Name: Southeastern Arizona Specialties 2022
Start: 2022-07-22
End: 2022-07-31
Location: Tucson, AZ, USA

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Summertime in Southeast Arizona is an excellent time to look for all the local specialties unique to the region. Cooling monsoon rains beginning in June and running into September quench the land and cover the grasslands with lush vegetation. This period, often referred to as Arizona’s ‘second spring,’ marks the start of the breeding season for quite a few of the target specialties and a resurgence of breeding activity for many others. This is the best time of year for such targets as Montezuma Quail and Botteri’s & Cassin’s Sparrows, which are at their most vocal. Southeastern Arizona is also known as the “hummingbird capital of the US” with 15 species being possible, including Rivoli’s (recently split from Magnificent), Broad-billed, Violet-crowned, Calliope, Blue-throated, and Lucifer Hummingbirds, with such rarities as Plain-capped Starthroat, White-eared and Berylline Hummingbirds appearing with some regularity in recent years. This is a great time in general for Mexican vagrants to show up, and parts of our itinerary will remain fluid to give us the best chance at finding whatever exciting birds happen to be around. Tufted Flycatcher, Flame-colored Tanager, Rufous-capped Warbler and even Eared Quetzal are possible!

Tucson, AZ, USA

Southeastern Arizona Specialties 2022

Ventures Birding Tours

The food was outstanding, and abundant.  OUr local guide made sure we had snacks for long mornings or afternoons. The two guides worked tirelessly to ensure we all got to see the birds.  Harpy eagle on nest was amazing.  The tent cabins were spacious and very comfortable.  We also enjoyed the 3 species of monkeys, easily seen around the camp, and the lovely butterflies.  An unforgettable trip!

Panama's Canopy Camp, Darien 2025

There is no better guide than Simon to bird with in England, his homeland.  I have a preference for sites of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) which have great trails, informative and educational signage, and hides (blinds) and they were often our destination.  The British have embraced their birds and welcome visiting birders to enjoy them too - Simon knows the birds he grew up watching and is great at pointing them out.  Of course we found a pub each day for lunch and the fish & chips with mushy peas never failed to satisfy!  Great trip, thanks Simon!! 

East Anglia, England 2025

I have been to Jackson Park many times, but I learned so much during our morning with Mike! He is super knowledgeable about the entire park, including identifying habitats to find particular birds, what time of year particular birds can best be seen, and much more. This is a great trip to one of the birding hotspots in the Carolinas, both for those who frequent Jackson Park as well as newcomers.

'Mondays with Mike' at Jackson Park - October 13, 2025

Great morning of birding......got 4 lifer warblers...this is my 3rd trip with day trip with Ventures and all have been great


'Mondays with Mike' at Jackson Park - September 15, 2025

Despite the very warm and windy conditions it was a good trip.  Vicky pulled out 2 lifers for me and I am very happy.  Looking forward to more day trips with Ventures

Evening Piedmont Birding

Normally, you need to get up early in the morning to have a productive birding experience.  This tour proves that late afternoon and evening can be a fun time to encounter breeding species.  Tour leader Vicky Burke had scouted out various spots in Cleveland Co., NC with a good variety of breeding species including Kentucky Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Loggerhead Shrike, Dickcissel, and Grasshopper Sparrow.  In the evening, we headed over to a spot in York Co., SC with several Chucks-Wills-Widows and Whip-poor Wills calling and occasionally landing along the road.  How often do you get to see that!  Vicky did a great job ensuring we got good views and enjoyed the experience.  A very fun trip indeed.. 

It was a great day, more than 50 birds!  Mike is a great guide.  He's been a lifelong birder, started as a kid.  He hear's every bird, and is great at pointing out where the bird is.  He is very personable and easy to be with.  I would definitely want to bird with him again!

'Mondays with Mike' at Jackson Park - April 2025

We had a great day with Mike. He was very knowledgeable and just a good person to spend time with. We will sign up for him again. 

