Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - June, 2001 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 Friday, June 29, 2001. 

Friday, June 1, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Another extremely warm day on which I birded ass-backwards, starting around 1:00pm and ending at dusk. The serious fire season is underway and as I drove north on Highway 80 I could see lots of smoke coming from the northeast section of the Rincon Mountains. By late afternoon the entire north end of the Sulphur Springs Valley was filled with smoke. I birded at St. David and Willcox then worked my way south through Sulphur Springs Valley to Whitewater Draw.

As expected, activity at St. David Monastery in mid afternoon was extremely low. I was hoping to find the Wood Duck to add to my June list for SE AZ, but either the bird has gone or was hiding in the shade. I recorded 20 species including AM. KESTREL,  PHAINOPEPLA, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, BLUE GROSBEAK and SUMMER TANAGER. 

At Willcox I was pleased with the showing of waterbirds -- sometimes a visit here on a hot afternoon can be birdless and miserable. This was definitely not the case today, however, and  I had a very productive experience from 3:45-5:15pm.

Perhaps my most interesting sighting was a pair of WILLETS. I say pair because I observed the birds copulating, not something that migrating birds often do. The birds were also notable because of the date -- Taylor's (ABA) book shows no records in June and the Tucson Audubon book (TAS) lists them as casual. I have one previous record of 3 birds in late June, presumably they were returning. Also noteworthy were 2-FORSTER'S TERNS, one of which had not yet acquired full breeding plumage. Neither ABA nor TAS show any June records and this was my first record for June in Arizona. 

Among the 33 species that I recorded were 1-PIED-BILLED & 3-EARED GREBES (a possible breeder here), SWAINSON'S HAWK, 1-SNOWY & 3-BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, 6-WHITE-FACED IBIS, a few side by side GAMBEL'S & SCALED QUAIL, males of all 3 teal species 6-GREEN-WINGED, 1-CINNAMON & 1-BLUE-WINGED, GADWALL, RING-NECKED DUCK, 1-SPOTTED SANDPIPER (presumably still heading north), 6-LONG-BILLED CURLEWS and numerous AM. AVOCETS.

Since Eurasian Collared-Doves were first discovered here last year near the Golf Course, I have made about 25 visits without seeing them. How long can I keep this record going? This species would be a state bird for me but I absolutely refuse to expend any effort to see it!

Leaving Willcox, I headed south through the Sulphur Springs Valley where I could feel a sting in my eyes and taste the smoke from the fire in the Rincon Mountains. I stopped by to check on an owl roost site where I made every effort to observe the birds without flushing them. Unfortunately, I was unable to do so and a BARN OWL and 2-GREAT HORNED OWLS flew away pursued by a number of WESTERN KINGBIRDS and CHIHUAHUAN RAVENS. This probably made a nice change for the kingbirds since they are normally harassing the ravens!  I left feeling frustrated that I had disturbed the owls on such a hot afternoon.

I spent the last hour before dark at Whitewater Draw where the best bird was a BELTED KINGFISHER. Last week when I saw one here it was my latest spring migration record, today it was my first June record in SE AZ. Several WESTERN and at least 1-CLARK'S GREBE continue along with 3-DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS and a few WHITE-FACED IBIS. Except for Cattle Egret, most of the birds that I saw yesterday were present including a singing BENDIRE'S THRASHER. As I left just after sunset, my thoughts turned to LESSER NIGHTHAWK and right on cue I saw one working low over the fields on Coffman Road.

Tuesday, June 5, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
After three days off,  I was back in the field again today with Steve Linsley from El Cerrito, CA. I was asked yesterday by Bob Dodleson of NJ (who I've birded with several times before) to help him and some friends look for the Crescent-chested Warbler in the Santa Ritas. However, I advised him against hiring me because I can bring little to the party with a non singing female vagrant that hasn't even established a pattern. At best, I'm just another pair of eyes and didn't feel I could give value for money so, much as I like income,  I talked myself out of a job.

I was up early (deja vu all over again) and on the road at 2:30am to meet Steve at Peņa Blanca Lake for my 2nd trip of the season to California Gulch. Despite the very hot days that we are having right now, it was actually quite cool when we starting birding in the gulch proper at 5:30am. Nevertheless, there was plenty of birdsong, particularly from the plentiful VARIED BUNTINGS. By the time we left at 8:00am I had counted a minimum of 8 singing males, about half of which I saw along with a couple of females.

FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW was not easy to find this morning. Shortly after we arrived I thought that I heard a weak call in a regular territory but a bird didn't materialize nor did I hear it again. We patrolled up and down for a while without success until 6:35am when we returned to the same location for a third pass. This time, a probable female (the bird only made a few soft calls and did not sing) perched up and preened for about 5 minutes and we enjoyed a good scope view from fairly close range. I had a singing male in this same spot almost a month ago (May 8). 

We recorded a total of 35 regular species while looking for the sparrow including female COSTA'S & BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRDS, N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, BUSHTIT, CANYON WREN, HUTTON'S VIREO, LUCY'S WARBLER, RUFOUS-CROWNED & BLACK-THROATED  SPARROWS, BLUE GROSBEAK, SUMMER TANAGER and HOODED ORIOLE.

Back at Peņa Blanca Lake, Steve and I parted company at 9:30am. He headed off to look for the Crescent-chested Warbler and I decided to bird my way back home. I won't be doing much birding in southeast AZ this month so I figured I'd better pick up a few species so my June list won't look so pathetic.

It was pretty warm and a little windy when I reached Kino Springs. Even so, just under an hour of casual birding produced 40 species including great looks at 2 perched GRAY HAWKS, a noisy TROPICAL KINGBIRD (at the first pond, most often they are at the club house pond), a couple of BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS trying to chase away a squirrel, many LUCY'S WARBLERS and a BRONZED COWBIRD on the clubhouse lawn.

I made a very short stop at Patagonia Lake just to check the lake overlooks and to pick up BOTTERI'S SPARROW and NEOTROPIC CORMORANT. However, water skiers and jet ski people put an end to my hopes of anything decent on the water. I saw a distant egret and was just about to call it a Great Egret when I noticed how small it was compared to the cormorants. Despite the now high temperature I headed back to the car to get my scope and was glad that I did. The bird turned out to be a SNOWY EGRET which is rare at the lake (I have only 4 previous records) and this was my first June record here. I was amused by the antics of an AM. COOT and a GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE attacking a GREAT BLUE HERON. The coot had young nearby (probably the grackle too) and they combined to drive the heron away.

Not much was happening at the Roadside Rest area but the WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were milling around as usual. Many fledgling LUCY'S WARBLER'S were foraging in the mesquite and I watched a N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET bringing food to a nest. Others included DUSKY-CAPPED and BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, BELL'S VIREO, BLUE GROSBEAK and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.

Along Blue Heaven Road I picked up a silently perched THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD. My final stop of the day was at the Paton's where it took all of 10 seconds to find VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD. Now it was time to go home and take a nap!

Thursday, June 7, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Pat Tate from Annapolis, MD who I've birded with on two previous occasions. Circumstances dictated a late start and we began our day at 2:00pm when the temperature in town was 100 degrees. For some relief we headed to the higher elevation of Carr Canyon. After recent grading work the road is in much better condition (but now extremely dusty in the dry conditions). We birded around and between Reef and Ramsey Vista Campgrounds and took the trail over to Comfort Spring. The temperature was indeed much cooler but, hardly surprisingly, birds where hard to come by and we recorded only 35 species through 9:00pm.

