2007 Tour Narrative
I have been leading the WINGS Arizona tour for twenty years and I can not remember a trip that experienced such cool weather, and saw such a great list of birds. In fact, our trip total of some 222 species was my highest in all the years I have done the tour in May. We found virtually all the regular southeastern Arizona birds, as well as a fine assortment of migrants, lingering winter species and a few rarities, and we had such excellent views of most of them. In addition we saw some incredible Arizona scenery, got rained upon (!), and had a chance to ponder first hand that enduring question, why does the Gila Monster cross the road!
We began with birding around Tucson, in particular on Mount Lemmon and along the San Pedro River near Mammoth and Dudleyville. Our afternoon up Mount Lemmon was quite windy, which hampered our attempts at owls, but we still saw why birders flock to Arizona in May - a stunning Red-faced Warbler was the big highlight, but other birds such as Grace’s Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Spotted Towhee and Yellow-eyed Junco were fun as well. Aravaipa Canyon was very productive, with excellent views of both Common Black-Hawk and Zone-tailed Hawk, not to mention desert specialties such as Gilded Flicker, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Phainopepla, Verdin, Lucy’s Warbler, Black-throated Sparrow and Hooded Oriole. A late afternoon stroll in Sabino Canyon produced Elf and Western Screech-Owls and Common Poorwill, not to mention the stunning Saguaro-laden desert at sunset!
Working south to the Nogales-Patagonia area, we birded Madera Canyon where, for the fifth year in a row, a stunning male Flame-colored Tanager was present. Madera is always a delight with birds such as Arizona Woodpecker, Hutton’s and Plumbeous Vireos, Painted Redstart, and Scott’s Oriole all seen well. There were a scattering of migrants present, including an excellent male Hermit Warbler, several Townsend’s Warblers, and lots of Western Tanagers. In the grasslands and desert below Madera we managed excellent studies of both Rufous-winged and Botteri’s Sparrows - two Arizona specialties. Our journey to Nogales took us up Mount Hopkins and to Arivaca and Ruby Road, and incredible blend of desert scenery and interesting birds such as Canyon and Rock Wrens, Rufous-crowned Sparrows, and a pair of Tropical Kingbirds. The Patagonia Nogales area always produces some of the best birding n the trip. We visited many of the ponds and lakes in the area where there seems to be another Vermilion Flycatcher everywhere one looks! Great looks at Gray Hawks were a big treat, as were specialties such as Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, a Northern Pygmy-Owl, a wandering Clark’s Grebe, both Elf and Whiskered Screech-Owls, Neotropic Cormorants, tons of both Western and Cassin’s Kingbirds, Thick-billed Kingbird, Violet-crowned and Broad-billed Hummingbirds, Eastern Bluebird, Hepatic Tanager, and on and on.
Our visit to the Sierra Vista area was highlighted by a morning at Fort Huachuca, in particular Garden and Scheelite canyons. Certainly the big highlight of the morning was a pair of Elegant Trogons at a nest in Garden Canyon. First hearing the trogon off in the distance, then having it fly over our heads, and finally having the male perch out in the open (filling the scope) for at least ten minutes was quite a thrill - one couldn’t ask for a better trogon experience! Then we hiked up into Scheelite where we found one of the Spotted Owls perched in the open, and again it essentially filled the scope! Elsewhere in the Huachuca’s we visited Carr Canyon where we got excellent views of Buff-breasted Flycatcher and Olive Warbler, and our walk along the San Pedro River let us experience the best remaining corridor of riparian habitat left in southern Arizona - with tons of Summer Tanagers, Yellow Warblers, Song Sparrows, Abert’s Towhees, and Yellow-breasted Chats. A Northern Waterthrush along the river was a surprise.
We always end the tour in the Chiricahua Mountains at Portal, simply put, my favorite place in the state. The scenery is unparalleled, and the birding excellent. We successfully found the specialties that Portal is famous for, such as Black-chinned Sparrow, Juniper Titmouse and Western Scrub-Jay out the Paradise Road, and Mexican Chickadee and Cordilleran Flycatcher up in the high country. A visit to the George Walker House yielded close views of Black-headed Grosbeaks (and one Rose-breasted as well) and a nice rarity for the region - a stunning Lewis’s Woodpecker. At Portal area feeders we found Crissal Thrasher, and close-up views of Pyrrhuloxia, Curve-billed Thrasher, Black-throated Sparrow, and a wayward White-throated Sparrow. Flocks of Band-tailed Pigeons were once again around Portal, and we were treated to both Blue-throated and Magnificent Hummingbirds at the Southwest Research Station. Perhaps the best birds in this area were the Flammulated Owl we tracked down in Pinery Canyon and the Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher on our last morning there.
Normally we bird the canyon, head to Willcox for some list-padding water birds, then on into Tucson, but we found out about the recent arrival of a male White-eared Hummingbird back in Miller Canyon in the Huachuca’s. So, after an early morning in Cave Creek Canyon, we indeed headed to Willcox, where we did see several interesting birds for the trip, such as Marbled Godwit and Eared Grebe, but then blasted to Miller Canyon, where we were successful in finding the male White-eared! What a great way to end a fabulous trip.
Gary Rosenberg
Updated: June 2007