Explorations of an Ecologist: Monsoon Season In Arizona, Part 1: Introduction, Phoenix to Miller Canyon

Earlier this summer, Laura and I were trying to determine where we would visit for a couple of mini vacations. Due to the variations in her work schedule, Laura had two blocks of time - a five-day chunk in early August, and six days in early September - and we wanted to make the most of these opportunities. We settled on visiting Laura's family in Nova Scotia for the early August period of time, and you can read about those adventures here.

For the slightly longer gap in her schedule in September we considered a few options. Ideally, all of these would include a direct flight, since we wanted to minimize wasting time in transit. We thought that British Columbia could work, as could a Caribbean island such as Hispaniola or Puerto Rico, neither of which we had visited before. Another possibility was Arizona, as early September is just after the peak "monsoon season", where many birds are active and nesting, and snakes and other herps are easier to find.

My good friend Dan Riley and his partner Nikki Huculiak expressed interest in an Arizona trip. We have talked about travelling with Dan and Nikki for several years, but it hadn't materialized up to this point. It just so happens that Dan and I have extremely similar interests in the natural world. We both are birders, of course, but herps are equally as important, while we also enjoy looking for mammals, moths and butterflies, and really anything else that we come across. Arizona during the monsoon season is a herper's paradise. Dan had visited Arizona during monsoon season a few times previously, but it had been many years and he was still missing some species. Laura is also primarily focused on herps, while as a birder she was closing in on 4,000 species on her life list. She had never visited Arizona and it would give her a chance at nearly 40 life birds, as well as a ton of new herps. And so it was decided - the four of us would do a quick blitz of southeastern Arizona.

We found direct flights from Toronto to Phoenix that worked with our time frame, and we rented a Toyota Rav4 from the airport. Our trip would be rather brief as we would be landing late in the evening on August 30 and flying out mid-day on September 5. It would only give us five full days, meaning that we couldn't cover a lot of ground, but we came up with a solid itinerary. We would spend a night in Phoenix at the start and end of the trip, two nights near Miller Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains, and two nights in Portal near the Chiricahua Mountains. It would not be a very relaxing trip with early morning hikes combined with evening road-cruising for snakes and late night mothing, plus a few days with long-ish drives, but we wanted to make the most of our short trip.

In the end, the trip was extremely successful. The herping was spectacular and we found a high diversity of snakes and lizards. The birding was slower since most species were done breeding and bird-song was almost non-existent in some areas, but we still connected with most of our target species. And the butterflying and mothing was incredible. Without further ado, here is an account of our first day and a half. I will be making several other blog posts covering the rest of the trip.

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August 30, 2024

Dan, Nikki and Laura still had to work this day and our flight wasn't until the evening. Laura and I parked at the Riley's place and Dan's father, Garth drove us to the airport (thanks Garth!). The flight was on-time and by 9 PM local time we had landed in Phoenix. We breezed through the airport since we hadn't checked any bags, and the rental car was picked up in about five minutes flat. Stepping outside, we were met with the furnace that is Phoenix in the summertime; the thermometer read 96 degrees. By the time that we had picked up groceries at a 24-hour supermarket and checked into our hotel, it was past 10 PM. Not wanting to waste our first evening, we headed out south of the city to a blacktop road that we had scouted out online so that we could road-cruise in search of snakes.

We quickly found a DOR (dead-on-road) Desert Nightsnake which was a bummer to start the trip, especially since it would have been a new species for all of us. Just before we were about to call it for the night, a snake appeared on the road up ahead. It was an irritable Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, a first for Laura and Nikki. We were on the board!

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) - south of Phoenix, Pima County, Arizona

We moved the disgruntled snake off the road; it didn't appreciate our gesture, unaware of the dangers of lying on a road with trucks whizzing by. We made the 15 minute drive back to the hotel. Sleep came easy that first night.

