Ramsey Canyon is a canyon of contrasts. Its deep cleft lies between Mexico's Sierra Madre, the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts and the Rocky Mountains - and Ramsey Canyon has aspects of all of them. The shores of Ramsey Creek are grown up with maple, sycamore and columbine, drawn to the unusual wet cool created by the shielding canyon walls as well as the creek itself. Then, not even meters away, you'll find cacti and yucca growing as strong and healthy as they would in the pure desert.

Within this crossroads of mountain and desert, pine and maple and cacti, is an equal diversity of animal species. Coatimundi share the canyon with white-tailed deer and mountain lions, ridge-nosed rattlesnake plays neighbor to black bears and lesser long-nosed bats.

However, what Ramsey Canyon is best known for is its birding, and more specifically, its hummingbirds (including the Anna's and white-eared hummingbird, among many others). In peak month, August, up to 14 species of hummingbirds zip around the canyon in large numbers, but the entire space of time from April to September is excellent for birders. Of course, you'll have more to watch for than hummingbirds - there are 130 species of birds in the canyon. Many types of songbirds migrate through the canyon and elegant trogans and golden eagles frequent Ramsey as well. Even in the "off-season," you can find plenty of sapsuckers, kinglets and juncos.

The Hamburg Trail, which runs along Ramsey Creek, is a hike you can begin your birding from. Before you do, you might want to stop by the preserve's nature center, which neatly lays out the species present in Ramsey Canyon. There's also a bookstore and hummingbird observation area within the center.

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