16.
ALAMO CANYON
Size: 3.83 sq. mi.
GENERAL: A combination of driving gravel roads, wallking on dirt roads and some moderate off-road walking.
From Grand Ave in Nogales, turn west
onto Country Club Drive. Just after passing under I-19, turn north on the west
frontage road. In 0.2 miles, just after a large pull-out on the right, turn
left (west) onto a dirt road. Start counting at this turn. .
NOTES: In 1.0 miles the main road turns left. As the main road starts to turn left (south) take the lesser road to the right (north). Re-set your odometer at this junction. In ~0.3 miles there are small roads and tracks to the right. Do not take these. Stay on the main road. There is a metal cattle tank on the right that should be watched for at least a few minutes. At about mile 2.2 there is a pipeline crossing and a tank (Lower Alamo Tank) which may or may not have water. At mile 3.4 there is a cattle guard and just past this there is a junction. Re-set your odometer at the junction. Starting here is some of the best habitat, with good numbers of oaks. After exploring the junction area, take the right fork, and in about 0.3 miles take the left fork, and shortly again bear left. By this route, it is 1.1 miles to the circle edge (GPS 31.360083/-111.028964). STUDY YOUR INTERACTIVE SECTOR MAP BEFORE COUNT DAY, and, if you have time, explore areas with which you are not familiar. It is particularly important to study and make notes of roads and distances if you may be in areas that have no cell phone signals.
NOTES: In 1.0 miles the main road turns left. As the main road starts to turn left (south) take the lesser road to the right (north). Re-set your odometer at this junction. In ~0.3 miles there are small roads and tracks to the right. Do not take these. Stay on the main road. There is a metal cattle tank on the right that should be watched for at least a few minutes. At about mile 2.2 there is a pipeline crossing and a tank (Lower Alamo Tank) which may or may not have water. At mile 3.4 there is a cattle guard and just past this there is a junction. Re-set your odometer at the junction. Starting here is some of the best habitat, with good numbers of oaks. After exploring the junction area, take the right fork, and in about 0.3 miles take the left fork, and shortly again bear left. By this route, it is 1.1 miles to the circle edge (GPS 31.360083/-111.028964). STUDY YOUR INTERACTIVE SECTOR MAP BEFORE COUNT DAY, and, if you have time, explore areas with which you are not familiar. It is particularly important to study and make notes of roads and distances if you may be in areas that have no cell phone signals.
Be aware of where the count circle
ends. (Many phone map & GPS apps allow you to set the center of the circle
as a “waypoint”, then [offline] gives you constant readings as to miles to that
waypoint. If you then exceed 7.5 miles from the waypoint, you are out of the
circle.) The map narratives provide some help in this regard. Scouting in
advance, and in particular, exploring and hiking into the drainages in your
area, is strongly encouraged.
Relatively ungrazed grasses, with
brush and oaks along drainages. Suggest playing sparrow tapes at many stops.
especially Botteri's Sparrow recordings. All grassland sparrows seem to respond
to this recording by appearing or by chipping high-pitched sparrow
responses.
TARGET SPECIES: This area is
generally underbirded, but has great potential. Anywhere that there are oaks,
especially at those two canyons near the edge of the circle, look/listen for
Mexican Jays, Montezuma Quail, Acorn WP, Bushtits, trogons, bluebirds,
Townsend's and ?? Olive Warblers and other oak habitat birds. Play Pygmy Owl
calls; they have been seen in nearby canyons in winter. Check the grassy areas,
especially near tanks, for grassland sparrows.and other oak species. Suggest
parking at the cattle guard junction and exploring the area from here to the
circle boundary on foot.
2019: Great Egret, Lewis's Woodpecker, 2 Botteri's Sparrows (north along the pipeline road at 31.38225, -111.00214), Grasshopper Sparrows, and a week later several Cassin's Sparrows at the Botteri's location.
2019: Great Egret, Lewis's Woodpecker, 2 Botteri's Sparrows (north along the pipeline road at 31.38225, -111.00214), Grasshopper Sparrows, and a week later several Cassin's Sparrows at the Botteri's location.
