May 8-17, 2026 with Alex Sundvall
Southeastern Arizona is well known in the birding community as one of the premier birding locations in all of the United States. Countless species that make their homes here do so nowhere else in the United States, and countless more are rarely found outside this region. This tour is positioned not only to take advantage of finding these birds, but also the scores of migrating birds that fly through Arizona on their ways north. During our 9 days of birding together, we saw nearly 200 species of birds, with highlights like Red-faced Warbler, Coppery-tailed Trogon, Flame-colored Tanager, Five-striped Sparrow, and Black-capped Gnatcatcher. Our journey took us everywhere, from the remote canyons of the Chiricahua Mountains to the desert mountains above Tucson and everything in between.
From myself and everyone at Field Guides, we would like to thank you for choosing us for your trip to Southeast Arizona. Despite the hot and dry weather, you were a fabulous group and absolutely lovely to have along. Here’s hoping we reconnect again somewhere along the birding trail!
What follows is a day-to-day breakdown of our travels together:
Day 1: After some short introductions, we headed out for a very hot afternoon of birding in the desert. Despite it being nearly 100°F in the full blazing sun, there was still quite a lot of activity! At the Tucson Mountain Park, we ran into a pair of Gilded Flickers, which made us work a little bit but eventually everyone had great scope views of a female poking her head out from the top of a Saguaro. We also had a pair of nomadic Black-tailed Gnatcatchers, with a female bird checking us out, and allowing us close study of her diagnostic dark undertail. From here, we headed south of town towards Green Valley and the Desert Meadows Park, where we enjoyed our first taste of watching southern hummingbird feeders. This was quite a good show, with six different species, including fabulous looks at a stunning male Costa’s Hummingbird and a dainty female Calliope. Here we also had our first taste of Gambel’s Quails, Verdins, Lucy’s Warblers, Rufous-winged Sparrows, and Abert’s Towhees. After a quick dinner, we headed out towards Box Canyon to try our luck at some night birds. On our way there, we stopped to enjoy a handful of Lesser Nighthawks picking off bugs around a palm tree. Once at the base of the Canyon, we heard the distant cooing of Common Poorwills and with enough patience and luck, a few of us were able to get on a Buff-collared Nightjar after a side-by-side drove by, scaring it awake. A long but fruitful afternoon of birding in the heat!
Day 2: Today ended up being a bit more of a repositioning day than a birding day (certainly more of one than I had hoped for) but we still managed some great birds! After a later than hoped for start due to some van issues, we headed to Box Canyon to start our morning. Unfortunately, because of our late start the canyon was pretty quiet by the time we got there, and we didn’t get the Five-striped Sparrows. We did however, get a couple great splashes of color in Hooded Orioles, Cassin’s Kingbirds, and Verdin. Some real highlights for me were watching a pair of Golden Eagles and hearing the songs of Rock Wrens echoing off the canyon walls. From here we made the long trek over to Willcox. After lunch, we headed to the famous Lake Cochise, one of my favorite spots in SE Arizona. With some of the only water around, you never know what might drop in. Today, there were flocks of American Avocets, White-faced Ibis, and Wilson’s Phalaropes around, along with a good smattering of ducks including some great looks at Mexican Ducks and a displaying Ruddy Duck in shiny breeding plumage. Songbirds were sparse in the midday heat, but we did luck into an incredible showing from the local pair of Bendire’s Thrashers, an often very challenging bird! Another highlight was great looks at Chihuahuan (formerly Lilian’s) Meadowlarks. As we headed out of town, we quickly shouldered the van to get a look at a sitting Chihuahuan Raven, giving us close study of this very challenging-to-ID species. We ended the day at Portal Peak Lodge in the Chiricahuas, our home for the next couple of days.
