This summer, my friend Jon and I headed to Arizona for an outdoor-filled vacation. You may wonder: Why would we head to the desert during the hottest June on Planet Earth in recorded human history? It’s simple: summer in Arizona is the best time and place to see a bunch of birds that can’t be found anywhere else in America. Many of the unique birds are Mexican species that inhabit the “sky island” mountains jutting out of the deserts of Southeast Arizona. These mountains are an extension of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range, which is a mostly Mexican geological feature. Some birds (and many other animals) call the sky islands a permanent home, but a good number are found only during the summer breeding season.
This was one of my last “frontiers” of birding in the continental U.S.—a region I’d never visited and which held a number of unique species. (My final frontier is South Texas, in case you were wondering.) Although I usually save the statistics for the end of my blog posts, I can’t help but share a preview. Over 9 days, we observed a whopping 176 different species of birds (63 lifers for me; more for Jon). That’s more bird species than any other trip or comparable time period in my life. Southeast Arizona is a surprisingly biodiverse region. Of course, those numbers didn’t come without a significant amount of effort. We spent the majority of each day either birding or driving, with a few restful afternoons and many not-restful-enough nights. But it was a blast!
We went into our 9-day trip with accommodations booked for only 2 nights. We played our itinerary by ear, focusing on new places with the potential for the most interesting new species. After landing in Phoenix, we headed southeast and explored the fringes of the Santa Rita Mountains. Next, we visited a handful of locations en route to the Chiricahua Mountains, an impressive range nestled in Arizona’s far southeastern corner. This was our only true “home base” of the trip. After a couple nights at a lodge and one night of high-elevation camping, we worked our way back west. We skirted the Huachuca mountains, made a pilgrimage through Patagonia, and spent a night exploring the US-Mexico border. Towards the end of our trip, we completed our loop back to Phoenix. But we weren’t done yet: we ended our road trip at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Warning: this is a very long blog post. You’ll have to read (or scroll) to the end to see all the Grand Canyon pics, but I’ll give you a preview for free.
Day 1 (6/27): Phoenix to Green Valley
Ok, let’s start at the beginning. We left home before dawn and flew direct from RDU to Phoenix. The flight was great. I love flying out West and viewing the topography from up high. The landscapes across New Mexico were especially captivating.
Eventually we landed. I’ll get right to it and say I don’t like Phoenix at all. Sorry if you do, but I don’t. It’s nothing but suburban sprawl in the middle of a water-starved desert. And it was ridiculously HOT—hotter than anywhere I’ve ever been.
We spent the mid-morning walking around a nice natural area on the east side of town: the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch. Late morning temps ranged from 104-109F, and the birding was pretty quiet. Nonetheless, we saw some good stuff, including 5 lifers for me (Gambel’s Quail, Gila Woodpecker, Verdin, Abert’s Towhee, and Lucy’s Warbler) and some all-around cool birds like Black-necked Stilts and American Avocets. A pair of Curve-billed Thrashers nesting in a massive Saguaro cactus really captured the Arizona vibes.
Other animals braving the heat included Rock Squirrel (a lifer, but so numerous during the trip that I may not mention again), Desert Cottontail (the ubiquitous mammal of the trip), Ornate Tree Lizard (a lifer, and one of only two seen all trip), and an assortment of 8 odonates, including three lifers: Mexican Amberwing, Western Pondhawk, and Red-tailed Pennant.
After a few interesting errands, we spent the afternoon heading southeast in our air-conditioned car. The Sonoran Desert scenery was awesome—especially the saguaros, which became more numerous as we got closer to Tucson.
We made quick stops at the thousand-year-old Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, as well as a power plant that held some professional interest for me.
We decided to post up for the night in Green Valley, a mining and golfing town just south of Tucson. Dinner at the Mexican restaurant next to the hotel was unremarkable, but we did see a nice family of Gambel’s Quail in the parking lot, complete with tiny chicks. That should give you a sense of how ubiquitous (but still really cool) the quail are. I won’t mention them much more throughout this blog, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t see them. Quail were everywhere!
Once the sun dipped below the treeline, the dry 90+ temps actually felt pretty comfortable, and we enjoyed birding at the nearby Desert Meadows Park. I picked up 5 more lifers (Inca Dove, Lesser Nighthawk, Costa’s Hummingbird, Broad-billed Hummingbird, and Bell’s Vireo), plus one new bird for my USA list (Hooded Oriole). Other interesting birds included Common Ground Dove, Vermillion Flycatcher, and Bewick’s Wren. The park—really, all of Arizona—was littered with lizards, and I saw two new species: Desert Spiny Lizard and Clark’s Spiny Lizard.
Not too shabby for a (hot) first day!
Day 2 (6/28): Green Valley to the Chiricahuas
Our adventure began in earnest on Day 2. We woke up early, either accidentally or intentionally (I can’t remember). Whatever the reason, this allowed us to capitalize on the mid-70s temps of the sunrise hour. Our primary birding destination was Box Canyon, on the northern foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains (we skipped the much more popular Madera Canyon). Dirt roads took us through a shubby grassland, full of stunted mesquite bushes, bizarre ocotillo shrubs, and a few enormous agaves, which were just starting to flower. We saw a few birds along the drive, including one lifer for me: the relatively common but undeniably handsome Black-throated Sparrow.
Once we got to the canyon proper, we made an out-and-back hike along the road up to an old dam. The canyon was dry and rocky, but the seasonally wet canyon floor was home to some Arizona sycamores and other large trees.
