Enjoying the Canyons of the Huachuca Mountains, Cochise County, AZ

September 11, 12 & 13, 2018
Tuesday, September 11th
I'm not sure Hinde Silver, a budding birder, ever birded an 8-hour day before, but we did just that after driving three (3) hours to reach our destination. 
Prior to multi-day trips, I always create an itinerary based on birds that I'd like to see or, in this case, birds that might be Lifers for Hinde.
Starting at Carr Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains where I've driven the well-graded S-curved dirt road over the past two years in my little hybrid Honda, today was a different story. When I ventured higher than the Lower Picnic Area, deep ruts running every which way across the road made it look like I was headed into a demolition derby. Bunging up the car on Day 1 of our adventure didn't make sense, so when I was looking at what may have been a waterfall section of road during monsoon rains, I turned back. Balancing the tires on top of ruts to proceed was more challenge than I wanted. Bummer. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERs will be seen another day; another time.

Scenic photo of Sierra Vista area from within a different trail in the Huachuca Mountains.

Leaving Carr Canyon, we headed for Miller Canyon. As soon as we exited the car to head up mountain, we spotted one of the juvenile NORTHERN GOSHAWKs circling over Beatty's chicken house! [Beatty's Ranch House]

Hoping to catch sight of a RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER, I hiked farther up than I have for several years. Hinde hikes regularly but I struggle from time to time with lower-back problems, but was feeling strong today. We went as far as the first stream crossing...but didn't hear or see our target bird. Later, Tom Beatty, Jr. told us they are resident and have moved way up canyon beyond the second stream crossing - at least another two miles. After our work-out on the mountain we stopped at the hummingbird feeders, enjoying lots of species we seldom see back in the desert. (RIVOLI'S, formerly Magnificent; RUFOUS, BLACK-CHINNED and BROAD-BILLED hummers)

Left: BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD (male)
Right: ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD (female)

Having reached noontime already, we took some time out to rest up while the birds were doing likewise. 
Taking a casual stroll, then, from the San Pedro House on the trail toward the San Pedro River Trail, birds were becoming active.

Across the grasslands, there perched a VERMILION FLYCATCHER (male);
another dot of color in the landscape.

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE [above and below]

Also in the field were numerous kingbirds, both Western and Cassin's. Photos below are both CASSIN'S KINGBIRDs - note white tail tip, not white feathers on each side of the tail as in Western.

Down at the San Pedro River (running north from Mexico), we spotted LAZULI BUNTINGs and LARK SPARROWs foraging in the tall grasses.

LARK SPARROW

Very hungry mosquitos were getting obnoxious. I'm still trying to get rid of recent chigger and mosquito bites and don't welcome any more. Since it was breezy when we arrived, I left my insect repellent in the car. Hinde had applied some at the car but had left her water bottle. So, we didn't go nearly as far as could have. Decided to return sometime tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 12th
Huachuca Canyon's Lower Picnic Area was our destination for this morning. Not terribly far up the mountain, we found it quite birdy at our 7:00 a.m. start. The pair of SUMMER TANAGERs and many other good birds managed to keep moving behind limbs and leaves avoiding any camera work. Fifteen species in an hour and a half doesn't sound like much, but we were delighted with the species found.
Best, of course, was when Hinde spotted a special bird! "Unless there's some other bird that has a tail that hangs way down, I'm looking at a female ELEGANT TROGON."

This first photo is the only one revealing a piece of its face. Most other shots are partials of the trogon.

The female ELEGANT TROGON, in contrast to the male with a dark face, has a white mark behind its eye (not showing in above photos); below its gray chest, its white belly contrasts with its red lower parts. The male has just a slim white band below its darker neck followed by bright red belly all the way to its under-tail coverts. Both have the long squared-off tail with fine barring and yellow bills.

I post the above imperfect photos just to show what the birder may often see through the trees - and still know immediately - ELEGANT TROGON!

By 10:00 a.m., we had arrived at San Pedro House again armed with insect repellent and ready to walk all the way to Kingfisher Pond. It was, again, as birdy as the previous afternoon. Despite the heat, the birds were great - for us.  And, a big shout-out to the volunteers who maintain the trails all the way through the grass and around the pond. 
The only photo I took was of a NORTHERN HARRIER skimming the grasses not far from the pond.

Juvenile NORTHERN HARRIER

A nifty mud turtle crossed our trail.

Hinde, below, on one of those well-trimmed trails that kept us free of chiggers!

Rounding out our afternoon at Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary (Mary Jo's) gave us a chance to rest in the shade among other birders/photographers eager to enjoy the plethora of hummingbirds and other birds now active. 

Wild Turkey leaving the area as if on the Red Carpet

NORTHERN RED-SHAFTED FLICKER

MEXICAN JAY

LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER - male (female has no red on its head)

BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD

And, best of the best (bird), the LUCIFER HUMMINGBIRDs.

Male LUCIFER HUMMINGBIRD

Female LUCIFER HUMMINGBIRD

Juvenile male LUCIFER HUMMINGBIRD
[note lack of full gorget (throat area) that's striped on this bird]
I also liked that it preferred the real flowers.

Male LUCIFER HUMMINGBIRD

Friday, September 13th
Am just now realizing it was "Friday, the 13th".  Could that be why I left my camera battery plugged in at the motel this morning?  

We couldn't have ended our day any better in any event, photos or not. Having never found Hunter Canyon on my own, Hinde knew of it from a recent group visit with Kathe Anderson.
So, we drove to the top parking lot, then hiked on up (0.7 miles) to the grove of trees but went no farther up canyon into the wilderness. Few birds were vocal in the chaparral during our upward walk (Mexican Jays mostly) but in the grove, we were treated to the task of sorting them out.

WESTERN TANAGER (a pair), SUMMER TANAGER (a pair) and HEPATIC TANAGER (a pair) were all present as were a female BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, WILSON'S WARBLER and WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE and other usually expected species.

Before heading home in late morning, I stopped back by the motel and retrieved my camera battery from its outlet. Room had not yet been cleaned.

We put out some good effort to identify 82 species over the 2.5 days. While I'm no expert, I enjoy the challenge of constantly needing to identify more and more birds and knowing why one is not the other.

Returned home over a new route through farm country that we won't use again; it's growing houses!  We'll stick to the usual "back route" that delivers us about four blocks from where we live.

Sierra Vista always entertains - whether weather or birds!

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