Ahhh, the doldrums of a hot summer in Arizona! When the month of June rolls around and it leads into the month of July, birding in and around the greater Phoenix area almost comes to a standstill, at least for me. Not because of the lack of birds, but due to the lack of my enthusiasm of being out in the heat with temperatures in excess of 105° F on a daily basis.
About the middle of July a friend from Wisconsin, Jeff Galligan, decided to visit Arizona to do some birding and I agree to show him around for part of his visit. We headed south from the Phoenix area and spent our first 2 nights at the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon. During this time we visited several spots including Mt Lemmon, Madera, Canyon, Sierra Vista, and Miller Canyon. Rather than list every stop we made, here are some photos from this 2 days of birding and getting to know nature.
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Hermit Thrush
Juvenile Olive Warbler
Red-faced Warbler
Slime Mold
Antlion - vella fallax
Berylline Hummigbird
Cassin's Sparrow
Chiricahuan Leopard Frog
Beetle - Chrysina beyeri
Clark's Spiny Lizard
Giant Mesquite Bug
Golden Banded-Skipper
Magnificent Hummingbird
Orange-edged Roadside Skipper
Woodhouse's Toad
Yarrow's Spiny Lizard
From here we headed to Sonora, Mexico, and spent 2 nights at Rancho El Aribabi. It was peaceful and relaxing and we had no internet access and had the place to ourselves. We could come and go as we pleased on our own schedules, but I will admit, that I got a little tired of turkey sandwiches!
Unknown bat species
Big Poplar Sphinx Moth
Blue Grosbeak
Common Ground-Dove
Five-striped Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Thick-billed Kingbird
Tiny Checkerspot
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Bewick's Wren
Canyon Towhee
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Gray Hawk
Sonoran Mud Turtle
Vermillion Flycatcher
Yellow-breasted Chat
After 2 nights there, we then headed north east and re-entered the US at the Naco Border Crossing and then headed to the town of Portal, Arizona, in the Chiricahua Mountains. This was one spot in Arizona that I had not yet visited and was hoping I could finally add the Mexican Chickadee to my life bird list. And we succeeded in that venture, but got less than satisfactory views of 2 of them and no photos to document them. So it looks like a another trip is in the future for this area. But I thoroughly enjoyed this area and know that it is everything they say it is and more.
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Coue's Deer buck
Gambel's Quail male with chicks
Gambel's Quail female with chicks
Hooded Oriole
Monsoon storm building over the Chiricuahuas
Montezuma Quail
Praying Mantis
Pyrrhuloxia - recently fledged
Pyrrhuloxia - male
Pyrrhuloxia - female
Rad Satyr
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Fiery Skipper
Painted Redstart
Yarrow's Spiny Lizard
What a whirlwind of sites and locations, with a lot of great birds and being able to add one more lifer to my list, the Mexican Chickadee. Lots of photos in this post, may take some time to download.
