Birding Mount Lemmon

One of the many things I discovered on this trip was that getting lost is sometimes a good thing.

When I headed out to Mount Lemmon on the third day of the trip I made a wrong turn at the foot of the mountain. I think I can be forgiven for thinking that Mt. Lemmon Short Road was the way up the mountain. After almost three miles and some good birds, I realized I was on the wrong road and turned around, but I got my first Phainopepla on this little diversion -- not a bad thing, getting lost and I got this iconic shot...

I was finally headed in the right direction (up the mountain) and stopped frequently in the pullouts along the way. It is a lovely windy road to meander up, unfortunately there are lots of motorcycles and sports cars that clearly just want to exercise their automotive power and they are LOUD! There are lots of pullouts and I refused to be pushed up (or down) the hill.

Stopped at Soldier Canyon where I had my first Ash-throated Flycatcher & Babad Do'ag Vista which yielded a Rock Wren & a Scott's Oriole but no good photos.

Molino Basin was the first stop of substance on the drive these were all from the Campground parking lot.

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Brown-crested Flycatcher

Cooper's Hawk

It's important to have a federal parks pass on Mt. Lemmon, but I still had to pay a fee @$10 to access the campground at Rose Canyon. Don't really understand all the nuances of this process -- I have a Golden Ager Pass that worked everywhere except this one campground. Rose Canyon is a lovely area full of Ponderosa Pines & birds. Well worth ten dollars to explore -- all from the car.

Acorn Woodpecker storage unit...

Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler (we only have Myrtle - with a white neck - in RI)

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

White-breasted Nuthatch

Abert's Squirrel

I stopped twice at the Palisade Visitors Center, there is a ramp to the feeder area and lots of places to sit there are close enough to see but far enough not to disturb the birds. Well some of the areas at one point I shifted to a seat that was in the shade but closer to a particular Hummingbird feeder that a Rivoli's Hummingbird was defending -- it literally buzzed my ear and I went back into the sun. These photos are from both session -- when I went up and came back down.

Rivoli's Hummingbird -- the largest in Arizona and quite the bully except with the Blue-throated Mountain Gem.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Blue-throated Mountain Gem - two local birders were hanging around hoping to see this bird. They left and 5 minutes later it showed up. I felt bad to not share it with them, but elated because this is a rare sight.

Cliff Chipmunk

Western Bluebird

White-breasted Nuthatch

Yellow-eyed Junco

House Wren

Blurry Grace's Warbler

Pygmy Nuthatch

Red-faced Warbler - Very Cooperative

Next stop was Ski-Valley where is a ski resort (the lift was still running) and there was snow on the ground.

I had a quick lunch at the Iron Door -- normally their Hummingbird feeders would have been a buzz, but they were late returning this year.

There were some birds at this level and they visited me as I braved the wind on the deck that had the best view of the feeders.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Rivoli's Hummingbird

Steller's Jay

Birch Tree

There were not a lot of birds further up the mountain -- it was very windy (the start of a trend). There had been a fire there a few years ago

The view from the top...

After I went down the mountain I returned to the hotel to relax before the next morning's very early departure. Mt Lemmon is almost completely birdable by car.

A blooming cactus on the way home.

Hotel House Finch that might have an issue -- looks like a growth on the bill.

Packed and in bed early after a quick review and post of photos on Facebook. Off to Portal tomorrow.