Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival 2026

Important Bird Areas

Melissa Fratello lived much of her life unaware of the joys of the living world, hanging out in shopping malls and other atrocious places she now considers hell on earth. Her son became enamored with birds as a child, and transformed her entire perspective on the world and how we interact with it. Her mission is to share the natural world with others while encouraging them to protect it, and to convince birders that birds need us to prioritize saving them over watching them. She is the Executive Director of the Tucson Bird Alliance, co-founder and co-leader of Feminist Bird Club Tucson Chapter, co-author of Birds of Arizona and New Mexico: A Timber Press Field Guide, and a proud slow birder.

Steven Prager is a field biologist, science communicator, conservation advocate, and lifelong Arizonan. You’ll rarely catch him without his binoculars, but the avian world is just a small part of what keeps this naturalist busy. He’s always happy to go birding, but he’s likely to miss that passing rarity as he struggles to not let his thoughts and eyes wander to the snakes, lizards, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates (especially ants) that also call the Southwest home. He thinks that birds are best appreciated as just one part of the habitats they occupy, and he believes that the ethical enjoyment of birds and their habitats requires a commitment to their protection.  He is co-author of Birds of Arizona and New Mexico: A Timber Press Field Guide

Info, Hints, & Tips

We hope to see you at Dead Horse Ranch State Park for the 2026 Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival!

When: April 23-26, 2026
Where: Dead Horse Ranch State Park, plus guided birding tours across the Verde Watershed

Look for more details on our "Details and Tips" page

Act fast! Many of our trips sell out before public registration opens. If you haven’t already, donate $60 or more to Friends of the Verde River to get on the early bird email list. This grants you exclusive access to registration before it opens to the general public. 

Click the button below to make a donation and ensure you are on Friends’ email list to receive updates about the 2026 Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival, taking place April 23-26, 2026! When you donate $60 or more, you qualify for Early Bird Registration. Be the first to select your field trips and workshops and ensure yourself a perfect festival schedule!

Early Bird Registration will take place January 29, 30 and 31, 2026. To qualify for Early Bird Registration, each registrant needs to have made a $60 donation to Friends of the Verde River before January 29, 2026.