Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - July, 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 Tuesday, July 31, 2001.

Monday, July 2, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
I eased back into the old routine again today with Regina Barna and her daughter Elizabeth from Milford, NJ and their friend Tom from Phoenix. We birded in the Huachucas starting with a limited visit to Garden Canyon and then on to the much cooler Carr Canyon. Garden Canyon access restrictions are still in effect and the current road opening estimate is mid July. Another warm day with just a few signs of the impending monsoon season. The temperature when I left town at 5:45am was 72 degrees, up to 98 degrees when I returned at 2:00pm.  

We began in the mesquite-grassland of lower Garden Canyon where bird activity was fairly high. At least 5-BOTTERI'S  SPARROWS were singing but they weren't very cooperative. We saw a smattering of the usual birds including RED-TAILED HAWK, GAMBEL'S QUAIL, a calling SCALED QUAIL, WESTERN & CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, VERDIN, N. MOCKINGBIRD, LUCY'S WARBLER, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, BLUE GROSBEAK, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and LILIAN'S MEADOWLARK.

After reaching the tree line, SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS were particularly easy to see in several places. Some birds were carrying food so quite soon there'll be more of these noisy birds to see! We heard an ELEGANT TROGON close to a nest location but failed to track it down. Among the other birds here were ACORN WOODPECKER, N. FLICKER, MEXICAN JAY, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, BUFF-BREASTED, DUSKY-CAPPED & ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, SAY'S PHOEBE, HUTTON'S & PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, HEPATIC & WESTERN TANAGERS, LESSER GOLDFINCH and BRONZED COWBIRD.

Next we headed up Carr Canyon and birded some of the trails around Reef Campground where it was significantly cooler than in town. (By the way, if anyone reading this lost a camera up there, I handed it in to the Ranger Station on Hwy 92). Activity was generally low in the late morning and finding birds was tough going. We ended up with only four warblers - GRACE'S, VIRGINIA'S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and several PAINTED REDSTARTS. Even the normally vocal GREATER PEWEES were mostly silent and we managed to see only a couple of them. We recorded a total of 30 species here including COOPER'S HAWK, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER, HERMIT THRUSH, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO, SPOTTED TOWHEE, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and WESTERN & HEPATIC TANAGERS.

Bring on the monsoons!

Tuesday, July 3, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day    
Out today with Steve and Gail Clendenen from Knoxville, TN. We got an early start for a visit to French Joe Canyon to look for Rufous-capped Warbler and Black-chinned Sparrow. The weather cooperated with cloudy skies that produced a much cooler day than yesterday. The temperature when I left town at 4:00am was 74 degrees and had only climbed to a little over 80 degrees when I returned in the late morning. Conditions in the canyon were delightful: cool, fresh and almost bug free. Even though the monsoons are barely underway, there are some deep puddles on the road. Very soon it will be impassable for a normal vehicle.

LESSER NIGHTHAWKS were still active during the drive in but we were perhaps 5 or 10 minutes too late to catch any Common Poorwills. Singing in the gloom were a handful of  BLUE GROSBEAKS, many BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS and a plethora (I don't use this word much so I thought I'd throw it in) of N. MOCKINGBIRDS. One of them was doing a Pinyon Jay call and there are none for 150 miles.

WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were already active as we started walking. Along the trail we encountered BUSHTITS, HUTTON'S and PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, SUMMER and HEPATIC TANAGERS and several beautiful SCOTT'S ORIOLES. We also saw a horribly backlit BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW singing from the ridgeline (later we managed better views). Both CURVE-BILLED and CRISSAL THRASHERS were calling (the first Crissal turned out to be a Mockingbird but then we got a real one).

We arrived at the pools about 6:10am and almost immediately I heard a RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER singing further up canyon near the upper spring. By 6:25am we had seen both birds foraging together and then one bird flew almost over our heads as it made a bee-line towards the nest location. I had expected to see fledglings but we saw no sign of them. Perhaps the birds are still in the nest, although this would seem unlikely. We stayed in the area for another hour without hearing or seeing them again.

The most noticeable change in the canyon today was the dramatically increased hummingbird activity. During our 2 hours around the spring we recorded 5 species -- BLUE-THROATED, MAGNIFICENT,  BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S and COSTA'S. Not quite a record though, I've seen 6 species on previous occasions. Amazingly however, after all the visits that I have made here, both Blue-throated and Magnificent were new location birds for me. My list here now stands at 129.

We spent almost 5 hours in the canyon (from highway 90 back to highway 90) and recorded the following species:

Scaled Quail, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Lesser Nighthawk, White-throated Swift, Blue-throated, Magnificent, Black-chinned, Anna's & Costa's Hummingbirds, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan Raven, Hutton's & Plumbeous Vireos, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Cactus, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Bushtit, Violet-green Swallow, Bridled Titmouse, House Finch, Rufous-capped Warbler, Black-chinned, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Hepatic & Summer Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, N. Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak, Hooded & Scott's Orioles and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Wednesday, July 4, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
First of two days with Charles Easley, son Chris and Dave Smith from Keene, TX. Another early start for a trip to French Joe Canyon. Although it was a little cooler than of late (66 degrees) when I left town at 3:50am this morning, there wasn't any cloud cover and the day warmed far too quickly.

We arrived at the upper spring at 5:40am when it was still cool, and it was enjoyable to simply soak in the sights and sounds of the canyon until a RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER put in an appearance. About 6:20am I heard one bird singing across canyon and another "ticking" quite close by. The close bird briefly came into view and then quickly disappeared towards the nest area. We only had to wait 5 minutes for the bird to reappear and perch up briefly before flying across canyon to perch again, this time on an open snag, where it again sang before dropping to the ground. Both birds then duetted for a further 5 minutes from ground locations. 

I wasn't in the canyon as long as yesterday and recorded only 35 species. Most noticeable was the absence of hummingbirds with only ANNA'S and BLACK-CHINNED seen. The only bird seen today but not yesterday was BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, a fairly uncommon bird here.

Our next destination was the Huachucas for a few target birds. The drive through lower Garden Canyon grasslands produced singing BOTTERI'S and CASSIN'S SPARROWS, both of which were easy to see. I was a little surprised to hear a singing YELLOW WARBLER at the stream crossing near the fishing ponds. With good reason as my records showed, this was my first in Garden Canyon!

SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS were quite raucous at the upper picnic area where we lingered just long enough to pick up BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER. A couple of male ELEGANT TROGONS were calling near the entrance to Scheelite Canyon and we saw one of them very well. 

Heading up the trail in Scheelite we met one person who had failed to find an owl. Resisting the temptation to skip the lower area, I spent a good 30 minutes searching and wearing myself out before reluctantly concluding that we would have to go higher. This was something that nobody really wanted to do after already hiking French Joe Canyon and walking from the upper picnic area (I for one will be mighty glad when the road is open again). We trudged on and eventually I found a lone SPOTTED OWL in the exact shady tree that I had hoped it would be in, about 1 mile into the canyon in the middle roosting area. Very little else was stirring in the late morning and we recorded less than 20 species here.

Our last target of the day was the oxymoronic GREATER PEWEE. With Sawmill Canyon still inaccessible (without a long walk) we headed instead to Carr Canyon where just 5 minutes at Reef was all we needed to see the bird.

7 miles walked, all target birds seen, nap time. Happy 4th.

Thursday, July 5, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again with Charles, Chris and Dave for another bout of target birding searching for a half-dozen species. Yet another early start for a trip to California Gulch. As the alarm woke me at 1:30am, the thought that there has to be a better way to make a living crossed my mind for the umpteenth time.

