Camp Chiricahua - July 2026
Dates: July 1-13, 2026
Leaders: Michael O'Brien, Louise Zemaitis & Jennie Duberstein
E-bird
Total Species: 179 birds
Click Here to view list.
Overall Summary
The 2026 Camp Chiricahua was a special one because it marked the 40th anniversary of VENT’s youth birding camps. Kudos to Victor for realizing the value of connecting young people to nature through birding and natural history study, and making it happen through this groundbreaking program. This year’s group experienced the full range of Southeast Arizona weather, from hot and dry in the lowlands, to surprisingly chilly in the mountains, to full-on heavy monsoon rains by the time we reached Patagonia. And with that range of conditions, our campers had some amazing experiences they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
It was quite dry during most of camp, and many creeks had little or no water. But where we found water, we found life. Everywhere we found a small puddle or trickling creek, we found birds and other wildlife drinking and bathing. Virginia’s and Red-faced Warblers at Marshall Gulch; "Brown-throated" House Wren, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Grace’s Warbler, and Painted Redstart at South Fork; Mexican Chickadee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Hepatic Tanager, and Red Crossbill at Rustler Park; and Lark Sparrow, along with a blizzard of butterflies, at the Sonoita Grasslands.
Highlights were nonstop. Mesmerizing views of two Buff-collared Nightjars perch-hunting at Box Canyon; a magical pre-dawn chorus from our tents at Rose Canyon Campground, starting with Hermit Thrush, Western Flycatcher, and Mexican Whip-poor-will; six species of snakes, including the scarce Arizona Black Rattlesnake; some really cool shorebirding in the midday heat at Willcox; an Elf Owl just feet over our heads; a surprise Hooded Warbler at Cave Creek Ranch; a fledgling Coppery-tailed Trogon being fed by an adult at South Fork Trail; both Mountain Lion and American Black Bear casually walking by at Cave Creek Ranch; a baby Plumbeous Vireo just minutes out of its nest, upstaging a glowing male Flame-colored Tanager at Miller Canyon; a last-minute Olive Warbler at Carr Canyon; crazy-close views of a Common Poorwill at Harshaw Canyon; and two rival male Coppery-tailed Trogons battling out territory boundaries over our picnic table at Madera Canyon—I don’t think they even knew we were there!
Of course, Camp Chiricahua is about much more than just birds. Throughout camp, we looked at all forms of wildlife, from birds to plants, lizards and snakes, mammals, butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, spiders, scorpions, and much more. Fifty-six species of butterflies, 26 herps, and 22 mammals were particularly noteworthy. But we dove into every form of life we encountered and logged our findings into iNaturalist, both to keep track for ourselves and to contribute to this amazing database. Our top sighting: a hoverfly known as Michener's Scaleback, a species with only two other records in iNaturalist!
In this great tradition known as Camp Chiricahua, we strive for a high standard of field ethics, helping each other see birds and other wildlife while maintaining the lowest possible impact on the wildlife we enjoy. And beyond wildlife observation, Camp Chiricahua is about bringing young naturalists together and watching strangers become lifelong friends.
Day-by-Day Summary
July 1 – Late morning arrivals at Tucson International Airport; afternoon to Madera Canyon (Santa Rita Lodge); dusk outing to Box Canyon; night at Hampton Inn Tucson-Airport.
July 2 – Saguaro National Park East (Cactus Forest Loop and Broadway Trailhead); Mount Lemmon including Windy Point and Rose Canyon Campground; night at Rose Canyon Campground.
July 3 – Mount Lemmon including Rose Canyon Campground, Aspen Vista Point, Marshall Gulch, Palisades Visitor Center, Inspiration Rock Picnic Area; night at Rose Canyon Campground.
July 4 – Rose Canyon Campground; Molino Basin; Gibbons/Johnson yard in Tucson; Willcox (Lake Cochise plus lunch and shopping); drive to Portal; night walk around Cave Creek Ranch; night at Cave Creek Ranch.
July 5 – Cave Creek Canyon including Cave Creek Ranch, South Fork Trail, Southwest Research Station; afternoon to Portal (Cathedral Rock Road, Dave Jasper’s feeders, and Portal Store); night drive in Cave Creek Canyon; night at Cave Creek Ranch.
July 6 – Cave Creek Ranch; San Simon Valley including Bear Mountain Road, Stateline Road, Willow Tank, Rodeo (NM), and Chiricahua Desert Museum (NM); afternoon drive to Herb Martyr Road; night drive on Portal Road; night at Cave Creek Ranch.
July 7 – Cave Creek Ranch; Portal-Paradise Road; George Walker House; East Turkey Creek; Onion Saddle area; Rustler Park; Pinery Canyon; night drive to Herb Martyr Road; night at Cave Creek Ranch.
July 8 – Cave Creek Ranch (departed ~8:00 am); Big Thicket; Rodeo (NM); San Pedro House; Sierra Vista EOP; afternoon pool time; dusk to San Pedro House; night at Holiday Inn Express, Sierra Vista.