Initially, there was very little song to help us track anything down. A few BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS sang along with WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, several GRACE'S WARBLERS and WESTERN TANAGER. 

Somewhat ironically, the most vocal bird today was VIRGINIA'S WARBLER. We came across them in several locations and had a great view of one individual singing while perched in the open on a snag. Over the years, this species has consistently been one of the most difficult to see well (except of course when you are not looking for it!).

We gradually weeded out more species including a soaring RED-TAILED HAWK, lots of TURKEY VULTURES, several ACORN and 1-HAIRY WOODPECKER, a couple of N. FLICKERS, GREATER PEWEE (mostly silent but they were actually quite numerous, including a pair seen bringing food to a nest), a pair of noisy DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, numerous soaring WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, STELLER'S JAY, BUSHTIT,  WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, HUTTON'S VIREO, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO, many SPOTTED TOWHEES (I think Carr Canyon is the capital of the world for this species), LESSER GOLDFINCH and a beautiful male HEPATIC TANAGER perched atop a snag. Singing but unseen were HOUSE WREN, BROWN CREEPER and OLIVE WARBLER. 

Our bird of the day was undoubtedly a very cooperative NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL. About 30 seconds after I mentioned to Pat that "I sometimes get NPO here" the bird started calling. It sat still for a while where we could see it and was mobbed by AMERICAN ROBINS and a slew of BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS. The owl didn't seem to be bothered by the commotion. Being realistic, if you are born into this world as an NPO then this is just a part of the cost of living.  

Our evening owling session started well but quickly went south. At a regular spot we had instant success with a pair of WHISKERED SCREECH-OWLS seen at close range. After that, nada. Apart from a calling WHIP-POOR-WILL that soon stopped, we did not hear any other night birds - period. For the next hour we worked several areas and turned up absolutely nothing. For those of you that keep track of such things (as I do) -- no moon, quite breezy.

Friday, June 8, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Today was another hot one with daytime highs of 108 in Tucson and 100 here in Sierra Vista. I was happy that my work birding in SE AZ for June came to an end yesterday. I stayed home until late evening when I ventured out to check on the owls that were so silent last night.

Conditions were excellent around 11:30pm - an almost full moon had risen and wind was absent. Incredibly, in exactly the same spot where I couldn't raise any owls last night, I had three regular species in just a few minutes. A pair of ELF OWLS were constantly chattering and responded immediately to my poorly whistled imitation. A few minutes of on-off whistling brought in a couple of WESTERN SCREECH-OWLS and before long a couple more approached from the opposite direction. At least two WHISKERED SCREECH-OWLS flew in to see what all the fuss was about. This veritable owl party was more evidence in support of something that I've always believed, which is that owling is an art not a science. As I said, all this at a location that was completely devoid of any owl activity last night, although they were obviously all present. Fact is stranger than fiction. It's more than just a saying, it's a fact!

I continued to cruise around at higher elevation for a couple of hours listening unsuccessfully for Flammulated Owl. However, I did end up with something to show for my efforts in the form of a complete surprise. As I rounded a bend, there sitting on the road just 30 feet in front of me was a SPOTTED OWL. The bird stayed for about 2 minutes and actually moved closer to me and into the light of my headlights. It was trying to pull something out of the ground. A nice change from seeing them perched in Scheelite Canyon.

Sunday, June 10, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
I hadn't visited Garden Canyon yet this month so this morning I set out to remedy that and check what was going on there. First, a reminder: After a number of years as an open post, Fort Huachuca is once again operating with 24/7 security. If you don't have a military sticker or a frequent visitor pass, be sure to have your drivers license, proof of insurance and registration (or rental contract) with you so you can obtain a day pass from the office near the main gate.

Activity in the lower grassland was quite high when I began with numerous BOTTERI'S SPARROWS singing in various locations. I listened carefully but only managed to hear a single CASSIN'S SPARROW. Also in the grassland were GREATER ROADRUNNER, WESTERN and CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, VERDIN, many N. MOCKINGBIRDS, CACTUS WREN, several singing LUCY'S WARBLERS, CANYON TOWHEE, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, BLUE GROSBEAK and LILIAN'S MEADOWLARK.

The best bird of the morning for me was a very vocal and visible BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER (in oaks) near the lower picnic area.. Although there is plenty of good habitat here (sycamores), they are rare in Garden Canyon and scarce in general in the Huachucas. What made it even more enjoyable was that both ASH-THROATED and DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS were calling in the same spot as well.

I had the upper picnic area to myself and 30 seconds after I arrived I was looking at a male ELEGANT TROGON. The bird called constantly and hardly moved over the next hour. Most of the usual suspects were present including a female MAGNIFICENT & several female BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS, a small group of very vocal ACORN WOODPECKERS, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, BUFF-BREASTED & SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS, BEWICK'S WREN, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BUSHTIT, PLUMBEOUS & HUTTON'S VIREOS, WESTERN and HEPATIC TANAGERS, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and SPOTTED TOWHEE. 

Monday, June 11, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Today I started a short  (3 day) vacation in the White Mountains, something that I've looked forward to for some time. I wish it could have been a little longer but I have a tour starting on Friday. 

I headed out early (just for a change) so I could make a stop at Willcox and still get to the White Mountains at a reasonable hour. I arrived at Willcox just as the sun was rising and recorded 30+ species in exactly an hour spent here. Well, it finally happened, just as I was leaving I stumbled across Arizona state bird #415, the magnificent EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE. Wow! What a thrill, be still my beating heart. I derived great satisfaction, not from actually seeing the bird, but from seeing it by not going out of my way to do so since they were first discovered in Arizona over 2 years ago. I don't even chase good birds anymore, I certainly wasn't going to chase this one no matter how close to home it was. 

A far better bird for me was a single AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN on the main pond. This was only my second record at Willcox and my first for June in AZ. Also of note was a male LESSER SCAUP that had still not acquired full breeding plumage. I have only 2 previous June records in AZ and, interestingly, one of them was a similar plumaged bird at Willcox, June 18, 1995. Other species included 4-EARED GREBES, a pair of lingering CINNAMON TEAL, 7 rather late WHITE-FACED IBIS, 10+ AM. AVOCETS, 1-RING-BILLED GULL and lots of SCALED QUAIL. The Ibis sighting was (probably) my latest spring migrant record in SE AZ. I say probably because I have a June 29 record, but that bird was most likely returning.

I left Willcox at 6:30am and despite being held up by roadwork I made good time by arriving at my first White Mountain destination of Luna Lake at 9:50am. (As is my custom, I used NM 78 and 180, not the more obvious 191 through AZ, a much slower route.)

It was quite windy at the lake and plenty of fishermen were present. Birds on and around the water included WESTERN GREBE, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, 50+CANADA GEESE, REDHEAD, SORA, VESPER SPARROW and lots of "singing" YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS. Among the birds in the pines were WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, GRACE'S WARBLER and WESTERN TANAGER.

Next, I headed over to Nutrioso where LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS seemed a little scarcer than usual. I found only 3 of them. Even though the timing wasn't really right, I checked "Los Pinos de Paz" neighborhood to look for PINYON JAYS. They are often absent from here in the middle of the day but on this day I found a large flock. However, even better was an adult male ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, my second record for June in AZ and my first in the White Mountains.

