After my early morning success at Bear Canyon Picnic area I decided to head up to Rose Canyon Lake. I often see sightings on lists for many birds I need at Rose Canyon Lake which helped to justify the $9 entrance fee. The Rose Canyon Lake entrance is a left hand turn about 5 miles north of the Bear Canyon Picnic area. It is at over 7000' in elevation. The lake surrounded by pine trees, rocks and water make it an ideal habitat for many of our Arizona mountain dwellers.
I pulled into the Rose Canyon lake road and was surprised to see that even at 8:30 there was no ranger at the pay station. I instead used the self-pay station you can find adjacent to the ranger station. As I drove down toward the lake every campsite was full of rv's and family campers. If you are looking at camping here, make sure to make a reservation early. I got one of the last parking spots, hopped out and quickly headed toward the amphitheater to locate the recently reported <b>Buff-breasted Flycatcher</b>.
It didn't take long to locate the bird. It appears to have been nesting in the area, as many sightings have been confirmed in recent weeks. Also around the area were countless <b>House Wrens</b>, <b>Rock Wrens</b> and <b>American Robins</b>. There is a small trail that heads from the main road to Rose Canyon lake just beyond the amphitheater. I took it down toward the lake and also spotted <b>Plumbeous Vireo</b>, <b>Yellow-eyed Junco</b>, and <b>Bushtit</b>. Around the lake was sparse. I walked both along the southern trail and the northern trail.
Along the southern trail Yellow-eyed Junco's stole the show. I also caught a glimpse of a <b>Broad-tailed Hummingbird</b>, but that was about it. The northern trail included <b>Painted Redstarts</b>, and Yellow-eyed Junco. The amount of people around the lake was indeed effecting the amount of birds, so I decided to walk back along the trail toward the main road where I started. This time I walked further south along the trail and saw a few more species including <b>White-breasted Nuthatch</b>, <b>Pygmy Nuthatch</b>, House Wrens, <b>Common Ravens</b>, <b>Acorn Woodpeckers</b>, <b>Cordilleran Flycatcher</b>, and more. It was indeed a hotspot.
<h3>Other Birds to see this time of year:</h3>
Acorn Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Painted Redstart, Spotted Towhee, Black-headed Grosbeak, American Robin, House Wren, Bewicks Wren, Mountain Chickadee, Grace's Warbler, Mexican Jay, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Arizona Woodpecker, Common Raven, Hepatic Tanager, Summer Tanager, Yellow-eyed Junco, Greater Pewee and more
<h3>About Arizona Birding at Mt. Lemmon Rose Canyon Lake</h3>
Rose Canyon Lake is one of perhaps the most frequently birded hotspots on top of Mt. Lemmon. It is also home to many campers and fisherman. During the hot summer months the lake and the parking lot can become crowded. There are plently of places to sit and watch the birds come an go. There are two trails around the lake, a north trail and a south trail...the trails do not connect. Both trails proved to be plentiful. However, even better than birding around the lake was walking back toward the main road on the trail into Rose Canyon Lake. This trail, infrequent from visitors was home to more than 15 unique species in the space of 2 hours. You can find this trail by parking at the parking lot then walking south toward the amphitheater. Beyond the amphitheater you will find the obvious trail..walk a ways down (.2 miles) and back and forth. To save money and perhaps see even more birds (there is a $9 entrance fee) park along the main road at a parking pull out and make the hike along the road. The hike in is about 1.5 miles. The hike around the lake is .4 miles on the north end and .8 miles on the south end. If no ranger is present at the pay station use the self pay station and be sure to add a receipt to your dashboard.
I pulled into the Rose Canyon lake road and was surprised to see that even at 8:30 there was no ranger at the pay station. I instead used the self-pay station you can find adjacent to the ranger station. As I drove down toward the lake every campsite was full of rv's and family campers. If you are looking at camping here, make sure to make a reservation early. I got one of the last parking spots, hopped out and quickly headed toward the amphitheater to locate the recently reported <b>Buff-breasted Flycatcher</b>.
It didn't take long to locate the bird. It appears to have been nesting in the area, as many sightings have been confirmed in recent weeks. Also around the area were countless <b>House Wrens</b>, <b>Rock Wrens</b> and <b>American Robins</b>. There is a small trail that heads from the main road to Rose Canyon lake just beyond the amphitheater. I took it down toward the lake and also spotted <b>Plumbeous Vireo</b>, <b>Yellow-eyed Junco</b>, and <b>Bushtit</b>. Around the lake was sparse. I walked both along the southern trail and the northern trail.
Along the southern trail Yellow-eyed Junco's stole the show. I also caught a glimpse of a <b>Broad-tailed Hummingbird</b>, but that was about it. The northern trail included <b>Painted Redstarts</b>, and Yellow-eyed Junco. The amount of people around the lake was indeed effecting the amount of birds, so I decided to walk back along the trail toward the main road where I started. This time I walked further south along the trail and saw a few more species including <b>White-breasted Nuthatch</b>, <b>Pygmy Nuthatch</b>, House Wrens, <b>Common Ravens</b>, <b>Acorn Woodpeckers</b>, <b>Cordilleran Flycatcher</b>, and more. It was indeed a hotspot.
<h3>Other Birds to see this time of year:</h3>
Acorn Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Painted Redstart, Spotted Towhee, Black-headed Grosbeak, American Robin, House Wren, Bewicks Wren, Mountain Chickadee, Grace's Warbler, Mexican Jay, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Arizona Woodpecker, Common Raven, Hepatic Tanager, Summer Tanager, Yellow-eyed Junco, Greater Pewee and more
<h3>About Arizona Birding at Mt. Lemmon Rose Canyon Lake</h3>
Rose Canyon Lake is one of perhaps the most frequently birded hotspots on top of Mt. Lemmon. It is also home to many campers and fisherman. During the hot summer months the lake and the parking lot can become crowded. There are plently of places to sit and watch the birds come an go. There are two trails around the lake, a north trail and a south trail...the trails do not connect. Both trails proved to be plentiful. However, even better than birding around the lake was walking back toward the main road on the trail into Rose Canyon Lake. This trail, infrequent from visitors was home to more than 15 unique species in the space of 2 hours. You can find this trail by parking at the parking lot then walking south toward the amphitheater. Beyond the amphitheater you will find the obvious trail..walk a ways down (.2 miles) and back and forth. To save money and perhaps see even more birds (there is a $9 entrance fee) park along the main road at a parking pull out and make the hike along the road. The hike in is about 1.5 miles. The hike around the lake is .4 miles on the north end and .8 miles on the south end. If no ranger is present at the pay station use the self pay station and be sure to add a receipt to your dashboard.