'Mondays with Mike' at Jackson Park - March 2025

Mike is fantastic. He is focused on getting a great experience (even in challenging weather)

Non-stop world-wind tour of many of Ecuador’s best birding locations and lodges. We will definitely go again. 

Ecuador's Fabulous Hummingbirds 2025

Ecuador was incredible! After multiple trips to Costa Rica and Panama, I thought I had seen a great variety of birds. Ecuador took this to a completely higher level. We saw 60 species of hummingbirds alone! Sometimes it was dizzying, having so many tanagers and hummingbirds zipping back and forth right in front of us. Every time I thought we had maximized our hummingbird viewing possibilities, Juan (our driver and local guide) and Paul (our Ventures Birding guide) took us to an even more incredible spot.

This tour went as high as 14,000 feet in elevation. Fortunately, the guides minimized the amount of walking at the highest elevations, to minimize the impact on us. The high elevation brought a bigger variety of birds along with incredible views. It was odd being so near the equator, and seeing snow topped mountain peaks. Our highest point was 14,261 feet, where we saw the Rufous-bellied Seed Snipe.

When we had an unplanned main road closure that could have really messed up our plans, Juan and Paul calmly came up with a workaround plan that rearranged a few things, so we still got to see everything that was planned.

Paul's ability to spot and identify the hundreds of bird species was mystifying. We saw over 500 species of birds, with the large majority being life birds for me.

The lodges were very well chosen for each area we went. The staffs were all extremely friendly, the accommodations were all clean and new feeling, and all of the guests on our trip commented repeatedly about how great the food was. I have already started researching into Ecuadorean Cookbooks. One lodge was more rustic than the rest, but it made up for it with incredible cliff top views of the lake below and Andean Condor nests above.

The roads in Ecuador were challenging, but Juan did an amazing job of minimizing the bumps for us.

I have done EcoTours in many countries over the years. Antarctica has always been my favorite. This trip to Ecuador with Ventures Birding is the first trip to make me reconsider that ranking. It is a tough call between Ecuador and Antarctica.

Our guide was excellent - really worked hard to get us on the birds, including the near endemics in Guatemala.  We also saw some of the lovely tourist spots, like Antigua and the Mayan city of Tikal.  Food was excellent - lots of fresh vegetables.  Scenery was spectacular - lovely pine/oak forests with bromeliads, volcanoes, and Lake Atitlan.  We felt very safe there.  

Guatemala Highlights 2025

Guatemala - Goldman's Warbler & Ocellated Quail

Guides knew where the rare birds were.  The climate was cool.  Good was good for vegetarians. Lovely scenery 

This trip did not happen.  Everyone who signed up cancelled because of the extremely cold and windy conditions predicted.

Pond Mountain, Ashe County, NC

Our trip with Simon Thomson and Venture Birding to Tranquilo Bay in Panama was just fantastic.  Simon knows every bird by sound and sight.  Our local guides based out of Tranquilo Bay Ecolodge were wonderful.  They worked so hard to make sure we will able to see and experience birds in their natural habitat.  We would highly recommend tours with Venture Birding and specifically at Tranquilo Bay.  

Panama - Tranquilo Bay '24

Our Ventures guide, Clifton with assistance from local guide Chris offered a great birding opportunity and were knowledgeable in what and where we could see different species and we were quite successful with often excellent views.  We did encounter sporadic rain but that was not inhibiting although some roads, like the road to Montezuma National Reserve required switches to 4-wheel drive vehicles due to road condition.  So glad that was planned as our comfortable van would have not made that trek.  All guides were helpful in ensuring we could all see the birds being viewed which was so important.  Hotel accommodations varied with one or two rather simple as anticipated but a couple quite interesting and commendable.  Enjoyed the trip and the opportunity to see a significant portion of rural Colombia and witness several colorful Christmas preparations.  

Colombia: Central & Western Andes

Tranquilo Bay was a really unique experience.  It was a lovely and exotic setting and just learning about it's history and infrastructure was fascinating.  The accommodations were comfortable and the free laundry was extra nice.  All of the guides were terrific, and all the staff were very friendly and welcoming.  The food was superb!

