Few places spur the imagination of North American birders the way that Southeastern Arizona does. There are a lot of great birding spots scattered across the country, but in that relatively small stretch from Phoenix south to the Mexican border, the mouth-watering array of birds available to the traveling birder is unrivaled.
Over the past few years, my life circumstances have finally morphed to the point where I could plan some “birding travel” trips. After a few decades of hearing about places like Ramsey Canyon, Patagonia and California Gulch, southeastern Arizona grabbed the number one spot as my top domestic target location.
These places and others in the “Sky Islands” provide unique birding experiences for American birders. The region is veined with mountain ranges and canyons that extend upward from Mexico, and these act as conduits for the flora and fauna from south of the border to range into Arizona. These mountain ranges are separated from each other by extensive grasslands, dry brushlands or deserts, and in that sense they are islands that reach up and touch the sky. Additionally, the mild winter climate and variety of habitats, are a lure to birds migrating down from the central and western regions of North America.
I set my first trip to the area for February 2016, choosing a winter visit so I could experience a gradual introduction to the area and not be overwhelmed by the quantity of new birds I expected to encounter there. The following year I returned in early May, hoping to catch some of the returning spring migrants and breeders as well as the Mexican specialties that withdraw to south of the border in winter. Most recently, I birded the area in August 2019 during the summer monsoon season, when short bursts of heavy rain bring about blooms in the deserts and grasslands, and cause a second breeding season, this one mainly for sparrows and hummingbirds.
These trips have mainly consisted of solo travel- I get to the area on my own, and most days I have the freedom to set my itinerary, or change it based on e—bird reports, or the weather, or whim. However, I timed the last two trips to coincide with the Southwest Wings Birding Festival because I wanted a guide for my first trips to the Chiricahua Mountains and to California Gulch. So for those two overnighters I birded with a small group of like-minded enthusiasts.
The logical jumping off points for the Sky Island region are Phoenix or Tucson. For Part I, I’ll mainly cover these cities as well as Patagonia and Sierra Vista. Next week I’ll describe the areas west of Nogales, including the Gulch, Green Valley, and the Santa Rita Mountains and the Chiricahuas. There might be a bit of overlap, as the borders aren’t really that clean cut, but hopefully it will make some sense.
Arriving in Phoenix in February puts you close to a couple of specialty species that are easier to find there, but in general its really best to head south toward Tucson and beyond pretty soon after arriving. I spent my arrival day birding in the Phoenix city parks, and that gave me a great intro to species that I had seldom or never seen before. One of the problems that a birder quickly runs in to when birding in these dry, deserty environments, is that there are lots of small, gray-brown birds, and they like to mingle among the flocks of small brown-gray birds. Sorting them out takes some time if you’re new to the area, and you have to be prepared to just spend time working out the common everyday stuff without getting too confused.
A little research revealed that Kiwanis Park in Tempe was a good location for the established exotic Rosy-faced Lovebird, a small parrot native to southwestern Africa, but now found easily in Phoenix and some other warm weather spots around the world. While searching for the lovebird, I bumped into southwest specialties like Curve-billed Thrasher and Verdin.
The next morning I headed west out of the city to the “thrasher corner”, a spot along Baseline Road where three of the harder-to-find thrasher species breed. At this saltbush desert area I was able to turn up two of the three, including the comically long-billed Leconte’s Thrasher.
Most of the specialty birds of the area are easier to find closer to the Mexican border, so I really want to spend the bulk of my time around Tucson and south toward the Mexican border. February is a great time to catch up on sparrows and other grassland birds, as many of the prairie breeders settle in to the grasslands to spend the winter. Brewer’s Sparrow, a pretty plain nondescript little bird, was one that I really wanted to connect with, since there is a good chance of it turning up as a mega-rarity back home on the east coast.
Also high on my wish list was Vermillion Flycatcher. At Catalina State Park I found this one pretending to be a Christmas light.
Phainopeplas, sleek black birds that look sort of like black Cedar Waxwings, were common- perched atop open snags throughout the drier habitats.
Mount Lemmon in Tucson is one of those must see, fabled birding locations. Rising from Sonoran desert at the base, it soars to about 9,000 feet, passing through a range of habitats. As you drive up the highway to the ski village of Summerhaven at the pinnacle, you’ll start out in a Mexican desert, drive through the aspen forests of Colorado, the deep coniferous woodlands of Yellowstone and eventually find scattered snow mounds even in mid May at the peak.
