Winter Birds in Madera Canyon
A good place to start looking for the Elegant Trogon, surely the signature bird for Southeast Arizona, is the Madera Canyon Picnic Area. As you climb Madera Canyon Road after you’ve gone over the three narrow bridges, you will pass the Proctor Trail Head, then immediately south is Proctor Road. Continuing south, you will pass a large picnic grounds with parking lot set back a bit from the road. This is the Whitehouse Picnic area. A short distance south is the Madera Canyon Picnic area. There are two small parking areas with spaces for about 12 cars on the west side of Madera Canyon Road. Across the road are more parking areas and facilities. Parking is not allowed on Madera Canyon Road. Just a bit further south is the substantial Santa Rita Lodge. There is an easy trail which runs from the Proctor Trail Head along the creek all the way to at least the Santa Rita Lodge.
An adult male Elegant Trogon has wintered in Madera Canyon for the last several years, and it can be seen all the way from the Proctor Road stream crossing to Madera Kubo (a private lodge/gift shop) during the winter. It likes pyracantha pomes. And is often seen around the large pyracantha bush just to the north of the Madera Canyon Picnic area parking lot on the west side of Madera Canyon Road.
The common winter birds, juncos, hermit thrushes, bridled titmice, white-breasted nuthatches, verdin, ruby-throated kinglets, and Mexican jays are usually easy finds. Another really good bird that can be found in late fall/early winter is the olive warbler.
Wow! Awesome photos, Eric! The warbler is so beautiful, too, and holds it’s own against the stunning trogon. I have only seen one in Mexico and look forward to seeing it in the US. I really like the maps you include. They make the commentary come to life and help those that are not familiar with the area to grasp the fundamentals.