Chiricahua and Pinery Canyon

Pinnacles at Chiricahua National Monument

It was time to go home. I had dropped Caty off at the airport and then driven east to the little town of Willcox where I spent the night in Rose’s Willcox hotel, an old motel with a large room. The next morning I was heading south to Chiricahua National Monument.

On my way to Tucson a few days earlier, I had flirted with the idea of going to Chiricahua. I put it into Google maps and followed the directions until I got to a sign that said, “Pavement Ends.” I had been to Chiricahua before and recalled a rather dicey (and long) unpaved mountain road (more on that later), so I turned around and headed on to Tucson. I would have more time to tackle Chiricahua on my way home.

As I drove, I realized that the correct entrance (if you like to drive on paved roads) to the Park is from Willcox to the west, not Bowie, where I had made the turn to the Park. 

Getting to Chiricahua

I also later realized the road from Bowie was not the long road I was thinking of. That is Pinery Canyon Road that heads east to Portal, Arizona (more on that later, too).

Pinery Canyon Road continues past Chiricahua

Anyway, I am glad I waited until my trip home because the weather was so lovely when I went. At almost 10,000 feet, it was breezy, cool and dry. A nice respite from Tucson heat.

On my way to the National Monument, I had a couple of great bird encounters. First, I spotted a Great Horned Owl nest in a relatively short Mesquite tree just off the road.

Surprise!

I mean, these guys were at just about eye-level and probably less than 50 feet away. They didn’t seem to mind me as I snapped a few shots.

Right before the entrance to Chiricahua, I saw a Red-tailed Hawk nest. It was a bit farther away and harder to photograph, but I could see two birds in the nest eating something and there was another Hawk nearby on a tall tree snag.

Guarding the entrance

Along the route, I also saw some Curve-billed Thrashers that I was able to capture and some fast-moving Sparrows I wasn’t.

Common in the desert

In the Park, I saw far less wildlife, which was a bit surprising. Last time I was there, I saw my first-ever Mexican Jays and a Coatimundi plus lots of Deer. 

Typical wildlife

This time, I saw a few Butterflies, a beautiful Flycatcher that flew away before I could get a picture and a very pretty Southwestern Fence Lizard.

A beautiful turquoise neck

The Park was virtually empty, so I could drive slowly along the leafy hillsides studded with massive pinnacles.

A pretty drive

The landscape is impressive.

The NPS website calls it a “Wonderland of Rocks”

The Park is small with only eight miles of road and just 17 miles of trails (I had hiked there last time).

View near the top

I stopped at the Visitor Center and inquired about the Unpaved roads. The Ranger said that everything was in fine condition. So, I could have driven in from Bowie. And, more important, I could drive Pinery Canyon Road if I chose to.

I chose to.

Pinery Canyon Road 

I was a little reluctant at first because I recalled some fairly hairy blind curves on a two-way-but-less-than-two-lanes-wide road. But, the Park was so empty, I figured the road wouldn’t be too bad.

Pinery Canyon Road

Traversing Arizona Forest Road 42, the 19-mile-long dirt road offers access to the forested floor of Pinery Canyon and the high slopes of the Chiricahuas. The peaks, including Dos Cabezas, Swisshelms and Dragoons, are called “the sky islands.”

One of the mountaintops

Blooming lupine

The canyon is home to a variety of habitats including a riparian forest, oak/juniper woodlands and mixed conifers on the higher slopes.

The road wasn’t bad, but I am very relieved I encountered only four cars going the other way and none were in the sketchy sections. It was, however, rutted (very), bumpy (very, very) and dusty (very, very, very). 

I had to drive across a couple of shallow flowing streams. They weren't dangerous, but I wondered if the next stream would be impassable. 

A side stream (I didn't have to cross this one)

But, I kept going because I hoped to see some cool stuff and I didn't want to backtrack. However, had I reached a deep stream of too narrow/rutted section, I would have turned around. 

Pinery Canyon is known as a premier birding spot, but I hadn’t seen much last time – the best sighting was a Yellow-eyed Junco.

