Arizona: Second Spring Tour Highlights

We just finished an incredible ten-day adventure through southeast Arizona exploring the diversity of this immense region. The second spring tour is intended to capture the monsoon season time period where a unique group of birds begins to nest, and others may have another round of breeding. This is the hummingbird migration season with so many species moving through. Some highlights of the 14 species we encountered were an adult male White-eared in Paradise, stunning Lucifer in Ash Canyon, and gorgeous Berylline at Ramsey Canyon.

The warbler show was as amazing as ever. Red-faced and Olive Warblers fed in the upper reaches of the Catalina Mountains. We went into the depth of the Pajarito Wilderness west of Nogales to search for and find a rare Rufous-capped Warbler. A stunning male sat up and sang his heart out between bouts of foraging.

High in the Huachuca Mountains we bounced along dirt roads, one of which led us right to a couple family groups of Buff-breasted Flycatchers. We followed them as they slowly worked the lower story of forest feeding young birds that were calling incessantly for food. This was one of the 17 flycatcher species we encountered.

In Box Canyon we had an incredible sequence of lifers for most. We watched a male Five-striped Sparrow come within a few feet of Keith, expertly using his shade for cover from the sun. This being just 1 of the 14 sparrow species we tallied. Just up the road we scoped young Gray Hawks in a nest. In the same tree a specialty Thick-billed Kingbird sat like a sentinel, never far from its incubating mate. 

In Patagonia we eventually found the resident pair of Mississippi Kites perched on prominent snags. One adult had caught a bug and was poised to bring it in to awaiting young. While soaking this in, a bird shot by quickly disappearing into a nearby tree. It was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that worked its way into the open allowing great views of this skulky species. Up in Harshaw Canyon we staked out a Rose-throated Becard nest and were rewarded with both adults coming in to spruce up their abode.

In Portal we had a great experience with night birds. Low down we had stellar views of Western Screech Owl, one of a family of five working the grounds of our lodge. Further up we witnessed a trio of birds that is very difficult to see in one spot. We stopped the van and right in front of us perched in a dead tree at eye level was a gigantic female American Goshawk that allowed us to admire it before taking off. In the tree above where we parked an adult Spotted Owl blended in with the trunk of a towering tree, while nearby its recently fledged young called out for food. Just before leaving a family of Mexican Chickadees came in overhead, eventually descending to eye level for close study. We had to pinch ourselves to make sure we weren’t dreaming!