The next region on our epic five-week North American birding tour started with big ole Arizona. We flew into Tucson from Texas (another state that experiences an influx during migration) and drove straight to Portal way down in south-east Arizona. We then worked our way back west and north, in what came to be the “canyon discovery” tour: yes there was plenty of shameless touristing and gawking at epic landscapes in between the birding sites. We ended this leg by flying out of Las Vegas, actually a pretty productive birding spot given that it’s kind of an oasis in the desert.
Portal and Cave Creek Canyon
Before travelling to Arizona, we had watched a few YouTube videos from birders who had explored the area and particularly the famed “Sky Islands”. The takeaway from those videos was that I really wanted to see a Gambel’s Quail. We didn’t even need to search for them – they were happily perched on the side of the road as we drove into Portal. Appetite whetted, we looked forward to a good walk in the nearby Cave Creek Canyon. Early morning we followed the South Fork trail for a couple of miles before turning around and coming back. While there were only some areas where the birdlife was aplenty, the walk itself was lovely. Oh, and we found an Elegant Trogon, so that took the pressure off there (though we obtained much better photos later in Madera Canyon).
An interesting aspect of the town of Portal is that several residents have transformed their back yards into bird havens, some quite elaborate, with feeders and water features, and they allow visitors to go right in and watch birds in their yards, with a donation box helping provide for the feed they use.
This menacing-looking Swainson’s Hawk provided a welcoming committee of sorts as we approached Portal.We stayed in the Sky Village at Portal, which is a loosely connected group of dwellings with tons of telescopes and optical equipment for peering at the night sky. It was a great spot to stay at for wildlife, as we saw Bobcats there (twice!) and coyotes too.This is a Canyon Towhee, a large-ish sparrow-like bird.A Curve-Billed Thrasher grabbing a quick drink in our front yard at PortalI could watch Painted Redstarts hop about all day… though in this case the bird is taking a break from chasing another Redstart at breakneck speed through the trees. At Cave Creek Canyon.A Northern Flicker clinging to a tree that looks like it’s seen its fair share of wood peckingAcorn Woodpeckers at Cave Creek Canyon. These are super, super common, but you have to examine each one in case it’s a different type of woodpecker!Although I never managed a clear shot of a Townsend’s Warbler, with photos like these I can at least remember how vivid the bird’s plumage is.Wherever you go, there’s probably a House Wren not too far awayAt the Southwestern Research Station site there’s a couple of feeders and it attracted this Blue-Throated Mountain-GemThe strange-looking Pyrrhuloxia looks like a Northern Cardinal that’s been punched in the face, I reckon
Casa san Pedro and Ramsey Canyon
Casa san Pedro B&B, just east of the city of Sierra Vista, recognises that birders make great tourists, and they have set up their lodge to accommodate them. The lodge has a lovely courtyard with a fountain, bushes and feeders in the centre that kept the sparrows and hummingbirds visiting, and a backyard set up with many different feeders that attracted all manner of birds. On top of that, you could go for a short walk and explore the San Pedro River (where we saw a Mexican Duck, Vermillion Flycatchers, and Cassin’s Kingbirds) or the open field next door (where we found a Red-tailed Hawk). Ramsey Canyon provided another beautiful walking trail – in particular after we climbed up to the Overlook and followed the trail down into “Hamburg Meadow” we were rewarded with a few more lifers.
Female hummingbirds of various species are hard to ID, so I won’t… at Casa san Pedro’s backyard feeders.This Wilson’s Warbler was one of at least half a dozen flitting about a single large bush at Casa san PedroThe smart-looking Cassin’s Kingbird looks like it’s just about to head out to dinner at a very classy establishmentNo indication of scale here, so you’ll just have to believe me that Rivoli’s Hummingbird is quite a large hummingbird. At Ramsey Canyon Inn.Black-Headed Grosbeak at the grounds of the Ramsey Canyon InnA place made for idyllic strolling… Ramsey CanyonFurther up the trail at Ramsey Canyon (maybe another mile from the edge of Ramsey Canyon Preserve) the path puts you into what is known as Hamburg Meadow in eBird, where we found a few vocal and approachable Red-Faced Warblers (as well as Stellar’s Jays and a few other birds)A White-Breasted Nuthatch is easy to identify from its long thin bill, not to mention its nuthatchy behaviour…We used the Merlin phone app’s Sound ID feature to identify flycatchers in the Ramsey Canyon area, which said this one was a Hammond’s FlycatcherWe saw soooo many lizards in Arizona. Like, sooooo many.
Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary
Not far from Ramsey Canyon is Ash Canyon, which turned out to be a total bust birding-wise. However, there is a place near the entrance road called Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary, and it is well worth your time, especially if you’re keenest on photographing birds. It is only a small site but contains a bunch of feeders with photography-friendly branches for birds to land near, as well as a couple of bird hides. Just be aware, it’s closed on Thursdays!
The striking Lark Sparrow about to head to ground to scarf up whatever free seeds it can findThis is my favourite photo of the reasonably common Mexican Jay – because I like the way the background colours echo the colouring of the birdA Lucifer Hummingbird created a bit of a stir and lots of camera clicks when it flew into one of the feedersLesser Goldfinch about to dip into one of the man-made water flows at Ash Canyon Bird SanctuaryThe Lazuli Bunting comes in different shades and vibrancies of blue, and we saw a bunch of ’em at the sanctuary
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region near the mexican border in southern Arizona that we passed through on our way from Ramsey Canyon/Sierra Vista to Madera Canyon. We visited three sites – the Paton Centre for Hummingbirds, the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, and the Patagonia Lake State Park. If I only had to recommend one of these sites, I would say Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve every time; we had a super time there with all manner of birds.
A Violet-Crowned Hummingbird at the Paton Centre for HummingbirdsThe incredibly vibrant Vermillion Flycatcher at the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek PreserveA Grey Hawk was one of a good variety of raptors we saw at Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve; others included Northern Harrier, Zone-Tailed Hawk and American KestrelThere is a little feeder at the visitor centre at Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve and dang if I didn’t get this cool shot of an Anna’s Hummingbird thereBroad-Billed Hummingbirds are the bullies of the Arizona hummingbird worldThe only time we got a look at the weirdly-named Phainopepla was at Patagonia Lake SP, where there were plenty of them
Madera Canyon
Our accommodation was almost near the end of the road into Madera Canyon, so it didn’t take much effort to get out on the trails. We explored the Carrie Nation trail up to where it splits from the Vault Mine Trail, and that intersection came alive as the sunlight started to filter through the trees. The remainder of our hike up the Old Baldy Trail to Josephine’s Saddle then back via the Super trail had some terrific scenic views but not as many great birding moments.
Everywhere you go on the trails at Madera Canyon the first thing other birders will ask you is “did you get the Elegant Trogon”. It is satisfying to be able to definitively answer “yes” to that.A Bridled Titmouse near our excellent accommodation Chuparosa Inn, just down from the main car park at the end of the roadI could go on and on and on about how much I love Yellow-Eyed JuncosGroups of Wild Turkeys made an appearance near Santa Rita Lodge; the males sometimes did a little display on the road, forcing cars to wait for them…!Hooded Oriole seen at the otherwise-fairly-disappointing Proctor Rd section
Sweetwater Wetlands and Gilbert Water Ranch
Firstly, can we just think about a water treatment facility being called “Sweetwater”? We stopped here on our drive north to have an okay morning that ended a big exclamation mark due to an encounter with a Cooper’s Hawk. Gilbert Water Ranch further north in Phoenix is another network of lagoons and trails that we visited on our way north which had lovely parklands too. We had a picnic lunch followed by extensive exploration of all the ponds, and even though it was the middle of the day, say tons of birds.
An Abert’s Towhee picking up a leaf to show everyone at Sweetwater WetlandsThe mighty Cooper’s Hawk sat in this tree for quite a long time, thinking its hawky thoughtsA greyish bird with a very yellow head? Has to be a Verdin. At Gilbert Water RanchOK, when an Anna’s Hummingbird doesn’t give a hoot how close you get your lens to it… you take a super-close up portrait 🙂At least half a dozen Cliff Swallows circled in the air above one of the bridges at Gilbert Water RanchA Mourning Dove catches a lunchtime nap in one of the huge cacti near the main car park. Talk about snug!
Flagstaff
Flagstaff earned the prize for being the coldest place we visited. Early morning at Frances Short Pond needed a few layers to keep you comfortable while peering into the treetops hoping for Cedar Waxwings. Fortunately, some Violet-Green Swallows and Black Phoebes turned up to keep us entertained. This was the first time we saw Canada Geese on the trip, birds that were almost ubiquitous throughout the remainder of our journey.
Kachina Wetlands, about 15 minutes south of Flagstaff, delivered from the moment we arrived, with a Western Bluebird perched at the entry waiting to say hello. Snowy mountain backdrops and birds you only find at elevation (e.g. Mountain Chickadee) are reminders that you ain’t in the low desert any more, champ.
