Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - May, 1999 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Monday, May 31, 1999

Saturday, May 1, 1999
Out today with Leslie Hall and Ted Jarvi from Tempe, AZ; and Dan and Leigh Conrad from Phoenix, AZ. We visited Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons in the Huachucas, and the San Pedro River. A mostly calm and unseasonably cool day -- 42 degrees in Sierra Vista at 6:15am, only 61 degrees by 12:15pm.

The upper picnic area in Garden Canyon was deserted and cold when we arrived around 6:30am and we had to scratch around for birds. By the time we left two hours later we had somehow managed to see 38 species including ELEGANT TROGON (not calling, just feeding quietly), GREATER PEWEE, BUFF-BREASTED, HAMMOND'S and CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS, LAZULI BUNTING and HEPATIC TANAGER. An out of habitat first year female VERMILION FLYCATCHER continues.

Sawmill Canyon continues very quiet for this time of year and many of the regular breeding species are still at lower elevations. In particular, Buff-breasted Flycatchers are conspicuous by their absence, and the Garden Canyon bird was the only one seen today. Although the first bird of the season was on March 23, since then they have been hard to find on almost every trip. Perhaps an indication of the problem was a lingering TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE perched on a snag at the entrance to the canyon, my first May sighting in Sawmill. After that we struggled to find any birds and it took almost an hour to find a little flurry of activity that produced OLIVE, GRACE'S and RED-FACED WARBLERS. We found only 23 species in 90 minutes, others included WILD TURKEY, GREATER PEWEE, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.

A brief stop at the pictograph site in Garden Canyon turned up a PLUMBEOUS VIREO, a bird that has been scarce so far this year.

An hour in Scheelite Canyon failed to produce Spotted Owl in the lower roosting area, and since the group did not want to continue to the upper part of the canyon, we didn't see the bird today. We saw only a handful of species but did get nice looks at CANYON WREN and RED-FACED WARBLER. Others present included STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, DUSKY-CAPPED and CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS, and TOWNSEND'S WARBLER.

A two hour evening visit to the San Pedro River (Hwy 90 area) was hardly spectacular, but was certainly productive with 50 species. LAZULI BUNTINGS are very common this spring and a nice male was at the SP House feeders. Most of the sparrows seem to have left now but BREWER'S SPARROWS are still present in numbers in the grassland. Flycatchers were again present in numbers including WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, HAMMOND'S, GRAY, PACIFIC-SLOPE, and VERMILION FLYCATCHERS. Warblers included LUCY'S, MACGILLIVRAY'S and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. Over the years I've noted a decline in Bell's Vireos along the river and I've haven't seen or heard one here yet this year. Our only vireo was a migrant CASSIN'S. As dusk approached, a GREAT HORNED OWL began calling and LESSER NIGHTHAWKS were over the "big pond" and common over the grassland.

Sunday, May 2, 1999
A one hour visit to Sierra Vista sewage ponds was very productive with 42 species. With so many HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS around this spring, I suppose it was inevitable that I would see one here. Today was the day and in the mesquite near the entrance gate was species #178 seen at SVSP. Several other rare to uncommon species for this location were present today -- ROCK DOVE, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, and LUCY'S & WILSON'S WARBLERS. It's getting quite late for MARSH WREN but there's at least one still present.

42 species seen from 9:15-10:15am:
Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, 45-White-faced Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, 2-Scaled Quail, Sora, American Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer, Rock and Mourning Doves, Hammond's Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Cactus and Marsh Wrens, Verdin, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Violet-green, Rough-winged, Bank, Barn and Cliff Swallows, House Sparrow, House Finch, Lucy's Warbler, Yellow-rumped and Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, White-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's, Lark and Black-throated Sparrows, Lazuli Bunting, Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Wednesday, May 5, 1999
After several days out of action due to sickness (when I should have been with Don and Carol Broderick from MD), I finally managed to get back into the field again late this afternoon. I tried to salvage something for Carol and she and I headed up Scheelite Canyon to look for Spotted Owl. Since I certainly wasn't up to full strength, I was hoping for an easy trip -- no such luck. The log showed that 4 parties had not found the owl so I expected a tough slog. That's just what we got and about 1 mile up the canyon we found a very well hidden SPOTTED OWL. Very little else of note seen so late in the day -- birds present included STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, HAMMOND'S, DUSKY and CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS, PINE SISKIN and PAINTED REDSTART.

Thursday, May 6, 1999
Out today with Charles and Jane McCrary and Robert and Kate Gooch from Memphis, TN. We visited Garden and Sawmill Canyons in the Huachucas and the San Pedro River.

Although conditions at Garden Canyon upper picnic area were excellent this morning at 6:45am,  ELEGANT TROGON was a no show and we only managed brief looks at a calling male higher up the canyon, near the pictograph site. By far the best bird was a BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER in the sycamores just below the picnic area. This species is rare enough in the Huachucas that this was my first sighting here. A few signs today that migration is beginning to slow down with slightly fewer WILSON'S WARBLERS and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS. However, TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS certainly continue in good numbers. Other birds around the picnic area included COOPER'S HAWK, WILD TURKEY, singing ROADRUNNER, ACORN WOODPECKER, BUFF-BREASTED, DUSKY-CAPPED and CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS, HUTTON'S and PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, ORANGE-CROWNED, VIRGINIA'S, and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, many HEPATIC TANAGERS, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, LINCOLN'S and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS, PINE SISKIN and my first BRONZED COWBIRD of the year.

