Spring Grand Arizona - May 2026
Dates: May 15-25, 2026
Leader: Barry Zimmer
E-bird
Total Species: 183 birds
Click Here to view list.
Overall Summary
Once again, this year’s Spring Grand Arizona tour had it all. We tallied ten species of hummingbirds, six species of owls, several rarities, and had great looks at virtually all of our more “expected” targets. Additionally, we had a great variety of mammals, herps, and butterflies to complete our natural history experience. Very good (= cooler than normal) weather prevailed throughout. This was certainly one of our most successful spring trips ever!
In the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson, we found the iconic Coppery-tailed Trogon, in addition to such highly sought targets as Rivoli’s Hummingbird, Western Screech-Owl, Elf Owl, Arizona Woodpecker, Five-striped Sparrow, and Red-faced Warbler, while deserts around Green Valley and Sahuarita yielded a rare Crested Caracara, Harris’s Hawk, spectacular Costa’s Hummingbirds, and Rufous-winged Sparrow, among others.
In the vicinity of Nogales and Patagonia, our luck continued. A stunning plum-colored Varied Bunting probably topped the list, but we also had Violet-crowned Hummingbird, a rare pair of Mississippi Kites, Gray Hawk, Thick-billed Kingbird, and Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet. Nearby grasslands around Sonoita hosted Chihuahuan Meadowlark, Grasshopper Sparrow, and a Pronghorn.
The middle portion of our tour concentrated on the Huachuca Mountains and Sierra Vista. We enjoyed prolonged scope studies of a male Flame-colored Tanager, a rare visitor from Mexico, in Miller Canyon. In Carr Canyon, we tallied many awesome warblers, including Virginia’s, Grace’s, Black-throated Gray, more Red-faced, Olive (not a warbler), and Painted Redstarts, in addition to the localized Buff-breasted Flycatcher and Greater Pewee. A stunning Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake being mobbed by Mexican Jays was one of the highlights of the whole tour! Other notables included a male Lucifer Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird (rare in spring), Whiskered Screech-Owl, Common Poorwill, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, and Botteri’s Sparrow.
The final leg of our tour was spent in the Chiricahua Mountains. In the high elevations of that range, we found the endemic Mexican Chickadee, and after some effort, we had scope views of Flammulated Owl. Mexican Whip-poor-will, Scaled Quail, Blue-throated Mountain-gem, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay and Steller’s Jays, Pygmy Nuthatch, Bendire’s and Crissal Thrashers, and Black-chinned Sparrow rounded out the list. We also had some cool mammals, including White-nosed Coati, Collared Peccary, and Mexican Fox Squirrel.
En route back to Tucson on the final day, we stopped at Cochise Lake in Willcox, adding many waterbirds to our final tally. A Hudsonian Godwit was most noteworthy, but we also saw Mexican Duck, Cinnamon Teal, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Marbled Godwit, and a vagrant Tennessee Warbler.
For the tour, we tallied an impressive 183 species of birds. We found virtually all of the hoped-for southeastern Arizona specialties, as well as several unexpected rarities (including three tour firsts!). We enjoyed wonderful studies of the iconic Coppery-tailed Trogon, saw ten species of hummingbirds (one short of a May tour record), and an impressive six species of owls. Southeastern Arizona is simply an amazing birding destination. Additionally, we had an impressive 17 species of mammals, 15 species of herps, and 24 species of butterflies. I can’t wait to come back next year!
Day-by-Day Summary
May 15 - Afternoon visit to Marana & Sweetwater Wetlands (36 species)---Highlights including Burrowing Owls, Vermilion Flycatcher, Abert's Towhee.
May 16 – Desert Meadow Park in Green Valley, Continental, Madera Canyon (Santa Rita Lodge, upper canyon trails), Box Canyon; evening owling (62 species; 79 total)---Montain and desert birds, including, Broad-billed, Rivoli's and Costa's hummingbirds, elf and Western Screech-Owl, Red-faced Warbler, Rufous-winged Sparrow.
May 17 – Desert near Sahuarita, Abrego drive in Green Valley, Madera Canyon (upper canyon trails), Amado Sewage Pond, Bridge Road & Ron Morris Park in Tubac, Montosa Canyon (80 species; 113 total)---Nailed the iconic bird of arizona, the coppery-tailed Trogon, plus great views of Five-striped Sparrow.
