Bob's Gone Birding: Part 3: The Chiricahuas

A Cassin's Sparrow Watching Me from a Distance.

The Chiricahuas and Portal were everything I hoped they would be - birdy, beautiful, and a total escape from the rest of the world. I spent three nights there and could have spent three weeks without getting bored.

I ended my last blog by saying that Stateline Road was birdless as far as I could tell, but I was mistaken. Just as I gave up on birding that area, a Cassin's Sparrow sang from the Arizona side of the road. I hopped out of the car and began to scan the top of the bushes. Nothing. Then the song came from the New Mexico side. I spun around and scanned. Nothing. Then it sounded from behind me again, and this time I saw it - Cassin's Sparrow! Then the little guy flew to the New Mexico side making him the first Chiricahua bird and the last New Mexico bird of the day. With a fist pump, I turned toward Portal.

Upon arriving I had no time to take in the cliffs above the town or the charm of the Portal Store, Cafe & Lodge. Instead, I was distracted by birds! Across the street from the store was a small lot with some brush and a bit of gravel - not much more - but there was a Curve-billed Thrasher and a Cactus Wren. A Western Kingbird and White-winged Doves sat on the wires above them. Acorn and Downy Woodpeckers flew across the street to the feeders on the Lodge property where Lesser Goldfinches were battling brightly colored House Finches for the perches. A Cassin's Kingbird flew in calling loudly. And I was still in the parking lot! After a bit, I went into the store, checked in, and got my room key. I went to the room and there above the door was a Barn Swallow's nest. At first she flew off every time I approached, but after a while she grew used to me and never again disturbed herself over my presence.

Momma Barn Swallow - She Learned to Trust Me.

The Portal Lodge was wonderful. We're not talking about a luxury resort here. The room was small, there was no phone and no television, and the only chair was at a very small table nudged into a corner. But the bed was comfortable, the pillow perfect for me, the air conditioner worked, and everything else was quiet. In short, the room was perfect as far as I was concerned. Even better, the food in the cafe was excellent and the beer very cold. Does it get any better?

My goal on the first day was to work my way up to the picnic area at the end of the South Fork of Cave Creek where according to the books I might find an Elegant Trogon. On the way up, I stopped frequently at pullouts and campgrounds. I was rewarded with Western Scrub-Jay, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Red-faced Warbler, Painted Redstart, Western Tanager, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Blue Grosbeak and Bridled Titmouse. But at South Fork there was nothing, and especially not an Elegant Trogon. Dang.

The Cliffs above Portal

Yellow-eyed Junco

However, there was a storm brewing, so I wolfed down some lunch while sitting in the car, then set out to explore other parts of the area. This time I started up the north side but was soon blocked by a tree across the road that led to Barfoot and Rustler Parks. So instead, I pulled into the Southwestern Research Station (SWRS). I was there by sheer luck and happenstance, and I fell in love with the place almost immediately. There were so many birds! Western Wood-Pewees darted around while Cassin's Kingbirds perched on wires and posts looking for a treat to fly by. In the grass there was a Lark Sparrow and a couple of Yellow-eyed Juncos. Western Scrub-Jays scrambled around the parking lot where a lone Hermit Thrush sat in a tree at the far end.

Then an odd thing happened. It started when I needed to use a restroom. The SWRS store was closed and I didn't know there were restrooms just around the corner. However, I recalled that there was a restroom back at South Fork. I hopped back in the car, drove back to the fork, made the u-turn and quickly found myself back in the South Fork parking lot. I started toward the restroom when I heard a voice to my left say, "Elegant Trogon!" I made a sharp turn and headed into the trees where I found another birder who told me he had just heard an Elegant Trogon in the trees ahead of us. I started searching but then he called, "This way. It flew over there." I still hadn't seen anything, but I bustled over to where he was pointing. And there she was, one of the birds I really, really wanted on this trip. It wasn't the brightly colored male, but still I think you can agree she is a lovely bird!

Elegant Trogon

It was a second lucky stroke - I had given up on South Fork for the day and yet there I was again and I was looking at a Trogon. When I got back to the SWRS, almost the first thing I saw was the restrooms. How had I missed them? But if I had seen them, I would have missed the Trogon. Someone was looking out for me!