Sawmill Canyon continues very quiet for the time of year. There was almost no song when we arrived at 9:00am and we managed only 27 species in two hours. Several GREATER PEWEES were singing plus a few BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS (a little easier to come by today). GRACE'S WARBLERS are now plentiful but they continue to be much less vocal than expected. We heard several RED-FACED and one OLIVE WARBLER but were unable to track them down. Others included ROADRUNNER, HAIRY (rare here except in winter) and STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKERS, GRAY (rare here in migration) and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS, PYGMY NUTHATCH, BROWN CREEPER, ROBIN, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, TOWNSEND'S and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO, HEPATIC TANAGER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

A late afternoon visit to the San Pedro River (Hwy 90 area) was very productive with plenty of migrant warblers and flycatchers. Birds were easy to find all along the river but the area where the trail from the SP House meets the river was particularly active. From 4:50-7:15pm we found the following species:

Pied-billed Grebe, Mallard, Snowy Egret, White-faced Ibis, Swainson's Hawk, American Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, American Coot, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Lesser Nighthawk, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, Hammond's, Gray, Pacific-slope, Vermilion, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Black Phoebe, Cassin's Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Bell's & Cassin's Vireos, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, N. Rough-winged & Barn Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Finch, Orange-crowned, Lucy's, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Townsend's, MacGillivray's & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's & Lark Sparrows, Green-tailed & Abert's Towhees, Summer Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, Northern Cardinal, Lazuli Bunting, Bullock's Oriole, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Meadowlark and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Friday, May 7, 1999
Out today with Bob Williford and Stacy Bonn from Phoenix, AZ. In the morning we visited Garden and Sawmill Canyons in the Huachucas followed by a late afternoon visit to the San Pedro and some nightbirding back in the Huachucas. Another sunny and warm day that began at 57 degrees at 6:00am and warmed to 84 degrees by 12:30pm.  An excellent day of non-target birding just seeing whatever happened by. Very brief notes today -- I'm tired and tomorrow's early start looms large.

Garden Canyon: 6:15am-12:15pm, 52 species. Highlights included a calling adult male ELEGANT TROGON, a low flying NORTHERN GOSHAWK and a late NASHVILLE WARBLER.

Sawmill Canyon: 8:30-11:00am, 35 species. Again very quiet but we persisted and were well rewarded with NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL, several HERMIT and a RED-FACED WARBLER. A small brown bird flew by and perched in a pine on a tiny snag. From the almost eye-level view that we had it looked like a small bird sitting on a nest with its tail pointing directly at us. However, moving a few feet revealed the truth -- a Northern Pygmy-Owl. Great views!

San Pedro River: 4:30-7:10pm, 60 species. Many migrant warblers and flycatchers again. Highlight was a migrant OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER.

Back in the Huachucas, our evening owling session was highlighted with great views of a very close WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL. A pair of WESTERN SCREECH-OWLS were calling nearby but we didn't try to see them. On this moonless and very dark night, we heard zero nightjars and very few ELF OWLS.

Our day list of 100+ species follows:
Pied-billed Grebe, Mallard, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrel, Wild Turkey, Gambel's Quail, American Coot, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Western & Whiskered Screech-Owls, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Elf Owl, Lesser Nighthawk, Black-chinned & Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Acorn, Gila, Ladder-backed & Strickland's Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Hammond's, Gray, Dusky, Pacific-slope, Cordilleran & Buff-breasted Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Vermilion, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Hutton's, Cassin's & Plumbeous Vireos, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's & House Wrens, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, N. Rough-winged & Barn Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Lucy's, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's, Hermit & Grace's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's & Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstart, Yellow-breasted Chat, Song & White-crowned Sparrows, Yellow-eyed Junco, Chipping,  Brewer's, Lark & Black-throated Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted & Abert's Towhees,
Hepatic, Summer & Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Bullock's & Scott's Oriole, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Meadowlark and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Saturday, May 8, 1999
Day 1 of 2 days with Fred and Donna Niedermeyer from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. We visited Patagonia Lake, Kino Springs, Patagonia Roadside Rest and the Paton's yard recording about 100 species. It was another warm day that began at 58 degrees in Sierra Vista at 5:30am and was at 89 degrees at 4:00pm. A calm morning with gusty winds in the afternoon.

It had been over a week since I visited Patagonia Lake State Park and the change from spring to summer mode (the least productive season here) was quite noticeable. Even so, we still managed to record a decent enough 75 species from 6:30-11:10am. Apart from continuing WILSON'S still in annoyingly huge numbers, and a few MACGILLIVRAY'S, warblers represented the biggest drop in migrant species along with the complete absence of the winter/migrant empids. On the other side of the coin, summer resident YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS are now very numerous and vocal as are CASSIN'S and WESTERN KINGBIRDS, BELL'S VIREOS and SUMMER TANAGERS. N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS were very subdued today (no singing from any birds) and it was only after hearing their quiet but distinctive call (and lots of persistence) that we were able to track one down for good views. Lingering species included VIRGINIA RAIL and SORA (both as bold as brass and easy to see at the edge of the marsh), TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, WHITE-CROWNED, LINCOLN'S and BREWER'S SPARROWS, and very late MARSH WREN and SWAMP SPARROW (both almost 1 month beyond expected departure dates). Other migrants/wintering birds seen today included REDHEAD, WHITE-FACED IBIS, 3-4 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER, 2-3 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES, WARBLING VIREO, several WESTERN TANAGERS, and good numbers of GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES perhaps gathering for the move north.

Over at Kino Springs GRAY HAWK was easy to find, as is often the case here, and we had excellent looks at flying and perched birds. A 50 minute visit yielded almost 50 species despite the noon hour. Other species included a small group of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, PACIFIC-SLOPE, DUSKY-CAPPED and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS, MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER and PINE SISKIN. No sign yet of Tropical Kingbird, although it was quite windy and we could easily have missed one.

THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS are back in Patagonia, seen by others today. I heard one as we arrived at the Roadside Rest but we concentrated on seeing the very vocal BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS and the kingbird escaped us.

By the time we reached the Paton's Yard shortly before 2:00pm the temperature was in the low 90s. However, the birds didn't seem to mind and we had a very colorful performance at the feeders from BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, WESTERN TANAGER, LAZULI BUNTING and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. Hummers were down to non-migrants only -- BROAD-BILLED, VIOLET-CROWNED, ANNA'S and BLACK-CHINNED.

We had checked every TURKEY VULTURE seen throughout the day without any luck, and as I was sitting under the shade tent I saw the shadow of yet another "TV" go by. As I've mentioned before, it rarely pays to be lazy so I reluctantly ventured into the sun to check it. Bingo! A very cooperative ZONE-TAILED HAWK that made several low passes over the next few minutes. A good way to end our day.

Sunday, May 9, 1999
Out again today with Fred and Donna Niedermeyer from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. In the morning Fred and I visited Garden and Sawmill Canyons in the Huachucas, and we all made a late afternoon visit to the San Pedro River. A much cooler but, unfortunately, another windy day, especially in the morning.

