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Thanks to the Ramsey Canyon parking lot not opening until 8AM I was able to sleep in a bit later than normal – having taken the last flight into Tucson from LAX I was a bit exhausted. It was a gorgeous day to be in SE Arizona, despite the warm temperatures and high humidity. Fortunately we didn’t encounter any heavy downpours that would cause us to unexpectedly modify the day’s agenda.

Ramsey Canyon

Despite us getting a relatively late start on the morning, the canyon was still quite active with Acorn Woodpeckers, Hutton’s Vireos and Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers all attending their respective nests.

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher

There were many young Hermit Thrushes along with Black-headed Grosbeaks and Hepatic Tanagers consuming the over abundant supply of Wilcox Barberries located throughout the Canyon.

Hermit Thrush

I managed to get a cute photo of an Acorn Woodpecker parent feeding a young fledgling in a nest hole. I even caught the inquisitive youngster trying to sneak a peek at what was going outside his humble abode.

Acorn Woodpecker

Acorn Woodpecker (chick)

Assuming most knew the purpose of starting off in Ramsey Canyon that day…for those do not, it was all for a single bird – a Brown-backed Solitaire, native to Mexico. There has only been one other record in the U.S. – over 10 years prior and was not accepted as a “wild” bird. There is still a lot of discussion surrounding whether the current Solitaire in Ramsey Canyon arrived on it’s own free will or if it was “assisted”. The Brown-backed Solitaire is widely valued as a popular cage bird due to it’s incredibly beautiful song so there is much desire to illegally transport them to the U.S. from Mexico.

Have a listen to it’s amazing call.

Around 10:45AM the 40 or so of us in the Canyon were greeted with that exact call. It sounded as if the bird was just 30 or 40 feet off the trail but as much we tried we could not locate the bird. We patiently listened to the call every few minutes and hoped it would eventually show itself. And show itself it did. Just after 11:00AM it flew into one of the Wilcox Barberry bushes to feed on the berries. It sat there feeding for a couple minutes before flying up into the canyon.

Brown-backed Solitaire

After we all had great looks at the Solitaire we decided to head over to the Beatty Guest Ranch located within Miller Canyon. This was where the Solitaire was originally found before moving into Ramsey Canyon just a few miles away.

Miller Canyon

We were immediately greeted by Tom Beatty, Jr. who showed us a Sonoran Whipsnake that was feeding along the edge of their pond.

Sonoran Whipsnake

After enjoying a few minutes of observing the Whipsnake we hiked up to the hummingbird observation area where several Berylline and White-eared Hummingbirds have been treating guests to views just a few feet away!

Berylline Hummingbird

White-eared Hummingbird

Although not as infrequent as the Berylline or White-eared Hummingbird, several Broad-tailed’s fed amongst the hundreds of other hummers. It’s always a treat to hear the buzzing sound the Broad-tailed Hummingbird’s wings make.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

I even captured some video with my iPhone to show how close to all the hummingbirds we were. I was literally holding my phone just a foot away from the feeder!

It was now getting late in the day so had just enough time to stop off at the Ash Canyon B&B just down the road. Beautiful female and male Lucifer Hummingbirds had been coming to the feeders there regularly.

Ash Canyon

Since the Lucifer Hummingbird didn’t show itself immediately I took some photos of a Costa’s Hummingbird and a Pipevine Swallowtail happily feeding on the plentiful supply of nectar, natural and artificial.

Costa’s Hummingbird

Pipevine Swallowtail

I didn’t have to wait long before the male Lucifer Hummingbird finally showed itself. Definitely one of my favorite Hummingbirds!

Lucifer Hummingbird

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Just returned from another awesome trip to Southeastern Arizona. Although I was just there two weeks ago how could I resist going back? I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to the last time so it called for another trip!

Ocotillo Bloom – Road to Madera Canyon [GPS]

Day 1 – Patagonia, AZ
Started the day at 6AM along the Patagonia Nature Preserve – searching and listening for the Sinaloa Wren (a species that is normally found in Sinaloa, Mexico – hundreds of miles south of the U.S.). It turned out to be a no-show – we gave up around 10 AM and decided to head into the San Rafael Grasslands SE of Patagonia by approx. 20 miles.

San Rafael Grasslands [GPS]

Wasn’t much happening out there in the middle of the day. Temperatures were around 80F with a slight breeze to the north. A few Turkey Vultures circled above. We tried walking a few of the fields looking for Baird’s Sparrow and Longspurs which we never found. Lots of Horned Lark, Eastern Meadowlark and even spooked a Burrowing Owl – the first time I’ve seen one in the San Rafael grasslands. On the way back to Patagonia we spooked a Red-tailed Hawk sitting on the side of the road.

