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| Elegant Trogon in Madera Canyon, Arizona |
I had to get out – by myself!
I had been locked up during the pandemic and I had taken a few trips (in tight quarters) with Scott. I really wanted to get out on my own.
Plus, my beloved car was on the verge of hitting 200,000 miles. It would be a crime to have that happen while I was getting gas or buying printer ink.
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| I had to take my Honda CR-V somewhere to celebrate 200,000 miles |
I am a member of an Arizona and Southwest birding site on Facebook and I had seen some Trogons posted from Madera Canyon.
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| Bingo! I had a room! |
I decided on the spot to go.
I booked, I packed and I was outta there in 36 hours.
I just love taking solo road trips. There is something so freeing about it.
On the Road Again
Because my goal was southern Arizona, I took the quick route – straight down I-25 with my first night scheduled for Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
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| My route |
Normally, I like to take back roads, but I needed to move quickly because Madera Canyon, which is south of Tucson, is 13 hours from my house. I normally like to limit my driving to less than 12 hours a day.
So, because I was on the Interstate, nothing exciting happened as I drove south.
As I got closer to my destination, my odometer was creeping up on 200,000 miles. I was able to make it to Elephant Butte State Park, but still had a few more miles to go.
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| Elephant Butte |
It finally turned over on a dirt road on the banks of the Rio Grande between elephant Butte and Truth or Consequences.
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| I have gone many great places in this car |
I found it interesting that I ended up in that place for that event. I hit 100,000 on a solo trip in June 2016 on the Interstate near the New Mexico/Arizona border, just about 150 miles miles from my 200,000 rollover.
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| I hit 100,000 in 2016 |
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| An iconic southwestern bird |
Madera Canyon
The next day, I arrived in Madera Canyon too early to check into the lodge.
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| Upper Madera Canyon |
Because I left in such a hurry, I did no real research. I wasn’t aware, for example, that Madera Canyon is really close to south Tucson. I thought it was way out in the boonies.
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| It's just a single road |
I wasn’t aware (but was relieved to find) that there is basically one road into the Canyon and that most of the area is an Arizona State Park.
I was concerned that I would have no idea how to find any birds. And, I still had no idea, but with only one road, my options were reduced.
That was good.
I started my visit with a picnic at the Madera picnic ground. I heard – but did not see – some birds and I was a little disheartened. It seemed pretty dead.
Did I drive all that way for nothing?
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| I did my own exploring |
As I mentioned, I didn’t have any time to plan before I departed and, when I arrived, I began to regret that.
I had already taken several trips to Arizona in the past and failed to find target birds.
Maybe I needed a guide. The Lodge had several mentioned on a brochure I found in the gift shop, plus I knew one guide who lived in Tucson. I knew it was a long-shot, but I emailed all of them to see if anyone was available. No one was. It turned out OK, but sometimes I should probably just hire guides instead of fumbling about.
But, the Santa Rita Lodge has an area with bird feeders with an observation deck. It was alive with birds – upon arrival, all birds I had seen before – but a fair amount.
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| A variety of foods attract multiple birds |
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| Berylline Hummingbird |
Maybe it would come back.
Over the almost three days I was there, fellow birders were very helpful in helping me find and identify a number of new birds, plus I found some on my own.
The most important thing in birding is to talk to other people and rely on their tips. Most of the folks I met were from Arizona and frequently visited Madera Canyon, so they knew what they were talking about.
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| People in the know know where to go for the birds |
I learned early on that, if I were lucky, I might see an Elegant Trogon, a Rivoli’s Hummingbird, some nesting Northern Pygmy Owls and maybe some other unique birds.
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| Birds to look for |
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| A beautiful -- and large -- bird |
Acorn Woodpeckers …
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| These comical birds are all over the southwest |
A Swainson’s Thrush …
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| A somewhat muted Swainson's Thrush |
And, a NEW bird, a Dusky-capped Flycatcher …
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| Dusky-capped Flycatchers have a distinctive whistle call |
I went back and forth with myself because I thought my list said I had seen this bird before, but it didn’t look familiar. It turns out (which I discovered after I had cell service), I had seen a Dusky Flycatcher, which is not the same as a Dusky-capped Flycatcher …
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| Dusky-capped, left, and Dusky, right; they look alike, but the Dusky is smaller |
I also came across a lot of lizards, which are an important food source for Madera Canyon's birds ...
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| Sonoran Spotted Whiptail Lizard |
Santa Rita Lodge
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| The logo says it all |
I was staying at the Santa Rita Lodge “in the heart of Madera Canyon, in the beautiful Coronado National Forest.” The Lodge is known for being birder-friendly (or, probably more accurately, as a birding lodge), but it also offers wellness amenities.
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| I was in Casita #14 next to the "Wellness Suite" |
Santa Rita Lodge has both rustic cabins and motel-type rooms with small kitchenettes.
The surrounding State Park has hiking and nature trails and picnic areas by a creek that runs the length of the Park.
Arizona has been in the grip of a serious drought, so the creek was (and had been for a while) completely dry. I have no doubt there would have been even more birds had there been water.
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| The view out of the back of my casita included the dry creek |
Madera Canyon, which used to be named Whitehouse Canyon, sits at 5,000 feet and is, therefore cooler (a tiny bit) than Tucson and Phoenix. So, during the late 1800s it started to grow as a summer retreat.