For the remainder of the day I peedled around a few more areas seeing many common and regularly occurring species such as BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, BELTED KINGFISHER, GOLDEN CROWNED KINGLET, MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER, VESPER SPARROW, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD and PINE SISKIN. Definitely not in this category, however, were the two male INDIGO BUNTINGS that I found in Greer. They are generally quite scarce in AZ. 

Tuesday, June 12, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Today was the middle day of my 3 day trip and as such it should have been my most active and productive day. Sadly, because of very high winds, it didn't work out that way. 

I was up early again for a trip to Green's Peak. Perhaps the HEPATIC TANAGER that I saw hurtling across the road as I crested out around 9000 feet should have been my first clue that problems lay ahead. (Only my second sighting of this species in this area). When I reached the top of Green's Peak, at over 10,000 feet, the wind was so bad that I had no hesitation in quickly abandoning my search for Blue Grouse. I had just as much chance for Blue Mockingbird, i.e. zero in both cases.  The wind kept all species subdued in the very open habitat below the peak and I saw only a few MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and VESPER SPARROWS. Even the normally abundant and vociferous WARBLING VIREOS were subdued. Only 2 CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS were of note.

It was the same story at Sunrise Campground where I stood no chance of hearing any woodpeckers, regardless of how many toes they had. I bailed out almost immediately having seen about 10 species including SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, WILD TURKEY and CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER.

Down at Sunrise Lake the wind was even worse, so much so that at one of the overlooks I was almost blown over. I wised up and went down to lake level where, even though the field of view was less, I could at least identify birds. An adult BALD EAGLE was working the area and continually caused all the waterfowl to flush and get caught up in the wind. A single male NORTHERN PINTAIL was my first summer record for the mountains. I was also surprised by the large numbers of GREEN-WINGED TEAL. Also present were several COMMON MERGANSERS and a number of common waterfowl species. In the surrounding grassland, the conditions were not much better for VESPER and SAVANNAH sparrows but both species were flying around and singing. 

I moved on to Sheep's Crossing where the wind was only marginally better. This is a good place for breeding LINCOLN'S SPARROWS and I found 3 singing males in a one mile stretch of the river. Shortly after noon I made the decision to quit for the day. I tried to bird at Wenima Wildlife Area in the late afternoon but I was again forced to quit. All in all, a lousy day. I recorded the following: 

Eared Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Gadwall, Green-winged & Cinnamon Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Redhead, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned & Red-tailed Hawks Am. Kestrel, Wild Turkey, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, N. Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Clark's Nutcracker, Am. Crow, Common Raven, Warbling Vireo, Mountain Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, House Wren, Violet-green, Barn & Cliff Swallows, Ruby-crowned & Golden-crowned Kinglets, , Mountain Chickadee, Horned Lark, Pine Siskin, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Lincoln's, Savannah, Chipping & Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed Towhee, Hepatic Tanager, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks and Brewer's Blackbird.

Wednesday, June 13, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
I had originally intended to bird in the White Mountains until early afternoon, however, the weather forecast was for morning wind (Murphy strikes again) so I pointed the car south at 5:30am. As I reentered Arizona on Hwy 78 in the Burro Mountains, I was forced to stop for roadwork. Sitting by the roadside for 5 minutes I picked up ARIZONA WOODPECKER (flew in next to the car!), WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, lots of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, a few MEXICAN and STELLER'S JAYS, singing GRACE'S WARBLER and HEPATIC TANAGER. Nice stop, hurt me some more! 

It appears that the wind is widespread because when I stopped at Willcox it was very windy with plenty of wave action on the main pond. Not many birds to be seen - the usual EARED GREBES, RUDDY DUCKS, MALLARDS and AM. COOTS plus 6-CINNAMON TEAL (3 pairs) and the lone(ly) male LESSER SCAUP. The smaller ponds had a little more of interest with continuing AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN and RING-BILLED GULL, 10+ AM. AVOCETS, 15+ GREAT BLUE HERONS and 5-LONG-BILLED CURLEWS. Lots of KILLDEERS on the road around the pond, complaining about my presence. Despite the wind, I saw 25 species in 45 minutes.

I've mentioned before how depressing (and depressed) Willcox is. As most places continue to grow like crazy, the city has recently eliminated a traffic light (Hwy 186 at Haskell). Now, how many cities do you know of that are removing traffic lights and adding stop signs!. Perhaps the money they save on electricity can be used to fix the road to the municipal golf course (the road to the ponds) which has more holes than a second hand dartboard. The "club house", such a grandiose name,  (a.k.a. Eurasian Collared-Dove sanctuary) could also use some clean up and a coat of paint. 

Waiting for me when I got home was a $1100 phone bill addressed to me but belonging to a Sierra Vista realty company. When I called AT&T it took15 minutes to wade through the maze of menus and holds before I finally got to speak to a human (press #!#! if you're pissed off!). I asked how could it be that my name was suddenly associated with another number. "How long have you had your current number?" was the question. "8 years", said I. Stony silence followed. I hope it really did get resolved. Just another case of "shit happens" which is usually only good when you're looking for Dippers.

Thursday, June 14, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I visited French Joe Canyon to check on the warblers. I received a message yesterday from Colorado birder Nathan Pieplow advising me that the birds are now feeding young - thank you Nathan.

Yet another early start (can you say middle-of-the-night) put me at the upper spring exactly at sunrise (5:20am), although it was quite a while before the sun actually hit the spring. I soon heard and then saw both RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLERS carrying food. They stopped not 10 feet away to take a quick look at me (or so it seemed) and then went about their business. Over the course of the next 2 hours I watched them return at 20-25 minute intervals. Much as I would have liked to find out how many nestlings there are, I didn't attempt to approach the nest. I really don't think that doing so would bother this particular species (they seem quite unperturbed by the presence of people), but it could lead a predator to the nest.

It's going to be interesting to watch what happens in terms of dispersal when the young fledge. It's been 2 weeks since my last visit so I don't really know when the eggs hatched and I'm unable to make an accurate estimate of when fledging will occur. I estimate that nestbuilding was completed during the second week of May. If eggs were laid by the end of the third week and allowing 11/2 to 2 weeks for incubation and the same time in the nest, fledging would be around the end of the 3rd week in June. 

It was business as usual for most species in the canyon but there were a few noticeable changes. I thought I was going to dip on COMMON POORWILL but at the last minute I picked up 4 of them in a bunch. For the first time in a while, the song of BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW was conspicuous by its absence. However, I did see a number of fledglings being fed. VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS were particularly numerous, their numbers perhaps bolstered by fledged birds. SCOTT'S ORIOLES continue in full voice but HOODED ORIOLES were mostly silent. CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER was very vocal whereas WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE was (thankfully) not calling much. BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS were as loud as ever. HEPATIC TANAGERS were calling but not singing.

