If I Were Going...: Southwest Excursion -- Pinery Canyon and Patagonia

Following a long day a Chiricahua, I had to decide what to do the next day. Option1: Drive north to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and back to Lordsburg; Option 2: Drive Pinery Canyon Road back to Chiricahua. Pinery Canyon starts in Cave Creek, which is allegedly the best birding area in the U.S. Since Gila Cliff Dwellings was on my way home (sort of) and I could do it the next day, I went for Option 2.

Chiricahua

There are lots of warnings about the Pinery Canyon Road: gravel, winding, narrow, etc., etc., etc. It runs 29 miles from Cave Creek Canyon over the Chiricahua Mountains, ending up at the Chiricahua National Monument entrance. It is narrow and rough in some points. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone not comfortable with mountain roads.

Called the “Sky Islands” ...

Top-of-the-mountain formation

... the area includes pine forests ...

Driving up

... grasslands ...

Agave

... meadows and fabulous views ...

Pretty views

I did not see many birds – I am not sure I have this bird-watching thing down. I suppose one has to arrive in the early morning (I couldn’t because I was staying two hours away) and then stake out an area and wait, wait, wait. I had too much to do to wait, so I just drove slowly. I did see some hawks and lots of little birds flitting quickly about, not even landing long enough for me to identify them.

The few other cars I passed coming the opposite direction were not in the narrow spots – that would have been be tough. A few birds landed long enough to photograph – most notably Yellow-Eyed Juncos ...

Looks like an Angry Bird

Interestingly, I saw more birds at the end of the road by the Chiricahua entrance, including American Kestrels ...

Posing on the wire

... and more of the fabulous Acorn Woodpeckers ...

Love these guys

Once I arrived at Chiricahua, I had to make another decision -- Option 1: Go back to Lordsburg and try to make it to Gila Cliff Dwellings or Option 2: Go down to Patagonia Lake (another two hours or so away) to see what kind of birds I could see. Obviously, I opted for the latter. I always take the long road or pick the long day.

I arrived at Patagonia Lake, where we had visited in February (click here to read about it), and immediately questioned whether it was a good idea.

Patagonia Lake

It was Sunday and the place was packed with boaters, picnickers and swimmers -- so much so that that there was limited parking. Fortunately, they let me go up to the birding trail and park, so I avoided the craziness (although I could hear it, which probably spooked the birds).

It was my goal to sit at the area with bird feeders and hummingbird feeders to see what comes up. That's one of the things I had done in February. I just felt like I hadn't given it enough time.

Patagonia feeders in February

But, to my surprise, the feeders were gone! So, I decided to walk down the path along the lake. The rushes had grown so high that I couldn't even see the lake (just some mud where cows were grazing).

Nothing here

Plus, it appeared that there had been a flood and many trees were down. I picked my way through the downed trees and the cow patties as it got hotter and hotter. All I saw were some gorgeous Vermilion Flycatchers that posed nicely for me ...

Male Vermilion Flycatcher

Female Vermilion Flycatcher

But, that was it. The Visitor Center was closed and the feeders there were gone, too. Just as I was beginning to think I had wasted my day, I remembered that there was a hummingbird garden somewhere in Patagonia. So, I Googled it and discovered that the Paton Center for Hummingbirds, run by the Tucson Audubon Society, was open until dusk. So, off I went.

Male Broad-billed Hummingbird

The Center has a small canopy with benches and chairs that face a variety of bird feeders, There was only one other person there when I arrived and he left shortly afterwards, so I had the place to myself ... well, not really, it was packed with birds.

Most notable were many Broad-billed Hummingbirds ...

The most beautifully iridescent birds I have ever seen

Female Broad-billed Hummingbird

Male Broad-billed Hummingbird

Broad-billed Hummingbird at a feeder

Broad-billed Hummingbird in a tree

There were also Black-Chinned Hummingbirds ...

Hovering

... and a Violet-crowned Hummingbird that flitted by just as I arrived and then totally disappeared. I never got a picture, so I am still stuck with the crummy picture I got last February ...

The only shot I got

While I waited and waited for the Violet-crowned to return, I admired all the other birds in the garden. Gambel Quails (I was so happy because I seen them several times along the road, but they always scurried away when I pulled over) ...

Real beauties

... White-winged Doves ...

Taking advantage of good light

... Inca Doves ...

A cute little Dove

... Green-backed Lesser Goldfinches ...

A male at the feeder

... Gila Woodpeckers (male and female) ...

On a tree

... and, when I finally decided to leave (after making a donation in the "Sugar Fund" box), some more Broad-billed Hummingbirds feeding in the garden ...