Sedona Bird Watchers Paradise

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These birds were identified by a bird-watching group.  They were either seen on our property or over at Red Rock Crossing, five minutes away.

Learn more about the amazing variety of birds that can be viewed right from the Sedona Cathedral Hideaway Bed and Breakfast.

Guests are anxious to arise in the morning, draw back their shades and curtains and see a whole new world of what nature has in store for that day.

FINCH (4” to 6”) “It’s incredible to be able to see the birds feeding together from every window”, Maria said. The Goldfinch, House Finch and Lesser Finch are here in flocks every day, rain or shine, windy or still, Winter or Summer. Guests watch them line up on the branches to take their turn on the thistle bags. It is common to see as many as 13 finch on one 12” feeding bag. “How interesting to watch the finch play “the game of life” while the bag starts to empty as the day goes on”, Brenda said. “Everybody nicely takes their turn until the bag gets low. Then it is the survival of the fittest.” We have so many finches feeding here at dining areas of the house (the large deck and the Serenity Breakfast Room) we are required to fill the bags every day and a half. Of course we only feed them gourmet finch food – Thistle! So our flock keeps increasing. It is so uplifting to see all the babies arrive each year. They learn quickly THEIR BREAKFAST is served here, ALL DAY LONG and ALL YEAR LONG! They stay year around. They are so accustomed to us being there, they just continue to fly back and forth to the feeders while we sit on the deck chairs and take pictures.

RAVEN (20” to 27”) It is remarkable to watch the beautiful black form of the giant ravens save energy as they catch the wind and ascend gracefully with their black wings spread open against the bright blue Sedona sky. According to the Native Americans, the raven is a creature of metamorphosis. It symbolizes transformation and change. Most people who come here say that something happened inside them that is different from what they have experienced before. Some Native Americans call on the raven for clarity and ask if they have a message for them. From “The Waken Circle”, it is said that, “the Raven’s powerful medicines can give us the courage to enter the darkness of the void within us. This is called the Great Mystery.” “The Raven is a symbol of changes in consciousness, of levels of perception and awareness.” We love seeing the ravens soar outside our 20 ft. wall of windows that face east. Often we see their shadow reflect against the granite countertop in the kitchen. And we say hello and thank you for including us in your daily ritual and opening us to the power of the sky.

HUMMINGBIRDS (HUMMERS) (3” to 4”) We have many varieties of hummingbirds throughout the year: Anna’s, Black-Chinned, Ruby Throat, Broad-Billed, Costa’s, Magnificent, Rufous and Broad-Tailed. Some say they are God’s most creative gift of nature. While our guest is consuming their gourmet breakfast on the back deck, the hummers stay busy eating at the adjacent feeders. They must consume around 155,000 calories per day. Jealous? They stop by and look right at you like they are trying to give you some kind of special message from another dimension. When they zip by on both sides of your head and then turn around and sweetly chirp, you can’t help wonder if you are in the middle of a Disney movie. A few stay with us even in the cooler months, November through February when daytime temperatures are from 40s to 60s.

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SCRUB JAYS (11” to 12”) Scrub Jays are often seen in pairs or small groups. They enjoy eating seeds and nuts and can often be seen digging into the squirrel feeder for peanuts or corn. They have a remarkable memory for where they bury their food and if they see other jays watch them hide their food they will go back and re-hide it, if another Jay does not get to it first. When they eat the peanuts, they hold it down with their foot and break open the shell. GILA

WOODPECKER (8” to 10”) The Gila Woodpecker spends much of its time foraging for insects in dead stumps and trees. It also likes to feed from the squirrel feeder when there is no competition around. One day after we had first set up our bird feeders we heard one of our guests exclaim, “You’ve “gotta” see this! There is a woodpecker eating out of your hummingbird feeder!” Sure enough there was a Gila Woodpecker twisted around the hummingbird feeder sipping nectar. The big oaf. Later we learned that this is the only bird that feeds from a hummingbird feeder. It is said that many Shamans learn how to ride the drumbeats (pecking) into other dimensions. (From: The Waken Circle) ROCK