As I was getting ready to leave the upper spring, I was shocked to hear a "rubber-ducky" call and then see a SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, my first record for the canyon (my French Joe list now stands at 127). It was particularly troublesome after talking recently about the lack of habitat for cavity nesters (05/30/01) and their general absence here. Every day is a learning experience! I really don't think this species would nest here and it seems too soon for post breeding dispersal. Thus, this bird is probably unmated and looking for a friend. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

It was a beautiful, cool morning but, unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to enjoy it to the full. I was in the canyon (Hwy 90-Hwy90) for 4 hours and spent about 2 hours at the upper spring and the rest birding/hiking along the trail. I recorded the following 42 species:

Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Common Poorwill, White-throated Swifts, Black-chinned & Anna's Hummingbirds, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Cordilleran, Ash-throated & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Hutton's & Plumbeous Vireos, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Cactus, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Violet-green Swallow, Bridled Titmouse, Rufous-capped Warbler, Black-chinned, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Hepatic & Summer Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, N. Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak and Hooded & Scott's Orioles.

Today was my last day of birding in Arizona this month. Tomorrow I start a 2 week tour in Colorado and Wyoming. I finally succumbed and bought a laptop computer so I'll be able to maintain the journal while I'm on the road (although updates may not be on the customary daily basis.) The pile of work after such a tour finally pushed me over the edge to part with some hard earned cash. I'll also answer email while on the road but, again, the turnaround time may be more than normal.

Friday, June 15, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
The start of a 2 week tour of Colorado and Wyoming with 16 participants of a Birdfinders, UK group (my 6th tour with them). Although this is the first time that this particular tour has been offered, it was fully booked long before it was officially published and the 2002 tour already has a full list of sign-ups. With some wonderful scenery (and hopefully some good birds) ahead of us, it's hardly surprising. I'm co-leading with Birdfinders owner, Vaughan Ashby, and our itinerary will take us to a number of locations in both states including Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. For a quick overview see the summary  and itinerary and species list.

Murphy had a field day today as flight delays and motel reservation problems caused us to have a very inauspicious start. What else is new. My United flight from Tucson to Denver arrived on time at 2:00pm and at that point I had 3 hour scheduled wait to meet the group. However, their flight from Chicago was delayed by 2 hours and I ended up spending 5 hours waiting at DIA. One person was missing baggage which caused a little more delay. However, without leaving the main terminal, I was entertained by my first bird of the trip. Lots of HOUSE  FINCHES are finding a home here, they have food from the food court (one fearless bird hopped on my table), water from the display fountains, and places to nest in the structure of the building. They never need to leave!

After a relatively smooth experience picking up the vans, we finally got away from the airport at 7:40pm. On the drive north we managed just a few common birds including SNOWY EGRET, CANADA GOOSE, RED-TAILED HAWK, EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, COMMON GRACKLE and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. With our arrival in Fort Collins at 9:00pm. began our next problem. A cocked up reservation meant only 4 rooms were available when we needed 10. Fortunately, we were able to find another 6 rooms nearby, but not without even more delay. Just what everybody needed after a long flight from London. Oh well, as always, tomorrow is another day. 

Saturday, June 16, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 2 with Birdfinders. Ripple effect from yesterday's delays caused us to have a late start but that probably didn't affect our results one little bit. We spent the day in Rocky Mountain National park and saw some great scenery. It was a beautiful day, pleasantly cool on Trail Ridge Road, and we did have some snow at high elevation in the late afternoon. We spent much of our time looking for White-tailed Ptarmigan without success.

The day began well along Hwy 34 (from Loveland to Estes Park) with great views of a pair of AMERICAN DIPPERS at a  nest on the Big Thompson River. We saw at least 3 more as we drove along.

A short stop on Bear Lake Road produced RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, DUSKY FLYCATCHER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, WARBLING VIREO, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, PINE SISKIN and WESTERN TANAGER. A probable Prairie Falcon came into view but disappeared before we could identify it.  

Driving up Trail Ridge Road, a stop at one of the overlooks produced many CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS (only slightly outnumbered by tourists) and a couple of TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES.

After that we worked several areas of tundra (all regular spots for Ptarmigan) but saw only Ptarmigan doop and feathers. People that we talked to, including park staff, also had not been seeing the birds. This environment is very sparse, not only in terms of vegetation but also in species diversity, and we saw only ROCK WREN, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, AM. PIPIT, HORNED LARK, WILSON'S WARBLER and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.

A stop at Lake Irene was pleasant (it was here that we had snow for about 20 minutes) and we saw a decent number of GRAY JAYS. We didn't find the hoped for Pine Grosbeaks (I saw them here about this time last year). Also present were a handful of species including our first DARK-EYED (Gray-headed) JUNCOS of the trip 

Not a great start to the trip bird-wise, but that was more than made up for with the magnificent scenery. 

Sunday, June 17, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 3 with Birdfinders. Another beautiful blue sky day that we spent entirely in Rocky Mountain National Park. We again made a major effort to find White-tailed Ptarmigan, this time a little more focused and covering more ground than yesterday, but we came up with the same result -- nada.

The day began well again with a couple of GOLDEN EAGLES along Hwy 34 just before the road narrows along the river. We didn't look for Dipper today but noted COMMON MERGANSER as we drove along. Driving up Trail Ridge Road, a WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER zipped across the road but was seen only by a few. We then spent 3 hours combing the tundra seeing lots of elk and the same few species as yesterday, but still no Ptarmigan.

Around noon we started birding in Endovalley, seeing 2 more GOLDEN EAGLES and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK soaring over the cliffs here. The campground was teeming with people but a lunch break by the stream produced a number of common species including AMERICAN DIPPER. A walk along the trail produced a latish male BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER (found earlier by a visiting birder) and RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER at a nest. We spent quite some time birding near the Alluvial Fan area looking unsuccessfully for Three-toed Woodpecker. We did turn up HAIRY WOODPECKER, a pair of WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKERS feeding young and lots of RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS. Also here were WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, HOUSE WREN, BROWN CREEPER and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER.

We finished the day at lower elevation along Bear Lake Road. In the willows and pines along the river we found BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD (everywhere, both days in the park), RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER (also very common), FLICKER, a couple each of DUSKY and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS, a gorgeous male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD (I never tire of looking at these birds), several TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES, WARBLING VIREO, SONG and LINCOLN'S SPARROWS. 

Monday, June 18, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 4 with Birdfinders. Today we focused on grassland birds of the eastern plains, spending much of our time in the Pawnee National Grasslands. The weather could have cooperated a little better -- filtered sunshine was a blessing in terms of keeping the heat down, but afternoon winds made for difficult and frustrating birding.  

We had an excellent start to the day along highway 14 near county road 51 where we had close range looks at a dozen or so MOUNTAIN PLOVERS. At the same location we saw the first of many HORNED LARKS and LARK BUNTINGS, both were common to abundant everywhere. Other roadside birds included NORTHERN HARRIER, BELTED KINGFISHER, LARK SPARROW and WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

Next came an enjoyable stop at Crow Valley Park and Campground near the town of Briggsdale. More than 10 COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were active, flying around and "peenting". We also saw one bird roosting on a branch. Although we didn't spend too long here, our time was productive -- species included GREAT HORNED OWL, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, many WESTERN and a couple of EASTERN KINGBIRDS, 10-BLUE JAYS, HOUSE WREN, 4-BROWN THRASHERS, several BULLOCK'S and 2-ORCHARD ORIOLES.

Now it was back to the business of the day. A pleasant surprise as we headed north on CR77 was a singing DICKCISSEL. As we started grassland birding along CR96 we immediately found displaying McCOWN'S LONGSPURS, another bird that was abundant in multiple locations throughout the day. Other species here included GRASSHOPPER and BREWER'S SPARROWS.

