August 3-12, 2026 with Alex Sundvall
The monsoons across the deserts and canyons of Southeast Arizona provide a new experience for birders traveling to the region. These late summer rains provide necessary moisture for the region to revitalize the landscape. The desert turns green and almost lush with new plant growth, the birds are singing again in full song, and some species are breeding for the first or second times as this Second Spring breathes a new life here. From a birder’s perspective: this is one of the best times to be here, with numerous species being easiest now versus other times of the year, like Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Varied Buntings, and Cassin’s Sparrows. The near-daily rains can create some challenges however, and we certainly experienced those challenges firsthand on this trip. From closed and washed-out roads, to a complete loss of power for over 24 hours in Portal, this was not as smooth of a tour as any of us hoped for! The birds more than made up for these challenges however, with us observing 180 species in our short time together. As a group, we decided that the Varied Bunting at our feet, territorial Coppery-tailed Trogons, Red-faced Warblers, and Five-striped Sparrows were our favorite birds of the trip. But it’s hard to narrow it down to so few!
From myself and all of us at Field Guides, we’d like to thank you for choosing us for your Arizona birding adventure. This tour really had its hiccups and without the patience and humor shown by all of you, it really could have been a dud! I had a lovely time with all of you, and I hope we can reconnect again somewhere down the birding trail soon! What follows is a detailed account of our travels together throughout Southeast Arizona.
Day 1: Our first afternoon, we braved the heat and ventured into the Saguaro Forests of the Tucson Mountain Park, hoping that the birds would be as silly as us to be out and about in the 105°F heat. Thankfully, the desert is their home and there was a very vocal pair of Gilded Flickers right as we got out of the van. Unfortunately for us, they felt the need to stay in the shade and never made themselves visible for too long before retreating from the fiery sunbeams. The pair of Black-tailed Gnatcatchers were a bit more cooperative, giving us some great views of their diagnostic darker undertail and expressive eyebrows. Nothing else was really happening here (the car thermometer read as high as 111°!), so we made our way southward toward Green Valley and the Desert Meadows Park. This community park and garden is a favorite spot for Costa’s Hummingbirds, but they aren’t always the most cooperative. What were cooperative there were the Broad-billed Hummingbirds, Abert’s Towhees, Verdin, and Gambel’s Quail (I love their little legs). A real highlight was a fabulous male Phainopepla coming to drink from a birdbath. Finally, after looping around a little, Eileen spotted a young male Costa’s Hummingbird! An incredibly successful afternoon of birding despite the high heat, even though it was a dry heat. After dinner we had planned to head out to Box Canyon to try and find a Buff-collared Nightjar. Mother Nature had other plans however and delivered a certified toad-floater of a storm, with some of the worst winds I’ve ever driven in! It was very impressive, but did put a kibosh on anything we had planned for this evening.
Day 2: We packed our first full day of birding together with as much as we could, starting with a trip up towards Mount Lemmon. The scenery was spectacular as we wound our way up into the highlands. Our first birding stop was along the Mount Bigelow Rd, where we encountered a lovely flock of songbirds, including Mountain Chickadee, all three possible species of Nuthatch, Red Crossbills, and a menagerie of warblers in Hermit, Grace’s, Red-faced, and Olive! I’ve always said that Red-faced is a bird you need to see in person, as photos never do it justice, and I think everyone agrees with me now! That red absolutely glows, and we got to see that up close and personal. The raptors were no slouch up there either! As soon as we stepped out of the van, we had the continuing pair of Short-tailed Hawks kiting right over the trees, and a little farther up the road we had a young American Goshawk give us quite the show as it caught a thermal and started soaring overhead. After some quick views of some Steller’s Jays, Brown Creeper, and some more flyover Red Crossbills, we headed back down the mountain towards Tucson. Since we were so successful so quickly, we decided to stop at Molino Basin, the only spot on the itinerary where we'd even have a remote shot at a Gray Vireo. Thankfully, we only had to walk about a quarter mile up the trail until we could hear one, and then eventually spot it, with everyone getting great scope views of this bird! After a quick lunch in town, we made our way out towards Portal, stopping along the way at the famous Lake Cochise. Here, we found a nice variety of shorebirds, including big flocks of American Avocets, Baird’s Sandpipers, and Wilson’s Phalaropes (who knew they even spun when foraging on land?!) On the songbird side of things, we found a small flock of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Lazuli Buntings, Lark Sparrows, Chihuahuan Meadowlarks, Chihuahuan Ravens, and a couple Ash-throated Flycatchers. The real stars of the show there however, were a very bold Black-crowned Night Heron fishing in the open right next to the van, and a Bendire’s Thrasher right next to the road! After all that, it was time to make the final push towards Portal, getting a couple bonus birds in New Mexico along the way. Unfortunately, while we were at dinner yet another massive storm came bursting through, ripping out 17(!!!) power poles along the highway, effectively stranding us without power. It was a very uncomfortable night with no AC and everyone desperately wanting a shower.
