If I Were Going...: Birding in Arizona #2

Northern Pygmy Owl in Madera Canyon

In my last post I talked about birding in Madera Canyon. This post continues with all the magnificent birds (and other critters) I saw.

Elf Owls

Photo: Santa Rita Lodge FB Page

I started out birding by myself. Although I am vaccinated, I was still trying to keep wearing a mask (a foggy pain) and maintain six-foot distances. That makes it hard to strike up conversations. But, eventually, I was able to benefit from talking to fellow visitors.

On my first evening, I went to my room for a quick dinner with a plan to go back out until it got dark.

I had often seen photos of Elf and Whiskered Screech Owls at the Santa Rita Lodge (as in perched on roof edges, sitting near guests, being very close). So, even though it was getting dark, I grabbed my camera with the shorter lens (it is easy to hand-hold in the dark and I was tired of carrying two cameras) and I headed out to walk around and see what I could see.

First thing, I saw Vultures roosting for the evening in the trees behind the Lodge

I almost immediately noticed a fairly large group of people standing across the road from the Lodge. My first thought was that it was a guided birding group and I shouldn’t just barge in. But, then, I had driven for two days and I was paying good money to stay at the Lodge to see birds. What's the worst that could happen?

The nest in the owner's yard

It turns out that it was not a tour. It was the Santa Rita Lodge’s owner talking about Elf Owls. There is a nest in a pole right across from his house and the group was in his yard. I immediately regretted not bringing the tripod (the nest was close enough that the lens length didn’t matter).

My room was close, but I didn’t want to take the chance of missing the Owls, so I made do. Plus, I was going to be there the next night, so I knew I would have another chance.

The female Elf Owl at Battiste's

I had seen an Elf Owl once before – at Tony Battiste’s Battiste Bed, Breakfast and Birds in Hereford, Arizona –back in 2017. So, I knew the drill.

The female is in the nest all day. Just after sunset, she and the male begin a conversation.

Then, if you are lucky, the male shows up briefly with some food, usually a moth, beetle or spider. Then, the female leaves the nest to hunt.

If you aren't lucky, the female leaves without the male showing up. If you are lucky, the male is there for a few minutes, at best. Either way, when she leaves, it is fast.

You can see the bug it the male Owl's mouth

Regardless, you get just a few minutes. At Battiste’s it was windy, so we never even saw the male, which normally perches in a tree right by the nest for a few minutes.

Reacting to the flashlight

At Santa Rita, the owner had a small flashlight, which he promised to shine on the Owl when she emerged so we could get pictures.

He instructed everyone to be quiet and turn off their camera flashes.

Almost immediately, we heard Owl conversation. She popped her head in and out a few times …

Looking out, waiting for her mate

And, the male alighted briefly (as in time for two photos) in a tree before they both flew off.

Papa Elf Owl

I did fairly well hand-held and I decided to return the next night. I came prepared the next night and did get better shots of Mama Owl, but we didn’t even see Dad the next night.

I got much better shots with a tripod

Photo: University of Arizona

The Elf Owl is the world's smallest owl, with a body weight of 1.4 ounces, a body length of 4.9 to 5.7 inches and a wingspan of about 10.5 inches.

They frequently inhabit woodpecker holes, most often made by Acorn Woodpeckers in Arizona. For some reason, seem to like living in power poles even when there is an abundance of trees with pre-made holes in the area.

Giving us the once over

Elf Owls are highly territorial and, with sharp talons, are known to be fierce. Elf Owls live 3 to 6 years in the wild, but can reach 10 years in captivity. Despite habitat loss, Elf Owls are not considered a globally threatened species, yet they are listed as endangered in California.

Ringtails!

After the Elf Owl discussion, the Lodge owner told us that, if we were lucky, we could also see some Ringtails at the bird feeder area after dark.

A hard-to-see animal

A cousin of the Racoon and the Coatimundi, Ringtails are found from southwestern Oregon, south through California, southern Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Baja California and northern Mexico. But, because they are totally nocturnal, they are rarely seen. They are the state mammal of Arizona.

