Day 9 (Continued) - Grand CanyonDespite plans to arrive in daylight, we got the Grand Canyon about half an hour after sunset. A combination of tiredness and poor directions meant we managed to drive right past our hotel and somehow ended up entering the national park. Realising my mistake I made a swift U turn in the road, noticing in my rear view mirror that the car behind me was doing the same. Suddenly the snow at the side of the road was illuminated with alternate red and blue flashing lights! Muttering several expletives I save only for special occasions, I pulled to the side of the road and awaited my fate.
Fortunately by remaining calm and polite I managed to avoid a speeding ticket. I did get a caution which was fair enough, and I had to produce all relevant documentation including car hire agreement. At this point Sarah and I decided to get some pizza at the nearby restaurant and have an early night.
Day 10 (February 19) - Grand Canyon to Phoenix
We awoke fully refreshed and headed for our complementary breakfast in record time. First on our agenda was a quick look around the Grand Canyon National Park. As we loaded up our car several Common Ravens honked around the hotel grounds, while House Sparrows pretended to be something more interesting in the trees. In daylight we could see how everything but the main roads was covered in a lovely thick layer of snow - enough at least to paralyse the South East of England for a week!
On entering the park we found the forests eerily quiet, with only a couple of Ravens for company. We admired the Grand Canyon with the rest of the tourists, taking countless photos from several view points.
Returning back to the car we eventually found some birds. My first ever Dark-eyed Juncos hopped along the ground in front of us while a White-breasted Nuthatch appeared on a nearby tree. At the same time a Western Scrub-jay made its raucous call from the top of a juniper.
A rather pessimistic ranger informed me there was little point looking for Californian Condors as the cold winds keep them in the bottom of the canyon. He laughed out loud when I questioned him about the prospects of seeing an Abert’s Squirrel. I would love to say that I proved the ranger wrong and that I saw both species, however despite searching hard I saw neither.
On a brief walk down a muddy path, we did see two new birds, together more juncos and jays. Our first lifer took the form of a shy Juniper Titmouse, while our second - a splendid Townsend ’s Solitaire – allowed for much better views.
In good time we left the national park and headed to Phoenix where we hoped for warmer weather. A magnificent adult Bald Eagle was seen flying over the highway enticing me to stop for better views and further down the road a flighty flock of birds turned out to be Horned Larks.
As we were ahead of schedule for once we decided to stop at Montezuma’s Castle to stretch our legs and take in some history. As soon as we opened the car door we could tell the temperature had greatly increased since we had left the mountains. This pleasant, dry heat remained with us for the rest of the holiday.
Montezuma’s Castle turned out to be a beautiful oasis with a short trail that looped around past the ‘castle’ and alongside a stream. Bridled Titmouse was added to my life list, along with a Rock Squirrel spotted by Sarah. Other birds noted on our short visit included Ruby-crowned Kinglet and White-crowned Sparrow. I’m sure many other creatures make their home within the preserve although keen to get to Phoenix we didn’t get chance to explore the area as much as we would have liked.
We arrived in Phoenix late in the afternoon and enjoyed a delicious meal at a nearby Italian restaurant.
Day 11 (February 20) - Gilbert Riparian Reserve
Every birder has a Bogey Bird and I’m no exception having searched for Burrowing Owls countless times at some of the most reliable sites in Florida. I have been to airfields, golf courses, university campuses and farmland, at all times of the day, often making detours of many miles. I have even been mistaken for a plane spotter I spent so long looking for these birds at a Miami airport.
Today I was going to finally nail this annoying little owl and I looked forward to the moment with relish.
Sarah and I arrived at the Riparian Reserve in Gilbert, a suburb of Phoenix, and were instantly amazed by the diversity of birds. In glorious sunshine I had already seen two Verdins (below) , a Yellow-rumped Warbler and an Anna’s Humming before we had even left the car park.
A tame Curve-billed Thrasher (below) was seen next, followed by a couple of Albert’s Towhee’s. The next bird caused me some confusion, but turned out to be a female House Finch. A nearby male was unmistakeable.