The temperature in town was 70 degrees when we got underway at 2:30am and fortunately, due to cloud cover, it didn't get much above that until late morning. Quite a lightning storm was in the distant west as we drove along the blacktop section of Peña Blanca Road. We flushed only one COMMON POORWILL which unfortunately hit our vehicle.

As is often the case at this time of year, FIVE-STRIPED SPARROWS were easy to find immediately upon our arrival in the gulch shortly after sunrise. We had good 'scope views of two males singing very close to each other and heard a couple more. A particularly vocal and very cooperative N. BEARDLESS TYRANNULET was easy to see along with numerous VARIED BUNTINGS that were also very vocal. We recorded almost 40 species here including GRAY HAWK, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, VERMILION, ASH-THROATED, DUSKY-CAPPED & BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, BELL'S VIREO, LUCY'S WARBLER, RUFOUS-CROWNED & BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS, BLACK-HEADED & BLUE GROSBEAKS, SUMMER & HEPATIC TANAGERS,  HOODED ORIOLE and BRONZED COWBIRD.

Returning via Arivaca, we picked up RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW without too much effort. This species can sometimes be quite elusive but today's immaculately plumaged bird cooperated quite well and we enjoyed several 'scope views. Next, we headed back south to Patagonia Roadside Rest area where THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD at the nest was very easy to see. Among the other species here during a very brief visit were GRAY HAWK, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and VARIED BUNTING.

After another successful day, we arrived back in Sierra Vista at 11:30am as storm clouds gathered. There's still more bark than bite to the monsoons but I have the feeling that it won't be long now.

Friday, July 6, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Today was cloudy, rainy and relatively cool. It was also my first opportunity to do some personal birding since mid June. I decided not  to waste my time looking for the Tropical Parula and Yellow-throated Vireo in Miller Canyon, choosing instead to check Willcox and Whitewater Draw for returning shorebirds. My reasoning was that by so doing I would at least get some useful positive or negative information at the expense of forfeiting two potential state ticks. 

Willcox was very quiet in mid afternoon. The smaller ponds have some good shorebird habitat but, other than a single WHITE-FACED IBIS, I didn't see any signs of seasonal movement. It's still a little early. Breeding AMERICAN AVOCETS now have a number of small chicks. Many SCALED QUAIL with chicks were feeding on the golf course grass along with 12 bright male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS. Other species from 23 recorded were 2-PIED-BILLED GREBES, 3-CINNAMON TEAL and 1-LESSER SCAUP that has been present since at least June 1.

Whitewater Draw was also quiet but had a few more interesting birds, particularly one each of AM. WHITE PELICAN and BROWN PELICAN. Both were new for me in SE AZ in July and the Brown was also a new location bird - a good return on my investment of almost 200 miles! I scratched out 23 species before rain stopped play. Of note were 12-GREAT EGRETS and 2-BLACK-NECKED STILTS. Others included AM. AVOCET, SWAINSON'S HAWK, BLUE GROSBEAK lots of BULLOCK'S ORIOLES and a few YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

Saturday, July 7, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
I was scheduled to work today but some vehicle problems caused a cancellation. However, it was just as well because we had intended to start late and would have got caught in Carr Canyon during the first serious storm of the monsoon season. After a few days of false starts with heavy clouds that produced only a little rain, today we had the real thing. A tremendous thunderstorm started in Sierra Vista in the early afternoon and lasted several hours.

Sooner or later I guess it had to happen. Early this morning, a EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE was singing in my yard. I was working at the computer and it took me a few minutes to realize that I wasn't hearing the regular Mourning, White-winged or Inca Doves. By now I think it's probably somewhere floating down the Rio Sonora.

Monday, July 9, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
The start of a two week tour with Pierre Poulin and Ginette Roy from Pabos, Québec, Canada. We'll be spending a week in southeast Arizona then we'll move north to the White Mountains and Grand Canyon. For a brief overview, see the summary  and itinerary and species list. This itinerary is very similar to several previous Birdfinders AZ tours and I'll be doing the same tour with them again later this month. 

A tough introduction to Arizona birding for Pierre and Ginette as we began our adventure in the heat of Aravaipa Canyon and Dudleyville. (Summer days on the Gaspé Peninsula in Québec are in the 70s!). However, I'm happy to say that, even though it took us a while, we were successful in finding our three target raptors.

A brief stop at the birding hotspot of the Circle K in Mammoth yielded a nice selection of desert and desert-riparian species including GAMBEL'S QUAIL, PURPLE MARTIN, VERDIN, BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER, CACTUS WREN, CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, N. CARDINAL PYRRHULOXIA, BLUE GROSBEAK and CANYON TOWHEE. (Seriously, this location is always good for these species and quite a few others.)

Aravaipa Canyon was still relatively cool under cloudy skies when we began birding there at 8:00am. By the time we left at 10:40am it was getting a little toasty. Our first success came shortly after leaving Hwy 77 at a very reliable location for RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW. We had excellent looks at a singing bird. We birded our way slowly into the canyon picking up a number of common birds including GILA WOODPECKER, GILDED FLICKER, ASH-THROATED and BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, BELL'S VIREO, SUMMER TANAGER and many HOODED ORIOLES. A few YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS called close by in what seemed like must-see locations but we just couldn't see one! 

At a regular nesting location for COMMON BLACK-HAWK we saw a juvenile on the nest and a nearby adult, both perched and flying. We then turned our attention to ZONE-TAILED HAWK which put in an appearance quite quickly. Unfortunately, I was the only one to see it. We stuck around for a while as the heat built up but the bird didn't reappear.

We moved on to Dudleyville where the higher humidity along the river added to our discomfort. We patrolled the area for some time looking in vain for a kite but saw only another COMMON BLACK-HAWK. Even though staying put would have probably resulted in success (this location is usually reliable), I decided that a check of the Gila River in Winkleman was in our future.

As we approached town, I noted a kingbird attacking a "vulture" and immediately pulled off the road. Of course, kingbirds don't do such things and after kissing many TV frogs we had our ZONE-TAILED HAWK prince. On the bridge over the river we didn't have to wait long before a majestic MISSISSIPPI KITE came our way and remained in view for several minutes. Also here near the river was a singing N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET that we managed a couple of brief looks at. This may be my most northerly sighting of this species.  

After a couple of hours break we spent some time at Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson with a few target birds in mind. A couple were easy to see -- 3 very cooperative HARRIS'S HAWKS and numerous ABERT'S TOWHEES. However, we didn't manage to stumble across a single Lucy's Warbler. Among the 25 species that we recorded here were GREEN HERON, CINNAMON TEAL, COMMON MOORHEN and ROADRUNNER. 

Tuesday, July 10, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 2 with Pierre and Ginette. Apart from a brief early morning session at San Xavier Mission, we spent the entire day in the Catalina Mountains. We braved the construction delays and noise on the Catalina Highway and were rewarded with good views of many of the high elevation species, mostly empty campgrounds and some great weather. Cloudy skies prevailed for much of the day and conditions on the mountain were delightful. An afternoon monsoon thunderstorm dropped the temperature at Summerhaven to 58 degrees. Back in Tucson around 7:00pm at was 95 degrees.

A short visit to San Xavier Mission produced 3-BURROWING OWLS, a singing RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW and a number of common species including GILDED FLICKER, BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER, BLUE GROSBEAK, ABERT'S TOWHEE, HOODED ORIOLE and BRONZED COWBIRD.

For the rest of the day we birded our way up and down the Catalina Highway with stops at Molino Basin, Rose Canyon Campground, Summerhaven, the Ski Area, Windy Vista and Bear Canyon.

Molino Basin was perhaps our least productive spot (quite warm here before the clouds built up) and we recorded only 16 species including BRIDLED TITMOUSE, PHAINOPEPLA, BELL'S VIREO, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and SUMMER TANAGER.

