New! Online event registration

To improve services to our members and participants in our activities, SABO is developing an events calendar with online registration and payment options at our new Membership and Events Center. We appreciate your patience and feedback while we move information from these original pages to the new site.

River Walks

The San Pedro River, a narrow green oasis rippling through desert grassland, is one of the last wild rivers in the Southwest and one of the most endangered. These 3-hour guided walks through desert grassland and among towering cottonwood trees will introduce you to the birds and other wildlife that make their homes in the sanctuary of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. River Walks depart from Casa de San Pedro Bed & Breakfast.

$10 per person for members of SABO and/or Friends of the San Pedro River and/or guests of Casa de San Pedro Bed & Breakfast, $15 for non-members. Reservations are highly recommended. River Walks take place weekly from late March or early April through May; please check SABO's calendar of events for dates. For River Walk reservations or more information, contact SABO.

Canyon Walks and Tanager Treks

The canyons of the Huachuca Mountains are home to some of southeastern Arizona's most beautiful birds, including Magnificent Hummingbird, Painted Redstart, Red-faced Warbler, and Scott's Oriole, plus an amazing variety of other wildlife. Four-hour Canyon Walks will introduce you to the birds and other wildlife of Miller Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains. Five-hour Tanager Treks offer a more challenging hike into upper Miller Canyon, where Flame-colored Tanager and Spotted Owl are possible. Both walks begin at Beatty's Guest Ranch & Orchard at the end of Miller Canyon Road and explore moderately challenging trails in the Coronado National Forest Miller Peak Wilderness Area. (Participant parking is in the National Forest trailhead parking area below the orchard.)

Canyon Walks are $15 per person for members of SABO and/or Beatty guests, $20 for non-members. Tanager Treks are $20 per person for members of SABO and/or Beatty guests, $25 for non-members. Reservations are strongly recommended. Please check SABO's calendar of events for dates. For reservations or more information, contact SABO.

Visit the Miller Canyon Photo Album

Owl Prowls

Five species of small owls nest in the "sky islands" of southeastern Arizona, but they can be difficult to find and identify. Join a SABO naturalist on a no-tapes night walk in search of owls and other night creatures.

Mule Mountain Owl Prowls take place at SABO's Banning Creek Field Station, where Elf Owl is the common nesting species and Whiskered Screech-Owls are occasional visitors. These walks are offered on an approximately weekly basis from late March through May. $10 per person for members of SABO, $15 for non-members. Participation is limited to 12, and reservations are required.

Huachuca Mountain Owl Prowls are moonlight strolls through the oak woodland habitat of Elf Owls, Whiskered and Western screech-owls, "Mexican" Whip-poor-wills, and Common Poorwills. These walks are typically offered once or twice per month from late March through May, depending on the timing of the full moon. $15 per person for members of SABO, $20 for non-members. Participation is limited to 10, and reservations are required.

Both walks begin with an introduction to owling ethics and the natural history, behavior, and identification of the small owls of southeastern Arizona. Please check SABO's calendar of events for dates of upcoming Owl Prowls. For Owl Prowl reservations or more information, contact SABO.

Sierra Vista EOP Bird Walks

In cooperation with the City of Sierra Vista, SABO, the Friends of the San Pedro River, and Huachuca Audubon Society offer 2-hour birding tours of the wastewater wetlands at the Environmental Operations Park on the city's east side. These Sunday morning tours begin at 8 a.m. from October through March and 7 a.m. from April through September. The tours spend approximately 2 hours exploring areas normally off limits to the public. No reservations are required for these tours, and there is no charge to participate, but all three organizations appreciate donations to help continue their work on behalf of southeastern Arizona's wildlife and habitats. Special tours are available for groups of 6 or more with advance arrangements; for more information on group tours, contact SABO.

Whitewater Wetlands Walks

These 3-hour bird walks take place at the Arizona Game & Fish Department's Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area between Bisbee and Elfrida, an oasis for breeding and migrating birds and winter home to hawks, owls, eagles, falcons, waterfowl, songbirds, and thousands of Sandhill Cranes. Walks begin at 9 a.m. Picnic facilities are available, and participants are encouraged to bring lunch as well as drinking water (the site has restrooms but no potable water). The walks include general birding around the main wildlife viewing area and adjacent trails; in winter, a highlight is watching the Sandhill Cranes return from their breakfast in nearby farm fields (dependent entirely on the cranes' schedule, of course).

$10 per person for members of SABO, $15 for non-members. No reservations are required for these walks, which may be cancelled without notice depending on weather and road conditions and other access issues. Whitewater Wetlands Walks take place on an approximately weekly basis from late November through early April; please check SABO's calendar of events for dates. Personalized tours of Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area for individuals and groups are available with advance arrangements. For more information, contact SABO.

Hummingbird Banding

Up to ten species of hummingbirds use the San Pedro River as a freeway between their tropical winter retreats and northern nesting grounds. Get a close-up look at these tiny travelers as SABO staff and volunteers capture, band, measure, and release them as part of long-term studies of the bird life of this internationally important migration route.

Hummingbird banding is conducted April through May and July through September at the San Pedro House visitor center of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, 7 miles east of Sierra Vista on Highway 90. Banding sessions take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on a weekly to biweekly schedule; please check SABO's calendar of events for specific dates. Sessions are open to the public without reservations and at no cost, but donations in support of this study are gratefully accepted. For more information, contact SABO.

