Arizona birding — prized destination and auction prize
By Daryl Goldman
This year for the first time the Birdathon Auction is offering three great Arizona “bed and bird” experiences — overnight stays at inns or guest houses, two of them paired with an expert birding guide. How did this happen? For years I heard about the amazing birding in southeast Arizona and, when I finally went there with my wife and sister-in-law in 2019, I became hooked. Here’s a little about what I loved about SE Arizona.
Tucson, AZ
We started our birding adventure in Tucson, making our first-stop Saguaro National Park West. Saguaro NP has separate districts on either side of Tucson, with mountains to the east and protected desert vegetation to the west.
I had a hard time wrapping my brain around the sheer number of saguaro cacti and the number of nest holes in the cacti. With all the bird activity I felt like I was in a Roadrunner cartoon and was warned more than once to stop making Beep-Beep sounds. Cactus Wren, Gambel’s Quail, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Gila Woodpecker, Verdin, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Phainopepla, Black-throated Sparrow, Bell’s Vireo, Lark Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Canyon Towhee, Curve-billed Thrasher, Pyrrhuloxia, Elf Owl, and of course Greater Roadrunner. These are just some of the birds to be seen there.
We next visited Saguaro NP East, on the other side of Tucson, and were enchanted by the abundance of birds and the way the tops of the mountains glowed as the sun set. The tarantula crossing our path was exciting, although less enchanting.
My wife and I are in the process of planning our next trip to Arizona and we will definitely stay at the Tucson casita being offered in the Birdathon Auction this year. It’s just 15 minutes from downtown, minutes away from Saguaro NP West, offers a wonderful courtyard to watch birds over morning coffee, and is delightfully designed and furnished.
(The casita stay is being donated to the auction by naturalist-turned-realtor Angie Salonikios. The other part of this Tucson Birding Package is a full day of birding the area with David Robinson, a former Golden Gate Bird Alliance board member who is currently Tucson Audubon’s Director of Advocacy and Education.)
Madera Canyon
During our 2019 visit, we next headed 30 miles south towards Madera Canyon National Forest Recreational Area, a valley in the Santa Rita Mountains. You will pass through desert grasslands before you get to the juniper-oak woodland along a seasonal stream. Madera Canyon is home to over 250 species of birds, including 15 hummingbird species. Birders come here to see Elegant Trogon, Elf Owl, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Red-faced Warbler, and Painted Redstart. Four species of tanagers can be seen in different parts of the park: Summer, Hepatic, Western and Flame-colored. And, as I said before, the list goes on and on. Madera Canyon is a large area with over 20 birding hotspots. If you’re not up for strenuous hiking, park yourself on a bench outside the gift shop of the Santa Rita lodge and watch the birds at the many feeders.
Patagonia, AZ
Our next home base was in the Patagonia area, a riparian valley where Sonoita Creek runs between the arid Patagonia and Santa Rita mountains in southern Arizona. The diversity of vegetation (riparian, desert, and mountain) provides habitat for many bird species, including Mexican species that reach the northern limit of their range in this area. More than 300 species of birds have been seen in the Patagonia area.
There are several hot spots in the Patagonia area, including the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve (Nature Conservancy Area), Paton’s Birder’s Haven (Tucson Audubon Society – Hummingbird Sanctuary), the Roadside Rest Area, and the Patagonia Lake State Park & Sonoita Creek State Natural Area. The Arizona National Scenic Trail, which runs from Mexico to Utah through the whole north–south length of Arizona, passes through Patagonia.
Hereford, AZ area
We set off to explore the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA). The San Pedro River is considered one of the largest and most critical avian migratory corridors remaining in the western United States. The SPNCA provides habitat for over 100 species of breeding birds, plus water, food, and shelter for another 250 species of migratory and resident birds. A narrow ribbon of Fremont cottonwoods, some over 100 years old, supports 40 percent of the nesting Gray Hawks in the U.S. and creates a migratory corridor for an estimated 4 million migrating birds each year.