Walking down to the Burrowing Owl site I flushed a couple of Dessert Cottontails which were an unexpected mammal tick. Common birds such as Northern Mockingbirds and Mourning Doves were particularly numerous throughout the reserve, as were Red-winged Blackbirds.
We reached an area, obviously where the owls should be, just in time to meet with a local birder.
‘I think they’re underground,’ I whispered.
She looked at me blankly.
‘The owls, I think they’re underground’ I repeated while pointing to several artificial tunnels.
‘Oh, the owls disappeared a couple of years ago’ she dryly exclaimed.
What I said next is unprintable!
It turns out that feral cats (and possibly Coyotes) found the owls made tasty snacks and eliminated the population over a short period of time. Thinking back I vaguely remembered reading a trip report from 2007 where cat predation of said owls was mentioned. Doh!
With so many other birds to see I didn’t have time to sulk. The first main pond we came across held an outstanding array of avian beauties. The first thing that caught my eye was a couple of Killdeer which flew low over the water before landing on a scrape. In the same area Least Sandpipers formed a tight knit flock, tiny in comparison to a nearby Black-winged Stilt.
A small number of American Avocet were a much wanted lifer, as were two Cinnamon Teal mixed in with the Green-winged Teal. Gadwall, Pintail and Northern Shoveler were much more familiar, as was the Northern Harrier that flew over the pond spooking the waterfowl.
The next pond had more of the same, together with a fly-catching Black Phoebe and my second Sora of the holiday. A Say’s Phoebe was perched in a nearby tree but decided to fly into the grounds of a nearby school before Sarah could take a photo. While walking to the edge of the pond I accidentally flushed a Wilson’s Snipe which provided brief but satisfactory views.
By now the temperature was hot enough for turtles to bask along the waters edge. Sonoran Mud Turtles were the first to emerge, closely followed a feral Red-eared Slider.
Walking around the rest of the reserve produced Long-billed Dowitcher, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron and American Wigeon. I felt absolutely no temptation to check through the latter for a European bird! Further down the path a Blue-grey Gnatcatcher gave me the run around for several minutes as I confirmed it wasn’t a Black-tailed. Our final birds of the morning were a flock of Western Sandpiper and a trio of non-native Peach-faced Lovebirds. Walking back to the car a Desert Cottontail posed for photographs.
We left Gilbert about an hour later than planned and wasted another hour in road works leaving Phoenix. Racing against the clock we had an uneventful drive to Willcox where we stocked up on groceries and petrol before turning off the interstate just over the New Mexico boarder. As darkness fell we looped back into Arizona and towards the Chiricahua Mountains where we were to spend the next two nights.
As soon as we left the main highway we started to see some nocturnal animals. First of all a Black-tailed Jackrabbit hopped across the road, followed several minutes later by a Grey Fox. After driving through the hamlet of Portal we arrived at Cave Creek Ranch in the pitch black. In the car headlights we picked out some eye shine and as we drove nearer we could see they belonged to a Striped Skunk. Finally seeing this particular animal in the wild was a great result and a lifelong ambition achieved.
We soon found our excellently equipped cabin where everything we could possibly desire was thoughtfully laid out in front of us. There was even a jar of sunflower seeds for the bird table outside the window and a guide to bird sites in Arizona. I went to bed very happy indeed.
Day 12 (February 21) - Cave Creek Ranch
Like a child on Christmas morning, I was up at the crack of dawn eager to explore my new playground. Leaving Sarah in bed I tiptoed out of the front door and was instantly hit by the breathtaking views of the surrounding Chiricahua Mountains.
With little time to waste, I grabbed my bins and headed towards the small creek in search of wildlife.
Conspicuous Acorn Woodpeckers seemed to call from every tree, competing for my attention with a solitary Northern Flicker. Northern Cardinals sang from various bushes, although I paid more attention to a nearby Ladder-backed Woodpecker. Walking down a trail I heard a small group of Mexican Jays (below) several minutes before I saw them and I was relived to finally catch up with good numbers of White-winged Doves as they awoke from their slumber in various trees around the property.
