Birding Mount Lemmon

Mount Lemmon provides some great birding opportunities. Though rarely rare birds, it provides first time birders to Arizona opportunities for "Lifers." Arizona birds like Oliver Warblers, Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstarts are relatively easy to find. Western birds like Acorn Woodpeckers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Mountain Chickadees, Spotted Towhees, and Western Tanagers are also relatively easy to find. 

Acorn Woodpecker

Black-headed Grosbeak

Hermit Thrush

Mountain Chickadee

Olive Warbler

Painted Redstart

Red-faced Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Western Tanager

Wild Turkey

Abert's Squirrel

Huachuca Canyon

Christine and I got away to hike Huachuca Canyon on For Huachuca. Here are a few photos from our visit:

Bridled Titmouse

Plumbeous Vireo

Spotted Towhee

Sulphur Bellied Flycatcher

Summer Tanager

White Tailed Deer

Mount Lemmon Birds

I took a quick trip up Mount Lemmon -- needing to get back before the rains came. Nothing unusual to report, but as usual, some nice photos:

Brown Creeper with Bug

Red Faced Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Western Bluebird

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Favorite Wildlife Photos of 2018 - XXIV

Next up a Spotted Towhee from Mount Lemmon:

Spotted Towhee

More from Mount Lemmon

Twice this past week I birded the Upper Sabino Canyon Trail which is at the end of Turkey Run Road in Summerhaven. It's a bit different than Incinerator Ridge or Rose Canyon which are my favorite birding spots on Mount Lemmon. Upper Sabino Canyon Trail is almost another 1000 feet in elevation and there you find Aspens and Douglas Firs. The Douglas Firs are magnificent. You get the feeling of standing inside Mother Nature's Cathedral. They appear to reach the heavens they are so tall.

Both days the predominant bird was the Red Faced Warbler. They seemed to be everywhere.They are easier to find than many of the warblers since they prefer foraging in trees and brush less than 15 feet. And, they often don't seem to mind people around.

Here are a few photos from those two trips:

Brown Creeper

Cordilleran Flycatcher

House Wren

Pine Siskin

Raven

Red Faced Warbler

Red Faced Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Townsend's Warbler

Turkey Vulture

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Mount Lemmon Birding

As Spring Migration continues and it gets down below, Mount Lemmon attracts birds (and people) of all sorts. Here are a few photos from yesterday:

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher

Olive Warbler Female

Olive Warbler Male

Red Faced Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Virginia's Warbler

Western Bluebird

Yellow Eyed Junco

Mount Lemmon

Migration is beginning to hit the Catalina Mountains.  It wasn't the great day that I had hoped for, but  just walking/hiking in the Catalinas is rewarding spiritually.

I did find five warblers: Townsend's, Hermit, Red Faced, Olive, and  Yellow-rumped. I couldn't get good photos of the Hermit or Olive, but did get marginal photos of the others -- and a few other birds too (though nothing rare):

townsend's warbler

red faced warbler

yellow-rumped warbler

spotted towhee

house wren

red tailed hawk

Incinerator Ridge, Mount Lemmon

Since Mount Lemmon is right out our back door, it is where I go when I don't have a lot of time. So yesterday, I made a quick trip up to Incinerator Ridge wondering what I might find this early in the season.  It was a bit windy and cold (49 degrees). No real flocks of birds yet, but with a little patience a few nice birds did present themselves:

American Robin

Hermit Thrush

Red Faced Warbler

Raven

Spotted Towhee

Stellar Jay

Western Bluebird