Birding on the mountain is good all year round, but especially in May, when the spectacular Painted Redstarts and Red-faced Warblers are singing on their breeding territories. Olive Warblers, not actually a warbler (nor an olive) are a little more scarce, and I had quick looks at a few birds. Greater Pewee, not only a specialty of southern Arizona, but also a first-class oxymoron, sings it’s song “Josaayy Mariiiaaa” from up high in the pines.
By late summer, local breeders are making the rounds with their family groups. This juvenile Yellow-eyed Junco was part of a mixed species flock at Summerhaven the ski village at the top of Mt Lemmon.
One more must see location in Tucson is Saguaro National Park The park is split into an eastern and western unit, but I’ve only ever been to the eastern section. As you might guess from the name, the park is home to extensive Saguaro cactus “forests” and the “underbrush” is itself a variety of lower cactus and spiny plants.
This national park a great place for Phainopepla, Curve-billed Thrashers, Rock and Cactus Wrens, and interesting herps like Gila Monster. Gila Monsters spend as much as 90% of their lives underground, but will come out to warm themselves on rocks, or, unfortunately, paved roads in springtime. Summer rains also force them out of their burrows.
Because there are quite a few good spots right around Tucson, I’ve overnighted there a few times in order to be able to get to local spots early in the morning.
Below Tucson, I think of the birding areas as falling into three north-south corridors. The westernmost of these passes through Sahuarita to Green Valley to Rio Rico. East of this is the Sonoita to Patagonia to Nogales lane, and east of that is the Fort Huachuca to Sierra Vista corridor. The Santa Rita Mountains and Madera Canyon lie between the center and western corridors, while the Huachuca Mountains and San Rafael Grasslands lie between the two eastern ones. Much further east, near the New Mexico border, are the Chiricahua Mountains and Portal, fantastic areas on their own, but far enough out of the way to require at least two days to reach and to spend a minimum amount of quality time for birding.
My agenda on each of my trips was mostly dictated by current sightings that were being reported, and my desire to put a picture to the names of places that I had only heard about since my early teens. On my first trip, I used Patagonia as my main base of operations, staying at an air BnB in town, and spent time at Patagonia Lake State Park, Pena Blanca Lake near Nogales and the roadways out toward California Gulch, where one of my main target birds, Montezuma Quail, was a real possibility. The quail eluded me that time around, but I did find this Rufous-capped Warbler at Pena Blanca. Rufous-capped is a tropical species that just makes it to northern Mexico, and rarely strays across the border.
Patagonia Lake was good for waterfowl, including a few that I don’t get to see back home, like Cinnamon Teal. Pyrrhuloxias- the desert version of Cardinal- and Broad-billed Hummingbirds were all around the feeders. The very range-restricted Rufous-winged Sparrow was easy to find at the state park.
In Patagonia, the Paton Hummingbird Center is a sure place to see one of the more difficult hummingbird species- Violet-crowned. For some reason- Violet-crowns love it there, and I seldom see them anywhere else. The center is also great for birds like Green-tailed and Abert’s Towhee and Northern Beardless Tyrannulet (a tiny flycatcher with one of the highest name to body length ratios in the bird world). I spent a lot of time checking out the Paton Center’s web cams before I left home so I could practice my hummingbird ID skills ahead of time!
Patagonia is also home to the most famous roadside rest stop in birding. Sometime around 1960, local birders found a nesting pair of Rose-throated Becards at the now- famous roadside rest just south of Patagonia. Becards were almost unknown north of the Mexican border, so a lot of local and not-so local birders came around to see them. In 1961, someone found nesting Thick-billed Kingbirds there as well- the second nesting location in the United States. Lots of birders started making the trek to the “Patagonia Picnic Table”, and more birders meant more discoveries. The second record for Five-striped Sparrows, first of Black-capped Gnatcatchers, a Yellow-green Vireo and a Yellow Grosbeak just kept adding to the excitement. So, today, the term “Patagonia Picnic Table Effect” is widely used to describe the phenomenon- basically a good bird is found and as more birders come to search for it, they find more good birds, drawing more birders etc.
From Patagonia, it’s possible to drive east through Harshaw Canyon and into the San Rafael Grasslands. The canyon is great for some specialty birds, like the Azure Bluebird- a local variety of Eastern Bluebird which may someday be split by ornithologists into a separate species. I also saw a female Elegant Trogon here on my August visit in 2019. The real treat, though, comes as you crest the hill and enter onto the grasslands. The view is spectacular, with waves of grass stretching out to the horizon.
