Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - June, 2000 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 Thursday, June 29, 2000

Thursday, June 1, 2000
Before heading to the White Mountains we birded the Big Thicket area near Portal, in search of CRISSAL THRASHER. Although this is far from the best season to find most thrashers, we managed to get 'scope looks of a perched up bird after about 30 minutes of effort. Regular birds in the same habitat included GAMBEL'S QUAIL, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, BELL'S VIREO, VERDIN, CACTUS WREN, CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, LUCY'S WARBLER, CANYON TOWHEE, BLACK-THROATED SPARROW, NORTHERN CARDINAL, PYRRHULOXIA and BLUE GROSBEAK.

After breakfast in Safford, we drove north on Hwy 180 through New Mexico and re-entered Arizona in the White Mountains at Luna Lake. Conditions were quite cool, even cold, and definitely blustery. Wonderful! We spent a pleasant few hours here and recorded 44 species, including several White Mountain summer regulars that we did not see in Southeast Arizona.

Highlights were BALD EAGLE; a lone RED CROSSBILL in the pines at the east end of the lake near the campground; and a surprise bird also in the pines, a singing sub-adult male OLIVE WARBLER that I had not previously seen in this part of the mountains.

Species at Luna Lake (new for trip in italics):
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Double-crested Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, American Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Steller's Jay, Am. Crow, Common Raven, Plumbeous Vireo, Western Bluebird, American Robin, Pygmy & White-breasted Nuthatches, Violet-green Swallow, Purple Martin, Barn & Cliff Swallows, Mountain Chickadee, Red Crossbill, Olive, Yellow-rumped & Grace's Warblers, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed) Junco, White-crowned & Vesper Sparrows, Yellow-headed, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds and Eastern Meadowlark.

We continued on to Nutrioso to look for Lewis's Woodpecker and Pinyon Jay. We started along Nutrioso Creek where 2-GRAY CATBIRDS were a nice bird for me, but hardly spiffy for the all eastern participants. The catbird is a rare but regular breeder in the White Mountains, but this is the first time that I have seen them in this location. We found a pair of LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS at a nest site near the lumber mill, and a couple more in town at a regular spot near the Post Office. Also here were CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, WARBLING VIREO (they are like a disease in the White Mountains), WESTERN BLUEBIRD, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, WILSON'S WARBLER and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

Nutrioso Reservoir was hardly scenic but held a few birds already seen plus CANVASBACK. On the west side of  Hwy 180 in the residential area named Pinos de Paz, we tracked down a single PINYON JAY posing at the top of a pine. Appropriately, this is a peaceful neighborhood and an excellent location to find this bird, and there are normally lots of them to be seen at dawn and dusk. Other birds here included WESTERN and our first MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, GRACE'S WARBLER, a great close up view of a singing DARK-EYED (Red-backed) JUNCO, WESTERN TANAGER and PINE SISKIN.

Before heading to Springerville, our base for the next 2 nights, we finished up the day's birding at Nelson Reservoir. In the marsh, we had about as good a view as you could ever get of a very excited VIRGINIA RAIL, and a stunning YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD perched at close range. We saw about 20 species here including BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, CINNAMON TEAL, RING-NECKED DUCK, VIOLET-GREEN and N. ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT.

Friday, June 2, 2000
Our first WESTERN MEADOWLARK of the trip greeted us at the motel as we headed out for the day to our initial destination of Green's Peak, a forested knoll standing at 10,200 feet. Although we soon found our target BLUE GROUSE,  we were only able to manage a couple of brief glimpses. before we unfortunately, spooked the bird and it flew up into the trees where we lost it. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

On the route in we saw SWAINSON'S HAWK, AM. KESTREL, STELLER'S JAY, HORNED LARK and numerous MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and VESPER SPARROWS. On the peak were CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, several calling but unseen CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS, BROWN CREEPER, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE and HERMIT THRUSH.

As we left Green's Peak, we stopped at a regular hangout for GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE and, with patience, managed some good looks. This wasn't the case with a DUSKY FLYCATCHER that led us a bit of dance and we eventually gave up with a "we'll get it later". Also here was a nesting MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD in a old tree stump. Heading into Greer along Hwy 260 we came across a flock of 6-WILD TURKEYS.

