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I think that we saw an elegant trogon
on our first morning here. We hope to see it again…
thanks for sharing your life with us “city folk”.
– Debbie & Joe
Scottsdale, Arizona
It’s beyond words here. The breeze sitting on the
front porch listening to the hummingbirds whiz by and
looking at Cochises’ sanctuary all at the same time.
How is heaven possible in the Arizona desert? Who’d
a thunk?! Thank you for the excellent meals, the friendship
and conversation. Hope to be back soon.
– Holly & Erik
Tucson, Arizona
…Watching the birds was so interesting, we saw northern
cardinals, spotted towhee, acorn woodpeckers, Mexican
jays, lots of little sparrow like birds and perhaps an
elegant trogon.
– Dwight & Jane
Northridge, CA
Thanks so much for sharing your peaceful home with us.
We spent our morning visiting with the hummingbirds on
the patio. We also visited Kartchner Caverns – what
an amazing find! We’ll be back... Thanks also for
feeding us so well!
– Chris & Terry
Peoria, Arizona
We… slipped away to come here for a night. Spent
the day on the Cochise Trail then home “to here”
for a beautiful evening & morning. Hummingbirds, woodpecker,
tit mouse – peace. ..
– Chris & Neil
Worthington, Ohio
Thank you very much for sharing your special place with
us. We hiked for two days and the views were wonderful.
I love chickens, so it was a special treat to watch yours
go about their business. Mandy was treated to a quick
view of an elegant trogan on our hike today, so that will
go to number one on her bird list. Couldn’t ask
for a better vacation. Next time we’ll stay longer.
– Bev & Mandy
New Hampshire
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- Relax, renew, romance.
- Walk trails through evergreen oak, juniper, madrone
and manzanita woodlands.
- Watch for wildlife such as deer, javelina, coatimundi,
fox, ringtail cats, badger…
- Stargaze clear night skies far away from any other
lights while soaking in the hot tub.
- Explore sculptured stone formations rising to 7,500
ft, climb world-class ranked granite cliffs and peaks.
- Birdwatch from the shade of a large tree or your
private patio.
- Enjoy the comforts of sustainable design.
- Hike to nearby ancient rock art, investigate local
ecology, geology, history.
- Celebrate nature and spirit in a land of immense
beauty!
Cochise Stronghold B&B is...
- A magical place encircled by mountain peaks and lush
native vegetation.
- Secluded and quiet; surrounded by 64,000 acres of
evergreen forest.
- A wilderness destination in the wild, wild west;
off the "beaten path".
- Cooler, located at a 5,000 feet elevation in the
Dragoon Mountains.
- A friendly, welcoming, peaceful sanctuary.
The upper-Madrean, manzanita, madrone woodlands in Cochise
Stronghold Canyon provide abundant habitat for a plethora
of birds. Colorful year round residents (cardinals, acorn
woodpecker, Mexican blue jays) along with at least another
100 species of migratory and seasonal birds entertain
at bird feeders, watering stations and soaring overhead.
Guests are often amazed to watch over a dozen species
at a time without even stepping outside.
The sweet, fragrant blossoming of manzanita bushes in
February signals the return of the hummingbirds, whose
numbers peak in late summer, early fall. The turkey vultures
return each March, soaring in the canyon updrafts and
roosting in tall Arizona Cypress snags. Some 20,000 sandhill
cranes, return to the valley, at the Sulphur Springs playa,
as early as late October and remain until late February,
marking another special time of the year.
“As a wildlife photographer, there really is no
better place to watch and photograph birds than right
here at Cochise Stronghold B&B. My wife, Melanie,
and I try and get over from Tucson to the B&B every
couple of months or so.” Richard Fray, Wildlife
Photographer.
To see more of Richard's Arizona
Wildlife Photos from Cochise Stronghold, click on these
links: |
»
Cochise Stronghold area Wildlife Photos April 07
»
Cochise Stronghold area Wildlife Photos Dec 06
»
Sandhill Cranes, Elfrida (Sulphur Springs Valley) Dec 06
»
Whitewater Draw (Sulphur Springs Valley) Dec 06
The abundance of wildlife in this wilderness region is
spectacular. Hunting is not allowed in Cochise Stronghold
Canyon. Everyday we see deer, mostly white-tail but sometimes
mule deer as well. The mammals that regularly visit include
javelina (peccaries), two striped skunks, jack-rabbits,
ring tailed cats, ground squirrel, gray fox. On rare occasions
we have seen mountain lion, ocelot, bobcat, badger, and
coatimundi.
In the warmer months, blue collared lizards and a gecko
live on the outside walls of the B&B guest house and
on the large rocks. Fortunately, rattle snakes don’t
like to burrow in the granite sand which is what composes
our soil, but they do live further away amongst the boulders
and rocks of the mountain. After the monsoon rains in
the summer (July and August) a chorus of frogs and toads
is heard every night.
Nestled in an evergreen forest with lots of shade several
species of oaks, alligator junipers, pinyon pine, canyon
grape, mesquite, manzanita bushes provide abundant food
for birds and wildlife. Manzanita berries (spanish for
little apple) taste like tart apples, the brilliant burgundy
colored bark is extremely attractive. Agave (century plants)
were once an important food, fibre and medicine for the
Apache, who with a great deal of ceremony, gathered, roasted
and pounded their sweet tasting hearts into mescal cakes
for drying. Note raw agave is poisonous, do not try even
a nibble.
Blooms are seen on numerous and diverse native species
of penstemon, salvias, sages, globe mallow, verbena, zauschneria,
chocolate flower, evening primrose, poppies (including
the white prickly poppy), trumpet vine, yucca, aloe, prickly
pear, cane cholla, cacti, silk tassel, desert bluebell,
honeysuckle, desert marigold, rabbitbrush, wooly butterfly
bush, thistle and gallardia to name but a few.
On the moister canyon floor desert willow, hackberry,
arizona ash and sycamore trees grow. Beautiful specimens
of madrone, catclaw, mearn’s sumac, rhus yucca,
agave, sotol and bear grass are all nearby.
Available for guests’ use are a large number of
field-guides and natural history books to help in identification
of local birds, mammals, plants and reptiles.
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