 How fitting that the first bird I saw on this drive was a Yellow-eyed Junco!

Nearby was an Ash-throated Flycatcher

Within minutes, I encountered several stopped vehicles in a wide flat area (I think there was a designated camping area nearby). The people – who turned out to be lovely folks from Michigan – were birding. When I asked what they were seeing, the response was kind of funny, “Well, I’m looking a Chickadees right now … pause … pause … but there’s a Spotted Owl up in that tree.”

Wha???? Talk about burying the lead!

They showed me where to look and, sure enough, a Mexican Spotted Owl was perched high in a tall pine. 

A bit tricky to find

They told me that he has been in this clearing every summer for 11 years. You can bet that I pinned it in my car’s GPS!

The Owl was sleeping (as they do in the daytime), so there wasn’t much to photograph.

He did peek at us a little

This wasn’t a new bird for me; I had seen two in Miller Canyon, Arizona, in 2017. But, Spotted Owls are not common. 

There were a number of birds flitting in and out of the trees, but they were so, so hard to see. I think I saw a Grace’s Warbler, which would be a Lifer, but the photos were a small yellow patch behind lots of leaves. I didn’t count it. I just missed some Chickadees (I might have even seen some) that I would have dismissed as Black-capped Chickadees. Who knew there were Mexican Chickadees? 

I did see a Hermit Thrush that was doing a great job of hiding in plain sight

And an adorable little Brown Creeper that decided (for once) to be visible

Then (speaking of in plain sight), one of the Michiganians found a Hummingbird ensconced in a nest right in front of us. 

I may have never seen it

But, it was frustrating and I couldn’t stay all day. So I moved on to Cave Creek and the nearby town of Portal, both of which are known for birding.

Pinery Canyon Road ends in Cave Creek, another birding hotspot

And, a beautiful one, at that

I stopped a few places, but saw more birders looking for birds than actual birds. 

I saw a Townsend’s Warbler

I was told that there was a Blue-throated Mountain Gem Hummingbird in the area. I couldn’t find it, but may have heard it. Mostly people were looking for Elegant Trogons. Been there. Done that.

Next time I head south, maybe I’ll actually plan some time in Cave Creek. But, I had to head north. I was in New Mexico, so I had already lost an hour (Arizona eschews Daylight Saving Time). So, with just a short stop to photograph a Harris’s Hawk on – where else??? – a power pole, my drive to my next stop (Deming, New Mexico, just to sleep) was uneventful.

Harris's Hawk

One More Stop

I was going to dilly-dally heading home and contemplated staying the night in Albuquerque or Santa Fe, but Scott needed me to get home to be there for a delivery. So, the next day the only stop I made was a quick drive through of Bosque del Apache. This time, because it was early and still cool, I walked on the marsh boardwalk.

Red-winged Blackbirds by the Boardwalk

It was a spectacular morning.

Lots of Snowy Egrets

Then, I stopped at the Visitor Center where the highlight was not a bird. 

There were birds: White-crowned Sparrow, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Gambel's Quail

It was a gorgeous Desert Spiny Lizard.

Look at those colors!

Definitely the prettiest I had ever seen

And, then, I had to drive back home. There were some pretty big rain storms along the way, so I made no more stops.

It was a fun trip with some new birds and another chance to experience the unique beauty of the Sonoran Desert and the Chiricahua Mountains.

We sure live in an interesting and beautiful country

Trip date: April 24-May 3, 2023

Back in Tucson

Crested Caracara nest on the outskirts of Tucson

Caty and I finished up our southwest adventure back in Tucson, which had transitioned from balmy to hot. We had the first 100°F day of the year. That crimps your style just a little.

Of course, the first thing we did was go looking for the Crested Caracara nest we heard about while we were in Madera Canyon. And, with actual coordinates, it was so easy to find: a little bit southwest of town, right by a major highway, but with a dirt access road bordered by a barbed wire fence. Finding the particular cactus was easy.

