Chiricahua Mountains - II

Today, some of the Hummingbirds:

Broad Billed Hummingbird

Broad Tailed Hummingbird

Blue Throat Hummingbird

Hummingbird Season in Full Throttle

What started off as a very slow hummingbird season  -- probably due to last year's fires and flooding, has turned out quite nice. Once again there are large numbers of hummers in Miller Canyon and Ash Canyon. Ramsey doesn't have quite the same numbers, but yesterday I saw 7 species within about 30 minutes including the Violet Crowned. In the last two weeks (in Ash Canyon, Miller Canyon, and Ramsey Canyon) I have found eleven different hummingbird species:

Anna's

Black Chinned

Blue Throat

Broad Billed

Broad Tailed

Lucifer

Magnificent

Plain Capped Starthroat

Rufous

White Eared

Violet Crowned

I may have seen a female Costa's don't know for sure. Calliope has been reported at Ash Canyon but I have not seen it. Lots of Broad Tailed Hummingbirds at Ash Canyon, but for some reason I didn't end up with any photos. Plain Capped Starthroat photos weren't up to standard. He showed up at the farthest feeder for 2-5 seconds every hour or so. Just couldn't get the photo I wanted.

Still no reports this year of Berylline. I'll head down to Madera Canyon sometime this week and check it out. Berylline was an "infrequent" visitor there last year. 

Here are a few of my photos from the last two weeks in the Huachuca Mountains:

Anna's Hummingbird

Black Chinned Female

Blue Throated Hummingbird

Broad Billed Hummingbird Female

Lucifer Hummingbird Male

Magnificent Hummingbird Male

Rufous Hummingbird Female

Violet Crowned Hummingbird

White Eared Hummingbird Male

So What Happened in the Chiricahuas?

First the birds. The best was a female Elegant Trogon. Trogons typically migrate to the Madrean Sky Islands of Southern Arizona in March and stay for the Spring and Summer. They often nest in holes of Sycamore Trees. This female let me get close for a photo, but then took off up the mountain.

Female Elegant Trogon

 The Black Headed Grosbeak and Cardinal are more common in Southern Arizona:

Female Black Headed Grosbeak

Male Cardinal

 The Blue Throated Hummingbird, another migrant, is a typical summer resident of the Chiricahuas, the Huachucas, and occasionally the Santa Ritas (although not in large numbers):

Female Blue Throated Hummingbird

 This Red Tailed Hawk posed nicely for me:

Red Tailed Hawk

 As did this Raven:

Raven

One Beautiful Spot: The Chiricahua Mountains

Stunning. Awesome. Spectacular. Spiritual. Renewing.

Just some of the words to describe the Chiricahua Mountains in Southeast Arizona (and home of the Chiricahua National Monument). The Chiricahua Mountains are the result of an immense volcanic eruption that shook the region some 27 million years ago. The thick white-hot ash spewed forth from the nearby Turkey Creek Caldera, cooled and hardened into rhyolite tufts, laying down almost two thousand feet of dark volcanic ash and pumice, which eventually eroded into the pinnacles, spires, and hoodoos we see today.  During the 1860's and 1870's, the Chiricahua Mountains provided a refuge for Geronimo and his band of Apaches. 

The National Monument is on the West Side of the Mountain Range (and Echo Canyon Trail, one of the most beautiful trails I have ever taken). A dirt road then takes you over the top of the mountains to the east side where Cave Creek lies. South Fork Cave Creek is considered one of the most bio-diverse regions in North America. 

Arizona Thistles were in full bloom yesterday in the Chiricahuas.  And, as I was arriving into Cave Creek I saw a large Tiger Swallowtail going from thistle to thistle. So I placed myself near one of those thistles waiting for his visit. Sure enough he came and I got some nice photos. However, what I didn't expect -- and which was a wonderful surprise  -- was that a few seconds later a Blue Throated Hummingbird came and chased the Swallowtail away and started feeding on the thistle himself. The Blue Throat has the largest wingspan of any hummingbird in North America. It's range extends from Mexico only into the most southern mountains of southern Arizona. (Nowhere else in the US). Below you will see first the Swallowtail, then both the Swallowtail and Hummingbird, then the Hummingbird feeding, and finally, the hummingbird in a tree: 

Tiger Swallowtail

Tiger Swallowtail - Blue Throated Hummingbird

Blue Throated Hummingbird

Blue Throated Hummingbird

Blue Throated Hummingbird

Blue Throated Hummingbird

Blue Throated Hummingbird

Chiricahua Mountains - Hummingbirds

While there are hummingbird feeders at the lodge and some private residences in the little town of Portal, Cave Creek Ranch (just outside of town) is clearly the premier feeding site. The treat while I was there last week was the Blue Throated Hummingbird. Most of my other Blue Throats were from Miller Canyon in the Huachuca's. Also present were a large number of Rufous Hummingbirds. There was a hummingbird feeder somewhat isolated from the others that was under the domain of a male Rufous. He spent 90% of his time chasing other hummers away from "his" feeder; 5% of the time feeding; and the other 5% of the time resting from the chase, no doubt. Here are a few photos:

Blue Throated Hummingbird Female

Blue Throated Hummingbird Male

Blue Throated Hummingbird Female

Blue Throated Hummingbird Male

Rufous Hummingbird Protecting His Feeder

Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Rare Hummingbirds

While on the subject of Hummingbirds I thought I would share with you photos of the rarer hummers of the US. The Calliope is found in very small numbers in the far western states and Arizona. The Berylline, White Eared, Lucifer, Violet Crowned, Plain Capped Starthroat, and Blue Throated are only found in the extreme southern Mountain Ranges of Southeast Arizona (Chiricahuas, Huachucas, and Santa Ritas).

Calliope Hummingbird Male

Berylline Hummingbird Female

White Eared Hummingbird Male

Lucifer Hummingbird Male

Violet Crowned Hummingbird

Plain Capped Starthroat

Blue Throated Hummingbird male

Checking in at Miller Canyon

Since Hummingbird Season has officially begun, I thought I would check out Miller Canyon (the US' best hummingbird spot) to see if any of the rarer hummers had arrived yet. The short answer is: SOME. I did find that the Blue Throated Hummingbirds had arrived as well as the White Eared Hummingbird. While I didn't get a good photo this time of the White Eared I got a few other photos I'll show you today. 

Female Blue Throated Hummingbird

Male Blue Throated Hummingbird

Male Broad Tailed Hummingbird

Male Broad Tailed Hummingbird

Male Magnificent Hummingbird (note his tongue)

Still More Hummers from Miller Canyon

Hummingbird season is just about over. A couple species stay year round in Southern Arizona.  At our place Anna's and Costa's are year round residents. Buff Bellied Hummers winter in the very southern tip of Texas, and the Ruby Throated winters in the very southern tip of Florida. Other than those three locations winter is devoid of hummingbirds in the United States. So, I have to get my last chance in at the rarer hummers. Here are a few more of my favorites from the last two weeks in Miller Canyon:

Magnificent Male

Magnificent Male

Magnificent Female

Rufous Female

White Eared Female

White Eared Female

Broad Tailed Female

Broad Tailed Female

Calliope Female

Blue Throat Male