Our next destination was Butler Canyon (the east fork of the Little Colorado in Greer). Here we saw about 20 species including BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, BELTED KINGFISHER, a fly by view of a RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER (that would become a nemesis bird), WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, good views of a singing DUSKY FLYCATCHER, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, a beautiful RED-FACED WARBLER, CHIPPING SPARROW, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE and a few RED CROSSBILLS feeding on cones. Oh, did I mention WARBLING VIREO?

After lunch in Springerville we checked Becker Lake just north of town. So far the day had been very overcast and delightfully cool, but here at the lake it was downright cold with a strong wind blowing. Birds were hard to pick out but a pair of CLARK'S GREBES doing courtship displays and carrying nesting material were a good find. Also here were DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, WHITE-FACED IBIS, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD and WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

Next stop was South Fork of the Little Colorado for Dipper. Just two weeks ago I had checked under the bridge (where they regularly breed) and found a nest on a ledge and a singing bird. Imagine my reaction when I found that the nest was no longer present. Color me crestfallen! I can only assume that the heavy construction trucks had shaken the nest loose. We birded here a little before moving on, recording only a handful of species including DUSKY FLYCATCHER, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY and a singing GRAY CATBIRD (this is a regular spot for them).

With the dip on dipper we had to do it the hard way along the west fork of the Little Colorado just south of Greer. Here you can easily walk very close to the river for a mile or so and we did just that. Just before we reached the private property line we saw an AMERICAN DIPPER flying upstream. I made the decision to keep going downstream and we eventually found a nest location and saw the bird going to the nest carrying food. We had some great views as the bird "dipped" in the water and did its thing. At the same time we watched a couple of RED-FACED WARBLERS in plain view.

Better yet, as we were walking along the river, someone heard tapping and we headed over to investigate. I said "good, I hope this is a THREE-TOED WOODPECKER", and it was, a male to boot! It was in almost the exact same location where I had found one last June. The bird couldn't have cared less about us and we were able to get very close as he worked on a trunk about 12 feet off the ground. It got even better when I spotted a male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER out of the corner of my eye as we watched the woodpecker. Two for the price of one, and we enjoyed them for some time.

Our last stop of the day was back in Butler Canyon where we searched in vain for the Red-naped Sapsucker seen earlier in the day. We did find a singing OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER and a male MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER. Not a bad end to a day with mixed success.

Saturday, June 3, 2000
We returned to Green's Peak to again do battle with BLUE GROUSE. Although we fared much better than yesterday, it certainly didn't start out that way! As we stealthily walked in to the bird's territory, I lost my footing and the noise caused the bird to spook and fly into the trees. Oh no, here we go again. We sat still for about 30 minutes but there was no evidence that the bird was going to return any time soon, he just kept calling from the trees. So, we took the mountain to Mohammed and after about 15 minutes of walking around trying not to step on twigs and keep our balance (not easy to do when you're out of breath on a slope at 10,000+ feet), we found the bird (a male) sitting in the open at the top of a tree. Hallelujah!. Returning back to the vehicle, the lady in the fire tower shouted "if you can hear me Stuart, there's a female in the open near my truck". We headed back up as quickly as our lungs and legs would allow, but we needn't have worried. There was a female, out in the open as cool as a cucumber, just staring back at us. Go figure!

During the search, a couple of people saw CLARK'S NUTCRACKER and everybody had great views of a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE working very low. A major surprise here was a pair of HEPATIC TANAGERS, another species that I have not seen anywhere close to this location before. A very satisfactory start to the day!

We headed over to Sunrise Ski area, located on the White Mountain Apache reservation, in search of Gray Jay and Clark's Nutcracker. As we stopped to get a permit at the store, VESPER SPARROWS were singing up a storm and a pristine MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was on the fenceline. The campground is a good place for both species but unfortunately, it was mostly devoid of campers and there was no sign of the Jays, or many birds at all except for OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. We headed to a wood lot where I have found them before under similar circumstances, and bingo, 2 or 3 GRAY JAYS. They didn't stick around long, but fortunately, long enough!

We took the ski lift (a steep way to find birds, monetarily and altitudinaly!), but the rewards were some great views, 3 or 4 CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS, another TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and numerous calling OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHERS, HAIRY WOODPECKER and PINE SISKIN.

