July 16, 2009
White-eared Hummingbird
White-eared Hummingbird
Arizona has always been the hummingbird capital of the United States and, back in the day, the Ramsey Canyon property of the Nature Conservancy, just south of Sierra Vista on the east side of the Huachuca Mountains, was hummingbird central in Arizona.  All that changed in the mid '90s when Tom Beatty, the proprietor of Beatty's Guest Ranch at the end of the Miller Canyon Road a few miles south of Ramsey, discovered he had White-eared Hummingbirds coming to his feeders.

The Huachucas, as well as the other "Sky Islands," the Peloncillos, the Chiricahuas, and the Santa Ritas, have always attracted the most sought after hummer species, those rarities from Mexico at the northern end of their breeding range just above our southern border.  For reasons unknown but probably involving multiple factors such as altitude, moisture, and natural food preferences, the White-eared, arguably Arizona's most beautiful hummer, has shown up with regularity only in Miller Canyon, and Tom Beatty has done an outstanding job of managing his property to showcase this mountain gem, as well as the other hummer specialties of southeastern Arizona for the birders seeking them.

Beatty's is Stop #31 on the Southeastern Arizona Birding Trail and should be the first stop for any birder who loves hummingbirds.  Over the recent Fourth of July holiday we spent three relaxing days in a cabin in Tom's apple orchard beneath the breathtaking scenery of the Miller Peak Wilderness Area.  One morning we tallied ten species of hummingbirds without moving from one spot near his feeders, and during peak mid-to-late August hummer season when numbers are swelled by vagrant birds from Mexico and returning migrants from the north, fourteen hummer species are possible.  There's no argument when the Beattys tout their property as "America's premier hummingbird viewing spot."

The ranch has two apartments, four cabins, and three tent pads, access to many miles of hiking trails, and the tantalizing possibility of bear and mountain lion sightings in addition to great general birding .  There are two hummer viewing areas, one open to the public, one inside the compound for guests only.  Those not staying overnight may use the latter site for $5/person/day.  And if your spouse isn't a birder, Beatty's makes a nice base from which to sample the history and culture of Cochise County.  Fort Huachuca, the home of the Buffalo Soldiers, Kartchner Caverns, Tombstone, and the Murray Springs archaeological site are all within easy driving distance.

The big news from Beatty's this summer, in the hummingbird category, is that at least two Berylline Hummingbirds are in the area and have been seen copulating.  One of the two, obviously the female since male hummers famously shun all domestic duties, is gathering nesting material placed out for her near her favorite feeder.  Emerald green above with chocolate/rufuous wings, rump, and tail, the Berylline is a rarer Arizona breeder than the White-eared and just as spectacular.

In the non-hummer category, Spotted Owls and Flame-colored Tanagers have both been seen inside the wilderness boundary just uptrail from Beatty's orchard, and Cooper's Hawks and Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers are nesting on the property.  Hummingbird aficionados and birders of all stripes should be planning a trip now.  Peak season begins in just a couple weeks.  Contact information for Beatty's can be found at beattysguestranch.com.  A day or a weekend there is Arizona birding at it's unique best.
Berryline Hummingbird
Berryline Hummingbird