Birding Activities

Great Blue Herons! Great and Snowy Egrets! Ospreys! Eagles!… and migrating warblers and resident desert and riparian bird species!

These are just a few of the 50+ bird species you’ll find at this year’s Tres Rios Nature & Earth Festival being held at the Estrella Mountain Regional Park. Learn about birds and beginning bird watching first-hand, or hone your birding skills as you search for an elusive migrating warbler or a secretive Marsh Wren in cattails along the Gila River!

The Sonoran Audubon Society will be holding free Basic Birding Classes each day, teaching about binocular usage, identifying local birds, and where to find them. After receiving instruction at the Birder’s Tent, groups will visit areas along the river to experience birding, one of the fastest growing pastimes in the country! Loaner binoculars will be available. See why thousands are getting into birding, and enriching their lives with a greater understanding of the various bird species that reside and migrate through our home area. These classes and the birding experience may be a door to a whole new rewarding life experience!

ALSO, Especially for Experienced Birders…Join volunteers from the Sonoran Audubon Society for a dawn tour of the festival vicinity along the Salt and Gila Rivers. Starting at 7 am each day of the festival, this is your chance to see the birds and other wildlife of the area at their best, prior to the arrival of the festival crowd. Participation is by pre-registration only and is limited to 15 participants each day. Pre-register by email to McBobAZ@aol.com or phone to 602-237-3951. Please state which day (Saturday or Sunday) you plan to attend this activity. Bring your binoculars, field guides and comfortable hiking shoes.