Day 3: No power for breakfast means no coffee, so everyone was pretty mellow today (on top of not great sleep). We made a quick comfort stop at some porta-potties which quickly turned into a birding stop with a calling Crissal Thrasher off in the scrub! Unfortunately, it didn’t want to show itself, so we had to watch the Black-throated Sparrow families and Blue Grosbeak instead. From here we headed all the way up-slope and into the high-country pine-oak zone. We made a quick stop at the Turkey Creek crossing where we saw our first of many Mexican Chickadees. Every day in the mountains is different: sometimes these are everywhere and other times they are nowhere! Next on the morning agenda was Pinery Canyon, where we spent the better part of two hours walking up and down the road. Some of the chokecherries were fruiting, which was attracting a host of species including Hepatic and Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Spotted Towhees. Around all the flock activity were Painted Redstarts, Red-faced Warblers, and most importantly, a Buff-breasted Flycatcher. This species, like the chickadee, is incredibly local in the US, with just a few canyons here they call home. Our only other shot at them would have been in Carr Canyon, but the road up to the top of that canyon has been quickly deteriorating in the monsoonal rains so it was quite a relief to hear one calling and eventually see it! Before heading back down the mountain towards Portal, we made a quick stop at Rustler Park where we spotted some Red Crossbills, Western Bluebirds, Greater Pewees, and enjoyed a few flyby Band-tailed Pigeons; the only truly native pigeon to the US. Normally after lunch I like to give folks some time off to relax, but since there was no power in the rooms yet there wasn’t much relaxing to be had! Instead, we decided to go feeder watching at the Southwest Research Station hoping to see a few of their hummingbirds. This historically has been a great place to see Blue-throated Mountain-gems, of which there were plenty for us! This area has also had continuing rarities in White-eared and Berylline Hummingbirds, of which we saw both! The Berylline was pretty slippery however, with most of the group missing out on its brief appearance. After waiting a while in the hopes it would come back in, we slowly drove around looking for Montezuma Quail and Thick-billed Kingbird with no success. Mercifully as we arrived into Portal for dinner, the power had come back on and we enjoyed a relaxing evening of showers, air conditioning, and being able to charge things once again!
Day 4: Oh, what a beautiful thing coffee in the morning is. After a more satisfying breakfast and a much better night's sleep, we headed up into the south fork of Cave Creek Canyon, where we spent the majority of the morning birding up and down the canyon path. Mercifully, the intense rain from the night before had cooled temperatures to a bearable 71° to start the hike (it would climb to over 90° by the time we were done). Getting to the canyon early meant it was a little quiet, both for people and birds, but pretty soon after starting the hike we heard one of the major targets of the morning: the newly re-renamed Coppery-tailed Trogon. Crack a bird book from 50 or so years ago like the 2nd Edition of the NatGeo guide, and you’ll find Coppery-tailed Trogon there instead of Elegant Trogon. Now, they’ve decided to re-split the species, and Elegant is restricted to Central America and Coppery-tailed has been resurrected as the species name for the ones in Mexico and the United States. After hearing them call for a while, we finally were able to track one down for some scope views. We chased Trogons around all morning until everyone had acceptable views of the birds, but they were largely uncooperative. Flying around and calling constantly made them easy to keep tabs on, but as soon as we’d find a window to take a picture they’d leave! While searching for the Trogons, we also heard an incredible rarity in a continuing Eared Quetzal. This is a very rare species from Mexico that only rarely is found in the Chiricahuas, and while we didn’t get a chance to see it, it was amazing to share the same airspace as it for a short amount of time. Also along the trail this morning were Bridled Titmice, Bushtits, a very cooperative Grace’s Warbler, lots of Painted Redstarts, and a pair of Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers. Before heading to lunch, we made another unsuccessful attempt at seeing the Berylline Hummingbird at SWRS. After lunch we took a short siesta and then headed to the historic George Walker House in Paradise, getting a great show from their Juniper Titmice, Rivoli’s Hummingbirds, and Arizona Woodpecker. Unfortunately, our after-dinner owling adventure today was cut short by the rain, but we did manage to hear really well both Whiskered and Western Screech-Owls.