Day 3: Despite yesterday being our first full day of birding, with all the driving we ended up having, today really felt like the first full day! We started early with a pre-sunrise breakfast in front of the rooms before heading off to the higher elevations of the Chiricahuas. Our first stop was along the Turkey Creek crossing, where exposed running water often attracts birds, particularly in the ongoing drought. Here we had our first encounters with a few of the pine specialties like Grace’s Warbler, Yellow-eyed Junco, Plumbeous Vireo, and even a pair of Sharp-shinned Hawks! This has become a very scarce local breeder in recent years and is always a treat to encounter. The bulk of the morning was spent exploring the upper sections of Pinery Canyon. Upon pulling into the campground, we spotted one of the local Spotted Owls flying up the canyon away from us. Unfortunately, we could not relocate the bird once we got out of the vehicle. Walking along the road past the campground however, we did find a number of new high elevation birds for us, including Painted Redstart, Red-faced Warbler, Townsend’s Warblers, Brown Creepers, Greater Pewees, Acorn Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpecker, Western Flycatcher, Hutton’s Vireos, the recently split Western Warbling Vireo, and one of the main targets: a Buff-breasted Flycatcher. This small Empid has an extremely small range in the US, restricted to only a few canyons in Southeastern Arizona. Heading a little farther down the road, we caught up with a Mexican Chickadee, another incredibly range-restricted bird in the US, only occurring in the Chiricahuas and one largely inaccessible range in New Mexico. From here, we headed back up higher into the mountains towards Rustler Park, hoping to encounter some of the pine species we had missed thus far. When we got out of the van, we enjoyed some distant views of an Olive-sided Flycatcher perched high up on a dead snag as they often do. A small troop of Steller’s Jays were curiously patrolling around a nearby picnic, looking to see if any scraps were thrown their way. Note that a recent paper came out looking at the subspecies of Steller’s Jays, and these interior subspecies are very genetically distinct from the Coastal ones found in places like California or Alaska. Another bird to potentially be split one day! Also right around the parking area was our first group of Pygmy Nuthatches, a lovable social species always roving around in friendly chattering flocks. As we were heading back to the van, a strange and large bird started flying down the slope towards us. It was a Trogon! This is remarkably high for them and was quite a shock to see! Unfortunately it really wasn’t too accommodating for views or photos, staying high in the trees and frequently flying. But it was a great teaser for our plans for tomorrow morning! From here we made our way back down the mountain for lunch and our afternoon break from the heat. After the break, we headed over to Bob Rodrigues’s feeders to enjoy some feederwatching and lower elevation desert birding. His feeders were filled with Verdins, Black-throated Sparrows, Curve-billed Thrashers, Canyon and Abert’s Towhees, Bullock’s Orioles, Pyrrhuloxias, Black-headed Grosbeaks, with even a couple of Lucy’s Warblers in the surrounding mesquite. After spending about an hour down low at his feeders, we climbed a little higher into the foothills to the edge of the juniper scrub to the George Walker House. Here we were regaled with the rich history of the area of Paradise, while the Juniper and Bridled Titmice put on a show for us at their feeders. Their yard is also often great for woodpeckers, with both Arizona Woodpecker and Red-naped Sapsuckers being highlights for us. Hummingbird numbers overall were down, but there were still good numbers of Broad-tailed and Black-chinned around, with even a couple Rivoli’s and Broad-billed. From here, we wound back around into the mountains, searching for Montezuma Quail, but unfortunately these secretive birds stayed hidden today. That evening, we attempted our first bit of owling, starting along the Paradise Road where we saw a Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay right at dusk and heard a number of Elf Owls and Common Poorwills. Afterwards, we drove back towards some of the campgrounds around Cave Creek Canyon, where we found a cooperative pair of Whiskered Screech-Owls that we got fabulous views of! All in all a very long and productive day.