Back on terra firma we checked Sunrise Lake where 2-BALD EAGLES (adult and immature) were the only birds of note.

We again ended our birding day at Butler Canyon with another fruitless search for Red-naped Sapsucker. We found evidence of birds (fresh sap well trees) but no birds! Among the birds here were OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, STELLER'S JAY, HOUSE WREN, MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and great views of GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

Sunday, June 4, 2000
Today was the last day of the tour and we birded our way back to Tucson, leaving our overnight destination of Show Low at 5:00am for the 1 hour drive to Salt River Canyon. Just two weeks ago I had easily found Gray Vireo on territory here, but the bird was a no-show today. The area was also very birdy 2 weeks ago, whereas today we recorded only a handful of species including ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, CRISSAL THRASHER, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, HEPATIC TANAGER, and SCOTT'S & HOODED ORIOLES.

After breakfast in Globe we continued south to Dudleyville. Along the way, at a stop at a Gila River overlook we disturbed a GREAT HORNED OWL. It was quite toasty on the San Pedro at Dudleyville but, fortunately, it didn't take long to find our target MISSISSIPPI KITE. However, the term "high as a kite" was very applicable and we had to be satisfied with distant views of 4 or 5 birds soaring very high. Earlier we did get diagnostic views of one relatively low bird.

We moved on to Aravaipa Canyon where a two hour search produced one of our target birds, a beautiful soaring COMMON BLACK-HAWK near the entrance to the wilderness area. However, despite checking many TVs we did not find a Zone-tailed Hawk. On my last 2 trips, results have been just the opposite!

After 10 days in the field we saw a total of 208 species and most of the SE AZ and White Mountain specialties (see the itinerary summary and species list for details).

Wednesday, June 7, 2000
Out today with David Anderson from Arcata, CA. Another early start for California Gulch, today it was 2:30am, they get earlier as the season progresses! Our 2 targets for the day were diverse -- the pesky Five-striped Sparrow, of course, and Buff-breasted Flycatcher.

As is normal, along the Ruby Road we flushed a couple of COMMON POORWILLS. Our time in the gulch was minimal, which can only mean that it took no time at all to find FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW, certainly the case today. Without even entering the gulch proper we had fantastic views of a bird perched up and singing and then foraging on the ground just a few feet away from us!

Since we entered the gulch early (5:00am), activity was very high and we had stunning views of a couple of male VARIED BUNTINGS, with about 5 males seen altogether. Other species included ROADRUNNER, LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, N. BEARDLESS TYRANNULET, VERMILION FLYCATCHER, SAY'S PHOEBE, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, VERDIN, BELL'S VIREO, LUCY'S WARBLER, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, CARDINAL, PYRRHULOXIA and BLUE GROSBEAK.

On the way back to the Huachucas we made a brief stop at the Roadside rest in Patagonia to look and listen for the Rose-throated Becard. However, as far as I can determine, the bird(s) have not returned yet. THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS were very vocal. I heard the distinctive song of a NORTHERN PARULA, not a bird that I hear much in Arizona, and we tracked it to last year's Becard nest tree. A good find! Also present were BLACK VULTURE, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, HUTTON'S VIREO (somewhat surprising here as a nesting bird) PHAINOPEPLA, SUMMER TANAGER, BLUE GROSBEAK and BRONZED COWBIRD.

In Garden Canyon we took time to enjoy a male ELEGANT TROGON calling strongly from its Sycamore nest tree, a couple more males were calling from up and down canyon locations. It didn't take long to find a couple of calling/singing BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS, but we had to be patient to get a decent look. Among the other birds around the picnic area were ACORN WOODPECKER, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, VIRGINIA'S and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS and SPOTTED TOWHEE.

Thursday, June 8, 2000
Out today with Nancy and Bob Dean from Bradenton, FL. Since there was a chance that the Rufous-capped Warbler might still be around, and another target bird was Black-chinned Sparrow, I decided to invest the time and effort in a trip to French Joe Canyon. I hadn't visited the canyon since January when I saw the warbler half a dozen times, and I had not seen any sighting reports since late March. It was a definite risk, but it paid off in spades!

