SE Arizona Part III

The sun going down did not mean my day was over. I drove to Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita mountains in the dark, expecting to have an easy drive. Google maps decided it wanted me to take the dirt road option. The road was pretty easy to drive, but it's way more stressful at night than it is during the day. I couldn't see how far down the drops were, and all I could hope for was that a deer didn't run into the road.

The Santa Ritas in the sunset

But I was in the Santa Rita Mountains, quite possibly the most unique mountain range in the United States. There was a wild feeling to it, and I was feeling electric. This was one of the first known haunts of El Jefe, one of the only jaguars to have a home range in the United States, although his whereabouts are unknown to the public. The topic of jaguars in the United States is the most fascinating thing for me, and it's what initially drew me to wanting to visit this area. Another jaguar has been photographed in the Chiricahuas as recently as February, and I suspect it won't be long before they start breeding in the United States, if they haven't already (that's a conspiracy theory for another day). 

Western Tanager

While I did not see a jaguar that night, I did see tons of Lesser Nighthawks and Common Poorwills on the road. The Santa Ritas have mountain lions and bears in addition to jaguars and maybe Ocelots, but they also have spectacular night birding. I stopped at various places to listen, and even got out of my car at a picnic area but something felt off. The sky was illuminated by some of the best stars I've ever seen, but the area seemed pitch black. I really wanted Whiskered Screech-owl, and as I walked stood in the picnic area it felt like something was watching me. I turned on my headlamp to see two eyes, but it was only a Gray Fox. Still, it was spooky enough to send me to the car.

The best phone picture I could hope for

After checking in I went to the Mount Wrightson Picnic Area to try for other night birds with the intention of walking around. The first animal I saw as I drove up there was a White-nosed Coatimundi. Coatis can be found throughout southern Arizona and resemble a weird looking raccoon. Awesome animals. As I neared the parking lot I was stopped in my tracks by a sow Black Bear and two little cubs in the road. Slack jawed, I watched the family mosey up the road before disappearing in the woods. In that moment I decided not to get out of my car. Mexican Whip-poor-wills were calling and peacefully putting me to sleep. After an hour I had to go back and pass out, I had a big day coming up.

Bridled Titmouse

Today was the big day for Elegant Trogon. Charlie Tran, a friend of the blog since the A&M days joined me up the Carrie Nation Trail. First of all, what a hike. You'll gain elevation, but it's not bad at all. Bridled Titmice greeted us on the trail, which was relieving since I did not want to miss that. Painted Redstart and Red-faced Warbler were common, and we had a pair of Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers. 

Varied Bunting

We also heard 3 Elegant Trogons. Their barking call is distinct and we hiked off trail to try to see it, narrowly missing it. We were within feet of it and it undoubtedly saw us. I was crushed to miss it, but the hike and the company more than made up for the miss. I suspect that maybe getting on the trail before sunrise would have netted us the bird. The drought has also been really hard on Madera Canyon, which I think impacted our chances. Hopefully the monsoon season hits the Santa Ritas hard. 

Blue Grosbeak

The afternoon was pretty hot so I knew birding would slow down big time. I looked for Five-striped Sparrow along the road I drove in on without luck. In a perfect world I would have had another morning to stake this out, but it was hot and I am not a big stakeout person. My final place of interest was a corral a wash in lower Florida Canyon. The water tank is an oasis of birds, and there was a smattering of color. Varied Bunting, Western Tanager, Summer Tanager, and Blue Grosbeak were everywhere. I also vanquished a nemesis bird, Hooded Oriole! That felt great to get off my shoulders

Hooded Oriole

.On my final day I went to Saguaro National Park. With just a few hours to kill I didn't have time to go back to Madera Canyon, and I also wanted to tick Saguaro off of my national park list. I did a loop involving Mica View, and found it very pleasant. The park was established to protect the Saguaro "forest", and I could see why. The desert gets way too much hate, and the park was really pretty. The birding wasn't bad either. I cleaned up on some highly desired targets like Rufous-winged Sparrow and Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. A Lesser Nighthawk flew past me on the drive in broad daylight. Unsurprisingly it got sweltering after the sun went up, but it wasn't bad at all in the morning. Mica View was great for walking and birding, and Saguaro overall is a great urban national park. 

