Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - August, 2004 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, August 31, 2004.

Sunday, August 1, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Peter Jarzembowski and Laura McClure from Michigan. We did some "light" target birding in Carr and Garden Canyons in the Huachucas under mostly cloudy skies. Late morning thunder with a few sprinkles turned into moderate rain by mid afternoon as I write these notes.

My first bird of the month was CHIHUAHUAN RAVEN as I left the house a little before 5:30am this morning. Ironically, I couldn't find one later in the day despite two trips along Fry Boulevard!

WILD TURKEY, calling SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS (both lower canyon) and a few BAND-TAILED PIGEONS were along the road up to Reef. WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were active early.

We had to work for almost all of the "common" high elevation birds in Carr Canyon -- quite typical at this time of year. The toughest nut to crack was OLIVE WARBLER. We eventually tracked down one adult male in a regular location thanks to its whistled "phew" call (given very infrequently I might add). We had to scramble through some brushy terrain to track down a couple of calling GREATER PEWEES and it was just as well that we did -- just one other calling (and unseen) bird all morning. The few GRACE'S WARBLERS that we saw were mostly silent and we heard just one VIRGINIA'S WARBLER. Also silent was a tail fanning PAINTED REDSTART, always a delight to see. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were by far the easiest regular and even they were in relatively short supply. YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS were common. I heard RED CROSSBILLS in a couple of locations but we never laid eyes on them.

On Fort Huachuca, the threat of thunderstorms and rain caused me to skip a trip to Scheelite Canyon. We spent a couple of hours in Garden Canyon grassland, never venturing higher up canyon than the lower picnic area. BOTTERI'S SPARROWS and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS were easy to locate but we had to walk some distance to see CASSIN'S SPARROW. Eventually we managed scope views of all three species. Murphy struck as we headed back to town -- several CASSIN'S SPARROWS were now singing by the roadside for easy looks from the car! Also in the grassland we had good looks at COOPER'S HAWK (fishing pond), ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, BLUE GROSBEAK and CANYON TOWHEE.

A family of SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS put on a fine display along the creek just below the lower picnic area.

Day List (62 species recorded):
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Wild Turkey, Rock & Band-tailed Pigeons, Mourning & White-winged Doves, White-throated Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Acorn & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Barn Swallow, Cactus, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Chihuahuan Raven, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireos, Olive, Virginia's & Grace's Warblers, Painted Redstart, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Botteri's, Cassin's, Rufous-crowned & Lark Sparrows, Yellow-eyed Junco, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle, Scott's Oriole, Red Crossbill and Lesser Goldfinch.

Monday, August 2, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
First day with Chuck Gooding from Elkhart, IN. For the next six days we'll be working on finding an eclectic mix of target birds that have eluded Chuck on a couple of previous visits. Today we spent the morning in the Huachucas (duplicating some of yesterday's birding) and late afternoon and evening in California Gulch.

Heavy cloud enveloped the higher elevations of Carr Canyon early this morning and made for some spectacular views of Sierra Vista and the San Pedro Valley. We had three main target birds for the morning and we saw them all plus a few other "incidental targets". First up was NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL which turned out to be a slam dunk after we did the required driving and walking. We had great views of a calling bird in about the minimum time possible. Next, we worked on OLIVE WARBLER which was again difficult to find. Our reward for persistence was a full adult "orange headed" male, singing to boot.

Apart from our two targets, the highlight was a perched CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD. Other species included WILD TURKEY, BAND-TAILED PIGEON, ARIZONA WOODPECKER, GREATER PEWEE, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, CANYON WREN and VIRGINIA'S WARBLER.

It was a little warm and humid for the hike up Scheelite Canyon where my preliminary search for an owl in the lower area didn't result in a sighting. I had no sooner started my more detailed check when I spotted this lone SPOTTED OWL in little used roosting location (only two previous sightings, the last being over three years ago). The bird was a little tucked away but easily visible from the trail from the right spot. As is normally the case, the bird barely bothered to open its eyes, such was its concern for our presence. A family of SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS continue in the canyon and we also saw a single ELEGANT TROGON.

Now it was time for a well earned break before heading out again for California Gulch. These are the days when finding birds quickly has a real benefit

Late afternoon in California Gulch was quite warm (high 80s) but very productive. Our first target came about 0.5 mile south of the dam in the form of a pair of MONTEZUMA QUAIL at the side of the road. We entered the gulch from the south end where the water had subsided enough such that my wellies were more than adequate. Our second target was VARIED BUNTING, a bird that would have been hard to miss. Numerous birds were singing and flying around. Of course, FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW is the main prize here and we enjoyed leisurely looks at a nesting pair, including the female sitting on the nest, the male singing nearby and the male bringing food to the female. Other species included multiple GRAY HAWKS (adult and juvenile) and a pair of THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS, a breeder here for at least the past four years. I was surprised to see an immature PAINTED REDSTART, with good reason as it turned out -- it was my first in the gulch.

We moved on to Oro Blanco mine where over 20 people were present (two tour groups, a party of two and ourselves). Clouds gathered as darkness fell and a storm started to move closer. We bailed out at 8:20pm without having heard from Buff-collared Nightjar. We looked hard but unsuccessfully for COMMON POORWILL on the road on the journey home. A few were calling. Every trip is different, five sitting in the road last time! Nevertheless, a very productive (and long) day with 9 targets seen.

Day List (73 species recorded):
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's, Gray & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Wild Turkey, Montezuma Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Greater Roadrunner, Great Horned Owl, Spotted Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Common Poorwill, White-throated Swift, Broad-billed, Calliope & Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Acorn, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Black Phoebe, Buff-breasted, Ash-throated, Brown-crested & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Cassin's, Thick-billed & Western Kingbirds, Violet-green Swallow, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Am. Robin, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Bell's & Plumbeous Vireos, Olive & Virginia's Warblers, Painted Redstart, Hepatic, Summer & Western Tanagers, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Botteri's, Cassin's, Rufous-crowned, Five-striped & Black-throated Sparrows, Yellow-eyed Junco, N. Cardinal, Black-headed Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Varied Bunting, Eastern Meadowlark, Hooded Oriole and Lesser Goldfinch.