We left Sierra Vista at 4:00am and after the somewhat arduous drive to the "parking area" we began the approximate 1.5 mile hike before sunrise. For the time of year it was a great day, very overcast and cool, and it stayed that way for almost 5 hours. (Later in the day it rained!) We chased the first BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW that we heard which was a major mistake. This was a very nasty individual that led us into some extremely thorny territory and I ended up with ripped pants and scratched legs for some very lousy views. Of course, later we got fantastic views with minimal effort, how many times have you heard a story like that?

We arrived at the upper spring area at 7:00am. The spring does have water and in previous years has been a focal point for the warbler. We settled down to wait and enjoyed the birds that were around. BAND-TAILED PIGEONS were particularly numerous and they zoomed around making a noise like a jet plane. Keeping us entertained were a pair of WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES building a nest. WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS soared overhead. CANYON and many ROCK WRENS called. SCOTT'S ORIOLES dueled by song. A brief appearance was made by a CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER. A very pleasant surprise was a beautiful adult male ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, not a bird that I see in Arizona every year.

After about 90 minutes I thought that I briefly heard the song of a RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER but it never repeated. However, 30 minutes later around 9:00am I leapt to my feet as I heard the song again very loudly. Sure enough, the bird was perched in a large Juniper right behind us, singing its heart out. After a couple of minutes the bird dropped into the creek bed and began to work its way up canyon towards the dry waterfall. We followed it and were able to see it well. Good deal. I wish all days could turn out so well.

Thursday, June 15, 2000
Day 1 of 2 days with Norman Carroll from Sun Lakes, AZ and his two sons Norm and Jim from TX. We visited Garden, Scheelite, Ramsey and Miller Canyons in the Huachucas and Sierra Vista sewage ponds. The temperature was 80 degrees before sunrise (5:00am) and was over 100 when we quit at 2:30pm. I typically don't like to work (and usually don't) in June (gee, you think). This is the hot and dry season and relief doesn't arrive until the monsoons start in early July. I normally take off for somewhere cooler and, who knows, I may still do so next week. Starting in early July I'll be working fairly solidly until late September, so it's now or never!

Despite the season and very dry conditions (after a winter drought), we had a good day. We began by driving slowly through the lower mesquite-grassland in Garden Canyon where, before reaching the tree line, we managed a handful of species including SCALED QUAIL, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, LARK and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS, PYRRHULOXIA & LESSER GOLDFINCH.

A little below the upper picnic area we paused to checkout a BOBCAT and heard an ELEGANT TROGON calling. Although we soon found it, the bird quickly moved on. No matter, a few minutes later at the picnic area "old faithful" was on duty near the nest site. Activity here was pretty high a little after sunrise and we found a number of birds quickly including ACORN & STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKERS, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER (the young have fledged now and they were very interested in us); DUSKY-CAPPED & noisy SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS doing their "rubber-ducky" thing, WARBLING VIREO, HEPATIC TANAGER and BRONZED COWBIRD.

Next stop was Scheelite Canyon where we easily found a pair of SPOTTED OWLS roosting side by side. On the way up canyon we flushed a pair of MONTEZUMA QUAIL. Among the other species were BAND-TAILED PIGEON, BLUE-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, CANYON WREN, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, HUTTON'S VIREO,  BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, PAINTED REDSTART, SPOTTED TOWHEE and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.

Next we made a brief visit to Ramsey Canyon, the first time that I had been here in 2 years. The parking lot and facility improvements are first class. The female BERYLLINE HUMMINGBIRD was easy to see on her nest near the office. The bird also visited a feeder briefly and posed in a skinny dead tree in good light. This is the first time that I had seen a Berylline in June, amazingly early since it has been around for a few weeks.

Hummingbird activity at the controlled access site at Beatty's B&B in Miller Canyon was very high despite the midday hour. From 11:15am -12:50pm we saw BROAD-BILLED, WHITE-EARED, BLUE-THROATED, MAGNIFICENT, BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S, COSTA'S and BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS. Costa's only appeared once and we had to wait until 12:40 for the White-eared to put in a few brief appearances. All the others were regular feeder visitors.

We finished the day at Sierra Vista sewage ponds for SWAINSON'S HAWK and our reward for braving the heat was a couple of soaring birds. As might be expected, activity here was almost zero in mid-afternoon. Our handful of species included SAY'S PHOEBE, hordes of BARN SWALLOWS, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, BLUE-GROSBEAK, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, GREAT TAILED GRACKLE and LILIAN'S MEADOWLARK.

