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Home > Visitor > Tours & Day Trips

Bird Watching



Bird Watching Home           Day Trips Home

Days 3 & 4 Add Day Trip To myTucson

 
1. Cave Creek Canyon Recreational Area Add To myTucson Vacation Planner
520-364-3468, off AZ Hwy. 80, west through Portal, AZ. 4 hours from Tucson. Fees for picnics and special events. Allow a full day.
Many interesting birds from south of the border can be found here in the Chiricahua Mountains. Researchers and scientists claim that Cave Creek has the richest diversity of wildlife in the U.S. Birding is fine here year-round and especially rewarding in the summer.

2. Willcox Playa Wildlife Area Add To myTucson Vacation Planner
Off AZ Hwy. 186 at Kansas Settlement Road.
In the winter, consider making a side trip to Willcox Playa Wildlife Area. The annual Wings over Willcox festival in January celebrates the thousands of sandhill cranes that migrate here in the winter. Many other species of birds populate the area year-round.

3. Madera Canyon Add To myTucson Vacation Planner
520-281-2296, off I-19 or I-10 to AZ Hwy. 83, east of Green Valley, AZ. $5 parking fee and $10 for camping. Regular hours 6 a.m.–10 p.m. Allow 2–4 hours.
An outstanding cross-section of Southwestern bird habitats. Summer is especially productive. Many trails, including a wheelchair accessible trail in lower canyon, cover range of life zones, from desert grassland to mountain forest. More than 200 bird species have been recorded here. Take lunch and enjoy picnic facilities, or dine nearby in Green Valley.

4. Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge Add To myTucson Vacation Planner
520-823-4251, off I-19 at exit 48, near Arivaca, AZ. Free. Refuge open 24 hours. Visitor center open daily 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m., closed on weekends, June 1-August 15. Allow 2–3 hours.
About 118,000 acres of grassland managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Grassland birds are abundant in summer. A re-population program is underway for the rare masked bobwhite, making this the only place in the country where four species of quail occur. Visitor center offers checklist of area’s more than 200 recorded bird species.