August 31, 2024

It was a quick turnaround at the hotel as we managed less than five hours of sleep before our alarms rudely woke us. The desert warms very quickly at this time of year and we wanted to start our hike before sunrise. We chose South Mountain Park and Preserve, just south of the city, since this large park is comprised of beautiful desert with rocky ridges and dry washes. As most of our trip would be in the mountains southeast of Tuscon, this gave us our best chances at desert birds, many of which would be new for Laura and Nikki. Several interesting herps reside here as well, including Common Chuckwalla, Regal Horned Lizard and, if we were very lucky, a Specked Rattlesnake or Tiger Rattlesnake.

South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

We hadn't really considered that this park would be busy with pedestrians and cyclists; turns out it was a Saturday of a long weekend. Normally, us birders don't really contend with crowds since we arrive really early in the morning. But it seems that everyone in Phoenix had the same idea as us; head out early in the morning before the intense desert sun broiled the landscape. Nonetheless, we eventually found some quiet areas of the expansive park.

South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

Acorn Woodpecker - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

The birding was good early on and we found quite a few species that were new for Laura and Nikki including Gambel's Quail, Anna's and Costa's Hummingbirds, Verdin, Rock Wren and Cactus Wren.

Rock Wren - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

We found a few Rodent-Like Creatures (RLCs) including Harris's Antelope-Squirrel and Rock Squirrel, two staples of this rocky desert habitat.

Harris's Antelope-Squirrel - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

Rock Squirrel - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

I particularly liked this photo of a Harris's Antelope-Squirrel, midway through "fertilizing" a California Barrel Cactus.

Harris's Antelope-Squirrel - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

Insects were few and far between, not a surprise given the aridity of the park and the limited vegetation. I photographed this Red Saddlebags early on. This dragonfly can travel large distances and is regularly observed far from any water source.

Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

The sun began to creep over the hills as we entered a dry wash. Our first (and only) Green-tailed Towhee of the trip skulked deep within a mesquite bush.

Hiking in the dry wash - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

The first herps of the trips materialized in this wash and we easily found Desert Spiny Lizard, Ornate Tree Lizard and Common Side-blotched Lizard. The Desert Spiny Lizard was a new one for me.

Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

Common Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

With the correct background, this Ornate Tree Lizard was almost invisible.

Ornate Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

Next, Dan discovered an amazing Regal Horned Lizard, one of my top lizard targets for the trip. Known colloquially as "horny toads", these fascinating lizards appear to be armour-plated. I found a second one later in the morning as well.

Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma solare) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

Unlike most desert-dwelling lizards, horned lizards are rather slow moving and quite catchable, both to predators and excited herpers. However, they counteract this perceived vulnerability with a unique defence mechanism: they have the ability to shoot blood out of their eyes directly at the threat!

Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma solare) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

We mostly left this one alone and never observed this defence mechanism in action. After a quick photoshoot in the morning sun, we continued along.

Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma solare) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

We exited the dry wash and climbed up to a ridge line, hoping to locate some Common Chuckwallas up here. My persistent scanning paid off with a distant Chuck perched up on some rocks, while a few minutes later, Dan discovered one that quickly wedged itself deep into a rock crevice. These were the only ones we would see on the trip.

Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

During the slower periods between bird or lizard sightings, Dan and I photographed some of the desert flora. It was exciting as nearly everything was new. Here are a few of the diverse cacti.

Engelmann's Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

Teddybear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

Graham's Nipple Cactus (Cochemiea grahamii) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

California Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

At one point, Laura stepped on a boulder and the telltale buzz of a rattlesnake responded from somewhere deep within! Given the location, Speckled Rattlesnake would be the most likely culprit. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, it remained hidden. Frustrating.

South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

By 8:30 AM the sun was already scorching the landscape and we slowly meandered back to the vehicle. But we wouldn't get skunked on snakes. Right at the end of the hike Laura spotted this gorgeous Western Patch-nosed Snake resting in the shade. A new species for everyone!

Western Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora hexalepis) - South Mountain Park, Pima County, Arizona

By 9:30 we were on the road. We had a long drive ahead of us, taking the long way to Sierra Vista and our accommodations in the Miller Canyon by driving south to Nogales and northeast through Patagonia. We planned it this way so that we could have a brief pitstop at the Santa Rita Lodge hummingbird feeders in Madera Canyon, as well as a search for Five-striped Sparrows (which Laura, Nikki and Dan hadn't seen before) in Montosa Canyon.

