madera canyon BIRD sightings
Madera Canyon Birds – April 1 to July 31, 2008
Almost all trails in the Canyon are open. You can hike to the summit of Mt. Wrightson, but some trails are still closed (these are being worked on and will eventually reopen). DO NOT ENTER any trails that are marked with a CLOSED sign or you may be liable for arrest and a fine. Please do not smoke - or light any fires anywhere in the canyon except in designated grills at picnic areas. Fire danger is high in the canyon until the monsoon season. Make sure that you pay for and display your Senior, Golden Age, or Annual Access pass, paid-for parking permit, or America the Beautiful pass on your dashboard before leaving your vehicle. Park ONLY in designated parking spaces.
A complete checklist of Madera Canyon birds is available at the Visitor Information Station as you enter the canyon, and in some brochure boxes attached to trail map panels in the canyon.
To learn what unusual species are being seen in the canyon and in southeast Arizona generally, go to the local birding hotline on the web at: www.listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg05.html
Spring came early to southeastern Arizona with temperatures in the 80s in late February and in the mid 70s in early March. More southern-wintering species seem to be either remaining through the winter or returning earlier than usual such as Elegant Trogon and several species of hummingbirds. Late April was about 10°F above normal and May and June are our hottest months with temperatures up to 110° in the valley and in the low 90°s in the canyon.
If you drive some of the back roads in the grassland, you might see both Antelope and Black-tailed Jackrabbits. If you see flocks of quail at the lower elevations, they are most likely to be Gambel's Quail, but there are a few Scaled Quail in the grasslands at the base of the Santa Ritas. Montezuma Quail have been seen rather regularly along the trails in Madera Canyon. There are several flocks of Wild Turkeys that usually hang out between the Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Kubo Cabins, and the Chuparosa Inn.
While Black Vultures are rare in the Santa Rita Mountains, Turkey Vultures are commonly seen over the grasslands and up into the canyon. Cooper’s Hawks nest in the canyon and are year-round canyon residents. A few Northern Goshawks remain all year in the Canyon. Sharp-shinned Hawks are rare in the canyon in spring. Swainson's and Zone-tailed Hawks may be found over the grasslands in spring, but they are uncommon. If you are lucky, you will find a Golden Eagle high over the canyon. Northern Harriers may be seen over the grasslands at the base of the canyon in spring but are usually gone by mid summer. Gray Hawks are new comers to the canyon but are very rare at this elevation. Harris’s Hawks are more likely to be found nearer Green Valley. Rarely all four of the local falcons may be found on the road up to the canyon including American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon and Prairie Falcon. There have been some recent sightings of Aplomado Falcons in New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. These may be birds hacked in a restoration program in Texas, or offspring of those birds, or some "wild" birds that have moved up from Mexico. Keep your eyes open for this rare bird in our area!
Mourning Doves are common all year in the canyon. White-winged Doves will be in the canyon through the summer. You might find singles or flocks of Band-tailed Pigeons higher on the mountain. Eurasian Collared-Doves are accidental in the canyon but may soon become more common. Inca Doves and Common Ground-Doves are rare in the canyon.
Greater Roadrunners are common all year from Proctor to the Santa Cruz River. Yellow-billed Cuckoos arrive in the canyon in June and are found in riparian areas.
Great Horned, Elf, Western Screech- and Whiskered Screech-Owls, and Northern Pygmy-Owls are in the canyon but are very hard to find except when they are calling. Now is a good time to listen for these birds. A pair of Pygmy-Owls may be nesting off the Carrie Nation Trail where the Old Baldy Trail turns left. Several pairs of Elf Owls are nesting from Whitehouse up to the Chuparosa Inn. Listen for their calls or ask at the Santa Rita Lodge where they are nesting. A few Spotted and Flammulated Owls are in the forests in the upper canyon but are very hard to locate. Look for the Spotted Owls in Sheelite Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains. Barn Owls are uncommon in the canyon but sometimes can be seen along the road into the Florida Work Center in the evening.
Lesser Nighthawks will be flying in the evening twilight and early morning dawn over Whitehouse Canyon and Madera Canyon Roads. They are also found around the bright lights along the road into Park Centre (La Posada). Common Nighthawks are rare here, but Common Poorwills are easily heard in the evening below Proctor. Whip-poor-wills are easy to hear from the Mt. Wrightson parking area and up the canyon.
The migration of hummingbirds began early with Broad-billed, Rufous, and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds reported in the canyon along with the overwintering Anna's, Magnificent, and Blue-throated Hummingbirds. Black-chinneds arrived in mid March. Our hummingbird monitoring research program begins in March with trapping and banding every other Monday through October. For details and the 2008 schedule, consult www.birchsidestudios.com. No rare hummingbirds have been reported so far this spring.
Elegant Trogons have begun nesting mostly in sycamore trees along the two streams in the canyon. You can find them up either the Carrie Nation Trail or the Super Trail. Listen for the male’s distinctive call. Usually they sound farther away from you than they really are.
Ladder-backed, Arizona, and Acorn Woodpeckers, and Northern Flickers are common. Hairy Woodpeckers are in the forested area high on the mountain. The overwintering population of Red-naped and Williamson’s Sapsuckers have moved north. Gila Woodpeckers and Gilded Flickers are common around Green Valley but not in the canyon.
