I filled in as backup guide for Mike McGee who fell ill the night before, and together with experienced driver/guide Tom Wood and keynote guest speaker Rick Wright along with 12 excited and warmly bundled up birders, we had a fantastic day’s birding in the highlands despite the frigid temperatures and scored several key target species amid the spectacular mountain scenery. Sunrise found us taking in the majestic vistas and towering rhyolite formations at Massai Point in the Chiricahua National Monument as we enjoyed our first birds of the day. A handsome male Arizona Woodpecker basked in the sun high atop a pine snag, offering great scope views and a small group of Band-tailed Pigeons zoomed past at eye level, both species lifers for most in the group. Two target birds in one spot, a great start! A noisy and comical group of Mexican Jays endlessly entertained in the parking lot and the warm sunlit slopes below the road were quite active with a mixed flock of Eastern and Western Bluebirds, offering great comparisons of these two similar species while vocal Bewick’s Wrens and Spotted Towhees played hide and seek in the dense manzanita clumps.
On the drive down to the visitor’s center, we were thrilled to spot a very cooperative coati foraging in the creek bed beside the road, giving great up close looks through the large windows of the van. This was a special treat, a daytime sighting of a lifer mammal for almost all in the group! Bird activity was frantic at the visitor’s center with large groups of Dark-eyed Juncos represented by Oregon, Pink-sided and Gray-headed races which made for good studies. Several clown-like Acorn Woodpeckers vibrantly glowed in the morning light, groups of Mexican Jays were conspicuous, a few Hermit Thrushes skulked in the oaks and a camouflaged male Red-naped Sapsucker silently tapped at its wells, wowing the group in the scope. A surprise here was a brief flyover of a Prairie Falcon which cruised past in a matter of seconds. The endemic Apache Fox Squirrel foraging among the birds was another highlight as were several close ups of Coues’ White-tailed Deer. We then enjoyed a very birdy hike along the Faraway Trail, exploring the mixed oaks, junipers, sycamores and pines which yielded the best bird activity of the day. Chattering flocks of charming Bridled Titmice also held several Ruby-crowned Kinglets and a lone Hutton’s Vireo, another lifer for some. Red-shafted forms of Northern Flicker were common atop the snags, Acorn Woodpeckers and Mexican Jays seemed to follow us around and we also enjoyed up close looks at a pair of Spotted Towhees. A calling Hammond’s Flycatcher showed well while foraging in the open, giving a good opportunity to study its subtle fieldmarks notorious for identification challenges of this dreaded empidonax group.
A mixed flock of frenzied activity produced the star bird of the day, Olive Warbler! It was a vocal young male foraging low in the oak and juniper canopy which certainly eased the neck tension that is usually associated when viewing this much sought after specialty of the high treetops. Another good lifer for the group which was immediately followed with 3 Juniper Titmice a few trees further along the trail, another great bird for the trip! Although drab and plain, the titmice are a thrill to encounter in these parts and their dullness was enjoyed with much excitement which certainly was fitting. Their association with the flock of Bridled Titmice also made for good vocal comparisons. A Yellow-eyed Junco was briefly seen here but was completely ignored during the warbler and titmice action, only to be caught up with later in the day.
We drove up the scenic and winding Pinery Canyon road high towards Onion Saddle where en route a perched Merlin at the road’s edge offered great close looks as it sat in a large snag in the warm sunshine. We braved the snowy and icy road curves towards Rustler Park for our picnic lunch where we had scope views of a male and female Cassin’s Finch, another high elevation target for the day. Soon after, a noisy flock of curious Pygmy Nuthatches drew closer and contained a single Mexican Chickadee, another highlight species which was seen by some. The coniferous forest was very scenic with its blanket of snow and produced more Pygmy Nuthatches before we birded the road down towards Pinery Canyon campground where we scored a few more good species. A nice group of 5 Golden-crowned Kinglets showed off at eye level and a Brown Creeper was another hit with the group as it vertically spiraled up the tree trunks. A Steller’s Jay briefly called up canyon but declined to show itself while Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches completed the clean sweep of nuthatches for the day, a charming group of admirable little birds.
Our last stop along the Pinery Canyon road below Methodist Camp was very birdy and a great end to a great day of birding. Scope looks of the glaring Yellow-eyed Junco mixed in with a Dark-eyed flock was a highlight as some had missed it earlier and an eye level Mexican Chickadee came in to wow the group and cap off a fantastic day’s birding on this great tour!
Moez Ali