Birding on the Colorado Plateau!

Lyman Lake State Park. The park is located on Highway 180 about 11 miles south of Saint Johns and 20 miles north of Springerville.

A fee is required for day use and overnight camping. The best birding here is during migration and winter. It is a popular boating lake in the summer. This lake has been known to produce the occasional rarity, especially during migration. A spotting scope is very helpful for birding the lake. On the road into the ranger station, in about a quarter mile, there is a small marshy area near the left side of the road which attracts birds. In summer, look for Black Phoebe, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow Warbler, Virginia Rail, and swallows. Black-crowned Night-heron and other waders may also be found here in migration.

A little further up the road, birding is good on the lake near the dam, where waterfowl sometimes congregate. Trees below the dam attract migrants, and Phainopepla have been seen here. In the park there are hiking trails to archeological sites. Swallows and Western Flycatcher are seen in the picnic and camping areas. A dirt road leads to the southern end of the lake, where shallow waters invite migrating shorebirds such as American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher, Snowy Egret, White-faced Ibis, and Western Sandpiper. Gulls and terns also use the lake in migration. In fall through spring, Horned, Western, and Clark's Grebe can be found on the lake. Barrow's Goldeneye has been seen here. Common Mergansers, Double-Crested Cormorants, and a variety of ducks are more common. Some other birds seen in the park include Canyon Wren, Rock Wren, Canyon Towhee, Common Yellowthroat, Townsend's Solitaire, and Pinyon Jay.

Saint Johns Sewage Ponds and Water Street. Water Street is .1 mile east of the junction of Highway 180 and Highway 61 on Highway 61 in St. Johns. Turn north onto Water Street, and continue until it turns to dirt and you pass most of the houses at about .6 miles. From here bird the sides of the road (this is all private property), and the pastures on either side. Drainage ditches run along the pasture edges by the road and small trees growing along them provide shelter. During migration, Lazuli Buntings and various sparrows are common. Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and other raptors may be present in winter. Continue traveling to the sewage treatment ponds (about 1.9 miles), and check them and the adjacent grassland from the road. A spotting scope is helpful. The sewage ponds are most interesting during migration for shorebirds, including White-faced Ibis, Long-billed Dowitcher, Spotted Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, and Wilson's Phalarope. In the summer possible species include Cinnamon Teal, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Cassin's Kingbird, Killdeer, Horned Lark, and Northern Harrier. Continue around the corner, where the road becomes known as North Water Street. Savannah, Vesper, Brewer's, Lark, and White-crowned Sparrows are often seen near the corral. Depending on the rainfall, there are sometimes floodwater channels on the right side of the road, which may have shorebirds. In summer, Blue Grosbeaks are seen here regularly. Continue birding until the road intersects a paved road (2nd West) at 2.3 miles, and turn left. Be aware of fast moving traffic on this road. Continue to a pullout on the right side of the road, which is about 3.6 miles from the start of the loop. At this marshy area listen for Virginia's Rail and Sora. Continue back into town, where the road will intersect Highway 61, which is also known as Cleveland, the main street of St. Johns. Canyon Towhee is a fairly common bird in Saint Johns, seen often around barns and outbuildings in the area.

Concho Lake. This lake is located in the town of Concho, just off Highway 61 south of the Bell Mart. Concho is about 25 miles northwest of Show Low and 15 miles east of the town of Saint Johns.

Arizona Game and Fish Department manages the middle portion of this lake, although much of the shoreline is accessible to the public. This area is primarily juniper and grassland, with some cottonwoods, Russian olives, and shrubs along the shoreline. Park in the campground area, and walk either direction along the shoreline. Birding is good here at any time of year, though it is a popular fishing and picnicking spot in the summer. From fall to winter, the lake harbors abundant wintering waterfowl such as Canada Geese, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, Gadwall, Bufflehead, Canvasback, Northern Shoveler and Ruddy Ducks. Common Loon is sometimes present. Also seen in winter are Bald Eagle, Phainopepla, Townsend's Solitaire, Sage Thrasher, Western and Mountain Bluebirds, and an occasional Prairie Falcon. The lake will freeze in some years, causing the birds to go elsewhere, but is often open throughout most of the winter. Fall and spring are the most productive times to visit the lake, when a wide variety of species are present. Various waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, terns, and swallows use the lake in migration. Clark's, Western, Horned and Eared Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, White-faced Ibis, Common Snipe, Black-crowned Night heron, Long-billed Dowitchers, and sometimes Egrets can be seen. Migrating songbirds include Townsend's Warbler, Nashville Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Cassin's and Plumbeous Vireos, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Scott's Oriole, American Pipit, Lark, Lincoln's and Savannah Sparrow. In the spring, Belted Kingfisher and Osprey are usually present, and several species of flycatchers are common. Some species that nest at the lake are American Kestrel, Western Kingbird, Juniper Titmouse, Bewick's Wren, Bullock's Oriole, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Pied-billed Grebe and Cinnamon Teal.

