VENT. Camp Chiricahua 7/2/2025-7/14/2025

ebird.org/tripreport/391595

For the past few years, much of southern Arizona has been experiencing extreme drought conditions, and that persisted through this year’s camp. In fact, two brief thunderstorms early on in our camp produced some of the only measurable rain all year. As a result, some species were scarcer than usual, particularly grassland sparrows, which can be very quiet until the rains begin. We felt lucky to find one each of Cassin’s, Botteri’s, and Grasshopper sparrows. Other species were in lower numbers than usual, perhaps because they did not breed in the spring. Insect and herp numbers were also low. On the plus side (for us, at least), more limited resources meant that birds were more concentrated than usual. Small pools of water were magnets for songbirds, even more than usual, and provided us some spectacular observations. Butterflies were also more concentrated than usual, around limited nectar sources, making for some fun butterflying. Nightjars were considerably more vocal than usual, perhaps a combination of the full moon and presumably poor breeding results during “first spring.” As we always do, we tweaked our schedule to take best advantage of existing conditions and ended up with an excellent species list of birds, mammals, and other wildlife.

Red-faced Warbler © Michael O'Brien

Beginning in Tucson, our first afternoon outing was to the famous Madera Canyon with a visit to the feeders at Santa Rita Lodge. Under cloudy skies and a hint of drizzle, the feeders were abuzz with hummingbirds including flashy Rivoli’s and Broad-billed, a rare Berylline, and even rarer Berylline x Broad-billed hybrid. We also enjoyed many other local specialties including Arizona and Acorn woodpeckers, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Mexican Jay, Bridled Titmouse, Hooded Oriole, and Hepatic Tanager. It’s hard to imagine a better introduction to birding Southeast Arizona! And to cap off an already wonderful start to camp, at dusk we found ourselves in Box Canyon listening to songs of the very rare Buff-collared Nightjar!

Broad-billed Hummingbird © Michael O'Brien

The following morning, we visited Saguaro National Park and immersed ourselves into the heart of the Sonoran Desert. The eight-mile loop drive was spectacular with many saguaros and numerous other cactus species throughout this ruggedly beautiful landscape. A few desert birds we found here included Harris’s Hawk, Gila Woodpecker, Gilded Flicker, Purple Martin (the local subspecies nests in saguaros), Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Cactus Wren, Rufous-winged and Black-throated sparrows, Lucy’s Warbler, and Pyrrhuloxia. We also found several lizards including the striking Zebra-tailed.

Rufous-winged Sparrow © Michael O'Brien

Moving west, we made a stop in Willcox to visit Lake Cochise, a large alkaline lake that is part of the town’s wastewater management system. Surrounded by Chihuahuan Desert grasslands, this oasis always attracts a wide variety of birds, particularly migratory waterbirds. Some of the many highlights there included Blue-winged and Cinnamon teal, Mexican Duck, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Wilson’s Phalarope, White-faced Ibis, and Yellow-headed Blackbird. In the surrounding grasslands, we also saw Scaled Quail, Loggerhead Shrike, Bendire’s Thrasher (a rarity there), and Chihuahuan Meadowlark. Before departing Willcox, we stopped to fill up on gas and made the oddest and most surprising discovery of camp. There was a dead Dickcissel on the ground at the edge of the parking lot! Dickcissels are rare migrants in Southeast Arizona, mainly from late August to October, and extremely rare in July. This bird presumably traveled to Arizona on the grill of a vehicle, perhaps from as far away as Texas or Oklahoma. Very strange!

American Avocets © Michael O'Brien

The next phase of our tour was a thorough exploration of the Chiricahua Mountains, based in Portal at the delightful Cave Creek Ranch. Not only is the lodge very comfortable, but it's set among strikingly beautiful surroundings and grounds that are loaded with birds and other wildlife. Some of the wonderful “yard birds” at the ranch included Gambel’s Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Inca Dove, Blue-throated Mountain-gem, Acorn and Arizona woodpeckers, Black Phoebe, all three Myiarchus flycatchers, Thick-billed Kingbird, Mexican Jay, Bridled Titmouse, Curve-billed Thrasher (a different subspecies from those around Tucson), Canyon Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, three species of orioles, Summer and Western tanagers, and Black-headed and Blue grosbeaks. Mammals were also interesting at the ranch. In addition to the ever-present White-tailed Deer, we also saw Striped Skunk, Collared Peccary, White-nosed Coati, and Ringtail. Indeed, we could have happily stayed at Cave Creek Ranch the whole time!

