Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival

06/07/2026

🎙️ Missed our recent appearance on Ray's Talkin' Birds?

Chris Harbard and Mari Cea recently joined Ray Brown to talk about the upcoming Southwest Wings Summer Festival 2026, celebrating 35 years of birding, nature, and conservation in Southeast Arizona.

Listen to the recorded show here:

https://www.talkinbirds.com/archive

As a special thank-you to Ray's Talkin' Birds listeners, we're offering 10% off Summer Festival field trips for new registrations through July 15, 2026.

Simply enter promo code RTB10 during the registration process to receive your discount.

This year's Keynote Speaker is Peg Abbott, founder of Naturalist Journeys and a longtime resident of Portal, Arizona. Her presentation, Arizona's Sky Islands: Insights and Inspiration, will explore the remarkable biodiversity of Southeast Arizona and explain why our Sky Islands are recognized as one of the world's great natural treasures for birders, naturalists, and wildlife enthusiasts alike.

Join us for expert-led field trips, outstanding speakers, a Nature Expo, free programs, and some of the best birding in North America!

📅 August 5–8, 2026
📍 Sierra Vista, Arizona

Register today:
https://www.swwings.org/summer-festival-2026

Thank you to Ray Brown and the entire Ray's Talkin' Birds community for helping us spread the word!

05/11/2026

The Southwest Wings 2026 Spring Festival was a great success with 27 field trips over the four days. From the depths of California Gulch to high spots in the Chiricahua Mountains the trips ventured across Cochise, Santa Cruz and Pima counties with sightings of 201 bird species.

Migration was obvious with good numbers of warblers, flycatchers, tanagers and more. The commonest species was, as usual, the White-winged Dove with 276 sightings, narrowly beating the Mourning Dove (273). Commonest migrant was the Black-headed Grosbeak with 178 sightings. Eleven species of hummingbird were seen with Broad-billed being the most numerous, and Rufous the scarcest, but sadly no rare hummers were seen.

Many sought-after species were successfully tallied such as Lucifer Hummingbird, Coppery-tailed Trogon, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Thick-billed Kingbird, Mexican Chickadee, Olive Warbler, Five-striped Sparrow, Grace’s and Red-faced Warblers and Flame-colored Tanager, while Montezuma Quail was only heard.

Six owls were seen, including Spotted Owl, and three four caprimulgids, including the rare Buff-collared Nightjar, were seen or heard. Unusual sightings included Least Tern, Willet, American White Pelican, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Northern Waterthrush and Northern Parula Warbler.

Non-bird highlights included Desert Kingsnake and Green Rat Snake and one lucky trip getting a sighting of a Black Bear! There were lots of butterflies including Arizona’s State Butterfly the Two-tailed Swallowtail.

https://ebird.org/tripreport/513680

05/09/2026

Another joyful return from the field! 🐦💚⛰️

Our 3 Day / 2 Night Chiricahua Mountains & Cave Creek birding adventure with guide David Simpson brought back a van full of happy birders, wonderful memories, and plenty of smiles.

Adding to the fun, beloved longtime Southwest Wingster Sue Weinreis happily shares what they all experienced — the perfect ending to a fantastic Sky Islands adventure among friends.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for another memorable Spring Festival journey through one of Arizona’s most magical birding regions. ✨

05/09/2026

The smiles say it all! 🌵🦉✨

Happy birders returning from an unforgettable few days exploring the Sky Islands and desert grasslands of Southeast Arizona during Southwest Wings Spring Festival 2026.

Our 3 Day / 2 Night adventure to California Gulch and the Santa Cruz Valley with guide Richard Fray delivered wonderful birding, beautiful scenery, and great camaraderie along the way.

Meanwhile, another enthusiastic group enjoyed a fantastic day exploring Madera and Box Canyon with guide Jennie MacFarland.

Many thanks to our terrific guides, volunteers, and birding friends for making each day such a joy to share together. 💚🐦

05/08/2026

🌄🐦 DAY 3 — SPRING FLING FESTIVAL 2026 🐦🌄

A beautiful Sky Islands sunrise welcomed our early birders this morning as excitement builds for another wonderful day of spring birding adventures across Southeast Arizona.

Just after sunrise, our group vans rolled out from the Mall at Sierra Vista, heading toward canyon trails, riparian corridors, desert grasslands, and mountain woodlands in search of hummingbirds, warblers, trogons, flycatchers, and all the wonderful surprises migration season can bring.

Coffee cups full, binoculars ready, and friendships continue to grow as another day of discovery takes flight in the Sky Islands.

Here’s to another fantastic day in the field with fellow birders and nature lovers at the 2026 Southwest Wings Spring Festival! 🌵🦉🪶

05/07/2026

🌅 A beautiful sunrise welcomed Day 2 of the 2026 Southwest Wings Spring Festival, based at the Mall at Sierra Vista!

