Bob's Gone Birding: Part 4: The Canyons of Sierra Vista

Clouds clinging to the peaks along Miller Canyon

I really expected the canyons in the Huachucas to be pretty much like those in the Chiricahuas. I expected the terrain and the birds to be essentially the same. Instead, I was treated to very different vistas and some of the most memorable birding experiences of my life.

My goal that Friday morning was to enter Fort Huachuca, drive immediately to to the end of Garden Canyon, and work my way back toward the main gate. As a result, I quickly passed some good habitat, stopping only occasionally. The first stop happened because I heard a Botteri's Sparrow (left) singing from a high stick in the field. I pulled off the road long enough to score my first lifer of the Huachucas, and then continued on my way. I stopped another time for what I believe was an Ash-throated Flycatcher. I've seen this species in the past, and I think I got this one correct, but flycatchers can be such a challenge! Someday, I'm going to get good at IDing them. Further up the road, a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher sang his heart out from a high perch.

Another pause can be attributed to what I have to admit looked like something out of a Looney Tunes cartoon. It was a big, white zeppelin hooked to a crane by something that looked like the nipple on a baby's bottle. My first thoughts were, we're under-funding the military. And, we'll never be able to sneak up on anyone in that. And, at least the enemy might not be willing to take it seriously, Of course, I have no idea what it is for or how it is used, so my wisecracks probably reflect more on me than on the "aerofloat". But it just wasn't what I was expecting from the modern military. Judge for yourself!

Is this a new secret weapon?

Then my progress hit an abrupt halt. I reached the lowest picnic area and found the road ahead blocked to all traffic. The canyon was closed. With my plan for the day scuttled, I thought about my plan for the next couple of days, looking to see what I could rearrange. I thought I might make the best of it by heading directly to Ramsey Canyon Preserve which was not very far away. I swung the car around and left the Fort behind, reaching the canyon in mid morning.

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher at Fort Huachuca

The road into the canyon was productive. Among other species, I saw a gorgeous Swainson's Hawk, but I really hit pay dirt when I reached the Preserve. Owned by the Nature Conservancy, Ramsey Canyon Preserve is a gorgeous park. There are some places in this world where I have instantly felt at peace with myself and my surroundings. I had felt that way 14 months earlier at the Eagle River Nature Center in Alaska. Now I felt it again. At first I sat in the shade by a babbling stream, listening to its soothing sounds while watching a couple of hummingbird feeders. I was treated to the sight of Magnificent, Black-chinned and Violet-crowned Hummingbirds zipping by my head to feed just a few yards away.

Then I got the urge to walk, so I started up the trail. I saw juvenile American Robins feeding on some kind of blue fruit. They looked like the blueberries I'm used to seeing at home, but the bushes were very different. So too were the robins. In Florida, we never see juvenile American Robins with their spotted breasts, looking like some related but separate species from their adult parents. Further up the trail I saw a bird that turned out to be a male Summer Tanager, not the Hepatic I was hoping for. All of my Hepatic Tanager pictures from the day before turned out to be poorly lit and out of focus. I wondered if I'd get another chance at that species.

The creek at Ramsey Canyon Preserve

About that time I passed a small cabin built by John James in 1902. I love looking at old homes, barns and sheds and wondering about the stories that went with them, about the hopes and dreams of the people who built them. Here I was able to read the park brochure and fill in one of those stories. I felt fortunate that such a place is still preserved as a tribute to those who settled the area against some pretty daunting odds.

