barbaraq: Blue Goose ~ Day 307

March 30, 2015 ~ Lordsburg, NM to Sierra Vista, AZ

Surprise...I forgot to get gas until we were 15 miles down the road. So with a little help from our friends the smart phones, we figured we could probably make it to San Simeon, especially if I drove at a turtle's pace (55 mph). The other option was to return to Lordsburg which neither of us wanted to do...no going back if we could avoid it.

And of course, we made it. One of the advantages of being the unexpected driver was that DHC filled the tank every stop we stopped, a luxury for me. And, ultimately, this gas stop worked out well as we then took back roads to Portal...back roads meaning unpaved, deeply rutted at times, over a small mountain, with occasional sharp rocks poking through the road bed, over the ubiquitous "dips" which are all over the southwest and are channels for flash floods, but which were usually bone-dry this time of year.

DHC on the road to Paradise, AZ

The rainy (monsoon) season is summer. We did, once or twice though, drive through a few inches of water in these dippy places. It was beautiful and wild. We thought we were headed to Paradise, but bypassed it, or maybe went through it; sometimes it's hard to tell with the tiny villages. Not far down the road was Cave Creek Ranch, a few miles south of another small town - Portal, AZ. It was wonderful with dozens of feeders, a peaceful, quiet and lovely place in the stunning venue of the eastern Chiricahuas.

Cave Creek Ranch - Portal, AZ

One could wander about the property or sit and watch birds come and go: Blue-throated, Broad-billed, Magnificent and Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Acorn and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Canyon, Cactus and Bewick's Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Abert's Towhee, Lesser Goldfinch, Bridled Titmice and more. A fly-over Sharp-shinned scattered the birds, resulting in perfect silence for about 30 seconds. And again, DHC met a gentleman from Indianapolis, here for the birding with his wife and brother. He was a neurologist and offered some insights into childhood psychology / neurology / diagnosing issues.

Magnificent Hummingbird - Cave Creek Canyon - AZ

We ate at the Portal store, discovering a day later that a Rufous-backed Robin hung out in the parking lot here. We would likely have seen it from the window next to our table had we known. Shucks.....

This was a small but well-stocked general store where DHC found Visine for me. For some reason, my eyes had been burning, but I washed them out with clear water and the discomfort slowly cleared. The food here was extraordinarily good, offsetting the somewhat flat affect of the woman at the cash register.

After driving to Douglas on the border, we turned northwest and stopped in the unique town of Bisbee, built around an immense open pit mine of red-ravaged earth created by extracting copper. Mining fortunes waxed and mostly waned, but the town emerged as a venue for "artists and hippies," and tourists now visit by the thousands. Old Bisbee is built on steep hills reminiscent of San Francisco, but is 1000 times smaller. Narrow stairs lead from the lower street to those above. There are shops and galleries and antique emporiums, along with the century-old Copper Queen Hotel (haunted by a prostitute, it is said) and places to eat ice-cream or dinner, have coffee or just sit in the sun with a glass of wine or beer. It's ramshackly and counterculture, appealing and quaint.

We drove west a few miles and then turned due north to another famous birding venue: Mary Jo Ballator's place in Ash Creek Canyon. There are several canyons running east from the Huachuca Mountains, and Ash Canyon is one of the six or eight in the area of Sierra Vista, all prime birding places as the habitat changes with altitude, attracting a grand variety of birds. The broad valley here, between the Chiricahua and Huachuca Mountains, is the San Pedro River Valley 57,000 acres of which are designated as a Riparian National Conservation Area.

I had stopped at Ash Canyon earlier this year and had chatted an hour with Mary Jo on her patio. That day was chilly and overcast but still with many birds coming to her feeders. I was the only visitor and I remember her Gray African Parrot well, but just now read that he unexpectedly died on 02/28/2015 (or perhaps she had two parrots?). Whatever, of course, this was hugely sad for her. Even from our brief encounter, I knew she was a singular person, making her way in this exquisite canyon by creating a birding haven, open from "dawn to dusk" everyday except Wednesdays when she opens at noon. Again, there were comfortable chairs with dozens of feeders and small paths and gardens, all in a magnificently scenic tucked-away spot. Mary Jo also has a casita next to her home, which she runs as a Bed and Breakfast for birders. This is my favorite birding place of this sort in southeast Arizona. Her home faces west over a smaller side canyon to the mountains in the near distance.

We watched Rufous and Broad-billed Hummingbirds fly in and out and sat quietly in the last light, reveling in the ambiance. Mary Jo was not outside, so DHC did not meet her. Scott's Orioles showed up, along with most of the birds we saw at Cave Creek earlier.

As we left, I pulled over just out of Mary Jo's driveway to book a motel in Sierra Vista, whereupon Deborah got out her binoculars and spotted a Gray Hawk sitting on a telephone pole! This was a life bird for both of us, and my second of the day. (Blue-throated Hummingbird was the first.) For her, it was probably the 10th or 12th.

Gray Hawk - Ash Canyon, AZ

We got a good deal on Priceline in a comfortable non-chain motel but first went to Olive Garden for dinner, which (if available) easily becomes a first choice on these birding trips, if only for the fresh salad. Since we both also like pasta, it's an easy decision.

At the end of the long days, we would check in to a motel and immediately download the photos of the day and do a show-and-tell while bringing our notes up-to-date.