Greater Roadrunner Arizona Flowers Photography Workshop

Best Arizona Fall Bird Photography Workshop

When people think about Arizona, they think of unbearably hot weather with dusty and dry weather. When birders think about Arizona, they dream of exotic species not found anyplace else in the USA. You see the southern part of Arizona, where the USA meets Mexico, a bird invasion has been underway for many years. Birds that migrate from Central and South America have inched their way across the border, Typically there may be a dozen or so migrant species, but occasionally there are dozens and dozens.

I’ve chosen to introduce you to these birds in the fall. The heat is manageable, and it can be pretty chilly in the morning. The crowds have left, and southbound migrants are showing up.

I photographed about 50 species on a scouting trip this fall, and five were new for me. That does not often happen these days!

During the pandemic, I became fascinated with photographing dragonflies. They are like birds but way more challenging. When you nail the shot, it’s gratifying and a little addicting. Join me at this desert workshop, and I’ll try to find you some new birds, introduce to some cool bugs, and help you with your bird photography skills. Oh, and I am pretty sure we will have a great time along the way.

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  • 6 Nights and 5 Days

  • Small-Group – 4 Clients

  • Professional Photographer Leader

  • Lodging Included

  • Difficulty – generally easy one bumpy hike at altitude

Damselflies & Bullfrog Arizona Bird Photography Workshop
Ladderbacked Woodpecker Arizona Bird Photography Workshop

DATES

August 6-11, 2022

LOCATION

Green Valley, AZ

TUITION

$1995

SUBJECTS

Birds, Wildlife, Dragonflies, Mammals

Plan your arrival in time for 5 PM Meet and greet, group dinner (included), and learn of our expedition in more detail.

We are up before sunrise to make our first outing into the absurdly birdy and famous Madera Canyon. We can expect multiple hummingbirds, Mexican Jays, and Acorn Woodpeckers.

We will also make a relatively easy hike to see if we can locate the now resident Elegant Trogans.

We will break for lunch and then continue to our next hotspot. We will be going to a small preserve that has numerous hummingbird feeders. We should also find the endemic Arizona Gray Squirrel. Wait until you see that tail! Lazuli Buntings may also be in this spot.

We return to the hotel for some well-deserved rest.

We rise and shine early again today to look for some water birds and, well, anything else with feathers. We may see Mexican Duck, White-faced Ibis, American Avocets, and a host of other water birds.

We will then travel a short distance to another lake and hike a couple of miles on an easy trail. Black Phoebe and Verdin may be here.

We will have lunch at a fantastic local restaurant with made-to-order goodies, including the best oatmeal cookie ever!

Then off to see what is flying.

Unless we nailed the Trogan, I plan to head back to look a little further up the trail. I’ve seen Painted Redstart and Arizona Woodpeckers here as well.

We will return to town for lunch and a nap.

This evening, we will not travel far to a sweet little hotspot. I predict it will be one of the best birding spots in Green Valley once it matures over the next few years. Lawrence’s Goldfinch, Lark Sparrows, might be found.

This morning we spend a couple of hours at the same spot as last night. There will undoubtedly be new birds that we missed. Plus, it’s just a neet place to be.

We will make a bit of a drive North to Tucson. There is excellent birding at a water treatment plant. Yellow-headed Blackbirds can be in flocks of a hundred and also Gambel’s Quail.

Home for lunch and back home for lunch.

I’ll read the tea leaves to determine what we do this evening.

You can make plans to head to the airport anytime today.

After breakfast, you will be driven to the International Airport to board your flight back home or onward destinations.

We will stay at a nice hotel that has an attached bar and restaurant. It’s clean, convenient and has all of the amenities.

You hotel room is included, but your food is not.

Inclusions
Accommodation in Green Valley
Transportation during the workshop
All Park Fees

Exclusions

Transportation to and from Tucson Airport
Expenses of personal nature like Tips, smokes, liquor, laundry and telephone calls
International airfare
Travel insurance
Expenses of personal nature like Tips, smokes, liquor, laundry and telephone calls
Anything not mentioned in the inclusions

I will show you might techniques for achieving quality wildlife photography images. What settings to use and composition instruction.

We will have multiple group download sessions and I will show you my workflow and answer any of your processing questions.

I want you to learn some new skills to take your bird photography to new heights.

A minimum of 400mm lens will be needed and something like a 150-600mm is perfect.

A macro if you like.

Very few of the locations will be suitable for a tripod, so it is not necessary.

Plenty of cards and storage.

A circular polarizer

If you are unsure about this or that for the gear, just call me.

I am able to drive the group during the workshop. That is one reason why there are only 4 clients. Transportation from Tucson is about $50 each way by Taxi or Uber.

I’ve been very passively advising my clients to purchase travel insurance for a while, but lately it seems like there have been multiple people having travel issues. Some have lost their deposits and sometimes even the cost of the entire trip!

Based on my client’s experience, I cannot stress more strongly how crucial it is to purchase travel insurance. Like I said before, and here it comes again, there is never a way to predict what is going to happen when you are booking trips months and years into the future.

You can read more about my thoughts about the importance of travel insurance in this blog post.

Or you can go get a free quote and book your vital travel insurance.

https://wildlifeworkshops.link/Travel_Insurance_Quote

Registration Information

Finances

The Arizona Bird Photography Workshop is $1995 single occupancy.

Deposit

A deposit of $500 will reserve your spot. The balance is due June 12, 2022.

Ready to Go?

The next step is to send me a deposit via an online registration. If you don’t like to pay online, you can send you deposit by mail. About 90 days before the workshop you will receive a bill for the balance.

There will be emails sent as we get closer with more specific details. Please feel free to check in at anytime with any questions that you have.

By submitting you agree to the workshops Terms and Conditions.

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