Springtime Birds Galore

 Here we are in mid-April and the Spring Migration is kicking in for a lot of exciting days with new arrivals.  Our bright male Vermilion Flycatchers are breathtaking in their breeding plumage.  Then there is another Oriole, and over there several Broad-billed Hummers are competing with Black-chinned Hummers and an occasional Rufus. Gray Hawks are calling along the San Pedro River and a flight of Mexican Malalards just took off from the pond.  And the Cactus Wrens are scolding everyone.

What fun!

And our many guests are enjoying great weather as Springtime weather has arrived.  Great hikes, photo ops, and birding adventures abound around every corner.  Our guests are enjoying early morning River Walks with the SE Arizona Bird Observatory, great Mexican Dinners (Mondays and Thursdays) at the Casa the nights prior to the walks, and Friday afternoon Hummingbird Banding in the back yard.

More Fun!

And the pies just seem to keep coming out of the Casa kitchen for all to enjoy. Yum!

An Early Spring?

 We know that weather an be extremely variable - making forecasts rather uncertain.  BUT, the weather this year seems to be trending to early warming, and with that it appears that bird migrations may also be pushing the envelope a bit.  Our Haiku Box has recorded 116 species in a small area of our back yard in the past month.  We suspect that a few of those ID'd species may be just a little off.  But most are our "usual suspects", but being noted far earlier than in our experience from prior years.  An early migration?  The hints are there.

So when should you come to visit the San Pedro River for optimal Spring Migration flocks.  As noted above, those foredasts are subject to change with the whims of the weather gods.  But its currently looking like early April with be quite entertaining!  We have noticed the early arrival of our "logo bird" the Vermilion Flycatchers just this week.  That appearst to be at least two weeks early for them to arrive.

Naturalist Journeys Tour to SE Arizona - At the Casa Feb 5 - 9, 2024

 Naturalist Journeys offers Nature Tours world-wide, utilizing the best lodgings, local guides, and travel accommodations coordination for tour participants.  

NJ just brought another great tour group to visit SE Arizona on a birding tour.  They stayed with us for 5 nights as they headded out in various directions and habitats to discover the charm of SE Arizona and to find notible birds along the way.  The tour guides and tour participants have had a great time, adding many new birds to their life lists, and learning about each of the species and the lore of the various mountain canyons, wetlands, and the Sky Islands.

While we did have a bit of rain during the tour, the group was undaunted and soldiered on to reach each of thier intended birding locations, coming back to the Inn each evening for dinner with excited chats about each of the birds and locations that they explored.

We travel with Naturalist Journeys whenever we can and we highly recommend the company, their tour leaders, and their well planned itineraries.  Our personal travels with NJ have taken us to Alaska, Yellowstone, Panama, Ecuador and the Galapagos, Peru and Machu Pichu, Trinadad Tobago, Belize, Honduras, and Costa Rica (our birding list and life advenutre lists continue to grow and grow!)

Contact Naturalist Journeys for information about their tours, locations, and dates!  Head over the horizon to new adventures with their small group tours.

Try Stress Relief Coloring Books - ZoCoProducts.com

We recently added some neat NATURE coloring books to our gift shop. Our recent guests Mel and Peter run a small family buisness selling (and designing!) coloring books for kids and adults. Find them at ZocoProducts.com. Ours came with the colored pencils for coloring in the many nature themed framable Nature pix. Highly recomnmended! Buy them in our gift shop or go directly to Zoco - Products for a Prepared Life. And Thanks to Mel and Peter for their visit and for introducing us to their fine products. Color On.

Why Choose a B&B?

When planning a vacation, the top items on your checklist are typically your preferred dates, flights, and where to stay/dine/tour etc. Usually travelers will use websites such as Trip Advisor to guide them on their retreat where you are able to compare hotel pricing side by side for the best deal.

 However those sites forget to include Bed and Breakfast inns. On average, bed and breakfast inns offer more unique accommodations and more amenities. Small necessities can get pricy at hotels, but bed and breakfasts usually offer free

WiFi, homemade breakfasts, free use of washers and dryers (really helpful when you are on a long trip - pack less!), and modern conveniences such as EV chargers. Bed and Breakfasts also tend to me far more "green" with recycling, solar power, high efficiency heat and AC, and even afternoon pies - all included in the overall cost of the lodging. You will also expeience extra conveniences including more flexible check in/ check out times and personal concierge services for restaurant reservations, tour guides, local lore and maps. What a great way to experience a piece of home while jet-setting the world! 

 At Casa de San Pedro you get to stay in a naturalist setting away from the noise and commotion of cities/towns, along a natural river corridor with lots of birds, green trees, and serenity rather than pavement and roaring traffic. Come to the quiet and relax, restore your piece of mind! 

 One travel writer stated: "Casa de San Pedro is about 90 miles SE of Tucson, but only inches from Heaven!" Located at the end of the paved road, away from noise and stress, but nestled in the heart of Nature. Featuring clean air, the best weather in Arizona, and flocks of birds and other kindred spirits who will be happy to share their birding, hiking, dining experiences with you. 

 Join us. Live again.

Great Bird Watching Any Time of The Year!

