Mt. Lemmon, July 2025: On the Edge of the Monsoon . . . .

Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bear Wallow, Mt. Lemmon, June 27, 2025.

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I sit down to write this on Saturday, June 28, 2025, hopefully at the end of a very dry spell! Weather maps show a high pressure area moving toward four corners, with a prediction of monsoon rains beginning this Tuesday, July 1st. However, the hope of rain is not the same as water, and things are really dry up here today! 

Birds are here, but not in much evidence. This past week my wife and I walked Marshall Gulch and Bear Wallow*, with the greatest activity around a puddle (literally!) in a stream bed on the way from Bear Wallow to Mt. Bigelow. We then capped off June at the Meadow Trail on Sunday the 29th, a pause from writing this blog! 

One of our finds (thanks to a fellow birder!) was a somewhat scruffy looking Red-breasted Nuthatch in Bear Wallow. Makes me want to go nuts over hatches . . . (groan!).

​So let's take a look at Nuthatches!

*My thanks, as always, to Jeff Babson, ace naturalist, who led one of his classic  birding expeditions to Bear Wallow on the 27th!  Thanks Jeff!

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Mixed Nuthatches: Red, White, Brown, and  Oh, Yes, the Tiny Ones, Pygmy!

Granted, not all these nuthatches were in Bear Wallow on June 27th, but I could not resist the lure of "mixed-nut hatches . . "  Bear with me (in Bear Wallow . .  LOL!!). And only one cup of coffee so far this morning . . . 

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Red-breasted Nuthatch

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm w/ 1.4x Ext. at 700 mm, 1/500 sec., f/10, ISO 5000, EV + 1.67.

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Red-breasted Nuthatches live in the north woods and western mountains, living year round or migrating short distances. They are one of what is known as irruptive species, those that move outside their usual range in great numbers in years when local food  is scarce. Red-breasted Nuthatches eat insects during summer breeding, but switch to conifer seeds in the fall and winter. In years with low cone production they will move outside their usual range looking for seeds. This accounts for the very wide area of non-breeding regions on the range map to the right. 

This irruptive behavior tends to occur on a two year cycle. For the bird observer this means that there will be years with no Red-breasted Nuthatches in the local neighborhood, and others where they will suddenly be seen in large numbers, especially in regions of the southeast. A bird of the Northwoods may suddenly appear on the Gulf Coast.​

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Above and below, a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Bear Wallow on June 27th looking for insects. In typical nuthatch fashion, they will hang upside down as they forage. Red-breasted Nuthatches have a sharp bill, a short tail, a black crown with a white eyebrow and a black eyeline. They are blue-gray above and rusty below. This bird may be a female or juvenile, with paler underparts. 

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The two images below are a Red-breasted Nuthatch caught on the Meadow Trail, Mt. Lemmon, in August of 2021. I have included the images here to show what is likely a male with brighter rusty underparts. 

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Canon R6 Mk II, RF 100-500mm at 500 mm, 1/1000 sec., f/7.1, ISO 6400, EV + 0.33.

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In May of 2023, with a lot of help from birding buddies Marty and Jim Herde, I was able to spot and capture a male Red-breasted Nuthatch digging a nest in a dead tree near the Mt Lemmon SkyCenter.  The males will often dig out up to 4 nests, and let their mate pick the nest she wants!  In this case, the female passed on this nest, which was then occupied by a pair of Pygmy Nuthatches a few weeks later. (More on this as the post progresses, keep reading!) 

For the post on this sequence of events, with some great images of the male blowing wood chips to the wind, see Spring Nesting 2023, Part 2  . . ., or click on the image above. 

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Next, White, Brown, and Pygmy! 

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White-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatches eat mainly insects, as well as seeds and nuts. The species gets its "nuthatch" name from gathering large nuts that are too big to eat, then jamming them into tree bark, and "hatching" out the insides for consumption. They are black, gray and white, with a white breast that extends above the eye. The black cap is grayer in the female.  

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Canon R6 Mk II, RF 100-500mm w/ 1.4x Ext. at 700 mm, 1/400 sec., f/10, ISO 1250, EV + 0.33.

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The bird above could be a female, caught in Madera Canyon in January of 2021. She appears to have a fuzzy caterpillar in her bill. 

Below, perhaps a male, caught in Hereford in January of 2017. Nuthatches will climb down trees head first foraging for insects. It is thought that climbing down a tree from top to bottom gives the bird a view of insects other birds may have missed when going from the base to the top (Ref: Woodland Woman).

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Canon 7D Mk II, Sigma 150-600mm C at 600 mm, 1/1000 sec., f/6.3, ISO 200, EV +0.

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Brown-headed Nuthatch

Brown-headed Nuthatches are the southern cousins of the other three, social birds traveling in noisy family groups throughout the southeast. See the range map to the right. They make their year round home in pine forests, eating insects and nesting in dead trees. Like other nuthatches, in cold months they will eat seeds mostly from pine cones.

​They have a brown cap, blue-gray back, and whitish underparts. 

The photograph below was captured toward the northern part of their range in Cape May, New Jersey, October 2021. 

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Canon R5, RF 100-500mm at 500 mm, 1/1000 sec., f/7.1, ISO 1600, EV + 0.67.

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And, Finally, Pygmy Nuthatches! 

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Canon R6 Mk II, RF 100-500mm w/ 1.4x Ext. at 560 mm, 1/800 sec., f/13, ISO 3200, EV + 1.0

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Pygmy Nuthatches live year round in long-needled pine forests, primarily ponderosa pines, in the western U.S. They are cavity nesters, usually breeding in large groups in forests not affected by logging or dead wood removal. They are one of the few songbirds in North America that breed cooperatively, with a third of breeding pairs having 1-3 male helpers, often progeny or other relatives. During the winter, family groups will flock with other family groups, with up to 150 birds roosting together in one cavity in formations of squares, oblongs, triangles, diamonds, wedges, and tiers. 