SQUIRRELS (17” TO 21”) The Rock Squirrels are truly a joy to watch, especially when they have their young. We had to train them to climb the tree to get to the feeder and lift the lid so they could get to the nuts, corn and seed. It is really cute to see them inside the feeder with their tail sticking out and then the head pops out with its jaws stuffed with food. The female makes her nest from the bark of the juniper tree and it just takes a short period of time. She’ll climb the tree, strip a long piece of hanging bark and then stuff it in her mouth until she can’t hold anymore. Then she disappears to her burrow in the rocks and brush. Soon she returns for more. The whole process takes about 15 minutes and within a few days baby squirrels magically appear. What is fascinating about the 2 birds and the squirrel is that they will all eat out of the squirrel feeder at some time or another and it is fun to watch when all 3 arrive at the feeder at the same time. While the squirrel feeds, the Scrub Jay sits on a branch and watches from above while the Gila Woodpecker hangs on to the tree trunk to watch from below. The Scrub Jay goes second and then the Gila Woodpecker.

CARDINALS (7” to 9”) We feel very blessed that we have male and female Cardinals come to visit us. The male has such a bright red color; he can be spotted easily wherever he lands. Both sport a crest atop their head and a thick red bill. They like our many trees because they can hide in the long thick branches that have either needles or leaves. There are 51 trees of all sizes on our one-acre property. They have several different songs to sing for us so we have to listen closely to determine who is singing for us today. Sometimes it is just a short chip sound that they make.

SPOTTED TOWHEE (7” to 8”) The spotted design on this bird is just amazing. He has a black head, chest and beak with white spots on his back, black wings and dark tail. The sides are a burnt orange or rufous color. This is another songbird to create a relaxing atmosphere on any of our three decks or around many sitting areas around our hilly property. If you sit still, they will fly around you and start picking up birdseed that has been dropped on the ground from the feeders.

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SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (L – 12”, Wing Span 21”) We really enjoy seeing this beautifully marked hawk sit in the tree right outside or back deck and also the Serenity Breakfast Room. We always know he is in the area when all our little birds take off and hide somewhere else. He is very patient and sits on this branch, sometimes turning his head all the way around looking for some little finch that didn’t get the memo that he was in the neighborhood. It is the circle of life, but we don’t have to like it. One day he came swooping in and sat on the nearby 50-foot pine tree. All the birds scattered except one baby finch. He just sat there on the thistle bag eating as fast as he could. I banged on the window and he just kept on munching. So I opened the window and yelled at him to go away. He looked at me as if to say, “what’s wrong with you, mom?” So I yelled again and he safely flew away. The hawk had to find lunch out in the prairie that day.

ROADRUNNER – BEEP BEEP (22”) It wasn’t until we first saw a Roadrunner, run across the street that we truly understood all the cartoons that we watched when we were kids. They have many colors distributed around their long slender body. Their sound is more like a dove (descending coo sound) than a beep-beep sound as in the cartoons. Of course, we don’t get to hear them for long since they go so fast. We have been here in this Sedona home for 2 ½ years and, as of this moment, I have never been fast enough with my camera to capture one on film. So this picture shown here was purchased from someone who obviously was in the right place at the right time.

GAMBEL’S QUAIL (9” to 11”) Quail generally travel in a “covey” of 15 to 20 birds on average but I have counted 40 zipping from bush to bush at dusk. They don’t like to fly, preferring to scurry from one stand of trees and brush to another – generally following each other one at a time (they can scurry up to 22 miles per hour). They are always chattering and muttering to each other and always post a lookout a few feet off the ground to make sure all is safe. These beautiful birds with their little topknot bob along in a cautious cheerful manner. In the summer it is a real treat to see a mother leading her chicks as they trip and stumble along behind her. She is a protective guardian and will fuss and fret over the safety of her baby chicks and is willing to take on all comers who come near them. Generally, the quail come up by the bird feeders in the morning for their breakfast (to eat with our guests) and can always be seen at dusk following behind each other to their nesting location. These birds play an important role in Yavapai-Apache legend of creation.