Ringtails are often called ringtail-cats or miners' cats, but they are not related to cats. They can rotate their hind feet 180 degrees, giving them a good grip for both ascending and descending. They have excellent eyesight and hearing, helpful adaptations for a nocturnal animal.

Ringtails eat just about anything if it is the right size, including fruit, insects, lizards, snakes, small mammals, birds and bird eggs. Apparently, they like to raid the Hummingbird feeders after dark. And, although the Lodge takes down most feeders to be cleaned and refilled each night, they leave one up for the Ringtails. Sugar water that doesn’t run away is an easy target.

A cute little critter

Our instructions were to be very, very quiet because Ringtails are extremely skittish. If one appeared, we were to wait until it climbed the feeder stake and then shine a flashlight (he loaned us one) to get a few photos. We started with a large and very quiet)group that waited patiently as we were buzzed by a large number of bats that were also enjoying the Hummingbird feeder.

It was too dark to even try to photograph the bats, but they were fun to experience. I say experience because, although we could just barely see them, we could feel them as they flew inches above our heads.

Ringtail on a Hummingbird feeder

Eventually, most of the group gave up and it was just me and another woman, who had the flashlight. If I had realized that we would have such a long wait, I would have gotten my tripod (it was, after all, full dark).

But, I didn’t so, so I was shooting hand-held.

After a false alarm when a Racoon cruised by, a Ringtail showed up and climbed the feeder pole, inverting itself to eat.

It was tough to get a good picture, but I did manage to capture it before it got spooked and ran off.

The next night was less successful despite having a tripod. A large group of visitors at a cabin off to the side of the feeder area were doing something – maybe trying to photograph bats – that involved lots of noise and lots of flash. So, the only Ringtail that showed up did not climb the feeder, rather opting to pose outside the gift shop door.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the flashlight and the flashlight holder didn’t illuminate the little critter. You can only go so far with Photoshop, but …

Nocturnal animals are tricky to photograph

A Fruitless Morning

I got up very early the next morning to see if the Berylline Hummingbird, which had not appeared on my first afternoon, would show up. It didn’t.

There were lots and lots of Hummingbirds at the feeders ...

A busy morning

... but the little Berylline wasn’t in its customary spot in the bushes. People who had seen the Berylline said that it never went to the feeders – maybe the crowd was too much.

The Northern Pygmy Owl nest

People I met at the feeders told me where to go to see the Northern Pygmy Owls, which had been putting on a show near their nest every morning around 9:00 a.m.

So, I headed with a few other folks down to the Madera Canyon Picnic area, just a short walk from the Lodge.

We waited and waited and waited, but after almost two hours, no Owls emerged. It may have been because it was unseasonably cool, windy and overcast with occasional drops of rain, weather I did not expect.

With my limited time planned for Madera Canyon, I decided to try somewhere else, so I left. I had heard that Elegant Trogons had been seen on the Carrie Nation Trail at the head of the Canyon, so I went to check it out.

Madera Canyon

The trailhead was for multiple trails, but I figured there would be good signage at the trail split, so I didn’t take a photo of the trail map. Big mistake. When I got to the split, it did not mention Carrie Nation. So, I took the route that didn’t have a warning saying that it was strenuous (I had read that Carrie Nation was a fairly easy trail). Turns out I hiked about halfway to the summit of Mount Baldy.

Madera Canyon

It was a nice trail, but I saw NO wildlife. NO birds, NOTHING. And, none of the hikers I passed had seen anything. I was on a birding trip, so this was a waste of time. So, I turned back and headed down.

After a quick lunch in my room (so convenient!), I went back to the feeders area to watch the Hummingbirds.

I encountered several of the people I had been looking for the Northern Pygmy Owls with. Sure enough, they told me that the Owls came out about an hour after I left! Well, I decided to go back to watch for the Owls’ usual afternoon appearance.