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| An older version of the Lodge |
The Resort provided packhorse trips that included lunch at Mt. Baldy (9,453 feet), a roll of film for your camera (developed and mailed back to you) and a chicken dinner for just $5.00.
There are fewer services now and the prices have gone up a bit. But, I highly recommend the Lodge. And, if you can't get a room, you can still visit the feeders.
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| A female Broad-billed Hummingbird enjoying the Santa Rita Lodge's largess |
The original Lodge burned down and was rebuilt in 1929 as a year-round resort with cottages, cabins, a dining room, a general store, a gas station and a post office. Because Whitehouse Canyon was considered too long for a postal address back then, Dusenberry changed the name to Madera Canyon.
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| The Lodge sign |
The Holt family purchased the Santa Rita Lodge in 2006 and refurbished the casitas and cabins and built a new gift shop/office. The "old" gift shop was one of the original cabins from the 1920s, now renovated as Deluxe Cabin #5.
There are a few other lodges along the single road that threads through the Canyon, but there are no services. That’s no problem for me.
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| My room was cozy and convenient |
The small kitchenette was great and it made it possible to grab quick meals without wasting biding time. The fridge had a small freezer that allowed me to refreeze my cooler ice (and the gift shop sells ice), which is important in hot, hot Arizona.
Birding at the Feeders
The place to be at the Santa Rita Lodge is the large area filled with all kinds of feeders that are filled and maintained by the Lodge staff.
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| Santa Rita Lodge bird feeders |
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| A Black-headed Grosbeak and Lesser Goldfinches at the Lodge's water feature |
Over the two-and-a-half days I was able to view the feeder area, I saw so, so many birds ...
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| Conversation between a Mexican Jay and an Acorn Woodpecker |
Most of the birst I saw were not lifers, including,
Black-headed Grosbeaks …
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| Female Black-headed Grosbeak |
Bewick's Wrens ...
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| The Bewick's tended to stay in the bushes rather than visit the feeders |
Mexican Jays …
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| Enjoying some peanut butter |
Hepatic Tanagers …
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| What a pretty bird |
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| Sings a song, sounds like she's singing |
Yellow-eyed Juncos ...
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| The original Angry Bird, perhaps? |
Acorn Woodpeckers …
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| Female Acorn Woodpecker (the black bar below the red says female) |
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| A male Acorn Woodpecker (no black bar) taking a break in a nearby tree |
Some of which, occasionally, even raided the Hummingbird feeders …
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| It turns out Acorn Woodpeckers have a sweet tooth |
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| Black-chinned Hummingbird at a unique window feeder |
And, scores of Broad-billed Hummingbirds …
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| Male Broad-billed Hummingbird |
These birds are gorgeous, especially when you get the light right …
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| Male Broad-billed Hummingbird |
While not as colorful, the females are pretty, too ...
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| Female Broad-billed Hummingbird |
But, I also got some new birds, including another breed of Wild Turkey, the Gould’s, which is found in southern Arizona …
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| A strutting Tom Turkey |
It was amusing to watch the females fly up to and perch on top of speakers made for much smaller birds …
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| A Gould's Wild Turkey Hen |
That explains why some of the feeders are dented.
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| She was doing a job on the feeder roof |
I saw a couple of Bridled Titmouses, but because they move so quickly, it took almost the whole visit to nab a few so-so shots …
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| Without the feeders, I don't think I could have captured a Bridled Titmouse |
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| The Broad-billed Hummingbirds mobbed the feeders all day long |
... one absolutely magnificent Rivoli’s Hummingbird …
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| It took a while, but I finally got a good pose |
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| The Rivoli's is much larger than all the other Hummingbirds I saw |
The return to the Rivoli’s name came when ornithologists split Magnificent into two species: Rivoli's occur between the U.S. and Nicaragua and the second species, the Talamanca Hummingbird, lives further south.
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| There was just one Rivoli's at Santa Rita, a male |
The Rivoli's Hummingbird is the second-largest hummingbird north of Mexico. In the video below, you can see how much bigger it is than the Broad-billed. Only the Blue-throated Mountain-gem Hummingbird is larger and it is pretty rare in the U.S.
The oldest recorded Rivoli's Hummingbird was a male, and at least 11 years, 2 months old when he was recaptured and re-released during banding operations in Arizona.
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| The colors look more muted out of direct sunlight |
In addition to all the birds, the feeder area also provided some great White-nosed Coatimundi viewing.
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| That long, long tail and pointed snout are definitive identifiers |
I had seen these really cool animals before – once in Chiricahua National Monument and once in Tulum, Mexico, but still, they are fun to watch.
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| Look at that cute face |
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| It is assumed to be an older male |
He wandered around all day long and, when he thought no one was watching, he attacked and destroyed a Hummingbird feeder.
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| Doing some damage |
That was a lot of photos, but just a fraction of what I took -- and I don't even have the speed of continuous shooting some of my fellow photographers had. I can't even imagine!
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| So many birds to photograph! |
And, that's probably enough for this post. I will finish with Madera Canyon in my next post.
Trip date: May 16-25, 2021
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