ARIZONA 2003

Updated Thursday, July 24th!
From July 15th- 23rd, I'm in beautiful (but hot) southeastern Arizona, one of the most exciting birding destinations on the planet. For a good idea of the roads I've driven on this trip,click here. I flew into Phoenix on July 15th at about 10:30 a.m. local time, drove to Tucson in my rented Ford Ranger truck, and have been birding up a storm since. I've also been trying out my new digital video camera, trying to record some of the wildlife here for posterity. There's a steep learning curve with this technology, but so far, I'm pleased with the results. Stills from this video will be posted below. Stay tuned- I'll try to add something new every day!.
Tuesday, July 15th- Wednesday, July 16th
My first stop on the way to my hotel is a beautiful marsh north of Tucson called Sweetwater Wetlands. I'm here to find a long-lingering Least Grebe, a rare bird limited mostly to southern Texas in the U.S., and one which I've never seen. Arizona birders have steered me right; I find the bird almost immediately, and manage to videotape it. It's pretter than I expected, and quite small, dwarfed by an American Coot that swims by in my video. The still below is grainy, but clear enough to i.d. the bird- I'll get better at this as I go!

I also get the shot below of a preening Common Moorhen, my first really good shot with the new gear.

I check into my hotel in Green Valley, south of Tucson, my rendezvous point to join an evening field trip sponsored by the Tucson Audubon Society. Our destination is California Gulch, a remote canyon very near the Mexican border. The picture below is of the area where we waited to find the rare Buff-collared Nightjar. We heard the bird's beautiful call after sundown, and I was one of the fortunate few to get a glimpse of the bird in flight through a borrowed night-vision scope.

Other life birds for me on the night are Hooded Oriole, Zone-tailed Hawk, and Lesser Nighthawk. But the prize of the day is a Five-striped Sparrow, probably the rarest sparrow in the U.S.- it only breeds in this country in this location and a couple of other more remote, neighboring canyons. While the image below is a bit grainy, I'm particularly pleased with it because I managed it without the use of a tripod. Today (Wed.) I head out early to go west, onto Tohono O'Ohdham territory, and find my first Crested Caracaras, a striking bird of prey. I then double back south to Arivaca Creek and Arivaca Cienega, parts of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. My morning detour has its price; it's over 100 degrees by the time I hit the field. I suffer through it for a couple of hours, and manage my first Bronzed Cowbird, and more colorful Vermillion Flycatchers, Blue Grosbeaks, Summer Tanagers, and Yellow-breasted Chats than I thought were possible. By noon I'm shot, and spend the rest of the day getting supplies, and working on this page! No standout photos today.
Thursday, July 17th
I've changed my home base today; I'm in lovely Sierra Vista, at my favorite Best Western (cable, fridge, microwave, good breakfast). I take off before dawn today, heading south to some irrigated fields north of Nogales, where I see my first Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. I then move on to the Patagonia area, where two rare species have their only Arizona nest sites. It takes 2.5 hours to find the Rose-throated Becard at the Roadside Rest; their nest was destroyed in the nasty monsoon Tuesday evening, so now the birds are hard to find. The Black-capped Gnatcatcher at Patagonia Lake is only slightly easier- they've fledged a voracious Bronzed Cowbird, and would have been easier to track down 2 weeks ago. I'm thrilled by both birds, ones that appear often years apart in the U.S.. I also see my first Thick-billed Kingbirds. Then it's off to the Paton's, a private home whose owners graciously open their yard to birders. It's a bit early for the peak hummingbird extravaganza, but I still get great shots of Broad-billed Hummingbird (below left) and the rare Violet-crowned Hummingbird (below right).

I bird the grasslands near Sonoita a bit before checking in and getting a bite to eat. Mid-afternoon rains cool things down a bit, so I bird the San Pedro House area a bit. This is part of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, has some great birds, and is 10 minutes from my hotel, so I can bird the area to fill in time between bigger trips. Nothing out of the ordinary, but I still can't get used to Yellow-breasted Chats, Blue Grosbeaks, and Summer Tanagers being commonplace. A family of Gambel's Quails is feeding outside my hotel room window- I love it here!
I've seen 102 bird species so far, and that's without visiting the mountains yet! It's tough when you're chasing specific birds- you can miss a lot. So far I've had a lot of luck- just a few more rarites I pray stick around.
Friday, July 18th
I get off to a "late" start today- 6:30 a.m.. My first stop is the Sierra Vista Sewage Treatment Ponds, an artificial marsh designed to naturally cleanse wastewater while providing good bird habitat. It's a little dull, so I move straight on to The Nature Conservancy's Ramsey Canyon Preserve, and I am the first guest when they open at 8:00. Ramsey Canyon is a stunning gorge in the Huachuca Mountains, one of the most beautiful places on earth (picture from overlook below).