Birds were everywhere as we arrived at the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon around 6:30am, and it was definitely a case of not knowing where to look first. Our problem was solved when I heard the sweet song of a RED-FACED WARBLER in a nearby oak. While looking at the bird we found TOWNSEND'S, HERMIT, and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS in the same tree. Other warblers in the area today where ORANGE-CROWNED, YELLOW-RUMPED, VIRGINIA'S and lest I forget, many WILSON'S that don't seem to want to leave! Flycatchers were represented by a singing GREATER PEWEE, BUFF-BREASTED (continuing out of breeding habitat as mid-May approaches), HAMMOND'S, CORDILLERAN, ASH-THROATED and DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, SAY'S PHOEBE and CASSIN'S KINGBIRD. Less common species for this location were a lingering flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS, 2 migrant SWAINSON'S THRUSHES first detected by their characteristic "weep" call (that I used to hear often in my Bellingham back yard), LAZULI BUNTING and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE. Others among the almost 50 species that we recorded in 90 minutes were -- ELEGANT TROGON (at least two birds calling that we did not pursue), HUTTON'S and PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, HEPATIC and WESTERN TANAGERS, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE  and PINE SISKIN.

Apart from the wind noise, Sawmill Canyon was deathly quiet which is absolutely amazing for this time of year. We recorded only 22 species in 2 1/2 hours and came across only one singing GRACE'S WARBLER! This bird is quite abundant and would normally be singing its head off throughout the canyon. Other warblers were WILSON'S, TOWNSEND'S and at least 6 HERMITS. Many silent HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS continue, and we saw (and heard occasional song from) GREATER PEWEE and BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER. Despite the wind we had good looks at STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, PYGMY NUTHATCH, HUTTON'S and CASSIN'S VIREOS, and HEPATIC TANAGER working on the ground.

Although our two hour session on the San Pedro River (Hwy 90 area) from 5-7:00pm produced 56 species, the birding was fairly mediocre compared to recent days. For me the most interesting bird was the NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET that I heard calling near the big pond. I saw this bird for the first time on the San Pedro in April and June of 1998, so today was only my third record here. Other flycatchers today were HAMMOND'S, GRAY, PACIFIC-SLOPE, BLACK PHOEBE, VERMILION, ASH-THROATED, BROWN-CRESTED and CASSIN'S KINGBIRD. Warblers were LUCY'S, YELLOW, YELLOW-RUMPED, TOWNSEND'S, MACGILLIVRAY'S, YELLOWTHROAT and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.

Winter sparrows continue to dwindle with only WHITE-CROWNED and CHIPPING in numbers, and a few BREWER'S; GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES are still plentiful. Our best sight was of a very low SWAINSON'S HAWK near the big pond. Working low over big pond were the usual BARN and ROUGH-WINGED along with a few TREE and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS.

As dusk fell, LESSER NIGHTHAWKS were out working in force. Our final birds were a pair of PYRRHULOXIAS, silhouetted against the orange sky of the setting sun.

Monday, May 10, 1999
A cancellation left me with a day off which I put to good use catching up on chores. Since it was warm and windy, I didn't expect to find very much on a mid-afternoon visit to Sierra Vista sewage ponds, but nevertheless I ventured out. Once again I was rewarded for my efforts with a male INDIGO BUNTING, fairly rare in SE AZ and sewage pond species #179 for me.

I watched several parties come and go and it was interesting to watch what they checked and what they neglected to check. Some didn't even bother to get out of the car. I can imagine their words as they left -- "this place has no birds". I've mentioned before that the key to finding birds here is to spend a little time, so I took my own advice today. After watching the marsh for a while I spotted the Indigo Bunting plus 1-LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER approaching breeding plumage, 1-WHITE-FACED IBIS, 1-BLACK-NECKED STILT and a bathing SORA. A group of 20-LAZULI BUNTINGS made for a spectacular sight perched on an irrigation rig. Swallows were numerous and I recorded all 6 AZ species.

My tally from 2:15-3:15pm was the following (less common species at the ponds in italics):
Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, White-faced Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Sora, American Coot, Long-billed Dowitcher, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Western Wood-Pewee, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Chihuahuan Raven, Tree, Violet-green, N. Rough-winged, Bank, Barn & Cliff Swallows, House Sparrow, House Finch, Lucy's, Yellow-rumped & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, White-crowned & Brewer's Sparrows, Lazuli & Indigo Buntings, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Tuesday, May 11, 1999
Day 1 of 4 days with Jim and Eva Stephenson from Belton, TX.  We visited Patagonia Lake, Kino Springs, Roadside Rest, Paton's Yard and the San Pedro River; finishing up in the Huachucas for owls. On a slightly cooler day with almost no wind, we recorded 110+ species.

Activity at Patagonia Lake continues to decrease in terms of quantity of individuals but we still managed 75 species from 6:30-10:30am. Highlights included CLARK'S GREBE at the eastern end of the lake, a LEAST TERN working the eastern edge of the lake (thanks to Gary Rosenberg for alerting us to its presence), and my season first BOTTERI'S SPARROW in a traditional location along the entrance road.  Once again, VIRGINIA RAIL and SORA were easy to see in the marsh. Others on the lake, in the marsh or on the flats were 30+ NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, several BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS, GREAT EGRET, GREEN HERON, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, WHITE-FACED IBIS, COMMON MOORHEN and SPOTTED SANDPIPER. Migrants included PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER and WESTERN TANAGER. All the summer residents were vocal and easy to see.

At Kino Springs we almost gave up on TROPICAL KINGBIRD, but eventually found a mostly inactive and silent individual. A perched GRAY HAWK gave us great looks. At the Roadside Rest, THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD also obliged by sitting still and gave us great scope looks.

Activity in the Paton's Yard was somewhat subdued around 1:00pm but most of the birds present on Sunday put on a good show again and even SWAINSON'S THRUSH put in an appearance. Why not? they're everywhere else right now.