Tuesday, August 3, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Day two with Chuck. Today was one of those days that represent the downside of monsoon season -- early morning clear skies with clouds building later, very warm with high humidity all morning = very unpleasant conditions for birding. To make matters worse, our three targets for the day were in low elevation habitat.

We started at Patagonia Lake where I was a little apprehensive to say the least. After investing over 10 hours and missing the gnatcatcher on three different days last week, I wondered what my fate would be today. I'm happy to report that success came quite quickly when we found a calling BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER around 7:20am. The bird was on the hillside about 200 yards north of Nutting's Wash, calling and moving constantly. We stayed with the bird at close range for about 10 minutes until it eventually moved off to the east. Today's success was somewhat of a milestone, my 60th sighting of the Patagonia lake birds. Ironically, this is the same general location where my last two sightings occurred and where I focused my efforts last week. C'est la vie.

Having found the tough bird, we focused on Lucy's Warbler and Rufous-winged Sparrow, both of which should have been easy right? Wrong! We located at least six LUCY'S WARBLERS but couldn't get a decent look at any of them. RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW tantalized us by singing briefly then falling silent on a couple of occasions. It was bloody hot by 9:30am and I decided to head to my "never fail" location despite the fact that we would have to drive for an hour to get there. At least we could cool down in the car.

Incidental birds at the lake included calling LEAST BITTERN, OSPREY, relatively easy to see YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS (to me they seem more common this year) and numerous singing VARIED BUNTINGS. In addition to Osprey, the only migrants noted were WARBLING VIREO and WILSON'S WARBLER.

Even though the temperature in the Santa Rita foothills was in the 90s with increasing humidity as monsoon clouds gathered, numerous RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS were singing away -- they've obviously been out in the sun for way too long. We had little trouble in getting multiple good looks as we searched for LUCY'S WARBLER. Eventually, we found a warbler that got sloppy and perched in the open for more than a millisecond, the first one to do so all morning. A pair of BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHERS represented our third gnatcatcher species in two days. Any more and we'll be calling the hot line.

Day List (54 species recorded):
Neotropic Cormorant, Least Bittern, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Greater Roadrunner, Broad-billed & Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Gila Woodpecker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Black Phoebe, Vermilion & Dusky-capped Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Barn Swallow, Phainopepla, Cactus & Bewick's Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Black-tailed & Black-capped Gnatcatchers, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Common Raven, Bell's & Warbling Vireos, Lucy's, Yellow & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Canyon Towhee, Botteri's, Cassin's, Rufous-crowned, Rufous-winged & Black-throated Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Varied Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Hooded Oriole, House Finch & Lesser Goldfinch.

Wednesday, August 4, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Day 3 with Chuck was a reworked day that  turned out very well. When I planned this trip, French Joe Canyon was on the menu for today followed by an overnight stay in Mesa for Gray Vireo tomorrow. Due to recent poor results with Rufous-capped Warbler, we decided to skip French Joe and work instead on Burrowing Owl, Ruddy Ground-Dove and Common Black-Hawk. Our day went well enough such that we were also able to pick up Gray Vireo and end up in Payson for the night, getting a considerable head start for tomorrow. Not a lot of species for the day but we had a decent raptor list. I took a few photos but I won't get around to publishing any usable images until I return home.

We started in Tucson where we barely managed to find a single BURROWING OWL and saw it only briefly, both perched and flying. Continuing north we checked the Marana Pecan Grove area without any further owl sightings. The always delightful cattle pens in Red Rock was our next port of call. It only took about 45 minutes to find a pair of RUDDY GROUND-DOVES. The birds were copulating -- a fairly strong indication that they are breeding here! Hey, don't accuse me of being a master of the understatement.

We were underway again before 9:00am in good shape for the journey east to Aravaipa Canyon, A short cut via Park Link Drive was very productive (I've only traveled this road twice before). A group of HARRIS'S HAWKS were a welcome sight after much scanning. However, singing RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS and a "peenting" COMMON NIGHTHAWK were more interesting. PURPLE MARTINS were also present.

The "raptorous" day gathered momentum with a soaring ZONE-TAILED HAWK around mile marker 100 on highway 77.

It was just as well that the early morning birding went well because we spent 4 hours in Aravaipa Canyon (10:30am-1:30pm) before finding a COMMON BLACK-HAWK. The bird was perched low in the trees about 11 miles from highway 77, well spotted  by Chuck as we worked our way out of the canyon. Other raptors noted were COOPER'S HAWK and GRAY HAWK (adult seen, juveniles heard). I also got a lifer in the canyon -- a pair of DESERT BIG HORN SHEEP. The temperature was 99 degrees when we left and it wasn't a dry heat!

It was at this point that we decided to make a late afternoon try for Gray Vireo and continue on to Payson instead of staying in Mesa as planned. Even if we had to drive back south to Slate Creek Divide in the morning, we would still be on schedule. As it turned out, that wasn't necessary. Along the way we made a quick stop near the Roosevelt Lake Dam and quickly picked up WESTERN and CLARK'S GREBES, OSPREY and PEREGRINE FALCON.

I knew that access to Slate Creek Divide was closed due to extreme fire hazard and planned to bird on the old Beeline Highway (Sycamore Creek Road). Despite a temperature in the mid 90s and the late hour, it didn't take long to locate a singing GRAY VIREO. However, we had to work for about 30 minutes to get a good look. It's amazing how they can hide in plain sight in the pinyon junipers. Other species here included CRISSAL THRASHER, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER and WESTERN SCRUB-JAY.

WESTERN BLUEBIRD was our last bird of the day as we rolled into Payson a little before 6:00pm, well satisfied with our long day and almost 400 miles of travel. Temperature extremes for the day were 104 near Roosevelt Lake and 74 in Globe after a cooling rain.

Day List (55 species recorded):
Western & Clark's Grebes, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Common Black-Hawk, Harris's Hawk, Gray Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Gambel's Quail, Killdeer, Rock Pigeon, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Burrowing Owl, Common Nighthawk, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Gilded Flicker, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, Horned Lark, Purple Martin, Cactus, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Western Bluebird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Verdin, Western Scrub-Jay, Common Raven, European Starling, Gray Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Canyon & Abert's Towhee, Rufous-winged Sparrow, N. Cardinal,  Blue Grosbeak, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Thursday, August 5, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Day 4 with Chuck was relatively short and much more low key than previous days. After an early morning drive from Payson, we spent the day in the White Mountains where it was mostly cloudy with a few sprinkles during the day and rain in the evening. Temperatures on the rim ranged from 57 to 69 degrees. Weather you can live with, quite a (refreshing) change from yesterday. We looked for 9 target species and found 5 of them.

