The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is one of the most-visited museums in Arizona. Focusing on the natural history and evolution of animals and plant life of the Sonora Desert, it features a zoo, botanical garden, art gallery, and natural habitats on 98 acres. This is our second visit...the first was in November, 2014.
We arrived around 1:30 pm and made our way to the Raptor Free Flight program scheduled for 2 pm (there is also one at 10 am each day). This is a large place and you will need the map to find your way to all of the exhibits/programs.
The Raptor Free Flight program is located in the southern portion of the museum on the Desert Loop Trail. Along the way we passed this red fox taking an afternoon nap in his habitat; and, these eastern collared lizards enjoying some afternoon delight.
The trail provides lovely views of the Sonora Desert.
Visitors line up in a designated area to see the raptor show. It is narrated by a woman who is very knowledgeable about the birds of prey that are seen.
None of the birds are tethered, but trainers place food and treats in trees in the area to attract them. The first raptor was a peregrine falcon. This amazing bird can fly 240 mph and can capture prey in flight. Wow!
This barn owl was a real showman!
Harris hawks, unlike most birds of prey, hunt together. The alpha bird is the one at the top in the 3rd photo. All birds in the group defer to her. When there is a kill, she gets the first bite.
At the Streamside Habitat we saw many frogs like the one below; and, a roadrunner, too!
This western diamond-backed rattlesnake was putting on a show for us.
We made a quick stop at the Packrat Playhouse. It was so hot on the day we visited, that this was a nice respite. It is basically an inside playground and we grabbed a cold drink.
The cactus garden was awesome! I have come to love the plant life of the Sonoran desert (even though I am a Pennsylvania girl that loves the lush forests there, too!)
Along the Riparian Corridor are the river otters. After an absence of about 100 years, the river otter has been successfully reintroduced to Arizona.
Don’t miss the Hummingbird Aviary. There were so many of them (although I did not get good photos…)
The butterfly garden is nearby.
The Warden Aquarium has garden eels (grow to be 16”), seahorses, sea snakes, pufferfish and more.
In the Mountain Woodland area we saw mule deer, Mexican gray wolves, and a mountain lion.
The views of the desert are gorgeous here.
There are many, many more exhibits, shops, etc., to explore here. Be sure to allow yourself 3+ hours for a visit. After some souvenir shopping, we headed home for dinner with our friends. This was the first visit for Liz and Mike to the museum.
We highly recommend a visit to this unique place! Admission is $21.95/seniors and $24.95/adults. I think it’s pretty pricey, but, honestly, this place is worth it. For additional information about the museum, go to
www.desertmuseum.org.
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