Day 4: Today started with another early picnic breakfast at the hotel, where chatty Brown-crested Flycatchers, Cactus Wrens, and Cassin’s Kingbirds did their best to distract us from our food! The main attraction for the morning however, was our hike through the magnificent Cave Creek Canyon. This canyon is of incredible importance to birders, being the home of many sought-after species (like the newly re-minted Coppery-tailed Trogon) but it’s also more generally biologically very important. There are a surprising number of organisms (moths, plants, fungi, etc) that are primarily eastern species that also exist in Cave Creek Canyon. For instance, the Poison Ivy that exists there is Eastern Poison Ivy instead of Western Poison Ivy, and so on. Coppery-tailed Trogon was a major target for us this morning, so it was really great when nearly the very first bird we got on was a marvelous male Trogon! With the pressure taken off the rest of the hike, we were able to enjoy some more relaxed birding, with our first looks at White-throated Swifts, Dusky-capped Flycatchers, Hutton’s and Plumbeous Vireos, Grace’s Warbler, and lots of Painted Redstarts and Western Tanagers. Basking in the success of the morning, we headed back up the canyon to the Southwestern Research Station where we saw one of the Chiricahua specialties: the Blue-throated Mountain-gem. This stunning large hummingbird is the northernmost representative of a group of tropical species and only exists in far southeastern Arizona and rarely into West Texas around Big Bend. After enjoying our time at the hummingbird feeders, we headed back into the dryer parts of the canyon where I often have luck with a few of the trickier sparrow species. Sure enough, we were able to find both Black-chinned and Rufous-crowned Sparrows along with a small flock of Black-throated Gray Warblers, providing our best looks at that species! With some time left in the morning before lunch, we decided to climb further all the way back up to Barfoot Park hoping once again for an Olive Warbler, which had evaded us thus far. As we got out of the van, a young bird teased us at the very tops of the trees, never fully giving us any meaningful view before flying far far away. All was not fully lost however, with both a Western Bluebird coming to water and an insomniac Mexican Whip-poor-will sounding off in the middle of the day! Not wanting to be too late for lunch, we unfortunately had to head back down the mountain, stopping briefly for a flock of Band-tailed Pigeons we spotted in a not too distant tree! These birds are not resident in the mountains, instead breeding in the White Mountains farther north and wintering down in Mexico! After lunch we took a more relaxed break, knowing it might be a late evening, and started out searching town for a nesting Thick-billed Kingbird. This nest has been incredibly reliable over the years, and it didn’t take long before one was in the scope. Next, we stopped at Dave Jasper’s feeders where we enjoyed a show from Scott’s and Hooded Orioles, as well as a male Bronzed Cowbird all puffed up at the top of an old Agave stem. After dinner, we decided to take a long drive up and over the mountains to a spot where a pair of Flammulated Owls had been somewhat reliable. Unfortunately, when we got there, we quickly heard a pair of Whiskered Screech-Owls. Flamms don’t really play well with other owls because of their incredibly small size, so they were no longer around. A disappointing way to end the day, but we all agreed it was worth a try and the stars were amazing!
Day 5: Our final morning in the Chiricahuas, and we usually like to save the best for last. In recent years, we have been fortunate enough to get invited to Rick Taylor’s place for some birding. Rick’s yard is well known as one of the best in all of Arizona, hosting such rarities over the years as Flame-colored Tanager, Fan-tailed Warbler, Plain-capped Starthroat, Rufous-backed Robin, and the list truly goes on and on. Recently, his yard has become a very reliable place for Lucifer Hummingbirds, and occasionally he even gets Montezuma Quails stopping by. With our hearts full of hope, we settled into his feeders for a morning of watching. The hummingbird feeders were buzzing with activity with 8 different species vying for sugar water. The Lucifer Hummingbirds were of course the main target and highlight, but some stonking male Calliope and Costa’s Hummingbirds were a welcome surprise! The seed feeders were busy too, with Lazuli Buntings, Blue Grosbeaks, all 3 species of Orioles, a lingering Lincoln’s Sparrow, and another Bronzed Cowbird all puffed up displaying for a nearby female. Finally, just as we were about to leave, I saw a Montezuma Quail fly across the dried creekbed towards the feeders. We patiently waited and soon we were treated to possibly my best ever views of this incredibly secretive species. It was nearly at our feet and we had to zoom out our cameras to get the whole bird in frame! What an incredible send off for us! Magical mornings like these are the reason birders love Southeast Arizona, and in particular the Chiricahuas. Although it was difficult to leave his yard behind, we had a lot of ground we needed to cover today so we said goodbye to the Chiricahuas and made tracks towards Willcox for lunch. On the way, we stopped briefly for our first Greater Roadrunner perched up in a far-off tree! After lunch we swung by Lake Cochise again to see if anything new had shown up in the past few days. While the majority of the birds were the same, a Long-billed Curlew had shown up; one of my favorite birds! On our way out of town, we found a Great Horned Owl nest that had recently fledged with 2 babies branching around a single adult. In order to make it a proper birding trip, we stopped at the Benson Sewage Ponds where we found a group of Mexican Ducks, White-faced Ibis, Eared Grebes, and our first American Kestrels. We ended the day at the famous Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary to bookend our days with Lucifer Hummingbirds and also saw a couple of really neat hybrids: A Scrambled Quail (Scaled x Gambel’s) and a Northern Oriole (Bullock’s x Baltimore).