Our first success and failure of the day came in the Green's Peak area -- an instant sighting of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD and no sign of Blue Grouse with 90 minutes of effort. It was very calm on Green's Peak and yet we saw or heard less than a handful of species - BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, HERMIT THRUSH and VESPER SPARROW. An immature RED CROSSBILL was calling on FR 117 and stayed at the top of a tree long enough for a scope look.

In various locations in the Greer area we dipped on Dipper, Red-naped Sapsucker and Three-toed Woodpecker. Successes here were CLARK'S NUTCRACKER (all over town), WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER (we saw three males in three different locations, all of which found us), DUSKY FLYCATCHER (East Fork) and MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER (fairly common along West Fork). Here's a couple of photos of different immature male Williamson's Sapsuckers -- the bird in image #1 shows some yellow developing on the belly but no red on its throat; the bird in image #2 has some red just starting to show.

A fly-by OSPREY, BAND-TAILED PIGEON and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET were also in West Fork.  PYGMY NUTHATCHES and VIRGINIA'S WARBLERS were both very common in their respective habitats. Butler Canyon was completely dead.

I ventured out again in the evening to check Becker Lake. Unfortunately, my visit coincided with rain and I didn't seen much due to poor visibility. Even so, I was still able to add 16 species to the day list. Highlights were CLARK'S and WESTERN GREBES and OSPREY.

Day List (65 species recorded in White Mountains):
Pied-billed, Western & Clark's Grebes, Great Blue Heron, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Broad-tailed & Rufous Hummingbirds, Williamson's Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Dusky Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Tree & Barn Swallows, Golden-crowned & Ruby-crowned Kinglets, House Wren, Western & Mountain Bluebirds, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Mountain Chickadee, Pygmy, Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Steller's Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, Am. Crow, Common Raven, European Starling, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped & MacGillivray's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Chipping, Vesper & Lark Sparrows, Dark-eyed (Red-backed) Junco, Blue Grosbeak, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Friday, August 6, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Day 5 with Chuck couldn't really have started much worse but we managed to turn things around and see all but one of the targets that we sought including all four misses from yesterday. The day began with failed wakeup calls for both of us so we were behind the eight ball from the start. That, coupled with a few room problems caused us to check out on principle and then we had to find rooms for tonight, As Murphy would have it, the first place we tried didn't have rooms costing us even more time. We finally left Springerville at 6:15am. The morning was mostly sunny in the 60s, becoming cloudy with a few rain showers in late afternoon. About as nice a weather day you could wish for.

We picked up a whole bunch of time at Big Lake where we saw BLUE GROUSE before even getting out of the car! We saw the same male that I saw back on June 2 with some kind of metal spike sticking in its neck. Obviously, it hasn't affected the bird too much. We enjoyed excellent views of the bird from as close as 15 feet. We had a quick look for Three-toed Woodpecker (I saw one here on June 2) then headed out having spent very little time.

RED CROSSBILLS were calling when we arrived at Sheep Crossing. I'd told Chuck that we might pick up AMERICAN DIPPER here and he found an immature at the bridge while I was getting my gear together. Two quick birds allowed us the luxury (and pain) of walking the Mt. Baldy trail -- this is the best place I know for Three-toed but it's a major investment in time and energy. Sure, you can find the birds elsewhere but not as reliably as this trail.

We started the trail at 8:00am and returned at 1:00pm, having walked approximately 7 miles round trip. After one heartbreaking session of about 20 minutes worth of tracking light tapping that turned out to be an unusually quiet HAIRY WOODPECKER, we finally found AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. In fact, three of them -- male, female and immature. Our day that began so badly was now completely turned around with three of the four misses from yesterday now seen. Also on the trail were SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, a presumed family of 5 GRAY JAYS (juveniles losing their dark tones) and a large flock of 30+ CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS; plus typical species such as DUSKY FLYCATCHER, VIRGINIA'S & MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE,  LINCOLN'S SPARROW and a number of others. Back on the lower part of the trail we picked up the fourth missed species from yesterday -- RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, although it was a poor view of a juvenile.

This image of a GRAY JAY represents the limit of my equipment (cropped image size = published image size, i.e. no scaling down).

On the way back to town we came across a ROCK PIGEON sitting on the side of the road near Sunrise Ski Area. I wonder how on earth the bird arrived at such an unlikely location -- a new bird for my Sunrise area list! After a brief lunch break in Springerville, we headed over to Sipe Wildlife Area where I was hoping for three species -- Red-naped Sapsucker, Cordilleran Flycatcher and Pinyon Jay. We came across a good sized flock of PINYON JAYS two miles along the entrance road. However, we struck out on the other two. Cordilleran breeds near the HQ building and sapsuckers are regular here in migration. Today we saw neither. Other species included lots of BROAD-TAILED and RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS and one CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD at the visitor center feeders, WESTERN KINGBIRD, my first of season BREWER'S SPARROW (my earliest White Mountain date is August 5), LARK SPARROW, many LAZULI BUNTINGS and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

We left Sipe WA via the back road (which can be quite treacherous after rain) and had quite an adventure on the very slick mud, slipping and sliding without much control over the vehicle. Our final destination of the day was Nutrioso where we had good looks at a couple of RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS along Nutrioso Creek near the lumber yard, a regular location for them post breeding/in migration. The birds flew from pole to pole, seemingly preferring poles over trees. In town we picked up LEWIS'S WOODPECKER and the usual EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES feeding on the ground under a feeder with BAND-TAILED PIGEONS.

Day List (65 species recorded):
Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Sharp-shinned & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Blue Grouse, Rock & Band-tailed Pigeons, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Calliope, Broad-tailed & Rufous Hummingbirds, Red-naped Sapsucker, Lewis's, Hairy & Am. Three-toed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Dusky Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Western Kingbird, Horned Lark, Tree, Violet-green & Barn Swallows, Golden-crowned & Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Am. Dipper, Rock & House Wrens, Western & Mountain Bluebirds, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Mountain Chickadee, Pygmy & Red-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Gray, Steller's & Pinyon Jays, Clark's Nutcracker, Common Raven, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped & MacGillivray's Warblers, Green-tailed & Spotted Towhees, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Lark & Lincoln's Sparrows, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Brewer's Blackbird, Bullock's Oriole, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin and Lesser Goldfinch.

