We arrived at Madera Canyon at 6pm on Friday May 23rd and found a birding tour group looking at a bird through scopes and binoculars.Botteri's Sparrow is not easy to find unless it is singing after the monsoons begin and this was an unexpected bonus bird for the trip. We continued on to Santa Rita Ldge and checked into Cabin 1 which we had reserved just two or three weeks earlier. Half a dozen male Wild Turkeys were just leaving the feeders as we left; a brief visit to the feeders produced Broad-billed, Magnificent and Balck-chinned Hummingbirds and a couple of Canyon Wrens searched for insects around our balcony.
Lesser Nighthawks flew around the feeders at sunset and my wife and I headed down to the Proctor Road parking area where we heard a Common Poorwill calling and managed to see the eye-shine of an Elf Owl as that bird called.
On Saturday Morning, May 24th, I arose early and took my tea to overlook the feeders. Things started slowly and close to 6am only Mexican Jays, Acorn Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Lesser Goldfinches and House Finches joined the hummers. As time moved on Blue Grosbeaks, an immature Scott's Oriole, an Arizona Woodpecker and some White-winged Doves joined the feeding group.
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| Arizona Woodpecker |
At 10am we left our cabin and drove to the end of the road. Our plan was to hike in hopes of seeing an Elegant Trogon. In contrast to my success a year earlier, although we heard one bird call we did not get to see one. The hike did deliver many House Wrens and Plumbeous Vireos and a few Hermit Thrushes but Olive-sided Flycatcher was my only new bird for 2014.
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| Hermit Thrush |
Next stop was lunch and we headed out of Madera Canyon to eat, stopping on the way at Rio Rico for Black-bellied Whistling Duck and finding Common Ground-Doves in the same area.
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| Black-bellied Whistling Duck |
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| Common Ground Doves |
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Heading back after lunch we had the highlight of the trip - a Gila Monster on the road just three or four miles after Continental Shool.
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