May 18 – Ruby Road to Sycamore Canyon, Paton’s Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia, Harshaw Canyon Road (71 species; 121 total)--A male varied bunting topped the list, but also Thick-billed Kingbird and violet-crowned Hummingbird,
May 19 – Harshaw Canyon Road, Patagonia (Sonoita Avenue), Sonoita Grasslands, Miller Canyon, Ash Canyon (76 species; 131 total)---Luicfer Hummingbird in Ash canyon and very rare Flame-colored Tanager in Miller Canyon.
May 20 – Carr Canyon (Reef Townsite Campground and beyond), Beatty’s Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon, Hereford (Three Canyons Road), evening owling in Brown Canyon & Carr Canyon (75 species; 148 total)---Great warblers and night birding!
May 21 – Miller Canyon (upper canyon trail), drive to Chiricahuas with roadside birding, Dave Jasper’s house, grounds of Cave Creek Ranch; evening owling to Barfoot Park (74 species; 154 total)---sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, blue-throated Mountain-gem and Mexican Whip-poor-will.
May 22 – Cave Creek Ranch, upper elevations of Chiricahua Mountains (Pinery Canyon, Onion Saddle, Rustler Park), Portal Road, afternoon to George Walker House in Paradise; evening owling to Barfoot Park (69 species; 160 total)---Great views of Mexican Chickadee plus many other montane species.
May 23 – Paradise Road, upper elevations of the Chiricahuas to Rustler Park & Barfoot junction; afternoon to Portal and State Line roads; evening owling return to East Turkey Creek (75 species; 166 total)---Scope studies of Flammulated Owl, Also Crissal and Bendire's thrashers.
May 24 – Herb Martyr Road, over the upper elevations of the Chiricahuas (Onion Saddle & Pinery Canyon), Cochise Lake & Twin Lakes Golf Course in Willcox (90 species; 183 total)---Many shorebirds at Willcox.
May 25 - Departures for home (183 total species)
Wildlife Seen:
MAMMALS:
Harris’s Antelope Squirrel
Arizona Gray Squirrel
Mexican (Apache)
Fox Squirrel
Cliff Chipmunk
Round-tailed Ground Squirrel---tiny baby at Sweetwater
Rock Squirrel rat species----Pat & Cindy Holzner’s (Robust)
Cottontail Desert
Cottontail Antelope
Jackrabbit
Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Unidentified bat species---seemed to be two different sizes
Gray Fox---one crossing the road on first owling trip in the Chiricahuas, but only seen by me
White-nosed Coati---nice views of male speeding up the road on owling excursion in the Chiricahuas; generally uncommon
Collared Peccary (Javelina)----three in the Chiricahuas
White-tailed Deer---all but one day
Pronghorn---four total; our first a nice spot by Cindy in the Sonoita grasslands
Total species – 17
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS:
Woodhouse’s Toad---heard only at Ash Canyon
American Bullfrog
Chiricahua Leopard Frog----several in Miller Canyon; great views; highly endangered
Red-eared Slider
Elegant Earless Lizard
Desert Spiny Lizard---sizable beasts at Sweetwater & Desert Meadows
Yarrow’s Spiny Lizard---Miller Canyon; gorgeous
Ornate Tree Lizard---Paton’s
Desert Grassland Whiptail
Sonoran Spotted Whiptail
Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail
Western (Tiger) Whiptail
Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake
Glossy Snake---uncommon
Sonoran Lyre Snake---very uncommon
Total species – 15
BUTTERFLIES:
Pipevine Swallowtail
Black Swallowtail
Two-tailed Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail
Mexican Yellow
Southern Dogface
Cloudless Sulphur
Cabbage White
Checkered White
Marine Blue Reakirt’s
Blue Spring Azure
Gray Hairstreak
Texan Crescent
Empress Leilia
Buckeye Gulf
Fritillary Arizona Sister---recently split from California Sister; brilliant
Queen Nabokov’s Satyr
Silver-spotted Skipper Cloudywing species (probably Northern)
Golden-headed Scallopwing
Common Checkered Skipper
Total species – 24