Arizona - suggestions?

[Dr. John]

We are going to Arizona in a couple of weeks. We are not going to focus only on birding, but have at least a couple of days in the southern end of the state. Looking at some books, some of the following areas look interesting:

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge
Madera Canyon
Sonoita Creek Preserve
Patagonia Lake State Park
Ramsey Canyon Preserve
San Pedro Riparian Area

Does anyone have any suggestions? We love birds but don't feel the need to travel to a spot only to tick something off our lifelist. We are happy just strolling around a beautiful area and seeing what is there.

-John

[Gannet]

The Arivaca Cienega area at Beunos Aires NWR is a beautiful wetland area and very birdy, also good for pronghorn. Cave Creek Canyon is very good for Red-faced Warbler, Mexican Chickadee, Elegant Trogon and great scenery. The Santa Rosa mountains are excellent for scenery and wildlife of the higher elevations, and the Desert Museum near Tucson is very good.
Arizona is wonderful for birds and wildlife.

[Leslie Kinrys]

We visited the Phoenix area. The Desert Botanical Garden is beautiful. The first Monday of the month, there is a bird walk, led by local birders. We also went to Boyce Aroboretum. If you have time, visit Sedona. The rock formations and scenery are breath-taking.

[GStuart]

I second the Sonoran Desert Museum if you have never been before.  It absolutely is a "must see" (and the birding can be good, too, as much of it is an outdoor museum).  While there, you can also pick up your copy of Katie of the Sonoran Desert by Kate Jackson (not the actress - the herpetologist who was a couple years behind us in high school [at least if you are the Dr. John I think you are]) and illustrated by the wife of Gordon Campbell (not the politician - the one from our grade).

Madera Canyon is certainly a haven for birders.

Sonoita Creek Preserve also has Paton's Hummingbird Haven just outside its gates which can be spectacular.

And while I haven't been, I ran into a Tucson resident who swears by the Sweetwater Wetlands.  Anything with a reliable source of water in a desert will attract much wildlife.

For more up-to-date info (at least as far as birding is concerned), try the Southeast Arizona Rare Bird Alert, where I notice that the walk at Patagonia is closed until the end of this week and that Ramsey Canyon isn't open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

[worth]

A drive to the top of Mt. Lemmon has lots of places to stop to look for birds and the scenery is fantastic. You could combine this when going to the Saguaro National Park (East Unit). Just south of Tucson is San Xavier Mission built in 1783 which is a beautiful place to visit to see the church. Sonita Creek Preserve is a good place to walk the trails and as mentioned right near Paton's which is a must to stop and sit to watch the feeders.

[Dr. John]

Thanks for all the suggestions and recommendations. Will report back about the trip at the end of September.

And yes Greg, I am "that" Dr. John. Small world!

-John

[Margaret]

Hi, don't know if you have already left but I would like to assure you the San Pedro Riparian area is terrific.
Within 2 minutes of arriving I saw the loggerhead shrike and vermilion flycatcher. Near Casa San Pedro (B & B) I saw one verm. flycatcher doing its display flight - wonderful sight.
A spot no-one has mentioned is Whitewater Draw on the way to Bisbee -  I was happy to see an avocet there for first time and a Ross's goose (ID by someone else!). Sandhill cranes winter here but all had left when I arrived in late March.
I've seen 7 different Hummers S. of Tucson, nr. Patagonia but sadly NOT the elegant trogon.
Watch for Arizona woodpeckers, Gambels quails, , black tailed gnatcatcher, curved billed thrasher, phainopepla. Cactus wrens (enormous!) and Gila woodpeckers. In Sedona area: roadrunner, western Bluebirds, acorn woodpeckers (Oak Creek canyon).
Oh boy, so much to see, I am jealous! Enjoy.

[Dr. John]

Thanks Margaret for the additional tips. We are leaving on Saturday.

-John

[Pat Hodgson]

In a few days you will barely scratch the surface of SE AZ.  Sonoran Desert Museum is great.  I loved going up to Rustler Park in the Chiricahua Mtns, which is a spot for olive warbler and Mexican chickadee, because it is higher and cooler.  Also in the Chiricahuas, Cave Creek Canyon has great birds plus amazing scenery.   Chiricahua National Monument has amazing rocky scenery.  For a different non-birding activity, Kartchner Caverns SP is another great way to get out of the heat for a while (reservations strongly recommended).  There is/was a bit of a tradition in AZ of private homes that allow birders onto their properties, esp with feeders.  The one with hummingbirds near Patagonia was amazing (The Paton's).  There was another in Portal - not sure if it still is 'open'.  Try reading several weeks of the Tucson RBA for ideas: http://www.tucsonaudubon.org/rba.html, and other posts to AZ-NM list: http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/AZNM.html.

Good luck!

[Dr. John]

We are back from Arizona. We did a lot of non-birding centred activities, but we did manage to visit Cave Creek Canyon, San Pedro Riparian Preserve, Ramsey Canyon Preserve, Paton's Birder's Haven, and Buenos Aires NWR. The following are a few highlights:

Gray hawks - first one spotted on a light pole near the Mexican border, the second in Buenos Aires.
Many hummingbirds - black-chinned, Anna's, magnificent, broad-billed, violet-crowned, likely Allen's and Costa
vermillion flycatchers - great to watch them feed
painted redstarts
Mexican jays
towhees - spotted, Abert's, green-tailed
woodpeckers - Gila, acorn, ladder-backed
Harris hawks
a kettle of black vultures
loggerhead shrike
verdins
thrashers - Crissal's, curve-billed
blue grosbeaks
various flycatchers, of which we were mainly sure of: Cassin's kingbird, northern beardless tyrannulet, dusky, olive-sided
wrens - cactus, Bewick's
summer tanagers
doves - white-winged, Inca
bridled titmice
lesser nighthawks

Wish we had more time, but it was still very rewarding.

-John