Visit the Hummingbird Banding Photo Album

Hawk Stalks

The Sulphur Springs Valley is a winter paradise for birds of prey. Up to twenty species may be found here between November and March, including eagles, falcons, buteos, accipiters, harriers, kites and owls. SABO's Hawk Stalk tours take you down highways and back roads in search of these magnificent predators and other species that share their habitats. Along the way you'll learn about the identification, behavior and ecology of the valley's raptors, cranes, sparrows and other wintering and resident birds.

These all-day tours depart downtown Bisbee at 8 a.m. and return around 4 p.m. Participants travel in SABO's roomy touring bus, with frequent stops for roadside birding and short walks. Lunch in a local restaurant, educational materials and transportation from Bisbee are included. We recommend making reservations at least 1 week in advance by e-mail or phone. Tours begin Thanksgiving weekend and continue most weekends through February. Please check SABO's calendar of events for upcoming dates.

Winter 2008-9: $65 per adult for members of SABO, $75 for non-members; $35/members, $40/non-members for children age 10 to 16 when accompanied by an adult. Groups of 6 or more adults qualify for a discount of $10 per person. For Hawk Stalk reservations or more information, contact SABO.

Visit the Sulphur Springs Valley Photo Album

Sulphur Springs Valley Tours

The Sulphur Springs Valley is winter home to a wide variety of migratory birds, from tiny sparrows to majestic Sandhill Cranes, as well as southwestern residents such as Gambel's and Scaled Quail, Great Horned Owl, Greater Roadrunner, Harris's Hawk, and Pyrrhuloxia. SABO's morning tours visit some of the best bird habitats in the southern part of the valley, including a wetland that is home to waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and one of the largest crane flocks in Arizona.

These short tours depart at 8.a.m. (note new time for 2007) from downtown Bisbee and return by 12:30 p.m. Participants travel to feeding and roosting sites in SABO's roomy touring bus; some walking required. Transportation from Bisbee is included. We recommend making reservations at least 1 week in advance by e-mail or phone. Tours begin Thanksgiving Friday and continue most Sundays through February. Please check SABO's calendar of events for upcoming dates.

Winter 2007-8: $35 per adult for members of SABO, $40 for non-members; $18/members, $20/non-members for children age 8 to 16 when accompanied by an adult. Groups of 6 or more adults qualify for a discount of $5 per person. For Sulphur Springs Valley Tour reservations or more information, contact SABO.

Visit the Sulphur Springs Valley Photo Album

A Spring Migration Celebration!

Mark your calendars! In an early celebration of International Migratory Bird Day 2009, SABO will sponsor Fiesta de las Aves May 10-16 (Sunday - Saturday), a full week of activities celebrating the warblers, flycatchers, tanagers, orioles, trogons, hummingbirds, raptors, and other migratory birds that have earned southeastern Arizona a special place in the hearts of birders everywhere. More information will be available in the Fiesta de las Aves section.

Sonora Ranch Tours

These international birding adventures visit a private ranch in a "sky island" mountain range that is the headwaters of three major river corridors important to migrating, nesting, and wintering birds. The ranch's rich and varied habitats are being managed to enhance their value to birds and other wildlife. The tours depart from Banning Creek Field Station in SABO's comfortable tour bus.

These tours depart Bisbee between 7 and 9 a.m. (depending on time of year), arriving at the ranch in time for a little birding prior to a picnic lunch at the guest lodge. The afternoon will be devoted to continuing our explorations, with a little siesta time included as the weather dictates. In the evening, we'll relax with beverages around a fire pit at the lodge while our hosts prepare a traditional ranch barbecue dinner. The next morning, we'll start with an early breakfast before setting out to explore more of the ranch's varied habitats. Following a traditional lunch, we'll board the bus for the trip back to Bisbee. Transportation from Bisbee and 4 meals are included. $235 per adult for members of SABO, $250 for non-members; add $50 for single occupancy. These tours are limited to 6 to 10 participants. Please check SABO's calendar of events for dates for 2008 Sonora Ranch Trips or contact SABO for more information.

Checklist of the Birds of Rancho El Aribabi, Sonora
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Belize & Tikal

March 7-17, 2009

Join the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory for an adventure in the tropical kingdom of the ancient Maya! This tour will introduce you to many of the region's outstanding natural areas and archeological sites and the hospitality of comfortable lodges that cater to birders and other wildlife enthusiasts. 

Your leader, SABO naturalist Sheri Williamson, will combine her deep love of Belize and nearly three decades of experience in tropical birding and natural history with the expertise of local naturalist guides. Though best known for her interest in hummingbirds, Sheri is also a butterfly and plant enthusiast and has studied the art and history of the ancient Maya.

Spring is a particularly good time to enjoy warblers and other migrants headed north to nesting grounds in the eastern U.S. and Canada as well as tropical residents such as hummingbirds, toucans, parrots, trogons, and more. Highlights of previous trips include Little Tinamou, Jabiru Stork, King Vulture, Snail Kite, White Hawk, Ornate Hawk Eagle, Barred Forest-Falcon, Orange-breasted Falcon, Ocellated Turkey, Crested Guan, Great Curassow, Yucatan (Yellow-lored) Parrot, Stripe-throated (Little) Hermit, Purple-crowned Fairy, Collared Trogon (male, above left), Collared Araçari, Tody Motmot, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Tawny-winged Woodcreeper, White-collared Manakin, Yucatan Jay, Black-faced Anthrush, Black-throated Shrike-Tanager, Crimson-collared Tanager, Montezuma Oropendola, Ocelot, Black Howler Monkey, Spider Monkey, White-nosed Coatimundi, Red Brocket Deer, Morelet's Crocodile, Green Iguana, and Striped Basilisk.

Limit 10 participants. Package includes all lodging, meals, field trips, and ground transportation from Belize City. Contact SABO for more information.