A two hour late afternoon visit to the San Pedro River (Hwy 90) area was highlighted by a male BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, a one time AZ nemesis bird for me and only my third sighting in the state. Among the other migrants seen were PACIFIC-SLOPE, HAMMOND'S and DUSKY FLYCATCHERS, SWAINSON'S THRUSH and WARBLING VIREO. We recorded 50 species from 5:00-7:00pm

Our day ended well in the Huachucas starting with a GREAT HORNED OWL perched on a pole, followed by excellent looks at both our target owls -- WHISKERED and WESTERN SCREECH.

Wednesday, May 12, 1999
Day 2 with Jim and Eva Stephenson from Belton, TX. We visited Garden, Sawmill, Scheelite and Miller Canyons in the Huachucas. Another excellent day of birding on perhaps the warmest day of the year so far.

The ELEGANT TROGON show was in full swing at the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon when we arrived at 6:45am. For the first time this year (that I've seen) a female was present, and the two males that were in the area were definitely trying to impress her. We had excellent close up looks before becoming distracted with a nearby HERMIT WARBLER. However, the trogons continued calling for over 30 minutes as we looked for other birds. Other birds in the area today included continuing BUFF-BREASTED and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, TOWNSEND'S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and RED-FACED WARBLERS, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, and HEPATIC and WESTERN TANAGERS. I was shocked to find that a WINTER WREN (near the stream in the same location that it spent much of the winter) is still present at this late date.

Sawmill continues very quiet and I again struggled to find birds -- 30 species in 2 hours was scant reward for our efforts at this time of year. Some of the birds present were N. PYGMY-OWL, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER, GRACE'S, TOWNSEND'S, HERMIT and RED-FACED WARBLERS, HEPATIC TANAGER and SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

On this hot day we delayed our visit to Scheelite until the afternoon when the sun had passed over the north south running canyon (it would have been a real drag in the late morning). According to the log, none of the previous parties had found the owl so I feared a long and hot hike. However, even though the bird was not in the lower roosting area, we found the bird in the middle area and were spared the slog to the upper area. At the 3/4 split I guessed correctly and found the bird well hidden in a regular tree that is in shade for most of the day. Smart owl!  Among the few other species that we saw were DUSKY-CAPPED and CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS, HUTTON'S VIREO, BUSHTIT, BROWN CREEPER continuing at low elevation for this season, WILSON'S and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS and HEPATIC TANAGER.

Our day ended with a very productive visit to Beatty's B&B in Miller Canyon. The last hour before darkness is often a good time to see many hummers and the feeders were certainly "humming" tonight. We saw 1 smart looking female WHITE-EARED, several MAGNIFICENT, 1-BLUE-THROATED (imm. male), 1-COSTA'S (imm. male), numerous BLACK-CHINNED and BROAD-TAILED and a female RUFOUS/ALLEN'S. A nice bonus was a VIRGINIA'S WARBLER drinking at the pool.

Thursday, May 13, 1999
Day 3 with Jim and Eva Stephenson from Belton, TX. Today we visited various locations in the Chiricahuas where, to our surprise, we found cloudy and relatively cool conditions for much of the morning, although we did have some wind to contend with at times. In contrast to the previous two days, birding was tough today and successes were few and far between. Although we located almost every bird that we hoped to see, it was one of those days of "heard only", fleeting glimpses and BVDs.

The day started well with BARN OWL near Rodeo and ended with a pair of HARRIS'S HAWKS on Stateline Road near Willow Tank, a bird that I was very surprised to see here. Our difficulties were epitomized by MEXICAN CHICKADEE that we heard and lost several times before finally getting brief looks just as we were leaving Rustler Park. They are often hard to find during the breeding season when they are in pairs and not flocking together.

Along the Paradise Road we found many of the regulars with only BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW seen anything like well. Others included STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, SCRUB-JAY, CRISSAL THRASHER, ROCK WREN and JUNIPER TITMOUSE.

A brief stop at the George Walker house in Paradise found the feeders teeming with birds including all three AZ regular ORIOLES, LAZULI BUNTING, MAGNIFICENT and BLUE-THROATED HUMMERS, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, BRONZED COWBIRD, and the lonely INCA DOVE that spent the winter and seems very much out of place.

On the Rustler Road we found GRACE'S, OLIVE and RED-FACED WARBLERS and PAINTED REDSTART and all except Red-faced were also seen at Rustler Park. Other species at a quite windy Rustler were HAIRY WOODPECKER, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, all three NUTHATCHES, WARBLING VIREO, TOWNSEND'S and HERMIT WARBLERS and WESTERN TANAGER. However, 2-EVENING GROSBEAKS should perhaps be considered the best find here.

Friday, May 14, 1999
Day 4 and final day with Jim and Eva Stephenson from Belton, TX. We visited California Gulch, Peņa Blanca Lake, and the Patagonia roadside rest area. In stark contrast to yesterday, we had great success and very good looks at most of our target birds.

'Tis the season again and today we were on the road at 4:00am for my first trip of the season to California Gulch. All of the stream crossings from Ruby Rd. down to the gulch (and south of the gulch) are completely dry, as is the dam area (although there is some water below the dam). In the gulch proper, both stream crossings are dry but there is a little standing water in the wash between them and in the riparian area to the south of the second crossing.

In addition to previous forest service road closures into the gulch proper at the north and south ends, another access road is now closed. At the south end of the gulch near "Ralph's place", the lower road through the orchard that ends up just south of the second stream crossing is now closed. It is still possible to reach this point on the upper road through (currently unoccupied) private property. I spoke to another local resident (Ralph) who uses this road and he was unsure who had blocked the orchard road. However, since it's USFS property, it was probably the forest service. As to why? Nevertheless, even without the use of either of the above roads, it's my opinion that the south end provides the easiest access by parking near Ralph's place and walking in on the original FS road. The distance to the second stream crossing is less than 1/4 mile and is much less strenuous than walking down (and then up!) heartbreak hill at the north end.

