SE Arizona Birding & Bird Photography-Trogons and more! Madera & Box Canyon Mt Lemmon

Join Sparky Stensaas in southeast Arizona in July for some birding and bird photography. Mount Lemmon, Box Canyon, Madera Canyon. Highlights include Elegant Trogon, Five-striped Sparrow, Varied Bunting, Lucifer Hummingbird, Botteri's Sparrow, Hooded Oriole and much more.

[@g57462]

Wonderful trip, thank you for sharing

[@SparkyStensaas]

Glad you enjoyed it! Hope to get down there again and make some more AZ videos.

[@g57462]

@@SparkyStensaas hope you are able you make great video,photo stories, adventures,definitely you are 1 of ny favorites ,content, quality, and your friendliness, combined with your knack of storytelling 😊

[@tristramstout8988]

I really enjoy your videos. There’s just something about the way you present your videos that just seems completely natural.

[@SparkyStensaas]

I appreciate that @tristramstout !! Just enjoy sharing my trips with folks.

[@g57462]

I agree Sparky has a gift,not only that but I loved the manager for the Detroit Tigers 🐯 🐅 Sparky Anderson, they share the same name

[@kathleensteeves488]

A Tanger……..❤❤❤❤❤

[@kathleensteeves488]

Sweeeeeeeet❤❤❤❤❤

[@jakehewitt2697]

I love how the lady walks in front of your lens and then proceeds to scare of the Coutimundi

[@SparkyStensaas]

Ha! Yes.

[@besagalana1]

Bellissimo, i hope to visit Arizona for birding this spring, your video inspired me. Grazie

[@SparkyStensaas]

Great! There are three videos in this series. Hope you have a great trip!

[@vickitannas9969]

Very enjoyable. thanks

[@SparkyStensaas]

Thank you Vicki! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@kathleensteeves488]

Lovely visit thanks

[@WIReeder12]

Great video Sparky! Thank You. JReed

[@2WanderfulWildWives]

I just discovered your videos. Love your presentation! My wife and I are new to Tucson and enjoy birding, photography and hiking. Will be going to Madera and Patagonia soon so this video was helpful thank you :-) Also Yesss about the photographers dilemma lol

[@SparkyStensaas]

What a great place to live! And sounds like you know about the photographers dilemma :-)

[@kathleensteeves488]

A lot more color than our Canadian birds❤❤❤❤

[@FollowThomas]

Good idea to get out there. Arizona's birds are waiting. There are so many good birds that I would probably double my lifelist. 👍🙂

[@SparkyStensaas]

Do it! Birding is best for variety in July and August and September but you can still get A decent number of unique species in the winter as well.

[@kathleensteeves488]

I’m going to get up and have brekky and bring your vid with me wow it’s exciting.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@SparkyStensaas]

Thank you, Kathleen!

[@patkeen8668]

So glad I've found your channel. Thanks for taking us along for your adventures!

[@jayn.6875]

Great pictures, great birds, great video!

[@SparkyStensaas]

Thank you Jay! AZ Part 2 is dropping in February. Stay tuned!

[@jayn.6875]

@@SparkyStensaas Look forward to it.

[@smetlogik]

My stomping grounds. Crazy monsoon in 2021, one of the best we've had in years. I think your whiptail was a Desert Grassland Whiptail. Nice shots of the junco. Great vid capture of the bunting. Big footsteps probably a bear, pretty common up there.

[@SparkyStensaas]

Thanks for the info! Wonderful part of the country. You are probably right about the bear… Last time I was in South Fork Cave Creek I had a Black Bear pop it’s jaws at me. Very aggressive act. In all the bears I’ve seen in the woods in Minnesota I’ve never had one do that. part two of the trip is coming out next week. Lots more herps in that one.

[@smetlogik]

@@SparkyStensaas AZ can be intense from a mammal standpoint sometimes. I find the bears are the least afraid of all the mammals here for some reason. Sounds like part two will be good.

[@mj197012]

Wonderful as usual Sparky, or maybe even better. Mory Jahangir

[@SparkyStensaas]

Thanks Mory!

[@garyives1218]

Thanks! Amazing vid. Happy for you. Camped near Madera Canyon and did some hiking and loved it. Love Mt. Lemmon too. They're only a few hours away.

[@SparkyStensaas]

Thanks Gary! You live near an amazing area!

[@justinreed456]

Really enjoyed this video! I have heard so much about birding in AZ and these spots come up often. Since I can’t get there yet, this is a good substitute. Looking forward to the next video.