Saturday, August 7, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 6 and final day with Chuck was mostly a travel day as we returned from the White Mountains to Sierra Vista. Along the way we were hoping to find three main targets  -- Cordilleran Flycatcher, Black-chinned Sparrow and Lark Bunting. We left Springerville at 5:00am and drove directly to the Chiricahuas.

North of Lordsburg on NM route 90 we picked up LARK BUNTING still in breeding plumage.

In the Chiricahuas we started on the Paradise Road where we unable to locate a sparrow near the road. Consequently, we had to work in the loose rock and shale on the slopes amidst some nasty scrubby vegetation and hordes of little gnats that simply would not leave us alone. The more we perspired, the more pesky they became. It would have been easy to give up but we persevered and outlasted an elusive BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW that finally perched in the open. The battle lasted only 45 minutes but it seemed like a lifetime. Other species in the same habitat included JUNIPER TITMOUSE, HUTTON'S VIREO and swarms of BUSHTITS.

That was the end of our success as we struck out yet again on Cordilleran Flycatcher at Rustler Park and on the Pinery Canyon Road. Rustler Park was dead apart from lots of PYGMY NUTHATCHES, MEXICAN CHICKADEES and a calling OLIVE WARBLER. The nuthatches and chickadees were also on the Pinery Canyon road along with GRACE'S & RED-FACED WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, PINE SISKIN and a number of typical regulars. An OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER was on the Rustler Road.

Over the six days, Chuck picked up 29 new species and we recorded a total of 185 species. One sentence to sum up some long days, lots of miles and a number of great birds and experiences.

Day List (44 species recorded):
Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Wood-Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Western Kingbird, Cactus & Bewick's Wrens, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Bushtit, Mexican Chickadee, Juniper Titmouse, Pygmy, Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Hutton's Vireo, Olive, Grace's & Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstart, Spotted Towhee, Black-chinned Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Yellow-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, House Finch and Pine Siskin.

Sunday, August 8, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out today with David Tomb from San Francisco, CA. We visited Patagonia Lake State Park and Carr Canyon for a few target species. The day began cool in Patagonia and warmed significantly by early afternoon in Sierra Vista as monsoon clouds gathered.

CASSIN'S SPARROW was our first target at Patagonia Lake and they couldn't have been more numerous or obvious, cantando con locura. However, it easily took us 45 minutes to get a decent view of a bird perched in the clear.

A tremendous amount of water had flowed down the washes since I was last here on August 2 and the lake water level is now back to normal (cormorant pilings no longer visible).

The BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS are nesting again (here's a nest shot from some distance and a steep angle, just showing the head of the female). The nest is approximately 24 feet high which is significantly higher than other BCGN nests that I have seen, all of which have been from 4-6 feet (n=8). Continuing my practice, I will not disclose the nest location to give the birds every chance to fledge another brood.  We stayed just long enough to witness a nest exchange that occurred without either bird vocalizing. This is the third nest (that I know of) this year from two different pairs. If you find the nest, enjoy the birds from a distance and be as unobtrusive as possible. This goes double for large groups. Please do not mark the nest location in any way. I removed the monstrosity of a marker that a tour leader had erected. Cowbirds nailed the gnatcatchers twice in 2003 and the same happened some years ago at a highly publicized nest site in Chino Canyon. Coincidence? -- I don't know but surely it's better to be safe than sorry.

In Carr Canyon we had little trouble finding NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL in a regular spot, in fact two for the price of one, adult and juvenile. Although the juvenile was easy to see perched in a leafless tree, we had to put in a significant amount of physical effort to see the adult. It probably won't be long before I go to this well one too many times and it will be dry. Murphy was on our side as another target, VIRGINIA'S WARBLER, came in to the owls.

Perhaps the most spectacular sight of the morning was watching two ZONE-TAILED HAWKS soaring low over Ramsey Vista campground. An immature was constantly begging and the adult bird eventually dropped prey from its talons. I don't know what the prey item was but it was promptly and cleanly caught by the immature.

Monday, August 9, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Judy Butts from Newport, OR and Evelyn Wadsworth from Sea Ranch, CA. I've birded with Evelyn once before. This trip was originally scheduled for two days, however, with fewer potential targets species around we cut it to one day which means I get a welcome day off tomorrow! Today's report is short and not so sweet.

[Note: I've added a few photos taken while in the White Mountains last week. Affected dates are August 5 and 6]

The mosquitoes at Patagonia Lake State Park were really nasty this morning and I for one was very happy that we had a mercifully short visit to see BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER.

We moved on to the Santa Rita Mountains where we spent a fruitless 2.5 hours looking and listening for Flame-colored Tanager near Madera Kubo. This was my first miss of the season at this location. As far as I can gather, there have not been any recent sightings and it appears that the birds have moved to another part of the canyon, or perhaps they have even begun to head south. This is just speculation on my part and the birds may resurface again. Although I recorded 20+ species in the area, the lack of song from regular species was very evident. Brown-crested Flycatchers are one of the first species to leave and I didn't hear any today.

47 species recorded at Patagonia Lake and Madera Kubo:
Green Heron, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Turkey Vulture, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, White-winged Dove, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Acorn & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Western Wood-Pewee, Dusky-capped & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Barn Swallow, Phainopepla, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Bell's, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireos, Yellow & Black-throated Gray Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Painted Redstart, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Botteri's, Cassin's, Lark & Black-throated Sparrows, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Varied Bunting, Great-tailed Grackle, Hooded Oriole, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Mike Heany from Augusta, KS who I've birded with once before. Our only target bird was Five-striped Sparrow. It was a similar morning to yesterday -- clear blue sky without any monsoon action and very warm by late morning. We left Sierra Vista at 3:30am and returned at 11:30am. Monsoon clouds gathered as the afternoon progressed and thunderstorms brought rain and relief by 3:30pm.

Approaching daylight ensured that we saw only one COMMON POORWILL on the Ruby Road (that's what you get for starting late!). BOTTERI'S SPARROWS were singing near the entrance to the ghost town of Ruby.