We broke up the drive by stopping for lunch at the Sweetwater Wetlands outside of Tuscon. This is an oasis in a dry desert environment, and many birds, insects and herps reside here.

Round-tailed Ground Squirrel (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus) - Sweetwater Wetlands, Tuscon, Pima County, Arizona

We easily found some Round-tailed Ground-Squirrels as we enjoyed our turkey, salami and cheese sandwiches. Dan and I wolfed our food down quickly as there were many butterflies on the wing and we didn't want to waste any time!

Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) - Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona

Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus) - Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona

Several of these were familiar to us from back home in Ontario, such as Orange Sulphur, Fiery Skipper and American Snout. Others, such as this beautiful Empress Leilia, were new.

Empress Leilia (Asterocampa leilia) - Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona

The dragonfly show here was most impressive. Hundreds of Blue Dashers populated the bulrushes around the wetland areas, while many other species spanning the colours of the rainbow were also present.

Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) - Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona

Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata) - Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona

Blue-eyed Darner (Rhionaeshna multicolor) - Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona

Mexican Amberwing (Perithemis intensa) - Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona

Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) - Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona

We kept an eye out for the somewhat tame Bobcats that are sometimes photographed here, but to no avail. Despite the mid-day heat we were able to turn up some nice bird species, including Lazuli Bunting, Black Phoebe, Abert's Towhee and Rufous Hummingbird. The Rufous Hummingbird was enjoying a bath in the creek flowing through the area.

Rufous Hummingbird - Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona

We also found our only Zebra-tailed Lizard of the trip. Though not a particularly rare species, it was a new one for everyone other than Dan.

Zebra-tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides) - Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona

We retreated to the air-conditioned environs of our Rav4 and continued southeast to Madera Canyon. In an ideal world we would have a couple of nights based in this area, as the birding and herping can be spectacular. Unfortunately, the length of our trip meant that this was not a possibility. A quick stake-out of the famous hummingbird feeders at the Santa Rita lodge would be the extent of our explorations here.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird - Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Canyon, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

The hummingbird show was excellent as usual for the time of year and we tallied seven species. Along with regular species like Rivoli's Hummingbird, Broad-billed Hummingbird and Anna's Hummingbird, we also saw the continuing Berylline Hummingbird, a Mexican species that occasionally crosses the border into southeastern Arizona. It disappeared before I could photograph it, though.

Black-chinned Hummingbird - Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Canyon, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

The omnipresent Mexican Jays were fun to observe; they were a lifer for Laura. We waited for a few minutes to see if any interesting songbirds would patronize the feeders; a Painted Redstart utilizing the bird bath was the best we could manage.

Mexican Jay - Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Canyon, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

White-breasted Nuthatch - Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Canyon, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

The canyon to the south of Madera is called Montosa Canyon and it has hosted numerous pairs of nesting Five-striped Sparrows in recent years. This was one of Dan's potential life birds, and it would be new for Laura and Nikki as well. Along the drive we saw a Gopher Snake cross the road, but it vanished into thin air as soon as we jumped out of the car in an attempt to apprehend it. Our third snake species of the trip.

Geronimo Forester (Alypiodes geronimo) - Montosa Canyon, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Despite the lack of birdsong in the early afternoon heat we managed to kick up a singing male Five-striped Sparrow at the famous spot just past the Fred Whipple Observatory. We were treated to walk-away views of this range-restricted species from only a few metres away.

Five-striped Sparrow - Montosa Canyon, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

I was hoping to photograph a Varied Bunting here as I had only seen this species once before - brief views of a female during a previous Mexico trip. Laura came through and spotted a singing male, though it refused to leave the dense tangles and my photographs are so bad that they barely even count as record shots. Still, it was nice to observe this beautiful bunting; one day I hope to have a proper photoshoot.

Varied Bunting - Montosa Canyon, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Dan and I had a hard time pulling ourselves away from the abundant butterflies here as we had a lot of ground still to cover.

Arizona Checkerspot (Texola perse) - Montosa Canyon, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Next up on the itinerary was a famous Patagonia rest stop along the main road. Located in a canyon next to a flowing river, the tall trees here have attracted a number of rare species over the years including Rose-throated Becard, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Yellow Grosbeak, Rufous-capped Warbler and more.