Lone (almost) saguaro

There were only a handful of saguaros in the field and the mama and baby Caracaras were in the most prominent one. Dad was standing guard at another saguaro in the distance.

Caracara family

When we arrived, we were the only people there, so we had some quality time with the Caracara family, which seemed to be as unhappy about the hot weather as we were. On our first visit, we just witnessed a panting mama sitting in the nest with her two prehistoric-looking babies while she vigorously flicked away flies.

Mama and chicks

But, we went back two other times (late Sunday afternoon and early Monday morning) and were able to see all kinds of things:

Flying

Posing

Hopping ...

... from one saguaro arm to another

Mom arriving with a scrumptious lizard …

… waiting awhile with it in her mouth and …

… ultimately deciding to eat on a distant bush it rather than share it with the kids

More flying

More posing

Arriving with another lizard …

... and, this time, feeding it to the chicks

Mom didn't do all the feeding; Dad brought in something – most likely roadkill – and fed it to the demanding youngsters …

Yum!

On our other visits, there were other photographers there. Apparently these Caracara have been nesting here for a number of years.

Caracara watching is a popular Tucson sport

A local woman posted this sign

One guy was agitated, complaining about how too many photographers were stressing the birds. But, there weren't many photographers and the Caracaras didn’t seem particularly stressed.

Just when I was getting annoyed at his hypocrisy of being there when he thought being there was bad, he put his money where his mouth was and left. Good for him.

I have written about Crested Caracaras before, but I didn’t talk much about chick-rearing.

Unlike many other Falcons (yes, Caracaras are cousins to Kestrels and Peregrines), Crested Caracaras are not cavity nesters, instead building stick nests in the tallest tree, cactus, shrub or other structure around. Both parents generally spend two to four weeks collecting stems, twigs and vines that they weave into a bulky nest with a shallow bowl. Initially, the nest is about two feet across, but, because Caracaras refurbish and reuse nests year-over-year, they tend to grow much larger.

Huge nest

The breeding season for Crested Caracaras is from January to March and the usual clutch is two or four cinnamon-colored spotted eggs. Incubation is about 32 days, after which down-covered virtually helpless babies hatch.

Eggs: Birds, Backyards & Beyond; Chicks: Archbold Biological Station

The young do not leave the nest until they are at least eight weeks old. 

Almost ready to fledge

Then, the family stays together for at least three more months as the offspring hone their hunting skills.

Caracaras tend to be quiet; we never heard the adults talking to each other or the chicks begging. But, they can make a cackling, rattling sound. To intimidate nest intruders, they may clack their beaks or break off dry twigs to make a snapping sound.

Protecting the nest

The Crested Caracara lives primarily in Central and South America with pockets in southern Arizona, Texas and the Gulf states. It seems that I’ve seen more and more each time I go south. I don’t know if population is growing or if I am just more aware. On this trip, however, we saw just these four plus one more that flew by while we were watching the nest.

We saw a total of five

We also had a few other sightings as we were watching the Caracaras.

Harris’s Hawk fly-over

Cactus Wren, Northern Flicker and Ash-throated Flycatcher

Western Whiptail Lizard

Common Side-blotched Lizard

Lots of desert Ants

Across the street was what is called a crested saguaro, which is topped by a fan-like form rather than the typical rounded top. 

A unique top

Crested saguaros are somewhat rare, but more than 25 have been found within the boundaries of Saguaro National Park, with additional ones in the surrounding desert (like this one).

Biologists disagree as to why some saguaros grow in this unusual form. 

Some speculate that it is a genetic mutation. Others say it is the result of a lightning strike or freeze damage.

We had hoped a Crested Caracara would land on the crested saguaro (one of the photographers we met watching the Caracara had seen that happen a few days earlier). That would have been poetic.

PhotoShop to the rescue!

One of my goals for this trip was to see an Owl nesting in saguaro. I didn't expect Caracaras, but they were just as cool. 

Still, not to worry: just a few miles up the highway from the nesting site is a Great Horned Owl nesting in a giant cluster of saguaros.

 Double score!

