The Northern Rough-winged Swallow

With winter visitors leaving for the summer, this is a good time to make reservations for a tour of the Whipple Observatory on Mt. Hopkins. Not only is the tour interesting, but this is the only way to enjoy the views from Mt. Wrightson’s sister peak. It is said on a clear day you can see the ocean. There is still snow and ice on the hike to Mt. Wrightson, so if you do decide to go take care on those icy patches. Also keep an eye out for bear, as although they never truly hibernate in the mountains of southern Arizona, the warmer weather will have them more active. Never try to run from a bear. It is advised you raise your arms to make yourself look bigger and back off.View the list »
Hiking in the Santa Rita Mountains offers many opportunities to view wildlife. Wild Turkeys, recently reintroduced, are often spotted on the Kent Spring or Bog Springs trails, if not right along the road on the way up the canyon. For a moderately strenuous hike, try the Kent Springs loop. At about 5.2 miles round trip, it is one of the shorter trails.

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The Northern Rough-winged Swallow is a migratory visitor to the Santa Rita Mountains, making its way south to Mexico from Alaska and Southern Canada.

This is a small, stoutly built swallow with brown on the upper body and pale to white underneath. The throat is pale brown. Their squared-off tail is also dark, and white underneath. The roughness in the common name comes from the tiny hooks found on its feathers, giving it a rough appearance.

James John Audubon is credited for having discovered the species in 1819, after killing five of them only to discover they were not familiar to him. An interesting anecdote is a nesting pair was found inside a Civil War cannon.

If you saw a group of these swallows, you could say you saw a “kettle”, “gulp”, “herd” or “richness” of them.

Look for the Northern Rough-winged Swallow in Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains in spring and fall.

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

View the list
  • Hiking in the Santa Rita Mountains offers many opportunities to view wildlife. Wild Turkeys, recently reintroduced, are often spotted on the Kent Spring or Bog Springs trails, if not right along the road on the way up the canyon. For a moderately strenuous hike, try the Kent Springs loop. At about 5.2 miles round trip, it is one of the shorter trails.
  • There is still snow and ice on the hike to Mt. Wrightson, so if you do decide to go take care on those icy patches. Also keep an eye out for bear, as although they never truly hibernate in the mountains of southern Arizona, the warmer weather will have them more active. Never try to run from a bear. It is advised you raise your arms to make yourself look bigger and back off.
  • With winter visitors leaving for the summer, this is a good time to make reservations for a tour of the Whipple Observatory on Mt. Hopkins. Not only is the tour interesting, but this is the only way to enjoy the views from Mt. Wrightson’s sister peak. It is said on a clear day you can see the ocean. 
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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