Saguaro forest

Rufous-winged Sparrow

Leaving Arizona was depressing because I had such a fantastic time. I wanted to sample the area and I found a lot of places that I like, and hopefully I will be back very soon. When I do I want to try the Chiricahuas or the Peloncillos in New Mexico. My high expectations were exceeded, and I can't wait to take some non-birders here next!

Pyrrhuloxia

SE Arizona Part II

 How do you follow up the best birding day you've ever had? Of course, you try to follow it up with an even better day which is quite hard to do, but Miller Canyon gave me a chance to beat the prior day. Miller Canyon is also in the Huachucas and is closer to Mexico than Ramsey Canyon. It is also a very reliable spot for the Mexican subspecies of Spotted Owl, which is a prime candidate for a split in the future. In addition, Beatty's Guest Ranch is the only place in the country where you can find White-eared Hummingbird.

Black-throated Gray Warbler

I'll say it right off the bat: this morning was pretty disappointing. It was hotter than I thought because I was at a lower elevation, I was tired from the previous day, and I was SORE. It hurt to put a backpack on and look up with my sore neck, and my legs ached. I was also stressed about my afternoon plans, more on that in a bit. I was moving pretty slow. Still, there were awesome birds. My first lifer was a Black-throated Gray Warbler, which exceeded expectations. It was extremely cooperative. But after about 10 minutes on the trails things got eerily quiet. A predator was around. I quickly saw it and scared it. It was a Northern Goshawk! This was the only place I could expect to find one, so to get one in the first 30 minutes was really motivating. I saw it first in the forest and then it flew overhead. As is soared the woods came back to life.

Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers move fast, I'm just glad I got this picture

The Miller Canyon Trail is a beating, and I wasn't on it for long. It goes along a creek and like many other birders I'm sure I missed a quetzal or another insane bird by chickening out once things got hard, but I had a lot to try to accomplish today. Elegant Trogon had moved up to #1 ABA lifer after I got Red-faced Warbler, and Buff-breasted Flycatcher was my #2. This was one of the few places I could expect the latter in the United States, and this was my primary target.

Comforting

I could have sworn that I saw one! I was 99% sure, and after 30 minutes of watching I couldn't get a definite look at it as it was flying back and forth between tall trees. I desperately wanted to count it, but I didn't feel right doing it since I didn't confirm it. I was in this situation in the past with my lifer Painted Redstart in Big Bend in 2017 and once I saw it again later that year I felt way more comfortable ticking it. I had to find a way to confidently see it. 

Male Broad-billed Hummingbird

But I continued on to the spot where Spotted Owl is reliable, but no one had seen it that day. I knew my chances were slim since I am an awful owler, but I did great looks at Red-faced Warbler and Hepatic and Western Tanager. This is where things got stressful, I knew a place for automatic Buff-breasted Flycatcher but it was supposedly a very tough drive, but I also wanted to get to Patagonia to look for desert birds. Would I have enough time and was it worth it? I decided to gamble it.

I got out of the canyon rather quickly going downhill, and was greeted by a pair of cooperative Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers. A birder on the way up encouraged me to try the drive up Carr Canyon, so I decided that was what I was going to do after looking at the hummingbird feeders at Beatty's.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

I arrived at the feeder station on the way to my car and watched an aerial show of squeaking hummingbirds. Broad-billed, Rivoli's, Anna's, and Broad-taileds were dazzling in the air. I used to think hummingbirds were overrated until I saw this spectacle. I thought I had photographed a White-eared, but when I got to the car it was not one. That was probably the lowest point of the trip. Dipping on Spotted Owl and White-eared Hummingbird sucked, but I was out of time. I had to leave if I was to get to Carr Canyon and Paton's.

