A Birder's Guide to Southeast Arizona

Richard Cachor Taylor

Revised 1999. Original text James A. Lane and Harold R. Holt. Every birder has fond memories of their all-time favourite birding trip. . . it's not hard to guess that many old-timers would choose their first trip to South-eastern Arizona. Even those from the West never fail to be captivated by this region's mountain islands, lush, hidden canyons, and its fabulous birds. There is no other place like it, and all birders eventually come here to be enchanted.

This was the first birdfinding guide written by Jim Lane, in 1965, and as Tucson grew and Green Valley and Sierra Vista mushroomed, revisions to Jim's birding routes were made. In 1994 Rick Taylor, a near lifetime South-eastern Arizona resident, undertook to rewrite and update the guide, succeeding not only in getting the territory covered and the birds placed properly, but also in developing a new standard for the Specialities section and in designing an extremely informative bar-graph section.

Basically, the guide covers the area bounded by Interstate 10 on the north, Tucson at the north-west corner, down Interstate 19 to the Mexican border, and back east along it to New Mexico. A few jogs include Aravaipa Canyon up near Dudleyville for nesting Mississippi Kites, Peña Blanca, Sycamore Canyon, California Gulch, and Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. But the bulk of the excitement happens in an area so small that the details of it aren't even included on Arizona road maps. That's where a very good birdfinding guide in hand makes all the difference.

Nine major birding routes are described. Some of them - the Nogales and Patagonia Loop or the Chiricahua Mountains, for example - are relatively long and will keep birders occupied for several days. Others, such as Madera Canyon, are very short, but offer so many birding plans that they, too, can entertain a birder for several very busy days.

The fabled canyons are detailed: Ramsey, Carr, Scheelite, Guadalupe, and Cave Creek - with mileages, suggested stopping places, and lists of their great birds.

The Specialities section suggests where to look for desired species, and the innovative seasonal occurrence/relative abundance bar-graphs help birders figure out what's in season. Lists of mammals, amphibians, and reptiles round out the book's features.

Three tear-out trail maps, an exclusive ABA feature, are included for Sycamore Canyon, Scheelite Canyon, and Mt. Wrightson area trails. In total, there are more than fifty new maps to help you find your way around.

From reviews of A Birder's Guide to Southeastern Arizona

"If you're planning a trip to south-eastern Arizona, you may as well forget your binoculars as leave this guide at home."

 - Bird Watcher's Digest

"If I absolutely had to choose [between the two AZ guides], Richard Taylor's A Birder's Guide to Southeastern Arizona would have pride of place in my luggage."

 - Brian E. Cassie, The Wilson Bulletin

"Obviously, the book's main aim is to detail access to the excellent birding sites, and this it does magnificently... If you are planning a visit to this excellent birding area, this book is an essential purchase; if you are not planning a trip, buy it anyway it may change your mind."

 - Dave Holman, Birding World (UK)

342 pages.

Softback £21.95