The Elegant Trogon is, in so many ways, the classic target bird in southeastern Arizona. We had an incredible trip for this stunner! Here's a male photographed by guide Cory Gregory.
This summer marks another year in which we ran a very successful trip throughout southeastern Arizona during the "second spring" season when the monsoon rains arrive. The birding on our trip was dynamic and full of fantastic, colorful, and rare specialties. Although the variable nature of the monsoonal rains meant the Chiricahuas were drier than average, some other regions were still very active and lush. Overall though, we did very well and tallied nearly 170 species in a short amount of time.
Our trip together started in Tucson where we first took an afternoon drive up into Tucson Mountain Park. Although it was hot out, the birding was pretty good too! We came away with some important target species like Gilded Flicker, which is a Saguaro specialist, and the range restricted Rufous-winged Sparrow. Afterwards, we enjoyed our first dinner together in a lovely and historical setting in downtown Tucson.
The next morning we packed up and started on our way, birding first at Box Canyon where we encountered one of the rarest sparrows in all of the US, the Five-striped Sparrow. Not only did we get a look, we got REALLY good looks. Meanwhile, a beautiful Varied Bunting warbled nearby. Down the road we paused for some Thick-billed Kingbirds, a Hooded Oriole, and other eye-candy like Vermilion Flycatcher. And farther yet down the road, roadrunner! Our stop at the Benson ponds was exciting, we found a Clark's Grebe! The locals came chasing and thankfully the bird stuck around for quite a while. We also spied Eared Grebe, Baird's Sandpiper, and more Cassin's Kingbirds at the ponds before we had to depart. On our way eastward, we also stopped at the unworldly Texas Canyon with its giant, house-sized boulders. Farther east, near Willcox, we tracked down Harris's Hawk before starting to bird at the famed Willcox ponds. We quickly tallied 8 species of shorebirds including hundreds of Wilson's Phalaropes, as well as a nice mix of waterfowl, herons, and some Chihuahuan Meadowlarks. Before long though, it was time to make our way to Portal, our home for the next several nights!
Our trip recorded a very impressive 12 different species of hummingbirds! One of the several rare species we encountered was the ever-popular and gaudy Lucifer Hummingbird. Photo by guide Cory Gregory.
After our picnic breakfast in Portal (and additional Thick-billed Kingbird viewing), we headed for the high elevation portions of the Chiricahuas where we sought several rare specialties. Right off the bat we found Mexican Chickadees, Painted Redstarts, Black-throated Gray Warblers, and even a Virginia's Warbler. One highlight was hearing a singing Northern Pygmy-Owl down the slope and even though it remained hidden, it was great to hear. Elsewhere in the upper reaches of the Chiricahuas, we found many quintessential species such as Montezuma Quail, Yellow-eyed Junco, Grace's Warbler, and Hepatic Tanager. After a relaxing siesta during the heat of the day, we drove to Paradise where we birded at the George Walker House. Yes, we encountered the star of the show, the White-eared Hummingbird, but also came away with great looks at Bridled Titmouse, Arizona Woodpecker, and many other species of hummingbirds. That evening, we tracked down some nightbirds as well including Lesser Nighthawk and Common Poorwill.
With the new day ahead of us in the picturesque Cave Creek, we started our birding in the famed South Fork. Although we enjoyed the company of numerous new species, the real reason to be there was a chunky, green, red, and black bird. Yes, Elegant Trogon! Not only did we get views, we had a phenomenal encounter with a male while nearby even more males were singing. After we had our fill of the trogons, we switched gears and found the avifauna of Cave Creek really had come to life; Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers squeaked overhead, Blue-throated Mountain-gems chirped and zoomed by, Western Wood-Pewees sang their mournful songs, and a Painted Redstart flitted up and down a tree trunk. A quick visit to the Southwestern Research Station was in order because it was the best place to track down another rare hummer, the Berylline Hummingbird. It didn't take long before it came in and we got to study the interesting rufous in the wings. During the rest of the day, we added more sightings to our list such as Scaled Quail and a variety of feeder birds from a couple different feeder setups in and around Portal: towhees, thrashers, hummers, sparrows, Pyrrhuloxias, Cactus Wrens, and more.
The following morning was our departure from Portal. We opted to go up and over the mountains in order to try for some new things. What we ended up doing was helping out a motorcyclist who had crashed! Luckily he was fine but felt lucky we came by. We ended up having lunch in Bisbee before continuing westward to the Huachucas. Our first stop there was the famed Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary. At least 4 different species of hummingbirds were tallied but one of them was the rare and local Lucifer Hummingbird! Meanwhile, Bridled Titmice flitted around, a Bushtit came in for a drink, and the army of Anna's Hummingbird dominated the scene.