Northern Pygmy Owl

The second try paid off.

A Northern Pygmy Owl

After watching an Acorn Woodpecker check out the nest, which the Woodpecker probably actually made ...

This is a brave Acorn Woodpecker to stick his head in a predator's lair

... the Male Pygmy Owl showed up in a nearby tree with a huge lizard ...

The male attracts the female with food

Well, the lizard may not have been as huge as it looked; the Northern Pygmy Owl is only about 7 inches tall.

He ate for a while …

Northern Pygmy Owls are fierce predators

... while the female looked with curiosity out of her nest hole ...

What's up?

After some munching …

A delicious lunch

And peeking …

I think she was hungry

The female flew out and perched …

The female Northern Pygmy Owl

Then, the male handed off the lizard to her and took off. She ate for a while …

Lizard lunch

And, then returned to the nest ...

And, then, she was back in

Worth the morning wait!

The often take large prey

Native to Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, Northern Pygmy Owls live in Colorado, but I had never seen one. They eat small mammals, birds, lizards and large insects. Northern Pygmy Owls occasionally take prey species the same size or larger than themselves; however, small to medium-sized birds and small mammals are the norm.

When they find extra food, Northern Pygmy Owls often cache their prey in tree cavities or hanging the prey on thorns, as Shrikes are famous for doing.

They have symmetrical faces

Unlike most Owls, Northern Pygmy Owls do not have asymmetrically placed ears or flattened facial discs, adaptations that improve hearing. This may be an outcome of their diurnal habits and greater reliance on vision. Northern Pygmy Owls raise a pair of tufts on the sides of their head when threatened by a predator, such as a hawk or a cat.

They also have a pair of spots on the back of the neck that look a little like eyes. Scientists think these markings may help fool attackers or mobbers into thinking the Owl is watching them.

What a treat to see these Owls

In the Neighborhood

Earlier, when I said that the morning was fruitless, I wasn’t being accurate. I really wanted to see the Northern Pygmy Owls and an Elegant Trogon, so I felt defeated. But, during my two times waiting for the Owls, I actually collected two lifers: a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher …

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher

... that posed beautifully, but refused to turn around and show us its yellow-streaked belly …

He turned his head, but not his body

And, an Arizona Woodpecker, which lives primarily in Central America and is not easy to find in the states.

Arizona Woodpecker

Arizona Woodpeckers look very much like other U.S. Woodpeckers except that they are brown and white rather than black and white. This one was a female; it had no red on its head.

This Woodpecker was searching for grubs (and eventually found one)

It was windy, cool and – unfortunately – dark. So it was hard to get good photos of these lovely birds.

I had to work hard to make these photos look good

I also saw more Dusky-capped Flycatchers …

When the sun finally came out

Beautiful orange/red Hepatic Tanagers …

A Tanager in the trees

Some cute little House Finches …

Taking a walk

Acorn Woodpeckers …

One of southern Arizona's most common birds

And, Mexican Jays ...

Mexican Jay

Elegant Trogon

After we saw the Northern Pygmy Owls, most of the people left, but I got involved in a conversation with a small group of people and hung back. Just as I was beginning to think that I really needed to get going, a person came down the trail along the dry creek and said that they could hear an elegant trogon calling (barking?) about a quarter of a mile down the path.

The colors are striking from all angles

We were off. And, it didn’t take long to find it.

It took multiple tries, but I finally saw one

We followed this beautiful bird as it flew from tree to tree all the way back to the picnic area.

It was fun following this bird through the trees

I got so many photos (good ones) that I actually left before the bird did.

The Elegant Trogon's range

The Elegant Trogon, formerly the Coppery-tailed Trogon, ranges from Guatemala to as far north as the upper Gila River in Arizona and New Mexico.

They were first found in the Huachuca Mountains of Arizona in 1885. Half a century later, in 1939, a nest was discovered in Madera Canyon.