In winter, the grasslands are home to a number of bird species that I really hoped to run into- Baird’s Sparrow and several longspurs are routinely reported. But alas, the birding gods can be fickle, and while I drove and walked, then drove and walked some more, not even a house sparrow popped out of that grassy Eden. Then, as I was leaving, I was granted a reprieve. One bird flew up and landed right in the road and posed for a few photos. My life Sprague’s Pipit- a great bird and pretty unexpected.
There are so many good areas around Sierra Vista that on my later trips I spent more of my time based there. Fort Huachuca, an active US Army fort, is just to the northwest, and a string of “legendary” canyons lie to the south. Huachuca and Garden Canyons are located on the Fort property, and visitors are required to stop and fill out some forms, have a photo taken and get a 30 day access pass before entering. In my times at Huachuca Canyon, I’ve managed to turn up my lifer Elegant Trogons- four males calling and displaying in a clearing not far from the road and, on another trip, one of the few US records for Sinaloa Wren (I wasn’t the original finder- it had been reported for quite a long time in that spot). At nearby Garden Canyon, a trip in May turned up a Flame-colored Tanager, another rare vagrant that I had only seen in Costa Rica. On an August trip with the Southwest Wings birding group, I saw what was probably the rarest bird found on any of the festival trips- an American Redstart! For me, this is literally a backyard bird during migration, but add 2500 miles to the west and the excitement level jumps a few notches!
The canyons to the south of Sierra Vista really are among the top spots for North American birding. Ramsey, Ash, Miller and Carr Canyons have all garnered their share of phenomenal records over the years. Fortunately, good birds turn up there so regularly that if you have a few days and can check internet sources, there’s a real chance that you’ll find something good or you’ll be around when someone else does. I’ve been lucky enough to catch up with Lucifer Hummingbird in Ash Canyon and Tufted Flycatcher in Carr, along with the “regular” local specialties like Buff-breasted Flycatcher and Olive Warbler.
Most of the canyons are accessible by road up to a trail head. Hiking further might be along a paved or gravel path, or a strenuous scramble over rocks. Heading south out of Sierra Vista, Brown Canyon is a great spot to check out the old ranch buildings and surrounding fields for Cassin’s and Botteri’s Sparrows- two birds that fit firmly within that nondescript little brown bird cubbyhole.
Further south, Ramsey Canyon is the first of the famous birding canyons. The road ends at The Nature Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon Preserve. From here, an easy trail loops up into the canyon, which is well-known as a spot for “regular” specialties like Elegant Trogon and Sulfur-bellied Flycatcher, and a regular parade of rarities, like Tufted Flycatcher and White-eared Hummingbird.
Just to the south lies Carr Canyon, which has a reputation of being the most difficult drive in the area. At times steep, often covered in loose gravel, and including miles of switchbacks, it isn’t for the faint of heart.
At the Reef Township Campsite, at elevation of 7200 feet, Olive Warblers, Buff-breasted Flycatchers and other high altitude specialties are singing by mid May. In May of 2017, I saw a Tufted Flycatcher here, a bird that has turned up only a handful of times north of the border.
South of Carr Canyon, Miller is next, and it is home to two well known B&Bs that cater to birders. I’ve really only explored Miller at night, but I’ve heard several owl species up in the canyon along with Mexican Whip-poor-will. Following Miller is Ash Canyon, home to another B&B now run by the Southeast Arizona Bird Observatory, after the unfortunate passing of its long-time owner and caretaker, Mary Jo Ballator. Mary Jo opened her yard to visitors while running a B&B that really focused on birders. Over the years, her yard turned up an amazing array of US birding records, including this Lucifer Hummingbird that I was lucky to find there just before dark Mary Jo sat with the birders that evening and told us to be patient, that the bird would show after 6PM. We soon saw that Mary Jo not only knew birds, she knew THAT bird.
Right in Sierra Vista itself is the San Pedro House, with a visitor’s center and trails through dry grassland and along the San Pedro River. Resident nesting Western Screech Owls have kept visiting birders entertained for some years, and the locally rare Yellow-billed Cuckoo breeds along the river.
Well- I hope you’ve enjoyed Part I of my Arizona journeys, and please come back next week for round II. I’ll leave you with this afternoon view of the San Rafael Grasslands. Thank you- see you next week.