Avian Jewels of Arizona 7/14/2025-7/22/2025

ebird.org/tripreport/396883

Wow! What a fantastic journey we had through southeastern Arizona. Our trip started with a bit of afternoon birding at Sweetwater Wetlands in northwest Tucson. Despite some threatening weather, we tallied an impressive 29 species of birds, including brief views of a very rare Purple Gallinule (a tour first), Cinnamon Teal, a Greater Roadrunner from ten feet, Gila Woodpecker, scope studies of a Tropical Kingbird, several Vermilion Flycatchers, Black Phoebe, and close Abert’s Towhees among others. A fine start indeed!

The next morning found us heading southward to residential Green Valley. Our first destination was Desert Meadows Park, and it was hopping with birds. Numerous Gambel’s Quail (including adorable babies), Costa’s and Broad-billed hummingbirds, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Bell’s Vireo, Curve-billed Thrasher, Phainopepla, Hooded Oriole, and Lucy’s Warbler were added to our rapidly growing list. A nearby stop along Quail Drive netted our primary target of the morning, the highly localized Rufous-winged Sparrow, from point-blank range.

Rufous-winged Sparrow, Green Valley, Arizona, July 15, 2025 © Barry Zimmer

From there, we headed up into Madera Canyon. We arrived at Santa Rita Lodge in mid-morning and were greeted by a whole host of new species. Broad-billed, Black-chinned, Anna’s, Rufous, Allen’s (!), and Rivoli’s hummingbirds were present at the hummingbird feeders, while nearby seed and suet feeders yielded Wild Turkey, Acorn and Arizona woodpeckers, Mexican Jay, Bridled Titmouse, Bronzed Cowbird, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Lesser Goldfinch among others. Madera Kubo hosted a stunning male Blue Grosbeak and Proctor Road a pair of Ash-throated Flycatchers. A pre-lunch detour to an area just north of Green Valley produced wonderful looks at two Harris’s Hawks.

Rivoli's Hummingbird, Madera Canyon, Arizona, July 15, 2025 © Barry Zimmer 

After lunch, we ventured up Box Canyon in search of the highly-sought Five-striped Sparrow. Early afternoon isn’t the best of times to look for this species, so my expectations were low. However, not only did we get a Five-striped from just feet away, but we also found a lovely pair of Varied Buntings as a bonus!

Five-striped Sparrow, Box Canyon, Arizona, July 15, 2025 © Barry Zimmer

Following a well-deserved afternoon break, we headed back down to the Santa Rita Mountains for our first owling excursion. We had enough time before dusk to add about twenty Lesser Nighthawks, dapper Black-throated Sparrows, and a raucous pair of Cactus Wrens to our list. Late summer can be very tough for night birds, but we had good luck on this night with superb views of Elf Owls at the nest feeding two nearly fledged young, as well as some heard only Common Poorwills, heard only Western Screech-Owl, and two Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes. This was certainly a day to remember!

On our third day, we started out near the town of Sahuarita in search of the rapidly declining Gilded Flicker. Shortly after our arrival, a pair of flickers was sighted, allowing nice studies. A few pairs of Purple Martins and a responsive Black-tailed Gnatcatcher were the icing on the cake. From there, it was a return to Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains. We stopped once again at the Santa Rita Lodge, hoping for a view of the rare Berylline Hummingbird that had been seen there in recent days. Not only did we get the hummingbird in short order, but also had a pair of Zone-tailed Hawks circling right over our heads, a pair of Peregrine Falcons, very close Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, and a flashy Painted Redstart foraging on a roof. How could our luck get any better? Well, we were about to find out. We drove to the top of the canyon and readied ourselves for a steep hike in search of the iconic Elegant Trogon, a pair of which often nests in the first mile of the trail. We'd made it no further than twenty yards up the trail when we heard a trogon barking below us, back in the direction of the parking area. After a short scramble down another trail, we had scope views of this tropical beauty—surely the most desired and high-pressured bird of the tour!

Elegant Trogon, Madera Canyon, Arizona, July 16, 2025 © Barry Zimmer

We had just enough time before lunch to bird Canoa Ranch, the Amado sewage pond, and the riparian corridor along Bridge Road in Tubac. Highlights included both cormorants, Ruddy Duck, Gray Hawk, Bewick’s Wren, Summer Tanager, and several Yellow-breasted Chats. What else could we do except top off the morning with an amazing lunch at Elvira’s?