There are 22 species of Flycatchers recorded for the canyon and all except the accidentals are here in spring and many remain into summer. Some come early and others, like the Sulphur-bellied will not arrive until late May. Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet might be found around Proctor. Olive-sided Flycatcher is usually at higher elevations but passes through quickly in spring. The most common species in spring are Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Hammond's, Dusky, Gray, Cordilleran, Pacific Slope, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated, and Brown-Crested Flycatchers, Black and Say's Phoebe, and Cassin's and Western Kingbirds. Vermilion Flycatcher is a slim possibility.
You might find a Loggerhead Shrike on your drive up to the canyon but they are not common. The few Plumbeous Vireos that overwintered along with the few Hutton’s Vireos are joined by migrating Cassin's and Gray Vireos (very rare) and nesting Warbling Vireos. Bell’s Vireo is easy to find from Proctor into the brushy grasslands.
Mexican Jays are a standard feature of the Canyon. Steller's Jays are in the pine-fir forest higher on the mountains but are not common here. The Common Ravens are the more common of the two ravens in the canyon with some flocks of Chihuahuan Ravens in the mesquite grasslands. Western Scrub-Jays are very rare.
Swallows in the canyon include Violet-green and Northern Rough-winged (both common) and rarely other species like Purple Martin, Tree, Cliff and Barn Swallows.
White-breasted Nuthatches and Bridled Titmice are common in the juniper-oak woodlands. There are more Red-breasted Nuthatches this year so you might find one lower down the mountain than usual. Small numbers of Pygmy Nuthatches may be found around Josephine Saddle. Flocks of Bushtits are common in the juniper-oak habitats. Brown Creepers are more common this year. Verdins are permanent residents but are found in the mesquite grassland below Proctor.
You can find five wrens along the roads to the canyon and in the canyon any time of year: Cactus at lower elevations, and House, Bewick's, Canyon, and rarely Rock in the Canyon.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are here in numbers all year. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are present but not common. Black-tailed Gnatcatchers might be found in the mesquite grassland while the rarer Black-capped Gnatcatchers nested for the first time in the canyon in summer 2007 and the adults and offspring may still be seen on the trail from the Proctor parking lot to the stream crossing at Proctor Road. We expect them to attempt nesting again in this area this spring.
American Robins are common migrants in the canyon. Bluebirds of any type are uncommon in the canyon, but check for both Eastern and Western Bluebirds at higher elevations. Townsend’s Solitaire is a rare find in the canyon. Hermit Thrushes are common all year. Swainson's Thrush is an uncommon spring migrant.
Northern Mockingbirds and Curve-billed Thrashers can be found easily along Whitehouse Canyon Road. A Crissal Thrasher can sometimes be found on the Proctor trail where it crosses the road and stream where it is resident. Phainopeplas are common in the mesquite grassland all year. Cedar Waxwings are more often in Green Valley but might be found in the canyon.
Thirty-four species of wood warblers plus the Olive Warbler have been documented in the canyon. Many of them are accidentals so don’t expect to see them all! Spring migrants include Orange-crowned, Nashville, Black-and-white, Northern Waterthrush, and MacGillivray’s Warbler. Most of these will not remain in the canyon all summer. Those found in summer include Virginia’s, Lucy’s, Yellow, Black-throated Gray, Townsend’s, Hermit, Grace’s, Wilson’s, and Red-faced Warbler, Painted Redstart, and Yellow-breasted Chat.
Hepatic, Western, and Summer Tanagers are common in the canyon and the Flame-colored Tanager returned this year to the area around the Madera Kubo Cabins.
A few Northern Cardinals and Pyrrhuloxias can be found in the mesquite grasslands on the way up to the canyon. Black-headed Grosbeak is abundant throughout the canyon in summer. Blue Grosbeak and Varied Bunting are found in the mesquite grasslands below Madera Canyon up to Proctor. Green-tailed Towhees will depart soon while Canyon Towhees will become more evident around Proctor. Spotted Towhees are found in the pine-fir forest higher up the mountain while Abert's Towhee is usually not found in the canyon.
Lots of sparrows were in the grasslands in early spring but most will be gone by early May. In summer, you might be able to find: Botteri's, Cassin's, Rufous-winged, Rufous-crowned, Black-chinned (rare), and Black-throated Sparrows from Proctor to the Santa Cruz River. Yellow-eyed Juncos will be higher in the mountain where they nest.
Eastern (Lilian’s) Meadowlark is common in the grasslands. Sometimes Western Meadowlarks may be heard in the grasslands. Scott's is the common Oriole in the canyon with fewer Hooded and Bullock's Orioles. Brewer’s Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackle are more common along the Santa Cruz River bed than up in the canyon. Brown-headed Cowbird is common but Bronzed Cowbird is rare.
Lesser Goldfinches, House Finches, and Pine Siskins dominate the feeders in the canyon in spring but the Siskins will be gone by early summer.
Thankfully, both European Starling and House Sparrow are very rare in the canyon!
If you see an unusual bird - or one not on this or the canyon check list – please let us know by writing an email to: info@friendsofmaderacanyon.org. To view the resident bird list or print a copy of the Madera Canyon check list, sign on to: www.friendsofmaderacanyon.org.
To learn more about hummingbird research in the Canyon, sign on to: www.birchsidestudios.com and click on Hummingbird Research at the top of the page. To learn more about hummingbirds in southeastern Arizona and the monitoring program, sign on to: www.HumMonNet.org.
George West
For the Friends of Madera Canyon
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