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Southwest Wings

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Southwest Wings - continued

Brodkin Blue Butterfly Tom Whetten Photography

Tom Whetten, Information and Education Program Manager for Arizona Game and Fish Department, and photographer, will be conducting a photo workshop and field trip to Portal in the Chiricuhuas.

More local talent includes Bill Rahdke, manager of the San Bernadino Wildlife Refuge, Bill McDonald, Executive Director for the Malpai Borderlands Group, and Marlene Windels, a Southwest Wings Director and teacher of the ever-popular Beginning Birding Workshop.

According to Windels, enthusiastic birders come from all over the world to observe birds in the United States, where, in comparison with the countries of Europe, wildlands abound. And tourist bureaus are becoming aware that bird watchers, who tend to be highly respectful of the environment in general, often have money to share with local economies.

A logical place to bring such interest, respect, and money is Southeastern Arizona. The region, according to Tom Wood, is home to almost 500 species of birds and 250 species of butterflies. And naturalist Mark Pretti counts 80 species of mammals and 50 species of reptiles and amphibians. The San Pedro River, shared with Mexico, is a Globally Important Bird Area (GIBA), and a wildlife corridor for half the bird species that pass through the United States, says Windels.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird Tom Whetten Photography

Civilization is closing in on the San Pedro, but many people in the USA and Mexico recognize its importance and fight for its life.

And there's more to experience in Bisbee itself, including a Central School art exhibit. Thursday night has been reserved for those who would like to discover the excellence of local arts and crafts: merchants will keep their stores open late for festival participants.

Friday night will be the vendor open house and silent auction. Also that night, young winners of this year's essay contest on desert grasslands will be honored and presented with binoculars and autographed Kaufman field guides. The contest, funded by previous years' auction proceeds, is a way for today's naturalists to encourage those of the future.

Harris Hawk Tom Whetten Photography

Whew. I don't know about you, but I'm a bit overwhelmed. I can't even write about it all, let alone attend everything I wish to learn about. Of course, I have an advantage over many of the participants: I'm already in Bisbee. Any morning I get myself up I can walk Tombstone Canyon to watch the vultures awakening in the cottonwood trees or any evening I can watch the drama of their roost. Also on Tombstone Canyon I'm treated to the sight of woodpecker pairs busy around their holes in old telephone poles and the beady eyes and peculiar call of the curved bill thrasher. My home couldn't be more downtown and yet I have seen a woodpecker up close and observed the antics of crazy little birds (we have a lot of those too), fighting and feeding the side view mirrors and bumpers of parked cars.

This is monsoon time in Bisbee. In many people's opinion, this is the best season to be in our area. Festival participants may want to choose accommodations with a good view of this dramatic natural event, which soaks Bisbee with a unique scent and encourages lush growth. Along with our numerous bird visitors expect an explosion of the insect population. Quiet contemplation of the August monsoon just might be the best event of all.

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Southwest Wings Birding Festival takes place in Bisbee August 6 through August 10. For more information, chek out their site: www.swwings.org. — ed.