I was absolutely shocked to see a few YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS, 3 males and a female. Although I have a few SE AZ sightings in June, this was the first time that I had recorded one at the ponds in June in my 8 years of  record keeping here. Until today, I had never seen one here between May 17 and July 1. I assume that they are early returning birds, although the remote possibility exists that they nested here.

Friday, June 16, 2000
Out again to day with the Carrolls. We got an early start and headed east to bird at Kino Springs, Patagonia Roadside Rest, along Sonoita Creek in Patagonia and finally, in the Paton's yard.

Of note for me at Kino Springs were THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD and RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW. For about a month now there has been a lone Thick-billed Kingbird at the club house pond. This is the first year that I have seen one here in the breeding season, and I thought that the bird was simply lost and unmated. However, today there were two of them in the conifers near the club house, calling loudly.

Many years ago, Rufous-winged Sparrows were common here, and over the past couple of years I have noted one occasionally. Today I heard one briefly singing and we found a pair of them feeding in the grass and along the roadside near the first pond.

At the club house pond, TROPICAL KINGBIRD was silent but conspicuous and easy to find. One bird foraged constantly and returned to a perch near the nest site. GRAY HAWK was just the opposite, rarely putting in an appearance. At the first pond, VARIED BUNTINGS were surprisingly non-vocal, even early on. YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS were numerous and vocal as usual, and we even had some great views of this colorful bird that likes to remain out of sight.

As the morning warmed and the vultures began to soar, we started checking for Zone-tailed Hawks without success.

We spent from 5:00-9:00am here and recorded the following:
2-Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, 2 male Cinnamon Teal, Great Blue Heron, Black & Turkey Vultures, Gray & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Mourning & White-winged Doves, many Common Ground-Doves, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Northern & Gilded Flickers, Vermilion, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Tropical, Cassin's, Thick-billed & Western Kingbirds, Common Raven, Bell's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Northern Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, Bewick's Wren, Verdin, N. Rough-winged & Barn Swallows, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Lucy's & Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Song, Black-throated & Rufous-winged Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Blue Grosbeak, Varied Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle and Bronzed & Brown-headed Cowbirds.

At the Roadside Rest we checked in vain for Rose-throated Becard (no reports from this location so far this year) and Zone-tailed Hawk. WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS zoomed overhead and THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS called. We worked long and hard to see a CANYON WREN.

We birded our way to the Paton's along Salero and Blue Heaven Roads, pausing for a while at the creek crossing. Along the way we had great views of a couple of perched GRAY HAWKS. We saw many of the same birds previously recorded and added a few to the day list including N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, BLACK PHOEBE, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and ABERT'S TOWHEE.

It was hot by the time that we reached the Paton's but hummers were active and one or two VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRDS were constantly visible. THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS called from across the creek. I mentioned that all was not lost for the Hawk as I had seen them a number of times while sitting here. Just before we left, a ZONE-TAILED HAWK soared overhead.

Wednesday, June 21, 2000
The earliest monsoon season on record began on Saturday (with a major hail storm here in Sierra Vista) and it has rained strongly every day since. Hallelujah! As long as it continues, I will probably not head north as I usually do at this time of year.

I guess it's official that I'm not much of a chaser anymore because the Yellow-Green Vireo over in Patagonia (which would be a state bird and a lifer) has not got me excited enough to go look for  it. Instead, I have made several visits to Sierra Vista sewage ponds. Today I drove home in a tremendous downpour giving real meaning to why they are called "monsoons". Too bad the birds at the ponds are not as dramatic as the weather. No birds of note to report, just continuing YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS each day and  3-BLACK-NECKED STILTS for the past couple of days.

Monday, June 26, 2000
I've enjoyed a couple of weeks of non-birding at home, catching up on other things. However, after a slow down in the monsoons and a return of the heat, the wandering bug finally bit me and the urge to head north has gotten the better of me. The only problem now is that I only have a few days available. Next year at this time I will be working in Colorado so I decided to make a quick trip to the Rockies to do some logistics work. A recent report  by U.K. birder, Rob Grimmond,  of Black-capped Chickadee at the Navajo National Monument intrigued me. Today I headed to Northern Arizona to look for them since it was on my route to Colorado.