Elegant Trogon © Silas Powell

As we ventured away from the ranch, we explored many other locations that were just as exciting. At the famous South Fork of Cave Creek, we had an enchanting experience with two male Elegant Trogons countersinging while Painted Redstarts and Blue-throated Mountain-gems flashed their white tail feathers in the shady understory. At the Southwest Research Station, we enjoyed another great hummingbird show—capped off by our second Berylline—and stumbled into a Bobcat prowling a cottontail nearby. In Portal, we enjoyed close views and excellent photo-ops of various species at Dave Jasper’s feeders and found a Bell’s Vireo nest and close soaring Zone-tailed Hawk at the Big Thicket. In the San Simon Valley east of Portal, we lucked into a pair of Crissal Thrashers, found a surprisingly good variety of butterflies and dragonflies (where there was a little bit of water), and had a fun visit to the Chiricahua Desert Museum. In Paradise, a stop at the George Walker House produced a rare White-eared Hummingbird, two Juniper Titmice, and a singing Black-chinned Sparrow. In the highlands, we had excellent luck finding specialties including Mexican Chickadee, Greater Pewee, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, “Brown-throated” House Wren, Olive and Grace's warblers, and spectacular views of adult and juvenile Spotted Owls!

Spotted Owls © Michael O'Brien

Our evening forays were wonderful, as always. On one night, we were privileged to have Kassandra Townsend give us a presentation about her owl research, then take us on an owl survey! Although we didn’t catch any owls, we were delighted to hear Whiskered Screech-Owl and Flammulated and Elf owls. Nightjars were way more vocal than usual, so we enjoyed hearing many Mexican Whip-poor-wills on multiple nights and managed to see one quite well. With a little patience, we also had good views of Elf Owl and Western Screech-Owl. And, although numbers of herps were low, we lucked into a beautiful Black-tailed Rattlesnake in the road. When we stopped to get a closer look, some rustling in the woods revealed a Black Bear perched up in a tree looking down at us!

American Black Bear © Michael O'Brien

Moving on to the next phase of our camp, we headed up to Mt. Lemmon, where we camped at Rose Canyon Lake. Here in the highlands, we enjoyed some relatively cool weather and fine montane birding. Having already visited highland habitats in the Chiricahuas, we had already seen most of the specialty birds, so now we had the chance to really soak them in. Right at our campsite, the dawn chorus yielded the likes of Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Greater Pewee, Hutton’s and Warbling vireos, Pygmy Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Olive Warbler, Pine Siskin, Yellow-eyed Junco, Spotted Towhee, and Hepatic Tanager—songs we all had enough repetition on to master. Short walks out to the lake added a few new species including Common Black Hawk, Mountain Chickadee, Bushtit, Virginia’s and Black-throated Gray warblers, and Red Crossbill. Moving farther afield, we made a few roadside stops and were thrilled to stumble into a spectacular Arizona Black Rattlesnake! A flock of agitated birds clued us in to its presence, and we followed it around (from a safe distance) for maybe twenty-five minutes as it meandered along the slope. At Marshall Gulch, a walk along the stream bed produced astonishing views of Red-faced Warbler, plus a Yellow-eyed Junco nest with tiny chicks, and an abundance of butterflies that found several small pools of water.

Arizona Black Rattlesnake © Michael O'Brien

Next, we moved on to Sierra Vista, our base for exploring the Huachuca Mountains. A hike up Miller Canyon did not yield the Flame-colored Tanager we were looking for, but hummingbirds were spectacular. Among the eight species we found, highlights were our first Violet-crowned and an adult male Allen’s, identifiable from photos of its tail structure. We also had some wonderful Painted Redstarts here and an odd Indigo Bunting singing the song of a Varied. Our picnic lunch at Ramsey Canyon yielded our first Lucifer Hummingbird, this one a juvenile missing its tail. Then at Ash Canyon, we had excellent views of an adult male Lucifer, along with many Anna’s Hummingbirds, a single Costa’s, and many other feeder birds. Nearby, a visit to Las Cienegas National Conservation Area got us into some pristine grassland habitat where Horned Larks, Chihuahuan Meadowlarks, and Lark Sparrows were numerous, and several Pronghorns showed well. Presumably due to very dry conditions, several other grassland species were largely silent, but we did manage to find single Cassin’s and Grasshopper sparrows.

Lucifer Hummingbird © Michael O'Brien

The final segment of our camp was based in the town of Patagonia, along the famous Sonoita Creek. Right as we got into town we were greeted by a soaring Mississippi Kite, which eventually led us to its nest. A vist to the famous Paton Center for Hummingbirds gave us our first real taste of riparian habitat. Phainopeplas were flying over constantly, and Yellow-breasted Chats were calling all over the place, often popping into view. Yellow-billed Cuckoos were calling as well, and one even led us to its nest. Feeders were tended by Common Ground Dove, Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Abert’s Towhee, and Varied Bunting, and the low canopy held the likes of Northern Beardless Tyrannulet and Thick-billed Kingbird. When we finally tore ourselves away from the Paton’s, we headed up Harshaw Canyon to look for the very rare Rose-throated Becard. After a little searching, we found the pair of becards at its nest, along with a Gray Hawk nest with at least one chick! One night, we had a fun outing resulting in excellent views of Elf Owl. We also used our black light to find numerous scorpions and many interesting moths, beetles, and other insects. At Patagonia Lake State Park, a few waterbirds and numerous dragonflies were new for our list, and we also visited a few spots along the Santa Cruz River, where we found Tropical Kingbird, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, and several Gray Hawks.

