California Gulch, Oct 14, 2020

This post is for the second day of our Southern Arizona trip, when we went to California Gulch. The main attraction of California Gulch is that it is one of the few places in North America where you can find the Five-striped Sparrow. It is there year round, but most easily found in the spring, when it is active with nest building, raising chicks, and protecting its territory by singing. It has been reported in October, but not as often. We decided to check out the area, and try our luck with the Five-striped sparrow.

We left the Best Western in Green Valley at about 6:30, and got to California Gulch at about 8:45. It’s a longer drive than Google Maps estimates, because the roads aren’t very good. The last 1/2 mile of road is especially bad. I think a passenger car could handle the roads, except for that last 1/2 mile. Our Subaru Forester had no problem with it, but it was very slow going. The roads aren’t clearly marked. I used some info I got online, and topo maps with marked locations, on my Android Avenza Maps app. There’s no cell coverage, so we couldn’t use Google Maps, but I could use the Avenza Maps App without cell coverage.

California Gulch is about 4 miles from the border. We were surprised to run into a couple of border patrol officers there, and a guy from the army helping them. They said there was “activity in the area”, but that we were safe. It’s a very rugged and remote area, and they were hiking all over it.

We hiked up the trail about a mile. Then we came back to a small, unimpressive, pool. We decided to hang out there and see if the water attracted wildlife. It did. We saw quite a few birds hanging around by the water, and getting drinks. We stayed there for a long time, eating lunch, and observing.

You may be wondering – what about the Five-striped Sparrow? On the road before we got to California Gulch we saw some sparrows pass in front of us. I got out of the car with binoculars and identified the Five-striped Sparrow! I went back to the car and got my camera, but the sparrows were gone before I could get a shot. We never saw them again on this trip.

The dirt road on the way back passes an abandoned mining town called Ruby. We stopped just to see what was there, and the sign said it was closed Monday through Wednesday, and that you needed to call ahead for a permit.

We ate dinner that night at the restaurant in the Best Western in Green Valley. The food was good, and the location was convenient, since it was in our motel.

California Gulch was a nice spot in a rugged and remote area. We may head back in the spring, when we will have a better chance of seeing the Five-striped Sparrow. Because of the distance from home, we would probably want to do an overnight trip.