Devilishly tricky to find when you want to, the Montezuma Quail is always high on the wishlists of visiting birders. Our group was lucky and got to watch a male for quite a while! Photo by participant Dick Stilwell.
Today we ventured up into the mountains to put ourselves in a new place and different habitat. The main spot for us was Miller Canyon. Over the course of the morning, we spent many hours hiking up, exploring, and visiting the feeder setup at the Beatty's. Highlights were many; a Zone-tailed Hawk passed overhead, a Greater Pewee showed briefly overhead, Hutton's Vireos and Bewick's Wrens sang nearby, and Spotted Towhees were constant companions. At the feeders, we enjoyed taking a break along with 5 species of hummingbird including a gorgeous Violet-crowned Hummingbird. After lunch and a siesta, we went back out and birded a bit in the grasslands. We got photos of a nice Chihuahuan Meadowlark, which is a fairly new split, and heard many Cassin's Sparrows singing out in the yucca-dotted grasslands. That evening, we climbed up into the canyons a little bit where we had a super encounter with a Whiskered Screech-Owl! Although the monsoon rain was lurking and started to fall, it couldn't dampen the mood of such a cool owl experience.
We had some flexibility the next morning and so we took a drive up to St. David where we eventually found a whole family group of Mississippi Kites! We watched and photographed them as they perched, sunned themselves, soared overhead, the whole nine yards. Back in the Huachucas, we birded in the famed Ramsey Canyon for a bit which was all it took to tally Buff-breasted and Sulphur-bellied flycatchers, Painted Bunting, and a Blue-throated Mountain-gem on a nest! From here, we drove westward into the town of Patagonia where we enjoyed lunch. Afterwards, it was down into Harshaw Canyon where we got lucky and relocated the continuing Rose-throated Becard! A Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet showed nicely while yet another pair of Thick-billed Kingbirds quarreled nearby. But in the heat of the day, it was pretty warm and so we retreated to Patagonia and enjoyed the shade at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds all the while seeing more Violet-crowned Hummingbirds, Inca Doves, Abert's Towhees, and even Mississippi Kites. A brief stop at the famous Patagonia Roadside Rest yielded a few White-throated Swifts before we made our way down into Nogales, our home for a couple of nights.
Today we had a full day to explore the lush riparian corridors and the Patagonia area. We started out by first visiting Patagonia Lake State Park where we birded our way down the path and tallied Bell's Vireo, Lucy's Warbler, and a few others. We then made our way south, around, and back north up the I-19 corridor. We added Tropical Kingbird, Common Ground Dove, Lark Sparrow, and Brown-crested Flycatcher at some riparian spots, but also added Black-bellied Whistling-Duck and Lazuli Bunting at the Amado WTP. Later that morning we visited the scenic Montosa Canyon targeting a few more species we needed. Although we didn't need to see Five-striped Sparrow again, there was one singing away! And yes, we did come away after adding Rock and Canyon wrens. A quick stop before lunch in Green Valley netted us a Costa's Hummingbird, our 12th species of hummingbird of the trip! After lunch we had time to bird some of the grasslands below Madera Canyon and ended up getting good Botteri's and Cassin's sparrows. But in the heat of the day, resting in the shade and watching the feeders in Madera Canyon seemed like a great option. It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon before returning to Nogales.
Breeding at only a few spots in the entire United States, the Five-striped Sparrow is one of the rarest breeders in the Lower 48. We couldn't have gotten better views than we did on our very first full day of birding! Photo by guide Cory Gregory.
Today, although the final day of the trip, was still filled with birding. We started right out of the gate and visited the dog park in Nogales where we had a quick Ash-throated Flycatcher and a flyby Painted Bunting among numerous Lazuli Buntings. To the north, we walked around the pond at Canoa Ranch and tallied a quick 22 species which included Lucy's Warbler, Vermilion Flycatcher, Yellow Warbler, and Blue Grosbeak. But at this point, our flexibility allowed us to call an audible and make an attempt for a couple of major targets; we were headed north up to Mount Lemmon! We watched as the saguaros thinned out as we climbed up. In the shade and pleasant temperatures of Rose Canyon, we finally connected with the unique Olive Warbler and the gorgeous Red-faced Warbler. Whew!
It was a pleasure birding with you folks and I hope you made some fun memories as we explored one of the most popular birding destinations during the monsoonal "second spring". A big thanks to the main Field Guides office for dealing with the many logistics, and, of course, a thanks to each of you for choosing Field Guides! Until we meet on a future tour, be safe and good birding!