In the afternoon, we headed to Patagonia and the famous Paton Center for Hummingbirds. Upon arrival at the hummingbird center, we quickly netted our primary target, the Violet-crowned Hummingbird. Other highlights included Inca Dove and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo on a nest. We then headed up Harshaw Canyon to try to locate the very rare pair of Rose-throated Becards (the only ones known to be in the United States at this time) that were being reported in the area. We not only found the becards building their bulky nest, but also added Thick-billed Kingbird, another perched Gray Hawk, and some confiding Dusky-capped Flycatchers.  As we were leaving Patagonia, a locally rare Mississippi Kite sailed over the highway. What an incredible day!

Rose-throated Becard, Harshaw Canyon, Arizona, July 16, 2025 © Barry Zimmer

On Day Four, we started out on Ruby Road. Bird activity was fairly slow on the drive out towards Sycamore Canyon, but we did see Rock Wren, Scott’s Oriole, Canyon Towhee, and Rufous-crowned Sparrow. On the way back out, a fabulous pair of Montezuma Quail were spotted in the ditch right next to the road. We had lengthy views from as close as fifteen feet away!  Celebratory hot apple pie with cinnamon sauce from Zula’s ensued.

Montezuma Quail, Ruby Road, Arizona, July 17, 2025 © Barry Zimmer

After lunch, we drove through the Sonoita Grasslands on our way to Sierra Vista. There we had excellent studies of the recently split Chihuahuan Meadowlark, as well as Scaled Quail, Horned Lark, Lark and Grasshopper sparrows, and several Pronghorns. After checking into our hotel for a break, we made a late afternoon visit to Ash Canyon, where we saw a brilliant male Lucifer Hummingbird, as well as many Anna’s Hummingbirds and Bullock’s and Scott’s orioles. Another great day!

The next morning, we headed up nearby Carr Canyon. Topping out above 7,300 feet in elevation, we added many new species in this great locale, as well as repeats of some other goodies. Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Plumbeous and Hutton’s vireos, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, a male Olive Warbler, Western and Hepatic tanagers, Grace’s and Black-throated Gray warblers, Painted Redstart, Yellow-eyed Junco, and Spotted Towhee were among the more noteworthy. This was an extremely enjoyable and successful morning in a very scenic canyon! An afternoon vigil at Beatty’s in Miller Canyon yielded six species of hummingbirds including our first Broad-tailed, many stunning Rivoli’s and Broad-billeds, and another, somewhat out-of-place, Violet-crowned from just feet away. Evening owling following a thunderstorm yielded scope studies of Common Poorwill and a Great Horned Owl.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Miller Canyon, Arizona, July 18, 2025 © Barry Zimmer

We returned again to the lower portions of Miller Canyon the following morning, hoping to find the pair of Flame-colored Tanagers (a vagrant from Mexico) that had been present in the canyon since May. Once again, luck was on our side, as the tanagers were feeding in a choke cherry tree just above the parking area immediately upon our arrival. We had spectacular looks at these beauties. This was a blessed tour indeed!

Flame-colored Tanager, Miller Canyon, Arizona, July 19, 2025 © Barry Zimmer 

We decided to head towards the Chiricahuas earlier than expected to have more time for some special birds in that area. En route to lunch, we spotted a pair of Bendire’s Thrashers near the tiny town of Rodeo, New Mexico, and a brief stop closer to Portal gave us our only sighting of the skulking Crissal Thrasher.

Before checking into our hotel, we attempted to track down another rare hummingbird in the town of Paradise—a male White-eared Hummingbird that had been lingering there since mid-May. It appeared within ten minutes of our arrival, and, as a nice bonus, a male Calliope was also present (both at the same feeder at once!). Common Ground Dove (a first record for that site) and Juniper Titmouse were also seen while we waited for the hummingbirds. A last stop at the Southwest Research Station produced our fourteenth and final species of hummingbird for the trip, the gigantic Blue-throated Mountain-gem.

White-eared Hummingbird, Paradise, Arizona, July 19, 2025 © Barry Zimmer

The morning of our full day in the Chiricahua Mountains was devoted to the upper elevations of that range, specifically Onion Saddle, Pinery Canyon, and Rustler Park. After we reached 7,000 feet, our birding began in earnest. Highlights were plentiful, including another male Montezuma Quail in the middle of the road, Greater Pewee, Western Flycatcher, Steller’s Jay, wonderfully close Mexican Chickadees (the Chiricahua Mountains being the only place to see this species in the United States), Pygmy Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Hermit Thrush, and Western Bluebird. Two birds deserve special mention, however. We had prolonged looks at an adult and recently fledged baby Spotted Owl roosting in an oak right next to the road. That was followed by a dazzling Red-faced Warbler (generally very difficult by mid-summer) that foraged below eye level for several minutes. Both species were among the group’s five favorite birds at the end of the tour. This was an awesome ending to our morning!