Water levels in California Gulch have subsided considerably since last week and wading wasn't necessary at the south end. FIVE-STRIPED SPARROWS were extremely vocal and easy to find today. I was surprised to find zero activity at a nest that I located on July 27 with a bird apparently incubating on that date and again on August 2. Today I expected to see sparrows feeding young but that wasn't the case. After ensuring that the nest was not active, I checked it and found it to be in perfect condition, yet there was no sign of eggs, fecal matter, debris or damage, in fact nothing to indicate that it was ever in use. However, there was apparent nesting activity just 100 feet north of the inactive nest. I wonder if Five-stripes build dummy nests? I wouldn't expect so but I really have no idea.

VARIED BUNTINGS were also common. MONTEZUMA QUAIL called from the ridgeline. Migrant NASHVILLE WARBLERS and LAZULI BUNTINGS worked the slopes. Several GRAY HAWKS and a perched ZONE-TAILED HAWK were a nice bonus. NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET and THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD were heard but not seen.

36 species recorded in California Gulch:
Turkey Vulture, Gray & Zone-tailed Hawks, Montezuma Quail, Mourning Dove, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Black Phoebe, Vermilion, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's, Thick-billed & Western Kingbirds, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird,. Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Common Raven, Bell's & Hutton's Vireos, Nashville & Wilson's Warblers, Summer Tanager, Canyon Towhee, Five-striped, Lark & Black-throated Sparrows, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Lazuli & Varied Buntings, Bronzed & Brown-headed Cowbirds and Lesser Goldfinch.

On the way home we picked up RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW in Nogales and lots of singing CASSIN'S SPARROWS at Las Cienegas, where perhaps as many as 80-100 LARK BUNTINGS were present including what appeared to be young of the year.

Thursday, August 12, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
First of three days with Bill and Mary Rydell from Pebble Beach, CA. Bill has seen ~840 species in the ABA area so on this trip we'll just be revisiting old friends. We spent all our time in the Huachucas starting in Carr Canyon finishing up in Garden Canyon. The day began cloudy and mild then became very warm by early afternoon as the clouds burned off. As yesterday, thunderstorms kicked in by late afternoon. Apart from Garden Canyon grassland, birding was very slow in all locations, quite typical in the mountains in August now that the breeding season is over for the mountain species.

I often see Scaled and Gambel's Quail in close proximity in lower Carr Canyon. Early this morning we saw several hybrid youngsters, not an uncommon sighting. Species around the second stream crossing included ARIZONA WOODPECKER and SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER.

Reef Campground was extremely quiet and we had to work hard just to see GRACE'S WARBLER -- and this is the most abundant high elevation warbler! We also weeded out VIRGINIA'S WARBLER and PAINTED REDSTART. Elsewhere we picked up just two BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS and a single GREATER PEWEE, neither of which vocalized much.

The highlight and lowlight of the morning was a male RED CROSSBILL feeding a BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD. All you BBS people -- does this count as breeding confirmation?

Garden Canyon grassland was quite active with breeding sparrows despite less than ideal conditions (heat and gunfire). We had good looks at BOTTERI'S, CASSIN'S and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS without very much effort. VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS gathered on the wires. GREATER ROADRUNNER put on a roadside show and we also noted LARK SPARROW, BLUE GROSBEAK, EASTERN MEADOWLARK and both kingbird species. PHAINOPEPLAS were very common near the lower picnic area where we had great looks at a couple of male ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, probably young of the year. SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS and HEPATIC TANAGERS were at the upper picnic area.

Not a spectacular day -- if it were a soccer game it would be a 0-0 draw.

58 species recorded in Carr and Garden Canyons:
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Greater Roadrunner, White-throated Swift, Acorn, Gila, Ladder-backed, Hairy & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Buff-breasted & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Black Phoebe, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Violet-green & Barn Swallows, Phainopepla, Cactus & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireos, Virginia's, Grace's & Wilson's Warblers, Painted Redstart, Hepatic Tanager, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Botteri's, Cassin's, Rufous-crowned & Lark Sparrows, Yellow-eyed Junco, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Eastern Meadowlark, Brown-headed Cowbird, Scott's Oriole, House Finch, Red Crossbill & Lesser Goldfinch.

Friday, August 13, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Bill and Mary. We started in California Gulch then worked our way back to Patagonia with whistle stops at Kino Springs, Patagonia Lake, the Roadside Rest area and Paton's yard.  We had a successful day seeing all the expected species except one. I didn't realize it was Friday 13th until the day was almost done! The day began cloudy and mild then warmed up considerably by noon with high humidity. Thunderstorms and rain began a little earlier today, around 2:00pm.

We left Sierra Vista at 3:15am to maximize our opportunities for COMMON POORWILL along Ruby Road. That strategy paid of well with 10 birds seen, most of which stayed put on the ground for some excellent looks.

The general activity level in California Gulch was quite low compared to my most recent visit and even FIVE-STRIPED SPARROWS were subdued. Nevertheless, we located at least three singing birds between the 5th and 2nd stream crossings. Our biggest problems were negotiating substantial amounts of cow shit at the south end of the gulch and in getting a sparrow in the scope without heavy backlighting. Thankfully, we succeeded in both cases. VARIED BUNTINGS were singing in multiple locations and easy to find. We had good looks at GRAY HAWK including a couple of downy young in the nest (seems quite late for this) and a close up of ZONE-TAILED HAWK.

Back on the Ruby Road, we stopped to see ROCK WREN and then our timing was perfect to see a male MONTEZUMA QUAIL walking across the road. Also of note was a calling ARIZONA WOODPECKER in an area with just a few oaks, only my second record on this road away from the Sycamore Canyon area.

In Nogales we added RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW and then failed to find Tropical Kingbird at Kino Springs (although we may have seen one but didn't get a good enough view to confirm). CASSIN'S SPARROW was singing in the grass at the clubhouse pond. LAZULI BUNTINGS were in the weeds around the pond.

Our next stop was a Patagonia Lake where it was very hot at midday. Fortunately, we saw BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER very quickly. Also present was my first GRAY FLYCATCHER of the season in SE AZ.

At the Roadside Rest we saw and heard several THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS without much effort. A major surprise here was a fly-by SWAINSON'S HAWK, my first at this location and in the Patagonia area. The bird was heading west at a good clip.

