I decided another visit to Madera Canyon was required (previous post). After all, how often do you get to search for the Elegant Trogon? Well, my Minnesota roots told me to arrive by sunrise. Thus, I drove the first car into the Proctor Road parking lot just a few minutes before the sun popped above the mountain ridge to the east.

Apparently I forgot to ask the birds if like Minnesota birds, they get up with the sun. Although this boy from the frozen Northland did not consider an air temperature of 38F cold (sun and no wind), the local birds begged to differ with me. For the next 90 minutes I hiked the mountain trails and saw zippo (or almost). Finally, when the air temperature soared into the mid forties the birds became active. Alas, four hours of hiking did not yield an Elegant Trogon, but I did see and occasionally photograph a lot of neat birds. For those of you who know the canyon, I never visit the Lodge’s bird feeders. I preferred hiking in the woods. It is cool when you reach a certain elevation and the habitat suddenly changes.

My rarest find was a pair of Montezuma Quail (lifer)

The ever present clown bird … the Acorn Woodpecker

It’s bigger cousin … the Red Naped Sapsucker (lifer)

A Painted Redstart (lifer) that would never stand still, let alone show its head.

Everyone said visit Madera Canyon, which is a north facing gorgeous canyon / mountain area about 35 miles north of the Mexican border with Arizona. The fact that it is both north facing and at a higher elevation means the climate is much cooler than in nearby Tucson, and one finds “exotics” in terms of birds which cross over from Mexico. Many of these birds are not found anywhere else in the United States. In addition to the USFS web site previously linked in this post, check out the Friends of Madera Canyon organization web.

Our visit towards the end of February was not idea for birding, as most birds wait till Spring and life giving rains before they return to the canyon, but we still had a great time and saw some neat birds. The hiking was also gorgeous.

Acorn Woodpecker (lifer)

Arizona Woodpecker (lifer)

Bridled Titmouse (lifer)

Hepatic Tanager (lifer)

Mexican Jay

Yellow-Eyed Junco (lifer) (a bird with a serious attitude!)

Here are the details of our seven mile hike starting from the first picnic area … Proctor Road. Our elevation gain during the hike was about 1,600 feet.

Finally I have to include two photos I took this morning when I took a bike ride from Catalina State Park, another great location. Unlike yesterday’s hike, in 90 minutes of cycling this morning I only gained about 70 feet in elevation … definitely down in the flatlands, but with some nice vistas.

Early Morning Great Horned Owl

Bike Ride Vista

I drove back to Catalina State Park this morning and spent four hours hiking in the desert. I think the birds were not happy with the weather which was sunny and 38F at sunrise, but given the lack of wind I wore shorts and a wool sweater (later removed). Midweek meant I had the park almost to myself, and that fact made it much easier to find birds.

I had really hoped to find a Roadrunner while down in Phoenix. After being raised on cartoons of Wile E Coyote’s nemesis, I really wanted to see this bird! While hiking early on in the morning I saw a bird flash up from the path into the bush. For some reason even though I had never seen a road runner in my life, I thought it might be a roadrunner. Slowly working my way around some cactuses which took me further away from my target area, I eventually approached the area hiding behind a large saguaro cactus. I found the road runner atop a large rock. The photograph is not the best, but I WAS Thrilled. Lifer!

The reason for my circuitous route was to get the sun behind me, both for my own eye’s benefit and the camera. In addition road runners have been clocked at 20 mph which is faster than I run (nor do I fly)! Thus, I needed to avoid spooking the bird.

The morning continued on with amazing success. I found two Cooper’s Hawks (lifer) … one trying to stay warm, and one hunting.

Staying Warm

Hunting

A trip to the group camping area yielded some more lifers and a blue bird …

Pyrrhuloxia (lifer)

Hutton’s Vireo (lifer)

Verdin (lifer)

Bluebird

Gilded Flicker (lifer)

Eventually I returned to a Great Horned Owl nest I had seen on Sunday. I left the nest and the female alone, but decided to try and find the male. After fifteen minutes of searching I struck paydirt. The male checked me over and went back to sleep …

Great Horned Owl

While hiking between the two locations, this Lesser Goldfinch decided to give me a serenade.

Oh yes … I should not forget about the Curve Billed Thrasher which greeted me immediately upon getting out of the car to start my hike. I did see a lot of other birds, but they did not make the cut for this post. Finally, I would  be remiss id I did not mention the great condo in which we are staying. It is listed on VRBO, owned by Jim, and is less than one mile from Sabino Canyon meaning we are away from the hustle and bustle of Tuscon. Worth checking out.

Curve Billed Thrasher