Expert birders will be available every day to show and share their birding skills and tell you more about the many other birds that migrate through Santa Cruz County.
Join a bird walk or bring your favorite camp chair and sit, watch and listen as Hawk Watch veterans identify the Common Black Hawks (and other bird species) as they journey up the Santa Cruz Valley.
Special activities will be available each day throughout this time. HawkWatch International and Tucson Bird Alliance Booths will be open during this time. Special days will be dedicated to different activities as noted below, the area is home to some of the rarest bird species in the world. Join our expert guides and experience the thrill of spotting these elusive birds.
A change in venue for the Tubac Hawk Watch Kid's Day
Tomorrow, March 13 is our Kid’s Day for the Tubac Hawk Watch. Unfortunately, the winds look like they will be too strong to do most of our activities outside, but never fear. All activities from 9a-12:30p will be held at the Tubac Community Center which is just a little over ½ mile from the Ron Morriss County Park. The Nature Scavenger Hunt will still take place at the park at 8:00am. Look for the Tubac Nature Center tent and meet there for the walk. All other planned activities will be at the Community Center. It should be much easier to do everything we have planned.
So don’t let the weather stop you from coming. It’s going to be lots of fun.
Tubac Community Center: 50 Bridge Rd, Tubac. It will be held in the Long Room.
PS: If you are unable to come tomorrow, we will have our Reading with Raptors story time on Saturday, March 15 at 3:00p. This will also be held at the Tubac Community Center. See a live owl up close.
This is Thursday of school Spring Break and what a great place to bring the children. We’ll have lots of exciting activities. All events are at Ron Morriss County Park in Tubac and are created for a great family experience. All free!
You are invited to enjoy all activities from 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM or come for just part of the time. We ask that all children are accompanied by an adult. It will be best to wear closed-toed shoes, (like tennis shoes) if participating in the nature walk. We will be outside at all times so bring a hat, water, snacks, and excitement.
If your family is unable to come for this event, look at information on Saturday, March 15 at 3:00 PM. We will have a special “Reading with Raptors” presentation at the Tubac Community Center.
Kid’s will be given a “passport” to get stamped at the different activities they participate in. This is also the time you can register for one of two Owl Pellet Dissection classes. Registration will take place all morning if you are unable to attend our Nature Walk.
We’ll walk right from the park along the Anza Trail looking for items on our nature scavenger list. This is a great way to get your children’s eyes open to the amazing world along the trail. We’ll end up back at the park in time for the rest of the day’s activities.
Your children will be able to try their hand at many activities from learning how to use binoculars for birdwatching, learning local bird ID, working on their own hawk journals, creating a nature button they will get to take home, and playing the Migration Game. In addition to these booths which are sponsored by the Tubac Nature Center we will have booths set up from Tucson Bird Alliance, Tumacacori National Historical Park and Tubac Dark Sky. All promise to be full of learning and fun activities.
We will have actual owl pellets that kids will be able to dig into which shows what owls have eaten. Very hands on. This booth is provided by HawkWatch International and Tucson Bird Alliance. Space is limited to only 18 kids so sign up at registration if your child is interested.
Pancho is the mascot from Tumacacori National Historical Park. He makes a great photo op. You can’t miss him. He’s big, red and has very, very large binoculars.
This is the second class for those interested. Make sure to sign up at registration as space is limited to 18 participants.
Peregrine Falcon Mini Program: 30-minute program followed by photo op/meet and greet. Kids and their adults will meet Goose the Peregrine Falcon and learn what makes a bird a raptor, why raptors migrate, and how humans can help keep raptors safe.
Please note, no dogs will be allowed in the area for the raptor presentation.
Note: No dogs will be allowed in the area for the Live Raptor presentations
Peregrine Falcon Mini Program: 30-minute program followed by photo op/meet and greet.
Location: Ron Morriss County Park, 31 Calle Iglesia, Tubac, AZ
This is part of our Kid’s Day program at the Tubac Hawk Watch.