We spent four hours in Rose Canyon where bird activity was generally low except for two very productive areas.  Despite the very loud construction traffic noise, the area near the self-service fee pay station was perhaps the best spot. In short order here we found BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, HAIRY WOODPECKER, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, PYGMY & WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, HERMIT THRUSH, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, OLIVE, GRACE'S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY & RED-FACED WARBLERS, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO and HEPATIC TANAGER.

A walk around the lake and neighboring areas produced zero birds but the picnic area near the lake was very productive. In addition to seeing many of the same species again (including several RED-FACED WARBLERS), we added MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, WARBLING VIREO, PINE SISKIN, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and WESTERN TANAGER. A briefly singing GREATER PEWEE remained unseen.

At Summerhaven and the Ski area we added BAND-TAILED PIGEON and STELLER'S JAY. After a refreshing rainstorm we worked our way back down the highway. Windy Vista had the usual ROCK and CANYON WRENS and SPOTTED TOWHEE but we never managed a glimpse of any of them! We did see BEWICK'S WREN and BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER.

As we were driving by Bear Canyon, I heard a PAINTED REDSTART singing and a quick stop at a convenient pullout resulted in some great close up looks at a very cooperative bird. We even had time to check the campground and find a pair of ARIZONA WOODPECKERS before the construction delay line started moving. A good way to close out a successful and enjoyable day.

Wednesday, July 11, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 3 with Pierre and Ginette. The weather cooperated again with cloudy skies during our morning visit to the Santa Rita mountains. It was very warm as we dropped down into Green valley at noon but some cooling  rain greeted us in Nogales in the early afternoon. 

The grasslands along Continental road were alive with sparrows early this morning. Although BOTTERI'S were by far the most numerous and easy to see, they were not very vocal compared to the few CASSIN'S that we saw singing and skylarking. Also here were SAY'S PHOEBE, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, RUFOUS-WINGED and BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS, BLUE GROSBEAK, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and EASTERN MEADOWLARK. To the north we could hear a calling MONTEZUMA QUAIL.

A two hour session in Florida Wash was very productive even though we spent much of our time chasing down the elusive LUCY'S WARBLER. We had good looks at a singing N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET that took some time to track down. We found a couple of singing VARIED BUNTINGS but the views were poor due to bad light. Among the other birds here were a somewhat surprising YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, BELL'S VIREO, RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW, BLUE GROSBEAK and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

Next we spent some time checking the area around Santa Rita Lodge. The feeders were fairly quiet with just the usual common suspects present including BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD, BRIDLED TITMOUSE WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. Also in the area were BROWN-CRESTED, DUSKY-CAPPED and SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS. Further up canyon we added COOPER'S HAWK, BLUE-THROATED, MAGNIFICENT and BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS, WESTERN-WOOD PEWEE, PLUMBEOUS VIREO and PAINTED REDSTART.

I expected a tough slog up the Mt. Baldy trail but it only took a few minutes to find a calling and very cooperative male ELEGANT TROGON that posed from all angles in a Sycamore. A good end to the morning.

On our way south we paused at Amado Sewage pond which was generally birdless save for a soaring ZONE-TAILED HAWK. A check of the Country Club ponds in Nogales produced BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER and very little else.

After a break, we made a late afternoon visit to Kino Springs. Cloudy skies and a light on and off rain made for very good conditions. We managed 40 species in two hours and saw all of our hoped for birds, namely GRAY HAWK, VERMILION FLYCATCHER, TROPICAL & THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. The Chat was uncharacteristically cooperative and we enjoyed long 'scope looks at the bird as it preened after the rain. . Other species here included BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, GREEN HERON, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, GILA & LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS, BELL'S VIREO, many PHAINOPEPLAS, LUCY'S WARBLER, BLUE GROSBEAK and SUMMER TANAGER.

Thursday, July 12, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 4 with Pierre and Ginette. Since we were staying in Nogales, it was a treat for me to have a late start for a trip to California Gulch. Getting up at 3:30am is a lot better than 1:30am! There's plenty of evidence of the recent rain along the road to California Gulch and in the gulch proper. Small vehicles will definitely have trouble reaching as far as the dam. 

Our early start didn't pay off with a Common Poorwill, just one possible candidate seen near Peña Blanca Lake. FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW was a little harder to find this morning -- not much singing at all which is surprising at this time of year. We found one bird near a nest site about 15 minutes after hearing a few notes of the song. Eventually, we got some decent 'scope views of a perched bird, preening and sporadically singing. Among the 30+ species recorded during our visit were N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, VERMILION, ASH-THROATED & DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, CANYON WREN, LUCY'S WARBLER, VARIED BUNTING, SUMMER TANAGER and HOODED ORIOLE.

After a successful start to the morning, we then spent many hours and covered many miles tramping through oak habitat in the Pajaritos looking unsuccessfully for Montezuma Quail. Species recorded during this episode included GREATER ROADRUNNER, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, our first flock of BUSHTITS for the trip, and good looks at ROCK WREN and at a singing SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

In the late afternoon, we headed out to Peña Blanca Lake to look for Montezuma Quail and followed that with some time on the Ruby Road looking for Common Poorwill. The lake was extremely humid after heavy rain and bird activity was generally quite low. We again failed in our attempt to find the quail. Interesting birds here were a male INDIGO BUNTING (scarce in SE AZ in summer but apparently more common this year) and all six regular swallows, working from perches in the marsh near the boat launch at dusk. A single BANK SWALLOW was my earliest fall sighting, beating my previous early date of 7/13/99 at Sierra Vista WWTP by one day. A single TREE SWALLOW was also on the early side (although I have one exceptionally early record of 7/2/98, also at Sierra Vista WWTP. Other birds around the lake included GREEN HERON, 2 juvenile COOPER'S HAWKS, N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, DUSKY-CAPPED and BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, HUTTON'S VIREO, SUMMER TANAGER and HOODED ORIOLE.

Perhaps due to the damp conditions, we didn't find a single COMMON POORWILL driving along the Ruby Road. However, I managed to whistle a bird down from the hillside that sat on a rock and called back at us, and we enjoyed good views for a couple of minutes. I don't do much owling in this area but, since we were here, I decided to try and get a head start on future night's owling. I selected what seemed like good habitat but, initially, no amount of whistling elicited a response. After some time, however, a reticent yet eventually cooperative WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL honored us with its presence. The bird sat on an open branch and nonchalantly preened and checked us out for a couple of minutes.

Friday, July 13, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 5 with Pierre and Ginette. Today we birded our way from Nogales to Sierra Vista with stops at Patagonia Lake, Patagonia Roadside Rest Area, Paton's Yard, Harshaw Canyon and San Rafael Valley. In the late afternoon we spent some time in the Huachucas for hummingbirds and followed that with some owling.

BOTTERI'S and CASSIN'S SPARROWS were singing along the entrance road to Patagonia Lake State Park and both were easy to see with the naked eye without leaving the vehicle! Apart from the usual NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, our visit to the lake didn't really add much to our trip list in the way of hoped for waterbirds, although a pair of BLUE-WINGED TEAL were a nice surprise since I only have two previous records here, both from April.

After hearing YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS in several places over the past few days without catching so much as a glimpse, we finally got a good look at one as we dropped down to lake level. Uncharacteristically, a very cooperative bird posed in the open for several minutes. In a little over two hours here we recorded 44 species including BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, GREEN, HERON, N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER (uncommon here), BELL'S VIREO, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT (also seen unusually well), SUMMER TANAGER and HOODED ORIOLE.

We stopped at the Roadside Rest area for WHITE-THROATED SWIFT and soon saw numerous birds working over the cliffs. Among the 20+ species recorded in a short visit were probably as many as 6-THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, CANYON WREN and 2 male WESTERN TANAGERS, already moved down from the mountains.