The birding was excellent; we saw 41 species, including 9 lifers for me (Gray Hawk, Thick-billed Kingbird, Hutton’s Vireo, Mexican Jay, Cactus Wren, Phainopepla, Five-striped Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and Varied Bunting). The Five-striped Sparrow was the sixth-rarest bird we saw all trip; it was the main reason for this destination. Several singing males were extremely cooperative, posing for lots of photos. In addition to the Five-stripeds, the Rufous-crowned Sparrows and Varied Buntings at Box Canyon were the only ones we encountered all trip. Thick-billed Kingbirds were another semi-rare target. We not only saw them, but saw them copulating! Overall, this seemed to be prime time for flycatchers exhibiting breeding behavior; we saw Cassin’s Kingbirds copulating and both Vermillion Flycatcher and Western Wood-Pewee on nests. Ash-throated Flycatchers were also prolific here. Our lifer Gray Hawk was actually a trio of hawks, most likely the two adults and a single juvenile that apparently left the nest the previous day. The coolest bird encounter occurred on our walk out of the canyon, when we spotted a Golden Eagle fending off aerial attacks from a Red-tailed Hawk. The enormous eagle dwarfed the hawk—itself one of our largest raptors. I won’t list all the other birds we saw, but many were interesting.
The leisurely morning walk provided time for me to ID a lot of non-birds, many of which were new for me. Harris’s Antelope Squirrels (lifer) were in steady supply, and we saw a few Coues White-tailed Deer. The deer were not technically lifers, but rather a new and distinctive subspecies, with small bodies and proportionally large ears (adaptations for their desert/mountain habitats). We struck out on snakes, but saw a couple dozen Sonoran Spotted Whiptails (lifer lizard). Flowering plants attracted a lot of invertebrates, including 4 species of butterflies: dozens of Pipevine Swallowtails, a dozen or more Queens, plus a few tiny Marine Blues and a Mexican Yellow (the latter two were lifers). A small spring attracted a Flame Skimmer (lifer dragonfly). Other interesting insects (all lifers) included Valley Carpenter Bee, Sonoran Bumble Bee, an unidentified Velvet Ant, an unidentified Tarantula Hawk-Wasp, a Red-shanked Grasshopper, and a Charcoal Seed Bug. Lots of new stuff!
After driving out through the canyon, we emerged on the semidesert grasslands on the east side of the Santa Ritas. With mid-morning temps climbing into the 90s, we made several short stops along our eastbound journey. First was Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, where we almost instantly located at least two singing Botteri’s Sparrows (another lifer, and the only ones we saw all trip), plus two Western Earless Lizards (also a lifer).
After a longer drive along a cactus-studded highway, our next stop involved the stormwater treatment ponds (and golf course?) in Benson. The highlight was a large flock of Mexican Ducks (another lifer). Most seemed to be relatively “pure” Mexican Ducks, but some probably had Mallard genes mixed in. Other notable birds included Cinnamon Teals, Eared Grebes, White-faced Ibises, Black-necked Stilts, and a distant Swainson’s Hawk. We also saw another new lizard: the Desert Grassland Whiptail.
Our next stop was a short drive farther east: Lake Cochise in Willcox. (No surprise, but there was also a golf course here.) The wetland scenery was a lot better than the Benson stormwater ponds, and the birds were better, too. The shallow lake hosted a nice variety of waterfowl and shorebirds, including dozens of Stilts and Avocets, a Long-billed Curlew, a couple Long-billed Dowitchers, and 30 or more Wilson’s Phalaropes, and several other species. We also had several flyover ravens that might have been Chihuahuan Ravens. Our inability to differentiate Common and Chihuahuan Ravens (by voice) plagued us the entire trip.
The mid-day heat kept us confined to the relative comfort of our car for most of our stop at Lake Cochise. So, we didn’t focus on other animals, like the abundant odonates swarming the wetlands. However, we couldn’t miss seeing Black-tailed Jackrabbits (lifer), with their comically large ears and bulging eyes.
After a lunch in Willcox, we proceeded to the Chiricahua Mountains—our home base for the next few days. Approaching from the west, we slowly wound our way up through the heart of this enormous mountain range. The Chiricahuas jut almost 5,000 feet above the surrounding flatlands. The mountains create their own weather, including a fair amount of precipitation. The rain gives rise to a progression of different plant communities. The vegetation in turn provides habitat for animals that wouldn’t last a minute in the desert. Essentially, it’s an island of biodiversity in the middle of a desert. Hence the label “sky islands,” which aptly describes the Chiricahuas and various similar mountains of the Serra Madre Occidentals that extend into Southeast Arizona.
We broke up the through-mountain drive with two stops. First was Pinery Canyon Campground. It was about 10 degrees cooler (85 F) than Lake Cochise, and surprisingly birdy for the mid-afternoon. This was a great introduction to some of the unique birds that occupy the Arizona sky islands (and few other places in America). Lifers for me included Yellow-eyed Junco, Grace’s Warbler (only seen on one other occasion), Red-faced Warbler (our only sighting of the trip), and Painted Redstart, plus the more widespread Plumbeous Vireo. Interesting mammals included two more lifers: Cliff Chipmunk and Chiricahua Fox Squirrel (an endemic subspecies of the Mexican Fox Squirrel), plus some more Coues White-tailed Deer.
Our second stop was the Southwestern Research Station, nestled along the lower reaches of Cave Creek Canyon on the east side of the mountains. During our short time there, we focused on hummingbirds. Southeast Arizona boasts an unbelievable diversity of hummingbirds, and publicly accessible hummingbird feeders offer birders easy access to these flying gems. We got lucky at SWRC. Just as we were about to leave to escape a fast-developing thunderstorm, a dark-colored hummer attracted my attention. It was a Berylline Hummingbird, the fifth-rarest bird we saw all trip. This was followed shortly by a magnificent Rivoli’s Hummingbird and an understated but still elegant Blue-throated Mountain-gem. Three hummingbird lifers in three minutes! The Berylline and Rivoli’s were the only ones we saw all trip. Other interesting sightings included a hen Wild Turkey on a nest of eggs, a bunch of Violet-green Swallows, a photogenic Say’s Phoebe, and a Striped Plateau Lizard (another lifer).