The female Broad-billed that bamboozled me

The low point did not last very long, and in fact everything started looking up. The drive to Carr Canyon has been said by some people to be the scariest birding drive they've ever done, and that it is a white-knuckler. The 7 mile road is unpaved, extremely steep, full of narrow one lane switchbacks, and there were no guardrails. I was terrified at the thought of it, but I had to do it. When I solo travel I really try to go out of my comfort zone both physically and mentally, whether it's going out in -40 weather in Minnesota, Sourdough Mountain in the Cascades (that was both physically and mentally brutal), or driving up a really scary road. Besides, if I want to bird in foreign countries I will have to learn to deal with tough roads.

Lil bit of a squeeze

While I usually had plenty of room, that's a steep drop

While a challenge, the drive was not that bad on the way up. I had only a few moments or nerves, and overall it was worth it. Carr Canyon's Reef Townsite Campground is a fantastic place to get high elevation birds without the crippling hike. I got to ditch my backpack, which made things so much easier. The weather was cool and made for an easy, scenic walk. I got to get very close to Grace's and Black-throated Gray Warbler, the former of which I only previously got a glimpse of in Ramsey Canyon before a runner scared it off. I sat down on a pine tree and soaked in amazing views of each, and then my Buff-breasted Flycatcher flew in to view. Elated is an understatement, and I could confirm that what I saw in Miller Canyon was also a buff breast. But now I could rest easy knowing what I saw. I stuck around for a little while longer and got Yellow-eyed Junco. My most important takeaway from this: I need to camp at Reef Townsite next time. The campground is beautiful and I think this place is poppin with birds in the morning. 

Yellow-eyed Junco

Grace's Warbler

With little daylight left there wasn't a ton of time to spend at Paton's, which was fine considering I already had Violet-crowned Hummingbird. Still, this was a good sight for desert birds that I didn't have a chance to go after yet. It also was a great spot for Thick-billed Kingbird.

Phainopepla

Black-chinned Hummingbird

The yard is just that and not very big, but there is a garden and it packs quite a punch, even at the end of day. Lifer Abert's Towhee and Violet-crowned Hummingbird stole the show, but I also finally got my lifer Brown-crested Flycatcher and Lucy's Warbler. The feeders around the ponds were especially productive, and even a Zone-tailed Hawk flew over! Although it was too late to get Thick-billed Kingbird, Cassin's was there.

Gambel's Quail

Despite being exhausted it was time to drive to Madera Canyon!

Abert's Towhee

SE Arizona Part 1

Southeast Arizona had been hyped up to me as the best birding location in the United States, and it's easy to see why. The Sky Islands in the mountains southeast of Tucson host a variety of unique species of animals that can be found nowhere else in the United States, and offer amazing hiking opportunities. This was my dream birding trip, and the various mountain ranges gave me a chance to see my most sought after ABA birds like Elegant Trogon and Red-faced Warbler.

Acorn Woodpecker

I flew out the Friday before Memorial Day to take advantage of an extra day off, as well as cooler weather. I was wrong about the last part, after talking with people from the area they told me that time of year is actually hotter, while it cools off later in the summer. But being in the mountains I didn't notice, and the weather was very pleasant.

I wanted to prioritize the location I was most hyped about, Ramsey Canyon. Located less 10 miles from the Mexican border, this is a magnet for birds that just barely extend their range into the US. The canyon is great to bird because you can work your way up to higher elevations, giving you an opportunity to see more birds that specialize at different elevations. I stayed right below the canyon entrance at the Ramsey Canyon Inn, a renowned B&B with great feeders.

