As mentioned in my column last week, this week is the 9th Annual Hummingbird Festival at the Performing Arts Center in Sedona, at the Sedona Red Rock High School. We will be attending as a vendor with a wide assortment of hummingbird products. We will also have Swarovski and Vortex binoculars, spotting scopes, and optics accessories for sale.
While Sedona is not the “Hummingbird Capitol” of the United States (or even of Arizona for that matter), the International Hummingbird Society is headquartered in Sedona. Next week, however, I will be heading down to THE hummingbird capitol—not only for the United States, but for Arizona as well.
Next week is the Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival in Sierra Vista. If you are not familiar with this part of the state, Sierra Vista is nestled up against the Huachuca Mountains. The southern terminus of the Huachucas is our shared border with Mexico, and the mountain runs north for probably twenty miles.
There are a series of canyons draining the eastern slopes of the Huachucas that are world-famous for birding. Places like Ramsey Canyon, which is under the stewardship of the Nature Conservancy, as well as Sawmill Canyon, Garden Canyon, Huachuca Canyon, Miller Canyon, Carr Canyon, Brown Canyon and Ash Canyon.
The Huachucas are one of several Sky Island Mountain ranges dominating the landscape of southeastern Arizona. The highest point, Miller Peak, is 9,466 feet in elevation—over 4,500 feet above the sea of desert surrounding the Huachucas. The Sky Island mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona are known nationally for the diverse bird life found there.
In addition to hosting eighteen species of hummingbirds, the Huachucas are famous for the elegant trogon, a species more commonly found in Mexico, but the northern most extension of its range spills over into the mountains of southeastern Arizona.
This week I was excited to discover two new visitors to my yard—a rufous hummingbird and a Costa’s hummingbird. I have four hummingbird species in my yard right now, with black-chinned and Anna’s rounding out the list.
However, if you want to see an amazing variety of hummingbirds, you’ll want to head down to Sierra Vista. Some of the rarer species seem to prefer specific canyons. For example, the Lucifer’s hummingbird is most frequently observed at a pay yard in Ash Canyon—more specifically at the Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary.
The white-eared hummingbird is typically seen in Miller Canyon—specifically at a private residence (the Beatty’s) at the end of Miller Canyon Road. This is also a pay yard.
Not familiar with pay yards? If you have a piece of property that is really birdy, you either charge a fee or request a donation, and allow people to come onto your property to bird watch. Pay yards can be either private property or property owned and managed by an organization. Pay yards are well worth the minor charge, typically five dollars.
The Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary has between 30-40 feeders, including nectar feeders, jelly feeders, suet feeders and seed feeders. They also provide numerous water features. Sitting in the viewing area for an hour or two can easily result in upwards of forty to fifty species depending on the time of year.
I have to admit, I kind of covet those who own pay yards. I think it would be amazing to have a yard that is so birdy that people come from all over the United States just to sit in your yard to watch the birds. How cool is that? Maybe in my retirement! In the meantime, I’ll just keep peddling bird seed and binoculars, and talk about birds all day to folks visiting my store.
Until next week, Happy Birding!
Eric Moore is the owner of The Lookout, in Prescott, where you will find a Hallmark Gold Crown Store, wild bird products, and Vortex and Swarovski optics. Eric has been an avid birder for over 55 years. Eric can be contacted at eric@thelookoutaz.com.