Our group vans were lined up and ready to take flight for birding adventures to Miller Canyon, Garden and Huachuca Canyons, Patagonia and Sonoita, and Scotia Canyon — while our rendezvous car caravan trips gathered at the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area and Ramsey Canyon Preserve to explore some of the Sky Islands’ most iconic birding hotspots. 🐦✨

A huge thank you to Southwest Wings Board Members Chris Harbard, Melody Curtis, Rick Curtis, Tommy McDonnell, Julia McDonnell, Sally Rosén and Priscilla Brodkin for helping make early morning trip send-offs and afternoon returns such a breeze.

Birds are calling, coffee is flowing, and another wonderful day in the Sky Islands is underway! ☕🦉🌵

05/07/2026

🌅 A beautiful sunrise welcomed Day 2 of the 2026 Southwest Wings Spring Festival, based at the Mall at Sierra Vista!

Our group vans were lined up and ready to take flight for birding adventures to Miller Canyon, Garden and Huachuca Canyons, Patagonia and Sonoita, and Scotia Canyon — while our rendezvous car caravan trips gathered at the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area and Ramsey Canyon Preserve to explore some of the Sky Islands’ most iconic birding hotspots. 🐦✨

A huge thank you to Southwest Wings Board Members Chris Harbard, Melody Curtis, Rick Curtis, Tommy McDonnell, Julia McDonnell and Sally Rosén for helping make morning trip send-offs such a breeze.

Birds are calling, coffee is flowing, and another wonderful day in the Sky Islands is underway! ☕🦉🌵

03/26/2026

🐦✨ **SNEAK PEEK!** ✨🐦

**Southwest Wings Summer Festival**
📅 Aug 5–8, 2026 | 📍 Sierra Vista, AZ

⏰ **Registration opens April 1 at 9 AM (AZ time)**

Join us for the **35th annual celebration** of birds, nature & the incredible Sky Islands! 💛

🌿 FREE talks + bird walks
🛍️ Nature Expo
🦎 Live reptile experiences
🎁 Swag & prizes

🍽️ Keynote Dinner with **Peg Abbott** (Aug 6) on Arizona’s fabulous Sky Islands.
🌄 Epic guided birding field trips

✨ Plus: Early Bird Welcome Jamboree (Aug 4) for registered participants

🔎 Sneak peek now live on our website!

🌸 Spring Fling (May 6–9) still has a few spots left!

👇 What bird is on your must-see list this summer?

03/26/2026

🐦✨ SNEAK PEEK! ✨🐦

Southwest Wings Summer Festival 2026
📅 August 5–8 | 📍 Sierra Vista, AZ

⏰ Registration opens April 1 at 9:00 AM (AZ time)

Get ready for the 35th annual Southwest Wings Summer Festival in celebration in Arizona’s incredible Sky Islands! 💛

🎤 FREE expert talks
🚶‍♀️ Bird walks for all levels
🦎 Live reptile experiences
🛍️ Nature Expo + vendors
🎁 Prizes & swag from Swarovski Optik & Birdfy

🌄 Epic guided field trips (don’t wait—these fill fast!)
🍽️ Keynote Dinner with Peg Abbott (Aug 6)
🎉 Early Bird Welcome Jamboree (Aug 4)

👀 Sneak peek is LIVE now!
👉 https://www.swwings.org/summer-festival-2026

🌸 Still time for Spring Fling (May 6–9) — closing April 15!

✨ Come to where the birds are and see why we’re called
“The Greatest Little Birding Festival in the U.S.”

🕊️ What species are YOU hoping to see?

The Southwest Wings Summer Festival is taking place from 31 July - 3 August 2024 in Sierra Vista.

03/01/2026

🌿🐦 Migration Is Building in the Sky Islands…

If you’ve been watching eBird lately, you know.

Warblers are moving through the cottonwoods. Tanagers are beginning to arrive. Hummingbirds are actively defending feeders. And the canyons are starting to wake up at dawn.

And yes — there’s even a taxonomic update in the mix.

With the recent split, the trogon we encounter in Southeast Arizona is now officially the Coppery-tailed Trogon (formerly included under “Elegant Trogon”).

We suspect a few life lists were quietly adjusted. 😉

Early May is one of the most dynamic windows of the year here:
• Overlapping migration
• Territorial singing
• Elevational shifts
• And yes… empid flycatcher season (primary projection discussions may occur)

Our Spring Fling Field Trips | May 6–9, 2026 are intentionally small and habitat-focused — just birding, guided by people deeply familiar with these canyons.

No vendor hall.
No crowds.
Just peak migration in Southeast Arizona.

Registration is open

If you’ve been waiting for the right time — this is it.

Come bird with us. 👉