July 9 – Miller Canyon (Beatty’s Guest Ranch and lower canyon); Carr Canyon (Reef Townsite Campground to Ramsey Vista); Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary (Southeast Arizona Bird Observatory); night at Holiday Inn Express, Sierra Vista.
July 10 – Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (Sonoita grasslands); Paton Center for Hummingbirds (Tucson Bird Alliance); afternoon pool time; Harshaw Canyon; night drive to Harshaw Canyon; night at Stage Stop Inn, Patagonia.
July 11 – Patagonia Lake State Park; Tubac; Patagonia Roadside Rest Area; night drive to Harshaw Canyon; night at Stage Stop Inn, Patagonia.
July 12 – Patagonia; Amado Wastewater Treatment Plant; Montosa Canyon; Madera Canyon (Santa Rita Lodge and Mt. Wrightson Picnic Area); night at Hampton Inn Tucson-Airport.
July 13 – Morning departures from Tucson International Airport.
Wildlife Seen:
MAMMALS:
Harris' Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophilus harrisii) – Tucson and Portal
Abert’s Squirrel (Sciurus alberti) – Mt. Lemmon
Arizona Gray Squirrel (Sciurus arizonensis) – Huachucas and Santa Ritas
Mexican Fox Squirrel (Sciurus nayaitensis)
Chiricahuas Cliff Chipmunk (Tamias dorsalis) – widespread in mountains
Rock Squirrel (Spermophilus variegatus) – widespread in lower and middle elevations Fulvous
Pocket Gopher (Megascapheus fulvus) – Mt. Lemmon
Cactus Mouse (Peromyscus eremicus) – Portal
Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) – widespread from deserts to lower canyons
Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) – Sierra Vista and Patagonia
Mexican Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) – Tucson
Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) – Mt. Lemmon
Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) – Cave Creek Canyon
Bobcat (Lynx rufus) – Cave Creek Canyon
Coyote (Canis latrans) – Patagonia and Tucson
Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) – Cave Creek Canyon
American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) – Cave Creek Canyon
Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) – Cave Creek Canyon
White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica) – Onion Saddle
Collared Peccary (Pecari tajacu) – Cave Creek Canyon “Coues”
White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus couesi) – widespread
Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) – Green Valley
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES:
Mexican Spadefoot (Spea multiplicata)
Sonoran Desert (Colorado River)
Toad (Bufo alvarius)
Red-spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus)
Canyon Treefrog (Dryophytes arenicolor) – heard
American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) ( I )
Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Rana chiricahuensis)
Barking Treefrog (Dryophytes gratiosus) – heard
Elegant Earless Lizard (Holbrookia elegans)
Greater Earless Lizard (Cophosaurus texanus)
Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister)
Clark’s Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus clarkii)
Yarrow’s Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus yarrovii)
Southwestern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus cowlesi)
Striped Plateau Lizard (Sceloporus virgatus)
Ornate Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)
Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma solare)
Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum)
Desert Grassland Whiptail (Aspidoscelis uniparens)
Sonoran Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis sonorae)
Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis exsanguis)
Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus)
Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum)
Sonoran Whipsnake (Masticophis bilineatus)
Big Bend Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora deserticola)
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)
Arizona Black Rattlesnake (Crotalus cerberus)
BUTTERFLIES:
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Western Giant Swallowtail (Papilio rumiko)
Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata)
Great Southern White (Ascia monuste)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)
Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice)
Southern Dogface (Zerene cesonia)
Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae)
Large Orange Sulphur (Phoebis agarithe)
Mexican Yellow (Eurema mexicana)
Tailed Orange (Eurema proterpia)
Sleepy Orange (Eurema nicippe)
Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole)
Western Pygmy-Blue (Brephidium exilis)
Echo Azure (Celastrina echo)
Marine Blue (Leptotes marina)
Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus ceraunus)
Reakirt’s Blue (Hemiargus isola)
Acmon Blue (Icaricia acmon)
Nais Metalmark (Apodemia nais)
Gulf Fritillary (Dione vanillae)
Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)
Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia)
Arizona Checkerspot (Texola perse)
Texan Crescent (Anthanassa texana)
Painted Crescent (Phyciodes picta)
Red-spotted Admiral (Limenitis arthemis)
Arizona Sister (Adelpha eulalia)
Empress Leilia (Asterocampa leilia)
Nabokov’s Satyr (Cyllopsis pyracmon)
Southwest Red Satyr (Cissia cheneyorum)
Queen (Danaus gilippus)
Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
Arizona Skipper (Codatractus arizonensis)
Desert Cloudywing (Cecropterus casica)
Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades)
Drusius Cloudywing (Thorybes drusius)
Acacia Skipper (Cogia hippalus)
Golden-headed Scallopwing (Staphylus ceos)
Arizona Powdered-Skipper (Systasea zampa)
Pacuvius Duskywing (Erynnis pacuvius)