We finally arrived at the Cave Creek Ranch around 6:00 PM. What an awesome home base for a Chiricahua adventure; I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the natural history of Southeast Arizona. We enjoyed a low-key evening getting settled in, with only one new bird (Brown-crested Flycatcher). After dark, we wandered around the property, but our owling effort was unsuccessful (the hoped-for Elf Owls were harder to find than expected). The evening was remarkable in only one way: it was the only occasion where my new thermal imaging monocular helped detect an animal: a Desert Cottontail. Not my best investment…
How about an interim statistics break? After one and a half days in Arizona, we had already seen 110 species of birds. That included 31 lifers for me (and even more for Jon), not to mention dozens of other animals, many of which were lifers. And we’d barely touched the most biodiverse parts of Arizona (the sky islands). If nothing else—and if you don’t read any more of this too-long blog—I hope that gives you a sense of how wildlife-rich Arizona is.
Day 3 (6/29): Chiricahua Immersion (Part 1)
I got exhausted just writing the blog for Days 1 and 2, re-living the intense cycle of birding-driving-heat-birding-driving-heat-birding. Day 3 was a nice break from all that. It was much cooler in the mountains, and we stayed local. But we still spent a lot of time birding, and we saw an impressive array of wildlife.
We started with a hike up the South Fork of Cave Creek Canyon, just up the road from our lodge. This is one of the more famous birding destinations in Southeast Arizona, with over 10,700 birding checklists (i.e., visits by different people) on eBird. Even so, we didn’t see anyone else while we were on the trail.
The cave-carved cliffs and mostly dry creek bed reminded us we were out west, and the red rhyolite rocks reminded me of Colorado. But the weather and vegetation gave off serious east coast vibes. It was humid (yes, humid), and the short, twisted oaks and junipers felt a lot like the maritime forests of the North Carolina coast.
Of course, the wildlife along Cave Creek was decidedly different from NC. I tallied 7 new birds, including the single most hoped-for target bird of the trip: Elegant Trogon. We heard a handful and got good looks at one. Other lifers included a few more Southeast Arizona mountain specialists: Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (our only ones of the trip), Scott’s Oriole, and Hepatic Tanager. We also saw the relatively common but handsome Bridled Titmouse, and we picked up two heard-only lifers: Arizona Woodpecker and Dusky-capped Flycatcher. (Don’t worry, we saw those last two later in the trip.) There were a bunch of other good birds present, including a few Blue-throated Mountain-gems (nice to see in the wild, as opposed to a feeder), a score of White-throated Swifts at home amongst the cliffs, dozens of Mexican Jays, a surprisingly low-elevation Steller’s Jay, about a dozen Brown-crested Flycatchers, and both Grace’s Warblers and Painted Redstarts. House Wrens were also everywhere. Everywhere.
Non-bird highlights of Cave Creek included a few different mammals, including Chiricahua Fox Squirrel (my favorite rodent of the trip), a couple dozen Southwest Red Satyr butterflies (lifer), a few Red Rock Skimmers (common, but a lifer dragonfly for me), a bunch of Speckled Dace (a fish), and a few water striders. Seeing the fish and water striders was interesting, given how dry the creek gets. There must be enough water in key areas of the creek for these species to persist even in dry years. Unlike birds, they can’t just fly to new habitats!
After hiking about 6 miles of canyon, we shifted to a different type of birding throughout the late morning: bird feeders. Now, back in NC, bird feeder watching is among my least favorite birding activities. That’s not a knock against feeder watching; it’s just that I’ve already spent plenty of time with the dozen or two species that come to our local feeders. But out in Southeast Arizona, feeder watching is an easy and relaxing way to see a bunch of new stuff, including not only hummingbirds, but also a variety of seed-eating species. Ecotourism—especially birding tourism—is such a draw to the town of Portal that multiple private property owners have established and maintained elaborate bird feeding stations for the birding public to enjoy. We visited 4 of these on Day 3. Note: despite being only a mile or two from the mountains, each of these stops gave off hot, dry desert vibes. Habitats transition rapidly in Southeast Arizona!
First up was the Rodrigues Yard. Among many other interesting Arizona birds, we saw a couple Pyrrhuloxia—basically desert cardinals, and another lifer. Other highlights included close-up looks at Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Cactus Wren, an orange-type House Finch, Black-throated Sparrow, Canyon Towhee, Scott’s Oriole, and Bronzed Cowbird. We struck out on the oft-reported Crissal Thrasher (this was one of the few targets we never managed to see on the trip).
Second was the Jasper Yard. The unquestionable highlight was a Greater Roadrunner. Not only was this a lifer, but it was also the only roadrunner we saw all trip. It was a quality-over-quantity experience: the bird waltzed right by us, carrying a Desert Grassland Whiptail in its mouth (perhaps for its young?). This was the most dinosaurian bird I’ve ever seen, and the experience earned the roadrunner a place in my top-10-coolest-birds-of-all-time list. There were plenty of other good birds at the feeders—basically the same species as the Rodrigues Yard, plus Inca Dove. The Jasper Yard also hosted a Harris’s Antelope Squirrel.
Our third stop involved a return to our own lodgings, Cave Creek Ranch (also open to the public). The bird highlight was an Arizona Woodpecker, which I saw with my own eyes. Interesting mammal sightings included a family of adult and juvenile Rock Squirrels, a photogenic Cliff Chipmunk, and a not-so-photogenic Bobcat that cruised by our cabin. A tiny pond at the ranch also held at least 50 Chiricahua Leopard Frogs (lifer); I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many frogs in such a small area. There was also a nice assortment of invertebrates; only one species was new, and I’m still not sure if it was a Funereal Duskywing or a Mournful Duskywing.
Fourth was a visit to the George Walker House, a few miles north of Portal in the small community called “Paradise.” This was a hummingbird-focused visit, and it didn’t disappoint. In the first ten minutes, we saw the White-eared Hummingbird that had been frequenting these feeders for the summer. This was the third-rarest bird of the trip, and another lifer. The feeders attracted a nice assortment of other birds too. The arid, scrubby hillside around the house is where a lot of people see their lifer Juniper Titmouse, but those never showed up for us in the mid-day heat. Away from the feeders, it was interesting to see Wild Turkeys right next to Coues White-tailed Deer. The turkeys were way bigger than the ones we have on the east coast, and the deer were way smaller. It made for a funny scene; I don’t think I’ve ever seen those two ubiquitous game species hanging out together.
