Birding in Southeastern Arizona: The Huachuca Mountains And Other Islands In An Arid Sea

After visiting Madera Canyon and a few of southeastern Arizona's riparian areas along the Santa Cruz River, Sonoita Creek and the San Pedro River, Eric and I spent a couple days of our birding expedition exploring the Huachuca Mountains.

When most of us picture the natural landscape of Arizona, I'm sure we think of two things: the Grand Canyon in the northern part of the state, and vast deserts dominated by the Saguaro cactus of the Sonoran desert.  But there is much more to Arizona, particularly the southeastern part, than one might realize!  This is because southeastern Arizona is a region of transition, where four major ecosystems come together, the lines defining and separating them far less rigid than on a map.  Here are the southern reaches of the Rocky Mountains, the influences of which are seen most strongly in the plant life at higher elevations, which includes familiar conifers like Douglas fir, white fir and ponderosa pine.  Here too is the northern extent of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains of Mexico, the western reach of the Chihuahuan Desert's influence, and the eastern edge of the Sonoran Desert.

Here, tucked away in the bottom right corner of the state are a handful of ecologically significant "sky islands," pockets of forested habitat, rich in species diversity, rising above the surrounding dry scrublands, deserts and grasslands.

The Huachuca Mountains rise as a Sky Island, a hotbed of biodiversity, in an arid sea of desert scrubland

The plant community that blankets these mountains from about 4,000 feet in elevation to around 7,000 feet is the Sierra Madrean Occidental Pine-oak Forest, subtropical woodlands of the Madrean Sky Islands.  Arizona's sky islands include the Santa Rita, Santa Catalina, Huachuca, Rincon and Chiricahua mountains.  (We visited the Santa Rita mountains at Madera Canyon, the Santa Catalinas when we drove up Mount Lemmon in search of warblers, and the Huachucas at Ramsey and Miller Canyons.)

In addition to pines and oaks (including Emory, Arizona white and Mexican blue oaks), other notable trees of this plant community include Douglas fir, white fir and alligator bark juniper.  Between the trees grows a mosaic of grasses, shrubs and succulents, while stately Arizona sycamores line the creeks.  Pine-oak forest sits between live oak woodlands below and pine forests above, making up the core habitat of the Madrean Sky Islands.  This habitat is home to several of Arizona's most important "priority" species, like the Mexican Spotted Owl and the Buff-breasted Flycatcher.  This region receives around 16 inches of precipitation annually, with half of that falling from May through August; snow is not uncommon at high elevations.

These islands of desirable habitat are separated from each other by "seas" of arid habitat which create impassible barriers for many species.  As a result, while habitats are nearly identical at similar elevations across these mountain ranges, species of birds are not found uniformly across all of the sky islands.  The Mexican Chickadee, for example, is found in the Chiricahuas, but is absent from the Pinaleno Mountains 35 mile northwest, and the Huachucas 60 miles west. 

Columbine, another plant with Rocky Mountain associations.

Eric and I spent two days (more or less) exploring a couple of the most well-known canyons in the Huachuca Mountains.  Minutes from the town of Sierra Vista, a handful of these canyons are beloved by birders for the relatively easy access they provide to a wide selection of incredible birds, some of which are found in only a few other locations in North America.  With our limited time, we chose to explore Miller Canyon, known for its hummingbirds and "cooperative" Mexican Spotted Owls, and Ramsey Canyon, which is protected by the Nature Conservancy's Ramsey Canyon Preserve and home to some very special, colorful and tropical birds every North American birder hopes to see: Elegant Trogons.

With a little more time, we would have loved to explore the birdy and beautiful canyons accessed through Fort Huachuca, which include Huachuca, Garden, Scheelite and Sawmill canyons.  South of the fort and the town of Sierra Vista, birders can access Carr Canyon, Hunter Canyon and Ash Canyon, in addition to Miller and Ramsey Canyon, quite easily from highway 92.