Our first success came 0.5 mile along CA gulch road where a pair of MONTEZUMA QUAIL were in the dry stream bed about 40 feet away -- excellent looks at these striking birds. My records show that there's roughly a 60% chance of seeing them somewhere along the Ruby/CA gulch roads -- as long as you go early. I was hoping that this was a portent of good things to come but I was worried because of the dry conditions. In 12-15 trips per year to the gulch for 5 years, I have missed the sparrows (in season) only twice. Both misses were in the latter part of May during the drought year of 1996. However, after almost an hour of searching we found a very friendly FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW that appeared to have just bathed. The bird perched up in an ocotillo about 20 feet from us and preened and gave partial song for about 5 minutes. Hallelujah. No sooner had we got done with the sparrow and noted that TURKEY VULTURES were starting to soar (about 8:15am), a pair of ZONE-TAILED HAWKS called and circled low over the gulch. Hey, it's Miller time. We spent 3 hours and 10 minutes in the area (from leaving and returning to the Ruby Road), and recorded a total of 40 species including such regulars as COOPER'S HAWK, ROADRUNNER, COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD (quite a few singing), N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET,  BELL'S VIREO,  CANYON WREN, WESTERN and SUMMER TANAGERS and HOODED ORIOLE. A first for me here was TOWNSEND'S WARBLER. Another regular, VARIED BUNTING appears not to have returned yet. It certainly escaped us today.

Since the RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN was seen as recently as yesterday, we decided to try our luck over at Peņa Blanca Lake, a location that we had to pass by anyway. We searched in vain for about 45 minutes before being informed that the bird had been seen briefly about 30 minutes ago. Now feeling more inspired, we checked the area along the road to the boat launch and soon found the bird in a very hard to see place. The bird sat still for about 5 minutes but ironically, we could only see the front. With it's upslurred whistled flight call, the bird headed to the Upper Thumb area where I've found it several times in the past, and the place that we originally searched today!. We hurried over and soon found the bird on the ground, and this time had all around views. Among the other birds in the area were COOPER'S HAWK, N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, DUSKY-CAPPED and BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, HUTTON'S VIREO, MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

We finished our day at the Patagonia Roadside Rest where 3 soaring GRAY HAWKS were the highlight as we 'scoped a ROCK WREN on the slopes. Also present were a flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS and a raucous THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD.

Sunday, May 16, 1999
Day 1 of 5 days with Joe Siphron and John Allan from Quoge, NY. Over the next 5 days we'll be looking for 50 target species. Today we visited Aravaipa Canyon, the San Pedro River at Dudleyville and Miller Canyon in the Huachucas.

I was on the road at 4:30am to pickup Joe and John in Tucson and we arrived at a very birdy Aravaipa Canyon at 7:00am. Three hours and 40 species later we headed out after seeing our main target bird -- COMMON BLACK-HAWK. However, we saw only one bird about 2 miles from the wilderness area entrance. The bird soared above the mountains only briefly, but just enough for us to pick it up and watch it glide down the canyon and along the creek. I consider us very fortunate to have seen it. Other birds included GILDED FLICKER, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER and lots of HOODED ORIOLES.

Our luck in Dudleyville wasn't so good and proved once again that timing is everything. Although 2 were seen at 9:30am, we searched in vain for MISSISSIPPI KITE from 10:00am -12:30pm.

As we arrived back in Sierra Vista around 3:00pm., a major fire was burning in the foothills of the Huachucas. I wouldn't be surprised to see Garden Canyon closed tomorrow so we'll head to Patagonia instead.

A 5:15-6:45pm visit to Beatty's B&B in Miller Canyon was very successful and our tally of hummingbirds was WHITE-EARED, MAGNIFICENT, BLUE-THROATED, COSTA'S, ANNA'S,  BLACK-CHINNED and BROAD-TAILED. Continuing in the orchard is at least one BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER. Others included EASTERN BLUEBIRD, VIRGINIA'S WARBLER and PAINTED REDSTART.  Tom Beatty presented me with a "I saw White-eared Hummingbird at Beatty's B&B" T-shirt, since I was the lucky one to see the first there this year -- thanks Tom!

After driving back into town and seeing just 1 LESSER NIGHTHAWK very briefly, our day concluded successfully at Sierra Vista sewage ponds were dozens of them were working low over the fields.

Monday, May 17, 1999
Day 2 with Joe Siphron and John Allan from Quoge, NY. Short morning visits to Garden Canyon, Patagonia Lake, Patagonia Roadside Rest and Paton's Yard, followed by a late afternoon visit to the San Pedro and some evening owling in the Huachucas.

After seeing the extent of yesterday's fire, mostly in the area NE of the aerostat site but extending up Garden Canyon below the lower picnic area, I was amazed that the canyon was still open. We took advantage and headed to the upper picnic area where we birded for about an hour before being asked to leave, as fire crews worked on smoldering hotspots. Fortunately, our early arrival at 5:45am was rewarded with an excellent ELEGANT TROGON show. Both male and female were calling as we arrived, the male from inside a prospective (likely) or perhaps already decided upon cavity. The female sat a few feet from the cavity and answered him as he tried to entice her closer with a much softer version of the normally harsh dog-like call (I call it the "love call"). Eventually she flew to the cavity and spent a minute checking it out before flying to some nearby trees and began feeding. Perhaps it wasn't to her liking. The male continued to call from inside the cavity for 15 minutes before emerging and perching in the clear in bright sunlight. Wow. Other birds in the area included ROADRUNNER, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER (amazingly, still in low elevation non-breeding habitat despite the late date), PLUMBEOUS VIREO, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS, HEPATIC TANAGER and PINE SISKIN.

Next stop was Patagonia Lake State Park where, just as last week, BOTTERI'S SPARROW was spontaneously singing, and we were able to get nice 'scope looks. Contrary to published data these sparrows usually sing to establish territories when they arrive in early May, and then they quieten down in June until the rains begin in July. Even in this dry year they are singing. A short walk along the trail produced our targets -- BELL'S VIREO, elusive as ever, and MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER. A total of only 35 species in this abbreviated visit.

A stop at the Roadside Rest did not produce our target kingbird, just a very large flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS, calling BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER and SUMMER TANAGER, while. across the street WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS screamed overhead. We also came up empty at the stream crossing on Salerno Road. seeing only a very cooperative DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER. However, Blue Heaven Road lived up to its name with a pair of noisy THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS.

In the Paton's Yard, VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD was easily seen along with only 20 other species -- definite signs that migration is winding down.

