good-times-rollin: Ramsey Canyon Preserve

Sunday, June 2, 2024

Birding at Ramsey Canyon Preserve

Corona de Tucson

June 2, 2024

Friday morning Joe and I were up and out the door at 7:00. Our destination was Ramsey Canyon Preserve.

We visited this beautiful canyon last November and the maple trees were stunning. In that post, I included a bit of history about the canyon and lots of fall color. If you want to visit Ramsey Canyon thru my lens, it is the featured post at the top of the right side bar.

It was no surprise to find ourselves meandering under a canopy of green this time of year.

Green is said to be the most restful and relaxing color to the eye. There is definitely something calming about lots of green and being surrounded by it in nature.

For years, I have wanted to see and photograph an Elegant Trogon in Madera Canyon. These colorful birds arrive in a tiny little corner of southeast Arizona in April-May for breeding and depart in October-November. On the way to Ramsey Canyon, my fingers were crossed and we were hopeful we would see this colorful rare beauty. Unfortunately, it did not happen...not yet anyway, but we will keep trying. Even though we didn't see an Elegant Trogon, we did see three new to us birds and lots of familiar birds.

Painted Redstart :

These quick moving little birds are quite showy and very hard to photograph. They hop along branches pivoting their body, fanning their tail and opening their wings to startle insect prey into moving. They will eat butterflies, moths, flies, leafhoppers, and caterpillars. They rarely nest in trees, but prefer the cavities on the ground and under bushes on the side of a creek. Nests are made of grass so I suppose the Painted Redstart in the photo I took is busy trying to settle in for the summer. Other than the red breast, a distinctive mark is the white crest below the eye.

Information from All About Birds

Western Wood-Pewee :

The Western Wood-Pewee is a grayish brownish color and are usually seen on exposed branches. These flycatchers often put on quite a show (making them hard to capture a clear picture) sallying back and forth while nabbing flying insects. They sit tall when perched showing off their "partially buttoned gray vest" while singing a nasal version of their name all summer. Most often the pair will choose a fork in a horizontal branch away from the trunk for a nesting site. They comically try out the spot by squatting and turning around on the branches while calling to each other.

Information from All About Birds

Sulphur-Bellied Flycatcher :

Sulphur-Bellied Flycatchers...thats about as much fun to say as Yellow- rumped Warbler...are described as a large tyrant flycatcher that looks tropical and sounds tropical. Maybe that is because it is closely related to all the flycatcher species that live in South and Central America.

The Sulphur-bellied is the most northern of these species and spend its winters in Bolivia. During the summer, it usually breeds in Mexico and barely enters the United States right here in Southeast Arizona. It is a beautiful bird with its boldly patterned streaks, large white eyebrows, mustache, bright rufous tail, and yellow belly for which it is named.

Information from Tucson Audubon Society

We also saw an American Robin, Acorn Woodpeckers, a Summer Tanager, Orioles, and several different hummingbirds.

A few more favorite photos...

Reflections of the blue sky and green leaves in Ramsey Creek...

Hunting for breakfast...

Shadows...

An Arizona native, Southeastern Prickly Poppy....

My honey-bunny...

To round out the week, Joe had a follow up with the eye doctor. She was very happy as Joe's eye is healing nicely and he actually saw the BIG letters on the eye chart and could tell how many fingers she held up. He is still on antibiotic drops and goes back this Friday to have the contact lens taken out. I had a much needed haircut. It's a bit of a drive to the salon and I appreciated Joe taking me, It was a 9:00 am appointment so we enjoyed a nice brunch at Teaspoon afterwards. This quaint patio restaurant is located in the courtyard where the salon is.

Crab Benedict with greens (and a yummy dressing) and breakfast fries

Back at the oasis, we enjoyed cool morning air and walks. Afterwards, it is all about feeding the birds, watering flowers, and time in the rocking chair with coffee in hand enjoying the birds in our own backyard.

Sally amuses herself and us !

Felix and Edith are at the beach !

I love Felix's summer freckles...

and Edith's ocean breeze hair.

That about wraps up our week. It was a god one ! I can't believe we turned the calendar again and it's June already !

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS !

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Ramsey Canyon Preserve - Ramsey Canyon Trail and Hamburg Trail

Corona de Tucson

November 18, 2023

Ramsey Canyon is a deep, wooded ravine on the east side of the Huachuca Mountains near Sierra Vista in south Arizona...about 70 miles from our home. The stunning beauty of Ramsey Canyon has attracted folks for centuries. The canyon namesake is Gardner Ramsey, an early settler looking for gold in the area who built by hand a 2.5 mile road from what is now the preserve headquarters to Hamburg Mine back in the 1880s. The first documented resident of Ramsey Canyon is William Berner. Unlike the prospectors, Berner admired the canyon's unique beauty and spent his time planting trees and building cabins. Dr. Nelson Bledsoe lived in nearby Bisbee and was the company doctor for Arizona Mining Co. who also treated nearby residents. As it turns out, Dr. Nelson treated William Berner for an illness. As a form of payment for his medical treatment, Berner willed (upon his death) his land holdings in the canyon to Dr. Bledsoe and by the mid 1930s, Dr. Nelson was the owner of 280 acres in Ramsey Canyon where he and his wife spent much of their time. Official recognition of this ecological significant area came in 1965 when the canyon was registered as the first National Natural Landmark. In 1974, Dr Nelson generously donated his land to The Nature Conservatory fulfilling his wish that the natural values of the canyon be preserved for future generations without any disturbance whatever to habitat, plant, or animal populations.

