The Cool Mountains of Arizona
Every year, about August 18, the GOS will be running an eight-day birding trip to the lovely mountains of Southeast Arizona. The big attraction here is all the Mexican (tropical) species that are found just across the border in the Chiricahuas, Huachucas and other mountainous areas. And by this time, many species of fall migrants are passing through the mountains, making birding doubly good!
In Tucson, we visit the incomparable Arizona Desert Museum, with wild aviaries (and much more!), Saguaro National Park, and a museum of mounted specimens that’s simply amazing. But the birding further south is stupendous!
Day two takes us high atop Mt. Lemmon, with interesting species at each increase in elevation. This is the south end of the Hudson Zone, or the birds typically of the Rocky Mountains.
With Nogales as our home base now, day three will take us downhill west of the city, to Sycamore Canyon, and later, Mustang Trail and Buenos Aires NWR. The only really hot day on the trip, it will be about like a mild summer day in Texas. There is exquisite scenery, though, and birds we won’t see on the rest of the trip.
Day four takes us around Patagonia, with several excellent areas for new species. The Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Reserve boasts a great supply of woodland songbirds, and excellent hiking trails. The hummingbird feeders at the Paton’s house are almost beyond belief, with over a dozen species sometimes sighted.
Day five and six takes off from Ft. Huachuca, and explores some of the beautiful wooded canyons on the east side of the Huachuca Mountains. Ramsey, Carr, Garden and Miller Canyon are the top destinations, and we’ll spend two days exploring them.
The afternoon of the sixth day we’ll cross the lowland to the east and ascend the towering Chiricahuas to Rustler Park. Here, we’ll look for rare, high-mountain species, before descending the east side for the night.
The seventh day, we’ll explore the Portal/Paradise area, including lovely Cave Creek Canyon. Several feeders around make finding many birds easy, and early morning birding on the desert is excellent as well. In the afternoon, we’ll again head to the high country, and will then descend the west slope and head for a hotel in Tucson, for a flight the next morning.
Now, here are some of the great birds you’ll see in the cool desert mountains of Southeast Arizona. After these bird pictures, there will be a list of the land bird species you’re likely to see that you DON’T see in many other places.
 E Trogon |
 Acorn Woodpecker |
 Mag Hummer |
 Broad b Hummer |
 Gilded Flicker |
 Steller's Jay |
 Mexican Jay |
 Vermillion Flycatcher |
 Verdin Singing |
 Pigmy Nuthatch |
 Cactus Wren in Cactus |
 CB Thrasher |
 Hermit Warbler |
 Townsend's Warbler in Yard |
 Western Tanager |
 BH Grosbeak |
 Lazuli Bunting |
 Black-Throated Sparrow |
 Western Meadowlark Singing |
 Scott's Oriole |
 House Finch |
Bird List-
WW Dove, Inca Dove, Band-tailed Pigeon, roadrunner, Burrowing Owl, (other owls?), Lesser Nighthawk (other goatsuckers?), White-throated Swift, almost every hummingbird in the book, Elegant Trogon, Acorn, Acorn, Gila, Arizona and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Gilded Flicker, Rose-throated Becard, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-pewee, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Cordilleran Flycatcher (and other empids), Say’s Phoebe, Black Phoebe, several Myiarchus flycatchers, Thick-billed, Tropical, Cassin’s and Western Kingbirds, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Bell’s and Hutton’s Vireos (and others), Steller’s Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, both ravens, Horned Lark, Violet-green Swallow, Juniper and Bridled Titmouse, Mexican Chickadeedeedee, Verdin, Bushtit, WB, RB and Pigmy Nuthatches, Brown creeper, Bewick’s, Rock, Cactus and Canyon Wrens, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, bluebirds, Townsend’s Solitaire, Curve-billed, Bendire’s and Crissal Thrasher, Lucy’s, Virginia’s, Townsend’s, Hermit, Grace’s, McGillivray’s, Red-faced and Olive Warbler, Western Tanager, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-headed Grosbeak, Varied and Lazuli Buntings, Green-tailed, Spotted, Abert’s and Canyon Towhee, Rufous-crowned, Cassin’s, Botteri’s, Rufous-winged, Black-chinned, Black-throated, Brewer’s and Lark Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Yellow-eyed Junco, Western Meadowlark, Bronzed Cowbird, Hooded and Scott’s Oriole, Evening Grosbeak, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.
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