A Tradition of Birding in the Chiricahua Mountains

Cave Creek Canyon and the surrounding Chiricahua Mountains are considered by many to be one of the nations top birding areas.  With 375 documented avian species the area attracts birders from around the world.  Whether searching for Elegant Trogons, hepatic Tanagers or hummingbirds the area is a favorite with many visitors.  The history of birding in western culture traces its roots to the 18th century when in addition to a food source the aesthetics of birds began to gain popularity.  But, is there evidence of other earlier cultures which inhabited the area around the Chiricahua Mountains which also may have valued birds?  The answer would appear to be yes.  Bird motifs are common theme on Mogollon/Mimbres pottery who comprised some of the early inhabitants in the San Simon Valley and Mogollon bird pictographs have also been recorded.  The images below are of a carved stone bird fetish found in the San Simon Valley on the east side of the Chiricahua Mountains (the photograph is of the reproduction made by a local artist from the original).  It was a surface find but came from an area where a parrot cage door had been recovered.  Taken together these 3 lines of evidence would suggest interest in birds (and possibly) birding has a long history in and around the Chiricahua Mountains.