Photo Gallery
Photos by Gary Rosenberg
Our Arizona in December tour begins in Tucson, where we’ll see a number of the Sonoran Desert specialties, such as this Pyrrhuloxia…
…and the gregarious and always engaging Cactus Wren.
In the saguaro-clad desert, we’ll search for Gilded Flicker, which nests in these mammoth cacti.
In some years a Least Grebe has wintered in Tucson, a bird that is casual anywhere in southern Arizona.
In the slightly higher desert above Green Valley, we’ll likely see one of the more local sparrows in Arizona, the Rufous-winged Sparrow…
…and one of the most handsome, the Black-throated Sparrow.
We’ll bird in the spectacular San Rafael Grasslands, where we’ll search for longspurs and grassland sparrows…
…such as this Grasshopper Sparrow…
…or this Cassin’s Sparrow, a few of which linger along the grassland’s edge through the winter.
The lilianae form of Eastern Meadowlark is the common meadowlark of the southeast Arizona grasslands, and a good candidate for full species status.
At Whitewater Draw in the Sulphur Springs Valley, the main attraction will be…
…thousands of Sandhill Cranes, which come to drink at a freshwater lake…
…along whose margins we may see a male Vermilion Flycatcher.
The valley is excellent for the local Bendire’s Thrasher…
…perhaps the best place in Arizona for Ferruginous Hawk…
…and is generally great for raptors, such as this juvenile Harlan’s Hawk.
We’ll search the fields for McCown’s Longspur…
…and likely find wintering Sage Sparrow…
…and the handsome Lark Sparrow.
The weather is typically lovely, especially compared to most other places in the country…
…and there is always a chance for a rarity, such as this Rufous-backed Robin.