Rivoli's Hummingbird. One of the only lifers I've seen before putting my glasses on

I woke up before breakfast to the sound of birds I was unfamiliar with. My room overlooked the garden, and I was taken aback at all of the hummingbird activity. World class birds were right outside my window! I sat in the garden for about 20 minutes before eating, and picked some amazing lifers. I couldn't pick a favorite. My hummingbird knowledge isn't that extensive since I usually only get to see Black-chinned and Ruby-throated, so these feeders blew my mind. Of course the massive Rivoli's Hummingbird had me slack-jawed, I was blown away by the Broad-billed Hummingbirds. The surprise of the day was the bird of the session, a Violet-crowned Hummingbird. They are very rare in the United States, with the only reliable place being Paton's in Patagonia. This was also one of my top 5 ABA birds. It was an omen for the day.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird

After breakfast I began my hike up Ramsey Canyon. The trail is about 9 miles round trip from the parking and is pretty strenuous, but I've learned that strenuous means good birds. There is no easy bird, you either have to hike, drive, or deal with some level of discomfort (looking at you, Great Gray Owl) to get. From the get go I was seeing lifers like Hutton's and Plumbeous Vireo, and I was immediately in awe at the scenery around me. The clear blue sky, oak trees shading the trail, and calls of different birds really sweeps you away. Along the creek I had beautiful Painted Redstarts, a good motivator before I began my ascent. 

Painted Redstart

For the most part the hike is very pleasant outside of a few stretches, and the beginning ascent got to me, although Arizona Woodpeckers offered the perfect justification for a respite. I reached an overlook to stop for soaring White-throated Swifts, a bird I rarely get to see, and to soak in the views of the Huachuca Mountains. A loud and intense squeak shocked me, it was a pair of Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers! These are another one of my most sought after ABA birds.

Arizona Woodpecker

Activity picked up big time as I the trail followed the creek. Cordilleran Flycatchers were everywhere, and as I gained more elevation the birds I came for started appearing. I am not good with calls, but I knew warblers were above me. My #1 target bird, Red-faced Warbler, was the first one I saw. WOW, it looks so much better in person than field guides, and that should tell you something. Some lifers are better seen in their habitat, and this was the perfect example. The canyon walls, pine and oak trees, and smells of the forest was the best backdrop you could ask for. 

Red-faced Warbler

Within a few minutes I also had Grace's Warbler, another highly sought after target, as well as the facemelting Western Tanager. The creek was extremely productive and it was probably the best 15 minutes of birding of my birding career so far. It also was the perfect motivator for the most challenging part of the hike. The trail is pretty flat for most of the hike, but the end is insanely difficult. You're pretty much going uphill at all times, and as a result it's very hard to bird, although I did hear a lifer Mexican Whip-poor-will calling during the day. Getting to the top was worth it with the views of the valley and the desert, but it was a killer. 

On my way down I stopped multiple times to admire Red-faced Warblers, which are way easier to see on the way down since you look at them from above as they perch down the slope. I got killer warbler neck after this first day, but it was worth it. My traps looked shredded and I got my #1 ABA bird.  I was also more aware of my surroundings, so I got to see some birds I would have missed, like Hermit Thrush. But the star of my trip down was a pair of Yellow-eyed Juncos, another range restricted bird in the US that you can only find at high elevations. It was an incredible last lifer in the canyon, and the hike out was very enjoyable as I got to focus way more on the scenery around me. It's the best birding in the lower 48 (only behind Kenai Fjords and Denali, which nothing can compete with). On one trail I had Rivoli's Hummingbird, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Red-faced Warbler, and Yellow-eyed Junco. It doesn't get better than that in the United States.

I ended the day by going to San Pedro RCNA to poke around, getting one more lifer in Gila Woodpecker. It was dead at the end of the day but still nice to be out. My final minutes of birding involved listening for owls in front of the inn, which paid off with an Elf Owl! I went to bed as early as I could after birding over 10 miles, ready to get after it the next day.