Varied Bunting © Michael O'Brien

On our final morning, we looped around the east and north sides of the Santa Rita Mountains to visit Box Canyon. This beautiful canyon has become something of a birding mecca in recent years, because it harbors a few pairs of the very local Five-striped Sparrow. We had nice views of this species, amazing views of a Varied Bunting, plus several Rock Wrens, a Thick-billed Kingbird, and a few interesting butterflies. Farther down the canyon toward Florida Wash we added Golden Eagle and Botteri’s Sparrow, two species that had eluded us to that point. After a second visit to Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon and another blizzard of hummingbirds, we finished up camp back in Tucson at the home of fellow VENT leader, Brian Gibbons. Brian had discovered a Gila Monster riding out the hot hours of the day in the shade of his back porch, and we were thrilled that it remained there for all of us to see! What a fun sighting to finish up camp!

A big thank you goes out to Black Swamp Bird Observatory for co-sponsoring this camp. Thanks also to all those who assisted us in the field, invited us to view their feeders, or took the time to talk to us. They include Brian and Grayson Gibbons, Lacrecia Johnson, and Dave Jasper. And special thanks to Kassandra Townsend and Matt Poole for talking to us about their owl research and taking us out on an owl survey at Cave Creek Canyon. Their efforts significantly enhanced our experience as we explored the biodiversity of this incredibly rich region.

A complete list of the birds recorded on our trip can be found at: https://ebird.org/tripreport/391595

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ITINERARY

July 2 – Late morning arrivals at Tucson International Airport; afternoon to Madera Canyon (Proctor Road and Santa Rita Lodge); dusk outing to Box Canyon; night at Hampton Inn Tucson-Airport.

July 3 – Saguaro National Park East; Willcox (Lake Cochise plus lunch and shopping); drive to Portal; night walk around Cave Creek Ranch; night at Cave Creek Ranch.

July 4 – Cave Creek Canyon including Cave Creek Ranch, South Fork, Southwest Research Station, and Portal (Dave Jasper’s feeders and Cathedral Rock Road); night drive in Cave Creek Canyon; night at Cave Creek Ranch.

July 5 – Cave Creek Ranch; Big Thicket; San Simon Valley including Bear Mountain Road, Stateline Road, Willow Tank, Rodeo (NM), and Chiricahua Desert Museum (NM); afternoon hike at South Fork Trail, Cave Creek Canyon; evening program at Southwest Research Station by owl researcher, Kassandra Townsend, followed by owl survey in Cave Creek Canyon; night at Cave Creek Ranch.

July 6 – Cave Creek Ranch; Portal-Paradise Road; George Walker House; Pinery Canyon; Barfoot Park; Rustler Park; night drive on Portal Road; night at Cave Creek Ranch.

July 7 – Cave Creek Ranch (departed ~8:15 am); Portal Road (AZ and NM); Willcox (Lake Cochise); Gibbons/Johnson yard in Tucson; Mt. Lemmon to Rose Canyon Lake; night at Rose Canyon Lake Campground.

July 8 – Mount Lemmon including Rose Canyon Lake Campground, Aspen Vista Point, Marshall Gulch; afternoon (during thunderstorm) to Seven Cataracts Vista and Windy Point; night at Rose Canyon Lake Campground.

July 9 – Mt Lemmon including Rose Canyon Lake Campground and Molino Basin; Gibbons/Johnson yard in Tucson; midday check in to hotel in Sierra Vista and afternoon pool time; late afternoon to San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Charleston Bridge; night at Holiday Inn Express, Sierra Vista.

July 10 – Miller Canyon (Beatty’s Guest Ranch to “split rock”); Ramsey Canyon Preserve (The Nature Conservancy); Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary (Southeast Arizona Bird Observatory); afternoon pool time; night at Holiday Inn Express, Sierra Vista.

July 11 – Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (Sonoita grasslands); Patagonia Town Park; Paton Center for Hummingbirds (Tucson Bird Alliance); Harshaw Canyon; afternoon pool time; night drive to Harshaw Canyon; night at Stage Stop Inn, Patagonia.

July 12 – Patagonia Lake State Park; Tubac; Amado Wastewater Treatment Plant; Patagonia Rest Stop; afternoon pool time; night at Stage Stop Inn, Patagonia.

July 13 – Box Canyon; Madera Canyon (Santa Rita Lodge and Mt. Wrightson Picnic Area); Gibbons/Johnson yard in Tucson; night at Hampton Inn Tucson-Airport.

July 14 – Morning departures from Tucson International Airport.