I spent a good chunk of the rest of that day sitting at the Station's hummingbird feeders. I watched as Magnificent, Blue-throated, Black-chinned and Allen's Hummingbirds alternately fed or chased each other around the yard. Then I returned to the Lodge for a fantastic dinner of a beef and green chili burrito with refried beans and a bottle of Dos Equis, all topped off by a deep dish apple cobbler and ice cream. I staggered out of there into the dieing light intending to walk off the meal. I was rewarded with a Hooded Oriole, lifer #33 for the trip.

The second day also great. It started at Dave Jasper's yard watching his feeders as dozens of birds visited for their morning meal. I was also fortunate that Mr. Jasper joined us a for a bit and chatted away like we were old friends. I had never met him, of course, but it took only a moment to feel comfortable around him. Clearly, he is a man who loves his birds and loves sharing them with the many people who come to see them. I counted about 20 species of birds while I sat there. Among them were Gambel's Quail, Black-throated Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lark Sparrow, Curve-billed Thrasher and Canyon Towhee. Also Black-chinned, Blue-throated, Allen's, Anna's and Broad-billed Hummngbirds visited the feeders and agave plants around me. And in the thickets along the path a Verdin showed itself long enough to earn a few admiring comments.

The View from near Onion Saddle on the Road to Barfoot and Rustler Parks

That afternoon I braved the roads up to Barfoot and Rustler Parks. Barfoot was a pretty spot marked by towering pines and a few decent trails. However, at first I saw no birds. Eventually I happened into a small mixed flock on a pullout just above the Barfoot parking lot. In a matter of ten minutes I picked up three lifers: Olive Warbler, Grace's Warbler and Mexican Chickadee. On the other hand, Rustler Park was somewhat of a disappointment. I arrived to the smell of old fire and the sound of a logger's saw. There had been a burn in the area and the forest service was removing trees. Much of the park was closed to the public and there were no birds in the area that I could see. I left there for the Herb Martyr Campground, but again I saw only one bird - a "Red-shafted" Northern Flicker. So I went back down the road the the Research Station where I was surrounded by birds again. This time a Say's Phoebe joined the other kingbirds, pewees, juncos, jays, robins and hummingbirds. It was delightful! I ended that day back at Jasper's place where I saw my first Spotted Towhee of the trip and my second Plain-capped Starthroat.

A Canyon Towhee, Not a Crissal Thrasher

My final day in the Chiricahuas started with a futile search for a Crissal Thrasher. There were plenty of other birders along the road, and one group got a quick look at a vocalizing Crissal's, but I dipped. That's fine, I thought, I'll just have to come back some day! I left Portal and set out to explore one of those "under-birded" areas you read about in the guidebooks. I turned south and west, stopping briefly at the Geronimo memorial marking the spot where the Indian Wars came to an end. Then I turned north on Tex Canyon Road with the hope of exploring the western side of the mountains. The first bird I saw was a Horned Lark on a fence along a pasture. It was a good sign.

My path was not the one I intended. Somewhere I zigged when I should have zagged, but the outcome was a good one. I took Tex Canyon Road north, joined E. Rucker Canyon Road moving west, and somehow ended up on Leslie Canyon Road going south again. To tell you the truth, I just didn't care. It was such a breathtakingly beautiful drive. There were towering rocky canyon walls, pastures sprinkled with wildflowers, and washes lined with trees. There was rain falling off to the west in long tendrils reaching from the clouds to the ground below. It was wonderful, and I loved it.

A Greater Roadrunner on Stateline Road

At one wash I stopped and birded up and down the creek bed. I got glimpses at a Bell's Vireo and a Summer Tanager, but a few other birds escaped me. Near another wash, a Common Black Hawk (life bird #37 for the trip) flew up from a low mesquite and flew off in search of a meal. Later I found an area that really tempted me into stopping. It just looked like it should have birds. It turned out to be a good call. I got my life Hepatic Tanager and Black-throated Gray Warbler within a few feet of the car. There was also a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher and a couple of Rufous-crowned Sparrows. A Rufous Hummingbird visited a nearby agave while a Brown-crested Flycatcher patrolled one of the fields.

Oh yeah, I also lost a staring contest with a cow. She objected to my presence on her road. She stood in front of the car and refused to budge. I came to a stop, just a few feet away. Surely my big, black, and loud Expedition would be frightening enough? But no. In the end, I had to go onto the shoulder to get around.

Altogether, I had ten life birds and a bundle of life memories in the Chiricahuas. Eventually I found my way out of the mountains and I turned toward the Huachucas. I didn't see how they could top what I had just left - but I had a lot to learn.