It was still 90 degrees at 5:00pm when we began birding on the San Pedro but the temperature had dropped considerably by the time we left at 7:15pm. Wintering BREWER'S, CHIPPING, LINCOLN'S and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE continue as do migrant DUSKY FLYCATCHER, HERMIT THRUSH, CASSIN'S VIREO,  MACGILLIVRAY'S and WILSON'S WARBLERS, although with far fewer individuals. Summer resident WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, SUMMER TANAGER and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE are now firmly established.

Our evening owling session in the Huachucas was unsuccessful and we dipped completely on both target owls. WHISKERED-SCREECH was seen only in flight and as a perched silhouette, with Western-Screech not even heard. Neither Whip-poor-will nor Poorwill were heard, and just a few ELF OWLS were calling.

Tuesday, May 18, 1999
It appears that our early morning foray into Garden Canyon yesterday will be my last for a while. I spoke with Fort Huachuca Fire Dept. late today and was told that the canyon will be closed for some time. Lots of birders are going to be disappointed and I'll have to find new places to find some of the birds, the most difficult of which will be Spotted Owl. I'll attempt to find out more info as my schedule permits.

Day 3 with Joe Siphron and John Allan from Quoge, NY. Today we birded various locations in the Sulphur Springs Valley and in the Chiricahuas.

May is not a good time to be looking for thrashers but we thrashed around the Sulphur Springs Valley early this morning and eventually found a very cooperative BENDIRE'S THRASHER, which turned out to be Joe's 600th ABA area bird. However, perhaps the best birds (for me!) were a pair of BURROWING OWLS sitting on the fence on Coffman Road. Formerly more common and regular in SSV, they are now much harder to come by here. We made a quick trip to Whitewater Draw Wildlife area where I was disappointed to find that many fences and scrubby habitat have been removed and the sides of the barn removed and tables added here and there. Gee, and I thought it was supposed to be a wildlife area. If it's for wildlife, leave it wild!

Our trip up the mountain along the Pinery Canyon Rd was productive and many RED-FACED WARBLERS were singing throughout. In contrast to last week, MEXICAN CHICKADEE was easy to find today. Others included BAND-TAILED PIGEON, GREATER PEWEE, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, GRACE'S WARBLER and PAINTED REDSTART.

We worked diligently to find NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL but it wasn't until we reached the Rustler Road that we found a very cooperative individual, perched in the clear atop a Douglas Fir. Great 'scope looks at this one. At Rustler Park, last week's abundant and vocal OLIVE WARBLERS were very hard to find today.

During last week's stop at the George Walker House in Paradise I noted several SCOTT'S ORIOLES, so we stopped by hoping for an easy find. No problem! There were at least 5 individuals, probably more, including spiffy looking adult males, sub-adult males and the drabber females. Lot's of birds were present at the feeders, but unfortunately we weren't able to stick around to enjoy them! Thanks again to our host, Dale Julian.

Despite the heat of the noon hour, our second stop along the Paradise Rd produced a close range and spontaneously singing BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW.

In Portal we spent a little time at various feeders looking for Lucifer Hummingbird. The bird had been seen earlier in the day but we were unsuccessful during the little amount of time we could spend. An early start tomorrow for CA Gulch dictated that we head for home.

Wednesday, May 19, 1999
Day 4 with Joe Siphron and John Allan from Quoge, NY. A 3:00am departure from Sierra Vista put us in the right place at the right time along the Ruby Rd. However, apart from one possible fly-by, we didn't see any Common Poorwills. Sometimes I see double figures. We were successful in seeing the sparrow but after checking every TV from CA Gulch to Patagonia, Zone-tailed Hawk eluded us for the fourth straight day.

Although the day turned out very warm, it was quite chilly in California Gulch as we began birding at 6:15pm. We worked hard to find FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW for 2 hours and were finally successful at 8:15am. In fact there were a pair of birds with the male singing cooperatively from an ocotillo, providing good 'scope views. Among the 40 other species in the gulch today were 2-GOLDEN EAGLES, N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, VERMILION, DUSKY-CAPPED and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, BELL'S VIREO, CANYON and ROCK WRENS, SUMMER and WESTERN TANAGERS, and HOODED and SCOTT'S ORIOLES. It appears that Varied Bunting has still not returned, at least I couldn't find one.

[Entering soap box mode: On our way out of the gulch we met another party who asked about the sparrow, and I directed them to where we had found the bird. Upon meeting them again later, I asked if it was found. I got a "yes" but not a "thank you". To say that I was a tad pissed is putting it mildly. As a guide, I put in lots of time and effort researching how and where to find birds. That's why I get results. For me, this knowledge is product, just like a loaf of bread at the grocery store. I'm under no obligation to give away bread, especially when I'm in the field with clients and taking up their time to speak with others. All I ask and expect is the courtesy of a simple "thank you" You can rest assured it will only happen once with any one person.]

We spent an hour at Peņa Blanca Lake looking for the Robin without success. It may have been the heat of the day or the bird may be gone Either way, we didn't find it.

A quick stop at Kino Springs to scan the skies for Zone-tailed instead yielded a pristine looking TROPICAL KINGBIRD. As we stood by the club house pond catching some shade, the bird flew in very close and perched in the clear. On the drive home, my first of season BLUE GROSBEAK was seen on Hwy 83.

Thursday, May 20, 1999
Day 5 and final day with Joe Siphron and John Allan from Quoge, NY. Due to the closure of Garden Canyon in the Huachucas, I reluctantly decided to bird in the Santa Ritas today. Definitely not one of my favorite places, but at least it wasn't the weekend.

It was quite chilly in Florida Wash at 5:20am, but on the plus side we had the place to ourselves and the birds were pretty active. I just knew there was a good reason why I got out of bed at 3:00am. Probably the best birds were 2-OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHERS and 2-VARIED BUNTINGS. The buntings, a female and a probable first year male, were my first of the season. I picked them up by hearing the female give the "pit" call that is very similar to a Buff-breasted Flycatcher call. The probable first year male later gave a partial song. I saw the Olive-sideds sitting on a snag from a distance and thought they looked too big and chunky to be Pewees. As we approached, the size and vested appearance of the birds became apparent and for good measure, a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE perched next to them making a good comparison. How about that for luck.

