Southwestern Guesthouses on 265 Acres
near Silver City, New Mexico
overlooking Bear Creek and the Gila Wilderness

Check out
Michael's
Gila Nature Blog

Casitas de Gila Guesthouses is the BEST lodging in Silver City for Birding Enthusiasts!

Read Why Here!

Bullock's Oriole

Black-throated Sparrow

Wild Turkey

Bridled Titmouse

Black-headed Grosbeak & House Finch

Hooded Oriole

Great Horned Owl

Sharing the spoils!

Bewick's Wren

Cooper's Hawk

Black Phoebe

Mockingbird

Grant County and the Silver City area, where Casitas de Gila Guesthouses is located, is recognized as one of the finest birding areas in Southwest New Mexico, having 355 reported species or roughly 65% of the 544 species found throughout New Mexico. Since 1999, Casitas de Gila Guesthouses and Bear Creek Nature Preserve, located in the northern part of Grant County about 25 miles northwest of Silver City, have been offering visiting bird enthusiasts some of the best New Mexico birding, with a current count of over 150 species found on our property.

The large diversity of bird species at the Casitas is due to the presence of 4 out of the 10 different bird habitats (.pdf file) recognized in our area:

• Bear Creek Deciduous Riparian Habitat
• High Chihuahuan Desert Habitat
• Juniper and Oak Habitat
• Mountain Grassland Habitat

Each of these four habitats are easily accessed by guests staying at Casitas de Gila. Our property has 15 mapped, marked, and maintained trails, providing 7 miles of birding, hiking, and connection to Nature on the 265 acres of Casitas land, including ¾ mile of Bear Creek.

Just five miles to the north of Casitas de Gila Guesthouses is the Upper Box of the Gila River, a spectacular landscape where the Gila River emerges from the deep canyons of the towering Mogollon Mountains and the Pinos Altos Range in the Gila National Forest. The Gila National Forest, comprising 3.3 million acres, is one of the most remote, pristine, and least developed National Forests in the Southwest. The Gila National Forest is best known for its several wilderness areas, in particular the Gila Wilderness, the first designated wilderness area in the United States. This magnificent landscape, with its cool summer temperatures, and relatively warm winters, support a unique combination of birds, plants, and animals that share this diverse ecosystem, where the Rocky Mountains meet the High Chihuahuan Desert.

Flowing out of the narrow canyon confines of the Upper Box, the Gila River widens out into a wide floodplain bordered by a mature riverine forest of cottonwood, sycamore, and willow. From this point, the Gila River then winds its way southwest for about 16 miles through the many thousands of acres of ranch and farm lands that comprise the broad Gila Valley, passing between the small communities of Cliff and Gila at about the halfway point, before continuing on to reenter the Gila National Forest once again in the Burro Mountains. Situated at intervals along this 16-mile course are 7 remarkable designated birding sites that are located on Gila National Forest, New Mexico Game and Fish, and The Nature Conservancy lands, that are open year-round to the public for birding activities. When considered as a whole, this 16-mile natural corridor offers an incredibly rich diversity of protected public land and diverse habitat and bird species, with over 200 reported species that reside year round or visit the area over the coarse of a year. Guests at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses will appreciate that all 7 of these dedicated birding localities lie within a half-hour drive from the Casitas. Each can be easily accessed using the maps, checklists, and relevant local birding information that we are delighted to make available to our guests.

Read our Birding Page to learn more about why Casitas de Gila has some of the best New Mexico birding in the Silver City area.

Call us to book your stay Casitas de Gila Guesthouses
and start mapping out your path to New Mexico birding paradise!

Birds Seen or Heard at the Bear CreekNature Preserve include:

Pinyon Jays

Also Visit:
The Nature Conservancy's Gila River Riparian Preserve
Southwestern New Mexico Audubon Society
New Mexico Ornithological Society

Call us now to book your stay
at our unique and peaceful Nature retreat,
and start planning your New Mexico birding adventure.

CASITAS DE GILA
Guesthouses • Art Gallery • Nature Preserve

575-535-4455
info@casitasdegila.com

Michael & Becky O'Connor, Owners
50 Casita Flats Rd • PO Box 325
Gila, New Mexico 88038

©2024 Casitas de Gila, Inc. • Updated August 2024

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