Birding and Hiking in the Chiricahua Mountains…

With this large mountain range just minutes away from our doorstep, we had to go hiking as much as possible. Having hiked quite a bit in the lowlands we decided to take a loop drive up to Rustlers Park, one off the highest points in the mountains.

Our first stop though was another one of the places where feeders were out for birders to enjoy,. This time it was at the George Walker House a BnB in the mountains. We were greeted by the owner and his friendly boxer when we arrived (along with about 5 wild turkeys)..

The 100 year old home was very welcoming and we were escorted to a beautiful courtyard with multiple feeders. We were encouraged to sit at any of the comfortable benches to enjoy the birds as long as we wanted.  We were shown where the restrooms were and introduced to a few of his guests who were already enjoying the birds. What great hospitality.

We saw lots of birds on the feeders but after about 40 minutes it was time to move on up the mountain. The road was a bit rugged but after crossing several creek crossings we came upon a fellow sitting by the side of the road. After chatting with him a bit he pointed out a coatimundi high up In a fir tree.

Sure enough we looked and at the very top of a 150 foot plus fir tree was a fur ball. He/she was actively feeding on what appeared to be either the fresh shoots on the end of branches or on the newly forming cones. We watched for nearly an hour as it slowly descended the tree. Every now and then it would sneak a peek in our direction to make sure we weren’t a threat. It sure was fun watching it work its way down the very tall tree.

Afterward we stopped near Rustler’s Park to hike the road where we saw a lot of different nuthatches. After about an hour we walked back to the car and started our trip down the mountains.

We stopped for one last visit at the South Fork of Cave Creek before heading home hoping to finally see the Elegant Trogon. After birding about 20 minutes we heard one off in the distance. We worked our way over to where the sound was emanating from and finally saw it in a tree about 15 feet off the ground.

We weren’t able to get any pictures of it but we followed it down the road and it would call every now and then. When it did we moved to where it was and caught a glimpse of it again. It was a beautiful male bird with its bright red breast.

A couple was passing us and said that they too were hoping to see one and we explained there was one in the area as we had last saw it about five minutes ago. While we were chatting I looked up and saw a male trogon sitting in a tree about 10 feet off the ground and only about 75 feet from us. I pointed it out to Sharon and the other couple. I immediately snapped off a few photos before it left.

One last little hike before heading back to the RV was a short stroll over to Vista Point, a short hike we passed several times. It was about to rain but we hurriedly hiked the 1/2 mile trial to the vista point. And we were so glad we did what a fabulous 360 degree view this point offered! Lot of photos were taken there…

What a great day this was to see this vista point along with both a coatimundi in the wild and an elegant trogon so close! Our stay is now complete…

Rusty’s RV Ranch in NM and The Chiricahua Mts in Arizona…

We left Sierra Vista AZ and drove a mostly two lane road barely into New Mexico for our next destination, Rusty’s RV Ranch. We’ve stayed there before and knew that the sites are huge and mostly level. Most sites have great views of the the magnificent Chiricahua Mountains. Our site also had a view of the pond.

The pond is home to two black swans and two porcupines from South Africa. They are penned in and are fun to watch. The pond and the park have lots of trees and as such this is a pretty good place to birdwatch without leaving the park. Stargazing is great also since it is a dark sky park (meaning no outside lights allowed at night). One can easily see the Milky Way in all its glory. The park is also home to many captive birds from all over the world.

We stopped here to enjoy the nearby Chiricahua Mountains and the extensive birding opportunities offered. We birded each and every day during our stay. We also did a few day hikes and a few  scenic drives in the mountains. At the end of each day we were able to enjoy the large hot tub in the park.

The most well known birding spot in the Chiricahua's is the South Fork of Cave Creek. We visited this spot several times to try to find the elusive Elegant Trogon which is a unique species of bird found only in this part of Southeastern Arizona.

There is a nice hiking trail that runs along Cave Creek and we enjoyed hiking up this heavily forested creek in search of the Trogon. While we enjoyed a great little hike we were unable to locate the Trogon even though we were able to hear one off in the distance. We did see a lot of interesting birds on the hike and knew we would  keep coming back to see if we could see a Trogon during our stay.

Fortunately for us we discovered several people who live in the area who invite birders to sit in their yards to watch birds. These homeowners put out various feeders to attract a wide variety of birds.We were so excited to see many other birds at these places only seen in SE AZ. How cool is that!

