Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Photo by Robert Shantz

Madera Canyon sits in the middle of the Santa Rita Mountains in Southeast Arizona. It was carved out by Madera Creek, which is now mostly dry, and it provides habitat for breeding birds such as Elegant Trogon, Painted Redstart, and Broad-billed Hummingbird.

Participants stayed at Santa Rita Lodge Nature Resort in the canyon where numerous bird feeders attract a variety of hummingbirds, woodpeckers, and grosbeaks. One can just sit on a patio or stroll along a trail behind the cabins and see almost all of the local bird specialties such as the Arizona Woodpecker.

The grasslands at the bottom of the canyon offer abundant territory for the area's singing sparrows. There were many Botteri's Sparrows atop the ocotillos issuing their habitual bouncy trill. The group was able to study and distinguish the songs of the Cassin's, Rufous-winged, and Botteri's Sparrows and saw the Rufous-crowned Sparrow also. We were able to put a scope on the sparrows while many of them were singing and thus pin down the differences in the individual sparrow species. The Blue Grosbeak sang spiritedly from the mesquites in famous Florida Wash.

Some had a look at that ornithological phenomenon of a tiny vireo feeding a HUGE cowbird fledgling. Several saw the current rarity, a bright male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, at the lodge feeder.

By selecting the end of August for our field trip we were able to find a number of migrating species including at least four individual Nashville warblers. With treks up the hill through oak/juniper habitat and a stop at Sweetwater water facility in Tucson the group chalked up 76 species although not every bird was seen by everyone. Seen and heard were:

Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Harris' Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Band-tailed Pigeon, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Rock Pigeon, Greater Roadrunner, Whip-poorwill, Broad-billed, Blue-throated, Magnificent, Black-chinned, Broad-tailed and Rufous Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Acorn, Gila and Arizona Woodpeckers, Western Wood Pewee, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Western Kingbird, Purple Martin, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan Raven, Common Raven, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, White-breasted Nuthatch, Canyon Wren, Bewick's Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Bell's Vireo, Plumbeous Vireo, Nashville, Yellow and MacGillivray's Warblers, Painted Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Hepatic, Summer and Western Tanagers, Northern Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Rose-breasted, Black-headed and Blue Grosbeaks, Canyon Towhee, Abert's Towhee, Botteri's, Cassin's, Rufous-winged, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Lark, Black-throated and Song Sparrows, Lark Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Common Moorhen, Ruddy Duck, Northern Shoveler, Mallard and American Coot.

Participants were: Eleanor Campbell, leader; Vera Markham, Donna Smith, Chuck and Phyllis Kangas, Chuck Richard, Evelene Pfaff, Karen and Richard Kaiser, Phil Evanstock, Marian Bound, Joy Dolhanczyk and Bea Raymond.