We finished up in Marion Paton's yard where the hummingbird activity was quite high as rain threatened. We waited until VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD put in an appearance then headed home before the rain became serious. A long and rewarding day.

Day List (73 species recorded):
Black & Turkey Vultures, Gray, Swainson's, Zone-tailed & Red-tailed Hawks, Montezuma Quail, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Rock Pigeon, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Greater Roadrunner, Common Poorwill, Broad-billed, Violet-crowned, Black-chinned & Anna's Hummingbirds, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Black & Say's Phoebes, Gray, Vermilion & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's, Thick-billed & Western Kingbirds, Phainopepla, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Bell's Vireo, Lucy's & Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Canyon Towhee, Cassin's, Rufous-crowned, Rufous-winged, Five-striped, Chipping, Lark, Black-throated & Song Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Lazuli & Varied Buntings, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Hooded Oriole, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Saturday, August 14, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
The third and last day with Bill and Mary qualified as a bad day at the office, especially after such a productive day yesterday. It was cloudy and very cool in the Chiricahuas, especially around Rustler. Although rain looked highly likely, we escaped with just a few sprinkles. High elevation birds were generally very hard to come by.

We began in the Sulphur Springs Valley with an unsuccessful search for thrashers -- generally a difficult proposition at this time of year. We cruised around the back roads in the area of Whitewater Draw and never got a sniff of Bendire's nor Crissal, just a calling CURVE-BILLED THRASHER. There were an amazing number of singing CASSIN'S SPARROWS throughout the valley. We saw a few SCALED QUAIL, 4-GREATER ROADRUNNERS, a lone LARK BUNTING and my SE AZ season first BREWER'S SPARROW.

Lark Buntings typically return in late July but I didn't see my first one this year until August 7. The Brewer's Sparrow sighting ties my record early date in SE AZ, seen in the same area back in 1998. Published data shows them returning in mid August.

A lone EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE on Coffman Road was of note on two counts -- it was my first at this location and the furthest south in the valley that I have seen this species.

We had three target species in the Chiricahuas: 1) MEXICAN CHICKADEE -- they were abundant in many locations along with PYGMY NUTHATCH and PINE SISKIN; 2) RED-FACED WARBLER -- one seen in a mixed flock near Pinery Canyon Campground; and 3) Olive Warbler -- we failed to find one despite lots of effort.

The only warblers noted apart from Red-faced were BLACK-THROATED GRAY, HERMIT and GRACE'S. Highlights of a disappointing time in the mountains were 3 flocks of RED CROSSBILLS totaling perhaps 80 birds on Rustler Road below Onion Saddle, on Rustler Road above the split and at Pinery Canyon Campground; and two NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN) PYGMY-OWLS, both seen. At first I ignored their calls thinking it was someone playing a tape in response to my whistled attempts to rustle up an Olive Warbler! A mostly silent GREATER PEWEE came in to check out the owls.

Day List (50 species recorded):
Turkey Vulture, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Scaled Quail, Killdeer, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Greater Roadrunner, N. Pygmy-Owl, Lesser Nighthawk, Arizona Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Tree & Barn Swallows, Cactus Wren, Bushtit, Mexican Chickadee, Pygmy, Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Black-throated Gray, Hermit, Grace's & Red-faced Warblers, Spotted Towhee, Cassin's, Brewer's, Lark & Black-throated Sparrows, Lark Bunting, Yellow-eyed Junco, Pyrrhuloxia, Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Meadowlark, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin and House Sparrow.

Sunday, August 15, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Chris Eberly from Warrenton, VA and Carol Beidleman from Estes Park, CO. Another crack of night start for my third trip to California Gulch in the last 5 days. Retirement seems attractive on such occasions but I'm not independently wealthy! The weather cooperated by being cloudy and cool when it mattered. A late morning warm up and afternoon rain followed the pattern of recent days. We had a successful and enjoyable morning.

The COMMON POORWILL show continues along Ruby Road with 8 birds seen on the road as dawn approached.

The area has seen quite a bit of rain since my last visit just two days ago. The puddles at the start of California Gulch Road were back to full depth, not a chance for a small vehicle to progress very far. Chris and Carol weren't equipped for wading so I made a rare northern approach to the gulch proper down Heartbreak Hill. I still needed to head to the south end of the gulch to drop off some stuff for Steve and had to wade through ~12 inches of water at the 5th stream crossing.

Our timing was perfect near the cutoff road for Oro Blanco Mine -- a family of MONTEZUMA QUAIL strolled across the road just at the right moment. We had great looks at male, female and four or five queludes (indicating quite an attrition rate since the clutch size is around a dozen). CASSIN'S SPARROW was singing here.

I counted at least five singing FIVE-STRIPED SPARROWS throughout the gulch and we had a fair scope view of one of them in good light. VARIED BUNTINGS were common as usual and we saw a singing NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET. Migrant warblers noted were WILSON'S, NASHVILLE and HERMIT. The Hermit was seen by Chris and Carol and would have been a first for me in the gulch had I seen the bird. Drat. A couple of YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS seen well near the dam were a bonus.

45 species recorded in California Gulch and on the Ruby Road:
Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Gray & Red-tailed Hawks, Montezuma Quail, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Common Poorwill, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Cactus, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Bell's Vireo, Nashville & Wilson's Warblers, Summer Tanager, Canyon Towhee, Botteri's, Cassin's, Rufous-crowned, Five-striped & Black-throated Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Black-headed Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Varied Bunting, Brown-headed Cowbird and Hooded & Scott's Orioles.

Monday, August 16, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
After a busy few weeks, today was the start of a decent stretch of time to myself. If I can find the enthusiasm, I plan to check on migration happenings in SE AZ than after some more work days later in the month I hope to do the same in the White Mountains. Today I visited Willcox ponds and Sierra Vista EOP and didn't see anything much out of the ordinary at either location.

If you want excellent close up looks at LESSER NIGHTHAWKS, check the Border Patrol checkpoint on highway 90 around sunrise. I saw a dozen or so there this morning at 5:45am.

The water level at Willcox is very high which not only reduces the available habitat for shorebirds it also makes them harder to detect as they push up into the grassy areas. Cloud cover made for pleasant birding conditions at the expense of poor viewing conditions. Over a period of 1 hour 45 minutes I checked the golf course pond, main pond and some of the back roads. I didn't find any landbird migrants and even the shorebirds weren't very inspiring, and certainly not worth getting up at 4:30am for the trip over here.

