The Noble Art of Birding | Sierra Vista | Arizona

We joined up with a group of birdwatchers to find out what all the hype is about. The San Pedro river just outside Sierra Vista in Southeast Arizona is one of the hottest spots in the US for taking in some of our feathered friends. You can spot more than 350 species here, assuming you know your way around a pair of binoculars.

By Jonas Larsson | Photos by Simon Urwin

Considering how my main talent in life is stumbling on stuff, birdwatching probably isn’t my sport–having to navigate a rather uneven path with my mouth half-open, scanning the skies for birds, is not a good combination for me. Add to this the rookie mistake of walking while peering through binoculars, and anybody could figure out that things aren’t likely to end well. Once I’ve gotten my first fall out of the way, though, I’ve learned my lesson. The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area close to Sierra Vista in Southeast Arizona is commonly thought to be one of the very finest sites for birdwatching in all the USA. That’s where we are today.

“Hi there! You look Swedish!” a tall, gangly man with an inviting smile bursts out. Docent Richard Bansberg is one of two guides from the Friends of the San Pedro River who will lead this small group of enthusiastic birdwatchers on today’s hike. Simon, my traveling companion, and myself stick out like sore thumbs: having arrived somewhat unprepared, we have too little water, and aren’t wearing hats or shades. Just the kind of look a keen-eyed birder would identify as… Swedish. Simon is actually English, but you get the idea.

The San Pedro river winds its way through the desert of South Arizona and Mexico, between the Huachuca and Mule Mountains. Unusually, it runs from the south to the north. The riverbed is full of life, and rich in plants, insects, and animals–particularly birds. The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, as it is officially named, is a popular destination for birders and hikers. The Friends of San Pedro River Association was founded in 1987, the year before the river area was granted protected status. It was founded primarily by people living in Sierra Vista who came together to help protect the area. Today, they play an important role in the conservation efforts here, employing a staff of five. They organize several bird tours and hikes each week, which cater to both the local populace and to visitors.

Friends of the San Pedro River 

“We organize tours almost every week, more frequently during the winter when our ‘Snow birds’ arrive. It’s not just birds that migrate to warmer climes for the winter–some people do, too! We should really be out at five in the morning to do this, but that’s a tough sell, there’s not too many people who enjoy getting up early,” Richard explains. “The birds are the most active, and do the most singing at dawn and at dusk,” he continues. 

It turns out that the best birdwatching season is in April and May, when the major migration paths pass through the area. The birds come from Mexico to the South–we’re close enough to the border to see it!

We learn that around 350 bird species pass by or breed here each year. A hundred or so are permanent residents, while the rest either winter here or make a stop here to take a rest from their journey.

“Hey everyone, some words of advice before we head out. Stay on the path–there are rattlers about! Bring a lot of water, and wearing a hat is a good idea,” the other guide, Pete Siminski informs us. Although today is on the cool side (90 degrees at 7 am…), the sun is beating down on us mercilessly. I think to myself that all I need to do to go three for three in terms of mistakes is to step on a rattlesnake. Some of our friendly fellow birders lend us hats and give us water, and after all, I’m not that likely to be stepping on a snake. 

The ButcherBird 

We head off through pleasant, shaded groves, stopping now and then to look for some birds. It’s quite frustrating at first. The moment I hold the binoculars to my eyes, to try to spot something, I inevitably hear someone say, “It flew away!”, but after a little while, I get into the swing of it, and manage to see some birds. My competitive nature wins out, and I spot one bird before anybody else does: a Loggerhead Shrike. Deidre Asbjorn laughs out loud when she sees what I wrote in my notebook: “lager head shake”.

“Typical Swede, beer on the brain!” She has Norwegian roots herself, so you get the picture. 

The bird I’ve spotted turns out to be something of an avian version of the monsters from the Alien movies. The Loggerhead Shrike’s diet is mainly insects, but it occasionally hunts prey even larger than itself. By diving at high speed, using its powerful beak and neck muscles to impale the head or neck of its prey, and then twisting and turning, it can kill remarkably large animals. Lizards, other birds, and other small animals are all on the menu as far as this little killing machine is concerned. It also has a habit of hanging its dead prey from thorns or barbed wire, to make it easier to eat, or simply to save it for leaner times. This is a cute, but kind of scary bird, with the well-deserved nickname “butcherbird”. I’m quite relieved that it’s no larger than a mitten.

Carol Moore has come from Brooklyn to visit her daughter, who works at Fort Huachuca. Carol is an enthusiastic birder, who enjoys the dry heat of Arizona. Now, she lives in Atlanta, where she sometimes finds the heat and humidity a bit of a struggle. 

“Do you hear that?” she asks. “Tiii-tiii-tii… it’s a Common Yellowthroat.” This turns out to be a kind of passerine, or perching bird. We can hear its singing constantly, but it is notoriously difficult to catch sight of. 

“My name is George Bush,” a friendly man introduces himself. 

I blurt out “like the president?” before realizing that he’s probably been asked that question before. George, who hails from Sierra Vista, is another dedicated birder. I sneak a jealous glance at his fine Swarovski binoculars–I’d like to have a pair like that! George spots a mimid drinking water from a little pond. I cheat a little and stand behind him, to make it easier for me to spot the bird.

Hummingbirds Galore

I realize that I’m beginning to enjoy this birdwatching stuff. It’s nice to go for a walk, stop now and then to check out some birds, and have a chat with your fellow birders. Diana, a charming Sierra Vistan, agrees: 

“I birdwatch almost every day; I think of it as exercise and inspiration. I either take a walk, or I head out on my bike. I like taking these tours, too. Richard and Pete are so knowledgeable, and so exciting to listen to.”

Richard, who is a retired geologist, tells us that the area has 14 different species of hummingbirds, counting both the permanent residents and the ones who just pass through. They have exciting names like Lucifer Hummingbird, Anna’s Hummingbird, Alien Hummingbird, and Rufous Hummingbird. Now and then, we hear a hum, as if from a large insect, and suddenly, one of these perky little birds hovers around in mid-air for a moment, before suddenly darting off. 

We hear the dry grass rustle as we advance; a constant flow of lizards is zipping away from the path ahead. Pete, who is a living encyclopedia, tells us about a certain species of lizards that is exclusively female, but still manages to reproduce without any males. It’s thought-provoking, to say the least. Pete points to a beautiful, white plant that looks like a lily.

“That’s a Sacred Datura. The indigenous population in the area used it for religious rites,” he explains. The whole plant is toxic, particularly the seeds. They used to make tea from the plant. After drinking it, people would see their totem animals, speak to birds, see ghosts, and experience a bunch of other stuff. Kids sometimes try to get high from the plant, but they don’t realize the dangers involved, and often end up in the hospital.

“It’s open at night, and it attracts a special species of moth to pollinate it, but as you can see, it can open during the day, as well. When it does that, it attracts bees, who get intoxicated and stumble around inside the flower, making them perfect pollinators,” he laughs. 

We need to migrate, and so, we leave the group to make our way back to the car. As we soon find out, we’re nowhere near as good at finding our way around as the birds are. After plodding around in the thick sand of a dried riverbed for a while, the whole birdwatching experience begins to feel like a scene from a spaghetti western. We’re out of water, we’re boiling hot, and I keep up appearances by lying and claiming to know exactly where we are. We stumble up from the riverbed, only to find that we’ve been walking next to the road we came here on for almost a mile. Once we’re back at the car, the tepid water we forgot inside tastes like heaven.   

Do you want to go birding in Sierra Vista? Learn more at: sanpedroriver.org/wpfspr and sierravistaaz.gov