Memorial Marathon! SE Arizona Overnighter

Hold onto your hats--this will be a whirlwind tour of some of SE Arizona's best birding hotspots! This year, we are going to concentrate on Miller and Ramsey Canyons, so we will bypass the Tubac area and head directly to Patagonia for our first stop. (With an early start from the valley, we should arrive there around noon.) We will meet at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds, where we will stroll the grounds and relax on the benches to see what's at the feeders. We'll look for buntings, tanagers, warblers, and hummingbirds like the violet-crowned that is a frequent visitor. After an hour or so at the Paton House, we'll drive directly to Ramsey Canyon for a little late-afternoon birding. Sightings at Ramsey in previous years have included the elegant trogon, northern pygmy owl, Montezuma quail, buff-breasted and the rare tufted flycatchers! Warblers include Virginia's, Lucy's, yellow, Wilson's, red-faced, Townsend's, black-throated grey, Grace's, hermit, and painted redstart; the hummingbird feeders have attracted calliope, rufous, broad-tailed, broad-billed, violet-crowned, black-chinned, and a blue-throated mountain gem! We'll walk the lower trails and sit at the feeders this afternoon. Ramsey Canyon is a Nature Conservancy preserve, and there is an $8 admission fee.

At the end of the day, we'll head to our hotels in Sierra Vista to check in and get cleaned up for dinner. We'll plan on dinner at 7pm at La Casita Mexican restaurant, which is at 465 W. Fry Blvd in Sierra Vista.

On Sunday morning, we'll head for Miller Canyon, arriving about 8am. There is a Bed and Breakfast right past the parking area with a great hummingbird feeder site (Beatty Guest Ranch; small donation requested). Lots of hummers have been seen there, including Rivoli's, broad tailed, broad billed, Anna's, Costa's, rufous, black chinned, white-eared, and blue-throated mountain gem! We'll spend half an hour or so there, then we'll hike up the canyon, looking for redstarts, red-faced warblers, flycatchers, vireos, and other rarities like the buff-breasted flycatcher and northern goshawk. Our target bird will be the flame-colored tanager, which was recently reported just up from the B&B. We'll plan on spending 3-4 hours in the upper canyon, so bring plenty of water and snacks! Afterwards, we'll head back into Sierra Vista for a late lunch. For those wanting a little more birding before dinner, we'll head to the Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary (also known as the Southeast Arizona Bird Observatory), which is in Hereford about 20 minutes south of Sierra Vista, and is open till dusk. (There is a $10 suggested donation here). Dinner this evening will be around 7pm at Pizzaria Mimosa in Hereford, which is just a few miles south of Sierra Vista (just off the highway at 4755 E. Neapolitan Way; it's on the way back from the Ash Canyon sanctuary.)

Early Monday, we will head back to Ramsey Canyon for a hike up the upper canyon. Parking is limited (27 spots) and this is a popular area, so we have to be at the gate just before opening at 8am. The upper canyon is about a 4 mile round trip, so be prepared for a little exercise! We'll be looking for the buff-breasted flycatchers as well as the trogons this morning, along with whatever warblers, tanagers, orioles, and woodpeckers we can find. We'll return to the visitor's center and watch the feeders for interesting hummers before we get in our cars and head home after what should be a very memorable weekend!

As usual, bring binos, bird guides, an overnight bag, and your camera. We have booked a room at the Gateway Studio Suites (203 S. Garden Ave, Sierra Vista) for about $100/night thru Hotels.com. Other hotels are available in the area for similar rates.