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

We also decided to visit one of Tucson’s premier attractions, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (ASDM), a 98-acre zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum and art gallery all wrapped into one. 

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum vista

I have loved this place since we lived in Phoenix in the 1980s. It was a great place to take the kids (in the winter!). So, we thought it would be a nice way to spend the morning before Caty had to fly back to Colorado.

Caty at ASDM in 1987

Founded in 1952, ASDM has two miles of paths that wind through gorgeous desert landscape featuring 56,000 plants representing 1,200 plant varieties.

Violet prickly pear and saguaro blossoms

The zoo/aquarium/serpentarium houses more than 230 animal species (including lots of bugs), all indigenous to the Sonoran Desert. This desert stretches from southern Arizona and California through the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur. 

In addition to the captive animals – most of which were sleeping in the heat – the ASDM provides shelter for a number of interlopers. I prefer to photograph only wild animals, so that was kind of neat. We saw a variety of critters (I think more wild than captive).

Lincoln's Sparrow

Cactus Wren

A Packrat in the Aviary

Arizona Sister Butterfly

Spiny-tailed Iguanas both along the walkways …

… and inside the Black Bear enclosure (we didn’t see the Bear)

A Harris's Ground Squirrel

… with a fly on its head

Rock Squirrel

A Great Horned Owl with a nest above the Mountain Lion exhibit (we didn’t see the Mountain Lion)

Clark’s Spiny Lizard

We sought some relief from the heat by attending a herpetology program featuring a Gila Monster and a Black Rattlesnake, both of which were in full possession of their venom.

Two venomous local inhabitants

The two women who presented the program handled the potentially dangerous critters expertly and covered facts and myths surrounding these desert dwellers. I learned, for example, that antivenom costs about $5,000 a vial and normal treatment can use 10-20 vials (do the math!). They also said (and I don’t know if this is true) that insurance won’t cover it if you were drunk when you were bitten. True or not, it’s funny.

I had hoped to see one of the Museum’s famous Birds of Prey in Flight sessions, but they are offered only from mid-October through mid-April. The birds (only birds native to the Sonoran Desert) fly completely untethered, without jesses and most often without leg rings. 

Flying Harris's Hawk; Photo: ASDM

But, the reptiles were interesting (and the theater was cool).

It was pleasant to just amble about through the stunning gardens. I wish more of the animals had been active. 

Desert Bighorn Sheep and sleeping Bobcat

But, it was 102°F. I don't blame them for hiding or sleeping.

Saguaro National Park Again

We had taco salad in the Museum’s nice little restaurant and then headed out for one more adventure – a stop at the Tucson Mountain Unit of Saguaro National Park.

A pretty day in the desert

As I said earlier, I don’t think this western unit is as pretty as the Rincon Mountain Unit to the east, but it did sport quite a bit more cactus blossoms on this visit. Maybe it was a difference in altitude or maybe it was just a few more days into the blooming season. It was lovely.

Some look like googly-eyed creatures

We stopped in the Red Hills Visitor Center …

Beautiful Arizona architecture

… which is designed to turn desert sunlight into art ...

Incredible shadows

We tried to watch the 15-minute-long video program called Voices of the Desert, which is billed as giving a “Native American perspective of the Sonoran Desert.” It was dreadful. I really wanted to learn more about the desert. This piece of schlock repeated over and over (and over and over) just a few platitudes about the indigenous peoples' relationship with the land. The sentiment was good; delivery was poor. We ducked out and drove the scenic loop road.

The real thing

We saw lots of pretty flowers, but not many birds and animals. It was too hot.

Nature

I had hoped to take Caty to Sweetwater Wetlands, but we decided midday was not the best time. Originally, we had planned to go Sunday evening or early Monday morning, but that’s when we had done our second and third visits to the Caracara nest.

Worth the visit!

After I dropped Caty off at the airport, I drove to Willcox, Arizona, for the night so that I could get an early start at Chiricahua National Monument.

I’ll cover Chiricahua in my next post

Trip date: April 24-May 3, 2023