Day 5: Today we said goodbye to Portal and made our slow journey towards Sierra Vista. Our first stop was at Bob Rodrigues’s feeders, where we saw a bunch of the desert and lowland birds very well. We had great comparative looks at Northern Cardinal and Pyrrhuloxia, and Curve-billed and Crissal Thrasher. His yard was teeming with birds, with big families of Black-throated Sparrows, House Finches, and Gambel’s Quails all running around. After a great start to the morning, we headed to Rick Taylor’s place in the secluded East Whitetail Canyon, where we hoped to spot a Lucifer Hummingbird, something that has gotten quite a lot rarer in Arizona in recent years. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long to see a shiny adult male, but it did take a while for the other hummingbirds to stop pushing it around. Size-wise it doesn’t look terribly small, but by weight it is second only to Calliope! At his seed feeders we picked up a few new ones for us in Bullock’s Orioles and a Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Next was the long drive out to Willcox for lunch and another lap around Lake Cochise. We didn’t spot anything new here, so it was an abbreviated trip, but it’s always nice to see large concentrations of American Avocets, Wilson’s Phalaropes, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Driving through Sulphur Springs, we picked up a few great raptors with awesome looks at Swainson’s and Harris’s Hawks and even American Barn Owl! A quick stop later to the Benson STP (is it really a birding trip without a visit to a sewage lagoon?) finally got us some ducks with Mexican Ducks and Ruddy Ducks in near breeding plumage being some highlights, and even a pair of Snowy Egrets! And how could I forget about those European Starlings mixed in with a flock of Great-tailed Grackles. From here it was only a short drive to settle into our hotel in Sierra Vista and to prepare for the following day’s adventures.
Day 6: We started the morning pre-breakfast with a quick jaunt through a nearby neighborhood that cuts through some native grasslands in the hopes of a few different species of sparrows. Within moments of getting out of the van, we were greeted with an incredibly cooperative Botteri’s Sparrow singing atop a bush just feet away from us. With a successful start to the morning, we headed back to our hotel for breakfast, only to be greeted by a Greater Roadrunner in the parking lot as we arrived! After breakfast, the rest of our morning was spent in Miller Canyon where we hoped to find a continuing Flame-colored Tanager. Unfortunately, the tanager had other plans that day and went MIA the entire day. There were plenty of other birds in the canyon however, with Zone-tailed Hawk, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Bridled Titmouse, and Plumbeous Vireo being some highlights. After our hike, we spent about an hour sitting at Beatty’s hummingbird feeders enjoying the 7 different species sampling the nectar, including a new for us Violet-crowned Hummingbird. After an afternoon break from the heat, we headed over into Ramsey Canyon for a late afternoon walk before they closed. Right above the visitor center we noticed a Violet-crowned Hummingbird sitting, tending to a nest of two fresh babies! As we walked the trails of the preserve, three things stand out in memory as being truly spectacular. The first was the Virginia’s Warbler being so close and cooperative I was able to digiscope it as it foraged in the barberry. This is often a skulky and secretive species, so getting even a halfway decent look is considered an accomplishment, and the looks we had were sublime! Deeper into the canyon, we found a Canyon Wren sitting on a low rock wall just off the path, another species that is often heard rather than seen. And finally, on our way back to the parking lot, we finally had our better looks at Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, a species that had been more or less evading our binoculars until now! As we drove out the winding road down the canyon towards dinner, we stopped for a family of Eastern Bluebirds, which here are the Mexican Azure Bluebirds, a possible future split. While our original plan was to go owling tonight, the van’s AC suddenly decided to stop working. Hopefully it magically fixes itself in the morning…
