11. KINO SPRINGS & NORTH RIVER ROAD AREA
Size: 13.1 sq. mi.
GENERAL: A half day of birding — generally from 7:00 - 1:00. Most of the morning is the golf course area where it is mostly flat ground. Otherwise it’s slow-driving with roadside stops of only a few miles on roads off Hwy 82.
PLANNING: As of 2022 the Kino Springs Golf Course remained closed. The ponds are dry, but the fairways continue to be mowed. Park by the closed pro shop. There is no restroom. Some walking in long grass with seeds so gaiters and/or high boots are recommended.
NOTES: In suggested order of birding:
Golf Course: Begin by walking down the short steep hill to the north to view the small sewer pond. This is best done first, early in the morning. From there one can walk the wide flat dirt paths to the dry Santa Cruz River, where there is an bermed riverside trail, to look for sparrows perched up warming. This field area with its scattered mature cottonwoods is the likely location for a GILDED FLICKER. Check all flickers!
After looping the lower field/Santa Cruz River area, return back up the short steep driveway by the sewer pond to head toward the now-muddy overgrown lakes (shown as “Stacey Lake” on Google Maps). In wet winters there may be pools of muddy water that attract many birds. Here look for SWAMP SPARROW. The best viewing is along the elevated north side, where there is a path, and also from an elevated dike that bisects the pond (if you reach the abandoned dock you’ve gone too far and have missed the cross-pond dike path).
Continue on the path to the west that parallels the fairways and Kino Springs Road. Most birders focus on the north nine holes, not wasting time on the separate south nine holes. There are many brushy and mesquite bosque areas, as well as open mowed fairways, and tall pine trees. Check the pine trees for WILLIAMSON’S SAPSUCKER and for RED CROSSBILLS in irruption years. As you approach Kino Springs Road (just before the fire hydrant), there is a new path cut to the right, which aligns perfectly with the warm rising sun and draws many birds out from the brushy bosque. Look for CLAY-COLORED SPARROW.
Back by the fire hydrant, walk back toward the clubhouse through the unmowed field, paralleling Kino Springs Road. GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS winter in this 10-acre native grass tract, but are only visible if you walk through the grass to flush them up.
Returning to the clubhouse by the houses, check the ornamental plantings with berries. The clubhouse and pool patio are now abandoned, but still have many fruiting trees. (Despite the creepy appearance with broken glass etc., it’s safe because of all the surrounding occupied homes.) Especially check the pool enclosure, looking into the patio over the wall.
Duquesne Road: Drive back out Kino Springs Road, stopping at the wash marked Yerba Buena Canyon on Google Maps if there seems to be any activity (there hasn’t been water here lately), turn right onto Hwy 82, and immediate right onto Duquesne Road. The count circle boundary is 3 miles out Duquesne Road from the highway/schoolhouse. Duquesne Road can be very good for diverse mixed flocks, with many washes, hedgerows, small pastures, wire fences, muddy water tanks (check for lone shorebirds), and sometimes pools of water along the Santa Cruz River. This road is worth dedicating some time for slow driving and parking. There are many pull-outs and nearly all the traffic is local residents at reasonable speeds.
South River Road: This road is very difficult to bird because of heavy fast traffic (it is a shortcut to I-19) and lack of safe parking, and has not been very productive. The area covers to, but not including, the Guevavi Ranch gate.
North River Road: This is a residential neighborhood of small rural properties and can add several new species to the area. The first little side road, Corralito Lane, has a house with front-yard feeders that are worth checking. North River Road has not been very productive. There are no trespassing signs, but this refers to the land on the sides of the road. About 1.7 miles along North River Road is Santa Fe Ranch Foundation driveway on the left, with a butterfly garden, but the driveway had a locked gate across it and was posted private. It’s possible that if you see any residents and explain the CBC they may allow you to walk around the butterfly farm exhibit.