The Pygmy Nuthatch has been the subject of extensive research. For more, see All About Birds, or Birds of the World.

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The two photographs above and one below were captured on the Meadow Trail at ~9000 feet in July of 2021. Here an adult Pygmy Nuthatch, male or female, is lunching on a Lady Bug. 

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Below a female is showing mating behavior next to a nest on the Meadow Trail in 2023. This is the same nest dug out by the Red-breasted Nuthatch shown earlier in this post (see, I told you to keep reading!). For more on the Pygmy's mating behavior see Spring Nesting 2023: Part 2: At 9000 feet dead trees make great homes!  or click on the image below.

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm w/ 1.4x Ext. at 700 mm, 1/2000 sec., f/10, ISO 4000, EV -1.0

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Below, a male or female in flight at the same nest site, same day. Their large feet are specially adapted to allow them to forage down a tree head first.

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Pygmy Nuthatch vs. Black-headed Grosbeak, "mano-a-mano."

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm w/ 1.4x Ext. at 700 mm, 1/1000 sec., f/10, ISO 3200, EV + 0

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Research on the Pygmy Nuthatch shows that they are very aggressive toward other birds encroaching on their nesting territory. The sequence here was shot adjacent to our cabin in Summerhaven on June 26, 2025, well within the date range for active broods in the communal nests of Pygmy Nuthatches. 

Above, a Black-headed Grosbeak sits on a seed block along with a Pygmy Nuthatch, both are likely in their breeding territory and looking for food. Below the grosbeak makes threatening moves toward the nuthatch. 

All birds are descendants of dinosaurs, and here the grosbeak is doing a very good Tyrannosaurus Rex impersonation! 

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In the series that follows, the two birds face off, the Pygmy Nuthatch holds his ground, in spite of his much smaller size and smaller bill.

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Above, if birds could snarl, the grosbeak is clearly snarling!  The nuthatch raises up his wings, and in the frame below, the feathers on his head are raised. 

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Below the grosbeak takes a more aggressive stance, jaws open wide. The nuthatch pulls back, but does not flee. 

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Above, the nuthatch, crown feathers up, hold his ground, and spreads his jaws slightly. Below, the nuthatch goes on the offensive, putting his bill entirely into the mouth of the grosbeak, with the tip of the grosbeaks bill indenting into the feathers on the head of the nuthatch. 

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Below, detail of the image above. The nuthatch's bill is very sharp, and I suspect the grosbeak feels it! Note that the nuthatch has closed his eyes. 

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Below, both birds pull back. 

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The standoff continues. The frame below is the last frame I shot. I assume the ruckus subsided, since I did not find any stray bird parts on the feeder! 

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During breeding there is intense competition for food (feed yourself and your young) as well as the risk of nest predation. Many smaller bird species will take on larger ones, as we see above, when the stakes are high! 

Let's finish up with a burst of color . . . .

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In Closing, a Western Tanager at 9,150 feet! 

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm w/ 1.4x Ext. at 700 mm, 1/1000 sec., f/10, ISO 800, EV -1.0

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This Western Tanager was greeting the morning sun on a pine branch on the Meadow Trail, close to the Sky Center on June 29th.* 

​Western Tanagers winter in Mexico and Central America and summer on their breeding territories from the Rocky Mountains west to the Pacific Coast and north into Canada, all the way up to Alaska. SE Arizona is in the very southern portion of their breeding range, and I would guess a lot warmer than Alaska! 

*My thanks to Jim Herde for spotting this male.

​Western Tanagers are member of the Cardinal family. Males are bright yellow with an orange-red head and black wings, back and tail.  Females are a somewhat more muted yellow-green and black.  
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Most red birds get their red color  from dietary plant pigments known as carotenoids. However, the Western Tanager gets its scarlet from a rare pigment called rhodoxanthin, also acquired in the diet probably from insects.  

Western Tanagers live in open woods and eat predominantly insects, especially during breeding season, but are able to shift to fruit in fall and winter. They are tree nesters with  the female building the nest.  The male is attentive throughout the breeding cycle sometimes feeding her and sharing the responsibility for chasing away intruders. 

Tanagers are limited to the Western Hemisphere. Most tanager species live in Central and South America, but five species live or wander into the U.S.  In addition to the Western Tanager, we might spot the following four species in the U.S.: ​​

• Hepatic Tanager: Winters from Mexico to South America, breeds in Arizona and New Mexico. A regular at the feeders in Madera Canyon. Photograph to the right, Madera Canyon, February 2022.

• Summer Tanager: Winters from Mexico to South America, breeds in the U.S. from the Carolinas to SE California, including southern Arizona. Photograph to the right, Cave Creek Canyon, Portal, AZ, April 2021.

• Scarlet Tanager: Winters in South America, breeds in the NE U.S. from Minnesota to Maine and into Canada. Not a regular in SE Arizona, although ebird reports sightings scattered throughout the western states, including the Tucson area.  Photograph to the right, Northwest Ohio during spring migration, May 2022.

• ​Flame-colored Tanager:  A  year round resident of the mountain forests of Mexico and Central America. eBird reports sightings in SE Arizona in Sierra Vista as well as Portal. I spotted one in the mountains of Panama in March of 2024.​ Photograph to the right, Panama, March 2024.

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Well, it is time to post, July 6, 2025.  Yes, the monsoon did come!  Wednesday saw almost 2 inches of rain in Summerhaven. We are all looking forward to more! 

Stay tuned! 
​Happy trails!

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