Authored by Gary Eugene in Arizona
Published on 12-10-2008

If you are into bird watching, Arizona is among the places you should go to for this hobby. This place is home to a large variety of fliers which are set against lovely landscape. From small to large birds, Arizona can blow your mind with what it has to offer. Here, you can see some common birds, such as the gray and black hawks, several different species of owls, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, and nightjars among a long list of others. Aside from these, the place also offers rare species of birds, as well as seasonal fliers, birds such as sparrow, kingbirds, tanagers, warblers, and chickadees.

When in Arizona, you would want to go to the Patagonia-Sonoita Preserve; this place alone has over 300 different varieties of birds. You can schedule a guided tour over the Internet for this. They have guided tours available for Saturday mornings. The Patagonia-Sonoita preserve has a trail that is about 3 miles long; this stretches out into the vast and luscious Arizona backdrop. The reason why this place offers a good variety of mixed species is because it has a hot climate. This gives the birds a better haven for nesting and breeding. Because of these reasons, this place has become a favored spot for tourism, as well as a recreational destination.

Before heading out, make sure you pack an additional set of things aside from your handy binoculars. Try to secure bird watching guides for the locality. This will provide you with basic information on the area and a list of birds which are most commonly found. They will also indicate where the best areas for birds, as well as a few bird watching tips for people who are new to the area. Do not forget to bring some sunscreen, like we said Arizona has very hot weather. You maybe to fixated at locating and watching those birds that you forget that you are out – greatly exposed to the sun. Remember that even when you are in the shade you still get an amount of ultraviolet exposure, so it is essential to apply liberal amounts of sunscreen. You might also want to bring a notebook and a pen so you can document what you have seen and other small details you want to take note of. Lastly, do not forget to bring water and a little food. The trail is quite far and you might be spending a good deal of time in the middle of the woods.