2009 Yuma Birding & Nature Festival

APRIL 15th-19th

 

YUMA VISITORS BUREAU

2008 Yuma Birding & Nature Festival
202 S. 1st Ave.
Suite 202
Yuma, AZ 85364
ph: 928-376-0100
fax: 928-376-0133

2008 FIELD TRIPS

A printable version of this page is available under our Registration tab. 

 

DISCLAIMER:  The Yuma Visitors Bureau is a non-profit organization focused on promoting tourism in the Yuma area.  All proceeds from the programs listed below are used to fund current and future Birding & Nature festivals in Yuma.

Survey Rails by Boat ($30)
Learn how biologists survey rails.  Join Jeff Young for a leisurely boat ride in the Imperial division of the Colorado River to conduct actual rail surveys using audio playback techniques.  Target species include Yuma Clapper Rail, Black Rail, Least Bittern, and others.  Limited to 5 quiet participants so the Biologist can listen for rail calls.
Thursday April 17th (4-10am)
Friday April 18th (4-10am)
Desert Bighorn Sheep Search ($35)
Susanna Henry takes you on trip through the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in search for Desert Bighorn Sheep in their natural habitat.
Thursday April 17th (6:15am-4pm)
Yuma East Wetlands Morning Birding Tours ($5)
Hike around the 2-year old wetland restoration site to detect recovered endangered species such as the Yuma Clapper Rail and multiple other wintering and resident marsh birds.  Tour includes a natural history discussion of the area, explanation of the restoration process, successes of restoring natural habitat, and visual and auditory detection of a multitude of riparian and wetland birds.  Bring comfortable footwear that can get dirty and wet!
Thursday April 17th (7-9am)
Friday April 18th (7-9am)
Saturday April 19th (7-9am)
Sunday April 20th (7-9am)
Imperial National Wildlife Refuge Hike ($15)
Hike the 1.3-mile foot trail to see the Painted Desert.  The trail offers panoramic views of the Colorado River and takes you through a rainbow of colors and geologic formations left by volcanic activity from millions of years ago.
 Thursday April 17th (6am-1pm)
Friday April 18th  (6am-1pm)
Saturday April 19th (6am-1pm)
Tour of the Yuma Proving Ground ($20)
Visit the United States Army’s Yuma Proving Ground, a 1,300 square mile test and evaluation range for military systems, including aircraft weapons, tanks, and artillery. Visit the Heritage Center and explore the history of Yuma Proving Ground from its inception in 1942 as Camp Laguna to the present day installation with its role in the development of the "21st Century Soldier."  Also tour an active bat cave, home for as many as seven different species of bats, and visit a wildlife water construction project designed to support a diverse collection of native wildlife.
Thursday April 17th (7am-2pm)
Yuma Conservation Gardens Tour ($5)
Tour a Sonoran Desert Botanical Garden located on the Yuma County Fairgrounds.  It’s collection includes the Saguaro, Organpipe, Cordon, Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus, and many others.  Bird watching opportunities as up to 21 species were seen or heard in the past.
Thursday April 17th (10-12pm) – Private Plant Tour and Birding
Friday April 18th (10am-12pm) – Personalized Plant Tour and Birding
Sunday April 20th (open to public at 12pm)
Tour of Cocopah Indian Tribe Museum ($5)
Explore the history of a local Native American Tribe at their museum located on the Cocopah Indian Tribe Reservation with a guided tour to explain the tribe’s ties to the Colorado River, information on indigenous plants and animals that are significant for the tribe and aspects of their tribal culture.
Thursday April 17th (12-2pm)
Friday April 18th (12-2pm)
Evening Canoe Beaver Adventures ($30)
Travel in canoes down the Colorado River with Steve Fusilier searching for nocturnal wildlife.  Listen to beavers as they splash their warning calls to those invading their territory.  Flashlights and rowing are required.
Thursday April 17th (5-9pm)
Bat Netting ($25)
