A Few Notable Birds at the Grand Canyon

Why I visit the Grand Canyon only occasionally is a mystery to me. It's only a two hour drive from my summer place in Prescott, the destination is a stunning natural wonder, the South Rim lies at an elevation of 7,000 feet, and the surrounding pine forests are cooler and frequently wetter than those immediately around my cabin. Finally the bird life, while familiar in many ways, always includes some noteworthy encounters.

Walking through the pine forests bordering the rim, I was initially struck by how familiar the birds were to those in Prescott's own woods. Pygmy nuthatches prattled in small, animated groups while their bigger white-breasted cousins foraged individually. Pairs of scrub jays flashed bright blue over sheer cliffs and acorn woodpeckers squawked from the dizzying heights of ponderosa pines.

But the Steller's jays reminded me I wasn't in the forests near my cabin. These dark birds do indeed populate the higher elevations of Prescott and occasionally visit my yard, but I wouldn't call them residents. Their bold crests, white eyebrows, black heads, and bright blue torsos reminded me why I call them the most beautiful birds in the mountains.

Near my lodging a Townsend's solitaire rested in a tree. This plain bird stands out because, well, it actually rests pretty still for photographs unlike most birds outside its family of thrushes. It's also got distinctive white eye rings. I've had to hike Prescott's highest peak, Mount Union, to find the species in the vicinity of my summer home.

The third unique bird I encountered at the Grand Canyon was the Brewer's blackbird, and I can't say I've ever seen this icterid anywhere in the Prescott area. However I have encountered its cousins the grackles, meadowlarks, cowbirds, and even orioles. The male Brewer's is jet black and sleek with bright yellow eyes. Several of the birds seemed to have first dibs on any droppings in the area's outdoor dining venues.

One other notable find was right along the rim, not far from Yavapai Point along the Trail of Time. A colorful flitting bird in a juniper turned about to a MacGillivray's warbler, a migratory traveler on its way south. I distinctly recall another encounter with the species in Prescott around this time of year three years ago, just before the last trip I made to the Grand Canyon. While the Trail of Time highlighted the geological history of the canyon, my own trail of time measured bird discoveries.

It goes without saying that birding at a national park is always rewarding simply because in most cases the park's primary mission is to protect the natural landscape. Whether it's sand dunes in North Carolina, volcanoes in Hawaii, or the grandest canyon imaginable in Arizona, theses environments are guaranteed to teem with native wildlife.