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Birding in Arizona (1 Viewer)

hammie

New member
Birding In Arizona

I am a birder living in Scotland.

I am currently planning a two trip to Arizona for July 2006.

This would be my first visit, so I am really looking forward to it.

I am a depute headteacher in a secondary school so I am required to travel during the school summer holidays or the two weeks in October.

I am currently planning my trip and I intend to purchase my flight ticket very soon now.

I intend to fly to Phoenix then pick up a car hire and drive to Tucson.

I intend to bird around Tuscon for a couple of days before going onto Green valley. From there I thought I could stay in Sirra Vista for 3-4 days and bird all locations close by.

I intend to use motels ( I cannot afford luxury accommodation).

I would be pleased if you could help me by providing some information:

1. Can you suggest a motel I could stay in on the right side of Tuscon that would allow me quick access early morning (dawn) to the road up Mount Lemmon? - I would prefer not to have to drive through busy tuscon if possible

2. Can you suggest some other locations I should try when I am birding in Tucson or indeed elsewhere in S Arizona? I will purchase a copy of ABA Birding in Arizona Guide before Xmas.

3. Have you any other tips/guidance that would help me make my trip successful? I visited Florida twice a few years ago but it has been a dream of mine to visit Arizona one day!! I met an american birder in Florida last Easter called walt Winton and he told me great things about the birds in Arizona.

I do hope you can help me.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience

From a cold Scotland

Kind regards,

Ian
 
Hi, Hammie! A warm welcome to you from all of us on staff at BirdForum -- and from Arizona. :t:

I've moved your query here to the "Info Wanted" forum as it'll be seen by more people who can help.

You might also wish to post your query on the Arizona-New Mexico birding listserve whose URL is here:

http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/AZNM.html

Just click on the "Home" link to register (it's free) and then post a message. You'll get lots of response and advice from the people who live and bird in that area. I live in the northeast quarter of the state and haven't birded that much in the desert southeast so unfortunately can't be of much help on the details -- except to say that it's going to be hotter than a blast furnace that time of year, so be prepared. ;)
 
Not to miss

Sorry I can't remember any good motels in Tucson, but there are plenty of good and reasonable ones to choose from.

Make sure you visit the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. It's a botanical garden really and it attracts a lot of birds. The (East) Saguaro Park is certainly worth a visit, too: there may or may not be a lot of birds there but the landcape is stunning.

BTW, if you have time in Phoenix, visit the botanical gardens. I got several life birds there during a very brief visit.
 
Hammie,

I went to Arizona in May 2002 and saw loads of birds. We toured around a lot more, going to Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon. Try and get in touch with some local birders, all of the ones I met were really friendly and helpful. You should get the Lane guide to birding south-eastern Arizona and contact some of the Audubon societies.

The birding is superb, so you will enjoy it.

David
 
Birding in Arizona Trip 2006

Thank you so much for your help.

I have followed your advice and I have now received a lot of very good information from birders in Arizona by email.

This has really helped my planning for the trip in July 2006.

Thank you again for your assistance.

Kind regards,

Ian
(Scotland)
 
Ian,
I have just come back from a trip to Arizona, and can confirm that Katy's links are indeed very useful. But no 1 thing to do is to get a copy of the ABA (or the local Tucson Audubon) guide to birding Southern Arizona and read it, and then combine it with the month-by-month checklist from Stuart Haley's webpage. I had reasons to go during October, and got around 160 species in 11 days in Arizona. I missed some of the summer species but got some of the first winter arrivals. Arizona is still on my wish list for a repeat visit. Once you have read the guide, you will probably want to add Madera Canyon, Sulphur Springs Valley, and the Chiricahua mountains to your wish list for the visit. You should be aware that for the time being, non-US citizens cannot visit areas in the Fort Huachuca including several of the important sites around Sierra Vista; Stuart Haley says that he can legally bring you in, if you hire him as a guide for a day (didn't work for me, an emergency canceled our appointment).

Tucson accomodation: mainly around I10 and around the main road to the airport (I think tha latter is mostly on the east side?). We found a small motel in the Lonely Planet guide, but that was on the west side, and therefore is not the one you want. For budget planning, you probably will want to have something like the Lonely planet. We also bought the Delorme atlas and Gazettier for the area, but had less use of it than we expected, the maps in the ABA guide are really excellent.

Be prepared that July will occasionally give you a lot of rain, with mosquitos and chiggers in abundance, but also bring some of the sought after species forward and singing.