Hiking up and up the Miller Canyon trail

Our experience at Miller Canyon began with a short drive up a paved road, and a longer drive (only 2 miles or so) up an unpaved road to the parking area just below Beatty's Guest Ranch.  The guest ranch doesn't own the entire canyon, but their property must be crossed to access the upper canyon trail or view their hummingbird feeders.  There is an entrance fee of $5 per person, regardless of whether you are hiking or birding; deposit your fee, on the honor system, in the marked boxes.

Black-chinned Hummingbird

The hummingbird feeder viewing area provides shaded bleacher seating and a good view of a dozen or more feeders.  While birders at this location have been known to see up to 14 species in one day (!!) we saw just three: Black-chinned, Broad-billed and Rivoli's.  Another birder reported seeing a Broad-tailed Hummingbird as well, but we missed it while we were up the canyon searching for owls.  Such is the way with birding.

Male and female Rivoli's Hummingbird

After some time at the feeders, we headed up the trail in search of the canyon's famous Mexican Spotted Owls.  This is supposedly one of the most reliable places to see them, so we ventured up the somewhat steep trail optimistically.  But... no luck.  Maybe we didn't go far enough up the trail.

The only owl we saw in Miller Canyon that day!

We returned to the hummingbird feeders, where a Painted Redstart joined the party.  We talked with some other birders that confirmed that, no, in fact we had apparently not hiked far enough up the canyon to see the owls.

Painted Redstart

So, we marched down to our car, ate lunch on a rock next to the parking lot, reapplied sunscreen and headed back up the canyon a second time.  I would love to share a great story about an incredible encounter with a Spotted Owl, but once again, it was not to be.

We reached the "big rock on the right" and the "black pipe about so big" that the owner had given us as land marks, and stopped to search the trees.  And search, and search, and search.  We scanned every tree twice, particularly branches near the trunks of conifers (often favorite perches).  For all we know, the owl(s) could have been on the backside of the tree above us on the cliff, just at the wrong angle and out of sight... or three ridges away.  (Most likely the first.)  If an owl chooses to stay hidden, most often he will stay absolutely hidden.  And so our Mexican Spotted Owls eluded us.

So, here's another hummingbird photo instead!

Broad-billed Hummingbird

The next day, we participated in a guided nature walk at the Ramsey Canyon Preserve, where I was able to ask our leader many of the burning questions I'd been saving up while exploring a new region.  ("What's that lizard called?"  "What species of tree is this?"  "What is that butterfly?"  "What type of grass is this?  Is it native or introduced?"  You get the idea.)  She was a fount of knowledge from which I drank greedily as she talked about the geology, hydrology, ecology, botany, herpetology, entomology, and ornithology of the region.  We spent three hours walking half a mile up the canyon and I wasn't bored for a second!

Ramsey Canyon creek

The trail up Ramsey Canyon follows a spring-fed creek, along the banks of which grow sycamores and, surprisingly (at least to me), maples.  The canyon and stream create a moist, cool environment that is home to a number of neat plants and animals, from hummingbirds to threatened Chiricahua leopard frogs.

Sulfur-bellied Flycatcher

A couple of the canyon's signature birds are the Sulfur-bellied Flycatchers (which sound just like a dog's squeaky toy) and Elegant Trogons.

Elegant Trogon

Acorn Woodpeckers called raucously from the oaks, Black-headed Grosbeaks serenaded from above, Bridled Titmice chirped and chipped in excited flocks, and Painted Redstarts sang their cheerful song. 

Painted Redstart

The nesting season was well underway, and we discovered a hummingbird nest, a Western Wood-pewee nest, and a Plumbeous Vireo nest.  An exciting time indeed!

Plumbeous Vireo

Plumbeous Vireo

Arizona's Sky Islands are goldmines for birders and other naturalists.  I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to these hidden gems, and look forward to a return trip!

Don't miss the fourth and final installment in our birding odyssey across Southeastern Arizona: Saguaro Forests and Sonoran Desert Scrub.