Featured Guide

Bill Clark’s Arizona Raptor Workshop

Common Black Hawk migration in southeastern Arizona

Many Neotropical species reach the northern extent of their breeding range in southeastern Arizona, plus there are many widespread western raptors breeding, wintering, or migrating there. This workshop has been designed to see most of these raptors, with much time devoted to watching raptor migration at the newly discovered Tubac count site south of Tucson, perhaps the best place to see Common Black Hawk (up to 68 in a day!), and where some 20 species of raptors have been recorded. Also seen there regularly are Zone-tailed and Gray Hawks. See HMANA HawkCount Data for the site…

We will go to the hawk count every morning until noon, as most of the visible flight is in the morning. But we will stay there on overcast or cloudy days, and return in late afternoon on some days to watch raptors settle in for their night roosts.

Afternoon trips to see other Raptors

We will make afternoon trips to several other areas where raptors are common, including the Sulphur Spring valley, the San Rafael grasslands, the Santa Cruz flats, and urban Tucson, the latter to see urban-breeding raptors. Further, we will go looking for a partial albino Red-tailed Hawk, and visit a few hummingbird feeding stations.

• SULPHUR SPRINGS VALLEY. (Could be an all-day trip.) Wintering raptors, including Ferruginous Hawk, Northern Harriers, Merlin, Peregrine and Prairie Falcons, both Bald, and Golden Eagles, and others.
• SAN RAFAEL GRASSLANDS and HARSHAW CANYON. Raptors include White‑tailed Kite, Northern Harrier, Gray and Zone‑tailed Hawks, and Prairie Falcon.
• SANTA CRUZ FLATS. Wintering raptors, including Harlan’s Hawk, dark- & rufous‑morph Red‑tailed Hawks, Crested Caracaras, Golden Eagles, and four species of falcons.
• TUCSON for nesting raptors, especially Harris’s and Cooper’s Hawks, and a partial‑albino Red‑tailed Hawk. Also wintering ones, such as Merlin.

A relaxing escape

The workshop will be conducted at a leisurely pace, with lots of time to observe each raptor (and other birds, too), yet leaving some time to relax at our hotel. We should see as many as 25 diurnal and 150+ total bird species.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1

12 March

Arrive in Tucson; transfer to local hotel.

Days 2–8

13–19 March

Early morning, either a short lecture or a short visit to raptors breeding in Tucson. Then to the Tubac hawk‑watch for the rest of the morning. The most common hawk passing is Common Black Hawk. Other migrants include Turkey Vultures, Sharp‑shinned, Red‑tailed and Swainson’s Hawks, Golden Eagles, and Peregrine Falcons. Also around are local breeding raptors such as Zone‑tailed, Gray, and Cooper’s Hawks, Black Vultures, and American Kestrels. Last year an adult Short‑tailed Hawk visited the count site on several occasions.

We will make afternoon trips to other areas, except for overcast days, which will be spent at the hawk watch. Bill will also capture a few raptors for banding during the week. Lunches will vary, from sit‑down to picnics. We will go out for dinner at local restaurants. We will have three evening talks on raptor subjects.

Day 9

20 March

Catch flights home.

Target Species

common name

1. Turkey Vulture
2. Black Vulture
3. Osprey
4. White-tailed Kite
5. Golden Eagle
6. Sharp-shinned Hawk
7. Cooper’s Hawk
8. Northern Harrier
9. Bald Eagle
10. Common Black Hawk
11. Harris’s Hawk
12. Gray Hawk
13. Swainson’s Hawk
14. Zone-tailed Hawk
15. Red-tailed Hawk
16. Ferruginous Hawk
17. Crested Caracara
18. American Kestrel
19. Merlin
20. Prairie Falcon
21. Peregrine Falcon

Latin Name

1.  Cathartes aura
2.  Coragyps atratus
3.  Pandion haliaetus
4.  Elanus leucurus
5.  Aquila chrysaetos
6.  Accipiter striatus
7.  Accipiter cooperii
8.  Circus hudsonius
9.  Haliaeetus leucocephalus
10.  Buteogallus anthracinus
11.  Parabuteo unicinctus
12.  Buteo plagiatus
13.  Buteo swainsoni
14.  Buteo albonotatus
15.  Buteo jamaicensis
16.  Buteo regalis
17.  Caracara plancus
18.  Falco sparverius
19.  Falco columbarius
20.  Falco mexicanus
21.  Falco peregrinus
    

Suggested Field Guides

Clark, W.S. and B.K. Wheeler. 2001. Field guide to Hawks of North America (2nd Edition). Peterson series no. 35. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Wheeler, B.K. and W.S. Clark. 1995. A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors. Academic Press, London.

Main Tour Map

Workshop Leader

Tour Showcase

Terms

Raptours, L.L.C. reserves the right to alter this itinerary as necessary, or to cancel the tour prior to departure, with full refund to participants.

Raptours, L.L.C. or its agents may decline to accept or retain any person as a member of this tour at any time.

No smoking will be permitted while with the group, either when indoors or in the field.

Travel medical insurance is strongly recommended.

All passengers will be required to sign a hard copy of the Release of Liability and Assumption of Risk form upon meeting with the tour leader in Phuket.

No participants will be allowed in the group without a signed copy of the Release of Liability and Assumption of Risk form.

Release of Liability and Assumption of Risk Form
(including Terms)