Birding in Southeastern Arizona: Madera Canyon

Sitting at the dining table of my grandmother's house in the Sierra Nevada a few days after Christmas, my attention was divided between flipping through Kaufman's Field Guide to Birds of North America and watching Anna's Hummingbirds and Acorn Woodpeckers visiting the feeders on the deck.  Pondering what the new year would bring in terms of birding, I began mulling over where I could go in the United States to see the most new species of birds to add to my life list.  That is, what region has the highest number of species that are different from what we have in California?

As one who likes lists, I started jotting down regions and species, noticing a few areas that began to emerge as likely candidates: For spring migrants like warblers, the northern Midwest and eastern U.S. is promising; Florida has a number of neat things (like flamingos!) I will never see in California; southern Texas is a hotbed of unique species, with its tropical Green Jays and Plain Chachalacas.  But the winner was clear: Southeastern Arizona is a birder's paradise, a must-see destination for anyone who wants to add hummingbirds (14 species!) and a brilliant smattering of tropical birds found predominately south of the border, including the much-coveted Elegant Trogon, to their life list.

And so, as I sat there with my list, the tantalizing names of exotic species dancing before my eyes, I hatched a plan that would take us on a ten-day birding odyssey through many of Arizona's birdiest regions.  I invite you to join me!

Part I: Madera Canyon
Part II: Santa Cruz and San Pedro Rivers
Part III: Huachuca Mountains
Part IV: Saguaro Forests and Sonoran Desert

Birding in Madera Canyon, Arizona

Our first day on the road was eaten up by the long haul down the southern half of California, heading east from the Great Central Valley over Tehachapi Pass, down into the Mojave Desert on the other side, and across the Mojave into the Colorado Desert.  We stopped for the night, after 525 more or less desolate miles, in the desert town of Blythe.

Our second morning found us speeding across the Sonoran Desert toward Phoenix, where I glimpsed my first saguaro cactus through the windshield at 70 miles per hour.  We stopped at Phoenix's Encanto Park to see a naturalized population of Rosy-faced Lovebirds, the offspring of caged pet parakeets that now breed freely in the "wilds" of downtown Phoenix.  (Unfortunately, high winds prevented me from getting any photographs.)  After our picnic in the park, we turned south, passed through Tucson, and arrived at our destination mid-afternoon.

Our camp at Bog Springs Campground, Madera Canyon

Madera Canyon lies quietly in the Santa Rita Mountains, a birder's paradise nestled between the slopes of Mount Wrightson and Mount Hopkins.  A creek runs the length of the canyon, bordered by stately white-barked Arizona sycamores and oak-juniper woodland.  Our home base for two nights was Bog Springs Campground, which I admit sounds dubious at best, but is truly a beautiful place!  We snagged one of the last campsites, tucked under the sheltering branches of oaks and junipers with a view of Mount Wrightson up the road.  As the woodland was alive with birdsong, we wasted no time in setting up the tent and eating something for dinner before grabbing the binoculars!  We spent the evening and the entire following day birding Madera Canyon, and it certainly lived up to my  expectations, offering me nearly 30 lifers in one day!  (A "lifer" is a birding term for a new species one is seeing for the first time, which is subsequently added to one's "life list."  Yes, birders love counting and lists!)

The road to Madera Canyon leaves the highway in the town of Green Valley, and begins to gradually gain elevation through stands of mesquite.  In the desert grasslands and washes on the slopes (or bajadas) below Madera Canyon, birders might expect to find Scaled Quail, Phainopepla and a handful of "drab desert sparrows" (all of which eluded me).  It was here that I saw my first Chihuahuan Raven, perched on a telephone pole with the wind in his (or her) feathers, revealing the tell-tale white at the base of its feathers.

The Florida (pronounced Flo-REE-da) wash marks the entrance to the area officially covered by the Birds of Madera Canyon checklist, provided by the Friends of Madera Canyon.

The trail as it leads south up the canyon from the Proctor Road trail head.

The first trailhead visitors pass when driving up the Canyon is also the lowest in elevation, beginning at 4,400 feet at Proctor Road.  From the parking lot, the Proctor Trail heads south up the creek and canyon to Whitehouse picnic area. 

Literature I read before the trip called this section of trail "productive," and I have to agree!  I was certainly not disappointed!  Within a minute or two of wandering up a paved path through the mesquite, I spotted a flash of dark blue and raised my binoculars just in time to see my first Varied Bunting!  A few seconds later, a new call and a flash of red against brilliant green foliage revealed another lifer: a male Northern Cardinal!  Ubiquitous and perhaps a little ho-hum to East Coast birders, a northern cardinal is a real treat for a Californian!

Male Northern Cardinal

A little further up the trail, another new song alerted me to the presence of a small gray bird, which I quickly spotted and identified as a Bell's Vireo.  Bell's Vireos are small and rather plain, but they are especially exciting to me because here in the Great Central Valley, we have an endangered subspecies, the Least Bell's Vireo, which has only recently been discovered nesting at one of my "home" birding patches, the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge.  Maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to see one of these little pewter gems closer to home.  Other noteworthy birds spotted along the creek-side trail included Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Phainopeplas, Black-headed Grosbeaks and a Canyon Towhee.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Halfway up the canyon, the Madera picnic area, Santa Rita Lodge and Bog Springs Campgound hover around 5,000 feet in elevation.  At this elevation, oak-juniper woodlands dominate areas away from the creek.  These woodlands are composed of alligator juniper along with several species of oak (including Emory, Arizona white and Mexican blue oaks), interspersed with a variety of shrubs and succulents.  A trail along the creek provides an excellent route through the exceptionally birdy riparian corridor.