In the mountains, we trudged many miles of Sycamores in various canyon drainages looking in vain for Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers. One party reported seeing 2 silent birds but neither we nor anyone else on the trail were able to relocate them. Along the way we found at least 6 extremely vocal ELEGANT TROGONS. Last year I found trogons nesting in a Cottonwood, a first for me and I remember being quite surprised at the time. However, what I saw today amazed me. We could hear the trogon "love call" nearby and went to check it out. A female was sitting a few feet from a power pole and a male was inside a cavity in the pole, trying to entice the female to check it out. When he heard us talking, out he came!

Other birds included ROADRUNNER, BAND-TAILED PIGEON,   STRICKLAND'S and ACORN WOODPECKERS, CORDILLERAN, DUSKY-CAPPED and BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, SWAINSON'S and HERMIT THRUSHES, HUTTON'S and PLUMBEOUS VIREOS,   TOWNSEND'S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and RED-FACED WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART and SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

Saturday, May 22, 1999
Out today with Patsy Kringel of Pierre, SD and her daughter Sarah Hibbitts of Tulsa, OK. In the morning we birded in Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons in the Huachucas where we saw many of the specialties, followed by late afternoon birding on the San Pedro and in Miller Canyon.

We arrived at the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon around 6:10am to the raucous calls of two male ELEGANT TROGONS. We had excellent looks at a male perched and calling at the top of a sycamore -- he must have stayed put at least 15 minutes after we left to look at other stuff. Later we saw a female. After spending many hours and miles on Friday looking for SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, today there was a bird calling in the wash above the picnic area. A few hours later we saw a silent and somewhat furtive individual when we stopped at the pictograph site (pointed out to us by visiting birder, John Robson -- thank you!). Among the 30 species that we saw around the picnic area were MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER (are they going to nest here!), HUTTON'S and PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, PAINTED REDSTART, WESTERN and HEPATIC TANAGERS and BRONZED COWBIRD.

The pines in Sawmill continue amazingly quiet and a breezy two hour session produced only 28 species including BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, GREATER PEWEE singing briefly a few times, HAMMOND'S, BUFF-BREASTED, CORDILLERAN and DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, STELLER'S JAY, BROWN CREEPER, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, HERMIT THRUSH, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, GRACE'S (mostly silent), BLACK-THROATED GRAY, WILSON'S and RED-FACED WARBLERS, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, HEPATIC TANAGER and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO.

We searched a regular territory for Red-faced Warbler without seeing or hearing the bird. Just when it looked like we might get skunked, we heard the bird singing in the distance. We hurried over but needn't have worried -- he flew in and gave us a little song and dance at close range for several minutes. I never get tired at looking at this delightful bird.

Next came the trek up Scheelite. Lots of birders in the canyon today and a very easy to find SPOTTED OWL, in the lower area for a change! Excellent looks at the bird roosting directly over the trail. It was interesting to watch the bird eyeball each person as they walked underneath it. Only a few other species in the late morning including STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, HOUSE WREN, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER and SPOTTED TOWHEE. If (lack of) song is anything to go by, Virginia's Warblers are pretty thin on the ground in Scheelite this year.

Now that migration has slowed to a trickle, a 90 minute visit to the San Pedro (Hwy 90 area) beginning at 4:40pm was certainly less than spectacular. In the very windy conditions, the reward for our efforts was a meager 33 species among which were GREAT BLUE and GREEN HERONS, SCALED QUAIL, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, MACGILLIVRAY'S and WILSON'S WARBLERS, GREEN-TAILED, CANYON and ABERT'S TOWHEES, and BREWER'S and LARK SPARROWS. 

Our final stop of the day just before dark was at  Beatty's B&B in Miller Canyon. As usual the feeders were buzzing with hummingbirds and we saw WHITE-EARED, MAGNIFICENT, BLUE-THROATED, COSTA'S,  BLACK-CHINNED and BROAD-TAILED.

Sunday, May 23, 1999
Day 1 of 2 days with Susan Davidson of Newton Centre, MA and Judy Samelson of Needham, MA. Both are participating in a Massachusetts Audubon tour this week and for the next couple of days we'll be looking for birds that are less likely to be found on that trip.

We left Sierra Vista at 5:00am and returned at 1:30pm, duplicating my trip of last Sunday to Aravaipa and Dudleyville, this time with a little more success. As we turned off Hwy 77 onto the Aravaipa Rd. at 8:00am, a RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW was conveniently perched on a wire singing and provided good 'scope looks. In contrast to last week we found a COMMON BLACK-HAWK fairly quickly, about 5 miles beyond where the blacktop ends. Also in contrast to last week, we had very good prolonged views of a soaring bird, initially at close range. The sighting was quite amusing -- Susan and I were looking at and calling out RED-TAILED HAWK, while Judy insisted that the bird had white on the tail. The classic case of looking at two different birds. Other birds in the canyon included LESSER NIGHTHAWK, GILDED FLICKER, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, ASH-THROATED and BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, BELL'S VIREO and scads of HOODED ORIOLES.

Over at the San Pedro river crossing in Dudleyville, success came within 20 minutes of arrival with great views of a soaring MISSISSIPPI KITE. The only other birds of note in this brief visit were a COOPER'S HAWK and my season first PURPLE MARTIN.

Our successful day continued as we entered Scheelite Canyon at 4:00pm where a first year male ELEGANT TROGON was calling near the trail register. We were able to get very good close range views of the bird as it perched just a few feet off the ground.  I wasn't surprised that the trail log showed that nobody had recorded the owl today. I had a feeling that the bird would be harder to find today with so many people in the canyon yesterday. On our walk up the canyon we came across a very ratty looking male STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER taking food to a nest cavity. We watched him gather food but it wasn't until we moved a respectable distance away that he finally delivered it.

After searching the lower area without finding the bird we headed on up canyon and I left Susan and Judy at the 3/4 mile split as I searched further. I had a pretty good idea where the bird would be and was quite crestfallen when it wasn't where I expected. I finished checking one fork of the canyon and again returned to the same tree to double check. It still wasn't there! However, as I turned to leave, there sat a very alert looking SPOTTED OWL in the tree next door, a tree in which I had not seen an owl before. I had walked past it three times and was about to do it one more time, but fortunately I didn't. The trogon and woodpecker were ABA birds #498 and #499 for Susan and so the owl became #500. In addition, since I'm carrying on Smitty's tradition, I will name the tree after her. A good end to an already successful day. I wish they could all be like this! 