[@SparkyStensaas]

Thank you Justin! I hope you get down there at some point!

[@pdog109]

Love birding in AZ, my favorite was the road runner for sure!

[@SparkyStensaas]

I love them too. Only saw one on this entire trip and that will be in the next episode.

[@cosmo1972]

This is awesome. Really brings back great memories. I was there 3 weeks after you. I tried to go to Box in the afternoon and got caught in a monster storm and had to turn back. Never saw the 5-striped. It rained like crazy and birding in the mountains was slow, but I had a great time and still saw a lot. I'd definitely like to go back during a cooler and drier time next time though…haha.

[@SparkyStensaas]

Hi Cosmo, I know it was a crazy wet monsoon last year. Sorry it affected your plans :( It is definitely a place that you need to return to multiple times. I see something crazy and different every time I go.

[@philllis1]

Great info... Have you posted the next vidio with the Chiricahua National Monument

[@SparkyStensaas]

Thanks Phillis! I’m still working on Part 2 of SE AZ but it should be done soon! I forgot that I put Chiricahuas in the intro since it was only going to be a single episode … but it ran too long and I decided to make it into episodes…and then I forgot to take it out!

[@philllis1]

Thanks for the great ideas for trips.... Hope to come by the Bog soon@@SparkyStensaas

[@carriejonker3371]

this is just lovely.. I love this area and wish to back someday. I live an hour north of Toronto , Ontario, Canada

[@SparkyStensaas]

Thank you Carrie! Stay tuned for the next video !

[@ronboe6325]

Tucson had a regular soaker of a monsoon this year. Sue and I have not been to Madera or the top of Mt. Lemon in over 25 years! Guess we're over due.

[@SparkyStensaas]

The nightly lightning shows were awesome!You guys probably go to the cool places that the tourists don’t know about :-)

[@robertcalamusso1603]

Mearns. Very cryptic

[@SparkyStensaas]

Hi Robert, I didn’t understand your comment.

[@nelsonbriefer663]

Hey Sparky- I guess you are a lineman or firefighter or electrician. You are one heck of a dude, with Nick Zentner. I especially liked the downward shot of Dr.Pepper. Why not try for photos of American Goshawks in Tucson, Yuma and Apache Junction. In the sky during Fall and Winter. Usually at about 150- 200 feet altitude. These are resident raptors. Nelson Briefer - Anacortes, Wa.

[@SparkyStensaas]

Ha! Just got that nickname in college…for no apparent reason. Thanks for the Goshawk tip! Will check out Nick Zentners videos as well!

[@gregsearle2117]

You got my attention in the first minute by including a part of Bass Ponds in your fly over. It is a locally well known birding area.

[@SparkyStensaas]

Ha! I’ve certainly heard of them but had no idea I got them in the video! Funny!

[@piccadillypie]

Awesome video and footage. Thanks, Sparky!

[@SparkyStensaas]

Thanks Kevin!

[@cmescamilla]

Nice informational and scenic videos. Ever plan to do a South Texas video? I live in Laredo and we have Morelet's Seedeater, Gray Hawks, Audubon's Oriole and much more.

[@SparkyStensaas]

I do! I’ve been to The Valley many times but not recently. I hope to get down there to make a video. Thanks for the suggestion and those are some fantastic birds!

[@MaidenBklyn]

This was great to watch. What were your dates for this trip?-I am planning to bird SE AZ soon. I’m in NYC, so have no clue about that region. Thanks!

[@SparkyStensaas]

Hi Marisa, birding in Southeast Arizona is actually much better and more interesting in July and August and even into September (this video was shot in mid July) Of course some of the specialty birds are there in the winter but late summer is better after the monsoon rains start. June is good but very hot and dry.

[@ivan11cast]

Sparky can you advise what mic you have ? The birds singing sound amazing on your records

[@SparkyStensaas]

Hi Ivan, When I fly to a destination, I can’t bring my giant shotgun mic, so I simply use an inexpensive 6” Rode Video Mic Go that mounts to my hot shoe. I supplement that with iPhone recordings. www.adorama.com/rdvmg.html

[@israelruiz3751]

Nice work! Btw- what time of the year do you recommend going to Arizona?

[@SparkyStensaas]

The best time with the most variety of birds in Southeast Arizona is July and August and maybe into September. I have also gone in June but it is extremely hot then. The monsoons in July and August cool things off and really bring the birds to life.

[@kathleensteeves488]

Nut hatches….tree mice…..lolololol

[@SparkyStensaas]

Good name!