At this point I decided to walk back to the office building where I had seen an impressive feeding station the night before. I arrived in the middle of a feeding frenzy as countess Pine Siskins descended on the feeder, together with much smaller numbers of House Finch. I choose a bench and sat transfixed for half an hour as various bird species called in for breakfast.
A Pyrrhuloxia was a much wanted Lifer and I waited patiently for it to emerge from a nearby bush. A couple of Red Cardinals (below) were less shy and appeared at the feeder with good numbers of Dark-eyed Junco.
Lincoln’s Sparrows emerged from a brush pile in the centre of the feeding station which also housed a grumpy Bewick’s Wren. Every so often a party of Mexican Jays gate-crashed the party sending the other birds in all directions, while Acorn and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers fed continuously on the surrounding trees.
Before long I met Cave Creek’s owner, Reed Peters, who filled me in on the recent mammal sightings. A Bobcat had taken up residence on the property and had been seen the previous day protecting her cub from a Coyote. Ringtails had also been seen, while the Javelina (Collared Peccary) family were visiting the feeding station daily.
Reed paused briefly to point out a Magnificent Hummingbird on the hummer-feeder before kindly giving me permission to spotlight the property that night, so long as I didn’t disturb the other residents.
After our conversation I turned back towards the feeding station and nearly walked smack-bang into a White-tailed Deer which was feeding directly off the bird table behind me! In fact a whole family of Coues race White-tails had descended on the feeders and were not going to let me put them off their breakfast.
The scene in front of me now resembled a Walt Disney cartoon complete with ‘Bambi’. I rubbed my eyes as in disbelief as I watched several new visitors to the feeding station including three Gambel’s Quail and a couple of Cliff Chipmunks.
A Blue-throated Hummingbird was now sharing the nectar with the Magnificent, although I couldn’t see any sign of the Painted Redstart that had been reported several days earlier.
After breakfast and several more hours at the feeder, Sarah and I decided to drag ourselves away from the ranch and explore the surrounding area. We were just walking to the car when we noticed a sounder of Javelina had arrived at the feeding station.
The family appeared to consist of adults, sub-adults and a couple of piglets and a clear pecking order seemed evident. One sub-adult, obviously bottom of the pecking order decided to investigate an alternate food source, and ended up walking towards our cabin and eating the food scraps l had so carefully set up minutes earlier around our own bird table. From then on I made sure I left no more food within Javelina reach.
The afternoon was spent hiking along the South Fork Trail in the nearby mountains. I hoped to bump (not literally) into one of the local Black Bears or White-nosed Coatis although both these mammals require luck to see. I also dipped the Mexican Chickadees that are so much desired by US birders who visit the area. What we did see were Arizona Woodpeckers (below) and Yellow-eyed Juncos (both lifers), together with White-tailed Deer, Rock Squirrel, Hermit Thrush, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and various common woodland birds.
Interestingly, an Elegant Trogon had spent Christmas at a nearby campsite although it hadn’t been seen recently enough to sacrifice the rest of our afternoon looking for it.
After dinner at the café in Portal, we decided to drive around the local ranchland in search of wildlife. A huge Cooper’s Hawk had me thinking Goshawk before it landed on a nearby mesquite bush. Black-throated Sparrow and several Black-tailed Jackrabbits were also seen as the sunlight faded.
The evenings spotlighting session turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, not least because my fully charged spotlight battery packed up early. The several owl species that reside on the ranch remained silent throughout, with the exception of a very distant Great Horned Owl. Mammal activity was also slow with my sum total consisting of several Canyon Bats (previously known as Western Pipistrelle) and two Striped Skunks. The later species included a particularly bold individual which gave good views before threatening me with its rear end.
Day 13 (February 22) - Journey through New Mexico to Texas
Both Sarah and I could have stayed at Cave Creek for the rest of the holiday, but unfortunately we had to leave the next morning. After loading the car we watched the feeders for an hour, before walking the entire property unsuccessfully looking for the Bobcat. The usual birds were seen, together with a Chipping Sparrow and a Rock Squirrel.
We had left the ranch and had just driven through Portal when I remarked to Sarah how we hadn’t seen a Greater Roadrunner yet. A moment later one crossed the road in front of us, closely followed by a second bird.