Part of a Canada Goose family at Frances Short PondA Western Bluebird at Kachina Wetlands. You can also find the even bluer Mountain Bluebird there (though we did not…)Not sure what this Osprey is carrying but it doesn’t look like a fishThe incredibly shiny Brewer’s Blackbird was a lifer bird for us at Kachina WetlandsRed-Winged Blackbirds and wetland reeds go together like mac and cheeseA Red-Tailed Hawk with a sort-of red tail, I guess.Common Yellowthroat celebrating not getting harassed by a Red-Winged Blackbird for more than five minutesThese two Pied-Billed Grebes were swimming while looking at each other like this for a minute or two, not sure what was going on thereA new bird for us, Mountain Chickadee, and an instant add to the Adorable-North-American-Birds listA Red Crossbill seen at the car park at Kachina Wetlands; the first and only time we would see this bird on the tripA view across to snow-dappled mountains at Kachina Wetlands. Still in Arizona!
The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon deserves the “grand” moniker and all the other superlatives you could think to lavish upon it. We didn’t really expect to encounter the birds there that we did. Sure, we knew in theory that Condors hung around the area and although we didn’t get any decent photos, we did see a couple! We explored a lot of the South Rim, by a mixture of walking the rim trail and taking the shuttle bus, and were mostly stunned by the scenery, but here are a few birds.
OK let’s just get this out of the way… the Grand Canyon is ridiculously, crazily, amazingly, beyond incredible, and photos like this barely do it any sort of justiceChipmunky thing backlit by the morning sun. Running out of synonyms for “cute” by this point…This Zone-Tailed Hawk made several close hunting passes by one of the Grand Canyon overlooksWhite-Throated Swifts (and a few types of swallows) also zipped by at speed past the overlooksOur one-and-only Rock Wren sighting for the trip; very exciting and a super way to spice up what was already a sensational hike. We also saw a couple of Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jays soon after – lifer alert two!A Red-Breasted Nuthatch foraging… upside down… in a tree in one of the car parksSpeaking of car parks, a gang of a couple dozen Brown-Headed Cowbirds were terrorizing one of the car parks… well, scavenging, anyway.A Black-Throated Sparrow, this one seen near Horseshoe Bend a bit “up the road” from the Grand Canyon
Las Vegas
Following the Grand Canyon stop we explored further north to see Antelope Canyon and Zion National Park, but the birding really started again in Vegas, baby! We did not have high hopes for the nearby Sunset Park when we headed there mid-afternoon… seeing crowds cheering on remote-controlled boats having races on the lake seems like a recipe for scaring birds away but they seemed quite used to all the noise. We were also coming towards our last opportunity to see a Roadrunner, which had become our nemesis bird, so there was much relief to finally find one at Henderson Bird Preserve on a very windy morning.
The unusual stubby-billed Ross’s Goose seen at Floyd Lamb Park in Las VegasRuddy Ducks having an afternoon kipI was kinda eerily fascinated by Eared Grebes as soon as I saw my first one, at Sunset Park in Las VegasTaking the family out for a walk… Canada Geese at Sunset ParkIt would be hard not to fall in love with the vibrantly-coloured Redhead the first time you see it, I contend!Two of a group of over 40 Cedar Waxwings at Sunset Park in Vegas. Lifer bird!Gambel’s Quail are super common throughout the south-western states. This is a male of the species.Ahhh, the mightily elusive Greater Roadrunner, seen on eBird checklists everywhere… except ours. Fortunately we finally found one at Henderson Bird Preserve.We had seen a female Yellow-Headed Blackbird in Texas, but had to wait until Henderson Bird Preserve to find the more vibrantly-coloured male. It was worth the wait!Turns out American Avocets are just as elegant in flight as they are on the ground.A Western Tanager getting stuck into ripe mulberries at Sunset Park
Summary
We enjoyed Arizona from a scenery perspective as much as from a birding perspective. Many of the locations were beautiful and peaceful places to spend time and get some good hiking in as well as photographing birds. Although it got quite chilly in places, we had clear weather (and very few insect annoyances, compared to Texas) throughout our 15 days here, so it felt like we packed a lot in at each location. Given its stellar reputation, Madera Canyon was a little disappointing on the bird front; we would actually recommend Cave Creek or, at a pinch, Ramsey Canyons as better options based on our experiences.
Some stats, for those inclined to enjoy stats!
Most numerous birds: Canada Goose, Great-Tailed Grackle, Mallard, Rock Dove
Total species seen: 158
Most memorable encounters: Greater Roadrunner, California Condor, Red-Faced Warbler, Eastern Bluebird
Bird Spots 
Just Fantastic Andy! Such a wonderful array of birdlife (& animals)
Thank you for your time and sharing. Louise
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