July 21-30, 2024 with Chris Benesh
The Arizona's Second Spring Tour is geared to take advantage of the breeding activity that takes place once the summer monsoon rains kick in in July. In 2024 our tour coincided with some active monsoon. We were seldom rained out, but we did get to observe some good monsoon action. We met up at our Tucson hotel on the first afternoon and headed off to the Tucson Mountains in search of a few desert specialties. Our main target was Gilded Flicker, and after a bit of work, we managed to track one down. We also had our first Pyrrhuloxia, Black-tailed Gnatcatchers, Rufous-winged Sparrow, Cactus Wren, and more. We then headed to Sweetwater Wetlands where we had a short stay before an approaching thunderstorm sent us on our way. We did manage a few birds beforehand, most notably Tropical Kingbird.
The next morning, we picked up a few birds right at the hotel before heading in the direction the Santa Catalina Mountains. We spent a couple of hours birding different sections of the road into Rose Canyon Lake. The birding was pretty good. We picked up some specialties like Red-faced Warbler, Grace’s Warbler, Western Flycatcher, Greater Pewee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Painted Redstart, etc. We then headed to the Mt. Bigelow Road which was really great. There was a very large, diverse flock that kept us entertained. Short-tailed Hawk put in an appearance and we had a really good Olive Warbler here. We then headed back into Tucson, stopping at a Harris’s Hawk nesting area. Then it was time to head east. We made a stop at Lake Cochise in Willcox and picked up a number of waterbirds. There were lots of stilts and avocets, and two Long-billed Curlews, and perhaps up to 100 Baird’s Sandpipers. From there we made the long drive to Portal, our lodging for the next three nights.
We started off the next morning birding along the Portal Road and Stateline Road. We had a great study of Bendire’s Thrashers on both roads. We also had some nice looks at a few other desert grassland species. We stopped in at Willow Tank. Things were a bit slow there, but there were a couple of perched Golden Eagles to enjoy. When we arrived back at the lodge there was a territorial Thick-billed Kingbird calling there. We headed up the South Fork of Cave Creek and had a nice mix of specialties. Elegant Trogon topped the list. We had a great male. There was also Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Arizona Woodpecker, Hepatic Tanagers, Blue-throated Mountain-gem, and Mexican Jays. That afternoon we stopped off at Bob Rodrigues’s feeders. A decent mix of birds, including a Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay. Then we headed over to the feeders at Dave Jasper’s home. A really nice mix of birds including a few orioles. That evening, we met up with Dave Jasper to do a bit of nightbirding. We heard a Mexican Whip-poor-will and had a great look at a Whiskered Screech-Owl. Then it was off to bed with a Great Horned Owl as a parting gift.
The following day we headed into the high country. A Montezuma Quail provided a welcome distraction on our way up. After digging the van out of the soft spot I had backed up against, we continued our journey. Greater Pewee, Virginia’s Warbler, Band-tailed Pigeon, Yellow-eyed Juncos, Red-faced Warbler, Hermit Warbler, and then Mexican Chickadee! The afternoon began with a visit to the Southwestern Research Station. Here we watched feeders for hummers. Blue-throated Mountain-gems showed well, and Berylline Hummingbird paid us a visit. While waiting, Keith spotted a Bobcat walking silently in the creek bed behind us. We also had our first Rivoli’s Hummingbird here. We then headed back to Dave Jasper’s feeders for more action. That evening we went out to an Elf Owl nest site and saw one of them peering out from its nest hole.
The next morning, we had a furtive Crissal Thrasher along the Paradise Road. We then headed to the George Walker House to watch feeders there. The White-eared Hummingbird was a no-show for us. But we had a terrific Arizona Woodpecker there. Then it was time to say goodbye to the Chiricahuas. We stopped for lunch in Bisbee and then headed to St. David to poke around. We saw some nesting Chihuahuan Ravens on the way. We also had our first Gray Hawk there. The afternoon was designated for Ash Canyon, staking out Lucifer Hummingbird. We had our first sighting less than 30 minutes later. Whew! It was really good site to study a variety of Anna’s Hummingbirds.
The next morning, we headed into Miller Canyon to try for Flame-colored Tanagers. In the end, the best we could do was hearing them. But there were other nice species to keep us engaged. We then spent some time at the hummingbird feeders where the star performer was a territorial Violet-crowned Hummingbird. In the afternoon we headed out to the Sonoita grasslands for sparrows. We connected with Botteri’s and Cassin’s, Chihuahuan Meadowlarks, Scaled Quail, and the locally rare Common Nighthawk!
After a brief visit to the San Pedro House area the following morning we headed to Ramsey Canyon for a morning of birding. Here we were treated to nesting Violet-crowned Hummingbird, more Elegant Trogons, and a Buff-breasted Flycatcher, a species that had been eluding us. This was a travel day for us, and on route we made a stop in Patagonia for nesting Mississippi Kite. We also spent some time at the Paton’s Center for Hummingbirds. Really good Yellow-breasted Chat here, and more Violet-crowned Hummingbird action. We then headed up Harshaw Creek Road and found the nesting Rose-throated Becard there.
The next day we were headed to Montosa Canyon. A brief stop at the Amado Ponds yielded Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks. In the canyon, we connected with Five-striped Sparrow and Varied Bunting. It was quite a scenic spot to spend some time.
Our last full day of birding found us heading back up to Patagonia and Harshaw Creek to try and connect with Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, which we thankfully did. We saw the becard again in drier conditions, as well as really good Thick-billed Kingbird again. We then paid a visit to Santa Gertrudis Lane and the de Anza Trail. Trail conditions were horrible, and the wise ones turned back to avoid the muddy conditions. The smart move was to head to Green Valley and Desert Meadow Park, where we enjoyed Costa’s Hummingbird and a cooperative Greater Roadrunner. We then headed up into Madera Canyon for a last shot of Zone-tailed Hawk which had eluded us the entire tour. We failed in our efforts, but did connect with a Peregrine Falcon for our efforts.
It was a real treat birding with all of you on this trip and for the most part, things ran smoothly and the birds provided. I wish you all good health and many more wonderful birding adventures.
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/296512
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/azs24aTRIPLIST.pdf
-- Chris Benesh