Kids and their adults will meet Goose the Peregrine Falcon and learn what makes a bird a raptor, why raptors migrate, and how humans can help keep raptors safe.
Hawk Meet and Greet
Location: Ron Morriss County Park, 31 Calle Iglesia, Tubac, AZ
Get the chance to observe a live bird of prey up close; explore raptor talons, feathers, and skulls; and grab a photo. The hawk and his handlers will be available to meet the public and answer questions open house style.
Peregrine Falcon Meet and Greet
Location: Ron Morriss County Park, 31 Calle Iglesia, Tubac, AZ
Meet Goose the Peregrine Falcon, a Raptor Ambassador, for HawkWatch International. Get the chance to observe a live bird of prey up close; explore raptor talons, feathers, and skulls; and grab a photo. Goose and her handlers will be available to meet the public and answer questions open house style.
Special Family Presentation, “Reading with Raptors”.
Location: Tubac Community Center, 50 Bridge Road, Tubac, AZ – held in the Long Room
This is a story time with an owl related book followed by a live owl appearance. We then discuss which parts of the story are make-believe and which parts reflect reality.
Hawk Meet and Greet
Location: Ron Morriss County Park, 31 Calle Iglesia, Tubac, AZ
Get the chance to observe a live bird of prey up close; explore raptor talons, feathers, and skulls; and grab a photo. The hawk and his handlers will be available to meet the public and answer questions open house style.
Joining the Tubac Nature Center will be nonprofit organizations from the area who have dedicated their group to preserve and conserve the natural habitat of the Santa Cruz River Valley. Stop by each of their tents to pick up information and discuss their plans and projects for sustaining the natural spaces. Their booths will be open from 9 – 12. Hawk watching will go on all day, of course.
Led by event presenter KOWA Optics, we will have Optic Representatives from KOWA, Zeiss, Vortex, Hawke and Swarovski on hand from 9 – 2 from the 15th to the 18th to share with you the latest in binoculars and scopes. You can try the latest and greatest binoculars and the Reps will show you how to use the spotting scopes.
Bird Walks and Nature Walks led by Tucson Bird Alliance and the Tubac Nature Center are scheduled. There are also lectures and guest speakers presenting on the 14th, 15th, and 16th. See the speaker series section below.
1:00 PM Tubac Community Center, Long Room
Luke Safford, Director of Engagement, Tucson Birding Alliance
Luke will share “Tips on Identifying Birds”
This presentation is perfect for the beginning birder and a “brush up” for more experienced birders. This presentation is free to the public.
11:00 AM Ron Morriss Park, near the tents
Peter Collins, Father of The Tubac Black Hawk Watch
Peter will share “Everything you wanted to know about the Common Black Hawk but were afraid to ask!”
1:00 PM Tubac Community Center, Long Room
Dave Oleyar PhD, Director of Long-term Monitoring & Community Science, Hawk Watch International
Why we watch hawks, and how we use count data to assess population trends
Dave will discuss bird migrations throughout the planet, their numbers, their patterns, their adaptations and many other fascinating topics in his very timely topic. This presentation is free to the public.
Link to Dave's Bio: https://hawkwatch.org/team/staff/dave-oleyar/
We will have our official, limited edition 2025 Hawk Watch T-shirts and Caps available for purchase at the TNC Booth at the Festival of the Arts as well as at the Tubac Nature Center booth at Ron Morriss Park during the full month of March.
The T-shirts are $30.00 each and come in small, medium, large, x-large and xx-large. Quantities are limited.
Our new Hawk Watch Caps are $25.00 each. We have a limited number available as this is the first season we have offered official Hawk Watch caps.
STONEWASH GREEN
STONEWASH BLUE
KHAKI WITH BLACK LETTERS
BLACK WITH KHAKI LETTERS
The Tubac Hawk Watch is now an official hawk watch spot on the HawkWatch International map. In partnering with us, they are sending 2 hawk counters to count hawks from February 15 through April 30.