The Hammond's Flycatcher

Hiking from the west side into the pines is a bit more challenging, but this means fewer people. Take the Agua Caliente Trail to the saddle from the west, and chances are you will not see another human. You will see, however, deer, hawks and other birds of prey. The Coppery-tailed Trogan is also an occasional visitor. The Kent Springs Loop Trail is a fairly easy hike, and will have you in pines in the first mile. This trail has several starting points. You can use the trailhead opposite the Nature Trail parking lot, the one beginning at the picnic area across from the Madera Picnic ground, or by using the trail to Dutch John Spring, veering off onto the old Forest Service fire road.View the list »
The Kent Springs Loop Trail is a fairly easy hike, and will have you in pines in the first mile. This trail has several starting points. You can use the trailhead opposite the Nature Trail parking lot, the one beginning at the picnic area across from the Madera Picnic ground, or by using the trail to Dutch John Spring, veering off onto the old Forest Service fire road.

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The Hammond’s Flycatcher is a rare visitor to Arizona, and when it does visit, you would only find it at high elevations on its way to and from the tropics. Its preferred habitat is conifer forests. In the Santa Rita Mountains, you would most likely have an opportunity to see this rare visitor on a hike in the pines.

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The Hammond’s Flycatcher is a small flycatcher, with a gray upper body and gray to brown underneath. There is a white eye ring. The throat is a paler gray than the rest of the bird, sometimes tinged in yellow. The dark wings have two pale bars. This bird snatches bugs in flight, dipping and diving in the process.

The Hammond’s Flycatcher is hard to identify, since it looks so much like two other flycatcher species. Both the Gray and Dusty Flycatchers overlap in range with the Hammond’s.

This is one ferocious defender of its territory. The males are known to engage in fights to the point they lock in mid-air with another bird.

Reference: The Nature of Madera Canyon by Douglas W. Moore, Friends of Madera, 1999; Whatbird.com

View the list
  • The Kent Springs Loop Trail is a fairly easy hike, and will have you in pines in the first mile. This trail has several starting points. You can use the trailhead opposite the Nature Trail parking lot, the one beginning at the picnic area across from the Madera Picnic ground, or by using the trail to Dutch John Spring, veering off onto the old Forest Service fire road.
  • The Kent Springs Loop Trail is a fairly easy hike, and will have you in pines in the first mile. This trail has several starting points. You can use the trailhead opposite the Nature Trail parking lot, the one beginning at the picnic area across from the Madera Picnic ground, or by using the trail to Dutch John Spring, veering off onto the old Forest Service fire road.
  • Hiking from the west side into the pines is a bit more challenging, but this means fewer people. Take the Agua Caliente Trail to the saddle from the west, and chances are you will not see another human. You will see, however, deer, hawks and other birds of prey. The Coppery-tailed Trogan is also an occasional visitor. 
View the list

, Santa Rita Mountains Outdoor Recreation Examiner

Ms. Strader is 40-year resident of Southern Arizona. She began her Forest Service career as a fire fighter in the Santa Rita Mountains which was the beginning of her dedication to learning as much as she could about the mountains she used to protect. ...

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