After the feeder circuit, we took it easy for the rest of the afternoon, hanging out around Cave Creek Ranch. Birding highlights included a photogenic Inca Dove and Arizona Woodpecker.
We ended the day in the same area where we started: the South Fork of Cave Creek Canyon, this time for some post-sunset owling. It was a significantly more successful owling effort than the previous night! We stopped the car every 100-200 yards, getting out to listen for nightjars and owls. We quickly picked up 2 lifers: Mexican Whip-poor-will (we heard 4) and Whiskered Screech-Owls (we heard 2). Once we got closer to the trailhead, we walked a half mile or so on foot, picking up 3 more whips and another whiskered. These were the only Whiskered Screech-Owls we heard all trip.
But wait—there’s more (just barely). As we drove up to the Cave Creek Ranch, we were greeted by a Striped Skunk, who scurried away from our headlights before I could manage a photo.
Day 4 (6/30): Chiricahua Immersion (Part 2, camping)
Our second full day in the Chiricahuas involved a morning in the semidesert lowlands, followed by an afternoon and evening camping in the high-elevation conifer forest.
We left the Cave Creek Lodge before dawn and headed east, hoping to see a handful of desert specialists before things got too hot. As we passed through Portal, we were treated to a group of Lesser Nighthawks foraging along the road. We made a quick stop at the wash near the Rodrigues Yard, where we again tried unsuccessfully for Crissal Thrasher. A bit father out of town, our luck turned around, and we managed to spot two Scaled Quail (lifer) scurrying off the roadside. The much more common Gambel’s Quail were also much more photo-cooperative. We also saw a pair of Black-tailed Jackrabbits along the road.
As we entered the San Bernardino Valley proper, we briefly passed into New Mexico—my first time to that state. Highlights along the road included a Swainson’s Hawk and a few Chihuahuan Meadowlarks (lifer). We then drove south down the well-named Stateline Road, where we saw a few more birds (including Vermillion Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, Cactus Wren, Pyrrhuloxia, etc.) and a well-named Giant Velvet Mite.
Our destination for the morning was the “Willow Tank” off Sulphur Canyon Rd. If you don’t know (I didn’t), a tank is a small man-made reservoir—an open-air holding tank, pumped full of well water and diked off from the surrounding land. This tank is now a wetland oasis, managed for the benefit of wildlife. It wasn’t particularly birdy, but we saw a Bendire’s Thrasher (lifer) across from the tank, plus some juvenile American Coots enjoying their nursery grounds. There were at least 100 American Bullfrogs— a species not native to the American West. I was surprised not to see any bullfrog predators (herons) present. Invertebrates at the tank included hundreds of Blue Dashers, plus three lifer damselflies: Plateau Spreadwing, Mexican Forktail, and Arroyo Bluet. I also saw a Painted Crescent, a lifer butterfly.
As we cruised back to the Chiricahuas, we saw more Bendire’s Thrashers and a family of four American Kestrels all together—something I’ve never seen before.
Temps were climbing into the 80s when we returned to Cave Creek Ranch around 8:00 AM. After packing up, we spent some time by the feeders, admiring an unperturbed Coatimundi (White-nosed Coati), along with a nice assortment of other birds, mammals, frogs, and odonates I’ve already mentioned.
After the intermission, we headed up into the mountains, basically retracing our steps from two days prior. We made a brief stop at Turkey Creek (a small stream uphill of Paradise) to check out the abundant leps and odes. I saw 2 or 3 lifer butterflies, including a big group of Echo Azures, an Arizona Sister, and (I think) a Gray Buckeye. I also saw 2 or 3 lifer damselflies, including (I think) Tonto Dancer, (I think) Springwater Dancer, and (I think) Canyon Rubyspot.
After gaining a few thousand feet up the bumpy, steep, curvy roads, we tried out two potential campsites. Back in 2011, the “Horseshoe Two” fire burned through an enormous swath of the Chiricahua mountains. Our first stop, Barfoot Park, still had some large tracts of contiguous pine-fir forest that escaped the blaze, but this area was surrounded by slowly-recovering shrublands, studded with snags.
The remaining forest was surprisingly birdy for our late-morning visit. I guess the higher-elevation birds aren’t as prone to siestas as the denizens of hotter, lower areas. We quickly saw three lifers: a group of Mexican Chickadees (our only sighting of the trip; this species is found nowhere else in America), Greater Pewees (abundant in the higher elevation parks), and Olive Warblers (not really a warbler but a super cool bird). Other good birds included Southeast Arizona specialties like Yellow-eyed Junco, Painted Restart, and Hepatic Tanager, plus classic Western species like Band-tailed Pigeon, Steller’s Jay, Pygmy Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, and Western Tanager. The standard mammals were present, including Chiricahua Fox Squirrel, Rock Squirrel, Cliff Chipmunk, and Coues White-tailed Deer. I also saw two new butterflies: Orange-edged Roadside-Skipper and Arizona Pine-Satyr.
Our second stop, Rustler Park, was slightly less forested, and it also featured less bird activity. During a quick walk, we still managed to see a couple more Olive Warblers and some Western Flycatchers (formerly known as Cordilleran Flycatchers). I saw another two new butterflies: a Satyr Comma and an unidentified swallowtail (Two-tailed or Western).
We decided to return to Barfoot Park to set up camp. Before we made any progress, a thunderstorm rolled through—HARD. We sheltered in the car while hail pelted all around. This was the biggest hail I’ve ever seen; with some approaching marble-sized. The storm left as quick as it came, and we set up camp under the pines.
We spent a couple hours hiking from camp to a lookout called Buena Vista Peak. En route, we passed through an interesting landscape of regenerating pines, followed by an aspen jungle. The lookout itself was well-named, offering 360-degree views of the Chiricahuas. The cliffs and scree-filled slopes of Barfoot Peak stuck out against the other mountains to the north and west, and the San Bernardino Valley provided a contrasting view to the east.