Among the most sought-out birds are Elegant Trogon, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Montezuma Quail, Red-faced Warbler, Rivoli’s and Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Arizona Woodpecker, Gray Hawk, Mexican Duck, Varied Bunting, Rufous-winged Sparrow, and Northern Beardless Tyrannulet. Yellow-billed Cuckoos, now a threatened species, can still be seen here. The elusive Green Kingfisher and Crissal Thrasher are joined in winter by large flocks of sparrows and finches and the raptors who hunt them
The Birdathon Auction is offering two wonderful places to stay in this area, allowing you to explore the San Pedro River Valley, the Huachuca Mountains and many birding hotspots in the area. Casa de San Pedro B&B is a gorgeous inn in Hereford, Arizona, that is adjacent to the SPRNCA and situated on 10 acres along the San Pedro River. This environmentally-friendly inn, geared to birders, has private rooms around a central courtyard, with bird feeders galore and a gourmet breakfast. This Arizona Birding Package includes a half-day private bird outing with local guide Ted Mouras. Ted is the brother of a friend of mine and he’s a fantastic natural history and bird guide with 20 years of experience guiding birders in the area.
The other auction item in the area is a two-bedroom cottage on the property of birders Chris and Mari Harbard, founders of the Southwest Wings Nature and Birding Festival. This property is in the shadow of the Huachuca Mountains, close to Ramsey and Ash Canyons.
Both accommodations are good home bases from which to explore the Huachuca Mountains, (part of the Sky Islands Mountain Range) as well as San Pedro RNCA, Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area (to see the Sandhill Cranes in season), Kartchner Caverns (bat breeding area) and the Coronado National Forest. You’ll be close to the towns of Tombstone, Sierra Vista, and Bisbee and only 1½ hours from the Chiricahua Mountain National Monument, one of my favorite places in the world. The park was created to protect the rhyolite rock pinnacles that rise hundreds of feet into the air. Many of these pinnacles are balancing on a small base, seemingly ready to topple over at any time.
Portal, AZ
We were all set to return to southeast Arizona in April 2020 to explore the popular birding location of Portal, but the pandemic forced us to cancel. Portal is in Cochise County, at the mouth of Cave Creek Canyon on the east side of the Chiricahua Mountains, and is often called the Yosemite of Arizona. This rock walled canyon is composed of fused volcanic tuff. The Arizona Sky Village astronomy community is located in Portal because the skies in the area are free of light pollution.
Some of what makes Portal such a great birding area are the six basic plant communities: Desert Scrub, Grassland, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, Sierra Madrean Pine-Oak Woodland, Ponderosa Pine Forest, and Fir-Spruce Forest.
The town welcomes birders: many homes and businesses have seed and nectar feeders and sometimes chairs and tables for birders. At night, listen for the Elf Owls and watch for them on the telephone poles. Cave Creek Ranch puts out seed, nectar, peanut butter, and jelly feeders to attract birds to the office area. Visitors are welcome at $5 each to watch birds near the office. Listen for Whiskered-screech Owls, Flammulated Owls, and Mexican Spotted owls. Watch for Montezuma Quail, Mexican Chickadee, Grace’s and Olive Warblers, Bendire’s and Crissal Thrasher, Black-throated Sparrow, Blue-throated Mountain Gem and Rivoli’s Hummingbird.
My wife and I plan to make up for our lost Covid time by visiting Portal and other parts of Arizona this year. The state is really worth adding to your own birding “dream travel” list too. I encourage you to bid on one or all of our Birdathon Auction items to make this dream destination a reality!
About the Arizona Auction Prizes
Tucson Birding Package: Two-night stay at a Tucson casita and full-day guided bird trip with David Robinson. Saguaro Courtyard Retreat is an Airbnb with a casita that can accommodate two guests (although there is a second casita on the property that is also available for rent). David Robinson’s trip can accommodate four people.
Hereford Birding Package: Overnight stay at Casa de San Pedro B&B plus half-day guided bird trip with Ted Mouras. Casa de San Pedro B&B is a ten-room inn in Hereford, Arizona, next to the San Pedro River. Ten percent discount if you want to book two additional nights at the inn.
Huachaca Vacation Cottage: Two-night stay for up to two couples at Huachaca Cottage, a two-bedroom guest house in the bird-filled Sky Islands of southeastern Arizona. (Near Hereford.) The list of yard sightings is over 150 species!
THANK YOU to prize donors Angie Salonikios, David Robinson, Patrick Dome and Karl Schmitt, Ted Mouras, and Chris and Mari Harbard for making their beautiful region accessible to visiting birders!