Ramsey Canyon Birding
- chezdubois
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
We planned the next part of our trip early on because Liz knew she wanted to spend a few days doing some real birding. Ramsey Canyon, in far south Arizona in the Huachuca Mountains near Mexico, is known as being a birding "hot spot." This area is unique because it's one of the few places in the US where certain species from Mexico and Central and South America can be seen,
It was just a couple hours from Chiricahua NM to Ramsey Canyon, and along the way we were able to stop by Whitewater Draw to see the Sandhill Cranes where thousands of them spend the winter. We also stopped by the old town of Bisbee and had a great meal at the Bisbee Breakfast Club.
For the next four nights we camped at the Ramsey Canyon Bird Sanctuary, which had a few RV sites as well as cabins for rent.
Click photo and arrow for slideshow
The first few hours at our campsite provided a great glimpse of what was to come. Liz was off for a quick hike around the 8 wooded acres of the property. She was quickly able see some new hummingbirds she had never seen up north in Washington! There were also many Coue's Whitetail deer and up to 50(!) wild turkeys roaming the grounds and visiting our campsite. The spectacle of the night was watching all of the turkeys fly up to roost high in the Sycamore trees after sunset. Who knew that turkeys roost in trees??? They are so big that they needed a running start to get off the ground and up to the branches, with many of them running one-by-one along a "runway" and jumping off a little ledge. Then they flapped around very clumsily and loudly before settling down. Hilarious - see the video below. 🤣
Enough about turkeys! They are not why we came here, but they proved to be very entertaining as they strutted and wandered through the campground during the four days we stayed here. Liz had the most fun using her new binoculars and Merlin to identify all the new birds she was seeing and also trying to photograph hummingbirds. It was very hard to capture them in the right light but worth the effort! Below are some of the pics organized by species - still learning so some may be incorrect. 😊
Rivoli's Hummingbird. A very big hummer! This corner of Arizona and nearby corner of New Mexico are the only places in the US where these are seen, and only during breeding season.
Broad-Billed Hummingbird. Similar to Rivoli's, this is the only place in US where these are found.
Violet-Crowned Hummingbird. Note the gorgeous orange beak and pure white chest! It's hard to see its purple crown in these photos, but it's brilliant in the right light. Lots of other birders were here just to see this species for the first time. Only seen in Ramsey Canyon and a couple other nearby canyons, but more common in Mexico.
Anna's Hummingbird. Our favorite local hummer is in Arizona too!
Here are a few more birds and animals that were seen and caught with a photograph. We saw lots of Lesser Goldfinches, Mexican Jays, Acorn Woodpeckers, Chipping Sparrows, and many more.
The other animals in the canyon were amazing also. Liz went on a long hike in the Nature Conservancy's Ramsey Canyon Preserve just down the road and saw chipmunks, squirrels and endangered toads. The Coue's deer families in our campground were adorable! Such a peaceful place to visit.
We loved our experience in this beautiful canyon, and we can't wait to have more birdwatching adventures. It was thrilling to see new species, meet other birders on their search for new species for their Life Lists, and experience the serene natural beauty of Ramsey Canyon. This stay marked our southernmost stop on this trip, and we are now turning northward on our journey home.
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