Arizona Shenanigans 2025

Arizona Shenanigans?

The Arizona Shenanigans are a regular Co-op experience timed to coincide with the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival, which will be from August 6-10. The pre-festival Experience will be a low-cost, low-pressure camping and birding outing in the Tucson area that’s perfect for both first-time Arizona birders or those of us who have been many times before and just want another taste of the amazing birds, mammals, herps, moths, and other wildlife in southeast Arizona. The tradition for this experience is to be self-paced and customizable: we pick the dates and location in advance, provide guidance on what to bring and where to go, and participants are free to choose when they come, how long they stay, and which activities they’d like to join.

Where will we be going?

That is up to the group! Last year we stayed at the Sunny Flat Campground in the Chiricahua Mountains, about a 2-hour drive from Tucson. Most of the time was spent birding at various elevations in the Chiris, from the desert down below all the way up to the high-elevation pine forests and meadows near the top. Our nights were spent herping along the roads near the town of Portal and running a moth sheet for the lepidoptera-minded group members to work on their insect lists. This year we may return to the same place, or check out a different area such as Mount Lemmon, Madera Canyon, or the Huachuca Mountains. We will finalize the location a month or two prior to the Experience after we’ve had a chance to survey the Co-op members who will be joining and see what areas are most interesting to them.

How much does it cost?

Like our Montana Experience, this will be a DIY trip so aside from shared costs for campsites and permits there will be no tour fee! Before the tour we will connect all participants so that we can arrange shared rides and other logistics. We will also be happy to provide further advice and assistance to members who are less familiar with Arizona and aren’t comfortable making arrangements on their own.

What should I bring?

We will be camping, so participants are recommended to bring equipment such as tents, sleeping bags, food, cooking appliances, chairs, and anything else they expect to need while off the grid. Last year’s outing was at a drive-up campsite near a town with restaurants, electricity, and cell phone service which may be the case this year as well; our choice of location will depend on how much participants feel like roughing it!

What will be the levels of physical activity?

That will also depend on the preferences of the group! In general, Arizona birding spots are geographically remote but accessible by car, and all of the usual target birds can be seen without strenuous hikes. Last year some members chose to do some difficult hiking, but we don’t expect that to be mandatory this year.

Will there be birds?

Hoo boy, will there ever–southeastern Arizona has possibly the most unique and interesting avifauna of anywhere in the continental US! Classic target birds that we saw during Co-op activities last year include Elegant Trogon, Montezuma Quail, Zone-tailed Hawk, Painted Redstart, Red-faced Warbler, Rivoli’s Hummingbird, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Varied Bunting, Five-striped Sparrow, Scott’s Oriole, Arizona Woodpecker, and many, many more! The full eBird report from last year’s Co-op trip (including additional outings during the birding festival) is here.

How about other wildlife?

It’s not just the birds! Southeastern Arizona is very hard to beat when it comes to wildlife of all sorts including mammals, herps, moths, and just about anything else. Last year’s crew included many avid herpers and mothers, and we spent many hours spotlighting desert roads for herps and running UV lights for moths and other invertebrates. Highlights included Collared Peccary, Mexican Fox Squirrel, Abert’s Squirrel, Desert Pocket Mouse, Western Threadsnake, Gopher Snake, three species of rattlesnake, and almost 150 species of butterflies and moths!