INTRODUCTION
Southeastern Arizona is one of North America 's most exciting birding area's. The 15,000 square mile area extending south from Tucson to the Mexican border, and east to New Mexico, is truly a birder's paradise. Over 400 species of birds are recorded there annually and the region's overall total is nearly 500. Making Arizona's numbers even more impressive is the fact that the area is landlocked. In fact, more birds are found in southeastern Arizona than in any landlocked area of comparable size in the U.S. Included in this richness are 40 species that are not found anywhere else in this country.
Geography accounts for this unusual biological diversity. Southeastern Arizona lies at the intersection of four major biotic or life zones, each with a distinctive avifauna . The Rocky Mountain biotic province reaches its southern terminus near Tucson. Vegetation there is similar to that found much further north and birds like the Mountain Chickadee find their southern limit. The Sierra Madrean biotic province barely reaches into Arizona from the south. It provides a highway into this country for many Mexican species of birds including rarities like the Elegant Trogon and the White-eared Hummingbird. The other two biotic zones in southeastern Arizona are the Sonoran and the Chihuahuan deserts.
The Chihuahuan Desert is characterized by thorny scrub and sparse desert grassland. This harsh environment provides habitat to birds like the Chihuahuan Raven, Scaled Quail and the Black-throatedSparrow. The Sonoran Desert is a land of summer rains and is much lusher than the Chihuahuan. The dominant vegetative forms are cacti and birds like Gila Woodpecker, Elf Owl and Rufous-winged Sparrow are found.
Southeastern Arizona can be further divided into elevational zones. From the desert outside Tucson at 2,000 feet to the boreal forest on Chiricahua Peak at 9,700 feet , one passes through 5 different life zones each with a unique collection of plants and animals. An hour's drive from Tucson to the top of Mt. Lemmon is like driving from Mexico to Canada in term of the changes in vegetation and climate one experiences along the way.
The end result is a rich mosaic of habitats that comprise a birder's paradise at any season. Making the area even more appealing is the spectacular scenery. From the Sonoran Desert's stately saguaro cactus, to the grasslands surrounding Patagonia, to the beautiful rose colored cliffs of Cave Creek Canyon it is easy to see why Arizonans claim that “God was their architect.”
Itinerary
Day 1 - Flight from London to Tucson - Arizona .
Day 2 - Our first morning will give participants an introduction to birds typical of the Lower Sonoran life zone. We begin by driving through the deserts west of Tucson in search of Gambel's Quail, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Verdin, Bronzed Cowbird, Pyrrhuloxia, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cactus Wren, Inca Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Curve-billed Thrasher and other birds typical of desert scrub habitat. We will complete our “desert sweep” with stops to look for Burrowing Owl and Harris' Hawk before returning to Tucson for lunch. In the early afternoon we will make the 2 hour drive to Portal where we will spend the next three nights. We will break up the drive with a stop at Willcox Playa where fair numbers of shorebirds can be found during mid-summer. Reliable species at this locale include American Avocet, Stilt Sandpiper, Eared Grebe and Wilson's Phalarope. After dinner we will make the first of several evening forays in search of owls. Night in Portal.
Day 3 - Early this morning we will drive into the desert outside Portal to search for Black-chinned Sparrow, Juniper Titmouse and Western Scrub-Jay. All of these are very local in southeastern Arizona and found only in the pinyon/juniper scrub near the town of Paradise . After returning to town for breakfast will drive up into the Chiricahuas to Rustler Park (elevation 8,500 feet ). Along the way we will stop at the Southwestern Research Station, a good spot for Scott's Oriole and Lark Sparrow. As we drive up the mountain we will see how the elevational changes affect the plant life as the spruce-fir forests at Rustler Park are much like those in northern Wisconsin. At Rustler Park we hope to find Red-faced Warbler, Olive Warbler, Mexican Chickadee, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Band-tailed Pigeon, Western Bluebird and Steller's Jay. After a picnic lunch we will drive back to Portal, stopping along the way at the Walker House in Paradise where Juniper Titmice sometimes attend the feeders , and ending the day relaxing and watching the hummingbird feeders outside our hotel. Night in Portal.
Day 4 - The day begins with a short drive to Stateline Road where we hope to locate Bendire's Thrasher. This road that straddles the Arizona-New Mexico border has an unusually high concentration of this difficult to find skulker . Other birds we hope to see here include Crissal Thrasher, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Swainson's Hawk, Black-throated Sparrow and Scaled Quail. We will also check a stock tank that can be a magnet for migrants in late July. After breakfast in Portal we will hike up the South Fork Trail of Cave Creek Canyon. This area hosts up to a dozen nesting Elegant Trogons every year and they are usually easiest to find in late summer when they are feeding their young. This is one of the most sought after birds in the U.S. and our chances of seeing them are excellent. Cave Creek is also a good spot to find Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Mexican Jay, Bridled Titmouse, Painted Redstart and Plumbeous Vireo. After our hike we will spend the remainder of the day looking for birds we have missed in the Portal area and relaxing on the grounds around our hotel where the well-stocked hummingbird feeders will provide more than ample entertainment. In the early evening we will drive into the desert to look for Lesser Nighthawk, Common Poorwill and Barn Owl. Night in Portal.