Taking advantage of such places we were able to see to see a The Blue-throated Mountain-gem which is the largest nesting hummingbird in the U.S and it weighs about three times more than a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. You can actually hear these birds flexing their wings anytime you are near one.

Southern Arizona is really is a great place to enjoy the great outdoors, whether it be hiking, birding or stargazing. It is certainly off the beaten path as there are no real services nearby but if you love the outdoors this should make its way on your list..

Ramsey Canyon, the San Pedro Riparian NCA and a side trip to Bisbee AZ…

Ramsey Canyon is home to the Ramsey Canyon Preserve which is run by the Nature Conservancy. This beautiful canyon in southeastern Arizona is known as a hotspot for birdwatchers. It also is home to lots of trails that access the National Forest that is adjacent to the preserve.

The canyon is situated in the Huachuca Mountains, which provides a cooler climate than the surrounding desert regions. We not only enjoyed birdwatching in this canyon but we also took on a popular trail called the Hamburg Trail. This trail is a 2.5-mile round trip hike that goes to the top of Hamburg Peak and back.

The trail is rated as moderate to difficult, with steep switchbacks and rocky terrain. And let us tell you this is an accurate description. The trail seemingly goes straight up for an extended period which made us breath heavily all the way to the top.

However, this cardio rich hike ends at the top of the peak. From here we were able to  enjoy the panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. During our hike we were also treated to lots of birds both in the wild and on the various feeders scattered throughout the preserve.

Another place we visited was the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. The area contains 57,000 acres and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The conservation area is known for its diverse wildlife and vegetation and as such we enjoyed hiking and birding some of their trails.

We even spotted one elusive creature we would just as soon never see. A large 5-plus foot diamondback rattlesnake was also enjoying the river as we spotted it getting a drink from the rivers edge. This was a big one that had been living in this riparian zone for some time. We gave it plenty of room and as we left we warned several other hikers of its location.

The San Pedro River is the centerpiece of the conservation area and provides a migratory corridor for many bird species. The banks of the river are also home to towering Arizona cypress trees which are nice as they provide shade for us hikers trying to escape the heat. It really is a nice place to hike in a riparian zone and check out the birds there.

Lastly, before leaving this area and moving over to New Mexico we had to pay one last visit to Bisbee, the quaint mining town about an hours drive away from us. We have visited this town before but always love walking around this cool but very hilly tow. With one last cold beer from the brewery we bring our stay in Sierra Vista to a close.

Huachuca and Ash Canyon AZ, Hiking and Birding

Huachuca Canyon is another beautiful canyon located here in southeastern Arizona. It is a beautiful canyon and a popular spot for hiking and birdwatching. As I’ve mentioned before there are fauna  unique to this area that can only be found in this part of the USA.

From our park it is about a 30 minute drive to get to the lower reaches of the canyon. However, this canyon is located on an Army base called Fort Huachuaca. The good news is you can get on the base as a visitor and don’t have to be in the military.

To gain access Fort Huachuca we had to stop at the visitors check-in and provide a  where they run you through a quick background check and take a photo of you. They then provided us a 60-day valid identification pass that would get us through a security checkpoint.

While the Fort itself has many interesting historic sites and even a museum we were here to visit the canyon bearing it’s name. Huachuca Canyon is accessible year-round and is located in the Coronado National Forest. Our Lifetime Senior Pass is good for visiting this canyon.

Huachuca Canyon Trail meanders along an old dirt road. We hiked this trail for a few miles one day and on another day we drove up the very rocky and rutted road for 1.7 miles to park at the 1.7 mile picnic area, We hiked and birdwatched up the trail from there. The scenery was really beautiful in this canyon especially up higher. We were fortunate to see a few nice birds even though they managed to hide real well in the lush woodlands surrounding the flowing creek,

Another nice spot just south of Fort Huachuca is the Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary. This is a very popular destination for birdwatchers in southeastern Arizona.. The sanctuary is located in the Huachuca Mountains, near the town of Hereford. It is home to a variety of bird species, including many species of hummingbirds. We were fortunate to be able to see a Lucifer Hummingbird for the very first time there.

This is a sanctuary with mostly places to sit to observe the birds. There are no trails (that we know of) so we did no hiking. However, for those who want to see the birdlife up-close this is a great place to do so as there are many feeders with various feed. This allowed us the opportunity to photograph many of the birds who remained elusive to us during our hikes.