It's always interesting to see what types of flora and fauna can survive on exposed mountain peaks. On Buena Vista, there were lots of wildflowers, a few stunted trees, and even a few Santa Rita hedgehog cacti. The animal highlight was a mind-blowing aggregation of Convergent Lady Beetles. From a distance, they looked like an orange fungus blanketing the trunks of a shrubby tree; a closer look revealed thousands of individuals. I calculated/ estimated a total of around 72,000 beetles. That’s more animals of a single species than I’ve ever seen in one place before (I may have seen larger aggregations of tiny snails at the coast, but I’ve never bothered to estimate their numbers). Slightly less overwhelming, but still cool, were a couple Yarrow’ Spiny Lizards, another lifer. I also got some killer portraits of a handsome Yellow-eyed Junco, and it was interesting watching Wild Turkeys fighting on the walk back to camp.
After the sun set, we attempted some owling. The Barfoot Park area is famous for several hard-to-find owl species. We tried a handful of locations over the course of an hour, but the owls turned out to be too hard for us to find. Although we heard zero owls, we did hear at least 4 Mexican Whip-poor-wills, which was cool. The temps were also cool—almost cold—at 60 F and breezy.
Our disappointing owling experience persisted throughout the night, until about 3:00 AM. I awoke in my tent to the sound of a Great Horned Owl. This was actually pretty frustrating, as I figured it would scare away all of the other (smaller) owls. Luckily, not so! Between 3:30 and 4:30, I heard a Mexican Spotted Owl calling several times. Jon also heard it from his nearby hammock. This lifer was the second-rarest—and most endangered—bird we encountered all trip, and one of our key targets in the Chiricahuas. After the owl alarm clock, I went back to sleep for an hour or two.
Overall, camping in the Chiricahuas was a great success. One of my only regrets of the trip—and a minor one at that—was that we didn’t camp more often. But that was unavoidable, given the pace of our trip. We were also playing catch-up on sleep most days, so camping was less attractive than air-conditioned hotel beds.
Day 5 (7/1): Chiricahuas to Huachucas
I’ll begin the Day 5 blog after we decamped. This was another busy travel day, with a lot of birding stops in between the Chiricahua and Huachuca mountains.
After leaving our campsite at Barfoot Park, we headed back to Rustler Park to see if the birding was any better in the morning than the afternoon. It was a bit underwhelming, but it was neat to see both Hairy Woodpeckers and Western Flycatchers feeding their young, and every day you see a Greater Pewee is a good day.
By this point, we’d seen all the sought-after sky island birds except for a flycatcher (Buff-breasted), a quail (Montezuma), and a couple owls. On our way back down the west side of the mountains, we stopped at the Pinery Canyon Campground, where we finally secured that last flycatcher. This lifer required some advice from a local birder and a bit of effort bushwhacking a steep slope, but it was worth it. Other good species included a Broad-tailed Hummingbird (our only one of the trip) and a lone Bushtit. I also managed some nice photos of Yarrow’s Spiny Lizards, which were fairly common throughout the mountains.
Just before we left the Chiricahuas for good, we made a quick stop at the impressive rock formations at Chiricahua National Monument. This is probably where all the non-birders go.
How about a Chiricahua-focused statistics break: Before arriving in the Chiricahuas, we had seen 89 species of birds. After three more days in and around the mountains, our total was up to 144. The Chiricahua mini-adventure alone yielded 99 species and 32 lifers. I’d love to return to and spend more time in this incredibly biodiverse area.
After leaving the mountains, we resumed our pattern of driving, birding, and heat. We looped west along the US-Mexico border, making a few stops on the way to the next big mountain range: the Huachucas. While driving through the quaint town of Bisbee, we stopped for some photos at the former Lavender Pit copper mine. The 900-foot deep mine featured several pools with terrifyingly colorful water.
Around mid-day, we made it to the San Pedro River, just east of the Huachucas. We stopped at the San Pedro House, where we saw a male Gilded Flicker (lifer) that was apparently paired up with a female Red-shafted Northern Flicker. Their offspring is sure to be a confusing hybrid. Gila woodpeckers were thick as thieves here, and one had learned to drink nectar from a hummingbird feeder—something I’d never seen before. Trails from the house led down to the river. The “river” was about the size of a North Carolina creek, but it was nonetheless nice to see this much moving water in Arizona. The year-round river supports a relatively lush riparian corridor. The birds were active despite the mid-day heat, and we saw Gray Hawks, Bewick’s Wrens, 8+ Vermillion Flycatchers, 8+ Yellow-breasted Chats, and 15+ Yellow Warblers. Desert Grassland Whiptails were abundant on the sandy trails away from the river.
A bit more driving, and we arrived at our final destination for the day: The Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary on the southeast side of the Huachucas. This is one of the most famous of Arizona’s private bird feeding stations. After the passing of the former owner, it’s now managed by a nonprofit that was able to acquire the property. It’s the best place in America to see Lucifer Hummingbirds, and we were able to see a spectacular male several times during our stay. The hummingbird demographics were different everywhere we went, and Ash Canyon was dominated by Anna’s Hummingbirds, with a few Broad-billed and Black-chinned mixed in. In addition to the birds, the property also hosted a couple Arizona Gray Squirrels (lifers), some other mammals, and Clark’s Spiny Lizards. After hanging out for a couple hours with hopes of seeing a Montezuma Quail, we eventually gave up on that bird. You have to save something for the next trip!
We rested up at a hotel in the nearby city of Sierra Vista before the next day’s road trip.
Day 6 (7/2): Patagonia to the Border
Day 6 was another active traveling day, with most of our energy spent in Patagonia, followed by a rugged nighttime adventure to the US-Mexico border.
The day started with an interesting animal encounter: as we turned out of our Sierra Vista hotel around daybreak, we were joined by a Coyote strolling down the sidewalk. This was my most urban Coyote encounter ever (yes, I like superlatives).