Light for photography wasn't very good but I tried my hand since I haven't had a chance to do much photography in recent weeks. I managed an interesting image of a GREAT BLUE HERON in flight just catching some weak light through the clouds. I left the image a little on the dark side because it gives a more dramatic appearance. Compare this image of the continuing CALIFORNIA GULL with the one taken on July 19 -- note the increased head and neck markings, absence of brown primaries and disappearing tail!

LEAST SANDPIPER,  WESTERN SANDPIPER and WILSON'S PHALAROPE were all fairly common. Apart from these species, shorebird pickings were slim -- I heard SPOTTED SANDPIPER, saw one BAIRD'S SANDPIPER and heard and saw both GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS. I couldn't come up with any of the goodies seen by others in recent days.

EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were calling and easily seen at the golf course.

38 species recorded at Willcox Ponds:
Eared Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Ruddy Duck, Red-tailed Hawk, Scaled Quail, Am. Coot, Black-necked Stilt, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted, Western, Least & Baird's Sandpipers, Wilson's Phalarope, Ring-billed & California Gulls, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Say's Phoebe, Western Kingbird, Tree, Cliff & Barn Swallows, Cactus Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Common Yellowthroat, Lark Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle and House Sparrow.

Heavy rain fell in Sierra Vista late morning and early afternoon. I ventured out to Sierra Vista EOP after the rain stopped. It was damp, cool and breezy and I had to scratch and scrape for an hour and 30 minutes for everything that I turned up. Of course, the pitiful viewing conditions didn't help, but I won't go off on a rant. Even though I saw a few shorebirds, I wonder just how much stuff I missed simply because of lack of access.

Highlights were 6 WHITE-FACED IBIS (flushed into view by a worker driving around) and a perched PEREGRINE FALCON. Many WESTERN KINGBIRDS (mostly young birds) were perched on the fences. Despite poor light, the kingbird image was the best of the day and I was surprised to find that it was a photo first for me. LAZULI BUNTINGS provided a splash of color in the weeds.

32 species recorded at Sierra Vista EOP:
White-faced Ibis, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Turkey Vulture, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Western & Least Sandpipers, Wilson's Phalarope, Mourning Dove, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Western Kingbird, Tree, Cliff & Barn Swallows, N. Mockingbird, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, Common Yellowthroat, Lark, Black-throated & Song Sparrows, Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged & Yellow-headed Blackbirds and House Finch.

Tuesday, August 17, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Today I returned to basics with visits to Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons in the Huachucas. Prior to this spring and summer season, I've visited these three locations with almost monotonous regularity for 10 years. However, with the installation of the gate in lower Garden Canyon and the unpredictable morning opening time, I had to reluctantly make a change. Although Sawmill is one of my favorite places to bird, my clients wouldn't benefit by having to wait for the gate to be opened during the best birding time of the day. Consequently, I switched to Carr Canyon for the high elevation birds.

It's been quite a while since I birded in Sawmill (May 10) so today I decided to make a long overdue visit. I started in lower Garden Canyon grassland shortly after 6:00am, spent from 7:00-9:00am in Sawmill and from 9:30am-noon in Scheelite.

The grassland was alive with singing BOTTERI'S and CASSIN'S SPARROWS and other regulars and I tallied 20 species before reaching the tree line. A couple of families of SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS were kicking up a fuss at the middle and upper picnic areas and I also found them in Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons.

I enjoyed two hours of hard-to-find solitude in a very damp and fresh smelling Sawmill Canyon. I was leaving just as others were starting. Birds weren't exactly easy to come by but I stuck at it and eventually turned up 30 species. Highlights were MONTEZUMA QUAIL near the parking area, BAND-TAILED PIGEON, ELEGANT TROGON, lots of ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, a lone GREATER PEWEE that only vocalized one time, a fair number of (calling but not singing) BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS, a family of (scarce here) SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS and lots of migrant warblers -- mostly NASHVILLE WARBLERS with a liberal sprinkling of HERMIT WARBLERS.

Although  I have a couple of decent images of Buff-breasted Flycatcher, a close individual tempted me to try my luck. The bird led me on for a while but I eventually managed a couple of shots -- BBFL image #1 (front), BBFL image #2 (rear).

I hadn't really planned to make the trek up Scheelite Canyon but that all changed. At the entrance to Scheelite, I stopped to chat with Greg Miller whose group of five had been in the canyon for a couple of hours. Another couple of birders exited the canyon and had not found an owl. Now my interest was piqued because it looked like I would have a challenge. I decided to go for it and shortly after starting up the canyon I met the group from Ohio who told where they had found a couple of juvenile owls quite high up the canyon (thanks guys). Despite the threat of rain (which looked pretty imminent and certain), I worked my way up canyon slowly looking for adult owls.

Eventually, I came across the two juvenile SPOTTED OWLS that were actually fairly easy to see, they were just much further up canyon than where I normally find owls. Note the size difference between the two birds and the difference in plumage development, even though there's probably only a few days between them in age. I took a couple of close up shots of the older bird -- SPOW juvenile image #1, SPOW juvenile image #2. All three photos were taken from the same spot, about 65-70 feet from the birds. The only variables are lens focal length value and shutter speed differences due to some brief sunlight. Cropping and scaling (down) equalizes the published image sizes. Quality is not great because I was too far away. I looked around for the adults in the same area but ended up finding a pair in a completely different part of the canyon after walking myself silly. I wasn't able to photograph the adults (too dark) but seeing four Spotted Owls was ample reward for all my physical effort. Furthermore, the rain never materialized -- new flash, Murphy gets screwed.

Also in Scheelite were a couple of ELEGANT TROGONS (one around 1/4 mile and another above 1 mile) and a decent mixed flock containing ORANGE-CROWNED, NASHVILLE, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, WILSON'S and RED-FACED WARBLERS and many PAINTED REDSTARTS. 22 species in all.

Not a bad return for a routine day! By the way, don't look for a report tomorrow -- it's time for a day off to rest my weary bones.

