Trip
Information
Date: TBA
Duration: 10
days
Leader: Cam
Gillies
Limit: 12
people
Cost: TBA
From: Tucson,
Arizona
Featured
birds:
• Elegant
Trogon
• Spotted Owl
• Elf Owl
• Red-faced Warbler
• Montezuma Quail
• Painted Redstart
• Magnificent Hummingbird
• Gray Hawk
• Buff-breasted Flycatcher
• Mexican Chickadee
• Juniper Titmouse
Activity
level:
•
Moderate
walking and steep canyon hiking, frequent stops
• Short to moderate driving distances on most days
• Hot temperatures in the desert areas, warm temperatures at higher
elevations
• Good accommodation
• 4 to 8 participants with one leader; 9 to 12 with two leaders
• One or two 15-passenger vans
• Includes all breakfasts & lunches
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Our
tour takes in the best birding locations in Southeastern Arizona, including
Santa Rita, Huachuca and Chiricahua Mountains, Sonoita Creek,
Patagonia, California Gulch, Ramsey Canyon, the San Pedro River,
Madera canyon, and perhaps the most magnificent of all, Cave Creek
Canyon.
We search for the amazingly-plumaged Montezuma Quail, Buff-breasted
Flycatcher, a  plethora
of hummingbirds including White-eared, the fabulous Elegant Trogon
- often the highlight of the trip, Spotted
Owl, Rose-throated
Becard, Thick-billed Kingbird, Five-striped Sparrow, and many more.
See detailed itinerary
below.
Click
here to download list of birds from our most 2004 Arizona tour
Click here to download
a registration form.
Photos: Arizona sunset by Cam Gillies
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Itinerary
Day
1 - Arrival and Orientation
Our trip begins after dinner in Tucson. Night in Tucson.
Day 2 - Santa Catalina
Mountains and Mount Lemmon
We depart early for the Santa Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson. This
mountain range offers some of the most spectacular panoramic scenery
in southeastern Arizona, with impressive opportunities for photography.
We first start out from Tucson along Tanque Verde Road, which traverses
mesquite scrublands and passes spacious homes. Harris’s Hawks and
Vermilion Flycatchers occur along the washes and we should find several
desert species such as Gambel’s Quail, White-winged Dove, Gila
Woodpecker, and Gilded Flicker. Greater Roadrunners also occur in this
area.
We then head toward the foot of the mountain range, passing through areas
of Saguaro Cactus, Palo Verde, Ocotillo and Brittlebush - typical plants
of the Lower Sonoran Life Zone. Verdin, Cactus Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher
and the smart Black-throated Sparrow are widespread in this habitat.
As we approach Molino Basin, the vegetation changes and oaks begin to
dominate - and the bird fauna changes accordingly. Acorn Woodpeckers
and Western Scrub-Jays appear, as well as Mexican Jay, Bridled Titmouse,
Bushtit, Rock Wren, Canyon Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow and Scott’s
Oriole. Two specialty species occurring at Molino Basin are Black-chinned
Sparrow and Crissal Thrasher, and we make an effort to locate these before
heading further up the mountain.
At Bear Canyon picnic area, pines mix with the oaks, and we search for
warblers, including Black-throated Gray, Hermit, Grace’s and Virginia’s,
as well as the stunning Red-faced Warbler and the incomparable Painted
Redstart. There are other goodies here, such as Band-tailed Pigeon, Hutton’s
Vireo, Hepatic Tanager, Spotted Towhee and Yellow-eyed Junco.
We leave the oak woodlands behind as we climb further up the mountain,
and enter Ponderosa Pine forests, and once again the bird fauna changes.
Common Ravens occur, as do Mountain Chickadees, Pygmy Nuthatches, Olive
Warblers and Red Crossbills. Zone-tailed Hawks glide along the cliff
faces, and Broad-tailed and Magnificent Hummingbirds visit flower patches,
and maybe a Short-horned Lizard will appear. We then drive to the summit
at Mount Lemmon, where Steller’s Jays and Calliope Hummingbirds
occur, and perhaps even a Broad-tailed Hummingbird. We retrace our route
down to the desert at the foot of the mountain. Night in Tucson.
Day 3 - Santa Rita Mountains and Madera Canyon
We leave Tucson and head south to the Santa Ritas, perhaps stopping at
the San Xavier Mission to look for Bendire’s Thrasher and Rufous-winged
Sparrow, and at the Green Valley Wastewater Ponds for waterfowl and shorebirds,
before heading into Madera Canyon, one of the most birded localities
in North America. We first pass through desert grassland supporting a
good array of desert birds and cactuses, including the infamous jumping
cholla—and the Antelope Jack-Rabbit, a spectacular large hare.
Climbing into the Santa Ritas, we stop at the Florida Wash, a dry watercourse
and an excellent locality for desert scrub species. We look for Ladder-backed
Woodpecker, Phainopepla, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-chinned and Costa’s
hummingbirds, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Bell’s Vireo, Lucy’s
Warbler and Varied Bunting
Leaving the desert grasslands, we travel into the Sierra Madrean pine/oak
woodlands of the Upper Sonoran Life Zone. It is in these woodlands that
we could encounter our first Elegant Trogon, but there are other special
birds here as well - Painted Redstart, Hepatic Tanager, Black-headed
Grosbeak, Strickland’s Woodpecker, Canyon Wren, Bridled Titmouse,
Plumbeous Vireo and several species of flycatchers, possibly including
Dusky-capped Flycatcher. And hummingbirds! We could find as many as seven
species, several of them at very close range.
