Arizona Nightbirds Tour

May 2 – 9, 2020

Rick Bowers leads

Arizona Nightbirds is designed to show you and allow you to photograph more owls and nightjars in eight nights than you will see anywhere else in the US! Come join half of the team (with Kenn Kaufman) that holds the Big Owl Day record – eleven species seen in 24 hours. Big Owl Day record article. Ten species of owls and five nightjars are found in this land of deserts, woodlands, and mountains.

Flammulated Owl by Rick Bowers ©

The owls include Western and Whiskered Screech-Owls, Barn, Flammulated, Great Horned, Elf, Burrowing, Spotted, and Northern Saw-whet owls plus Northern Pygmy-Owl. Whiskered Screech-Owl and Elf Owl reach their northernmost range limits in this small area of Arizona. Frequently one of the easiest areas in the United States to find the Flammulated Owl is in the mountains of Southeastern Arizona. Barn Owls are declining but we will probably see them in one of the many dry wells, abandoned buildings, and barns that abound in this area. With luck Scheelite or Miller canyons in the Huachuca Mountains will yield a Spotted Owls. Burrowing Owls, once an abundant feature of this land, are now scarce but we should find some residing anywhere from city centers to deserts. Whiskered Screech-Owl is the owl with the most restricted range in North America but it is numerous in most mountain canyons here.

Mexican Whip-poor-will photo by Rick Bowers ©

Nightjars are also common in Southeastern Arizona. Common Poorwill, Mexican Whip-poor-will, Common and Lesser Nighthawk, and Buff-collared Nightjar are all to be found in the deserts and mountains of Southeastern Arizona. Common Poorwill, Lesser and Common Nighthawks can all frequently be seen within a few minutes in several areas. Mexican Whip-poor-will is common in the pine-oak woodlands of larger mountain ranges. Most interesting and restricted in range, the Buff-collared Nightjar, will be the target of an intensive search on this trip.

Our Arizona Nightbirds Photo Tour is designed for you to see, photograph, and become familiar with as many of these species as possible in eight nights and days of study of these fascinating bird groups. We will concentrate on evening and night birding, with daytime searches for diurnal owl species and some nocturnal species that can be found roosting. During the day we will look for diurnal owls as well as other species at a relaxed pace. As darkness draws near, the really exciting portion of the “day” will begin. We will owl from dusk to around midnight to give us the best chance of seeing and hearing as many species as possible.

Although the primary emphasis of this tour will be owls we will probably also see many of Arizona’s specialty birds such as Elegant Trogon, Broad-billed and Rivoli’s Hummingbirds, Buff-breasted Flycatchers, Red-faced, Grace’s, and Lucy’s Warblers, and Botteri’s and Rufous-winged Sparrow.

ITINERARY

PLEASE NOTE: PARTICIPANTS SHOULD PLAN THEIR ARRIVAL IN TUCSON AS NEAR to 2:00 PM AS POSSIBLE ON THE DAY THE TOUR BEGINS. LIKEWISE, YOU SHOULD PLAN YOUR DEPARTURE FROM TUCSON FOR AFTER 2:00 PM ON THE DAY THE TOUR ENDS.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Although this is a domestic tour, you will require your passport to gain entrance to Ft. Huachuca Military Reservation.  Some state driver’s licenses are accepted to receive a Fort Huachuca Access Badge, but this list decreases all the time and for most states a passport is the required form of identification.  To be sure you can enter the Fort, a passport is the only certain form of ID to obtain your Access Badge.  Please be positive your passport is current.

Day 1: Arrival in Tucson. Participants should plan to arrive in Tucson as early as possible today since our first night will include owling in the Tucson area.  We will meet just inside the baggage claim exit (in the A/C) at 2 P.M. and drive to the hotel to unpack, rest a little, and prepare to owl!  Please meet in the hotel lobby at 5:00 P.M. prepared for dinner and owling (field clothes, flashlight, binocs, and camera with flash).  After dinner we will search for Western Screech-Owl and Elf Owl and perhaps Barn Owl in the desert north of Tucson.

Day 2: Tucson area and Mount Lemon. Today we will bird the low desert around Tucson for Gila Woodpecker, Gilded Flicker, Gambel’s Quail, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Phainopepla, and Abert’s Towhee.

We’ll have an early dinner and head up Mt. Lemon for an exciting evening of owling! Our first target will be Mexican Whip-poor-will. This is Arizona’s largest nightjar and is found in Pine-Oak woodlands. Our next target will be Spotted Owl near the top of the mountain. Our chances are 50/50 for this charismatic dark eyed owl, but there are other goodies around if the Spotted’s are quiet. Flammulated will be out next target. The small owls are common and easy to hear, but seeing them is another story. Northern Saw-whet is possible but even this early in the season they are well into their breeding cycle and much less vocal than other owls. And last, but certainly not least will be Whiskered Screech-Owl. This species is common anywhere in the oak and pine/oak woodlands of the Sky Islands.

