Kino Springs

Tips for Birding

On the northern edge of Nogales is the Kino Springs Golf Course. Its large spring-fed ponds were once surrounded by large cottonwoods and willows, but drought killed most of them. The area is undergoing restoration, but it will be many years before the habitat returns to what it once was. The ponds still attract many water-loving birds, including Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. In summer, watch along the entrance road for Varied Buntings, Gray Hawks, and Black Vultures, but please stop your car off the roadway to avoid an inconvenient or dangerous situation for other drivers. Visitor parking is permitted in the parking lot in front of the club house/pro shop; please step inside to ask for permission to bird around the big ponds across the driveway. Watch for Tropical Kingbirds and Bronzed Cowbirds around the clubhouse in summer.

About this Location

The adjacent Kino Springs Golf Course closed in 2021.

About Santa Cruz River

See all hotspots at Santa Cruz River

The Santa Cruz River is about 184 miles long. It begins in the high grasslands of the San Rafael Valley east of Patagonia. At first, it runs south into Sonora Mexico for several miles before it changes its mind and heads north back into Arizona where it passes the early Spanish missions of Tumacacori and San Xavier del Bac, and the old Spanish Presidio de Tucson about 70 miles north of the International Border.

Content from Santa Cruz River Official Website, Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory, and Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory webpage