September 4, 2024
Our day began with coffee and breakfast on the deck, watching the bird feeders hum with activity. It was, sadly, our final morning in this region and we packed up and headed out. It would have been nice to have an extra night or two here, though you could say that about any location we visited on this trip.
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| Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) - Portal area, Cochise County, Arizona |
White the day was still young and the temperatures cool, we wanted to dry our hand at finding a few remaining desert specialty birds just over the border in New Mexico. We parked on the roadside and set out on foot across the desert.
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| Desert birding - Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
Cassin's Sparrows are regularly found in this area but we were unsuccessful. The time of year must be a factor, as the males have concluded displaying in the previous few weeks. We were able to find a few roving bands of sparrows that included Chipping, Black-throated, Lark and Clay-colored.
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| Clay-colored Sparrow - Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
A couple of Loggerhead Shrikes were patrolling the desert. Their presence undoubtedly kept the sparrows low and out of sight in a bid to live another day.
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| Loggerhead Shrike - Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
The sun had risen to our right but our shadows were still long at this early hour.
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| Laura and I - Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
Some distinctive croaking from off in the distance originated from Chihuahuan Ravens. A group of six of them flew past but they were a little bit too far for photos. It was nice to finally connect with this species after seeing Common Ravens pretty much everywhere else on this trip. A proper up-close view would have to wait for a future trip.
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| Chihuahuan Ravens - Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
Cutting our losses here, we backtracked to the vehicle and drove south to a different road popular with birders called Gin Road. Almost immediately, we noticed this Great Horned Owl catching some morning rays from its perch inside a barn.
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| Great Horned Owl - Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
Our brief birding foray along Gin Road was productive even though the Cassin's Sparrows remained unaccounted for. We found a cooperative pair of Pyrrhuloxias, a lifer for Laura.
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| Pyrrhuloxia - Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
A migrant Gray Flycatcher pumped its tail from a mesquite bush, which was a new species for both Dan and Laura. And finally, a pair of Crissal Thrashers were in the area. Eventually, one popped up into the open and sang away. Though we had heard this species from our Airbnb, this was the first sighting for the trip (and another lifer for Laura!).
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| Crissal Thrasher - Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
The day was warming quickly and bird activity was already dropping off. It was time to head westward through the town of Portal and into the Chiricahua Mountains. We had plans to spend the rest of the morning hiking along Cave Creek Canyon.
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| Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
Cave Creek Canyon is absolutely stunning. Ruddy cliff faces rise up above the canyon where a crystal-clear river flows through the oak and pine filled valley. This area is home to Elegant Trogons, several species of rattlesnake and much more.
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| Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
We couldn't have asked for a better day - sunny and clear, but comfortable temperatures in the shade of the pines. Most of our time was spent looking for snakes, though we weren't successful early on. Still, the birding was good and species included Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Bushtit, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Black-throated Gray Warbler and far too many Acorn Woodpeckers. We never bumped into an Elegant Trogon, though.
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| Mexican Jay - Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
By late morning we found ourselves at a deep pool in the creek, so Nikki went for a dip while the rest of us rested or kept searching for snakes.
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| Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
The return hike was better from a reptile perspective as the sun caressed the bottom of the canyon with greater consistency. Dan spotted a Sonoran Whipsnake and Arizona Alligator Lizard but they escaped before he could manage much more than a fleeting glimpse of both. Lizard activity was much higher and we noted several whiptails and spiny lizards.
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Desert Grassland Whiptail (Aspidoscelis uniparens) - Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona
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Mushrooms, ferns and flowers were well-represented along the trail, providing numerous photographic opportunities.
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| Firecrackerbush (Bouvardia ternifolia) - Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Amanita sp. - Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Black-stemmed Spleenwort (Asplenium resiliens) - Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
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| Southern Jack-O'Lantern (Omphalotus subilludens) - Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
We noticed a couple of Mexican Fox Squirrels along the hike, a species that I had never seen before. The subspecies found in these mountains is called the Chiricahuan Fox Squirrel.
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| Chiricahuan Fox Squirrel (Sciurus nayaritensis chiricahuae) - Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
Dragonflies and damselflies weren't as abundant here compared to Miller Canyon but we still saw a few new species.
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| Tonto Dancer (Argia tonto) - Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
We returned to the vehicle where ice-cold drinks and snacks were waiting for us. Not wanting to waste any time, Dan headed off to poke around for snakes for a bit. We heard shouting after just a few minutes - he had come through with a gorgeous Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake crawling near to the creek bed!
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| Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) - Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
This would be our final encounter with this incredible rattlesnake species on our trip. What a beautiful snake...
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| Western Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) - Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona |
It was time to begin the long drive back to Phoenix. We had scouted out a good location to try road-cruising for snakes about an hour outside of Phoenix. Given how long the drive would take, we would have an extra hour or so for a birding spot along the way, plus some time to find a taco stand for dinner. For the birding site, we settled on Lake Cochise near Willcox, a place loaded with waterfowl and shorebirds. Nikki did some research and found a highly-rated taco truck near Red Rock. We were sorted.
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| American Avocets - Lake Cochise, Willcox, Cochise County, Arizona |
Lake Cochise was extremely birdy and American Avocets, Wilson's Phalaropes and Black-necked Stilts stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a blazing hot afternoon and so we opened the trunk so that we could stand in the shade that it created. We quickly found both of my target species, as they were lifers for Laura - Long-billed Dowitcher and Long-billed Curlew.