Birding in the Paton's Yard was fairly slow but an hour here produced a couple of VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRDS along with many BROAD-BILLED and BLACK-CHINNED and 2-RUFOUS. A couple of THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS called nearby.

Our drive through Harshaw Canyon was very birdy, especially the lower portion. A perched SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER was easy too see (again, our first sighting after hearing many). Other species from 30+ recorded included YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, GREATER ROADRUNNER, VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD, VERMILION FLYCATCHER,  LUCY'S WARBLER, LARK and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS, BLUE GROSBEAK, HOODED ORIOLE and BRONZED COWBIRD. 

In the San Rafael Valley, HORNED LARKS were abundant as were singing GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS, one of which we saw perched on a wire. CASSIN'S SPARROWS were also present in somewhat marginal habitat. A brief search for White-tailed Kite was unsuccessful.

As I had to mentioned to Pierre and Ginette, all our hard labor of yesterday looking in vain for MONTEZUMA QUAIL would eventually pay off with a chance sighting. That happened as we drove up Miller Canyon for a late afternoon visit to Beatty's Guest Ranch and Orchard. Two birds walked across the road in front of us and disappeared into the scrub. We managed to briefly relocate a male but the looks were both brief and unsatisfactory, definitely a BVD job. 

Activity at the feeders was very sloooooow and we managed only 6 species of hummingbirds -- BROAD-BILLED, VIOLET-CROWNED, BLUE-THROATED, MAGNIFICENT. BLACK-CHINNED and briefly, ANNA'S.

Our evening owling session was largely unsuccessful. WHISKERED-SCREECH OWLS were numerous and vocal and easy to see (just because we didn't "need" them). I didn't hear a single Elf Owl and the two separate pairs of WESTERN SCREECH-OWLS that we located were both uncooperative. We saw the second pair twice, very briefly. Unfortunately, Friday night antics by idiotic people driving like maniacs at the critical moment, ruined our chances. As a storm moved up from the south, we disappointedly called it a night.

Saturday, July 14, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 6 with Pierre and Ginette. We spent much of the day in the Huachucas to work on a couple of owls and to clean up on a few missing high elevation species. Early morning conditions in Carr Canyon were delightful -- completely calm, cloudy skies with a few light rain showers and a temperature around 70 degrees. 

It didn't take long to find our first couple of targets. GREATER PEWEES apparently found the conditions to their liking just as much as we did. They were absolutely abundant, I have never seen so many in one place. Every location that we visited had many perched and singing birds. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were also easy to find. Then, as I expected, we spent quite some time locating and then seeing VIRGINIA'S WARBLER, as elusive as ever. For 90 minutes we tracked them by sound without getting even a fleeting glimpse. Finally, a couple of them perched in the clear on dead limbs! To give you an idea, it was the 36th species of the morning. Ironically, as is often the case, we later saw one in the low roadside vegetation as we left the canyon. 

Next, we turned our attention to NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL which we found in exactly the same location as it was when I last looked for it on June 7. The bird called and perched very cooperatively in a Pine tree and was mercilessly persecuted by various other species. We enjoyed good looks for about 10 minutes until contact was made with a STELLER'S JAY, at which point the bird flew away and the show was over.

Driving back down canyon, we got a little more payback for our efforts on the Ruby Road on Wednesday when we we flushed a female MONTEZUMA QUAIL. We briefly located it again but it soon disappeared up a steep slope. Although it was a better view than yesterday, we could still use another good sighting.

In about 5 hours in the canyon we recorded almost 50 species including BAND-TAILED PIGEON, MAGNIFICENT & BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS, ARIZONA & HAIRY WOODPECKERS, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, GRACE'S & BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, HEPATIC TANAGER and SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

A visit to Scheelite Canyon was next on the agenda. What a pleasure it was to be able to drive up there again -- the road to Sawmill Canyon is open again after many months of being closed. A lone SPOTTED OWL was relatively easy to find in the lowest roosting tree used by the owls during the summer months. We made a cursory check for a second bird and the young owls but didn't see either. Instead, we saw a couple of bonus birds in ARIZONA WOODPECKER and RED-FACED WARBLER.

After a mid-afternoon break we spent an hour at Ramsey Canyon where a female BERYLLINE HUMMINGBIRD was easy to see on the nest. Unfortunately, the views were not great and we had to settle for some brief flight views as the bird left the nest on a couple of occasions.

Before going owling we drove a little ways east of town on highway 90 where 20+ LESSER NIGHTHAWKS were already active about 30 minutes before sunset. 

A storm was brewing as we headed into the Huachucas and a GREAT HORNED OWL on a pole looked spectacular with a backdrop of the mountains and some serious black clouds and lightning.  We returned to the scene of last night's debacle with WESTERN SCREECH-OWL just as the wind picked up and the rain began. There was absolutely no night bird activity of any kind and it looked like we would be skunked one again. We moved to a new location about 1/2 mile away for a last ditch effort and found calm conditions and a very cooperative bird. As I've mentioned many times before, it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings! A good end to a successful day.

Sunday, July 15, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 7 with Pierre and Ginette. A somewhat warmer day with not quite so much early morning cloud as of late. Due to the later sunrise time and the fact that we didn't need a Common Poorwill, we began relatively late for our expedition to French Joe Canyon, my 18th trip of 2001. A 4:45am start from Sierra Vista put us at the upper spring shortly before 6:30am. 

RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER was far more difficult to find this morning than on any visit since March. They were also further up canyon than I've seen them in quite a while. Apart from a few brief chips early on, we didn't hear the birds singing until 8:00am. After that they sang loudly several times, very close to us. However, try as we did, we couldn't catch any hint of movement. Eventually, around 8:45am, both birds deigned to reveal themselves and we had some decent views as they alternately perched and sang atop the low vegetation in between bouts of foraging. Phew, what a relief!

We also found 3 other target birds with relative ease -- a few hard to miss WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS, albeit at a distance, a pair of calling CRISSAL THRASHERS moving rapidly through the upper canyon but pausing long enough for us to see them, and a wonderful close up look at a pristinely plumaged and singing BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW.

In 5 hours (Hwy 90-Hwy 90) we recorded 40+ species including BROAD-BILLED, BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S and an adult male RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, ROCK and CANYON WREN'S, many BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, singing CASSIN'S SPARROW (not present here every year), HOODED, SCOTT'S and my first BULLOCK'S ORIOLE for the canyon. My list here now stands at 130.

A late afternoon visit to the San Pedro was generally unproductive in the windy conditions and we didn't add to our trip list. Highlights from 35 species recorded were GREEN HERON, a few COMMON GROUND-DOVES, a calling GREAT HORNED OWL as dusk approached, several calling YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS, a pair of TROPICAL KINGBIRDS at Kingfisher Pond, several BOTTERI'S and CASSIN'S SPARROWS and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

Our evening owling session was even less productive. The target was Elf Owl and a check of 3 territories produced nothing. In fact, we didn't hear a single night bird. I'm sure the windy conditions didn't help, but eventually the wind calmed and we still didn't have any success. One of those nights!  

Monday, July 16, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 8 with Pierre and Ginette. Today we birded our way east to Portal by way of the Sulphur Springs Valley. A cloudless and warm morning in the valley gave way to afternoon clouds and evening rain in the mountains.

The morning began well on a very birdy Coffman Road where we had good looks at a somewhat hard to find BENDIRE'S THRASHER and a few easy to find SCALED QUAIL. We also had good looks at a pair of CRISSAL THRASHERS to improve on yesterday's distant view. Among the other species along Coffman were SWAINSON'S HAWK, GREATER ROADRUNNER, BURROWING OWL, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER and singing CASSIN'S SPARROWS.