I hike all the way to a small clearing called Hamburg Meadow- it's only about 5 miles round trip, but it's rocky and hilly, and feels like much more. I didn't carry my tripod on this hike, so no really good bird images on the day. But mammals are easier to film, and provide one memorable experience. White-tailed Deer (below right) are abundant and brazen, having learned that they are safe here. Within the first half-mile of the hike, I see a Black Bear moving away from me into the forest, 100 yards or so away. I'm thrilled, and continue uphill to the overlook pictured above, and down into the Canyon. I approach a beautiful little spring, which tends to be quite birdy, so I put down my pack and walk ahead a bit, unencumbered. I then hear a noise across the stream, and look up to see another bear, not 50 feet away! He hears and sees me first, so is not alarmed, but I still quietly back off a few feet to where my pack is. He snorts at me a bit, and works his way to the safety (!) of a small outcropping above the water. We then both feel safe, so I pull out my video camera and record a bit, producing the still below left. It's good footage, but it's funny to see how much my hand was shaking! Good things come to those who are first out on the trail!

Birding is also excellent; I get my life Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Greater Pewee, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Hepatic Tanager, Virginia's Warbler, and the stunning Red-faced Warbler. It's cool in the canyon, and it surprises me to see, when I finally hike back out, that I've spent 6 hours here.
After a big lunch, my last stop is the Ash Canyon B&B, where the proprietor has several hummingbird feeders set up, and graciously allows the public to visit. The show is spectacular, with 5 somewhat regular species of hummingbirds jostling for space, chasing each other noisily, and buzzing me on occasion. After about 45 minutes, the prize shows up- a Plain-capped Starthroat, an extrememly rare visiting hummer from Mexico. It's fairly plain, but is huge, with a very long bill that makes it lean back and up to access the sugar water in the feeders. It's in for about 10 seconds, then gone, and I again feel blessed. Another fine day- 132 species and counting!
Saturday, July 19th
I spend the day in Miller Canyon, a rugged spot south of Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains. I'm out on the trail by 6:30, a good idea as the lower portion is dry and hot. I've never been here before, but there are a number of rarities reported here for me to chase. I hike about the same distance as yesterday, about 5 miles round trip- this time my only mammal sighting is a lone foraging coati, unfortunately in too much cover to film. The photo below at left is the view from the highest point to which I hike, looking back to where I started. The photo at right is an interesting rock formation across the canyon. No remarkable bird shots today.

The birding is excellent all the way up; life birds today are Grace's Warbler and the rare Flame-colored Tanager. I also see only my second Olive Warbler ever, more Red-faced Warblers, and lots of gregarious Plumbeous Vireos. I've missed a couple of possible rarities, but I'll have other shots later in the trip. I move back down the canyon to the Beatty's Guest Ranch, where the owners have set up dozens of hummingbird feeders. Mr. Beatty gives me permission to move up a hill to his prime spot, and I sit on nicely shaded benches with four other birders. It turns out that three of them are from Washington State, and I had exchanged e-mails with them when I birded there last summer! Small world.... The regular hummers are of 7 different species (Anna's, Broad-tailed, Broad-billed, Rufous, Black-chinned, Magnificent, and Blue-throated), and to further confuse things, there's a strange Berylline x Magnificent hybrid about. The prize, however, is another rarity, a stunning male White-eared Hummingbird, which visits twice briefly in the hour-and-a-half I sit there. Well worth the wait! By this time it's hot and I'm starving, so I call it a day at 3:00 anticipating a pre-dawn start to my field trip to the Chiricahua Mountains. See you tomorrow!
Sunday, July 20th
What a day! Lots of good stories and photos today. I leave Sierra Vista at 3:30 this morning to make the long drive east to the Chiricahua Mountains. I arrive in Portal, a tiny town in the most picturesque location imaginable, at about 5:30 a.m., having spotted several "trip birds" on the ride in. Below is the view of Portal as I drive in, with Cave Creek Canyon, my first stop, in the background.

My primary target bird is Elegant Trogon, and I find it immediately, joining two French birders to listen to it's rich, barking call, and for a quick glimpse. I'm elated, but the best is yet to come. I hear another calling as I start my hike into the cool, green canyon, and after some searching, it flies into view. For 5 minutes or so it poses on a variety of nearby perches, resulting in the stills below. Southeastern Arizona is the only place Elegant Trogons breed in the U.S.- it's a very tropical family of birds, and quite striking in the canyons here.

A few hundred yards upstream, I encounter the fellow pictured below hiking downhill; I'm not certain, but I believe it's a Hooded Skunk. He seems quite unperturbed by my presence, and continues walking towards me while I consider a hasty exit. But it's clear he does not perceive me as a threat, so I get some fine video before he graciously steps aside so that I may continue on my way.