Red-faced Warbler, Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, July 20, 2025 © Barry Zimmer

In the afternoon, we visited Jasper’s feeders in Portal just a block or two from our hotel and the Rodriguez feeders just down the road. Although no totally new species were added, we had fantastic views of many great birds from close range. One more nighttime outing that evening produced epic views of two Whiskered Screech-Owls, a Western Screech-Owl, a Mexican Whip-poor-will perched in a bare tree, and an American Black Bear—an embarrassment of riches!

Whiskered Screech-Owl, Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona © Barry Zimmer

On our last day, we revisited the upper elevations of the Chiricahuas on our way back towards Tucson. We had very few new possibilities left but managed to get an unexpected pair of Black-chinned Sparrows and a family of Hairy Woodpeckers.

En route back to Tucson, we had time to bird Cochise Lake—a water bird oasis in Willcox. Water levels were good this year, and we added an impressive 16 species to our list at this location. White-faced Ibis; Black-necked Stilt; American Avocet; Long-billed Curlew; Baird’s, Least, Western, and Stilt (very uncommon) sandpipers; Greater and Lesser yellowlegs; and Wilson’s Phalarope were among the more noteworthy.

In all, we tallied 180 species of birds for the tour, including an amazing fourteen species of hummingbirds and six species of owls. Additionally, we had seventeen species of mammals, twelve species of reptiles & amphibians, fifteen species of butterflies, and much more. In addition, we enjoyed cooler than normal temperatures and mostly dodged the monsoon rains. It was certainly one of our most successful and enjoyable summer Arizona tours ever!

Favorite Birds of the Tour:

1. Montezuma Quail    (three votes; eleven points)
2. Elf Owl   (three votes, nine points)
3. Red-faced Warbler    (three votes, four points)
4. Whiskered Screech-Owl    (two votes, eight points)
5. Flame-colored Tanager   (two votes; seven points)
6. Elegant Trogon   (two votes; six points)

A complete list of the birds recorded on our tour can be found at: https://ebird.org/tripreport/396883

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Read the description for the next departure of this tour.

View Barry Zimmer's upcoming tour schedule.

ITINERARY:

July 14 – afternoon visit to Sweetwater Wetlands     (29 species)

     July 15 – Hampton Inn, Desert Meadows Park in Green Valley, Quail Drive, Madera Canyon (Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Kubo, Proctor Road), Box Canyon, Abrego Drive in Green Valley; evening owling in  Florida Canyon   (59 species; 78 total)

     July 16 – Sahuarita desert areas (Alvernon Way), Santa Rita Experimental Range, Madera Canyon (Santa Rita Lodge & upper trails), Canoa Ranch, Amado Sewage Pond, Bridge Road & Ron Morris Park in Tubac, Patagonia, Paton Center for Hummingbirds, Harshaw Canyon, Patagonia Town Park     (83 species; 111 total)

     July 17 – Best Western hotel, Ruby Road to Sycamore Canyon, Sonoita Grasslands (including Las Cienegas), Ramsey Canyon Road, Ash Canyon Preserve    (70 species; 124 total)

     July 18– Carr Canyon all morning (including Reef Townsite campground), Miller Canyon in afternoon (Beatty’s Guest Ranch), Hereford; evening owling in Brown & Carr canyons   (49 species; 140 total)

     July 19 –Beatty’s Guest ranch & lower Miller Canyon trail, drive to Douglas with roadside birding, Rodeo, NM; Four Bar Cottages, George Walker House in Paradise, Southwest Research Station, evening owling in Cave Creek   (62 species; 149 total)

     July 20 – upper elevations of Chiricahuas including Onion Saddle, Pinery Canyon, Rustler Park, and Barfoot Park); afternoon to Jasper’s feeders & Rodriguez feeder’s; evening owling to Cave Creek Canyon & Portal     (78 species; 162 total)

     July 21 –upper elevations of Chiricahuas to Rustler Park and over Onion Saddle to Pinery; Cochise Lake & Twin Lakes Golf Course pond in Willcox; Benson WTP        (72 species; 180 total)

     July 22 – departures for home   (180 total species)

Berylline Hummingbird, Madera Canyon, Arizona, July 16, 2025 © Barry Zimmer