Monday, May 24, 1999
Out again today with Susan Davidson of Newton Centre, MA and Judy Samelson of Needham, MA.

Another 4:00am start for my third trip of the season to California Gulch (gotta get a helicopter). Not much seen along the Ruby Rd save for GREATER ROADRUNNER and BLUE GROSBEAK. Our first real reward came when Judy spotted a pair of MONTEZUMA QUAIL, with the male perched on a rock about 300 yards into the gulch from the Ruby Rd. After arriving in the gulch proper we had to work and wait for a little over an hour before finding a very cooperative FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW who then sang for some time, initially in the clear in an ocotillo for satisfying 'scope looks. Shortly afterwards a PEREGRINE FALCON flew by -- my first in the gulch and not a bird that I expected. However, there's certainly plenty of breeding habitat in the area. Just as I mentioned that we should turn our attention to VARIED BUNTING, a male began singing from a mesquite about 100 feet away. We also found another singing male and a female. As we walked back to the vehicle we paused to watch a soaring COOPER'S HAWK when the unmistakable scream of a ZONE-TAILED HAWK signaled its arrival and the two were together for a few moments. The Cooper's bailed out but the Zone-tailed put on quite a show for us before returning to its nesting area. Our gulch total of 44 species was:

Turkey Vulture, Cooper's, Zone-tailed and Red-tailed Hawks, Peregrine Falcon, Gambel's and Montezuma Quail, Mourning and White-winged Doves, Roadrunner, Costa's Hummingbird, Gila and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Say's and Black Phoebes, Vermilion, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated and Brown-crested Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Mexican Jay, Bell's Vireo, Canyon and Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Lucy's and Yellow Warblers, Five-striped and Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Varied Bunting, Hooded Oriole and Brown-headed Cowbird

I wasn't too hopeful for BOTTERI'S SPARROW at Patagonia Lake State Park in the 90 degree heat at 2:00pm, but we found a pair of birds and were able to get very good views at close range. As expected, a short stop at the Roadside Rest was not very productive but we did see GRAY HAWK, BLACK VULTURE and lots of WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS.

Along Blue Heaven Road in Patagonia we found a very obliging THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD sitting in the clear atop a Cottonwood. Although activity in the Paton's Yard was quite low, we had several visits from VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD and a ZONE-TAILED HAWK cruised by a few times.

Friday, May 28, 1999
After 3 days of R&R during which I didn't even leave the house let alone look at birds, I ventured out yesterday at 5:00pm. Even at that time, the temperature on Fry Blvd. was an even 100 degrees. Yikes, this is Sierra Vista not Tucson! Making me feel a little better is the fact that I have just a few more days to work and it will be time for my annual June sojourn to somewhere cooler. Birding in SE AZ in June is not my idea of fun.

Out today with Beatrice Kabler from Madison, WI (and Green Valley, AZ) for just one main target bird. I left home at 3:30am for my 4th. trip of the season to California Gulch, and after picking up Beatrice in Tubac we arrived at the south end of the Gulch at 7:00am. On the walk in, at least 2 VARIED BUNTINGS were perched up and singing. On the three previous visits this year it took me from 1 to 2 1/2 hours to find a FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW. Today we caught a break and it took only 5 minutes to find a singing bird, again very cooperative and easy to see as he sang from an ocotillo. Around 8:00am, as we walked back to the vehicle, another (possibly the same) bird was singing. Somewhat surprising in this dry year with probably another month before they nest. However, there is still a little standing water in the gulch to keep them around. We did not stay very long (in case you hadn't noticed, my philosophy is get up early, get in, get the bird, and get out before it gets hot) and found only 36 species including N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, ASH-THROATED, BROWN-CRESTED and DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, a very large flock of LESSER GOLDFINCHES, SUMMER TANAGER, BLUE GROSBEAK and HOODED and SCOTT'S ORIOLES. Back in Sierra Vista at 12:30pm, the temperature was a cool 93 degrees.

Monday, May 31, 1999
Day 1 of 2 days with Brooke Stevens from Cambridge, MA and Carol Ralph from Waltham, MA. Our targets for the morning were all LBJs --  Five-striped, Botteri's and Rufous-winged Sparrows. A 10 hour "morning" for me (on a mercifully cloudy and cool day) resulted in satisfying 'scope views of all three sparrows.

I left home at 3:00am to pick up Brooke and Carol in Nogales for my 5th trip of the season to California Gulch.  Along the blacktop section of the Ruby Road we saw numerous LESSER NIGHTHAWKS and a few COMMON POORWILLS sitting in the road. We parked at the south end of the gulch at 6:25am. On the short walk in we heard N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET and saw BLUE GROSBEAK and VARIED BUNTING.  At 6:45am a FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW began spontaneously singing from an ocotillo quite high up on the east slope. We eventually saw the bird well on the west slope at close range, some 20 minutes later. I believe that this was not the same individual that I have seen on the previous 4 trips this season (today's bird was not as pristine looking). Another short visit with a total of 36 species recorded in the gulch including most of the usual suspects.

In the foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains where it was still quite cool (under 80) around 10:40am, a very cooperative RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW was conveniently perched up and singing within yards of where we chose to park. I had just remarked that they often sing by the side of road, but was resigned to walk into the scrub because all was quiet, and then the bird began to sing!

Our sparrow grand slam was completed around noon near Patagonia Lake State Park. A slight breeze coupled with cloudy skies made it deliciously cool in the grassland, despite the noon hour, and we soon found a very cooperative BOTTERI'S SPARROW, a textbook buffy individual.

Unfortunately, in direct contrast to our morning successes, late afternoon and evening birding in the Sulphur Springs Valley in search of Crissal Thrasher went unrewarded. Although this is certainly not the best time to be looking for them, I was still surprised that 4 hours and many miles of suitable habitat (and regular haunts) didn't turn up a single bird. In fact, we saw just 3 thrashers -- 2-CURVE-BILLED and 1-BENDIRE'S.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Monday, May 31, 1999

Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - May, 1999 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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