Red-tailed Hawk – Piece of brush got caught on wings in take-off

Got back into Patagonia around 2PM and grabbed some lunch. I decided to try for the Sinaloa Wren again – unfortunately it never showed and I ended up with around 15 mosquito bites. I didn’t finish the day entirely empty-handed. A Javelina decided to run past me as I was looking for the Wren, a 1st year male Vermilion Flycatcher perched on a branch, Montezuma Quails fed along the hillside, a male Broad-billed Hummingbird lighted on a branch above my head and a Painted Redstart showed what he thought of me.

Javelina

Vermilion Flycatcher – 1st year male

Montezuma Quail

Broad-billed Hummingbird

Painted Redstart

The sun was just setting as I left Patagonia. Had an hour drive up to Madera Canyon where I was going to turn in for the night. I was fortunate enough to get the last Casita at the Santa Rita Lodge. The moon was just a sliver so as I pulled into the parking lot it was practically pitch dark but we could hear Elf Owls calling in the distance. After following the sounds we found two nest cavities in a power pole near one of the cabins.

Elf Owl – Mother on nest

Day 2 – Florida / Madera / Montosa Canyon
Got up around 6AM to hike up Florida Canyon for the Rufous-capped Warblers. Whilst driving out of Madera Canyon and over to Florida Canyon a group of 10 male Wild Turkeys were vying for the attention of 20+ female Turkeys. They put on quite a show in the middle of the road not allowing us to pass!

Wild Turkey – Male displaying

On the way up Florida Canyon we crossed paths with another pair of birders who informed us they had just seen the Rufous-capped Warbler pairs gathering nesting materials not 50 yards further down the trail. We thanked them for the info and hurried up the trail. Spent 20-30 min searching in the spot they had described. Nothing. We felt we better hike a bit further up the trail since they were apparently moving upstream. Moments later I heard the definite call of a Rufous-capped up the hill. We searched for 5 minutes before we found him in a patch of Prickly Pear Cactus 75 yards up the hill. We observed them flying in and out of the cactus – quite possibly the location of their nest! Since it was much too far to get any decent photos I exclaimed I was not leaving the canyon until I got photographs. Fortunately we only had to wait another 45 min before they came further down the stream to drink water. They were no farther than 15′ away from us at times – almost too close to even focus on them.

Rufous-capped Warbler [GPS]

After getting our fill of the Rufous-capped Warblers we trekked back down the canyon hoping to encounter the pair of Black-capped Gnatcatchers that were being seen within 200 yards of the parking lot. We thought we heard them at one point but weren’t able to confirm with a visual. While we stopped a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet – a very small flycatcher – landed on an Ocotillo bush a few yards away.

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet

Got back to the car around noon and decided to grab lunch in Tubac and watch migrating raptors over the Santa Cruz River bridge crossing. As soon as we opened our car door at the bridge we heard the distinctive calls of Gray Hawks in the cottonwoods. They soon flew out of the trees and circled over us a few times. They were clearly a pair and most likely searching for a nesting location.

Gray Hawk – Pair chasing

Gray Hawk

We didn’t see many other raptors save for a lone Turkey Vulture riding the thermals above us. Since Montosa Canyon was relatively close we figured we’d give it a shot and look for the Black-capped Gnatcatcher pair that had nested their last year.

Montosa Canyon [GPS]

We hadn’t heard any recent reports so we weren’t sure they were even there still. Within moments of arriving we heard them calling to each other. The male was just starting to get his black cap and I even got a shot of him carrying nesting material – so it would appear they are nesting once again in Montosa Canyon!

Black-capped Gnatcatcher – Male w/nesting material

Black-capped Gnatcatcher – Female

Daylight was quickly fading and I had just enough time to drive back up Madera Canyon to get some late afternoon photographs. The wind was starting to blow pretty hard – 20-30 mph gusts to the north. I was just about to give up when I spotted a Say’s Phoebe nest in a building structure. The mother Phoebe clearly didn’t appreciate my presence so I snapped a couple of quick shots and let her get back to her nest. You’ll notice the patch of feathers missing on her belly. This is called a “brood patch” and indicates that she is currently incubating eggs.

Say’s Phoebe

There wasn’t much “wildlife” to photograph other than a hiker here and there. I took the opportunity to take a few scenic shots with my 10-22mm.

Immigration/Smuggling Sign – Santa Rita Mountains beyond

Proctor Road – Santa Ritas beyond

Madera Canyon – Ocotillo Bloom

I shall conclude this blog entry with the route of my journey this past weekend (plotted in Google Earth). I’m already planning my next trip to SE Arizona. Possibly next month! Anyone care to join me?

GPS Track – Tucson, AZ -> Patagonia, AZ

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Flying into Tucson tonight and driving to Deming, NM. Objective is to find the Aplomado Falcon here:

map

After that heading to Slaughter Ranch east of Douglas, AZ for the Blue Mockingbird.

map

Will be along the Mexican border the entire time, hope things are safe down there still!! Going to be an exhausting weekend – flying home early Monday morning so will post updates to my website then.

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