Black-capped Chickadee is a sporadic winter visitor in the extreme northern part of Arizona from Colorado City in the west to Teec Nos Pos in the east (four corners region). More interesting to me though was the fact that the only AZ specimen for BCCH (in 1936) comes from Betatakin Ruin at the monument. They breed not far from here in Utah and New Mexico.

I left Sierra Vista shortly before noon when the temperature was 95 degrees. By the time I got to Phoenix (do I hear Glenn Campbell?) it was up to 110, dropped to 100 in the Verde Valley and down to 80 around 4:30pm in Flagstaff, where the San Francisco peaks looked impressive with a backdrop of heavy clouds. Spectacular vistas greeted me as I continued north -- thunder and lightning, multiple rainbows, heavy rain, distant virga, a mixture of blue skies and clouds, and many red mesas catching the sun as far as the eye could see. The only birds here were TURKEY VULTURES, COMMON RAVENS and AM. CROWS but birds weren't really necessary, the view was enough.

I had intended to stay the night in Tuba City, but Grand Canyon prices ($100 + tax) prompted me to continue east closer to tomorrow's destination. I ended up at the Anasazi Inn in Tsegi Canyon, about 10 miles west of Kayenta. Much more reasonable at $70 + tax and the restaurant (open 24 hours in summer) was pretty decent too. I usually stay in Kayenta when in this area, but this was a better alternative.

Tuesday, June 27, 2000
The area around Navajo National Monument is heavy with Pinyon-Juniper and as I turned onto the entrance road (Hwy 564) at 5:15am I immediately heard PINYON JAYS. I only saw a few flying by but, judging by the sound, there was a good sized flock. Other species along the entrance road were N. FLICKER, SAY'S PHOEBE, MOUNTAIN & WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, JUNIPER TITMOUSE, PLUMBEOUS VIREO (singing, very common) and SPOTTED TOWHEE..

At the monument I took the "Aspen trail" which heads steeply down from the "Sandal trail". This is where the recent sighting of Black-capped Chickadee came from. Unfortunately, I had no such luck, seeing just plenty of MOUNTAIN CHICKADEES. The habitat here in this offshoot from Tsegi Canyon is very different, with some Douglas Fir and Aspen that seem quite incongruous in this arid and Pinyon-Juniper dominated environment. The chickadees certainly wouldn't be out of place.

Species that I saw here were: White-throated Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Western Scrub-Jay, Common Raven, Western Bluebird, Canyon and Bewick's (singing a very different song than SE AZ birds) Wrens, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Violet-green Swallow, Mountain Chickadee, Juniper Titmouse, Virginia's and Black-throated Gray Warblers, Chipping Sparrow, Spotted Towhee and Western Tanager.

I have driven past Monument Valley (of cowboy movie fame) many times without actually visiting, so I decided to head north by that route (Hwy 163 out of Kayenta). This is not a very birdy area (an understatement!) but it sure is spectacular. This is an open valley ringed by bluffs and punctuated by isolated mesas and spires. The most impressive "bird" was "Owl Rock", a huge stand-alone rock that has a very realistic looking owl's face on it. Near the AZ/UT state line I had to stop to let a herd of Goats cross the road. While waiting I could hear the distinctive "ticking" of SAGE SPARROWS and I soon saw them perched up on the sage in both states.

Next came a long drive to ensure that I would be in Rocky Mountain National Park tomorrow morning. I took the "fast" route by heading due north on Hwy 191 to Moab, then Hwy 128  through a nice canyon along the Colorado river, eventually picking up I-70. Predictably, one of the first birds that I saw in Colorado was BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE. I left I-70 at Wolcott and worked my way north east to Kremmling on Hwy 131 and then route 1, a treacherously slick clay-like surface after recent rain. Habitat on route 1 starts in sage with some riparian and I recorded KESTREL, ROBIN, YELLOW WARBLER, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE, VESPER SPARROW, SONG SPARROW and RED-WINGED & BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS.