Day 6: Before we even left the parking lot of our hotel, we found a very chatty and very cooperative Bell’s Vireo! This Arizona population is pretty different from the ones out east, and should the species ever get split, it will likely become a separate species. Our first real stop of the morning was in the grasslands around Sierra Vista where we found a Botteri’s Sparrow proudly singing at the top of a mesquite. The main attraction for the morning however, was our hike into Miller Canyon in search of a Flame-colored Tanager. One of the rarest birds in the US, this is the only known area for them and thankfully with the nest staked out it was fairly easy to spot! We spent about a half hour watching the nest for the male to come in and feed the youngster. He gave us two great shows before we decided to hike up the canyon to see what else might be around. It was fairly birdy as we climbed, running into a few more Red-faced Warblers, Hepatic Tanagers, a Townsend’s Warbler, a Greater Pewee, and even a calling Northern Pygmy-Owl! These Pygmy-Owls in southern Arizona belong to the Mexican group called Mountain Pygmy-Owl, which some taxonomic organizations have already split into its own species compared to the Northern Pygmy-Owls you might find in Colorado, California, etc. After our hike, we spent an hour watching the hummingbird feeders at Beatty’s guest ranch, where we had great looks at Rivoli’s and Calliope Hummingbirds, and even saw our first Violet-crowned Hummingbird. After lunch and a brief break from the heat, we made the long and rough ride to the top of Carr Canyon. This is an infamous drive among birders for the sheer dropoffs and notoriously terrible road conditions. Mercifully the road was not nearly as bad as it has been, so with some careful driving we were able to make it to the top scot free. We walked around the old Reef Townsite hoping for Olive Warbler, but instead we found more Buff-breasted Flycatchers, Grace’s Warblers, and Hutton’s and Plumbeous Vireos. Many of the large pines in the area had been cut down to improve campground conditions, and to clear away old fire damage, so the habitat for Olive Warblers has become a bit more limited. On a whim, we found one of the few remaining stands of pines on the side of the road and decided to try our luck there. Within minutes, we were looking at a gorgeous male Olive Warbler, one of the only adult males I’ve seen in the US! A fantastic closer to the day, and one of the highlights of the whole trip. Persistence really paid off today!
Day 7: Today we left Sierra Vista behind and after a more leisurely start to the morning, headed to the famous Ramsey Canyon preserve hoping to find an early arriving Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher. As soon as we arrived, we found a pair investigating a cavity right above the visitor center, netting us fabulous views of this otherwise tropical flycatcher. The rest of the hike was very birdy, with some other great flycatchers like stunning views of Greater Pewee, Dusky Flycatcher, and the former Cordilleran Flycatcher (now lumped with Pacific-slope to make Western Flycatcher). From here we headed towards Patagonia for lunch and some afternoon birding. After lunch, we headed into the mountains along Harshaw Creek Road searching for some rarer species like Gray Hawk, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, and early arriving Rose-throated Becard and Varied Bunting. Unfortunately, we came up empty on everything except for Gray Hawk and a bonus family of Vermilion Flycatchers. Hoping our luck would be better closer to town, we went back into Patagonia to the famous Paton’s Center for Hummingbirds. This is often where we see our first Violet-crowned Hummingbirds, and while we had already seen one this trip, seeing more is always welcome! Their yard had plenty of other goodies for us like Phainopeplas, Yellow-breasted Chats, Common Ground Doves, and a Mississippi Kite. Nearly ready to leave, we found an amazingly cooperative Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet! While this species isn’t normally too skulky, it rarely stays close and in the open like this one did, catching caterpillars at eye level just feet away! A lovely ending to the afternoon. The heat at this point was reaching unbearable levels, so we took refuge in the van and headed to Nogales. After dinner, we stopped at the colony of Cliff Swallows on the nearby Walmart. This colony has both the standard American Cliff Swallows and a few pairs of the Mexican Cliff Swallows that have dark foreheads almost like a really dark Cave Swallow!