The Santa Rita Lodge is an incredible place to stop and watch as birds flock to its impressive feeding area (complete with a shaded seating area and ice cream-stocked gift shop).  Assorted bird feeders offer nectar for hummingbirds, seed for grosbeaks and finches, and suet or peanut butter for woodpeckers and nuthatches.  Sparrows, doves and wild turkeys make up the grounds crew, cleaning up seed dropped below the feeders.  I fell in love with this place, and we spent a couple of hours sitting and watching the birds here.  (I helped myself to six lifers with next to no effort on my part - almost doesn't seem fair!)

The bird feeder setup at the Santa Rita Lodge.  Sitting here watching the feeders is both relaxing and exhilarating!

The birds that first command one's attention around the feeders are the smallest: hummingbirds, glittering gems on the wing, buzzing and whirring all around!  In Southeastern Arizona, a good birding day might produce a dozen or more different species!  (But we were still happy with four.)  One of the largest among these is the Rivoli's Hummingbird, a whopping 5 inch-long hummer with '80's neon purple and teal feathers.  Truly a stunning little bird!

Male Rivoli's Hummingbird (formerly called the Magnificent Hummingbird)

The most common hummingbird is far from common-looking, with its striking red bill and glittering blue and green body.  The Broad-billed Hummingbirds seemed to be everywhere, filling the air with their buzzing brilliance as they flitted from feeder to feeder, squabbling with the small but feisty Black-chinned Hummingbirds.

Male Broad-billed Hummingbird

Among the most numerous birds at the mid-elevations around the Santa Rita Lodge are the ubiquitous White-winged Doves, Mexican Jays, House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches and Acorn Woodpeckers.

Mexican Jay

The Mexican Jay is southeastern Arizona's answer to our California scrub jay, while the White-winged Dove is similar to, though undoubtedly distinct from, our familiar Mourning Dove (which also inhabits this region and may have the distinction of being Arizona's most abundant breeding bird).

White-winged Dove

Brown Arizona Woodpeckers are present as well, along with White-breasted Nuthatches, Bridled Titmice and Black-headed Grosbeaks.

Bridled Titmouse

Arizona Woodpecker

Mixed in with a flock of finches was one Pine Siskin, and foraging near the ground in a brush pile were a couple of stunning male Blue Grosbeaks.

Male Blue Grosbeak

Dazzling Hepatic Tanagers made an appearance as well, while a Bronzed Cowbird perched on a distant snag.  A Zone-tailed Hawk soared with Turkey Vultures overhead and a Yellow-eyed Junco scratched the ground for dropped seed.  (How's that for name-dropping?)  From this area we heard our first Elegant Trogon.  Once the sun set, we heard Whiskered Screech-owls and Mexican Whip-poor-wills, and even managed to see a few highly sought-after Elf Owls!

What an incredible day!

Male Hepatic Tanager

Bronzed Cowbird

The road into Madera Canyon ends at the Mount Wrightson picnic area and trailhead, at an elevation of 5,500 feet.  From here, ambitious hikers can continue up a selection of trails into pine-oak forests, and eventually reach montane conifer forests and the summit of Mount Wrightson at 9,453 feet.  We didn't get quite so far!  But we did get far enough to find our target bird, in many ways a holy grail of North American birding: the Elegant Trogon!

The highly sought-after male Elegant Trogon

The distinct muted bark-like call of the Elegant Trogon is generally the first (or only) clue to its presence, as these chunky birds tend to sit motionless in the trees and blend in surprisingly well for such brightly colored animals.  We heard the distinct call soon after starting up the Carrie Nation Trail, and after a minute or two of looking around and scrambling over rocks along the creek in pursuit of the source of the sound, I stopped and looked up to discover a brilliant male Elegant Trogon sitting on a branch... directly over my head!

This is the stuff of dreams for a birder, folks!

A moment with one of Arizona's hottest avian celebrities, the male elegant trogon!

A minute after walking away from the trogon (probably less than a minute - that's how thick the birds can be here!) I heard a song I didn't recognize and spotted a gorgeous Painted Redstart flitting about the branches one tree over from the trogon.  Redstarts are quick-moving, flighty little warblers, with a curious habit of rapidly fanning out their bright white-edged tails to startle insects up from the branches. 

Painted Redstart

Several often confusingly similar flycatchers are found in this area as well.  One of these is the Dusky-capped Flycatcher, which is similar in appearance to our familiar Ash-throated Flycatcher, but with a yellow belly and a rather plaintive call that is distinct.

Like I said, ambitious hikers can continue up the trail into the conifers and reach peaks over 9,000 feet in elevation.  We opted to head back down and spend our remaining time along the creek and watching the feeders at the lodge, but our journey was just beginning! 

Continue the adventure with me!

Part II: Santa Cruz and San Pedro Rivers
Part III: Huachuca Mountains
Part IV: Saguaro Forests and Sonoran Desert