Santa Gertrudis Lane

South of Tucson there are several communities of interest to birders. Green Valley, to the south on I-19, is a retirement community and is the gateway to Madera Canyon, Florida Canyon and Box Canyon. Further south along the I-19 corridor there are the Canoa Ranch Conservation Park, Amado Water Treatment Pond, Tubac, Carmen, and Santa Gertrudis Lane.

To get to Santa Gertrudis Lane exit I-19 at the Tubac off-ramp and then continue south on the frontage road about 2 miles until just past the Tumacacori National Historical Park. Santa Gertrudis Lane is a private street marked with a large metal archway announcing Santa Gertrudis Lane. It runs east from the I-19 frontage road past a small ranch, a stable, and a B&B. There is a parking area along the frontage road adjacent to the entrance to the Lane. The lane itself, on the south side, is lined with large pyracantha bushes which attract many species, especially rufous-backed robin in winter. Others that are often seen in winter along the Lane include American robin, Inca dove, hermit thrush, western tanager, painted redstart, hepatic tanager, white-throated sparrow, northern cardinal, pyrrhuloxia, verdin, black-throated gray warblers, Hutton’s, Cassin’s and plumbeous vireos. During fall and spring migration almost anything is possible. Nesting birds such as summer tanager, chats, and Bullock’s orioles are common in summer.

Past the pyracantha bushes and the B&B there are gated public trails which venture north and south along the DeAnza Trail. The trail follows the Santa Cruz River along a riparian willow-cottonwood habitat. The south trail is the most traveled and makes several close approaches to the river. Watch for green kingfishers along the river. Regular winter birds along the trail include the birds noted above and green-tailed towhee, Abert’s towhee, bridled titmouse, red-nape sapsucker, ladder-backed woodpecker, gila woodpecker, northern flicker (red-shafted), white-breasted nuthatch, verdin, yellow-rumped warbler, orange-crowned warbler, chipping sparrow, blue-gray gnatcatcher, Hammond’s flycatcher, Chihuahuan and common ravens. During spring, summer and fall, zone-tailed hawks, gray hawks, and black vultures are seen all along the Santa Cruz River.