The creek is dry at spots, but the remaining pools create oases of sorts, birding hotspots. At the little meadow I decide to make my endpoint, I see the following species without moving an inch: Arizona Woodpecker, Mexican Jay, Plumbeous and Hutton's Vireos, Black-headed Grosbeak, Hepatic Tanager, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Cordilleran and Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Painted Redstart, Red-faced, Grace's, Yellow-rumped, and Black-throated Gray Warblers. Quite a spot indeed...
I stop by the George Walker House, another private home with feeders open to the public, to see the very localized Jumiper Titmouse, and then begin the long, slow crawl up the Chiricahua Mountain crossing. The views alone are worth the trip, but I'm mainly going to take a tough hike up to Barfoot Lookout, to see a regionally rare Short-tailed Hawk, a life bird for me. An example of how luck works for me; I'm not just chasing life birds, but some for my annual and/or Arizona lists. On the way down from Barfoot, a single mixed flock gets four annual birds for me: Mexican Chickadee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Yellow-eyed Junco, and Townsend's Warbler. Lucky, lucky me...
My last stop out is Twin Lakes in Willcox, a couple of sewage adjacent to a golf course that provide excellent shorebird habitat. I find my target bird, my first Franklin's Gull, and add several odd ducks and shorebirds to the trip list. By the time I get back to Sierra Vista, it's 3:30, and I'm shot once again. 174 species and counting!
Monday, July 21st
High adventure today! I sleep in, leaving the hotel at 4:30. My destination is rugged French Joe Canyon in the modest Whetstone Mts., where the rare Rufous-capped Warbler has been found recently. It's only a 20-minute drive to the turn-off, but the 2.9 miles to the trailhead takes about half-an-hour. The road is barely a road, and I'm glad I rented the pickup truck- no way I even try this without it. The sun is just coming up as I hit the trail, which makes things cool and comfortable. I make a wrong turn almost immediately- two canyons converge near the trailhead, and I miss the turn for the north canyon. I'm out of trail soon (no danger of getting lost- I'm following a dry stream bed), so I crawl up a thorny hill to get my bearings, and enjoy a stunning sunrise. Fortunately, I know I'm looking for a box canyon, and I spot it in the distance. A little cross-country action, and I'm on the right trail, following the gorge created by a seasonal stream, and enjoying the shade its 30-foot walls provide. The canyon is not particularly high-elevation, but the trail is rocky, and flanked with thorns and "shin-grabbers" (virtually every type of vegetation here is sharp to the touch). I finally make it to a cool spring nestled in the box canyon-it's hard to connect this oasis with the desert scrub I've just passed through. Below left is the view of the canyon from outside (I hiked in out of sight range of this shot!), and below right is one of the sides of the box, as seen from the spring. I've already had my point-and-shoot photos developed, and of course, they're better, and will be uploaded when I get home.

The location is magical and full of spiritual energy, and I would love it even without the special bird- which I find after some searching. I'm reluctant to leave, but I want to beat the sun back down the hill. The day becomes about driving, as I head 2 hours north to Aravaipa Canyon to see Common Black-Hawk, a very tropical species which I had only seen previously on St. Vincent & Trinidad in the southern Caribbean (!). On the way back I detour to the only know breeding area in Arizona for Mississippi Kite, a lovely bird of prey I had only seen once before. I've seen virtualy all of the target birds for my trip, so tomorrow I will sleep in, eat the free breakfast for a change, and bird some nearby favorites, plus an owl prowl in the evening. Below are the best photos from the day, an odd assortment of wildlife: a stunning dragonfly at the spring, a 6-inch long centipede on the streambed, and a brazen Desert Cottontail near my parking space.