Our 90 minutes at Whitewater Draw was time well spent and produced 36 species. The large flock of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS and the lone immature BROWN PELICAN were still present along with a good variety of species. Our list here was as follows: 2-Eared Grebes, 50-American White Pelicans, 1-Brown Pelican, Ruddy Duck, Mallard, 2-Northern Pintails, 5-Cinnamon Teal, 5-Snowy & 10-Great Egrets, many Great Blue Herons, 2-Black-crowned Night-Herons, 2-White-faced Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Scaled Quail, Am. Coot, 10-Black-necked Stilts, 22-American Avocets, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, Bendire's Thrasher, lots of Tree, Barn & Cliff Swallows, House Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, Blue Grosbeak, Bullock's Oriole. Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds and Eastern Meadowlark.

Further north in the valley, at regular owl roost, we turned up 2-GREAT HORNED and 2-BARN OWLS and managed wonderful 'scope looks at the latter. SWAINSON'S HAWKS were common throughout and we found a PEREGRINE FALCON on a pole at milepost 33 on Hwy 191.

Once in the Chiricahuas we birded our way slowly up Pinery Canyon Road listening for MEXICAN CHICKADEES and located a small flock of them about 1 mile above the campground. In the same location were NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BROWN CREEPER, GRACE'S WARBLER, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO and WESTERN TANAGER. Elsewhere we added HAIRY WOODPECKER and STELLER'S JAY.

On the Paradise Road after heavy rain, the battle for (against?) JUNIPER TITMOUSE was long and hard but I'm happy to say that we won and two birds finally capitulated. I'm not sure who gives lessons in elusiveness to whom, Virginia's Warbler to the Titmouse or vice versa. Other species here included WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, CHIPPING SPARROW and HEPATIC TANAGER.

After a break we checked various feeders around town including Utterback's and Spofford's. I may be spoiled by the Paton's and Beatty's but I have to say that results were extremely disappointing We saw very few individuals of only three species - BLUE-THROATED, BLACK-CHINNED and ANNA'S.

For the fourth consecutive night the weather impacted our night birding. A storm kicked in with some serious rain in the early evening and we had to cancel our owling completely. Unfortunately, this was our last chance to try for Elf and Flammulated Owls.

Tuesday, July 17, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 9 with Pierre and Ginette. Today was our last day in southeast Arizona and a travel day to the White Mountains. However, we also managed to get quite a bit of birding done by making it a long day. 

Following last night's rainout, we ventured out from Portal at 4:00am this morning to look for Elf Owl. Unfortunately, damp conditions persisted and we neither saw nor heard any night birds. 

A brief stop in the Willow Tank area to look for Prairie Falcon instead turned up a distant roosting GOLDEN EAGLE. At the pond we saw our first shorebirds of the trip in GREATER YELLOWLEGS and SPOTTED SANDPIPER. Nearby were SWAINSON'S HAWK, SCALED QUAIL, CASSIN'S SPARROW and BENDIRE'S THRASHER.   

After miserable luck at feeders around Portal yesterday I decided to take a chance and head over to the Peloncillo Mountains (where Lucifer Hummingbirds breed) to try our luck over there. We spent a few hours in the Arizona section of Skeleton Canyon looking at flowering Agaves and saw a number of  hummingbirds visiting the flowers, but none were the hoped for Lucifer. Nevertheless, the birding was interesting with a singing male INDIGO BUNTING being perhaps the best find, the second in SE AZ in recent days. Among the birds here were COOPER'S, GRAY, RED-TAILED, SWAINSON'S and ZONE-TAILED HAWKS, SCALED and GAMBEL'S QUAIL (and some hybrids), ACORN, GILA and LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS, CANYON & BEWICK'S WRENS, HORNED LARK, BLUE & BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, SPOTTED TOWHEE, RUFOUS-CROWNED, BLACK-THROATED and many singing CASSIN'S SPARROWS, SCOTT'S ORIOLE, EASTERN MEADOWLARK and BRONZED COWBIRD.

As we began our journey north, our next stop was at Willcox Ponds where shorebird migration really hasn't got underway yet. Even so, we managed to squeeze out a few species including the hoped for LONG-BILLED CURLEWS, of which at least 10 were present. We also saw 25-CINNAMON TEAL, LESSER SCAUP, 5-WHITE-FACED IBIS, 7-AM. AVOCETS, 2-GREATER and 1-LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 16-WILSON'S PHALAROPES, SCALED QUAIL, CASSIN'S SPARROW and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

We continued north through Safford and then into New Mexico where a traffic delay in the Burro Mountains produced a cooperative PAINTED REDSTART and a perched BAND-TAILED PIGEON. 

We reentered Arizona and began birding at Luna Lake shortly after 4:00pm, just after afternoon rain had ceased. We recorded about 20 species in about 30 minutes including EARED GREBE, 9-WHITE-FACED IBIS, many CANADA GEESE, a pair of adult BALD EAGLES near the nest site, PURPLE MARTIN, TREE SWALLOW and many YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

Continuing west we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening birding around Nutrioso with some initial fast and furious birding and overall excellent success. A singing INDIGO BUNTING greeted us along Nutrioso Creek (they are a little more common in the White Mountains than in SE AZ, but usually never easy to find). Although we soon found our target LEWIS'S WOODPECKER feeding young, we hardly had time to enjoy them before a couple of RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS took our attention. They soon disappeared and as we tried to relocate them we latched on to a male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER instead. Then, a GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE hopped up on a fence post. Four target birds seen in a matter of minutes!

As we returned to enjoy the Lewis's, an even better bird caught my eye (or rather my ear) -- a singing male LAZULI BUNTING. They are very rare as a breeder in AZ (I am assuming that this bird was breeding because it exhibited territorial behavior by moving around and singing from several perches in a small area). I also thought it might be a hybrid but the song was pure and 'scope looks of the bird revealed "clean" Lazuli Bunting plumage. Also in the area were CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, LESSER GOLDFINCH, GRAY-HEADED JUNCO and WESTERN TANAGER.

Next, a check of Nutrioso Reservoir turned up 20 species including PIED-BILLED GREBE, CANADA GOOSE,  REDHEAD, RING-NECKED DUCK, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER and MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE.

As dusk approached, we ended the day cruising for PINYON JAYS. Just as it looked as though we might get skunked, our methodical searching and listening paid off when we encountered a good sized flock of them. We enjoyed them as an adult male RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD visited a convenient nearby feeder. A good end to a long and tiring day.

Wednesday, July 18, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 10 with Pierre and Ginette. A beautiful morning turned into a mostly rainy day and our birding was somewhat curtailed. However, cool temperatures, great scenery, very few people and some good birds combined to soften the blow a little.

The calm and sunny conditions on Green's Peak early this morning were in complete contrast to my last visit here in early June. On that occasion I abandoned my search for BLUE GROUSE due to high winds. Today it took only 5 minutes to locate a very cooperative male that stepped up on to a log and gave a fairly good display along with some "hoo" calls. As we were leaving we saw a second male which may or may not have been the same bird.

Other birds in the area included AM. KESTREL, BAND-TAILED PIGEON, HAIRY WOODPECKER, N. FLICKER, STELLER'S JAY, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, HERMIT THRUSH, HORNED LARK, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE, many GRAY-HEADED JUNCOS, even more singing VESPER SPARROWS and EASTERN MEADOWLARK. At nearby Carnero Lake we saw many of the same species plus PIED-BILLED and EARED GREBES, REDHEAD WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, WARBLING VIREO and many YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

We reached Butler Canyon in Greer shortly before the rain began and barely had time to find our target species before quitting for a while. DUSKY FLYCATCHER was uncharacteristically elusive and we only managed a few looks at a couple of birds. MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER was easy to find and we watched adults feeding young. Among the 20 species recorded here were 3-VIRGINIA RAILS (excellent looks at a close up bird), RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, a drumming WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER (unseen), BELTED KINGFISHER and VIRGINIA'S WARBLER.