Madera Canyon is famous for its night birds, and we make an effort to
find as many as possible. These include Elf Owl and Whiskered Screech-Owl,
as well as Common Poorwill, Buff-collared Nightjar and Lesser Nighthawk.
Night in Green Valley.
Day 4 - California Gulch and Patagonia
We leave early and head for the Tumacacori Mountains in the Coronado
National Forest. Our destination for the morning is California Gulch,
a densely vegetated, steep-walled canyon with a fine riparian forest
along the creek bed. This is a very good location for Varied Bunting
and Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, and it is one of few accessible locations
for Five-striped Sparrows, a Mexican species which spills over into southeastern
Arizona in only a few, often difficult-to-reach canyons. We stop at Pena
Blanca Lake to search for the very elusive Montezuma Quail; we have a
fair chance of locating this bird on the grassy, scrub-oak hillsides.
The lake itself could harbour Eared Grebes, Neotropic and Double-crested
cormorants, herons and Marsh Wrens, but anything might turn up. Bird
life around the lake is also rich and we should end the morning with
an impressive list of species.
After lunch we head for Patagonia, stopping en route at various spots
such as Kino Springs for Gray Hawk, Western Kingbird, Blue Grosbeak,
and possibly Green Kingfisher. Night in Patagonia.
Day 5 - Sonoita Creek and Harshaw Canyon
Many marvelous birding localities occur around Patagonia, such as Harshaw
Canyon, Patagonia Lake State Park and the legendary Patagonia Roadside
Rest Area. We have a chance for Rose-throated Becard, which nests almost
annually along Sonoita Creek. Zone-tailed Hawks nest at Harshaw Canyon
and several pairs of Gray Hawks use the preserve.We also visit Wally
and Marion Paton’s home in Patagonia for hummingbirds - it is possibly
the most regular spot in North America for Violet-crowned Hummingbird
- and we should find Broad-billed, Black-chinned, Anna’s and Costa’s
Hummingbirds. Lots of other birds frequent the property, including Gambel’s
Quail, Inca Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Bell’s Vireo, Yellow-breasted
Chat, Abert’s Towhee, Bronzed Cowbird, Hooded and Bullock’s
Orioles, and Lesser Goldfinch. Night in Sierra Vista.
Day 6 - The Huachuca Mountains
The Huachuca Mountains are delightful. The mountains rise out of lush
mesquite grassland inhabited by Botteri’s, Cassin’s and Rufous-crowned
Sparrows, and are cloaked in pine/oak woodlands that host a diverse array
of woodland birds - Strickland’s Woodpecker, Bridled Titmouse,
Virginia’s Warbler, Hepatic Tanager, Plumbeous Vireo and Greater
Pewee. And there are some very special birds that we will attempt to
find: a loose colony of Buff-breasted Flycatchers and possibly an Olive
Warbler, Grace’s Warbler and Eastern Bluebird in Sawmill Canyon
and Garden Canyons. Spotted Owls occur in Scheelite Canyon and we may
attempt a rather demanding hike to find this species. Night in Sierra
Vista.
Day 7 - Ramsey Canyon
We spend the cool morning in the Nature Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon
Preserve. The hummingbird feeders near the information center have attracted
as many as 12 species of hummingbirds in one day; we will likely see
at least six and there may be a rarity among the regular species. The
cool sycamore, maple, oak and pine woodlands next to Ramsey Creek attract
many birds, including Elegant Trogon and Strickland’s and Acorn
woodpeckers. A Golden Eagle may pass overhead. Over the years, a succession
of rare Mexican species has appeared here, and we will make an effort
to find any recent arrivals.
In the afternoon we head east through the San Pedro Valley, stopping
to look for species we may have missed, including Scaled Quail and Crissal
Thrasher. We then drive through the towns of Bisbee and Douglas on our
way to Portal, near the border with New Mexico. Night in Portal.
Day 8 - The Chiricahua Mountains
The Chiricahuas are a very special place; the spectacular vistas, the
diverse habitats of deserts, canyons and mountain highlands, the rich
history of the area, all combine to make this a major highlight of any
trip to southeast Arizona. The arid grasslands and deserts below the
Chiricahuas are good habitat for Prairie Falcon, Burrowing Owl and Bendire’s
Thrasher. Swainson’s Hawk is always a possibility. Cave Creek Canyon
is just simply a joy to be in, and we will explore the roadways and trails
of this canyon. Birding is superb; Elegant Trogons may be calling and
inspecting potential nest sites; several species of flycatchers should
be present, including Sulphur-bellied; Mexican Chickadees, Olive and
Red-faced Warblers and Painted Redstarts will grace the higher elevations.
The list is impressive. At hummingbird feeders in Portal, several species
will be present, including, with luck, a Lucifer. Night birding is exciting
in the canyon, with several species of owls calling in mid-May. We could
find Elf Owl, Flammulated Owl, Whiskered and Western Screech-owls, Whip-poor-will
and Poor-will. Mammals may include Ringtails, a very attractive cousin
of the Raccoon. Night in Portal.
Day 9 - Chiricahuas and Return to Tucson
After a pleasant morning seeking new species in other parts of the Chiricahuas,
we depart for Tucson, stopping en route at a few promising locations, and
arrive back in Tucson in the early evening. Night in Tucson.
Day 10 - Departure
The tour ends today in Tucson after breakfast.
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