This was a great trip and we saw some amazing birds, especially large flocks coming in to settle for the night and dozens of birds (red winged and brewers black birds) seemingly popping out of the fields that had been harvested.

The days were long, leaving early (6-6:30 am), returning to hotel for the night (7-8pm), lots of time in the van to cover the distances, changing hotels every other night and dealing with dicey weather was somewhat tiring.  Not much downtime except during drives and we were birding from the van even then! As a friend said to me, this was an experience not a vacation!! 

Our fellow birdiers, only 4 ofus on the trip, were terrific, very sharing of their much better birding knowledge. Mike, our leader was tireless, handling all the driving, posting ebird lists, managing logistics for lunches and dinners, always upbeat.

Would consider another Ventures trip, but would look for a bit more flexibility in use of time with options for downtime.


Kansas: Open Country Specialties 2024

What a wonderful birding trip.  Our guide Mike Werndly was knowledgeable, experienced and a great guy to hang out with.  Although the pace is easy, the days are long.  I plan to take other birding trips with Ventures.  

Great weather, lots of warblers and grosbeaks.  Clifton helped us ID and see the birds.  Also enjoyed hawk watching from tower on Mt. Mitchell.  

Ridge Junction 4

One of the best trips to date. Spectacular scenery, 13 life birds, close to 170 species total, congenital group, very competent guides.  My favorite bids were the Willow and Rock Ptarmigan and the spectacular Steller’s Sea Eagle. I will never forget seeing this stunning bird. 

Newfoundland '24 - Puffins, Boreal Birds, & Spectacular Scenery

This was an exploration for all of us.  We had excellent guides and saw many lifers.  I have to say I got tired of white rice but at least there was usually tofu (I'm a vegetarian).  Leeches in the forest - need more rest stops for ladies!!!!  

Sumatra - Padang

Fraser's Hill is a leftover from a by-gone era.  Very quaint, somewhat run down, but great climate.  We had excellent sightings of some rare birds, even in the fog.  Steve's place was super-lovely and the food pretty good.  

Fraser's Hill

Paul is a great guide. Very knowledgeable. 

High Country Birding

I thoroughly enjoyed the morning at Trout Lake and beyond with Paul Laurent.  Not only is Paul bird knowledgable, but he taught me about salamanders and the Linn Cove Viaduct.  The rain did not dampen his enthusiastic attitude.  

I had a great time on this tour.  Clifton did an outstanding job in taking us to excellent areas to see and hear birds.  What I thought made this trip special was that not only did Clifton guide us, but he shared his knowledge about birds to helps those of us attending to have a better understanding of bird habitat, and why birds are found in certain areas at different times of the year.  I found this aspect of the tour very rewarding.  Again, I felt that Clifton did an out standing job.

Birding the Great Smoky Mountains

Wonderful tour with 90 lifers.  Great food and nice lodges.  Simon and local guides were outstanding.  Alan

Trinidad & Tobago - Piping Guans, Bellbirds & More

Awesome adventures in Trinidad!! In addition to amazing birding the  Local guides provided a deep dive into the culture with visits to several homes of friends, favorite restaurants and wonderful lodges. We saw over 200 species of birds which allowed me to add over 100 to my life list. 

The evening dinners on the porch overlooking Port of Spain were lovely and romantic.  Dining on a boat watching the scarlet ibis drift in, while we also saw flamingoes, was one of the most memorable moments of the whole trip.  Food was good, oilbird hike amazing.  The lodge in Tobago, with palm tanagers flying through the kitchen, was a lovely quiet place to bird.  

