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Three views of southeast Arizona taken during the Second Spring tour. First is a downpour over the Peloncillo Mountains; second is the mouth of Cave Creek Canyon, an inviting look into the Chiricahuas; and third, a thunderhead building over Montana Peak in the wonderful Atascosa Highlands. Photos by guide Chris Benesh.

While traditional thinking defines four seasons to a year, in fact, it is often a bit more complicated than that. Here in southeast Arizona, most climate scientists would say that there are five distinct ones. Winter, Spring, and Fall are pretty straightforward. Summer, however, is divided into a dry season and the wet or monsoon season. Localized storms fed by moisture from the Gulf of Mexico drench the southeast part of the state to varying degrees, and trigger what is in essence, a second Spring. Many bird species in Arizona delay the start of the breeding season until the arrival of the monsoon and still others raise a second brood during this time. Furthermore, some species that breed to the north make a protracted stopover in southern Arizona that is timed with the monsoon rains and the abundance of insect life that results, affording them nutrition to complete post breeding molts before continuing on to their wintering grounds. And this is how the Arizona Second Spring title came about.

2019 will not be known for the high quality of its summer monsoon. By the start of our tour, rainfall levels had been rather patchy. Areas around Sierra Vista had seen the greatest amount of rain while those near the Chiricahuas were well below average. But we did get a taste of what the monsoon was all about, with a few impressive thunderstorms witnessed, thankfully from safe distances. Some of us were making our first trip to the southwest, while others were returning with a few specific targets in mind. 2019 saw the continuing presence of multiple pairs of Rose-throated Becards along the Santa Cruz River drainage between Tubac and Tumacacori. While storms pelted the countryside to the east, we explored this area and saw several becards in the process. Five-striped Sparrows were a bit more widespread than normal, and we saw them in Box Canyon and in Montosa Canyon. Of course in Montosa, they took a back seat to the wonderful family group of Black-capped Gnatcatchers. Montezuma Quail were notable teases on this tour, and it wasn’t until our third encounter with them that they really showed well for all. Quite a relief as they are such an attractive species. Another species high up on want lists was the Buff-collared Nightjar. We made an evening jaunt out to the confluence of California Gulch and Warsaw Canyon, and with some patience had some flight views, eyeshine, and some good audio from this locally scarce species. While August is not the best month to observe owls, we did have some fun nightbirding in the Chiricahuas and Huachucas as well, and a sprinkling of tarantulas and a vinegaroon, as well as some black lighting for scorpions added to the adventure.

The tour also featured a few exciting reptile and mammal encounters as well, heavily weighted toward rabbits and squirrels. A couple of the more notable ones included the impressive Antelope Jackrabbit, a mostly Mexican species whose range extends up into south-central Arizona. Also, the Mexican Fox Squirrel, a mostly Mexican species with an endemic subspecies, chiricahuae, restricted to the Chiricahuas.

Other highlights worth mention are the Elegant Trogons and Red-faced Warblers that caused so much excitement, each building up the suspense before we finally encountered them! And finally, I loved the hybrid Abert’s x Canyon Towhee that showed so well for us in Nogales. And there must also be a hat-tip to the Zone-tailed Hawk that buzzed us as we were headed to the airport for our final farewells providing a much more satisfying experience than our previous sighting.

Thanks to all of you for making the tour a success and providing some great companionship, laughter, and enthusiasm. I look forward to birding with all of you again in the future. Safe travels! — Chris

KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant

The group back from our first encounter with Rose-throated Becard, showing off our chiggar-proof clothing to good effect. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

We saw this male Montezuma Quail on our way into California Gulch late in the tour. This species is patterned to blend into its grassy and rock strewn habitat. Photo by participant Jen Wong.

One of the male Lucifer Hummingbirds seen at the late Mary Jo's place at the south end of the Huachucas. Lucifer Hummingbirds have recently become a bit more plentiful in southern Arizona. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

A couple of the interesting hummingbird species seen, with a male Calliope Hummingbird on the left that was at the George Walker House and a stunning Violet-crowned Hummingbird showing off at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds. Photos by participant Jen Wong.

A couple of the raptors seen on the trip. The Golden Eagle on the right put on a wonderful show for us in Box Canyon on our first full day. The Zone-tailed Hawk on the left was elusive for much of the tour and it wasn't until the trip to the airport that one came close and gave us wonderful views. Photos by guide Chris Benesh.

Another species that has recently become much more common in southeast Arizona is Gray Hawk. Once somewhat limited to a few riparian areas, this species is now more widespread, breeding in most mountain canyons. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

This Whiskered Screech-Owl was the second screeh-owl species seen during our nighttime excursion in Miller Canyon. Photo by participant Jen Wong.

This Northern Pygmy-Owl has a somewhat annoyed look to it. This species is made up of a complex of populations that may well be split some day. If that happens, this will likely become the Mountain Pygmy-Owl. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

A wonderful portrait of the flashy Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher. This species is a cavity nester and is one of the latest birds to return in the Spring from its wintering grounds in South America. Photo by participant Jen Wong.

This Thick-billed Kingbird on territory at Fort Huachuca was a bit of a surprise. This species is still considered a scarce breeder here, but is becoming more widespread. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

We had pretty good luck with Mexican Chickadee up high in the Chiricahuas where it is a member of many of the mixed flocks there. Photo by participant Jen Wong.

Not long out of the nest, this juvenile Canyon Wren explores a woodpile in Portal. Photo by participant Jen Wong.

One of the Black-capped Gnatcatchers seen in Montosa Canyon. Once considered a rarity, this species is now found in most suitable canyons at the right elevation and habitat. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

One somewhat haggard-looking Bendire's Thrasher seen on Stateline Road. This species is local in distribution on our tour route. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

Five stripes or only four. Two attractive sparrows, the Five-striped Sparrow on the left and the Black-throated Sparrow on the right, defy the notion that sparrows are drab. The Five-striped is the rarer of the two, but has recently been found in several areas away from its traditional haunts. Photos by guide Chris Benesh.

A nice portrait of a Rufous-crowned Sparrow. We heard many more than we saw, but a few, like this one, did show well. Photo by participant Jen Wong.

This Painted Redstart showed well as it crept along this thick limb seeking out insects in Huahuca Canyon. Photo by participant Jen Wong.

This male Lazuli Bunting was one of several seen. This species arrives in large numbers during the late summer to molt. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

There is nothing quite like a good study of Varied Bunting. The lighting is crucial, as they can appear black in some lights, yet really pop in good light. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

This interesting bird is a hybrid Abert's x Canyon Towhee. In addition to having had an intermediate sounding voice, it has intermediate plumage features too. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

The largest of the North American hares and jackrabbits in this Antelope Jackrabbit. This one was seen near Nogales. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

A Mexican Fox Squirrel of the chiricahuae subspecies that is restricted to the Chiricahua Mountains. Other subspecies live in Mexico. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

This young horned lizard turned out to be a Greater Short-horned Lizard, one of three species occuring in the Chiricahuas. Photo by guide Chris Benesh.

And lastly, in the creepy-crawly category, we did come across some interesting invertebrates during our evening excursions. We saw two species of tarantulas, the Tucson Bronze (upper left) and the Desert Blond (upper right). We also saw a large specimen of the Tohono Vinegaroon (lower left), a harmless but scary looking critter. Finally, we did a bit of black-lighting on a couple of nights and came across a few scorpion species. The one pictured is Pseudouroctonus apacheanus, first described from the Chiricahuas and found in a few sky islands in oak-pine woodlands. Photos by guide Chris Benesh.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Totals for the tour: 190 bird taxa and 16 mammal taxa