Acquisitions have expanded the preserve to 380 acres.

Since buying our home in Feb. '21, we have enjoyed a subscription to Arizona Highways Magazine...a wealth of information with points of interest, off the beaten path destinations, scenic drives, lots of history and gorgeous photography. I first learned about Ramsey Canyon in the July 2022 issue when Hamburg Trail was the "Trail of the Month".

A morning at the preserve begins at the Visitor Center/Headquarters...literally as Ramsey Canyon Trail begins just outside the back door. There are only 27 parking spaces at the preserve and parking along the street is prohibited. An entrance fee of $8.00 is required and children under 13 are free.

Also just outside the backdoor is a bird viewing area complete with rocking chairs and lots of benches...which we enjoyed at the end of our hike. As you begin, the trail meanders along Ramsey Creek

We only heard and saw a trickle of water today...

Along the Ramsey Canyon Trail, there are two optional loops. Joe and I enjoyed both. First is Grandview Loop. The highlights are...

The log cabin was built by John James in 1902. From the late 1880s to the late 1920s, the canyon was home to almost 100 settlers.

This 1911 cabin was built by John James after his family outgrew the smaller log cabin.

Beautiful views from the cabin and the creek was just past the grass.

The second loop is Bledsoe Loop.

There wasn't any information about this fireplace, I loved it and suppose it along with other foundations we saw are from homes William Berner and/or other early settlers built.

We did notice this plaque on a tree behind the fireplace.

Mule Deer call the canyon home. Our brochure included a long list of wildlife a visitor might encounter...Ringtail Cats, Arizona Black Bears, Mountain Lions are just a few of those listed.

At the end of the Bledsoe Loop is a choice...left will return to the Visitor Center and right to the Hamburg Trail.

We turned right. It was quite the workout as we climbed 500 feet in a half mile up a series of switchbacks to an overlook on Miller Mountain. There are 9 benches strategically placed along the way. We made a stop at bench #6 for water and to catch our breath. I realized I didn't get any photos going up, but I did turn around once...

and stopped often to check out the views along the way.

It was well worth the effort to get to the overlook. And kudos to us as it was the hardest hiking we have done in a very long time...short and steep !

At 9,465 ', Miller Mountain is the highest mountain in the Huachuca Mountain Range and Miller Peak, is the second highest peak in Cochise County. This is also the most southerly peak and land area to rise above 9,000' in the Continental U.S.

We hiked to an overlook at 6,200' and the end of the Hamburg Trail.

And what goes up...goes down.

After the hike back down, we followed the rest of the Ramsey Creek Trail back to the VC. All total with Ramsey Creek Trail, both loops and Hamburg Trail we logged 3 miles on this in-out trail. As written in Arizona Highways...There are better known canyons in Arizona - Canyon de Chelly, Oak Creek Canyon, the Grand Canyon - but Ramsey Canyon belongs on any list of the state's most spectacular chasms. Unlike the others, Ramsey is not defined by its panoramas. Rather, it's the intimacy of this wooded wonderland that makes it so special. What a wonderful, peaceful, and beautiful way to spend a few hours !

Along Ramsey Creek Trail there are 16 numbered markers and a brochure from the VC gives information about why the marker is there. The tree rings in this Arizona Sycamore date it to 1760.

It is explained how its brittle branches are prone to breaking and eventually becoming stumps that provide homes for the birds.

Ramsey Canyon has been visited by birders for over a century. It is best known for its diversity of hummingbirds in season, but many other birds are often seen such as the Elegant Trojan, Bridled Titmouse, Spotted Towhee and Painted Redstart.

We had a couple of appointments this week in Tucson. On the way home from one of them, we stopped at First Watch for brunch. It was a first time stop there, but will not be the last. First Watch is a nautical reference to the first work shift of the day. The restaurants are open from 7:00am to 2:30 pm and feature breakfast/brunch using fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. We both ordered the Farmhouse Skillet with roasted potatoes and onions, lots of crispy bacon, avocado, topped with two eggs over easy and served with multi-grain toast.

Last Sunday, we met Jamie and Andra for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Some one had a birthday...number 50...yikes! The candle and ice cream were complimentary...we all had cheesecake too !

Today was the day for a big Tucson event...Tour de Tucson. It has been an annual event in Tucson for the past 40 years. There are three different routes varying in miles with the longest ride at 100 miles passing thru Vail and Corona de Tucson. I read that 7,500 cyclists participate in this renowned and popular event.

Joe and I were headed to the grocery store and have to give a shout out to Tucson Police and Pima County Sheriffs Departments who kept the vehicle traffic and cyclists all moving safely at a steady pace. All intersections were manned and directions were clear as to who was to go where. We knew our regular route to Frys would be closed as the on-off ramps at Houghton Road were closed for the morning so we skirted around the long way down Wentworth Road. Of course coming home that way meant we rode right past the Dairy Queen...