Participate in bat netting in the Fortuna Wash near its confluence with the old Gila River channel.  Participation would include an in-the-field explanation and demonstration of equipment and procedures used, viewing of the processing of captured bats, a demonstration of the Anabat system (translates high-frequency bat hunting calls into signals audible by humans), and release of bats by selected (and appropriately gloved) participants.
Thursday April 17th (5:45-830pm)
Friday April 18th (5:45-830pm)
Evening Owl Adventure Tours ($30)
Join local experts Henry Detwiler and Bob Miller as they travel around Yuma searching for Burrowing Owls then head up to Betty’s Kitchen (Mitry Lake) and locate Barn, Great-horned, and Western Screech Owls.
Thursday April 17th (6-10pm)
Yuma East Wetlands Sunset Walking Tours ($5)
End your day with Clair Nash and John Makewa on a walk through the peaceful atmosphere of the Yuma East Wetlands, a site dedicated to restoring a natural wetland ecosystem and supporting a broad range of wildlife including the Yuma Clapper Rail and many other marsh birds as well as a wide variety of neotropical migrant birds.
Thursday April 17th (6-730pm)
Friday April 18th (6-730pm)
Dunes Ecology ($25)
At 200 square miles, the Algodones Dunes west of Yuma are the second largest dune system in the United States.  In this evening field trip we will learn about the origins of the dunes and how the area’s animals and plants have adapted to unique, but harsh environmental conditions.  Learn the tracks of invertebrates, lizards, snakes, and Kit foxes; and view Shove-nosed snakes, Geckos, Scorpions, and possibly sidewinders after dark.
Thursday April 17th (6:10-10pm)
Friday April 18th (6:10-10pm)
El Doctor and La Cienega de Santa Clara Wetlands ($125)
Travel to El Doctor, a small hydrogically related natural springs considered an important wetland habitat for neotropical migratory land birds.  Visit the Ejido Luis Encinas Johnson, a community owned village located next to La Cienega de Santa Clara, the most important wetland in the lower Colorado River basin.  Once e this area was a watery jungle the size of Rhode Island, but the string of 14 dams that diverted water from the Colorado River drastically altered its ecosystem.  Glide through canoe through a magical waterscape of reeds and cattails and watch resident and migratory birds skim the surface and take flight.  Enjoy a traditional lunch prepared by a local Ejido family at La Cienega’s “armadas”
Friday April 18th (530am-430pm)
Saturday April 19th (530am-430pm)
Morning Canoe Bird Watching Tour ($30)
Join local Bird experts as they take you on a peaceful canoe trip down the Colorado River in search of local wildlife.  Bring your binoculars, rowing is required.
Friday April 18th (6:50-10am)
Salton Sea Birding & Nature Tour ($60)
For bird watchers, the Sea is the only place in California where one can see such variety and abundance of herons, egrets, ibises and woodstorks – species also characterizing Florida’s Everglades, but the Salton Sea offers even greater species diversity. More than two thirds of all species of birds in the continental United States have been recorded at the Salton Sea.  In addition you’ll see signs of the area’s tumultuous geology at the bubbling mud spots.  Join Bob Miller for this exciting adventure through California’s premier bird watching locations.
Friday April 18th (7:10am-5pm)
El Golfo de Santa Clara ($60)
Join renowned geologist Fred Croxen as he leads you to a rich mammal fossil location off the Gulf of California.  Plenty of bird watching opportunities are included in this adventure south of the border and the trip includes dinner at El Capitan Restraunt a local favorite in El Golfo, Mexico.
Friday April 18th (7:20am-8pm)
Horse Tanks Day Hike ($35)
The Horse Tanks area on the Kofa Wildlife Refuge is rich with both biological and cultural resources.  Join us for a hike to look at the natural rock waterholes, historical inscriptions, bedrock grinding mortars, and petroglyphs.
Friday April 18th (8am-4pm)

Benevolent Predators ($25)

A visit to several local ponds and river edges in search of the local odonata-dragonflies and damselflies around Yuma with Richard Bailowitz.
Friday April 18th (9:45-2pm)

