NWBirding Hardy Canyon 2026

Hardy & Black Canyons, Wenas Wildlife Area
September 2026

Synopsis

It's been several years since we stayed at Hardy Canyon. A wildfire swept the area several years ago, and we were waiting for a little recovery before returning. The large ponderosas were the worse to suffer from the fires. But the aspens, bittercherry, rabbitbrush and roses were all thriving. The aspens were burnt back to nothing, but small young trees rose from the creeksides and marshy areas. The elk were doing just fine. In the evening, we heard males buggling all around us, even hearing a couple of them clashing antlers. We watched a herd of females and their young graze in the meadow below our campsite near Wenas Creek. A large male was guarding them from other interlopers, and didn't take any notice of us. Instead as the herd moved closer to us, one of the females that began barking at us, eventually drawing the rest of the herd's attention on us. They ran off when we decided to seek shelter from the incoming rain storm. On the dry night, the night was a chorus of buggling elk, howling coyotes, and a juvenile Great Horned Owl begging for food. Later the adult hooted from the creek. The night of the rain was a steady patter of drops hitting the rainfly. At least we had one enjoyable night.

During the fall day, we watched Evening Grosbeaks and Yellow-rumped Warblers flitting in the bare aspen snags. The Great Horned Owl was roosting on a tree that had fallen over the creek. Juvenile Cooper's Hawk patroled the golden meadows of the valley and canyon. We crossed the street to hike up Black Canyon. A large flock of White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows fed on blueelderberry and we seemed to flush them further up the canyon as we hiked. In the snags of the aspen, a flock of Northern Flickers flew from bare top to bare top, also taking wing upon our approach. A covey of California Quail chucked and smacked from the canyon underbrush as we hiked the old gravel road full of blooming rabbitbrush. Upon at least two occassion, an explosion of wings erruped from the brush when we flushed families of quail at our approach. Two families of Chukar scrambled up canyon scree. Other than that activity the canyon was relatively quiet. The burn in Black Canyon was just as bad as Hardy Canyon, maybe more so. The pines forest above the canyon was a stand of charred remains. A pack of Lewis's Woodpeckers flew along the ridge, pausing in the dead ponderosa. Horned Lark hunkered down from the winds along the ridge.

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