Whiskered Screech-Owl photo by Rick Bowers ©

Day 3: Tucson area and Mount Lemon. Our second day around Tucson will find us looking for any desert species we may have missed yesterday. As darkness falls we will again drive up Mt. Lemon to search for any owls or nightjars we may have missed and to work on better or different photographs of those we saw last night.

Day 4: Madera Canyon and California Gulch. During the day we will bird the flats below the canyon for low desert birds like Cactus Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher, Canyon Towhee, and Rufous-winged Sparrow. As the temperature rises we will slowly work our way up into the cool woodlands of Madera Canyon itself. A visit to Santa Rita Lodge is always a pleasant retreat from the heat below and provides encounters with a wonderful mixture of pine-oak woodland birds. These include hummingbirds, Hepatic Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, Scott’s Oriole, and possibly Elegant Trogon further up the canyon.

In the late afternoon we will drive to California Gulch to look for Five-striped Sparrows before a picnic dinner in this scenic canyon. After dinner we will look for Buff-collared Nightjars and Common Poorwills. The evening is quite an experience even without the birds!

Buff-collared Nightjar photo by Rick Bowers ©

Day 5: Nogales area. Today we will work the Nogales area for Thick-billed Kingbird, Elegant Trogon, Hepatic Tanager, Montezuma Quail and other riparian and oak woodland species. Depending on our results last night we may try for Buff-collared Nightjar again or work on Common Poorwill and Whiskered Screech-Owls. Whatever we end up doing this area is often underappreciated for its bird diversity and it should be a great day!

Day 6: Huachuca Mountains. From Nogales we will drive to Sierra Vista and the Huachuca Mountains. At Fort Huachuca we will visit Garden, Huachuca, and Scheelite Canyons looking for Spotted Owl and Northern Pygmy-Owl, plus Acorn and Arizona woodpeckers, Buff-breasted and Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Hutton’s Vireo, Mexican Jay, Bridled Titmouse, Painted Redstart, and hopefully Elegant Trogon.

After dark we will try for Whiskered and Western Screech-Owl in a wooded canyon of the Huachucas. Common Poorwill may be seen this evening.

Common Poorwill photo by Rick Bowers ©

May 18, Day 7: Huachuca Mountains. We will continue to explore the Huachuca Mountains today looking for any diurnal as well a nocturnal species that we might have missed so far. The exact itinerary for the day will be dictated by what owls and nightjars have eluded us. During the day, when not looking for owls that can be found during the day, we will continue to add to our list of Southeastern Arizona specialty birds.

May 19, Day 8: Huachuca Mountains to Tucson. This morning we will say goodbye to the Huachuca’s and a wonderful trip through Southeastern Arizona enjoying the many avian riches of the fascinating region. We will head back to Tucson after breakfast and arrive at Tucson International Airport around noon. Please plan your flights home after 2 pm today.

LEADER:  Rick Bowers

TOUR PRICING AND INFORMATION

TOUR COST: Tour – $1895 based on minimum group of five, limited to seven

$345.00 Single Supplement

All amounts quoted are in U.S. Dollars. The cost of this trip, based on a minimum group size of five, is $1895.00 from Tucson, Arizona. If the final group is less than five participants, a small group supplement may be charged.

REGISTRATION: A non-refundable deposit of $395.00 and completed registration form are required to confirm space. Without these, no one is considered registered. Registrations are taken on a first-come first-served basis with priority based on the postmark date.

COST INCLUDES: Accommodations based on two persons sharing a two bedded room. We select good hotels convenient to our birding destinations. For single rooms a single supplement will be charged. We try to supply roommates when possible, but we can’t always find one. If we can not find you a roommate, you will be charged the added cost of single accommodations. Meals as outlined in the group itinerary. All transportation, including internal segments described in the itinerary. Transportation may be by private or chartered car, station wagon, van or bus, canoe, boat or ferry. Taxes & Local Fees along with all group admissions, park entry fees and access fees are included in the tour price. Expert guide service, photo instruction and set up services.

COST DOES NOT INCLUDE: Not included are transportation to or from Tucson, Arizona, excursions not included in the itinerary, laundry, personal tips, alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, juices, mineral waters and other beverages away from included meals, room service charges, souvenirs, insurance of any kind, telephone calls and use of TV not included in the room rate and overweight baggage fees.