I stayed the night in Granby and after checking in I backtracked 2 miles to Windy Gap Wildlife Area that I had passed on the way in. It was windy and chilly here at 8000 feet and the distant snow-capped Rockies made a nice backdrop. This is a pleasant and interesting little spot and the bird activity was high. Nothing spectacular but always something to look at. I saw American White Pelican, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Common Merganser (with lots of young birds), American Kestrel, Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer, California Gull, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, American Robin, Tree, Barn and Cliff Swallows, Vesper Sparrow and Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds.

Wednesday, June 28, 2000
A very foggy morning as I left Granby before sunrise. After a short drive I entered Rocky Mountain National Park and spent the next several hours working my way from west to east through the park. I have visited the park a handful of times but it had been a number of  years since I was last here. My objective today wasn't really to do any "hard birding", just to re-familiarize myself with the area. (Next year I will be doing a Birdfinders tour of Colorado and Wyoming at this time of year).   Besides, the high elevation areas of the park (much of it above timberline) are not birdy. Even on this short drive through the park I recorded some of the expected species (a few of which can't be missed) including CLARK'S NUTCRACKER, ROCK WREN, AM. PIPIT, both KINGLETS, MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, PINE SISKIN, PINE GROSBEAK and CASSIN'S FINCH.

At Rainbow Curve I lost a little faith in human nature. Here, among the clearly marked signs saying (and explaining why) not to feed the wildlife, lots of people were feeding the wildlife! The CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS here are absolutely fearless. Two birds were perched on one of the interpretive signs and did not fly away as people came and went. At one point I was less than 12 inches away from a bird (I kid you not), almost eyeball to eyeball. That bill could do some damage! I thought about how tough to find they were recently at Sunrise Ski area back in Arizona.

In the afternoon I visited Mt. Evans, I was last here in 1996. Compared to RMNP the scenery is just as magnificent with the bonus that it's less crowded here. I checked Summit Lake for BROWN-CAPPED ROSY-FINCH and my patience for standing around for an hour (what a chore, just admiring the scenery!) was about 6 of them coming and going. I was able to get my scope on one bird feeding in the snow at the edge of the lake. I also watched a furtive AM. PIPIT carrying food. The bird waited me out several times and each time that I  looked away it went to the nest, which I never found!

I continued on to the peak (14,264 feet), walking the last few feet to the very top to enjoy the views. I was blown away to see a singing and displaying TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE. Sure, they like high elevations but their habitat is many thousands of feet below here (timberline is 11,500). I watched the bird for a while as it alternately flew around and perched on the talus, singing. More expected birds were COMMON RAVEN and WHITE-THROATED SWIFT. I also got a great eye-level close up view of a BROWN-CAPPED ROSY-FINCH that came by a few times. 

The weather closed in and light snow was falling as I started back down the mountain. I headed south through the San Luis valley to spend the night in Alamosa in south-central Colorado. A few WESTERN MEADOWLARKS and COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were the only obvious birds along the way.

Thursday, June 29, 2000
My intention was to spend the day birding in the mountains of northern New Mexico, but as I left Alamosa before dawn I could see ominous weather ahead. I soon caught up with the rain and saw a very bedraggled SWAINSON'S HAWK on a pole. The closer I got to the mountains the worse it looked, but several rainbows looked spectacular with the day's first light. Reluctantly, I decided to skirt the mountains and I headed directly home instead. I didn't bird much along the way, noting only  a flock of PINYON JAYS crossing I-25 in Santa Fe and a lone CATTLE EGRET near Socorro.

I lost the rain almost immediately until just south of Soccoro and it stayed with me to the Arizona state line. Ironically, as I reached my destination of Willcox, the rain started again. Murphy wouldn't have it any other way. The pond at Willcox usually has something of interest and I found a nice assortment of species before the rain forced me to quit. Hundreds of breeding plumaged female WILSON'S PHALAROPES were a joy to watch, spinning around  as they do. A lone GREATER YELLOWLEGS seemed on the early side and it turned out that this was my first June record  for southeast Arizona. There were many CINNAMON TEAL and at least 3-BLUE-WINGED which are not very common in SE AZ. My records show they are regular at Willcox in June. Other species from the 30 that I recorded were 4-EARED and 1-PIED-BILLED GREBE, 2-REDHEADS, lots of AM. AVOCETS, SPOTTED SANDPIPER and 1-YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Thursday, June 29, 2000

Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - June, 2000 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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