Ecology of Palm Groves-Anza Borrego Desert State Park ($60)
California fan palms occur in spectacular groves in remote desert canyons of the Peninsular Ranges of Southern California and Baja California.  Learn why these tropical trees persist at desert springs, how they harbor unique assemblages of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and have provided critical food resources for Native Americans and wildlife.  Trip includes a hike on a short trail through several fan palm groves at Mountain Palm Springs, and along the way look for Elephant trees, Hooded Orioles, American Robins, Chuckwallas, Banded Rock Lizards, and Speckled Rattlesnakes.
Saturday April 19th (5am-5pm)
Sonoran Pronghorn Antelope Captive Breeding Enclosure on the Cabreza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge ($35)
Join Gary Hovatter for this day trip to the captive breeding enclosure for the endangered Sonoran Pronghorn Antelope.  From a low of less than two dozen animals just a few years ago, the captive breeding, forage enhancement, and water development programs have resurrected the US population to near 100 animals. 
Saturday April 19th (5:10am-2pm)
Desert Trek ($35)
Join Roger Oyler from the Bureau of Land Management for some off-road adventures in the Arizona desert.  Hold on and have fun!
Saturday April 19th (6am-2pm)
Betty’s Kitchen and Mitry Lake Birding Tour ($30)
Look for migrant and resident birds as we search the riparian areas of Betty’s Kitchen and Mitry Lake Wildlife areas.  Tanagers, warblers, flycatchers, sparrows, and other passerines are possible finds.
Saturday April 19th (6:50am-12pm)
Birding in the Andrade Wetlands ($50)
Join local expert Fred Croxen for light walking birding tour near Algodones, Mexico.
Saturday April 19th (7:10am-4pm)
Palm Canyon Hiking Tour ($35)
Explore Palm Canyon to view the historic California fan palms as well as the rare Kofa Mountain Barberry.  As you walk, search for gnatcatchers, towhees and thrashers, along with the elusive Desert Bighorn Sheep.
Saturday April 19th (7:50am-4pm)

Flying Jewels ($25)
Join Richard Bailowitz on a tour of area gardens and parks as you seek out butterflies and insects.  Minimal walking required.
Saturday April 19th (10am-2pm)

Birding by Sound ($25)
Fred Wong teaches the skills and tips to identify songbirds by their calls and songs at Betty’s Kitchen.
Sunday April 20th (6-10am)
Jester Hike Trail ($25)
Jester's Trail in the Gila Mountains east of Yuma wraps around one peak and leads to the top of another through jagged terrain that's home to upland desert plants and wildlife.  Required hiking is strenuous and steep (1700 ft.).  Recommended for those who maintain good hiking skills and physical fitness.
Sunday April 20th (7:10-11am)
Wildlife Photography Tour ($25)
Join local birding expert Henry Detwiler after his photography seminar for a photo wildlife tour around Yuma.
Sunday April 20th (830am-12pm)
Desert Reptiles ($25)
In this trip to the Mitry Lake area, search for desert snakes and lizards, and discuss their ecology, behaviors, and habitat preferences.  Search for reptiles in riparian vegetation, rocky habitats, and in sandy flatland deserts and likely see Chuckwallas, Desert Iguanas, Desert Spiny Lizards, Ornate Tree Lizards, and a variety of other reptiles.
Sunday April 20th (9am-1pm)
Yuma East Wetlands Volunteer Planting Trip (free)
Join Mark Winterode from the Yuma East Wetlands Restoration Project and lend a hand in the restoration efforts by planting native vegetation in the project along the Colorado River.
Sunday April 20th (10-12pm)
The above field trips are available on a first-come first-served basis and subject to change. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yuma Visitors Bureau Mission Statement:

We are focused on the promotion of the Yuma community as a year-round destination by nurturing tourism growth and community support.

DISCLAIMER:  The Yuma Visitors Bureau is a non-profit organization focused on promoting tourism in the Yuma area.  All proceeds from the 2008 Yuma Birding & Nature festival will be used to fund current and future Birding & Nature festivals in Yuma. 

2008 Yuma Birding & Nature Festival
202 S. 1st Ave.
Suite 202
Yuma, AZ 85364
ph: 928-376-0100
fax: 928-376-0133