Our difficulties with the wind began in the western portion of the grasslands along CR114. Although we found a few CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS, the birds stayed low and at a distance. Consequently, we were unable to obtain satisfactory views despite many hours of trying. We added more NORTHERN HARRIERS, several SWAINSON'S HAWKS and just 1-FERRUGINOUS HAWK (one is all it takes!). 

We ended the day by driving to our overnight destination of Laramie, WY, seeing a few CALIFORNIA GULLS along the way and in town. In the end it was a mostly successful day with all target species seen, but one that was very frustrating.

Tuesday, June 19, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 5 with Birdfinders. A very cold, cloudy and windy start turned into a relatively cool, blue sky and blustery day. Since we were in Laramie, we had a bit of a dilemma in improving on the views of Chestnut-collared Longspurs because this is an area where there are not common (the habitat here is mostly short grass favored by McCown's). Nevertheless, we decided to try.

We headed north on Highway 30 near the town of Bosler where a stop at a roadside pond was very productive. Species here included AM. WHITE PELICAN, AM. AVOCET, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, CALIFORNIA GULL (these four species were common in many locations throughout the day), GREEN-WINGED and CINNAMON TEAL, N. PINTAIL, N. SHOVELER, WILLET and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD.

Next we worked along Howell Road which parallels the Laramie River through the Harris Ranch (the owner was kind enough to allow us access to the fields on the property). We spent several hours looking unsuccessfully for Chestnut-collared Longspur in marginal habitat, We saw plenty of McCOWN'S LONGSPURS and a number of other species including numerous SWAINSON'S &  3-FERRUGINOUS HAWKS,  PRAIRIE FALCON, MOUNTAIN PLOVER (with chicks), BANK SWALLOW, 4-SAGE THRASHERS, LARK BUNTING and several BREWER'S & VESPER SPARROWS. We also saw most of the waterfowl seen earlier plus DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, AM. WIGEON and SPOTTED SANDPIPER

Now it was decision time and half the group decided to make the 140 mile round trip to the Cheyenne area to continue looking for CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS in better habitat. I'm happy to say they were successful and had good scope looks at a number of males. I never dreamed they were going to be so elusive!

The rest of the group and I did some casual birding with visits to Lake Hattie, Hutton Lake NWR, the Laramie River and a number of roadside ponds and lakes south west of Laramie. We recorded many species already seen (including many McCOWN'S LONGSPURS which were easy to see at Lake Hattie) and added a number of new trip species including 6-CLARK'S GREBES, RUDDY DUCK, CANVASBACK, REDHEAD, RING-NECKED DUCK, LESSER SCAUP, COMMON SNIPE, 20+FRANKLIN'S GULLS, 4-BLACK and 3-FORSTER'S TERNS, MARSH WREN, 10+YELLOW WARBLERS and SAVANNAH SPARROW. 

Happily, the day ended well with the grassland birding successfully behind us and all participants satisfied with their choices. Our focus so far has been on some key birds in fairly species poor habitats so our overall trip list as been growing quite slowly. However, today we added 31 trip species and I added 16 species to my Wyoming list.

Wednesday, June 20, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 6 with Birdfinders. On a beautiful, mostly blue sky day, we birded our way from Laramie to Rock Springs en route to Jackson. In the morning, we birded in Medicine Bow National Forest where we walked in deep snow. By  late afternoon we encountered warm temperatures in sagebrush country.

As we traveled west from Laramie through the grasslands along route 130, roadside birds included FERRUGINOUS HAWK, McCOWN'S LONGSPUR, HORNED LARK and VESPER SPARROW.

At a stock pond near the Vee Bar Ranch (mp 20 on route 130)  we saw perhaps the best bird of the day, a male GREATER SCAUP along with several LESSER SCAUP. What a shock to see this bird so far inland in June! Hard to believe I know, but fact is stranger than fiction. Other birds here included EARED GREBE, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, CANADA GOOSE, CINNAMON TEAL, AM. WIGEON, GADWALL, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, AM. AVOCET, CANVASBACK, REDHEAD, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON MERGANSER, CALIFORNIA GULL, BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, AM. GOLDFINCH and WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

Among the trees near the ranger station shortly after entering Medicine Bow National Forest, we found several CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS, 6-CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS, male & female WESTERN TANAGERS, PINE SISKIN and 3-RED CROSSBILLS. A good start to our quest for high elevation birds.

At a lakeside stop along the highway near the summit, we immediately saw our two main target birds -- CASSIN'S FINCH and 3 male PINE GROSBEAKS. Also here were RED-TAILED HAWK, OSPREY, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, GRAY JAY, COMMON RAVEN, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, HERMIT THRUSH, AM. ROBIN, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, GRAY-HEADED JUNCO and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW.

At Lewis Lake we scanned in vain for Rosy-Finches but it didn't seem to matter because birds were almost superfluous in this beautiful spot -- an ice cold lake with snow clad Medicine Bow Peak and the Snowy range as a backdrop. We saw some of the species already seen in the mountains plus GOLDEN EAGLE, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, a pair of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS, numerous WILSON'S WARBLERS and a pair each of  FOX & LINCOLN'S SPARROWS.

From the summit downwards we encountered SANDHILL CRANE, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, more GRAY JAYS and CASSIN'S FINCHES, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE and WARBLING VIREO. A brief stop in sagebrush yielded a couple of SAGE THRASHERS.

All in all an excellent day with some beautiful scenery and good birds. Now, if only I could find Pine Grosbeak in Arizona in the White Mountains!

Thursday, June 21, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 7 with Birdfinders. Another great weather day -- quite cool shortly after sunrise around Eden Reservoir near Farson; and very warm when we arrived in Jackson Hole in the late afternoon. 

Our first quarry of the day was GREATER SAGE-GROUSE. After carefully searching the extensive sagebrush habitat around Eden Reservoir for over an hour, we found three birds. Unfortunately, they disappeared before everyone had a chance to see them and we had to start over. It looked for a while that we were going to be unsuccessful but eventually we came across a group of 6 birds in the open on a dirt track. They stayed put long enough for us to get a 'scope on them. All 9 birds were females. (Later in the day we saw a male on Hwy 352 near New Fork Lake).

Among the other birds in the area (including Big Sandy Reservoir, Eden Reservoir and Sandy Creek) were WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBES, AM. WHITE PELICAN, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, SORA, COMMON SNIPE, WILLET, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, CALIFORNIA & FRANKLIN'S GULLS, FORSTER'S TERN, a few SANDHILL CRANES, lots of COMMON NIGHTHAWKS (a couple of which allowed very close approach), BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, 8+SAGE THRASHERS, VESPER, BREWER'S & SAVANNAH SPARROWS and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD.

We continued north on Hwy 191 and saw at least 6 OSPREY nests (some with birds) near Boulder. After lunch in Pinedale ("Rumors" breakfast and lunch cafe/deli recommended), we birded at New Fork Lake in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. This was a very picturesque spot that we had almost to ourselves. The birding here was pretty good too. This was our first opportunity to look for Blue and Ruffed Grouse.