Since then, they have since been found in the Atascosa and Chiricahua Mountains. The most northerly populations are partially migratory and occasionally show up as a vagrant in southeasternmost and western Texas.

It would be hard to miss this huge bird

A very large bird, they can be up to a foot long.

The Elegant Trogon’s plumage is truly elegant and the male, which we saw, is more colorful than the female.

The colors are incredible

They feed on fruit and insects, often taken in flight. Although their flight is fast, they are reluctant to fly any distance.

The one we were watching flew in short hops

They typically perch upright and motionless.

Most of what we saw was perching

Interestingly, at one point we were standing in the road taking pictures and cars were going around us! People travel from all over the states to see Elegant Trogons. People in Madera Canyon are most likely birding. People are standing IN THE ROAD with giant cameras. Why wouldn’t you stop?

This is the most sought-after bird in Madera Canyon

Anyway, we ended up with our own private Elegant Trogon show.

The trip was already so worth it!

Berylline Hummingbird

I believe the one we saw was female

So, I had seen my two target birds, but I really wanted to see the Berylline Hummingbird because it is considered a rarity in Arizona, even though it has been known to nest in Madera Canyon.

These range maps come from Cornell

The breeding habitat is in forests and thickets of western Mexico to central Honduras, but it regularly strays to southeasternmost Arizona even though it is non-migratory.

When I returned to the feeders after my Trogon adventure, it was there!

Perching in the bushes

Trifecta!

The Berylline Hummingbird

The little bird was sitting quietly in a bush, completely ignoring a frenzy of Broad-billed Hummingbirds at a feeder right above it.

Here, you can see the rufous under its wings

It was so close to the wall below the platform that I had to lean far over the railing to photograph it.

Another Lifer!

Proctor Area

Twice during my visit, I took walks along the nature trail at the Proctor Area of Madera Canyon, which is near the entrance to the Canyon at a lower elevation than the Lodge.

I heard that people had seen both Elegant Trogons and Varied Buntings there. I saw neither.

But, I did see another lifer, a Brown-crested Flycatcher …

This Flycatcher looks a lot like the Dusky-capped from higher elevations

Plus, there were Blue Grosbeaks, Western Tanagers, Phainopeplas ...

Three of the Canyon's birds

Bell’s Vireos …

Bell's Vireo

Cassin’s Kingbirds …

This one was pretty far away

Canyon Towhees …

This one was creeping in the shadows

And, Arizona White-tailed Deer …

A cute local deer

Santa Rita Newsletter

After my last walk through the Proctor area, I had to leave Madera Canyon and head toward Tucson, where I was staying the next night.

It was an even more successful visit than I had expected, with nine new birds. Slowly, I was creeping toward 700 -- although I am still not there yet.

Now that I have stayed at the Santa Rita Lodge, I am on their newsletter's mailing list.

The newsletter is doing its job. Already, I want to go back. Maybe a bit earlier next spring when there are more warblers.

Paton Center for Hummingbirds

Before I headed north, I decided to take a little detour to the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia just an hour away.

I had been there before and enjoyed lots of lovely birds.

I had heard that there was a Gray Hawk nest and possibly some Crested Caracaras in an adjacent canyon that was (somewhat) on the way, so I started out in that direction.

Then, I went to Google Maps, which routed me over that very road, which surprised me. It was extremely narrow (thank god I didn't pass a car coming the other way), gravel/dirt and winding. It didn’t bother me, but I am glad I didn’t have a flat or a breakdown.

I didn’t see any Hawks or Caracaras, but I did see what I think was another Coatimundi and a very cute little bunny just chillin’ by the road.

This bunny was tiny

Female Broad-billed Hummingbird

The Paton Center sits in a neighborhood in the small town of Patagonia and has feeders, paths and observation areas.

A conservation center, it is "dedicated to the celebration and conservation of Hummingbirds through recreation, education and sustainable living."

Among the 213 bird species that have been reported there are Violet-crowned Hummingbirds, which I had seen there before but of which I had not gotten a good photo.