to difficult, optional hike for Spotted Owl.

SLIDESHOW

(Run your mouse over any slide to make the caption drop down from the top.)

 

OVERVIEW

Southeastern Arizona is truly a birder's paradise. The tremendous variety of habitat types and the geographic proximity to Mexico provide for a phenomenal diversity of avian species.

Most of the neotropical species go south in the winter, but many other species move in to winter, and a number of resident species are easy to find. Hawks, eagles, falcons, sparrows and other resident birds will be our focus for this long weekend. We will enjoy some of the fine food in Southeast Arizona. Our last day, we’ll have a meal prepared at the Inn by our fine French chef from Phoenix.

ITINERARY

DAY ONE: We'll provide a Tucson Airport pickup at 4:00 PM for those arriving by air. Others should arrive at Ramsey Canyon Inn by 5:30 PM. Dinner together at 6:30 PM at the Outside Inn.

DAY TWO: Breakfast at 7:30 AM. Depart at 8:15 AM. We drive West today through Coronado National Monument and San Raphael Valley. We’ll stop in Patagonia to see if any hummers are at the Paton’s feeders, then go to Kino Springs and, finally, Patagonia Lake where we hope to find the pair of Black-capped Gnatcatchers that have been wintering there. Dinner at 7:00 PM at our favorite restaurant, Café Roka, in the old mining town turned artist colony of Bisbee.

DAY THREE: Breakfast at 7:30 AM. Depart at 8:15 AM. We’ll spend the day in Sulphur Springs Valley-- in search of Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks, Prairie Falcons, Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, Bendire’s Thrasher, Mountain Plover, Sprague’s Pipit, Sage Sparrow, and Sandhill Cranes. Dinner at 6:30 at the Mesquite Tree, Sierra Vista.

DAY FOUR: Breakfast at 7:30 AM. Depart at 8:15 AM. We'll spend the early morning at the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area--the first desig-nated Globally Important Bird Area and one of the Nature Conservancies 12 "Last Great Places on Earth"— where we hope to see the elusive Green Kingfisher.

Later, we’ll drive to Fort Huachuca and Garden Canyon. We’ll visit Scheelite Canyon for Mexican Spotted Owl, and Sawmill Canyon for high eleva-tion species, e.g., Yellow-eyed Junco. Gourmet dinner prepared by our French chef from Phoenix.

DAY FIVE: Tour ends after breakfast. We’ll return you to Tucson Airport by about 9:30 AM.

 

CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT

Casual, informal attire is acceptable for all restaurants. Casual, informal attire is acceptable for all restaurants. The following items are important to have for you comfort and safety. We are at about 5000 feet most of the time, so temperatures can drop below freezing in the morning. Windy days can produce a significant wind-chill factor. Temperatures usually moderate during the day getting up into the 60’s most days at lower elevations

• Hat with brim/visor
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Water bottle (we will carry extra water for refills)
• Small day pack/fanny pack
• Hiking boots or sturdy walking shoes
• Long-sleeve shirts
• Long pants
• Medium-weight jacket
• Wind-breaker (water repellant in unlikely event it rains)
• Binoculars (scope is optional; we will have one or two scopes)

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

• The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, David Sibley.
• The Sibley Guide to Birds. David Sibley.
• A Birder’s Guide to Southeastern Arizona. (Lane Guide). Richard Taylor.
• A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors. Brian Wheeler & William Clark.
• A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of The Sparrow of the United States and Canada. James Rising & David Beadle.
• Birds of North America. Kenn Kaufman.
• Going Back to Bisbee. Richard Shelton. University of Arizona Press. 1992.
• J. A. Jance mystery series about JoAnn Brady, Sheriff of Cochise County, South-eastern, AZ.

All books can be obtained from Madison Audubon Shoppe (888) 505-9056 at a 10% discount for High Lonesome BirdTours trip participants.

---