The highlight was a couple of RUFFED GROUSE chicks that mom had obviously told to stay put. They were so close that we could have picked them up. We never found an adult. Also of note were our first 7-COMMON GOLDENEYES of the trip. A possible Three-toed Woodpecker eluded us. Other birds included  lots of WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBES, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, HAIRY WOODPECKER, a continually singing DUSKY FLYCATCHER perched in the clear, TREE SWALLOW, CLARK'S NUTCRACKER, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, HOUSE WREN, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, a couple of elusive MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS, LINCOLN'S & WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and WESTERN TANAGER.

Friday, June 22, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 8 with Birdfinders. Another fine weather day with some afternoon cloud buildup and a sprinkle on Rendezvous Mountain by late afternoon. Our main targets for the day were Trumpeter Swan, Barrow's Goldeneye and Black Rosy-Finch.

We began at Flat Creek overlook just north of Jackson where I've seen the swan and goldeneye regularly. The morning light was against us, making it difficult to see any birds, and we ended up seeing neither target species. Among the birds that we recorded here were CINNAMON TEAL, RING-NECKED DUCK, BELTED KINGFISHER, SANDHILL CRANE, MARSH WREN and lots of YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

We continued north to Sawmill Ponds, another place where I've seen the goldeneye. The water level here seemed much lower than normal and again we didn't see the bird. Nevertheless, birding here was very good. OLIVE-SIDED and DUSKY-FLYCATCHERS were both singing but the former was surprisingly difficult to track down. We fared better with an elusive singing MACGILLIVRAY'S warbler and managed a good 'scope look. For those unfamiliar with this location, this is an overlook and we looked down on a couple of RED CROSSBILLS and CEDAR WAXWINGS. We saw about 30 species in a little over an hour including COMMON SNIPE, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, DOWNY & HAIRY WOODPECKERS, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, CLARK'S NUTCRACKER, ORANGE-CROWNED, YELLOW & YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, WESTERN TANAGER, AM. GOLDFINCH and PINE SISKIN. 

Driving south on Moose-Wilson Road I heard a WILLOW FLYCATCHER and a brief stop quickly produced a good view. As we waited in line for the Rendezvous Mountain tram, a male CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD visited a feeder. 

On top of Rendezvous Mountain, our initial strategy was to scan the distant snowbanks from a vantage point about about 1/2 mile from the tram terminal. I've had some success in the past doing this but it certainly didn't pay dividends today. At this elevation, walking long distances is not easy but in the end I decided to walk over to Cody Bowl. After some unsuccessful walking around on the talus and snow, I eventually heard a BLACK ROSY-FINCH quite close by. I looked around and was shocked to find that the bird was at literally at my feet in the wet grass. It moved away 10 feet and shortly flew over a ridge and up the mountain. Unfortunately, only Vaughan and two participants had made the trip but they were elsewhere and didn't see it. I tracked the bird to an area where it was probably nesting and three of us saw it perched atop a small tree, of which there are few in this environment. News of our success reached the other participants by radio and some of the them made the trip. We lost the bird again but it returned not long afterwards and their reward was some wonderful views of the bird as it looked at us and called atop a stunted tree. It was a slog back to the tram terminal as the wind picked up and a few sprinkles fell, but seeing the bird was certainly worth the effort.

When I first saw this bird some years ago on Bald Mountain in the Uinta Mountains of Utah, and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch on Mt. Evans in Colorado on the same day, I wrote "I gained great respect for the Rosy-Finch on this trip - it might become my favorite bird which is currently a tie between Vermilion Flycatcher, Painted Redstart and Red-faced Warbler. It was close to freezing as we left the finches at Summit Lake - and this in July. These birds are here by choice and live year round in the bleakest and coldest of habitat. You have to be in awe of such things." I've seen these birds several times since then (including Black Rosy-Finch a couple of times in Arizona), but today's sighting was just as much a thrill, especially having had to work so hard to find it. A magical bird in a wonderful place.

Other species seen in this rather bleak environment for birds (talus, snowfields and stunted trees) were SHARP-SHINNED and RED-TAILED HAWKS, CLARK'S NUTCRACKER, COMMON RAVEN, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, ROCK WREN, AM. PIPIT, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, AM. ROBIN, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCO and PINE SISKIN.

Back in Teton Village we took a well earned break from our endeavors with some feeder watching and saw male and female CALLIOPE and male BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS.

Now it was time to pick up the two species we missed this morning. Heading back into Jackson we added OSPREY on the Snake River and then found a couple of TRUMPETER SWANS on Skyline ponds. Next, we rechecked Flat Creek and Vaughan very soon spotted a goldeneye that turned out to be a female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (we later found another). A good end to a physically tough day with all three target birds seen as well as a number of good trip birds.

Saturday, June 23, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 9 with Birdfinders. Today our main target species were all forest birds -- Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers and Ruffed and Blue Grouse. We enjoyed good weather throughout the day ended up seeing 3 out of 4, all at nests.

We spent the morning on Jenny Lake where we worked south from String Lake along the west shore, took the ferry to the east shore, then returned north along the east shore. Total walking distance was about 4.5 miles. Our first success came with excellent views of a female THREE-TOED WOODPECKER and we ended up seeing a total of 4 including a male and female feeding young in the nest. 

Close to the ferry dock we were called back when a female RUFFED GROUSE was discovered walking on the trail. As it turned out, the bird had a nest with eggs about 30 feet from the trail. She wandered around feeding for a while and then settled down on the nest, apparently unconcerned by our presence. 

After the ferry ride to the east shore, habitat and birds decreased and there was a marked increase in tourists on the trail as the morning wore on. Consequently, we didn't see much until we reached an old burn area near where the river feeds the lake. Here, one of the group spotted a woodpecker which promptly disappeared behind a trunk. When it reappeared, a solid black back confirmed our first guess and our hopes -- it was a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER. A radio call to the rest of the group was the kiss of death and the bird flew across the river and was lost. However, it wasn't long before another bird flew in from a different direction and led our eyes straight to a nest. For the next 30 minutes we enjoyed watching male and female make numerous feeding visits. This is the third Black-backed nest I have seen and all of them have been surprisingly close to the ground, in the 6-8 feet range.

Over a period of 5 hours, our loop trip yielded an total of 30 species. As we walked the trail south, I was surprised by the number of singing HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS -- we counted at least 6. The data I have indicates they are reasonably scarce so I didn't expect them to be so common here. MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS were present in scattered locations and were particularly common near the west shore ferry dock. Among the other species seen were WESTERN GREBE, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, CLARK'S NUTCRACKER and our first SWAINSON'S THRUSHES of the trip (they were singing and quite numerous). 

After lunch we decided to check Jackson Lake in the hope of finding a male Harlequin Duck staging there before returning to the coast. Unfortunately, we were not successful to put the icing on the cake of our wonderful morning. However, we still have a (better) chance tomorrow in Yellowstone. Nevertheless, between the lake and a couple of ponds we did find plenty of birds to keep us interested. Near Jackson dam, several distant waders (that I thought might be curlews) required almost a mile walk before we could confirm them as 4-MARBLED GODWITS. Also on the lake were a few WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBES, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, many CANADA GEESE & AM. WHITE PELICANS, a couple of COMMON LOONS, CINNAMON TEAL, OSPREY and, CALIFORNIA GULL.

A small pond yielded 2-TRUMPETER SWAN'S, a female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (we still haven't seen a male), numerous WILSON'S PHALAROPES, lots of common ducks and a singing DUSKY FLYCATCHER. A female Moose wandered into view which must have triggered an alert on MOOSE.COM because before long the place was crawling with grockles (tourists). Exit stage left.  