A check of Greer Lakes during the rain was largely unproductive (as it usually is) but we did add a couple of trip birds with 12-DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS and 9-COMMON MERGANSERS.

After some fruitless searching along the West Fork of the Little Colorado, we were forced to retreat by a heavy hailstorm. However, as luck would have it, we picked the right place to park and as we ate lunch in the vehicle, an AMERICAN DIPPER flew in and sat on a rock in front of us. Timing is everything!

After a mid afternoon break we ventured out as skies threatened yet again. A quick check of Becker Lake didn't turn up much except the usual LEWIS'S WOODPECKER, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON and WESTERN MEADOWLARK. Along Airport road we added BLUE GROSBEAK.

Our attempt to return to Butler Canyon was thwarted by rain so we waited it out with an early dinner. During the last hour before dark we managed to find DUSKY FLYCATCHER again. Unfortunately, it was more crappy looks, just a little longer than this morning for a modicum of improvement. A couple of immature male WILLIAMSON SAPSUCKERS kept us entertained.

Returning to Springerville, we picked up our first COMMON NIGHTHAWKS of the trip. Definitely not one of our best days, although we did find a few target species as well as adding a dozen new trip birds.

Thursday, July 19, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 11 with Pierre and Ginette. Today was mostly a mop up day looking for a few missing species and trying to get better looks at a few already seen. The weather cooperated with mostly cloudy skies, temperature in the 70s and just a few sprinkles.

The day began well as we headed west from Springerville on highway 260, when 2-GOLDEN EAGLES flew by near the South Fork turn then perched together on a rock. Further down the road, at FR117, we found a family group of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS (not seen well yesterday) followed by our first OSPREY of the trip on the Sunrise highway. So far so good, now it was time to start birding!

Birding at Sunrise Campground was enjoyable but didn't produce the hoped for Three-toed Woodpecker. The big surprise here was CASSIN'S FINCH, a few males and females were visiting the camp host's feeders. This is the first time that I have seen this species in the White Mountains in summer. Although we did find our target WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER, the bird was a female to add to the 3 immature males already seen, so we still need an adult male. Among the 23 species that we recorded here were RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, RUBY-CROWNED & GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, VIRGINIA'S WARBLER and RED CROSSBILL.

The east end of Sunrise Lake had plenty of birds but not much diversity with only 20 species. Highlights were a couple of OSPREYS and an adult BALD EAGLE. The most common duck was REDHEAD, others included GADWALL, CINNAMON TEAL, LESSER SCAUP and COMMON MERGANSER.

At Sheep's Crossing we added LINCOLN'S SPARROW to the trip list and saw our second MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

At Winn Campground we looked again for Williamson's but instead found a very cooperative male THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. We also picked up another target in TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE.

A brief stop at Crescent Lake produced the expected species such as PIED-BILLED and EARED GREBES, CANADA GOOSE, GADWALL, CINNAMON TEAL, REDHEAD, RING-NECKED DUCK, COMMON MERGANSER and OSPREY. I alone heard SORA which we didn't add to our list.

Next, we headed to South Fork where our hike along the trail ended successfully when we found a very cooperative NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL. This "single tooting" species will likely be split from the "double tooting" Northern (Mountain) Pygmy-Owl that we had already seen in Southeast Arizona. 

Our penultimate stop of the day was Butler Canyon in Greer to do battle again with DUSKY FLYCATCHER. With an earlier hour and some sunlight to work with, we managed to get a much better view than on a couple of visits yesterday. Next, we worked on WILLOW FLYCATCHER and found a couple not far from the Dusky location. Also here was a pristine looking RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER and a singing LINCOLN'S SPARROW.

We finished up in West Fork looking for Williamson's but again we only came up with THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, this time both male and female. Nevertheless, a good end to a much better day than yesterday with some target bird success and 11 more species added to the trip list. What are the odds of finding several Three-toed Woodpeckers when they were not really a target. I guess the secret for finding them is not to look for them!  Calling CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS were also present.

Friday, July 20, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 12 with Pierre and Ginette. Today was mostly a travel and sightseeing day as we headed over to Flagstaff in preparation for a trip to the Grand Canyon. Out of the mountains, it was a much warmer day than of late. 

Our first birding of the day was at Lyman Lake State Park, north of Springerville, in search of "big grebes". The lake was largely devoid of birds but our persistence paid off with 2-CLARK'S GREBES. We saw nothing else of note here and a lone SPOTTED SANDPIPER was the only evidence that migration is under way.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the trip so far came at the western entrance to Petrified Forest National Park. I spotted a distant raptor which turned out to be a beautiful FERRUGINOUS HAWK. The bird eventually came very close and we enjoyed some great views. This was my first summer record for Arizona, perhaps the bird nested nearby, perhaps it was an early migrant. This is a pretty sparse area and we recorded only 15 species including ROCK WREN, HORNED LARK, WESTERN TANAGER and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

A stop at Cholla Lake near Joseph City was completely unproductive. This is a much better place in winter because the water remains open due to the nearby power plant. Today we saw only a handful of species including BLACK PHOEBE, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and BLUE GROSBEAK. 

In the late afternoon we visited Sno Bowl in the San Francisco Mountains near Flagstaff. Our main target bird here was CLARK'S NUTCRACKER, which we heard but never saw despite a two hour vigil. A few species kept us entertained during the wait, none better than an adult male NORTHERN GOSHAWK. The bird remained on the ground in the grass eating prey for over 30 minutes. Also present for most of the time was a small group of 8-RED CROSSBILLS and we had 'scope looks at a perched bird. Other species included 6-BAND-TAILED PIGEONS, lots of VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE, a few CHIPPING and VESPER SPARROWS and PINE SISKIN.

Saturday, July 21, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 13 with Pierre and Ginette. Today we visited the Grand Canyon (along with lots of other people) and tried for a few target birds - Western Grebe, Gray Flycatcher and Clark's Nutcracker. It was a mostly clear day and after a cool start in Flagstaff the afternoon temperature was in the low 80s. 

We got an early start for the Grand Canyon and made a stop in PJ habitat well north of Flagstaff at 6:30am. After about 30 minutes of searching we found 3-GRAY FLYCATCHERS that were a little less than cooperative. They led us quite a dance for about 30 minutes but, eventually, we saw and heard them well. Other species in the same area were ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, JUNIPER TITMOUSE, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, SPOTTED TOWHEE, CHIPPING and BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS and WESTERN TANAGER.

RED CROSSBILLS greeted us as we parked near the old visitor's center at the Grand Canyon. While enjoying the views along the rim trail we recorded TURKEY VULTURE, RED-TAILED HAWK, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, HAIRY WOODPECKER, N. FLICKER, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, COMMON RAVEN, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, AM. ROBIN, PYGMY & WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, ROCK & CANYON WRENS, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, JUNIPER TITMOUSE and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER

Next, we headed back to Sno Bowl to try again for nutcrackers. As soon as we arrived at the Humprey's Peak trailhead parking lot we began eating lunch. Would you believe it, after all the waiting and walking around yesterday, we very soon heard the soft call of a CLARK'S NUTCRACKER. We immediately leapt out of the car to find a lone bird perched right behind us. We enjoyed a scope view until the bird flew away after a couple of minutes giving its more normal raucous call. As I've mentioned many times before, timing is everything. We didn't stay long here and the only other bird seen was RED CROSSBILL.

