The PATON CENTER for Hummingbirds and the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve Day Trip
https://tucsonaudubon.org/go-birding/tucson-audubons-paton-center-for-hummingbirds/
https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/patagonia-sonoita-creek-preserve/
PLEASE be aware that there is NO fee at The Paton Center but there is a fee at the Preserve which is at the end of the road from The Paton Center.
The Paton Center for Hummingbirds is a place to explore and experience the special birds of southeast Arizona. It is dedicated to the celebration and conservation of hummingbirds—and all of southeast Arizona’s astounding biodiversity—through recreation, education, and sustainable living. 213 bird species have been reported for this cozy home lot on the outskirts of Patagonia, including Violet-crowned Hummingbirds, Gray Hawks, Varied Buntings, Thick-billed Kingbirds, and many more local specialties.
In a verdant floodplain valley between the Patagonia and Santa Rita Mountains of southeastern Arizona, within the watershed of Sonoita Creek, lies some of the richest of the remaining riparian (streamside) habitat in the region. One of a few remaining permanent streams, it provides for a wide array of diverse species from endangered fishes to butterflies and birds.
This site contains the first two miles of permanent flow of Sonoita Creek and the floodplains adjacent to the stream. The site contains very high biodiversity values that are primarily focused on the riparian habitats along Sonoita Creek.
As the first project for The Nature Conservancy in Arizona, it contains much of the biological diversity associated with these habitat types. The watershed is mostly undeveloped, and the natural processes of flooding are mostly intact and functioning.
The 873-acre preserve protects a magnificent example of the rare Fremont cottonwood-Goodding willow riparian forest. Some of the trees are among the largest (more than 100 feet tall) and oldest (130 years old) Fremont cottonwood trees in this country. This is one of the few remaining sites in Arizona where this once-common forest type still persists. Arizona black walnut, velvet mesquite, velvet ash, netleaf hackberry, and various willows are found in slightly different habitats throughout the preserve.
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• If you would like to meet us at the Paton Center we should arrive by 9:00. It's about an hour and 1/2 drive from Tucson, maybe less.
• If you would like to carpool we will meet at a couple of different locations. STAY TUNED!
** If you would like to volunteer to drive please post in the comments so we have an idea of the number of us driving.
YOU can bring a sack lunch OR maybe we can stop at a restaurant on the way back to the city! There's a few choices!!
Where we will meet to carpool: MAYBE: The AT HOME store on East Broadway directly across from the Williams Center west of Craycroft Rd. Northwest birders? We'll have to decide closer to the event.
