Arizona's Amazing Monsoon Madness: Hummingbirds and More...
August 11-17, 2011 - Trip Report
Guide Bob Behrstock with 6 participants

Thurs., Aug. 11 Arrival / Amado / Five-striped sparrows
Happily, everyone arrived in Tucson on or ahead of schedule, so we were away from the airport by 1:30 PM. A short drive south along the western face of the Santa Rita Mountains brought us to our hotel in Amado. After checking in, we hit the road to go birding in the face of a gathering storm. It was, after all, Monsoon Madness. Just a moment north of the Inn, a water treatment pond provided us with our first Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks—a rather local species that we would encounter four additional times during the trip. A few minutes further was the turnoff to Montosa Canyon where another tour leader had discovered singing Five-striped Sparrows just a few days earlier. Seeing this handsome sparrow, one of the rarest nesting birds in the United States, usually requires a punishing drive into California Gulch west of Nogales. Instead, we stepped out of the van and with only a minute or two of searching, had close looks at two singing males. Yes, it could have been perfect if it weren’t drizzling. And the female Varied Bunting we saw was ringing wet. But what a great way to start the trip: seeing a super rarity on a rainy afternoon. As the rain showed little sign of slowing down, we spent a few minutes botanizing from the van and familiarizing ourselves with some of the characteristic plants, then retreated to the Inn where participants enjoyed wine, cheese and then a nice dinner.

Fri., Aug. 12 Madera Canyon / Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge
A pre-breakfast birding stroll in the yard produced a fine surprise: two Gray Foxes were chasing each other up and down a tree just across the wash from the Inn. Views of these lovely mammals are usually brief and at night; but these were visible for many minutes and were photographed by tour members. After our six o’clock breakfast, we drove north to Madera Canyon. Stops in the grasslands yielded a number of birds including our first Botteri’s Sparrows. A stroll at Proctor Road was a bit slow but Bell’s Vireos were numerous enough. The feeders at Madera Kubo B&B provided our first opportunity to study a variety of hummingbirds. The star of the show was a rare Berylline Hummingbird, one of only two or three present in the U.S. at the time. A Violet-crowned Hummingbird, the first of five for the trip, was also a good sighting. Other birds at the feeders included Magnificent and Broad-billed hummingbirds, Hepatic Tanager, Hooded Oriole, and Black-headed Grosbeak. Feeders at the Santa Rita Lodge provided dozens more hummingbirds including our first Calliope, Acorn Woodpeckers, and a flock of Mexican Jays. A stroll in the canyon bottom produced a few butterflies and mushrooms for the photographers and calls of Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers (which we would catch up with several days later). After lunch in Green Valley and a quick stop at the Inn, we continued west to Arivaca Cienega, a part of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. With its huge cottonwoods and marshy pools, the Cienega is a rare habitat in this part of the state. Birds included Cooper’s Hawk, Yellow-breasted Chat, Tropical Kingbird, Lazuli Bunting, Warbling Vireo, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. The striking Malachite Darner, a colorful dragonfly that barely enters the U.S. was seen well, as were Painted Crescents, a marsh-inhabiting butterfly. Afterward, we enjoyed an excellent dinner at the Amado Steakhouse adjacent to our hotel.

Sat., Aug. 13 Kino Springs / Patagonia / Casa de San Pedro
The Gray Foxes put on another appearance before breakfast, along with Blue Grosbeak, Abert’s Towhee, Gray Hawk, and a few other birds. As we ate breakfast, we were interrupted by a Lucy’s Warbler that appeared just outside the window and even posed for a couple of photos. After breakfast, we checked out of the Inn and drove south a bit to check the Rio Rico roadside ponds. This is a predictable site for Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, and we saw several more, as well as more Tropical Kingbirds. At the golf course ponds at Kino Springs we saw Green Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, several species of flycatchers, Northern Flicker, and a few other odds and ends. Continuing to the famous (among birders) Patagonia roadside rest, we had nice looks at the Thick-billed Kingbirds nesting there—another one of the country’s rarest breeding species—and a perched Gray Hawk. While in Patagonia, we had lunch and made the obligatory hummingbird watching stop at the Patons’ yard (now administered by Tucson Audubon Society). Before leaving Patagonia, we had excellent looks at Rufous-winged Sparrow, a local specialty restricted to just a few counties in the U.S. A stop in the grasslands of the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area yielded Grasshopper Sparrow (another local and diminishing species), Cassin’s Sparrow, and a few Lark Buntings. The last leg of the drive took us to Casa de San Pedro, our delightful lodging for the next four nights. Here, we had time to do some feeder watching (more Calliopes and another Violet-crowned) before dinner at the Casa. As usual, Karl and Patrick outdid themselves and we enjoyed ribs, chicken, and brisket from Karl’s smoker, as well as pasta with lemon and artichoke and a tasty salad.