Later in the afternoon we headed out to check several lakes south of Flagstaff. Disappointingly, Mormon Lake is bone dry and that was our chance for Western Grebe gone. Oh well, tomorrow is another day. We also checked Lake Mary and Ashurst Lakes, both of which had very little in the way of water birds (too many people). At Lake Mary we found a small flock of PINYON JAYS and some LARK SPARROWS among 20 species recorded.

Sunday, July 22, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 14 and last day with Pierre and Ginette. We had three main targets for the day - Western Grebe, Gray Vireo and the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in Phoenix. It was back to the heat with a vengeance today from 43 degrees south of Flagstaff this morning to 109 degrees in Phoenix in mid afternoon. Yikes!

Driving south from Flagstaff along the Lake Mary Road we happened across a group of WILD TURKEYS (3 adults and 8 young), a heard only up to this point.

Compared to getting to its Slate Creek Divide location, finding GRAY VIREO was extremely easy. A bird was singing immediately after the cattle guard on the road that goes up to the corral and we enjoyed some on and off scope views of this very cooperative individual for about 15 minutes. Although I've been to this location many times, the changes associated with opening the new section of highway thoroughly confused me. I was most misled by the fact that the blacktop has been removed from a section of the old highway 87 (road construction continues here so it may be replaced later). There are two ways to get to the "corral road" from Hwy 87: 1) if coming from the south, exit on to the old road (currently unsigned) at mile marker 218, 2) if coming from the north, exit on to Sycamore Spring road as the highway crests at the divide. The section of the old road that leads to the "corral road" is about 3/4 mile from the above mentioned Sycamore Spring exit.

After failing to find WESTERN GREBE at a number of more difficult locations, today we detoured to the "no-brainer" location of Roosevelt Lake. Here we were able to see many of them side by side with CLARK'S GREBES. Among the handful of species seen in a short stop at Bermuda Flats was a trip first CATTLE EGRET, GREAT EGRET and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON.

Next, we did just about my most disliked type of birding -- looking for a previously located rarity. We spent about 3 hours at the Southern Avenue/101st Drive location SW of Phoenix looking for the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. The temperature here from 11:00am to 2:00pm was well above 100 so it's hardly surprising that we were unsuccessful.

In a quest for shorebirds, we checked the nearby El Mirage Road pond which, unfortunately, has too much water and very little shorebird habitat. Here we found 1-WHITE-FACED IBIS, a few BLACK-NECKED STILTS and AM. AVOCETS, 3-WESTERN SANDPIPERS and COMMON MOORHEN.

A brief stop at the river crossing on 115th Avenue yielded GREAT and SNOWY EGRETS, GREEN HERON and a couple of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS.

The original intention was to check the various ponds on the east side of town but with the temperature now at 109 we quit around 3:00pm. I dropped Pierre and Ginette at their Phoenix airport hotel and drove home. The temperature was down to 100 passing through Tucson and was a very pleasant 84 when I arrived in Sierra Vista at 6:00pm. 

Summary:
Starting in Tucson on July 9, we traveled 2600 miles in 14 days visiting numerous locations in Southeast Arizona (9 1/2 days), the White Mountains (2 1/2 days), Petrified Forest NP, Flagstaff and Grand Canyon NP; and finished up in Phoenix on July 22. As is the norm during monsoon season (apart from a couple of traditionally hot places), the temperature was relatively cool in Southeast Arizona and pleasantly cool in the White Mountains. On the downside, evening rain in SE AZ impacted nightbirding and one rainy day in the White Mountains caused us a few problems.

Although this was a general tour, on most days we focused on specific target birds and took whatever else came along in each location. We saw very few migrants and did very little shorebirding, nor did we look for any of the numerous water bird rarities currently present in SE AZ. We ended up seeing 187 species in SE AZ, 107 in the White Mountains, 93 in northern Apache, Coconino and Maricopa Counties, and a trip total of  234 species. We saw most of the SE AZ specialties with notable misses of Elf Owl and Costa's Hummingbird. We also saw most of the White Mountain specialties except for Gray Jay and Gray Catbird, neither of which we specifically looked for. 

Unexpected species encountered were WHITE and BROWN PELICANS at Whitewater Draw, FERRUGINOUS HAWK in Apache County near Petrified Forest NP, an apparent breeding LAZULI BUNTING in Nutrioso, and a few CASSIN'S FINCHES at Sunrise campground. See the itinerary summary and trip list for a complete list.

Thursday, July 26, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Daryl Tessen from Appleton, WI. Another early start for my 19th trip of 2001 to French Joe Canyon. A cool and cloudy morning with something that rarely happens in the morning during summer in SE AZ -- rain!

We entered the canyon in darkness at 4:45am and the drive in produced 4-COMMON POORWILLS and a LESSER NIGHTHAWK as well as BLACK-THROATED and CASSIN'S  SPARROWS singing in the pre-dawn gloom. We arrived at the upper spring at 6:05am to find both RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLERS singing. Over the next 40 minutes they ranged between the spring and upper (dry) waterfall, singing and occasionally popping into view. We left the upper area at 7:30 as the rain picked up.

In the lower canyon, we spent some time at the location where Plain-capped Starthroat was reported yesterday. Hummingbird activity was very low and we saw very few individuals of 4 species -- MAGNIFICENT, BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S and RUFOUS. 

There was very little sign of migrant activity present in the canyon today, and with the exception of WESTERN TANAGER, our list of 42 species was typical of a summer visit: -- Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Lesser Nighthawk, Common Poorwill, Magnificent, Black-chinned, Anna's &  Rufous Hummingbirds, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Western Scrub-Jay, Chihuahuan Raven, Hutton's & Plumbeous Vireos, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Cactus, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Bridled Titmouse, House Finch, Rufous-capped Warbler, Black-chinned, Black-throated, Cassin's & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Hepatic, Summer & Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, N. Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak and Hooded & Scott's Orioles.

Between 11:00am and 12:40pm we birded at Whitewater Draw where the highlight was a first winter LAUGHING GULL. It was almost a year ago (August 8, 2000) that I saw a similar plumaged bird here (transitioning from juvenile to winter). A few AM. WHITE PELICANS were still present but we didn't see the juvenile Brown Pelican nor any of the recently present terns. Egrets were well represented with 10+ GREAT, 2-SNOWY and 3-CATTLE EGRETS. Also present from a total of 24 species recorded were SWAINSON'S HAWK, CINNAMON TEAL, 40+ AM. AVOCETS, 2-BLACK-NECKED STILTS, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, some too-far-to-id sandpipers, 7-WILSON'S PHALAROPES, many bright male LAZULI BUNTINGS and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

Friday, July 27, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
The start of a 2 week tour with 17 participants of a Birdfinders, UK group (my 7th tour with them). I'm co-leading with Birdfinders owner, Vaughan Ashby, and we will be visiting many locations in Southeastern Arizona, the White Mountains of east-central Arizona, and the Flagstaff area and Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona. For a brief overview see the summary and  itinerary summary and species list. 

On the way to Phoenix to meet the group, I detoured to do a little scouting at Snyder Hill sewage ponds, west of Tucson. This is a place I rarely visit but with the continued closure of Green Valley, Nogales and Sierra Vista sewage ponds, shorebird spots are getting hard to find. For braving the afternoon heat, my reward was an unexpected state bird -- the ELEGANT TERN discovered over a week ago was still there.  Other species present included GREAT EGRET, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, AM. AVOCET, BLACK-NECKED STILT, and SPOTTED, LEAST and BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS. 

The group's flight from Gatwick via St Louis arrived only 45 minutes behind schedule and with a smooth van pickup and a relatively quick motel check-in in Mesa, everyone was able to get a good night's sleep. Sometimes we have to be thankful for small mercies.