Have a great evening!
Tuesday, July 22nd Not too much to report today- I really sleep in this morning: 7:00 a.m.! The trick to keeping these crazy hours, at least for an easterner, is never letting your body change time zones. A 3:30 wake-up call is like 6:30 at home- still early, but reasonable. I spend some time at favorite places today: Ramsey Canyon, Palominas Road (where I see the lovely White-tailed Kite), and Coronado National Memorial. Here I switch gears a bit, checking out a fascinating cave; no real spectacular rock formations, which is why it's not a major tourist draw, but cool (literally) nonetheless. I spend part of the afternoon back at Ash Canyon, seeing the Plain-capped Starthroat again, as well as the huge (6") Magnificent Hummingbird and the tiny (3.5") Lucifer Hummingbird. A spectacular monsoon comes in and cools things down, cutting short my hummingbird watching. Below is Ash Canyon with the storm coming in. My last stop is in Miller canyon for some owling, at a site recommended to me by a couple from Washington State. I arrive at dusk, setting myself up at a good spot- a clearing with scattered trees, just what owls like; places to hide but room to spot and chase prey. As night falls, the first birds I hear are Common Poorwills (expected), and a distant Whip-poor-will, less common in these parts, and at the low end of their preferred elevation. I use my laptop to play back the calls of the owls I seek; the only drawback to this method is that I have to cover the screen with a towel, and peek under to change selections. But the sound is perfect- within minutes, an Elf Owl is barking back at me. A Western Screech-owl comes in close, calling vociferously. I patiently wait to find the source, and when I click on my torch, he's right in the beam, 20 feet away. As I watch him, a second bird flies in and alights right next to him! The Westerns are with me all evening, calling constantly, and occassionally flying in right above me to investigate. There are at least four present. I hear two Whiskered Screech-Owls starting to respond (their call sounds like morse code, and I move into the woods to track them. As I do, I hear the whoosh of owl wings in the tree next to me. I turn on my light, and there's an Elf Owl on a low banch not ten feet from me. He's blinking under the beam, and sits there as I move within 3 feet to study him. Of course, my camera's in the car! He's only 6" high (i.e. the same length as the hummingbird I saw earlier) and cute as a button. He's also my 800th life bird...
I finally track down the Whiskered for 801, and linger for a while listening to the night sounds. Lightning is flashing all around the canyon, but it's not raining, and in the light I can see the owls flying back and forth in nearby trees. It's a transcendental experience...
No photos from the owling trip, but below are two decent stills from earlier days: at left, a female Black-headed Grosbeak, and at right, a Ladder-backed Woodpecker.

I won't be able to post tomorrow; my flight is a red-eye, and I'll have checked out of my hotel well before. I'll close this trip out when I get home. See ya'!
Wednesday, July 23rd- Thursday, July 24th
It's my last day here, but I've got a red-eye tonight, so I sleep as late as possible while still catching breakfast. I've really only got one target bird for the day, so I can make some casual stops on the way to Phoenix- I've got 12 hours to kill. I take a shortcut on a dirt road across Box Canyon, and am glad I did, as I spot some roadside birders, who've got a Golden Eagle in their scope. I move on to Madera Canyon, in the Santa Rita Mountains due south of Tucson, a favorite birding spot that had been closed until recently due to fire danger. It's already seriously hot, so I take on an easy trail that reaches cool forest fairly quickly. As luck would have it, another Elegant Trogon flies onto a branch over my head. There are two other birders downslope, and I wave them over, and the trogon puts on a show for several minutes. I get excellent footage, resulting in the stills below. A little perspective on trogons; they are part of the family including the Resplendant Quetzal, national bird of Guatemala, and namesake of its currency.

Another fine bird on the way out is the comical-looking Acorn Woodpecker, a gregarious feeder bird, and a personal favorite. I've included two images to give you a good feel for the bird.

I then move on to a couple of the oases in the Tucson area- my first stop is a wetland near the Ina Road Bridge, where, among a huge flock of excitable Black-necked Stilts, I spot my target bird: my first White-faced Ibis. I can now relax for a bit at the lush Sweetwater Wetlands, where I add a few waterbirds to my trip list, and patiently stalk and "shoot" the Sharp-shinned Hawk pictured below left. For good measure, below right is a Mexican Jay at Madera Canyon; as predatory as he looks, the only thing he is hunting is crumbs dropped from my picnic lunch- moments later he flew onto the table next to me and gave me a hungry look!

My final tally is 190 bird species for the trip, a personal record for a single destination trip, 29 of them life birds, another 3 first for the U.S.. I've also driven about 1600 miles in 8+ days! I've learned a few things on the trip; first, there are times you make the choice between being a birder or a bird photographer. I always err on the side of the former, but modern technology makes some supplementary videotaping possible, adding another layer of challenge to the craft. Also, solid trip-planning is essential when chasing specific birds; before this trip I studied reams of printed material, online resources, and contacted local birders for advice via the web. I set an itinerary designed to cover the broadest variety of locations in the shortest time possible, with backup locations or certain species wherever possible, and enough flexibility to adjust to early trip success or lack thereof. Another thing- gear is everything; I avoid any serious cuts, bruises, or sunstroke by wearing solid hiking shoes, and breathable long-sleeve shirts and pants (although I've still got a nice tan and some good scratches!). Finally, the video camera is great fun, but it doesn't replace my trusty point-and-shoot! Below is a closing image taken with my antiquated Canon Sureshot, taken in French Joe Canyon on the way to the spring. Hope you've enjoyed reading about this trip half as much as I enjoyed taking it!

Stay tuned for tales from my next adventure: Seattle to Panama, August 10th-26th!
Click here for a map of the roads travelled on this trip!
Click here for photos from my previous trips to Arizona.
Click here for a list of birds seen on this trip (final tally).
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