Next I found a Bridled Titmouse and a Mountain Chickadee. Then an Arizona Woodpecker announced his presence while rapping on a snag above the trail. Ultimately, I had to make a decision. Once the first part of the trail ended, the next section takes a hard left and begins an even harder climb up the mountain. I felt energetic, so I started up. In due course, my efforts were rewarded. I found a Black-throated Gray Warbler and a Black-headed Grosbeak. Higher still there were a Red-faced Warbler and a Painted Redstart. Then I heard an Elegant Trogon, this one a male that flew from one thicket to another, eluding me at every spot. Soon I passed a sign that told me I was leaving the Preserve and entering the Coronado National Forest. Up here there were benches every hundred yards or so, and I had to sit frequently to catch my breath in the thin air. Eventually, I reached a kind of lookout that offered an extraordinary view - one that my camera couldn't possibly do justice. I sat for a while looking out over a deep valley to the cliff sides of another mountain, At one point some type of hawk flew beneath me! After a while, I decided to heed the approaching storm clouds, listen to my body (and my asthma!) and not climb the rest of the way. Reluctantly, I turned back down the mountain and ended up in the parking lot just as a Hepatic Tanager was strolling past the car, My lucky day!

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

There was a storm that night, but the next morning was ideal for birding. The closure of Garden Canyon and the resulting trip to Ramsey Canyon on Friday meant that I had more time to spend on Saturday in another of my target areas - Miller Canyon. I saw a few good birds on the way up, most notably a fabulous male Western Tanager, but nothing prepared me for the birding feast I found at Beatty's Guest Ranch. Tom Beatty was there to greet the group of birders who were all arriving at the same time as I. I later learned they were from the birding festival over in Tucson. Mr. Beatty told me their leader was John Dunn and he added, "The man knows his hummingbirds, You'd do well to listen to what he has to say." I did.

I will talk about the birds at Beatty's feeders in the concluding blog in this series and include a lot of photos. But I would be remiss if I didn't try to give you a sense of what it was like to be there. I expected to be standing on the edge of a yard looking at a couple of feeders and hoping for a few hummingbirds. I made the trek up the hill and turned a corner to find an aluminum grandstand under a canopy facing somewhere between 15 and 20 feeders. And there before my eyes had to be at least 50 hummingbirds, madly scrambling from feeder to tree to feeder to bush and back again. They fed, defended feeders, chased and were chased by other hummers. Over and again, I had to duck to avoid birds that were chasing each other in and out of the crowd of birders, apparently oblivious to our presence. It was wonderful in every sense of that word. I sat there for hours, soaking up sights that will stay with me as long as I live. The feeders were numbered from 0 to 9 and the rest had letters. There was a constant stream of whispers from the birders: "Broad-tailed on 2!" [Lifer!] "White-eared at 8!" [Lifer!] "Allen's at B!" For a long time, Mr. Dunn stood behind the group coaching us on what to look for. I counted nine different species that morning, but in truth I wasn't keeping really good notes. I was too engrossed to stop watching and write things down.

White-eared Hummingbird

Finally I tore myself away from the hummingbirds and walked down to the parking area. I arrived just as some kind of flycatcher darted over the cars and into the trees. I remembered that a birding guide back in Portal had told me that he had found a Greater Pewee in this same spot. I hustled after it and was rewarded with both hearing and seeing the bird, another addition to the life list. Farther down the road there was a parking area with a small restroom. I pulled in and birded along the edges. I found a Bushtit on the west end of the lot and saw a large pigeon on a wire to the east. I looked at the pigeon for a couple of minutes, trying to make sure of what I was seeing. It was big, elongated, had a white swatch across the back of its neck and yellow legs - a Band-tailed Pigeon. It was the only one I saw on the trip.

The rest of the day was comprised of two sessions at Mary Jo Ballator's Ash Canyon B&B sandwiched around dinner at The Golden Corral (yep, cheap and lots of food). The late afternoon session produced Acorn, Downy and Gila Woodpeckers, a Scott's Oriole, a Bewick's Wren and dozens of House Finches and White-winged Doves. There were also a good number of hummingbirds including what Ms. Ballator called a "Costifer", or a Costa's X Lucifer hybrid. However, my target bird, a real Lucifer Hummingbird, was a no show. So I returned that evening to find a small group of birders hoping to see the same bird. We were fortunate enough to be joined by Ms. Ballator during our vigil. Then all at once there were two Lucifer's. It was my sixth lifer of the day, and my 47th of the trip! As I was driving away, I was treated to a terrific look at a Gray Hawk, a great ending to a great day.