At the end of the twentieth century roughly 265 million people visited the 374 sites in the American National Park System. These places, designated and protected because of their significance to our nation's historical and natural heritage, contain some of the most beautiful landscapes in the United States—landscapes that naturally lend themselves to outdoor recreation.

In this book, veteran parks interpreter Ro Wauer introduces the pleasures of birding in the national parks of the American Southwest. From California to Texas, from hugely popular destinations such as Arizona's Grand Canyon to the mostly undiscovered shores of Amistad National Recreation Area, Wauer visits seventeen sites and gives us his advice on what birds to expect to see and where and how to find them.

Written by a birder for birders, this book introduces readers to some of the best birding north of the Mexican border, as well as some of the most impressive scenery anywhere. Wauer takes readers on a personal tour, pointing out where to go to see a vast array of each park's bird life: Le Conte's Thrashers in Death Valley, Clark's and Western Grebes at Lake Mead, Phainopeplas at Organ Pipe Cactus, Lucy's Warblers at Saguaro, Peregrine Falcons in Grand Canyon, Cave Swallows at Carlsbad Caverns, Magnificent Hummingbirds at Guadalupe Mountains, and Colima Warblers in Big Bend.

Birding the Southwestern National Parks is written for anyone visiting, planning to visit, or dreaming of visiting the Southwestern national parks.

The Southwestern Parks:
Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada
Joshua Tree National Park, California
Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada and Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Sunset Crater Volcano, Wupatki, and Walnut Canyon National Monuments, Arizona
Montezuma Castle National Monument, Arizona
Tonto National Monument, Arizona
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona
Saguaro National Park, Arizona
Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona
Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks, New Mexico and Texas
White Sands National Monument, New Mexico
Big Bend National Park, Texas
Amistad National Recreation Area, Texas

Roland H. Wauer, a retired National Park Service employee, continues his work in the field as a naturalist, scientist, and resource specialist. He is the author of Birder's Mexico and Heralds of Spring in Texas.