SOUTHWEST WINGS
Birding and Nature Festival in Sierra Vista, Arizona
Greatest Little Birding Festival in the United States - since 1991
Our mission is to promote nature-based tourism and environmental awareness in southeastern Arizona
SUMMER FESTIVAL
August 3 - 6, 2022
SPONSORED BY
​
Thanks to everyone who participated and helped to make the Summer Festival a success!
The Southwest Wings Summer Festival ran a total of 32 field trips over four days, plus some free campus walks at Cochise College, many talks and lots of vendors and exhibitors, including the festival sponsor Swarovski Optik.
A total of 191 species were recorded over the four days, including five ABA rarities - Buff-collared Nightjar, White-eared and Berylline Hummingbirds, Rose-throated Becard and Five striped Sparrow.
Additional Arizona rarities included Lucifer Hummingbird, Thick-billed Kingbird, Mississippi Kite and Green Kingfisher.
.jpg)
Five-striped Sparrow. Photo: Richard Fray
Elegant Trogon was seen on two different trips, and six species of owls, 12 species of hummingbirds, 10 species of warblers, 20 species of sparrows and 20 species of flycatchers were also recorded.
​
Two new species for the cumulative festival list were added. A Wood Duck was seen at Benson WTP and the newly elevated Chihuahuan Meadowlark (formerly Lilian's Meadowlark, a subspecies of Eastern) was seen in several locations.
​
For an eBird trip list covering the whole festival please go to this link:
Elegant Trogon. Photo: Peggy Steffens
There were 26 free talks over the four days which covered a range of topics including birds, bees, bats, beavers, butterflies and bears!
The Keynote Dinner talk from Sheri Williamson began with the origins of hummingbirds, then looked at the present-day problems they face as well as a possible future given the effects of climate change and pollution.
Sheri Williamson, Keynote Speaker. Photo: SW Wings
Rick Taylor signing. Photo: SW Wings
Rick Taylor, freshly back from a three-day Chiricahuas tour, treated us to a talk on the identification of Arizonan hummingbirds, focusing on those tricky female and immature birds.
He then signed copies of his very latest book Birds of Arizona which was on sale at the festival for the first time anywhere in the world!
Here are some further photos from the festival:
What a welcome!. Photo: SW Wings
Coronado National Memorial trip. Photo: Gordon Lam
Welcome desk. Photo: SW Wings
Rick Wright's talk about bird names. Photo: SW Wings
Miller Canyon trip. Photo: Ken Blankenship
Garden Canyon trip. Photo: Jennie MacFarland
Welcome desk. Photo: SW Wings