HTH
Niels
 
Hammie,
The purchase of one of the birdfinding guides to southeast Arizona (there are two that are excellent, somewhat redundant, but with some unique information in each) is of critical importance. Having the book in hand to study sights and make travel decisions will make a big difference in the quality of your trip.

I live in the American midwest, but travel to Arizona one to three times a year--sometimes for only a couple of days, passing through, sometimes for a week or more stay for birding.

For motels, an inexpensive, clean, no frills chain is Motel 6. I particularly recommend the one in Sierra Vista for your time in that area. Also consider not staying in Green Valley (expensive, I believe), but driving there from Tucson--it's a very short distance--and or driving on to Nogales (another Motel 6) for the night.

The chief draw for the Green Valley area is really Madera Canyon. This area is well-treated in both southeast Arizona birdfinding guides.

From a motel in Nogales, it is an easy half-hour drive to Lake Patagonia and on to the town of Patagonia for another stop. This route is easiest (timewise) between your time spent in Tucson and/or Madera Canyon and your time in Sierra Vista. Lake Patagonia is a state park (small admission fee) with wonderful access to a fine riparian area. In the town of Patagonia is the special Patton backyard, a mecca for birders for many years. Much can be observed from the comfort of a chair beneath a canvas for shade.

Indeed, the current rules for a foreign national to visit Fort Huachuca require that he/she be accompanied by a U.S. citizen. (This does not have to be a paid guide.)

There are many sites to the south of Sierra Vista that are worth birding. These canyons are all up mountains--the famed "sky islands"-- and are therefore mercifully cooler than the valley floor, especially in July.

You may also wish to consider a stay in one of the cabins in Miller Canyon, owned by the Beatty family. While slightly more than the Motel 6 in Sierra Vista, this puts you in the midst of some of the finest birding (especially hummers) in the area and is convenient to Ramsey and Carr Canyons. A note: the road up Carr Canyon is dirt, has many switchbacks, and can be treacherous for a low-slung vehicle.

There are also good areas southeast of Tucson; most notably the Chiricahua mountains (the Cave Creek area and the mountains above it, accessed through the hamlet of Portal). There is a motel (called a lodge) at Portal. It is not cheap.

To make the most of your visit to southeast Arizona, do consider hiring a guide for at least a day or two, perhaps toward the beginning of your trip. The habitats are so varied, the niches of some species so restricted, and the number of species of similarity so numerous that this could be an investment well worth the extra cost (and the guide will do the driving).

There are several well-qualified guides in the area. Among them are Stuart Healy, Rich Hoyer, and Melody Kehl. I recommend all of them without hesitation.

Good birding!
Phalarope
 
Phalarope said:
Hammie,
Indeed, the current rules for a foreign national to visit Fort Huachuca require that he/she be accompanied by a U.S. citizen. (This does not have to be a paid guide.)

From the AZ-NM listserver: FORT HUACHUCA ACCESS: The fort still requires valid photo ID, car registration and proof of insurance (or rental agreement) to enter. A new requirement is that Foreign Nationals must now be accompanied by a U.S. citizen with a military identification card in order to gain entry. Direct any questions about this rule to the U.S. Army at Fort Huachuca. It is the military id card bit that makes me question if any US citizen would do. I have not asked at the fort itself.

You may also wish to consider a stay in one of the cabins in Miller Canyon, owned by the Beatty family. While slightly more than the Motel 6 in Sierra Vista, this puts you in the midst of some of the finest birding (especially hummers) in the area and is convenient to Ramsey and Carr Canyons. A note: the road up Carr Canyon is dirt, has many switchbacks, and can be treacherous for a low-slung vehicle.
I made it in a Ford Focus, but this would not be the case if there had been a lot of rain, I think.

Cheers
Niels
 
Hi Hammie,

Here's some slightly dated (early 90's) advice from a Brit who spent 6 months birding in SE Arizona. I might as well add some additional possibly useful specific stuff.
I'd recommend parking in the highest car park at Madera canyon and taking enough food and water to stay out for at least a night and sleep under the pines after a day's walk up to the saddle. You should get most of the specialities (all the Owl's etc.) and even Eastern Bluebird , Buff-breasted Fly and Montezuma Quail as I did if you're lucky.
Try the south bank of Arivaca creek a few km West of the village of Arivaca,near Sasabe for Buff-collared Nightjar if you can't find them elsewhere ! This site is not to far from the 5-striped Sparrow site at California Gultch if this still exists.
 