MEAL COSTS: Only meals indicated in the itinerary are included in the cost of this tour (included hotel breakfasts.) Because a person can eat quite well for as little as $25 per day or they can choose to spend three or four times that amount for a single day, depending upon your choices, we do not include meals where we cannot control the costs. NatureScape Tours has a policy of NOT overcharging one person to cover another’s POTENTIAL meal choices—which we would have to do if all meals were budgeted into the cost of this tour.

TIPS: All expected gratuities encountered during your tour (restaurant wait staff, luggage porters, bus drivers and local guides) is included in the cost of your tour. However, if you feel your NatureScape Tours leader, local guide or lodge personnel have given you exceptional service, it is perfectly suitable for you to bestow any gratuity you elect. We strongly stress that such tips are completely optional and solely at your discretion.

DATE OF COST QUOTATION: December 1, 2018
We can only quote current costs. Tour planning begins more than a year before the tour runs. While we try to arrive at our best estimates, we can’t predict fluctuation of currency exchange rates, increases in hotel or vehicle rates outside of our negotiated contracts, etc. Therefore, we reserve the right to increase the tour cost when there are justifiable reasons. However, we make a sincere effort to arrive at the closest possible estimate and have even absorbed small increases at times to avoid raising tour costs to participants. Many of our suppliers have gone to surcharges in their contracts with NatureScape Tours as a means to offset the uncertainties inherent in such long distance planning. The two most prevalent are:

FUEL: In today’s volatile oil market, it’s difficult, nay, impossible, to accurately project fuel costs into the distant future. Prices for our tours are based upon fuel rates reasonably expected at the time of your tour’s start. While NatureScape Tours does everything possible to maintain the quoted price of your tour, with a dramatic shift in fuel prices, it may be necessary to charge a fuel surcharge. If such a surcharge is levied, every effort will be made to minimize the cost passed along to you. In almost all cases, these are additional charges being assessed NatureScape Tours by our service suppliers and vendors who have exercised their right, under their contracts with NatureScape Tours, to increase prices caused by substantial changes in their cost of fuel.

PLEASE NOTE: In more than 30 years of running tours, we’ve NEVER had to assess an additional charge or surcharge to a client. We feel strongly that our staff’s careful planning and negotiation will continue our unblemished record.

UNANTICIPATED COSTS: Rarely we have had unexpected costs during a tour. Cancellation of air flights or trains have required staying in hotels for extra nights, hiring vehicles for extra excursions and other services. At times schedule changes or route changes have been necessary. If such changes are proposed and accepted by participants, it is with the understanding that they accept the obligation to pay any extra unanticipated costs.

On all of our tours, participants are responsible for any extra expenses incurred from deviations to our scheduled tour itinerary which result from events out of our control (additional hotel nights, transfers and transportation by air, water or ground). During Spring in the western states this could be a weather related event, natural disaster, the result of flight or rail cancellations, labor strikes, acts of God and the like.

We advise you to buy trip cancellation insurance which may reimburse you any unrecovered payments from cancellations or additional payments from any necessary tour deviations.

TOUR CANCELLATION: Our cancellation policy is generous. We negotiate with each of our service providers and have contracted payment dates directly with them. Accordingly, all payments received by us, less your non-refundable deposit of $395.00, will be returned to you in full if we are notified in writing at least 121 days prior to tour departure date.

Due to contractual obligations with our hotels, trains, bus and van rentals, boat charters and other costs where we have contracted payment dates there are no refunds for cancellations within 120 days prior to tour departure.

Payments made on your behalf to purchase nonrefundable but changeable tickets may result in the loss of that cost should you decide to cancel. In some cases, if you can find a replacement to take your spot on your tour, we can change the name on such tickets at a lower cost than purchasing a new ticket. In these cases, the difference could be refunded to you provided enough notice has been given.

Some participants have lost substantial sums when illness or other circumstances prevented them from taking a tour or forced them to depart a tour early. We can’t offer refunds for unused portions of a tour unless agreed to before the tour. Trip cancellation insurance may reimburse you for your losses if you must leave a tour early for illness or other valid reason.

Therefore, we strongly advise you to buy trip cancellation insurance which may reimburse you the entire unrecovered amount if it becomes necessary for you to cancel, shorten or change your participation on your tour.

UNUSED PORTIONS OF A TOUR: We can’t offer refunds for unused portions of a tour unless agreed to before the tour. If you fail to show up or meet the tour regardless of the reason, we are under no obligation to provide any refund. Trip cancellation insurance may reimburse losses if you must leave a tour early for illness or other valid reason.

COMPLETION OF PAYMENT: Foreign travel agents, hotels, tour and boat operators, etc. require advance payment. We can offer better rates on our tours because of contracted payment dates and your cooperation helps avoid problems with your arrangements. For this tour we require final payment to be received in our office by February 1, 2019.