In the evening, we checked a regular spot for Great Gray Owl. A talk with the owner of the land confirmed that he had a resident pair that hunted here at dawn and dusk. However, despite some diligent searching and giving lots of blood to the mosquitoes, we came up empty. As dusk approached, BREWER'S and VESPER SPARROW'S were both singing and a COMMON NIGHTHAWK flew by "peenting" and gave a single "boom". We also added a couple of new trip birds -- PEREGRINE FALCON and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE. No owl but a good end to a successful and enjoyable day. 

Sunday, June 24, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 10 with Birdfinders. Today was mostly a sightseeing day in Yellowstone National Park. However, we did have a few avian objectives (surprise!) -- male Barrow's Goldeneye, Harlequin Duck, Bald Eagle and Blue Grouse. We saw some great scenery, a number of big mammals and all of our target birds. 

We began on Signal Mountain where we saw what has to be the closest and most accommodating BLUE GROUSE that I have ever seen. The male displayed and strutted his stuff as the female sat in a tree, apparently not too interested. She eventually joined him and they walked off into the forest together. However, not before we enjoyed a tremendous display from the male with air sacs inflated (making the "hoo" noise) and with combs and tail raised (missing a few feathers). The best part, though, was the distance. How about two feet for anybody brave enough to go that close. I kid you not, incredible! We had the bird in view for 30 minutes. A very good start to the morning. Among the other species here were GRAY JAY, CLARK'S NUTCRACKER, HERMIT and SWAINSON'S THRUSHES, WESTERN TANAGER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, BREWER'S SPARROW and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

As we entered Yellowstone NP at the south entrance, we were greeted by a couple of BALD EAGLES on the Snake River. One posed at the top of tree for some photos. Also here were OSPREY, 2- SPOTTED SANDPIPERS and the usual forest birds. At Durk Lake near West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake we broke our duck (pun intended) with male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, a large flock was present along with some BUFFLEHEADS.

Now it was time to go into tourist mode with a visit to Old Faithful, something I've done a couple of times before so I wasn't as enthusiastic as the rest of the group. After an hour here they were ready to get away from the mass of humanity. We looked at a few other features driving around the park and saw BUFFALO, ELK, MOOSE and a BLACK BEAR.

We turned our attention to Harlequin Duck and a talk with park staff confirmed the two locations we had in mind. Unfortunately, the river near Tower was a long drive. Along the way we checked a few spots along the river where water was flowing strongly without success. At Tower we also came up empty and this was perhaps our best chance. We added WESTERN BLUEBIRD to the trip list. The long drive south was punctuated with a few sightseeing stops at falls and overlooks, and a few birds including PEREGRINE FALCON, several OSPREYS, WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS, several AM. DIPPERS and RED CROSSBILL.  

Our last destination was Le Hardy Rapids which by all accounts is not a good spot anymore. However, 30 seconds after reaching the bottom of the viewing boardwalk we were scoping a beautiful male HARLEQUIN DUCK sitting on a rock. It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings. 

As we approached Jackson, a thunderstorm in the Grand Tetons provided a dramatic end to a very long (16 hours and almost 300 miles) but very good day. Tomorrow we move on and I for one will be sad to leave this wonderful area (Jackson Hole).

Monday, June 25, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 11 with Birdfinders. After the long day yesterday we started late and this was our most relaxed day so far. We traveled south from Jackson Hole via Highways 189 and 372 making various roadside stops along the Green river plus visits to the Fontenelle Reservoir and dam, and Seedskadee NWR. Although this was mainly a travel day back to Rock Springs en route to Grand Junction in Colorado, we added several new trip species.

SWAINSON'S HAWKS and SANDHILL CRANES were quite common along the highway between Bondurant and La Barge and our first LONG-BILLED CURLEWS of the trip were feeding in the lush fields. Among the other highway species were OSPREY, AM. KESTREL, COMMON NIGHTHAWK and the usual very numerous CLIFF SWALLOWS. 

Fontenelle Reservoir was worth the time we spent there. Amazingly, 2-RING-BILLED GULLS were a trip first as were 3-CASPIAN TERNS and a LESSER YELLOWLEGS. Other species present here included WESTERN GREBE, lots of AM. WHITE PELICANS, a few AM. AVOCETS and MARBLED GODWITS, COMMON LOON and CALIFORNIA GULL. 

Along the road to the campground below the dam were a couple of GOLDEN EAGLES. At the campground (a good migrant spot, but we were too late in the month) we saw OSPREY, several roosting COMMON NIGHTHAWKS, EASTERN KINGBIRD, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and a number of common species.

Continuing south on 372, a roadside stop in sage produced a number of expected species of this habitat except our target Sage Sparrow  - HORNED LARK, SAGE THRASHER, BREWER'S and VESPER SPARROWS and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE. 

No matter, at Seedskadee NWR we easily found a somewhat cooperative SAGE SPARROW running around on the ground in typical fashion. The refuge was fairly quiet in mid afternoon and we didn't find much in the way of landbirds. Species seen included CINNAMON TEAL, N. HARRIER, WESTERN KINGBIRD, MARSH WREN, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, YELLOW WARBLER and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. Leaving the refuge, our last bird of the day was a GOLDEN EAGLE.

Tuesday, June 26, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 12 with Birdfinders. Mostly a travel day from Rock Springs, WY to Grand Junction, CO, for a two night stay. We used Hwy 191 through the Flaming Gorge area of Utah, entering Colorado near Dinosaur then heading south on Hwy 64 over Douglas Pass.

Before leaving Wyoming we birded in the Pinyon Juniper and Sagebrush habitat along Little Firehole Road east of Flaming Gorge. Here we spent some time chasing down the common birds enough times for everyone to see them -- species of this habitat can be pesky! None more so than JUNIPER TITMOUSE which we eventually saw well. Also elusive were GRAY FLYCATCHER and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. Other species here were COMMON NIGHTHAWK, SAY'S PHOEBE, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, ROCK WREN and  BREWER'S, CHIPPING & SAGE SPARROWS.

Continuing south, our last bird in Wyoming was GOLDEN EAGLE and the first bird in Utah was PRAIRIE FALCON.

A brief stop at Flaming Gorge Dam produced about 15 species including several WESTERN GREBES, 2-OSPREYS, a few CALIFORNIA GULLS, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, singing CANYON WREN, YELLOW WARBLER and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. 

Once we were back in Colorado, WESTERN KINGBIRDS and  BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES became common. A roadside stop below Douglas Pass was productive for new trip birds with several BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS, a couple of singing male LAZULI BUNTINGS and plenty of SPOTTED TOWHEES.

Wednesday, June 27, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 13 with Birdfinders. Today we birded in two contrasting locations -- Colorado National Monument, near Grand Junction, and Box Canyon Falls in Ouray. Our primary targets were Black Swift, Pinyon Jay and Gray Vireo. The weather cooperated yet again: quite warm in the morning at the monument and mostly cloudy and pleasantly cool at the falls in the afternoon.

We spent spent about 5 hours at the monument enjoying the spectacular scenery and birding at several places along Rim Rock drive. Our first stop was at Devils Kitchen where it didn't take long to track down a singing GRAY VIREO. However, seeing it was another matter and it took quite some time for everyone to get a decent look. Apart from one other individual in an inaccessible location, this was the only singing Gray Vireo that we found.