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| Long-billed Curlew (left) - Lake Cochise, Willcox, Cochise County, Arizona |
We tallied 14 species of shorebirds including Red-necked Phalarope, Stilt Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper. The ducks were in their cryptic "eclipse" plumages, complicating their identification; we noted four species.
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| Various ducks and shorebirds - Lake Cochise, Willcox, Cochise County, Arizona |
I kept tabs on the lizards in hopes of finding my first Little Striped Whiptail and we quickly turned one up.
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| Little Striped Whiptail (Aspidoscelis inornatus) - Lake Cochise, Willcox, Cochise County, Arizona |
Dan and I also photographed this Ocellated Tiger Beetle (Cicindela ocellata) on the hot sand beside the lake.
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| Ocellated Tiger Beetle (Cicindela ocellata) - Lake Cochise, Willcox, Cochise County, Arizona |
The taco stand in Red Rock was everything we could have asked for and more. By sunset, we turned off the highway onto the blacktop road where Sidewinder Rattlesnakes are supposed to be common. Game on.
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| Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) - Pinal County, Arizona |
The temperatures were hot and we were sure that road-cruising would be productive. Our first snake of the night appeared - a young Western Diamondback. A few minutes later we came across two more crossing the road in the same area. Then a bit later, there was another one.
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| Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) - Pinal County, Arizona |
We stopped each time to confirm the identification and dutifully move each snake off the road. Every single one was a neonate Western Diamondback that was likely only a few weeks old, at most.
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| Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) - Pinal County, Arizona |
Don't get me wrong - I love Western Diamondbacks and will never tire of them. But after the 8th neonate, we were hoping for something else. The next snake really got the blood pumping as it was a full-grown adult Western Diamondback, pushing 5 or 6 feet in length. It wasn't too pleased to be evicted from the road.
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| Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) - Pinal County, Arizona |
Things had started to change for the better. The next snake on the road had a very distinctive shape, and I was sure it was a Sidewinder before the car had even stopped. It was!
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| Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) - Pinal County, Arizona |
Sidewinders are unique little rattlesnakes that live in the sandy deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Like other sand-dwelling serpents, they utilize a unique method of locomotion where they scoot sideways over the sand by throwing J-shaped loops of their coils. They can even climb a slope of loose sand without it slipping underneath them.
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| Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) - Pinal County, Arizona |
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| Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) - Pinal County, Arizona |
With an approaching truck coming down the road, we encouraged the snake to shuffle off the road and into the safety of the desert. We took a few more photos before bidding farewell.
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| Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) - Pinal County, Arizona |
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| Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) - Pinal County, Arizona |
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| Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) - Pinal County, Arizona |
The excitement was far from over. Just ten minutes later we saw another interesting snake appear in the headlights. This time, it was one we weren't really expecting here: a Tiger Rattlesnake!
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| Tiger Rattlesnake (Crotalus tigris) - Pinal County, Arizona |
This species has the smallest head proportionally to the body out of any rattlesnake species. It also has some of the most toxic venom out of any rattlesnake.
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| Tiger Rattlesnake (Crotalus tigris) - Pinal County, Arizona |
Tiger Rattlesnakes are not regularly reported along this road so we felt exceptionally lucky. What a gorgeous animal.
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| Tiger Rattlesnake (Crotalus tigris) - Pinal County, Arizona |
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| Tiger Rattlesnake (Crotalus tigris) - Pinal County, Arizona |
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| Tiger Rattlesnake (Crotalus tigris) - Pinal County, Arizona |
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| Tiger Rattlesnake (Crotalus tigris) - Pinal County, Arizona |
Our final snake of the night was another Sidewinder.
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| Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) - Pinal County, Arizona |
Though it would have been nice to keep cruising for a few more hours, we still had almost an hour's drive to our hotel in Phoenix with yet another early alarm scheduled for the morning. Still, our final tally for the evening was excellent: 9 Western Diamondbacks, 2 Sidewinders and a Tiger!
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| Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) - Pinal County, Arizona |
September 5, 2024
Our flight left in the late morning, meaning that we had until around 8:30 AM to hike until we needed to return to the airport. We considered the possibilities but, in the end, we decided to return to South Mountain Park. Speckled Rattlesnakes are regularly reported here and so that was our goal for the morning.
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| Sunrise at South Mountain Park, Pina County, Arizona |
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| South Mountain Park, Pina County, Arizona |
As it was a weekday, there were considerably fewer people here than our first visit at the start of the trip. We wandered along ridge lines and through rocky washes in search of our quarry.
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| View over Phoenix - South Mountain Park, Pina County, Arizona |
Unfortunately, our rattlesnake luck had finally run out and we couldn't turn one up. At this time of the year, Speckled Rattlesnakes are mostly nocturnal and hiking desert washes at night would be a much more productive strategy. Still, we enjoyed our final hike (despite the heat) and turned up some interesting birds including Laura's and Nikki's first Gilded Flickers. We also found a variety of lizard species including another Regal Horned Lizard.
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| Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma solare) - South Mountain Park, Pina County, Arizona |
Our last bird here was a relatively tame Greater Roadrunner in the parking lot.
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| Greater Roadrunner - South Mountain Park, Pina County, Arizona |
And with that, the trip had come to a close. Everything at the aiport went smoothly without any issues, and by that evening we were back in Ontario, enjoying a delicious dinner that Garth and Nancy (Dan's parents) had made for us (thanks guys!).
All in all it was a very successful trip, despite the relative brevity of it. We will definitely be back...
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