Southeast Arizona Monthly Checklists -- Status and Abundance

Although the checklist are primarily designed to show which species are present (and their abundance) in a specific month, I've also attempted to show the overall status of each species. Obviously, the abundance codes for most species vary from month to month. However, the status information does not change. A typical checklist descriptor might look like the following from the April checklist.

[ ]W *Green-winged Teal..............cLr

Due to space considerations, status information is necessarily terse  Nevertheless, if you understand the method behind my madness (outlined below) you should be able to get maximum use out of the checklists.

Status
There are two components to the status information:

1. A series of up to three characters following the checkbox.
2. Emphasis of the species name (either italicized or underlined).

Generally, I only attempt to show the primary status (either explicitly or implied) and transient status.

Status Characters
SP, S, F, W are used to indicate Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
N is used to indicate nesting.
* indicates that the species is possible all year which does not necessarily mean that the species is a permanent resident. Although such species can potentially be found in any month, they are not necessarily in the same habitat, abundance or even the same individuals. Note that seasons can be protracted beyond the calendar meanings, especially for "fall" shorebirds (July through November) and "wintering" ducks (August through May).

For the letter codes, both upper and lower case are used. Upper case is used to convey seasonal occurrence with a high degree of regularity. Lower case is used to convey a degree of irregularity (such as an occasional visitor) or a slight preference for a season. For example, for a transient shorebird "f" means somewhat more common in fall whereas "F" would mean markedly more common in fall. For nesting status, "N" means regular nesting species whereas "n" means has nested or is an occasional nesting species.

Name Emphasis
Underlined names indicate species with localized range.
Italicized names indicate species that have transient status (either stand-alone such as migrant shorebirds, or in addition to other status such as a summer nesting species that is also a migrant). Transient status is not shown for a species that only has casual transient status compared to its main summer or winter status.

Although it's perhaps not as concise nor as elegant as Spanish grammar, and almost as complicated as German grammar, you can hopefully figure it out.

Abundance
It's important to realize the difference between actual abundance and your chances of finding a bird. First time visitors to southeast Arizona will undoubtedly feel that many species are less common than any published data source, not just my checklists. For example, although Whiskered Screech-Owl is a common and mostly sedentary permanent resident whose numbers don't vary throughout the year, you have a far greater chance to locate (and see) one during the breeding season than in winter.

Furthermore, abundance is only relevant when you are in proper habitat (if you are where they ain't then all bets are off). This is especially true for species with localized range. A good example of this is Buff-breasted Flycatcher which is common in Sawmill Canyon and parts of Carr Canyon and not present as little as 1/4 mile away from these specific locations.

Obviously, the range of the checklist (defined by this map) is also important. Species that are almost impossible to find in southeast Arizona may be relatively easy to find not too far north (Le Conte's Thrasher, for example).

I use 6 levels to define abundance. The examples should give you an idea of my idea of abundance.

Note not only the the dual use of "i" -- irregular and very rare, but also two types of "irregular". This should be apparent from the context. For example, "i" is used define the abundance of American Wigeon in summer (possible lingering non breeding individuals); Orange-crowned Warbler and Ruby-crowned Kinglet in summer (both are potential nesters in a relatively underbirded area of southeast Arizona); and Lucy's Warbler in early March on the leading edge of its arrival (explodes to common by mid month). Do not confuse abundance code "i" with modifier "I" which is described below.

Abundance codes can be preceded by several modifiers:

I to indicate a true irruptive species or one that varies significantly in numbers from year to year.
E to indicate the early part of the month.
L to indicate the later part of the month.

I is used to flag traditionally irruptive species such as Clark's Nutcracker and Pinyon Jay (generally todo o nada) as well as species such as Mountain Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing and Cassin's Finch that can be highly variable in numbers from year to year. In such cases, the abundance level following "I" is the highest  possible. e.g. "Iu" means uncommon in years when present and anywhere down to nothing in other years.

The E and L modifiers increase the usefulness of the checklist by providing a means to present data in approximate two week increments instead of the whole month. When looking at any individual monthly checklist, for any species that shows a change of abundance during the month you can tell the direction of travel (arriving or departing) depending on whether the abundance is increasing or decreasing as the month progresses.

Examples (see the following bar graph and checklist fragments):

Er means rare early in the month, absent later.
Lr means rare later in the month, absent earlier.
fLu means fairly common early in the month, uncommon later.