We left town, skirted the northern edge of Huachucas, and continued our westward journey. As we passed through the grasslands of Sonoita, we saw a nice group of Pronghorns—our only antelope sighting of the trip—plus a Chihuahuan Meadowlark.
Our first birding stop was Harshaw Creek Road, a dirt road snaking through a modest canyon near Patagonia. As you might expect, we picked many of our birding destinations based on recent sightings of birds we wanted to see. At Harshaw Creek, not only did we see our target species—a female Rose-throated Becard (a lifer, and the fourth-rarest bird of the trip)—but we also saw a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet (another lifer, and the only one of the trip). Other goodies included Gray Hawk, Thick-billed Kingbird, Hutton’s Vireo, lots of Phainopepla, and the Mexican subspecies of Eastern Bluebird (a very range-restricted bird). I also saw a group of Longfin Dace at the creek crossing, a new fish for me.
Next up was the Paton Center for Hummingbirds, right outside downtown Patagonia. Patagonia has good, eclectic vibes; it reminded me of Carrboro. The Paton Center hosted lots of bird feeders, a wildflower meadow, and friendly docents. As we were walking in, we almost immediately spotted a Violet-crowned Hummingbird—a lifer, our main target for this visit, and our 11th and final hummingbird species of the trip. The feeders were dominated by Broad-billed Hummers, with Black-chinned taking second stage. Other interesting birds included a Dusky-capped Flycatcher (the only one we saw all trip, though we heard many others), yet another Thick-billed Kingbird, and an Inca Dove.
Among the 6 species of butterflies visiting the butterfly garden, one was a lifer: Golden-headed Scallopwing. Odonates included Flame Skimmer and Arroyo Bluet. We also saw our second (and final) Arizona Gray Squirrel of the trip.
We headed southwest down the Patagonia highway (paralleling Sonoita Creek), completing our mandatory pilgrimage to the Patagonia Picnic Table. It’s not the most glamorous destination, but it’s famous for a phenomenon in the birding world (the “Patagonia picnic table effect”). We didn’t turn up any rare birds, but it was nice to see one more Thick-billed Kingbird, many photo-cooperative Desert Grassland Whiptails, and a new butterfly: Empress Leilia.
A bit further down the valley, we arrived at Patagonia Lake State Park. By mid-morning, it was hot—in the 90s—and the entire Sonoita Creek area was humid. We survived a sweaty hike around some trails where the creek becomes the lake. The birding was mediocre and dominated by lots of the same species (Bell’s Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat, Lucy’s Warbler, Common Yellowthroat). The best birds were a Gray Hawk and a few Mexican Ducks. Even better were the invertebrates, who may have actually enjoyed the heat. I saw two more lifer butterflies: Texan Crescent and Fatal Metalmark, and a new orbweaver spider: Micrathena funebris.
We eventually made it out of the Patagonia/Sonoita Creek valley, stopping for lunch and supplies in Nogales (the small American city adjacent to its much larger Mexican counterpart). There, we found an active colony of Cliff Swallows nesting in the eaves of a Walmart. That was an urban birding surprise! We then headed back north to a hotel in Green Valley, where we took a much-needed afternoon break.
We had to save our energy for an ambitious nighttime outing in the mountains on the border. This was our most out-of-the-way bird chase of the trip. I like to think of myself as an adventurous guy, and this was definitely an adventure. Our target was a Buff-collared Nightjar—a nocturnal species found almost exclusively in Mexico, but one or two are seen in Southeast Arizona each year. This year, one had been repeatedly heard about an hour away, so might as well, right?
The journey involved an interesting progression of roads. We started on the interstate highway. Next was a country highway, which got progressively more scenic and curvy. It was an awesome road, perhaps the best we drove all trip. The wildlife highlight of this section was a duo of Crested Caracaras eating roadkill. After an emergency stop for gas in Arivaca, we hopped on to Ruby Road, which started paved and quickly transitioned to dirt. So far, so good. The real adventure started once we got on California Gulch Road. A sign warning of “smuggling and illegal immigration” set the mood, but the road wasn’t as rough as I had expected from the reviews (some other birders had indicated the road was impassible). There were a couple steep, rocky, and deeply rutted stretches, but most of it was passable. The rolling, arid hills and occasional cliffs were very scenic. We even got good looks at the border wall!
We walked the last mile on foot, listening for birds as dusk enveloped us. We then wandered several dirt roads for over two hours in the dark. It was a beautiful night, with clear skies and a thunderstorm.
We never heard the target nightjar. You can’t win them all, I guess. We did, however, manage to hear a nice assortment of other nocturnal birds, including Common Poorwill, Western Screech-Owl (lifer), and a very distant Elf Owl (also a lifer). I have to say, our Elf Owl experience was underwhelming; based on other birders’ reports, I had expected to hear (and perhaps even see) more of them this trip.
Eventually, we called off the search and began the hour-and-a-half journey back to the hotel. We made it back over the steep/rocky sections (uphill this time, and in the dark!), and decided our little Jeep Renegade deserved a name. We dubbed her Ruby, after her color and the abandoned mining town nearby. Nighttime brought out a nice array of animals, including one or two Sonoran Desert Toads (lifer), either a Hooded or Hognose Skunk (new to me, but doesn’t “count” since we couldn’t ID it to a specific species), a couple Black-tailed Jackrabbits, and a bizarre mystery mammal that might have been a skunk or a coatimundi.
Day 7 (7/3): Back to Phoenix
After another big adventure on Day 6, we enjoyed a more relaxed Day 7 as we progressed back toward Phoenix.
First, we returned to Desert Meadows Park in Green Valley for some low-key morning birding. By 7:00 AM, temps were already in the mid-80s, but the birding was good. Among the mix of expected species, we found the morning’s target bird: a Rufous-winged Sparrow (a lifer, and the only one of the trip). The sparrow was quite friendly, posing for some nice photos. We also got really nice looks at a Costa’s Hummingbird.
The reptiles enjoyed the morning’s warmth. We saw Zebra-tailed Lizards (lifer), a pair of copulating Western Whiptail (another lifer), Sonoran Spotted Whiptails, and a Desert Spiny Lizard.