Re First Trip to AZ

I am taking my first trip to AZ in January. Any idea what I might see around Flaggstaff . Am flying into Phoenix. Dan B
 
cymruboy said:
I am taking my first trip to AZ in January. Any idea what I might see around Flaggstaff . Am flying into Phoenix. Dan B

Dear Dan,
Flagstaff in January will be cold. You're likely to see the usual winter species of the southern Rockies: Townsend's Solitaire, American Dipper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and so on.
Is Flagstaff a required destination? You'd do much better to bird the Phoenix area itself (Gilbert Water Ranch, Salome/Baseline, Scottsdale...). Ideal, of course, would be the southeast--please feel free to be in touch should you have specific questions about any birds or destinations.
With all best wishes and Merry Christmas,
 
Re Flagstaff

Thanks . We fly into Phoenix Thur Feb 15 and must sadly leave Mionday am and wanted to see the Grand Canyon and Sedona as we have limited time. Was hoping there would be some birds around there but its colder North I am told. Apparently there is a good aboretorum East of Phoenix where we might see more. Do you have any further info on the places you mention ? Any help appreciated. It will be nice to see a whole new eco system and some new birds. Hope you have a good holiday. Dan




Rick Wright said:
Dear Dan,
Flagstaff in January will be cold. You're likely to see the usual winter species of the southern Rockies: Townsend's Solitaire, American Dipper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and so on.
Is Flagstaff a required destination? You'd do much better to bird the Phoenix area itself (Gilbert Water Ranch, Salome/Baseline, Scottsdale...). Ideal, of course, would be the southeast--please feel free to be in touch should you have specific questions about any birds or destinations.
With all best wishes and Merry Christmas,
;) :eat:
 
Boyce Thompson Arboretum is on Highway 60 near Superior, Arizona, an hour or perhaps a bit more from the airport. It is very nice birding (if I remember right, there is a Rufous-backed Robin there now), and you will have a fine time especially if you can add Oak Flat (just east of the arboretum) for Western Bluebird, Juniper Titmouse, Lewis's Woodpecker, and the junco extravaganza (no white-wings, but everything else is possible!).

Gilbert Water Ranch is at the corner of Greenfield and Guadalupe in Gilbert, less than an hour from the airport; reach it from the Greenfield exit of Highway 60. This is a fantastic spot, and at the moment it is hosting a Streak-backed Oriole and at least one Harris's Sparrow.

The Buckeye thrasher spot is reached by traveling west on Baseline Road (reached from Highway 85) to its intersection with the Salome Highway. Your timing is ideal for Le Conte's and Sage Thrashers and Sage Sparrows; there are many raptors in the area, including Ferruginous Hawk and Prairie Falcon.

In Sedona, hike the West Fork trail for American Dipper and (Western) Winter Wren, along with the usual birds of ponderosa forest. South of Sedona, I think you'd really enjoy Dead Horse State Park in Cottonwood, which is excellent all-round birding.

Hope that's of some use.

cymruboy said:
Thanks . We fly into Phoenix Thur Feb 15 and must sadly leave Mionday am and wanted to see the Grand Canyon and Sedona as we have limited time. Was hoping there would be some birds around there but its colder North I am told. Apparently there is a good aboretorum East of Phoenix where we might see more. Do you have any further info on the places you mention ? Any help appreciated. It will be nice to see a whole new eco system and some new birds. Hope you have a good holiday. Dan




;) :eat:
 
re your info

Thank you so much Rick. I'll share with my girlfriend and I am sure we'll be visiting these places. Dan




Rick Wright said:
Boyce Thompson Arboretum is on Highway 60 near Superior, Arizona, an hour or perhaps a bit more from the airport. It is very nice birding (if I remember right, there is a Rufous-backed Robin there now), and you will have a fine time especially if you can add Oak Flat (just east of the arboretum) for Western Bluebird, Juniper Titmouse, Lewis's Woodpecker, and the junco extravaganza (no white-wings, but everything else is possible!).

Gilbert Water Ranch is at the corner of Greenfield and Guadalupe in Gilbert, less than an hour from the airport; reach it from the Greenfield exit of Highway 60. This is a fantastic spot, and at the moment it is hosting a Streak-backed Oriole and at least one Harris's Sparrow.

The Buckeye thrasher spot is reached by traveling west on Baseline Road (reached from Highway 85) to its intersection with the Salome Highway. Your timing is ideal for Le Conte's and Sage Thrashers and Sage Sparrows; there are many raptors in the area, including Ferruginous Hawk and Prairie Falcon.

In Sedona, hike the West Fork trail for American Dipper and (Western) Winter Wren, along with the usual birds of ponderosa forest. South of Sedona, I think you'd really enjoy Dead Horse State Park in Cottonwood, which is excellent all-round birding.

Hope that's of some use.
 
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