Golden-headed Scallopwing (Staphylus ceos) - Patagonia rest stop, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Our mid-afternoon arrival combined with extremely loud and consistent cicada song meant that birding would be hopeless here. Dan and I focused on the butterflies, of which several were new to us.

Orange Skipperling (Copaeodes aurantiaca) - Patagonia rest stop, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Nysa Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes nysa) - Patagonia rest stop, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Palmer's Metalmark (Apodemia palmerii) - Patagonia rest stop, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Common Streaky-Skipper (Celotes nessus) - Patagonia rest stop, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Laura is always on the look out for snakes, and this has paid off time and time again when I have been distracted by birds or insects. She came through yet again, this time finding a Sonoran Whipsnake basking in a shrub just above eye level. Another new species for all of us!

Sonoran Whipsnake (Masticophis bilineatus) - Patagonia rest stop, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Here are a few more insects from the Patagonia rest stop. A productive visit!

Sonoran Bumble Bee (Bombus sonorus) - Patagonia rest stop, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Unidentified moth - Patagonia rest stop, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Marine Blue (Leptotes marina) - Patagonia rest stop, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Plains Lubber Grasshopper (Brachystola magna) - Patagonia rest stop, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Ambrosia Leaf Beetle (Calligrapha tortuosa) - Patagonia rest stop, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

As we drove through the town of Sonoita we spotted several Pronghorn in the fields and pulled over for a quick photoshoot.

Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) - Sonoita, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Though often called Pronghorn Antelope, this species isn't closely related to the antelopes of the Old World. They are actually the only living member of the family Antilocapridae, which used to include a number of species throughout the Americas. Their closest living relatives are the giraffes and Okapi of Africa.

Pronghorns (Antilocapra americana) - Sonoita, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Pronghorns are the fastest land animal in the Americas, reaching speeds of 90 km/h over short distances. Though the Cheetah of Africa is the fastest land animal in the world, the Pronghorn can maintain a higher speed over long distances.

Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) - Sonoita, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

We continued on to Sierra Vista and dined at a delicious Mexican restaurant that Nikki had scouted out ahead of time. It did not disappoint; we highly recommend Guadalajara Street Tacos and Hotdogs. As good as any tacos we have had in Mexico.

As the sun set we finished the drive to our accommodations in the Miller Canyon: Beatty's Guest Ranch. We spotted a couple of Common Poorwills on the road - a new sighting for everyone, though I had heard several of them on a previous Arizona trip. By the time we reached Beatty's it was well after dark and the stars were incredible. Our check-in went smoothly and I quickly went to work setting up my LepiLED light to attract moths and other insects.

Cirrhophanus dyari - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

Glowworm Beetle (Phengodes sp.) - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

We considered going for an evening road-cruise in search of snakes. However, we were all pretty tired from the lack of sleep the night before and the long drive, and so we decided to save our bullets so that we would have energy for the subsequent days. Laura and Nikki enjoyed an early bedtime while Dan and I had a couple of beers and watched the insect show at the light, while listening to a Whiskered Screech-Owl tooting away.

Chrysoecia atrolinea - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

Eucaterva variaria - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

Spotted Cucumber Beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

I had never mothed in the American southwest and wasn't quite sure what to expect. However, hopes were high since we had seen quite a few butterflies and moths during our various stops throughout the day. Despite the cool temperatures, I expected to see some interesting ones at the sheet.

Spiderling Plume Moth (Megalorhipida leucodactylus) - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

Spragueia funeralis - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

Arcobara multilineata - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

And it was amazing! Though the moderate wind made photographing them all a challenge, we found a high diversity of species. Nearly every single one was new for us - a nice change from mothing in Ontario, where I am lucky to see one or two new ones each night.

Gloveria gargamelle - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

Vella fallax - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

Schinia errans - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

Euchaetes antica - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata) - Miller Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona

Below are a few final photos of some of the moths and other insects. It was hard to call it and head to bed when new species kept arriving! Dan and I finally pulled the plug around 10:15 PM. It had been a very full day, but extremely productive.