Saturday, July 28, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 2 with Birdfinders. A very warm, tough and successful first day afield looking for 4 target raptors. We spent most of our day on the Gila River and in Aravaipa Canyon where the temperature was well above100. Later in the day, in Tucson, clouds brought relief at the expense of 50+% humidity, high by AZ standards. 

Before leaving our Mesa motel, and at a brief roadside stop, we picked up some common species including RED-TAILED HAWK, MOURNING, WHITE-WINGED and INCA DOVES, GILA WOODPECKER, GILDED FLICKER, COMMON RAVEN, VERDIN, CACTUS WREN, N. CARDINAL and HOODED ORIOLE.

On the Gila River in Winkleman we had immediate success with a couple of soaring MISSISSIPPI KITES in a similar location to where I saw them last week. Other species here included VERMILION FLYCATCHER, BELL'S VIREO, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and BLUE GROSBEAK.  

Next came a long search in a very hot Aravaipa Canyon for Black-Hawk. We began by checking a now empty nest (active a couple of weeks earlier) where instead we found a soaring ZONE-TAILED HAWK. We birded our way slowly along the canyon to the wilderness area entrance where we scanned in vain in the heat of the day for soaring birds. This is normally a good place to see them. However, it was almost four hours later back near the nest site that we eventually saw a couple of adult COMMON BLACK-HAWKS, one flying and one perched. There wasn't much general activity in the canyon and other birds were few and far between. Species seen included GREATER ROADRUNNER, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, PURPLE MARTIN, SUMMER TANAGER and HOODED ORIOLE.

In the late afternoon we visited Sweetwater Wetlands. It was disappointing to be kicked out at 6:00pm -- a new policy is in effect  to close the gates early because of partying/vandalism. It took quite a while to find the ever present HARRIS'S HAWKS but we ended up seeing an adult and two juveniles. Also present was a very accommodating juvenile COOPER'S HAWK with prey -- the bird didn't want to fly and we had some excellent views as it ate on the ground. Other species included GREEN HERON, CINNAMON TEAL, COMMON MOORHEN, ABERT'S TOWHEE and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD.

Sunday, July 29, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 3 with Birdfinders. What a difference a day makes! A cloudy day from dawn to dusk kept the temperature pleasantly cool for most of the day. We birded at San Xavier Mission, Tucson Mountain Park, Snyder Hill sewage ponds and in the Catalinas.

The day began well near the mission with several perched up and easy-to-see BURROWING OWLS. A couple of hours birding around the mission was slow going but eventually produced 30+ species including a perched up and bill-clapping GREATER ROADRUNNER, 2-GILDED FLICKERS, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, BLUE-GRAY and BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHERS, 15+LARK SPARROWS, a RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW regularly perching up and singing at a nest site, ABERT'S TOWHEE, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, PYRRHULOXIA, LAZULI BUNTING and HOODED ORIOLE.

During a sightseeing stop at Gate's Pass overlook in Tucson Mountain Park we had good looks at ROCK WREN, fleeting looks at CANYON WREN, and close range looks at several singing BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS.

Next, we headed over to Synder Hill sewage ponds where the ELEGANT TERN was still present. The bird hunted in typical flying and diving fashion as well as picking up food as it walked along the pond edges, allowing very close looks. Among the other species present from 25 total were GREAT EGRET, lots of BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, SPOTTED, LEAST and WESTERN SANDPIPERS, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, and lots of AM. AVOCETS and BLACK-NECKED STILTS.

In the afternoon we visited Rose Canyon in the Catalinas. The campground was not as crowded as might be expected on a summer Sunday, probably due to the cloudy and wet weather. Nevertheless, we had to endure blaring radios and barking dogs, along with gloomy conditions and on and off drizzle, until heavier rain caused us to leave after 3 1/2 hours of just about the worst birding that I've ever experienced here. We did not see or hear a single warbler and recorded a total of only 12 species including COOPER'S HAWK, 3-PEREGRINE FALCONS, several very elusive CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS, PYGMY NUTHATCH, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, HERMIT THRUSH, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO and PINE SISKIN.

The day ended with a modicum of success at Windy Vista viewpoint where we had good looks at a very elusive CANYON WREN after failing to see one earlier in the day. However, it was definitely not a afternoon to remember. 

Monday, July 30, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 4 with Birdfinders. A very tolerable day weather-wise with less humidity than of late, no rain and moderate temperatures. It was also a much better day bird-wise as, unlike yesterday, we found most of what we looked for.

Grassland birds were very active along Continental Road in the Santa Rita foothills this morning. CASSIN'S SPARROWS were abundant and singing throughout -- we saw about 10 of them. BOTTERI'S SPARROW was mostly silent but we did see a couple carrying food. Other birds included AM. KESTREL, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, LARK, RUFOUS-WINGED and many BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS and EASTERN MEADOWLARK. 

In Florida wash we recorded 20 species including BELL'S VIREO, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, my first July record for NASHVILLE WARBLER (just a couple of days early), LUCY'S WARBLER, RUFOUS-CROWNED and BOTTERI'S SPARROW, and a beautiful VARIED BUNTING that perched up in good light for over 5 minutes.

In the mountains we birded first along the Vault Mine trail and very soon found a cooperative ARIZONA WOODPECKER that allowed very close approach. Shortly afterwards we enjoyed good looks at a male ELEGANT TROGON perched near the nest site, carrying food. A female also came by and fed the young. Apart from one mixed flock, late morning birding along the trail was a little slow. Nevertheless, we managed to find a few species including WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, HUTTON'S & PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, RED-FACED WARBLER, PAINTED REDSTART and WESTERN and HEPATIC TANAGERS. 

Most of the usual feeder moochers were present around Santa Rita Lodge including BROAD-BILLED and BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS, ACORN WOODPECKER, MEXICAN JAY, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and HOUSE FINCH. Also here was a small group of LESSER GOLDFINCHES. 

An early evening visit to Kino Springs produced 40 species including our two main target birds -- GRAY HAWK (at least one adult and two juveniles) and TROPICAL KINGBIRD (very noisy, adults seen feeding young). We also enjoyed long 'scope looks at a couple of species not noted for perching in the clear for long periods -- YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. Among the other species present were GREEN HERON, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, VERMILION FLYCATCHER, BELL'S VIREO, LUCY'S WARBLER and LAZULI BUNTING.

Tuesday, July 31, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 5 with Birdfinders. An early start for California Gulch put us on the Ruby Road an hour before sunrise and paid off with 4-COMMON POORWILLS. Two of them were sitting on the road, seen well by a few and briefly by the others. 

Although FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW was easy to find this morning, the initial views were quite poor due to bad light. Eventually, we found at least 3, possibly 4, singing birds without going into the gulch proper and everyone ended up with some good 'scope looks. Considerably less easy to find was an elusive NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET but, again, we managed 'scope views in the end. Other species present included a couple of immature COOPER'S HAWKS, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, a slightly early GRAY FLYCATCHER (I only have one other July record for SE AZ), BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, CANYON WREN, WESTERN and SUMMER TANAGERS, LAZULI, my gulch first INDIGO and numerous singing VARIED BUNTINGS, one seen well in good light. 

In the late afternoon we spent some time tramping around oak woodland in the Pajaritos looking unsuccessfully for Montezuma Quail. I was somewhat surprised to see GRAY HAWK in this habitat.

We finished up the day at a fairly quiet Peña Blanca Lake where we recorded 25 species including GREEN HERON, BLACK VULTURE, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, TREE SWALLOW, HUTTON'S VIREO, SUMMER TANAGER and BRONZED COWBIRD

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Tuesday, July 31, 2001.

Species List

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

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