We made a mid-morning stop at Tucson Mountain Park. Despite the heat (90s and rising!), we managed a 3/4 mile loop through the park’s awesome Sonoran Desert habitats. In retrospect, I wish we’d spent more time around Tucson, soaking in the desert vibes. It was surprisingly wildlife-rich. Right out of the car, we spotted several Black-tailed Gnatcatchers (our main target here, another lifer, and the only ones we saw during the trip). Other quintessential desert birds included Gilded Flicker, Cactus Wren, and Pyrrhuloxia. Black-tailed Jackrabbit and Harris’s Antelope Squirrel made brief appearances.
The flora was arguably more interesting than the fauna. Cacti were everywhere—everywhere—in all shapes and sizes. The enormous and ancient saguaro were complemented by an assortment of chollas (chain-fruit cholla seemed to be the most common, and the fondest of our skin), prickly pears, fishhook barrel cactus, and a couple Graham’s nipple cactus. That’s the official name, I promise.
After more driving and a much-needed infusion of A/C, we landed back in Phoenix, still my least favorite city in America. We made a quick stop at Encanto Park, a reliable spot to see Rosy-faced Lovebirds, a non-native parrot that has established a firm foothold in Phoenix. In my lust to get photos, I ended up slogging through several inches of stagnant, smelly water (apparently an intentional irrigation strategy in the desert). It was gross, not to mention hot (107 F), but I eventually got some photos. Worth it? I’m not sure.
We took it easy for the rest of the day at our hotel on the west side of town, gearing up for one final push.
Day 8 (7/4): Independence Day at the Grand Canyon
The title of Day 8 says it all, right? But before I detail the wonders of the Grand Canyon, I’ll give the readers what they really came for: more bird stories. We made two birding stops before hitting the road for real.
First was the Arlington Wildlife Area, a man-made marsh along the Gila River, just south of our hotel. On the way, we were treated to several Lesser Nighthawks and Black-necked Stilts near some agricultural fields. We got to the marsh around sunrise, where we promptly saw more stilts and another nighthawk. And lots of other cool birds. The best was a Ridgway’s Rail, which we briefly saw foraging. I’d heard this species on a recent California trip, but this was the first one I’d ever seen. This was also the rarest bird of the trip (at least by eBird numbers; they’re actually somewhat expected here). Other notable marsh birds included a few Least Bitterns, a handful of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and some flyover White-faced Ibises and a Long-billed Curlew.
Our second stop was to the “Thrasher Spot Parking Area”—that’s the official Google Maps name. It’s a scrubby wasteland in the middle of the semidesert. But, as the name suggests, it’s a great spot for thrashers. We wandered for a couple miles in the hot desert sun (90 F at 7:00 AM), which was as close to a “miserable waste of time” as we had the whole trip. We struck out on our target (LeConte’s Thrasher), but we did manage to see a few more Bendire’s Thrashers. We literally saw more mammals than birds, including over a dozen Round-tailed Ground Squirrels (lifer), a Coyote, plus the ubiquitous Desert Cottontails and the similarly-common-but-much-cooler Black-tailed Jackrabbits. I also saw a cool new beetle, called Gyascutus planicosta. Our best wildlife sighting was one that went unseen: I saw a thrasher behaving funny on the ground, took a few photos, and moved on. Fast forward to the airport: I’m reviewing photos and spot a Mohave Rattlesnake (!) in front of the funny thrasher. Our only snake of the trip, and one we didn’t even really see. Aaaagh!
With one good and one not-so-good birding stop under our belt, we finally left Phoenix to begin the last leg of the trip: a 4-hour drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was interesting to watch the roadside scenery progress from the saguaro semidesert and scrublands of the basin-and-range province to the pine-covered Colorado pleateau. Near Flagstaff, we passed a few seasonal “lakes” that were covered in acres of yellow wildflowers.
Eventually, we arrived at Grand Canyon National Park. We parked, stepped out of the car, and were immediately greeted with one of the most awe-inspiring vistas I’ve ever seen. Top 5 most breathtaking and beautiful places I’ve ever visited. Words won’t do it justice, but don’t worry—I took lots of pictures. The below pics were taken on a walk along the South Rim from Verkam’s Visitor Center to Yavapai Point and back. Many of the pics look north up Bright Angel Creek. The Colorado River (at the bottom of the canyon, about 4,650 feet below the rim) is just barely visible in a couple photos.
It was 95 and sunny during our walk, but a nice breeze made it comfortable. The trail is right alongside the rim, with relatively few safety features. It tested my vertigo, but excitement overcame my fear. Several Zone-tailed Hawks (lifer) and a Peregrine Falcon didn’t seem to share my reservations about the void. Unfortunately, we saw zero California Condors, which we had not-so-secretly hoped for.
The vegetation along the rim was classic P-J (pinyon-juniper) forest, and it attracted some exciting P-J forest specialists. Near the beginning of the walk, we encountered a noisy flock of Pinyon Jays foraging among the pinyon pines (I’ve only seen this species once before). Returning to our car, we encountered a couple Juniper Titmice in the Utah juniper (my last lifer of the trip). We also saw a Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, a surprising flock of 18+ Clark’s Nutcrackers, lots of Rock Wrens, a Dark-eyed Junco of the “Red-backed” race (a new subspecies for me), a Black-throated Gray Warbler, and other more common species.
Beyond birds, Rock Squirrels and chipmunks (maybe Cliff Chipmunks, but several species are apparently possible here) were abundant, and I saw a Plateau Fence Lizard (lifer) and an Ornate Tree Lizard. A 20-foot yucca flower spike amid the P-J provided some additional botanical interest.
We made a last-minute decision to stay in Grand Canyon Village overnight. I negotiated our way into a serious hotel upgrade: from one bed without AC to two beds, AC, and a view of the canyon! Two Rocky Mountain Elk greeted us from the front yard of the hotel.