Enjoyable day of birding.  My first experience with a guided trip.  I will be coming back

Afternoon at Mills River Park

Great trip. Vicky knows her ducks and other waterbirds and where to find them. We look forward to more trips with her as a guide

Duck Day in Asheville

The trip was very enjoyable, in spite of the cold weather.  Michael Werndley is a great guide and fun to be with. The main attraction was the chance to see up to ten species of owls, many of which can often be seen after migrating down from more northern areas in Canada. The group saw a Snowy Owl,  Hawk Owl, Barred Owl, and (the major attraction) two impressive Great Gray Owls! Other local species included Snow Buntings, Common and Hoary Redpolls, a Northern Shrike, Canada Jay, Pine Grosbeaks, Golden Eye,  numerous Bald Eagles, and a Merlin (sitting atop our hotel in Minneapolis). In addition, the group saw many winter species common to our own area. An unexpected treat was the sight of three wolves totting along the frozen harbor shoreline in Duluth! A great time was had by all!

Northern Minnesota 2024 - Owls & Winter Finches

Weather was a lot better than I anticipated, but even if it had been exceptionally cold, this trip is definitely worth it.  To see the snow-covered landscape scenes, the beauty of the Black Spruce trees, all the native habitat for the Great Gray Owl, was an exciting and enjoyable experience.  The food choices were fantastic as were the views of Lake Superior.  Dress warmly and go for it!

This was our second trip with Keith Watson and it was very special - he is wonderful to bird with, and to just be with.  Our group was small and it made the trip that much more meaningful.  We saw beautiful places, beautiful birds, and had lots of good food and good company.   We had difficult weather at times and Keith was able to keep our spirits up and make it feel adventurous rather than adverse. Very grateful.

Cranes Galore at Hiwassee

This was a uniquely wonderful birding trip. Great group and great birding, with fantastic local guide, Sean, and always wonderful, Simon Thompson.  We had our own chefs,  one of whom  traveled with us, with wonderful food and some Suriname local food.  The Surinamese people were warm and welcoming. Fantastic trip!1

Suriname 2023

We had a congenial group of people and two outstanding guides.  We saw many of the Guyana endemics, even the cute little ones.  The country is hot and humid but we usually had breaks (or a drive in the air-conditioned bus) during the hottest part of the day.  The food was amazing - especially the fresh cinnamon rolls at breakfast.  Suriname is ethically diverse and has a fascinating culture. Sometimes we had to take "showers" from a bucket but the temperatures were so warm it was fine.

The usual excellent Ventures tour with unforgettable birding and  migration spectacles. Kansas is starkly beautiful. Our trip leader Mike did a great job all around. he also met the challenge of finding memorable places to eat in rural Kansas

Kansas: Open Country Specialties 2023

Great trip!  The accommodations and grounds around the lodge were perfect and beautiful. Food was excellent; everything made from scratch!  The staff was friendly and considerate.  Our Panamanian bird guide was amazing.  He went over and above expectations in finding birds for us.  Of course, we all know Simon is the best!  I would do this trip again and again!

LH

Hawk Migration at Canopy Lodge 23

We had a great time - beautiful scenery and very informative! My partner is definitely more excited about birding than ever after the trip.

Fall at Sandy Mush

Everything was first rate:  birds, tour leaders, accommodations, meals, and the other tour participants.  I especially liked that the tour was based at one location where we could unpack and enjoy some time off if needed.  One thing I would change is not advertise this trip as "Spectacular Hawk Migration at Canopy Lodge".  Hawk migration in October is indeed spectacular in some parts of Panama, but the Canopy Lodge or any of the locations visited are not where the vast majority of hawks migrating through Panama occur.  I knew this before the tour so was not disappointed.  We did see a nice variety of raptor species, just not the migration spectacle that can be seen elsewhere.  

Great trip and lots of sparrows as promised.  And great looks at a flock of pipits.  Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!

Sparrow Shindig

Ventures Birding selected a great day to bird Jackson Park and 'Clifton did his best to help us identify the variety of warblers passing through.  Warblers don't seem to be in need of rest as they flit from leafy branch to the next but we did manage some great views and saw quite a number of different species.  The best view was perhaps not of the warblers more often higher up in the trees but of a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak sitting placidly on an eye level branch just feet away.  That was an unexpected plus to a nice birding experience.  

