Birding/Nature: Hawk Watch in Tubac -- Saturday (03/14/2026)
Cost: $10
Tubac Hawk Watch began in 2012 when a discovery was made that Common Black Hawks migrate over Tubac on their way to their breeding grounds. The birds often stop to roost in the cottonwood trees along the Santa Cruz River. The Common Black Hawk is a special bird in the United States, with about 500 of them soaring above during the month and this is the only known location to see this phenomenon.
Be sure to wear comfortable clothes, shoes and a hat, and bring a chair, your camera, binoculars, sunscreen, water and your love of the outdoors. Stick around to watch bird migration and learn why Tubac’s own riparian corridor is a highway for hawks and other migrating birds. A small notebook and pen or pencil would be useful to record your sightings.
From the Tubac Bridge, we'll walk a section of the Anza Trail along the Santa Cruz River, ending at Ron Morriss Park where we will watch the hawk migration. You'll be joined in the park by official hawkwatch spotters from HawkWatch International to point out hawks, world-renowned optic companies displaying their wares for use or purchase, and volunteer staff from the Tubac Nature Center and other non-profit groups available for help and expertise.
Bring a lunch or join us for a no-host lunch in one of the many fine restaurants in Tubac.
We’ll meet at the Photography Club at 7:30 AM for carpooling, departure at 8:00 AM. Please wear your GVR Photography Club or Camera Club badge if you have one. For those carpooling, $5.00 is an appropriate contribution to the driver.
Darrell Rude will be our trip leader. Contact Darrell at 907-227-4244 or akphoto@ak.net with any questions. He will be disseminating more information to registered participants via e-mail as we get closer to the event.
GVR requires that every person participating in Photography Club Field Trips must sign a one-time waiver prior to departure absolving GVR of any liability. You may sign the waiver at the Photography Club or the morning of the trip, if you haven't completed one already.
If you need to cancel, please contact the Field Trip Co-Chair Lynn Rozema at 719-351-5193 or email lrozema51@gmail.com. We may have people on the wait list to take your place. On the morning of the trip, please call Darrell and Lynn as soon as you know you cannot make the trip.
Last day to cancel for a refund is March 10, 2026.
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.
Be sure to have your GVR card with you for each and every field trip. Without it, you won't be allowed to go on the trip. No refunds will be granted for failure to comply with this requirement. To protect GVR and club member benefits, GVR has implemented a new process that requires each field trip participant to come into the club and scan his/her GVR card to confirm eligibility. We no longer have the option of typing in your name or GVR number – only the physical GVR card will do.
We will no longer meet in the parking lot. We will meet in the GVR Photography Club where you will scan your GVR card confirming your eligibility to go on the trip. We’ll also review important/late-breaking information, pair up drivers and riders, provide driving directions, and give participants a chance to visit the restrooms prior to departure. Again, be sure to have your GVR card with you.
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.