Day 7: What do you know, the van’s AC decided to work again this morning! But for some reason, the van’s ceiling seems lower, and suddenly there’s another back seat where there was cargo space before… At any rate, today we left Sierra Vista behind, heading towards Patagonia and Nogales. Our first stop of the morning was at the Las Cienegas Grasslands, well known for its sparrows and other open country birds. Here we managed a clean sweep of all the potential species, including numerous Cassin’s Sparrows, a Grasshopper Sparrow, Lark Sparrows, Loggerhead Shrikes, and massive migrating flocks of hundreds of Lark Buntings! Upon arriving in Patagonia, we stopped for a quick bathroom break, where we spotted one of the local Mississippi Kites catching dragonflies above the town square! We then headed down to Harshaw Canyon where we hoped for a Rose-throated Becard that was sometimes seen around the creek. Unfortunately for us, the heat of the day had already begun to settle in and there wasn’t much activity. We did find a couple of Northern Beardless-Tyrannulets, Lazuli Buntings, and our first Gray Hawk. After lunch, we headed to the famous Paton’s Center for Hummingbirds, and while we had already seen a couple Violet-crowned Hummingbirds, it’s always nice to see more! Their yard is great for more than just hummingbirds however, and we got lucky with a few sightings here in Thick-billed Kingbird, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Common Ground Dove, Abert’s Towhee, a Varied Bunting, and multiple Yellow-breasted Chats! After checking in to the hotel, we spent the last bit of daylight before dinner checking out Peña Blanca Lake. While there wasn’t anything unusual on the lake today, we did finally get some good looks at Brown-crested Flycatchers and Bell’s Vireos. After dinner, we finally had a decent evening so we headed back towards Peña Blanca and found a family of Western Screech-Owls just off the side of the road.
Day 8: Today’s main focus was to find a Five-striped Sparrow and see what we could find along the Santa Cruz River. Our first stop heading north from Nogales was at the Amado WTP, where we found a handful of ducks including Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, Mexican Ducks, and a continuing Ring-necked Duck. On the wires around the WTP were a pair of Tropical Kingbirds, with a Gray Hawk sitting in a tree in the distance. From here we headed into Montosa Canyon where we hoped to find that sparrow. Not only did we have great views of a pair of Five-striped Sparrows, but we had another great encounter with a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet and a male Varied Bunting nearly at our feet! After a very successful morning, we headed southward to Santa Gertrudis Lane, where we had a Kingbird sweep, Rufous-winged Sparrow, Lucy’s Warblers, and a few Vermilion Flycatchers. After lunch, the weather continued to be a challenge for us, being too hot in the midafternoon, and with impending rain closer to evening. We made a break for Patagonia State Park to see if there were any birds around the spillway. Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived the skies turned gloomy and we stuck around the parking lot. That didn’t mean we didn’t get any birds, with Greater Roadrunners, Varied Bunting, and Common Ground Dove being some highlights. Before we stopped for dinner, we made a quick pass by the Nogales Walmart where we saw the local Cliff Swallow colony, both with the American and Mexican Cliff Swallows.
Day 9: Our final day of birding together found us leaving Nogales early after breakfast and heading straight north to Madera Canyon. Our Trogon luck hadn’t been the best in Cave Creek, so we headed up the Carrie Nation Trail in the hopes to get better looks here. We spent the whole morning hiking up the trail where we found two gorgeous males feuding over a territory and flying around us from perch to perch. A much better experience than the days prior! Throw in some final experiences with Red-faced Warblers and Painted Redstarts and it was a very lovely morning! We spent the rest of the time before lunch sitting at the Santa Rita Lodge enjoying some ice cream and watching their feeders. While the pure Berylline Hummingbird never made an appearance, the hybrid did a few times, causing quite the stir every time it did! We also had fabulous looks at Anna’s and Rivoli’s Hummingbirds, Arizona Woodpeckers, Hooded Orioles, and Hepatic Tanagers. After lunch, we headed to the hotel to check in and after an extended break, planned a picnic dinner at Proctor Road with a last-ditch effort to try and get some owling in. The picnic was lovely, with the stunning backdrop of Madera Canyon and the Santa Ritas. Very birdy too, with a Zone-tailed Hawk flying over our heads, singing Botteri’s Sparrows and Varied Buntings, and lots of Lesser Nighthawks as the evening progressed. We decided to make our first stop at the base of Box Canyon where a Buff-collared Nightjar had taken residency for the summer. Mere minutes after getting out of the van the Nightjar started singing, getting closer and closer. Not wanting to waste too much time, we made our way back towards Madera Canyon when the skies opened and almost immediately flooded the roads. Seeing this as a sign to not be too greedy tonight, we headed back to the hotel to get a good rest before flying home the following day!
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/587547
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/azs26bTRIPLIST.pdf
-- Alex