Before heading towards the highway we checked out the ‘Willow Pond’ adding nothing of note, although a huge Cactus Wren (below), a male Northern Harrier, and our first Loggerhead Shrike of the holiday made the detour worthwhile.
Before we left Cave Creek, a couple of people suggested we avoid taking the interstate (I-10) through New Mexico to El Paso, and advised us to use the smaller US-9 instead. Not only would this save time, but we would potentially see more wildlife. This turned out to be excellent advice.
As soon as we hit the highway we noticed a lack of traffic and an abundance of wildlife. Loggerhead Shrikes, American Kestrels and Red-tailed Hawks kept us company on the long, straight roads together with Black-tailed Jackrabbits and Greater Roadrunners. As the journey progressed we started to pass more and more US Border Patrol vehicles, highlighting our close proximity to the Mexican boarder.
A couple of times on the journey we saw large flocks of Sandhill Cranes as they gathered on their favoured agricultural areas where they spend the winter.
A handsome Golden Eagle was also spotted as it fed on road kill with a couple of Ravens, prompting an impressive emergency stop if I do say so myself.
Before we knew it we had reached the sprawling city of El Paso Texas, entering the third and final segment of our holiday.
Part 3. Texas / Species List
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Day 21 (March 2) - Phoenix Revisited. Desert Botanical Gardens
Although our holiday was practically over, a long stopover in Phoenix offered one last chance to see some wildlife. At first the British Airways checking staff refused to give us our boarding passes early enough to make leaving the airport worthwhile. Fortunately they changed their minds allowing us to take a taxi to the nearby Desert Botanical Gardens where we spent a couple of very productive hours.
It turned out that the Botanical Gardens were hosting a glass sculpture exhibition by the artist Dale Chihuly. This added an interesting angle to our visit, but also meant the park was much busier than usual.
On entering the gardens we left our hand luggage at the information desk before setting out to explore the grounds in what little time we had available. A noisy Cactus Wren called from the top of a Saguaro Cactus while Albert’s Towhees foraged along the ground underneath. Nearby Anna’s Hummingbirds (above) zipped about between the various flowering plants and a Ladder-backed Woodpecker briefly alighted the side of a dead tree.
I scanned the Saguaro searching for a woodpecker I had managed to miss on my earlier visit to Phoenix. Unfortunately it seemed every nesting hole on these giant cacti were now home to foreign House Sparrows and European Starlings. Suddenly a raucous noise alerted me to my target bird and I managed to watch the Gila Woodpecker for several minutes before it flew out of site.
Seconds later I was ticking off my second Lifer of the day in the form of a Phainopepla which I nearly lazily dismissed as yet another Starling. Like the woodpecker, this was a bird I really wanted to see but had somehow missed on the earlier parts of my holiday. All I needed now was Inca Dove, the third ‘easy’ target bird which was still absent from my list.
Walking through the gardens in the late afternoon sun was nothing short of fantastic. Gambel’s Quail seemed almost tame as they scurried across the path, while a couple of Common Side-blotched Lizards gave me a much needed reptile fix. We were able to watch one of these lizards stalk and then catch a fly.
Other interesting birds noted included Verdin, Rock Wren, flyover Red-tailed Hawk and Great Blue Heron, and a couple of colourful Lesser Goldfinch.
A well vegetated pond was home to two adult American Bullfrogs - the only amphibians of the holiday.
Nearby, a handsome Desert Spiny Lizard was another much welcomed herp tick.
As the sunlight began to fade, the glass sculptures glowed beautifully. Knowing our time in America was coming to an end, Sarah and I reluctantly headed to the information centre to pick up our bags and call a taxi to the airport. A Curve-billed Thrasher caught my eye as it sat on a wall watching various people walk by. A second, smaller bird was also noted as it foraged around in a flowerbed. Reaching for my binoculars I was delighted to catch up with my final lifer – a cracking scaly backed Inca Dove!
As we headed to the airport we watched the sun finally set over the city of Phoenix. Our fantastic holiday had come to an end.