                     

The sanctuary is open all year and the best time for birdwatching is during the spring and fall migration seasons. While there is no fee for admission to the sanctuary there is a recommended donation. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

Garden Canyon Hike and a Visit to Coronado National Memorial…

One intriguing hike near our RV park is the Garden Canyon hike.The canyon is located in the Huachuca Mountains near Sierra Vista, Arizona. The trail is a relatively easy hike of about 4.2 miles round trip and took us around 4.5 hours to complete because we birded along the way. The end point of the hike is an in and out walk to the Garden Canyon Pictograph Site.

The trail followed a creek steadily uphill and there were mountains with towering cliffs covered in fairly dense vegetation on either side. Since this part of Arizona is prime birding habitat we were always on the lookout for some of the rare species found only in this area.

Garden Canyon, located in the Huachuca Mountains has a long history of human habitation. Once occupied by indigenous peoples for thousands of years there are remnants today of their presence.

The most obvious evidence of their existence in this canyon can be found at the Garden Canyon Pictograph Site. There is an interesting and unique array of fascinating ancient rock art. These pictographs are believed to have been created by the Hohokam people between 500 and 1,500 years ago.

The pictographs are of an assortment of images. Images of humans, animals, and various shapes are scattered across the face of the rock. While we have seen a lot of various rock art these images seemed a bit different and were cool to have seen.

On another afternoon we drove over to the Coronado National Memorial about 30 minutes south of our park located in southeastern Arizona near the border with Mexico. The site commemorates the expedition of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. Coronado was a Spanish explorer who searched in vain for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola during the 1500’s.

We stopped at the visitors center to show them our America the Beautiful pass only to learn that it was a fee free park. We left and went over to the picnic area because a ranger told us it was the best place to birdwatch in the park.

We spotted quite a few species of birds but we mostly enjoyed the various species of flycatchers in the picnic grounds. Lots of birds were singing and a pair of dusky-crested flycatchers were building a nest. We watched the pair often enter a cavity in a tree so we assumed that is what they were doing.

We also drove up to the scenic overlook called Montezuma Pass. To get there we had to drive up a steep and winding road to the top of the in Huachuca Mountains. From the pass we had a fabulous panoramic view of the San Pedro River Valley and to the south we could see the Mexican border.

It was a fun few days of hiking, birding and taking scenic drives in Southeastern Arizona.

Brown Ranch and Carr Canyon in AZ…

We enjoyed our short stay in Tucson but it was time to go so we hit the road to our next destination near Sierra Vista AZ. We have always wanted to explore this area so we’ll stay awhile to hike and birdwatch.

This area is home to many of the higher mountains in the southern part of Arizona. There are many world renowned birding hotspots with a 30 minute drive of where we are staying at Quail Ridge RV Park. Amazingly this park is less that $15.00 per night for full hookups and while it is nothing fabulous we are settled in on our gravel site with views of the mountains around us.

On one of our first excursions here we hiked in the Brown Canyon Ranch which was acquired by the US Forest Service in 1998. It offers a glimpse back in time when the the historic Brown ranch house was an active entity. A windmill built on the ranch was used to create a small pond which is now encircled with Arizona Cottonwoods making a haven for birds in this dry environment.

We hiked some of the trails from the ranch house toward the mountains. The habitat was mostly high desert grasslands. It is still early spring in these higher elevations but we were able to spot several nice birds in the vegetation. It is always nice to see the strikingly beautiful red Vermillion Flycatcher.

We have visited this ranch several other times during our stay. Each and every time we were greeted by the Vermillion Flycatchers. Also prevalent at the ranch were both House and Cassin’s Finches as well at several Bewick’s Wrens. One of the best birds we saw was a male Bullock’s Oriole high up in the cottonwoods.

Another excursion we took was to attempt to drive up the scenic and winding Carr Canyon road. This rough dirt road is the only road into the upper reaches of the Huachuca Mountain Range. It was built at the turn of the century so it was narrow and winding with very tight switchbacks.

We knew we might not be able to drive all the way to the top since high-clearance vehicles are recommended beyond the Clark Spring Trailhead. We drove about a mile past the trailhead before experiencing rough, narrow and steep switchbacks with no guardrails which made Sharon very nervous.

We found a somewhat wider part of the road where I was able to do a 5-point turn to turn us back around. We stopped at the Clark Spring Trailhead where we birded a bit and found unique birds, a Painted Redstart and a Bridled Titmouse, both only found in the USA in the mountains of southern Arizona.

This was an exciting start to our hiking and seeing some of the unusual birds we had hoped to find while visiting!