 The Sky Islands (ridges of mountains with valleys in between) of SE Arizona provides ideal habitats for resident and migratory birds throughout the year.  Certainly Spring Migration and the Fall Migration bring wide varieties of birds through the area.  Some birders flock to the area for Spring Migration, but forget that the Fall migration is also rewarding.  The Spring Migration ( mid March through Mid May) will offer different species each week with many colorful and diverse species.  And for a real treat an agile birder can head to the top of the Carr Canyon and see incredible mixed flocks of  Warblers.  Then work your way back down through numerous Huachuca mountain canyons (Carr, Miller, Ash Canyou, Ramsey Canyon, Coronado National Monument, and Gardern and Huachuca Canyons on Fort Huachuca.  So many birds to see!  Then working through the broad grasslands and finally down to the crown jewel of birding habitat: The San Pedro River itself (where it just so happens that Casa de San Pedro B&B is ideally located!).

Fall Migration offers many of the same opportunities (late July - mid October) when the area is especially loaded with up to 13 species of hummingbirds as they wend their ways southbound for the winter. Hummers are one of the prime species that birders want to track in the Sky Islands.  Several spcies are not otherwise found in the U.S.  - they idnore the ugly border fence and zip into our valleys and mountain canyons to also enjoy the ideal habitats of the area.

And it just so happens that the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory does Hummingbird Banding in the Casa back yard on Friday afternoons, from late March through early October.  What a treat!  Hold a rainbow in your hand as you release a hummer after it has been banded by our expert team. 

Woody's 8th Birthday - Feb 4

Woody turns 8 today.  Now an adult (well still a puppy in his mind) he is a full grown pest - English Cream (white) Golden Retreiver.    His has an official "job" as the Greeter and Host at Casa de San Pedro, and he is always eager to greet new guests.  He enjoys walks along the San Pedro River, chasing the occasional rabbit or deer (never has caught either), and begging for snacks.

Spring Mexican Dinners at the Casa

 Starting in late March, and through mid-May we will host Monday and Thursday Dinners.  We do this because the Southeast Arizona Bird Observatory conducts River Walks at the Casa early the next mornings (Tuesdays and Fridays).  This way our guests can relax, dine in, and be ready to get up early for the River Walks.

If you are interested in a great adventure in birding and Nature, plus the history of the area, this is a great opportunity to stay at the Casa, have a great dinner and get up the next morning for the walk.

Dates and menus are posted on our website.  Do call ahead to make your reservations!

Kathe Anderson Birding Seminar at Casa de San Pedro June 21-23

 Join a weekend birding seminar with Kathe Anderson at Casa de San Pedro: June 21 - 23

June 21-23, 2024: Summer Color. Flycatchers & Temporary Custody of a Rainbow

This is a full weekend program focusing on birds morning and evening, with afternoons free to relax at la Casa or explore the many natural and cultural resources of the area. 

On the first evening, we’ll take a closer look at the large and often confusing flycatcher family, which includes kingbirds, phoebes and pewees, among other flycatchers—some colorful and some not! Class the second evening, in a program specifically developed for Casa de San Pedro, will highlight a range of common colorful birds of the Sierra Vista area, plus a trio of striking black-and-white birds. Choose one or both classes below, each $30. Field trips included.

Call (888) 257-2050 to register and make your room reservations !

Off The Beaten Path: Great Little Restaurant in Bisbee - The Copper Pig

 We all love a great restaurant with super service and really tasty comfort food.   Located in the Warren District of Bisbee is one of our new favorites:  The Copper Pig has beome very busy so advance reservations are necessary.  Located at 412 Arizona Street (and not in the traditional old town part of Bisbee) there is easy parking available, the restaurant is small, but the staff are friendly and the menu choices and daily specials are always worth trying.  Open 5 - 8, Sunday - Wednesday.

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Haiku Box installed at Casa de San Pedro! See what you are missing!

 HAIKU BOX INFO:

A haiku box is a web connected listening device that identifies the birds in the vacinity of the box.  The Haiku Box listens, collects events of bird songs, tweets, hoots etc and logs all the bird sound events.  The logs for Haiku Box sites are available on-lne.  

You can purchase your own Haiku Box for your own back yard.  Or you can just sign up for a free Haiku Box account on thier website - from which you will be able to locate the many backyard sites in the US - and link to them to see the list of birds that the site has logged recently.

With our Haiku Box we have been alerted to many transitent birds that zip through our back yard, visiting our many feeders, and chirping up a storm!  It is easy for us to quickly review the list of birds that Haiku recognizes and then spend time making sure that we get to see them as well!

Here's a link to our Haiku Box 

Time to Plan Your Visit: Spring and Summer Birding Fun!

 Its time to plan your visit to SE Arizona for Spring and Summer Birding - Migration Starts in Late March, and our colorful Summer birds will be setting up residence along the San Pedro River.  Plus the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory (SABO) will be doing early moring River Walks Tuesdays and Fridays from the Casa back gate
(see their calendar of events to sign up!), plus SABO will be doing Hummingbird Banding in the Casa back yard on Friday afternoons (March - Sept).  What Fun!