Sun., Aug.14 Fort Huachuca / Sawmill Canyon / Bob’s feeders / Hummingbird banding
After a six o’clock breakfast, we departed for Fort Huachuca. En route, we stopped for a Peregrine Falcon perched on a power pole along Buffalo Soldier Trail. Upon entering the Fort, our first birding attempt was thwarted by a debris flow and deep water that blocked the entrance to Huachuca Canyon. Shifting instead to Garden Canyon, we made stops at two of the picnic areas, adding Golden Eagle, Bridled Titmouse, and Painted Redstart in the process, then ascended to Sawmill Canyon. Sawmill hosts a mixture of upper elevation trees including Chihuahuan, Pinyon, and Apache pines, several oaks, and Douglas Fir, and is a delightful place to look for birds. The highlight (for me, anyway), was a Northern (Mountain) Pygmy-Owl that was being mobbed by several Grace’s Warblers. Other sightings included a quick look at our only Elegant Trogon, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Yellow-eyed Junco, Brown Creeper, and Hepatic Tanager. After lunch in Sierra Vista, we  visited my house and Ash Canyon B&B for hummingbirds (Lucifer and more Calliopes), then returned to Casa de San Pedro where, coincidentally, Sheri Williamson, author of the Hummingbirds of North America in the Peterson Field Guides series was banding hummingbirds and demonstrating field techniques with her team. This ad hoc instruction proved to be a real bonus for tour participants. Those who cared to were able to release hummingbirds after they’d been banded, adding a very intimate in-hand element to the week of hummingbird viewing. Dinner was at the Mesquite Tree.

Mon., Aug. 15 Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area / Bisbee / Ramsey Canyon
Initially, today’s birding took us to lower elevation habitat to the east. First, we took a spin through Double Adobe Campground, and then continued to Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area. The area provided us with Pyrrhuloxias, Great Horned Owls, dozens of Lazuli Buntings, close looks at Scaled Quail, and a few waterbirds. Backtracking to Bisbee, we birded a canyon near town where we enjoyed leisurely views of both Black-chinned and Rufous-crowned sparrows. In Bisbee, the group fragmented for various lunch venues and some shopping. Afterward, we walked the trails at the Nature Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon Preserve, and watched feeders for a while before returning to the Casa. Tonight’s meal was Mexican food prepared by caterers who are frequent guest chefs at the Casa.

Tues., Aug. 16 Benson / Willcox / San Pedro House / Owling
Because the recent fires and associated flooding had made both Carr and Miller canyons unavailable to us, we took an impromptu trip further afield. First, we visited the water treatment ponds in the townof Benson, providing some participants with long sought-after views of Wilson’s Phalaropes. Continuing to Willcox, we looked at a variety of waterbirds at lake Cochise. We ate our picnic lunch provided by the Casa at the train station in Benson. Next, we visited a friend’s yard in St. David (just in case) and then the Holy Cross Monastery where our search for Mississippi Kites proved futile. As the afternoon had gotten rather toasty, we pressed on to the San Pedro House east of Sierra Vista, just so people could get a look at the site and visit the book store. We returned to the Casa where the die-hards among us had nice looks at Gambel’s Quail and Abert’s Towhee near the feeders. After a quick vote, we decided to return to the Mesquite Tree for dinner and nobody was disappointed. As we were only a short distance from Ramsey Canyon, we decided to spend some time owling after dinner. First, we stopped in a friend’s driveway near the top of Ramsey Road. WhiskeredScreech-Owls were already calling when we got out of the van. Within a minute or two, we were enjoying close looks at a Whiskered Screech-Owl as another called behind it. This is another bird with an extremely small range in the U.S., and a good one to see. As we descended the road, I decided to pull off for a moment and listen for Western Screech-Owl—the Whiskered’s larger and more widespread cousin. This proved to be a good idea and we were soon 10 feet from a Western Screech-Owl as two more called nearby. Both of tonight’s screech-owls were photographed and both were still sitting rather unconcerned as we thanked them and drove away.

Wed., Aug. 17 San Pedro River / Departures
Today began with a short pre-breakfast walk to the San Pedro River adjacent to the Casa de San Pedro. Some of the birds we encountered were Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Bewick’s Wren, Abert’s Towhee, and a very close great Horned Owl that was being mobbed by Cassin’s Kingbirds. After the usual excellent breakfast (somewhat later today), we packed up for the drive back to Tucson. When we were about ¾ mile from the Casa, Patrick called to say that a participant had left a few things behind. Quickly retracing our steps, we returned to the Casa to pick up the items. This turned out to be a stroke of luck for everyone as a Lesser Nighthawk flushed up right next to the van in the Casa’s driveway. One common bird that had proven problematic during the week was Cactus Wren—our largest wren and Arizona’s State bird. Usually, we’re tripping over them, but they had remained low profile during the entire trip. A quick phone call to friends in Sierra Vista confirmed that one was handy in their front yard so we made a brief and successful wren stop as we left town. The remainder of the drive was pleasant and everyone made their flights with time to spare.

Admittedly, I had some concerns about this trip and our curtailed access in some areas. As it turned out, we saw a nice assortment of birds and other creatures, and, judging by the numerous photos and nice comments we received from participants, the trip was judged a success.

 

Photo credits:
Cloudless Sulfur, Acacia Skipper, Female Rufous Hummingbird, Painted Lady, Male Hooded Oriole, Tarantula and Mexican Jay, by Terry Peterson.

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