Next on the list of places to see was Beatty's B & B in Miller Canyon. Quite an amazing road to get there, but my car made it with no problems. The fire damage up in the mountains a year ago was quite evident and the deforested mountains created a lot of flooding from the monsoon rains last year. But the place is still there and the birding is still pretty wonderful! This place is also famous for its variety of hummingbirds and a pair of Spotted Owls that have nested further up in the canyon. It was a bit of a walk to the owl site, but was well worth it as I saw my first Spotted Owl even though it was a juvenile. Hummingbird feeders were active with many species including a Blue-throated Hummingbird which was another new life bird for me. Here it was not even 11:00 am and I had added 4 new life birds to my list for the day! It was nice of the Blue-throated Hummingbird to land in the trees right behind our viewing area as he gave me a chance to get a decent photo. The Spotted Owl was in deep shade, but I managed to get a good enough photo for now.
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Spotted Owl
Only one more photo to add to the Miller Canyon adventure, due to some time constraints we had to be headed back to Patagonia for a short visit and then head on to Madera Canyon to get checked in at the Santa Rita Lodge. We also found these Guinea Hens on the property. While they are not a native or wild bird, it was fun to see them again. I remember as a kid that many farms had these birds around to help control grasshoppers and to act as alarms. They get very vocal when they feel threatened.
Yes, Miller's Canyon is worth the visit there as well, a bit higher up in elevation, and with a bit different diversity of birds, and that is what makes it unique and worth the visit. It will be on my list for future visits.
Two of the best birds you can get in Miller Canyon!
ReplyDelete