Day 8: We started the morning with a quick stop at Kino Springs. This hotspot used to be one of the premier spots in the area, but with the golf course losing their water rights, it is now a shadow of its former glory. That being said, it was still wonderfully birdy, with Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, Gray Hawks, a Peregrine Falcon, and some stunning male Vermilion Flycatchers. The main stop for the morning was the Sonoita Creek State Recreation Area, where a family of Black-capped Gnatcatchers had been hanging out. This species used to be a lot easier in the US, with birds popping up in nearly every dry scrubby canyon for a while. However, the continued drought during the winter of 2020/2021 really curtailed their population expansion in the US (along with Rufous-capped Warbler) and they are incredibly challenging to find nowadays. We started out early, hoping to beat the heat, but unfortunately the heat came on fast, and with a fairly exposed hike we were all pretty exhausted by the end of it! Thankfully our hike was successful and we were able to find all 5 Black-capped Gnatcatchers right where they were supposed to be. Despite the conditions, this was another favorite of the trip for us! The hike was surprisingly birdy, with lots of Lucy’s Warblers, a Townsend’s Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chats, Lark Sparrows, a brief look at a Crissal Thrasher, and we even found a Northern Waterthrush, a bit of a rare migrant this far west! After our slog of a hike, we beelined it to lunch, where we all indulged ourselves with some celebratory homemade ice cream and decided to stick to mostly car birding for the afternoon as it had just gotten too hot for anything else. The first stop was to Ron Morriss Park, which has become a reliable spot for Tropical Kingbirds in recent years. After nailing down a couple of Kingbirds lining the fence catching insects, we took a brief stroll along the nearby stretch of the Anza trail where we heard but never saw a Zone-tailed Hawk. After dinner, we drove down the Ruby Road to do a little owling, finding a family of cooperative Western Screech-Owls.
Day 9: Our final day of birding together saw us heading north towards Tucson again, first stopping at the Amado WTP. While there wasn’t much new for us here, it’s always a great place to stop and check! We mostly wanted to check nearby Montosa Canyon for one of our last remaining targets, the Five-striped Sparrow! Unlike the gnatcatcher or warbler I mentioned earlier, this is a species that thrives in drought and dry conditions, so they have been spreading like mad throughout the canyons of southern Arizona! Montosa has become a very reliable spot for them in recent years, and we thankfully were able to find a pair here without too much struggle. In fact, we had fantastic prolonged views right off the trail! With a very successful start to the morning, we decided to head to the Santa Rita Lodge and take the rest of the morning easy, hoping that the recently reported Berylline Hummingbird might make an appearance. Not only did we see the Berylline, but we also spotted one of the hybrid offspring with a Broad-billed Hummingbird! The ID was tricky, but everyone was able to see both birds. From here, we headed to lunch and then to the hotel to take a longer afternoon break. As we had seen nearly all the owls except for Elf, which had teased us numerous times, we made a plan to have a picnic dinner in Madera Canyon and try in the canyon right at dusk. While it had unfortunately gotten too dark for photographs, pretty much as soon as the sun went down an adorable little Elf Owl poked its head out of its hole in a telephone pole! What a marvelous way to end a really fantastic tour of Southeastern Arizona!
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/587456
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/arz26TRIPLIST.pdf
-- Alex