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| To register for any Travel Ed-Venture call 520.742.6455 x0 |
Thu., Jan. 19 / 8am-4pm OR Thu. Jan. 26 / 8am-4pm
Each winter, thousands of Sandhill Cranes gather in the Sulphur Springs Valley of southeastern Arizona. According to our guide Lynn Hassler, sedges (yes that is the name for a group of cranes) numbering as many as 20,000 individuals spend the night at Whitewater Draw, dispersing at dawn to feed on corn stubble and other waste grains in nearby agricultural fields and returning to Whitewater for a mid-day siesta. Please select your date of choice; both put us at Whitewater in time for some general birding before lunch and the mid-day fly-in. We’ll also be on the lookout for waterfowl and land birds; the Valley is a good spot for wintering raptors. Cost includes transportation to and from Tohono Chul Park, guide services and boxed lunch and snacks. Also open to members of the Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix. • $99 members/$120 general public
City Parks / City Birds
Thursday, February 2, 8am – 5pm – Cancelled
Reid Park, Sam Lena, Lakeside Park and Aqua Caliente are probably not places that come to mind when suggesting “hot” birding spots to your out-of-town guests, but you might be surprised. This day trip with Tohono Chul Park’s resident bird expert Lynn Hassler, takes us birding in a few of Tucson’s other “best kept secrets” – our city parks. We should be treated to wintering ducks galore as well as resident birds such as Vermilion Flycatcher, Black Phoebe and Great Blue Heron. Cost includes transportation, guide services and boxed lunch. • $99 members/$120 general public
Hidden Treasures: California Deserts, Palm Canyons, Mountain Wilderness & Birds of the Salton Sea
Feb. 6-11, 2012
Hidden treasures abound in the Coachella Valley, surrounded by five spectacular mountain ranges including the steepest escarpment in North America rising from the desert floor to almost 11,000 feet in a mere seven horizontal miles. In this land of contrasts, lush palm and cottonwood oases spring out of stark landscapes; perennial streams and quiet pools attract wildlife of all kinds; bedrock mortars in granite boulders testify to the ancient culture of native peoples; the Sonoran Desert gives way to the Mohave as you ascend the slopes of the Little San Bernardino Mountains; the stately Joshua tree serves as an indicator plant; the California fan palm just by itself, is a microhabitat for a variety of desert life; and just 50 miles away is one of the world’s largest inland seas – California’s Salton Sea, a temporary home for millions of migrating birds.
Our guide for this amazing natural history ed-venture is Peter Siminski, Director of Conservation and Education at the Living Desert Museum and former Curator of Mammalogy and Ornithology at Tucson’s Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; our hosts are Piet & Mary Van de Mark of Baja’s Frontier Tours (www.bajasfrontiertours.com). Experience up close and personal the incredibly diverse and scenic habitats reachable from our base of operations at the Palm Desert Hilton. Each day we venture forth to explore palm and cottonwood canyons, enjoying the bird life or just savoring the cool beauty of an oasis. We’ll ride the world’s largest rotating tramcar up past the sheer cliffs of Chino Canyon to an 8,516 ft. mountain wilderness; visit the surrounding deserts and the memorable Living Desert, a 1,200-acre wildlife and botanical park; and, we’ll spend a full day circumnavigating the Salton Sea, stopping often to enjoy the rich bird life.
Moderate walking is required. Cost includes round trip travel from Tucson in roomy passenger vans (just 2 per 3-person seat), spacious king-suite accommodations, most meals, admission fees and guide services. A $300 deposit will reserve your space! • $1995 per person members / $2095 general public (single supplement $294). Special cancellation policy applies.
Arivaca in Spring!
Thursday, April 26, 7:30am – 4:30pm
We’ve traditionally done this trip in fall, but spring is a different experience with opportunities to see some of the more flashy looking birds of southern Arizona. Many breeding birds will be back as well as migrants traveling through. Arivaca Cienega offers permanent springs and ponds, and a level 2-mile trail includes boardwalks over wet areas. Bird possibilities include Gray Hawk, Cassin’s and Western Kingbirds, Lucy’s, Wilson’s and Yellow Warblers, Summer Tanager, Common Yellowthroat, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Vermilion Flycatcher. Drier hillsides attract cardinals, Pyrruhloxias, Verdins, gnatcatchers, and more. We’ll also bird along Arivaca Creek. Cost includes transportation, guide services and boxed lunch. • $99 members / $120 general public
Cancellation policy for day trips only:
cancellation within two weeks of initial registration – full refund
cancellation at least two weeks before date of trip – 50% refund
cancellation less than two weeks before date of trip – refund only if space can be filled
As always, cancellation policies for multi-day trips vary with the trip.