Before coming to Portal for the birds, I researched the best places to see them. One book mentioned a walk down Portal’s Main Street as a good birding opportunity. I was surprised when we arrived to find that Portal’s Main Street is far from looking “Main.” It is just a short narrow road with about four businesses and several residences. Portal is tiny with one cafe/lodge, a doctor’s office, post office and library. We dropped in to the post office and met the postmistress who reported that she has worked there for 40 years and wants to retire, but is afraid they will close the building once she leaves as there is no one to take over.
Although in a remote area, Portal’s cafe and lodge is bustling with visitors and seems to be the heart of the town. This is a popular area for birders who come to see the hummingbirds and many other birds that flock to the Chiricahua Mountains with Portal situated at their base. Some of the town’s residents have opened their yards to birders and diligently keep feeders stocked. Some yards attract certain kinds of birds and word gets around among the birders where to go see them. When we asked several visitors where we could find a Crissal Thrasher, we were told Bob’s yard would be the best opportunity. Although we visited twice, we never saw one, but we did see many other birds like the Gambel’s Quail below.
Ms. Johnson’s yard in the photo below has a welcoming gate for birders and chairs arranged in different parts of the yard for viewing. She came out and sat with us for awhile, pointing out some of the birds we saw. Some yards have donation boxes to offset the cost of seed but she didn’t have one and refused to take a donation.
On one fun day of birding we visited three different yards including Dave Jasper’s pictured below. Cave Creek Lodge was another great spot and the perfect vacation lodge for birders. It has a beautiful location under rocky cliffs and plenty of places around the property to see the birds at feeders.
The Chiricahua Mountains are grand and mysterious with their rocky cliffs and spires. Although we had hoped to visit Chiricahua National Monument as well, since it was a bit of a drive over a horrible road and we were enjoying so much birding, we decided to spend our time in the Portal area. Besides, we were experiencing some of the same beautiful scenery here. I took the photos below after walking a short trail to a viewpoint.
Mark and I got tips from two different people that we must go and see the Whiskered Screech Owl. The first tip was from a birding guide who told us where to stop on the road when we saw two large sycamore branches hanging over. We drove to the spot and diligently searched but no luck. The next day when I visited a small visitor center and asked the volunteer if there were any birding hot spots, he said that we should definitely check out the Whiskered screech owl and gave very detailed directions on how to find it reporting it had just been sighted that day. Ever persistent, we drove back to the road and followed his directions. After a great deal of searching where two other birders saw us on the side of the road and joined in, we gave it up. I wanted to see this new “life” bird but the Whiskered screech owl would have to remain for another place and time. (Just like Mark’s official Chiricahua National Monument stamp).
We visited the Southwestern Research Station, a biological field station where scientists, naturalists, teachers and students come to study the plants, animals and birds of the region. This is a diverse environment from low deserts to alpine meadows, home to many different species. The Station is affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. While there, we talked to a group from the Bronx – high school students doing field projects. One of their leaders showed us photos of the owl banding they had done the previous night. We spent quite a bit of time at the hummingbird feeders which were buzzing with activity. We were able to see about seven different species, including the largest hummingbird found in the United States – Blue-throated and the second largest – Magnificent (Rivoli).
We really enjoyed our brief visit in the “town” of Portal and the Chiricahua Mountains area. In the next post I will be exploring one of my favorite national monuments! (And for those that might be getting tired of bird posts and photos, there will be no birds mentioned – smiley face).
Nesting specialties such as trogons, warblers, and most hummingbirds and flycatchers are usually present by mid-April. Owling is usually most productive from late March through May, before family responsibilities distract the birds from vocally advertising their territories.
Hotspots are public birding locations created by eBird users. Hotspots allow multiple birders to enter data into the same shared location, creating aggregated results available through eBird's “Explore” tools. Hotspots help land trusts build capacity in outreach and data collection through the birding community.
The forested slopes serve up accommodations for species as diverse as the Western Screech-Owl, the Virginia Warbler, Scott's Oriole, the Hairy Woodpecker, the Sulpher-bellied Flycatcher, the Zone-tailed Hawk, the Pygmy Nuthatch and the Greater Pewee.
Arizona. Arizona is our top birding destination of choice for two reasons. The first is due to it's high species diversity (up to 250 species). The second is due to number (over 100) of small ranged bird species that exist in the area.
The best birding is often between dawn and 11am, when birds are most active. This is particularly the case in the spring and early summer, when birds sing in the early morning. (On cloudy days, birds sometimes remain active, and singing, longer.)
The birdwatcher knows how to relish in the truly mysterious aspect of watching nature and letting the scene unfold in front of them. Birders, on the other hand, are slightly more obsessed versions of birdwatchers. The birder is actively, sometimes even compulsively, pursuing birds; they are in it for the chase.
A hotspot is created using an access point device, but in normal use, a hotspot and an access point can mean the same. An access point is usually connected to a gateway or router, that is connected to the Internet. Hotspots are less secure than private wifi because they are commonly used in public places.
When the location you want to suggest as a Hotspot is found, tap or click its name. On the "Manage location" page, click the "Suggest as Hotspot" link below the location coordinates. Click "Yes" to confirm your submission.
The quaint little community is known for its proximity to the outdoors, birding, wildlife, and epic night time skies. In fact many of the homes have their own telescope domes. Portal, Arizona sits at the entrance to Cave Creek Canyon as the eastern portal or gateway to the Chiricahuas.
Arizona's state bird, the cactus wren (campylorhynchus brunneicapillus), is brown with a speckled chest. If you look close you can see white lines over each eye. They grow to be about 7 to 8 inches in long, a little bit bigger than a new pencil.
Common Poorwill, Mexican Whip-poor-will, Common and Lesser Nighthawk, and Buff-collared Nightjar are all to be found in the deserts and mountains of Southeastern Arizona. Common Poorwill, Lesser and Common Nighthawks can all frequently be seen within a few minutes in several areas.
Avid bird watchers are often called twitchers. Learn more about twitching, and if it is something you want to get involved in in our expert twitching guide.
In spring it can seem like all of the world's birds are clamouring for attention as territories are fought over and birds search for a mate, but summer can be packed full of birds eating the fruits, nuts and insects that have finally appeared after spring's growth, and winter has its own special charm by often ...
The lucky birder might catch sight of the more rare Violet-crowned, Blue-throated, Calliope, and Plain-capped Starthroat. The best time to catch sight of the most varied array of birds is during migration season in the spring.
Alamo Lake State Park. Catalina State Park. Kartchner Caverns State Park. Lake Havasu State Park. Lost Dutchman State Park. River Island State Park. Verde River Greenway State Natural Area.
California. Great Horned Owls and Ravens begin nesting in January, while Orioles and Woodpeckers can nest through August or later. Certified bird rehabbers note that hummingbirds, hawks, owls and other nests are found almost any time of year. Always check for active nests before trimming.
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