Bird/Nature Photography: Rancho Santa Cruze
Rancho Santa Cruze
Nature Photography Field Trip
Birdwatching
We will meet at the in the Photography Club Parking Lot (The lot is connected to the Photography Club by a Turquoise Bridge over the wash.) We will meet at 8;00am. We will leave the lot at 8:15am sharp. If you are running late please call/text me at 810-516-0220.
The Ranch and nearby areas provide great opportunities for birdwatching. Guest birders can get an early breakfast and a snack for the trail. For more information on birdwatching in Southern Arizona, please visit the websites of local guides Felipe Guerrero and Richard Fray. The National Audubon Society recognizes Rancho Santa Cruz as part of an Important Bird Area called Upper Santa Cruz River.
On November 16, 2018, Chris Benesh and Holly Bern witnessed a Rose-throated Becard on the Ranch. Bob Starks later photographed the bird, which can be viewed here. Rose-throated Becards are now rare in Arizona, so the sighting generated much interest in the birding community.
Rancho Santa Cruz is now a Birding Hotspot on eBird. To read about the more than 160 species observed on the Ranch, please click here.
Where We Are
Rancho Santa Cruz is in a unique geography in Southern Arizona. It's located in a fertile green valley fed by the Santa Cruz River, which runs year round. The Ranch is at almost 4000 feet elevation, and its climate is substantially cooler and wetter than Tucson or Phoenix.
The Ranch is surrounded by a forest of huge cottonwood trees and is a place of peace and quiet, where you can relax in nature, away from the hubbub and speed of our modern society.
Rancho Santa Cruz is easy to find. We are less than an hour’s drive south of Tucson on Interstate 19. Drive to Exit 29, then go south on the East Frontage Road for one mile to 1709.
NOTICE:
All participants need to be responsible for an assessment of their mobility and health issues relating to field trips. Some trips may not be appropriate, but you must make that determination. However, the trip leader may deny participation in a specific field trip to anyone deemed not suitably prepared or able to walk with the group.
The club strives to provide several field trips specifically designed for members with physical limitations.
In order to participate in this event, you must be a member of the GVR Photography Club and GVR.
The GVR Photography Club is located in the Recreation Village of Santa Rita Springs.