Connecticut Warbler Search

Great tour, guides found a lot of warblers and it was very helpful to learn more about warbler identification.

Fall Warbler Workshop #2 - '23

I enjoyed having Mike as a guide on my first venture with him. He is extremely knowledgeable and skilled in finding and identifying the many warblers passing through. Mike pointed out a lot of field identification tips that helped me expand my own skills. His depth of experience and his enthusiasm for sharing what he knows made it a great birding day. 

Fall Warbler Workshop #1 - '23

This was an awesome experience, my wife and I were the only ones that showed up. Mike Resch was our professional guide. Mike is a master birder, I have never seen anyone with his knowledge and skill. He could identify birds by call and in their fall plumage. We were about done when he received a text about a Limpkin that had been found in his hometown and he invited us to follow him.  He treated us as friends, we spent about 8 hours with him and I added so many birds to my life list. What a bargain and great time.

Spectacular Fall Migration @ Ridge Junction - 2

A slow-paced meandering birdwalk often distracted by conversations with unafilliated random birders in search of local birds.  

Mills River Migration

Washington is a beautiful state.  Several considerations to be made:  maybe not in August when it's soo hot to go into the arid section.  Birds were not active.  Also, not to visit a National Park on a weekend day.  The lines getting in, difficulty parking, and crowds took away from the experience and we missed the Rosy Finch.  :)  It was no problem for us, but the tour needs to be given more than a "moderate" level of hiking and exercise.  Some attendents were not able to keep up, and slowed us down here and there.  
The pelagic trip was awesome!  We happened to see 59 orcas, along with many of the bird species expected.  The town of Westport was a nice little fishing town.  Not touristy - perfect.  The Olympic National Park had a great trail to a waterfall that took us through gigantic trees and lush vegetation.  Definitely what you'd expect in Washington state.  Getting to the top of Hurricane Ridge, we had close views of Mt Olympus, but it was unfortunately, a smoky day due to wildfires.  So....we were not able to have the view of Puget Sound and other mountains.  Our lodgings were good, and majority of meals were fabulous.    We were able to find most of the target birds except when it was crowded or too smoky.  All in all, we enjoyed this trip.
This review is for myself and Leo C.

Washington - Pacific Northwest Birding 2023

We had a great time, and we learned a lot. Aaron is a superb birder!

Rarity Round-Up - Kite Watch 23

Ventures trip to Arizona rocked! Our experienced guide, Aaron Steed, led us to all the right birds - the Arizona specialties along with several ABA rarities. The trip was well planned, running smoothly and efficiently. Taking the unusual higher-than -normal temperatures under consideration, Aaron kept the group well fed in birds, food, and icey drinks! I highly recommend this trip and Aaron as a guide!

Southeastern Arizona Specialties 2023

Southeastern Arizona Specialties 2022 in Tucson, AZ, USA

Summertime in Southeast Arizona is an excellent time to look for all the local specialties unique to the region. Cooling monsoon rains beginning in June and running into September quench the land and cover the grasslands with lush vegetation. This period, often referred to as Arizona’s ‘second spring,’ marks the start of the breeding season for quite a few of the target specialties and a resurgence of breeding activity for many others. This is the best time of year for such targets as Montezuma Quail and Botteri’s &amp; Cassin’s Sparrows, which are at their most vocal. Southeastern Arizona is also known as the “hummingbird capital of the US” with 15 species being possible, including Rivoli’s (recently split from Magnificent), Broad-billed, Violet-crowned, Calliope, Blue-throated, and Lucifer Hummingbirds, with such rarities as Plain-capped Starthroat, White-eared and Berylline Hummingbirds appearing with some regularity in recent years. This is a great time in general for Mexican vagrants to show up, and parts of our itinerary will remain fluid to give us the best chance at finding whatever exciting birds happen to be around. Tufted Flycatcher, Flame-colored Tanager, Rufous-capped Warbler and even Eared Quetzal are possible!

Southeastern Arizona Specialties 2022

Southeastern Arizona Specialties 2022

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