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The following bird walks, led by members of SWNM Audubon, will be offered both Saturday and Sunday mornings before the speaker/workshop sessions. The Visitor Center is located at 201 N Hudson St (at the Hwy 90/Broadway intersection, 2 blocks east of the Murray Hotel). The Murray Hotel is located at 200 W Broadway.

• Big Ditch- meet outside Murray Hotel at 6:15am. We will first stop by the new “Plants, Pollinators and Climate Change” mural, made possible with funding from a National Audubon Society grant and local sponsors. We will then continue along the “Big Ditch”, an urban riparian corridor right downtown, looking for various warbler species, Lesser Goldfinch, Black Phoebe and Summer Tanager. Easy.

• Boston Hill- meet outside Murray Hotel at 6am. We will walk to a nearby trailhead to look for arid shrubland and grassland birds in the hills right above town. Black-chinned Sparrow, Curve-billed Thrasher and Canyon Towhee are common species. Moderate to Difficult.

• Deadman’s Canyon – leave Visitor Center parking lot at 5:30am. We will drive 16 miles south of town to the Burro Mountains, at the transition zone of Madrean montane woodlands and conifer forest. This area holds an interesting avian community with species such as Zone-tailed Hawk, Hepatic Tanager, and if time allows we can visit an area where Buff-breasted Flycatchers have returned to breed the past 4 years. Moderate, expect a 2-3 mile hike.

• Cherry Creek- leave Visitor Center parking lot at 5:45am. We will drive approximately 12 miles north of town into the Gila National Forest. This area is about 1,000 ft higher than town, characterized by a mid-montane pine, oak and scattered riparian trees. We will look for Red-faced and Olive Warblers, Painted Redstarts and perhaps a Dusky-capped Flycatcher or Montezuma Quail. Easy.

• Little Walnut/Gomez Peak area- meet at Visitor Center parking lot at 6am. This mid-elevation piñon, juniper, and oak woodland has a series of trails a short 6-mile drive from town. We can look for Black-throated Gray Warbler, Bridled Titmouse and Mexican Jay. Easy to moderate.

Please RSVP to megan.ruehmann@gmail.com to register for trips. Group sizes will be limited to ~12 participants for each trip; registration will be first come, first served. We will carpool when visiting the farther sites.