Day 5 - After breakfast we will bid farewell to Portal and drive to the Sierra Vista area which will be our base for the next two days. While there we will spend most of our time exploring three major rivulets carved into the west side of the Huachucas: Carr; Miller and Ramsey Canyons. In Miller Canyon we will visit the Beatty's feeders which attract as many as 12 species of hummingbirds in the late summer. In past years this has been a reliable place to see White-eared Hummingbird, a rare summer visitor from Mexico. The seed feeders here attract visitors of a less frenetic sort with Steller's Jay, Black-headed Grosbeak and Lesser Goldfinch usually in attendance. In nearby Ramsey Canyon the cast of characters will be similar and we will hope that the nesting Berylline Hummingbirds have returned for another season. In recent years they have nested right outside the nature store! As we leave Ramsey Canyon we will detour through a residential area where Scaled Quail can often be found feeding along the roadside. If we have not yet seen Western and Whiskered- Screech Owls we will travel to Carr Canyon after dinner where they are both reliably found. Night in Sierra Vista.
Day 6 - This day will begin early with a trip to Sawmill Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains. As we ascend through the grasslands at the foot of this range both Botteri's and Cassin's Sparrows should be in evidence. These grasslands sparrows nest in July and August and at that time are easy to see as they sing from conspicuous perches. The remainder of the year they are secretive and almost impossible to find. This is also a good place to see tarantulas as they cross the road in the cool of the morning. Sawmill Canyon (elevation 7,000 feet ) is the best place in the U.S. to see Buff-breasted Flycatchers. A small colony is present at the entrance to the canyon and they are usually easy to find. Other birds we hope to see there include Greater Pewee, Strickland's Woodpecker, Yellow-eyed Junco, and Grace's Warbler. After a short hike through the area we will head down the mountain to Scheelite Canyon, famous for its pair of Spotted Owls. The owls in Scheelite Canyon have been seen by thousands of visiting birders over the years and if we are lucky we will be counted in their number. Other birds in Scheelite that we may find include Northern Pygmy-Owl, White-throated Swift, Hepatic Tanager and Virginia's Warbler. From Scheelite we will drive back to Sierra Vista for lunch and then visit the local sewage ponds which can be teeming with shorebirds in late summer. If time permits we will also take a short hike along the San Pedro River where Abert's Towhee, Gray Hawk and occasionally Green Kingfisher are present. Night in Sierra Vista.
Day 7 - The day begins with a pre-dawn drive to the Patagonia-Sonoita Preserve, a nature conservancy property along Sonoita Creek. Here we should find Gray Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Lazuli Bunting, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Yellow-breasted Chat, Gilded Flicker, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Phainopepla, Lucy's Warbler and Bewick's Wren. Our main target here is the flashy Vermillion Flycatcher which should be present in abundance. Just outside the sanctuary is the home of Marion Paton, a transplanted New Englander who allows birders to watch the hummingbird feeders in her yard. This is the only reliable place in Arizona to see a Violet-crowned Hummingbird. From the sanctuary it is a short drive to a roadside picnic area known by birders simply as the “roadside rest”. This small wayside offers great birding and a chance to see nesting Thick-billed Kingbirds and, in some years, Rose-throated Becards. From the roadside rest we travel west to Kino Springs, a golfing community that hosts nesting Tropical Kingbirds every summer. Other possibilities along the way are Black Vulture, Common Ground-Dove, Western Kingbird and Blue Grosbeak. After Kino Springs we head to Nogales where we close the day at the Nogales Sewage Ponds looking for Black-bellied Whistling Duck and shorebirds. Night in Nogales.
Day 8 - The day begins with an early morning drive along Ruby Road where we will have our best chance to see Montezeuma Quail. Our first destination is California Gulch, a desolate canyon near the Mexican border, and the only place in the U.S. where Five-striped Sparrows are easily found. The road into California Gulch is guaranteed to be the bumpiest ride of your life. Along the way we will pass the abandoned mining town of Ruby and an old hippie commune with a few lingering residents. Once we reach California Gulch we will take a short hike in to look for the sparrows. Other birds we are likely to find are Golden Eagle, Varied Bunting, Hooded Oriole and Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet. Because of this area's proximity to Mexico it often turns up rarities and on more than one occasion a Rufous-capped Warbler has been seen here. Before the heat sets in we will leave California Gulch and head to Madera Canyon. Along the way we will look for Rufous-winged Sparrows in the Arivaca area. At Madera Canyon where we can watch the feeders outside the cabins where Magnificent and Broad-billed Hummingbirds should be common. A hike up some of the trails should produce Black-throated Gray Warbler, Cooper's Hawk and Red-faced Warbler. Night in Tucson.
Day 9 - Our final day begins with a drive to Aravaipa Canyon to look for nesting Common Black-Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk and Mississippi Kite. Around mid-morning we will trade the heat of the desert for the refreshing coolness of Mt. Lemmon where we will seek Rocky Mountain species like Orange-crowned Warbler, Mountain Chickadee, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Northern Goshawk. This will also give us a final chance at any high elevation species that we might have missed during the week. The spectacular scenery visible from the road down to Tucson will be a fitting way to end our visit to Arizona. Night in Tucson.
Day 10 - The trip concludes this morning with return flights from Tucson.
