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.