We walked the trail for about a mile and turned up about 20 species including GAMBEL'S QUAIL, BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN KINGBIRD, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, BUSHTIT, JUNIPER TITMOUSE, LESSER GOLDFINCH and BLACK-THROATED SPARROW. Near the end of our walk, a COOPER'S HAWK swooped in to rid the world of a BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD.

Just a short distance further along Rim Rock Drive, in addition to the outstanding view, Cold Shivers Point gave us a close eye-level view of a perched VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, not something that happens everyday. Lots of WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were present here. Continuing along the drive we finally tracked down our first WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS of the trip.

We finished the morning along the access road to Black Hunter Ridge where a flock of PINYON JAYS begrudgingly obliged us, because they certainly weren't easy to see well. We saw many of the same species already seen plus GRAY FLYCATCHER, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER and SPOTTED TOWHEE. A potential Virginia's Warbler got away from me proving that they are no less elusive here than they are in Arizona!

After lunch and a two hour drive, we arrived at Box Canyon Falls in Ouray and within minutes we were looking at a BLACK SWIFT on a nest. The swifts arrived on June 18 and currently there are 6 active nests, 5 of which we saw. This made quite a pleasant change from trying to pick one out of the sky among the many WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS. Around 5:00pm, enough Black Swifts were in the sky to make the job of finding them on the wing fairly easy. Among the other species noted here were numerous BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER on a nest, AM. DIPPER and many singing WESTERN TANAGERS. 

Thursday, June 28, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 14 and last full day with Birdfinders. Our targets for today were White-tailed Ptarmigan and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, and I'm happy to say that we saw both of them. We left Grand Junction early and even with a one hour breakfast stop we arrived at the base of Mt. Evans at 10:00am. After a stop at the National Forest visitor center we headed up the mountain (seeing BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, PINE SISKIN and CLARK'S NUTCRACKER) and started birding at Summit Lake at 11:30am.

A adult GOLDEN EAGLE swooped down and landed on the tundra as we arrived for a good start to the proceedings. However, over the course of the next 90 minutes I sensed spirits starting to fade as we failed to locate any Rosy-Finches. At least two BROWN-CAPPED ROSY-FINCHES were calling below an inaccessible ridge so I wasn't too worried, especially since I've seen the birds here a few times before. Other species were few and far between in this sparse environment and we saw only COMMON RAVEN, many singing AM. PIPITS, MOUNTAIN  BLUEBIRD, a couple of  singing TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES and a few singing WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS.

We headed to the summit to enjoy the views, take a lunch break and to check for finches. Vaughan's van paused to check out Mountain Goats about a mile below the top and I continued on. All of a sudden, an urgent voice came over the radio "Rosy-Finch!" and I was forced to make a u-turn. Those of you that have been on Mt. Evans will know how difficult that can be. Complicating matters were the many cars stopped to look at the goats. By the time I got to the bird its wasn't showing very well although, thankfully, everyone managed a somewhat backlit 'scope view. Fortunately, it was of no real consequence because 2 more BROWN-CAPPED ROSY-FINCHES were at the summit. They perched on the boulders, on the stonework and fed on a small snowbank about 40 feet away from us. Excellent views were had by all.

After savoring the moment and enjoying the magnificent panoramic view, a very light snow began to fall as we turned our attention to the Ptarmigan. (I was here at this time last year and it snowed then also.) We drove slowly down the mountain and at the last switchback before the straight section down to Summit Lake, I again heard an urgent voice over the radio -- this time "Ptarmigan!". Once again I was forced to do a u-turn as I frantically tried to get back in a hurry. As it turned out, my haste didn't really matter. A breeding plumaged female WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN was very cooperative on a grassy ridge at the side of the road. Once again, excellent 'scope filling views, photos and videos were enjoyed by all. As we watched the bird, just crouching and nibbling on wildflowers, frozen rain/sleet started to fall a little heavier. Such is life on Mt. Evans in June at 14,000+ feet.

What a great way to end our trip, two good birds in a wonderful location. I was always very optimistic of finding the Rosy-Finch here, but certainly not so the Ptarmigan.  Thus, the sighting was especially pleasing given the amount of work we put in last week without success in Rocky Mountain NP. We certainly paid our dues in time and energy, since not even the slightest activity comes easy at this elevation. As we got out of the vans in Denver, the 98 degree temperature was quite a shock after the coolness of Mt. Evans, and a reminder of what's in store for me back in Arizona!  

Friday, June 29, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 15 and final day with Birdfinders. Not much birding this morning before concluding the tour. Nevertheless, we managed to add a couple of new trip species.

A stop at a regularly reported location on 96th Avenue near the airport produced 12-BURROWING OWLS. Among the other species near here were SWAINSON'S HAWK and LARK BUNTING.

A quick check of Barr Lake from 128th Avenue produced a pair of BLUE GROSBEAKS. Also here were EASTERN KINGBIRD, HOUSE WREN, a pair of BULLOCK'S ORIOLES feeding young and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT. 

Summary:
From June 15 to 29 we traveled 2800 miles and spent approximately 6 days in Colorado, 8 days in Wyoming and 1/2 day traveling through Utah. The weather throughout was generally excellent, with mostly sunny skies in the morning and clouds in the afternoon to keep the temperature down. High temperature was only a problem back in Denver at the end of the trip. We encountered some snow and sleet in a couple of high mountain locations and there were a few days with late afternoon thunderstorms. However, rainfall was minimal and occurred mostly at night. Some of our grassland birding was significantly impacted by high winds.  

On this tour, as with all Birdfinders U.S. tours that I've done, we focused on finding the area specialties and not on building a big trip list. In this endeavor we were largely successful seeing most of what we looked for as well as a decent overall list of 195 species. Apart from an unsuccessful attempt for Great Gray Owl, we didn't try for any owls. Our itinerary didn't include the far eastern plains so we didn't try for either of the Prairie Chickens, and we ran out of time to try for Gunnison Sage Grouse.

Species seen that we had specifically identified in advance as key species for the trip included Trumpeter Swan, Barrow's Goldeneye, Harlequin Duck, Swainson's & Ferruginous Hawks, Blue & Ruffed Grouse, Greater Sage-Grouse, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Sandhill Crane, Mountain Plover, Black Swift, Calliope Hummingbird, Williamson's Sapsucker, Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers, Pinyon & Gray Jays, Gray Vireo, Am. Dipper, Sage Thrasher, McCown's & Chestnut-collared Longspurs, Sage Sparrow, Pine Grosbeak, and Black & Brown-capped Rosy Finches. See the itinerary summary and trip list for a complete list.

In additional to target species and other regularly occurring birds, we came across a few noteworthy birds, perhaps the most significant of which was a male GREATER SCAUP in Wyoming. A most unexpected bird here in late June. Also of note was a latish male BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER in Colorado. I didn't expect that we would be far enough east to see DICKCISSEL, so a singing bird in Pawnee National Grassland was nice to find. 

Considering that this was the first time Birdfinders has run this trip, and that my experience in Colorado and Wyoming is limited to less than one month of mostly casual birding in each state spread over a number of years, I think the results were more than satisfactory.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Friday, June 29, 2001.

Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - June, 2001 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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