We spent the evening at Yaki Point, a bit east of the village. Sunset over the canyon was serene.
We saw more of the same wildlife (still no Condors!); the highlight was a Peregrine battling a Common Raven, plus a big flock of Bushtits.
Walking to dinner, I saw a huge Mule Deer buck walking around the village. Overall, a nice ending to the 4th of July!
Day 9 (7/5): Grand Canyon, then Phoenix to NC
On our final day in Arizona, I awoke before dawn (as usual). I made a solo journey over to Mather Point, one of the park’s most visited vistas. There were only a couple dozen other folks there, which was nice. Watching the sun rise over the North Rim almost brought me to tears.
I rejoined Jon—and two Bighorn Sheep—back at the hotel. The sheep had climbed out of the canyon to munch vegetation in our backyard. This was only my second encounter with these interesting bovids. Other interesting animals near the hotel included a photogenic chipmunk, a pair of “Gray-headed” Dark-eyed Juncos, and a Brewer’s Blackbird.
Our last adventure of the trip involved a walk along the South Rim Trail, this time to the west. We posted up at Powell Point, soaking in the panoramic canyon views. We were once again a bit disappointed to strike out on condors, but it was still a nice way to spend the morning. The most interesting bird was a Red Crossbill that flew over a few times, plus a pair of Peregrine Falcons.
We ended up adding 12 more birds to our trip list while at the Grand Canyon, including a fair number of Rocky Mountain species. But this part of the trip was about much more than the birds. I highly recommend the detour to anyone that ends up flying into either Phoenix or Vegas. Just do it; you won’t regret it.
That was basically it for the trip. We packed up the car, drove 4 hours back to Phoenix—where it was 115 degrees Fahrenheit (a new personal record)—and flew back home, arriving a bit before midnight. The flight home offered some more nice landscape and cloud photography.
Summary by the Numbers
We traveled a lot over 9 days: 3800 miles by plane, 1540 miles by car, and 42 miles on foot.
Here’s a stat I don’t always quantify: we spent 48 hours of the trip actively birding. That’s more birding than sleeping (estimated at 44 hours total, about 5-6 hours each night), or anything else (driving was third place, estimated at 35 hours, or 3-4 hours each day).
The time spent birding (and driving to different areas) paid off, as we encountered an incredible 176 different species of birds. That’s more birds than I’ve ever seen in a comparable time period, whether traveling or birding locally. Here’s the day-to-day breakdown by number of species: 42, 98, 61, 73, 62, 61, 40, 49, 21.
We got all 176 species in Arizona, distributed across 6 counties (Cochise Co., in the SE corner of the state, dominated with 131 species). We also picked up 18 of the same species during our brief journey into New Mexico.
Of the 176 species, a whopping 63 were lifers for me (and more for Jon). This is the last trip in America where I’ll be able to manage this type of feat, although I could probably pick up a couple dozen on a future trip to South Texas. We saw new lifers each day, except for our last day (which mostly involved traveling): 10+21+12+6+4+5+3+2.
Most of this blog focuses on the rarest, least common species. The “solo club”—a term I just made up to reflect species we only encountered once, and only one individual—included, in taxonomic order: Pied-billed Grebe, Greater Roadrunner, Lucifer Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, White-eared Hummingbird, Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Berylline Hummingbird, Ridgway’s Rail, Double-crested Cormorant, Black Vulture, Golden Eagle, Great Horned Owl, Elf Owl, Spotted Owl, Rose-throated Becard, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Say’s Phoebe, American Crow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Red Crossbill, Rufous-winged Sparrow, and Red-faced Warbler.
But what about the more common species? The most frequently encountered species were White-winged Dove (27 encounters), Turkey Vulture (19), Gambel’s Quail (17), and House Finch (17). This generally aligned with the birds with the most individuals seen: White-winged Dove (229 individuals), Rock Pigeon (149), Gambel’s Quail (124), Red-winged Blackbird (119), and House Finch (112). Everything else fell in between these two extremes.
Arizona’s biodiversity extended far beyond birds. We saw 19 different species of mammals, including 7 identifiable lifers (Black-tailed Jackrabbit, Arizona Gray Squirrel, Mexican (Chiricahua) Fox Squirrel, Rock Squirrel, Harris’s Antelope Squirrel, Short-tailed Ground Squirrel, Cliff Chipmunk), 1 unidentifiable lifer (either Hooded or Hognose Skunk), 1 new subspecies (Coues White-tailed Deer), and 1 new species for my America list (White-nosed Coati).
Reptiles were a mixed bag. Lizards were prolific, but snakes were more elusive than expected. We saw 11 or 12 species of lizards, all of which were lifers. We saw zero snakes, but I accidentally photographed one (Mojave Rattlesnake); not sure if I should count that as a lifer….
Amphibians were relatively scarce, as one might expect in the desert. We saw 3 different species of frogs (2 lifers), and we may have heard or seen one or two more that went unidentified. I also saw two types of fish in small creeks (both lifers).
Invertebrate life was abundant. I didn’t have the mental energy to focus on much other than dragonflies, damselflies, and butterflies. I saw 18 species of odes, including 10 or 11 lifers. I saw 21 species of leps, including 14 lifers. I also noted 11 other invertebrates, most of which were lifers. Among these was the aforementioned aggregation of approximately 72,000 Convergent Lady Beetles—a new single-species high count.
So, here’s the overall summary of the animal counts: 176 birds (63 lifers), 19 mammals (7 lifers), 14-16 herps (13-15 lifers), 18 odes (10-11 lifers), and 21 leps (14 lifers). Many of the lifers are species that are hard to find anywhere else in America, and a few were even endemic to specific mountains in Arizona.
Last stat: In the course of documenting the fauna, flora, and broader landscapes, I took 3108 photos. This includes 2386 with my Nikon D500+300 mm lens (wildlife photos), plus 722 with iPhone 15 Pro (landscape shots). This is a pretty standard number for this type of trip, though it includes more landscape photos than other trips. About 280 photos seemed worth sharing on this blog. That’s all (for now), folks!