Petrified Forest National Park. There are two park entrances. The North Entrance is east of Holbrook on Interstate-40. The South Entrance is on Highway 180 south of Holbrook and north from St. Johns. Do not collect petrified wood in the park.

An entrance fee is required. In the summer, birding at the park is best in the early morning, as the days get warm quickly and there are few trees. The wide-open grassland of the park serves as hunting grounds for a variety of raptors, such as Merlin (winter), Ferruginous and Swainson's Hawks (summer), and Great Horned Owl, Prairie Falcon and Golden Eagles (year-round). The grasslands also provide habitat year-round for Scaled Quail, Horned Lark, and Sage Thrasher. Sage Sparrows winter here and Black-throated Sparrows can be found in summer. The birding is best around the areas of Newspaper Rock and Puerco Pueblo, both of which are near the Puerco River. Nearby petroglyphs appear to depict long-legged shorebirds. If you park at the northern end of the parking lot at Puerco Pueblo, walk north along the park road, turning down a gravel road to the west just before the bridge. This access road follows the edge of the park near the Puerco River. Do not disturb any archeological sites. In migration several species of warblers and passerines can be found in the nearby cottonwoods and vegetation including MacGillivray's warbler, Nashville Warbler, Plumbeous Vireo, Lazuli Bunting and Western Tanager. Blue Grosbeaks, Cliff Swallows and Ash-throated Flycatchers nest in the area. Scan for soaring raptors and look over the rocky cliffs for Rock Wrens. Other birds in the park include Lark Sparrow, Western Wood-pewee, Northern Mockingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Common Nighthawk, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Eastern and Western Meadowlarks.

Confluence of Silver Creek and the Little Colorado River. The confluence is located near the small town of Woodruff. The turn to Woodruff is 7.4 miles south of Holbrook on Highway 77, and approximately 20 miles north of Snowflake. Drive 5.5 miles east to Woodruff from 77 and take a right at the stop sign by the church onto Country Road. The pavement ends in about a quarter of a mile, but the dirt road is well maintained, and suitable for all vehicles. A little more than three miles down Country Road is a one-lane bridge over the Little Colorado River. Park in the dirt parking area on the right immediately after the bridge. Walk down towards Silver Creek, and bird the vegetation along the stream. Tamarisk, walnut and willows are found near the dam. Cottonwoods and wild grape grow in the steeper canyon areas. Best in migration, some of the transient species which can be found here are Spotted Sandpiper, Wilson's, Yellow, MacGillivray's, and Townsend's Warblers, Warbling Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Green-tailed Towhee, and Empidonax flycatchers. Black Phoebe, Northern Mockingbird, and Bewick's Wren are summer residents. Golden Eagles have nested along Silver Creek. If you continue to drive Country Road, it becomes known as Old Woodruff Road and ends in about 17miles at the Snowflake-Concho highway in the town of Snowflake. Common Nighthawk and Lark Sparrow are seen here in summer, and Horned Larks are common year-round.

Cholla Lake. Closed to public access at this time

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Rock Art Ranch. Located between Holbrook and Joseph City, take Highway 77 to McLaws Road just south of the town of Holbrook, and follow this paved road for 10 miles. At the intersection continue straight as McLaws becomes Territorial Road, and turns to gravel. In 6.5 miles, a sign will indicate the left turn for the Rock Art Ranch. The ranch is another 2 miles down this dirt road. Rock Art Ranch is privately owned, and reservations are required. Appointments may be made by calling (928) 288-3260 prior to your planned visit. This is a working cattle ranch with a long history. On the premises is an excellent museum with pioneer and cowboy memorabilia as well as an impressive collection of Anasazi pottery and stone tools. The highlight of the tour is a deep canyon lined with pictographs. Due to the large quantity and fine quality of the rock art in this canyon, it is listed as a National Historic Site. This perennial water source supports lush vegetation in the canyon bottom. Birds to be expected in the area include species of the open grasslands, scattered junipers, and desert scrub such as Golden Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Mourning Dove, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Northern Mockingbird, Bewick’s Wren, Rock Wren, Canyon Wren, Western Meadowlark, Horned Lark, and Vesper Sparrow. The watered canyon may harbor additional species associated with higher elevations or riparian zones. Many other species may be expected to use the canyon waterways in migration, such as White-throated Swift, vireos, and warblers. (Photo above: Chevelon Canyon at Rock Art Ranch. Photo by Sue Sitko)


Information in this section written by Jimmy Videle.

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