60 species recorded in Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons:
Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Montezuma Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Spotted Owl, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Elegant Trogon, Acorn, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Cordilleran, Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Barn Swallow, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireos, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Black-throated Gray, Hermit, Grace's, Wilson's & Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstart, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Botteri's, Cassin's, Rufous-crowned, Lark & Black-throated Sparrows, Yellow-eyed Junco, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Eastern Meadowlark, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

Thursday, August 19, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Today I checked French Joe Canyon, a location that I've not had a chance to visit recently due to the absence of "the warblers". Despite the fact that a fair amount of rain has fallen in the canyon (indicated by large puddles on the entrance road and debris here and there), I didn't see any running or standing water anywhere in the stream bed. The only places with water are the upper spring and the water trough in the lower oaks. My time here was disappointing for a couple of reasons: 1) I was hoping for lots of migrants but I saw hardly any, and 2) I have to report the continuing absence of Rufous-capped Warbler (at least, if they are present the birds are doing a bang up job of staying out of my way). After enjoying great success in finding the warblers since 1995, I've now failed to see them on 5 consecutive visits (4 times in July and again today).

I entered the canyon in darkness shortly after 5:00am which was apparently too late for Common Poorwills since I didn't see any. It was just a little too light as I passed the best location.

The area around the spring produced very few birds. Apart from a few BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S and RUFOUS-HUMMINGBIRDS, the only migrant was WILSON'S WARBLER.  I enjoyed watching a couple of cavorting CRISSAL THRASHERS at close range, presumably because they didn't notice me. A least one (singing) CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER is still in the area. This species breeds near the spring and I have records here through September (possibly augmented by migrants).

The lower oaks had much more activity. A single BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD rounded out the hummer species. MEXICAN JAYS were outnumbered by WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS and I photographed a rather dull looking individual that I think is a juvenile (or at least, hatch year bird). When is a juvenile not a juvenile, instead referred to as an immature -- the distinction has always seemed somewhat arbitrary to me. I noted a few definite migrants including WARBLING VIREO, MACGILLIVRAY'S and WILSON'S WARBLERS and PAINTED REDSTART; possible migrants were BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER and WESTERN TANAGER (both breed in the canyon). HEPATIC and SUMMER TANAGERS were also present. I was surprised not to see or hear any Nashville Warblers, a species that is currently passing through in large numbers.

In the lower mesquite area I saw a handful of migrating LARK SPARROWS, a species that I've only seen in French Joe a few times. They are very common in SE AZ at the moment.

47 species recorded in French Joe Canyon:
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Broad-billed, Black-chinned, Anna's & Rufous Hummingbirds, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, Phainopepla, Cactus, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Plumbeous, Hutton's & Warbling Vireos, Black-throated Gray, MacGillivray's & Wilson's Warblers, Painted Redstart, Hepatic, Summer & Western Tanagers, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Lark & Black-throated Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Hooded & Scott's Orioles and House Finch.

Saturday, August 21, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out today with Pete Shen from New York City for three target species. We started early in California Gulch and finished up at Patagonia Lake in mid morning.

Our timing on the Ruby Road was a little off and we saw only 3 COMMON POORWILLS. However, we did have excellent views of the birds sitting on the road.

In California Gulch, FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW was fairly easy to find and we were treated to 5 minutes worth of great views as we scoped a singing bird perched on an Ocotillo. MONTEZUMA QUAIL was target #2 and once again we were in the right place at the right time. This time the right place was about 100 feet below the top of the gulch as we walked up Heartbreak Hill. I've seen them on the last 3 trips to the gulch and on 4 out of the last 5 trips. My records indicate sightings on 60% of all trips in July and August.

Although we didn't stay very long in the gulch, I had the distinct impression of far less activity and song today which is not really unexpected at this time of year. VARIED BUNTINGS are still singing. Migrants present among 30+ species recorded were GRAY FLYCATCHER and ORANGE-CROWNED, NASHVILLE, MACGILLIVRAY'S & WILSON'S WARBLERS.

At Patagonia Lake, we soon saw a pair of BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS, now feeding young. On my last visit (August 13) I thought that perhaps the eggs had just hatched (based on the position of the adult bird on the nest). Given the size of the youngsters today, I'd say that was probably the case. Due to distance to the nest and steepness of the angle (nest height is ~24 feet), it was difficult to get a good photograph. This photograph shows two youngsters in the nest, although at one time three bills were seen protruding. We saw male and female foraging nearby and making frequent visits to feed the young. Here's a shot of the adult male that had just whacked the prey item in its bill into submission. It appears that the black cap is just starting to fade.

Migrants noted at the lake were WILLOW & GRAY FLYCATCHERS and MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER.

A very successful morning that followed Pete's success yesterday with Ruddy Ground-Dove and Berylline and White-eared Hummingbirds.

Day List (63 species recorded):
Double-crested & Neotropic Cormorants, Great Egret, Green Heron, Black & Turkey Vultures, Gray & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Montezuma Quail, Am. Coot, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Common Poorwill, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Black Phoebe, Willow, Gray, Vermilion & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Barn Swallow, Phainopepla, Cactus, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Blue-gray & Black-capped Gnatcatchers, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Bell's Vireo, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Lucy's, Yellow, MacGillivray's & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Canyon Towhee, Botteri's, Rufous-crowned, Rufous-winged, Five-striped, Black-throated & Song Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Varied Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

Sunday, August 22, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
This morning I checked the highway 90 area of the San Pedro, a location where I don't spend much time in summer due to unpleasant conditions (muddy and overgrown trails, lots of bugs). I focused in the mesquite-grassland areas, in Garden Wash and around the large and small ponds. I didn't spend any time at all along the river. It was a clear and sunny morning and the temperature climbed into the low 90s by 9:00am. My visit was fairly routine except when a little excitement occurred during a close encounter with a rattlesnake on the Del Valle road, not something that happens to me very often despite the amount of time that I spend in the field.

Species diversity in the mesquite-grassland was decent and the habitat was very productive in terms of number of individuals. BOTTERI'S and (to a lesser extent) CASSIN'S SPARROWS were both singing, a few returning BREWER'S SPARROWS were present and LARK SPARROWS were very common. The weedy areas were loaded with BLUE GROSBEAKS, LAZULI BUNTINGS (including many juvenile birds) and LESSER GOLDFINCHES. I heard many COMMON GROUND-DOVES and saw a couple. Even YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS (mostly juveniles) were common at the edges of the grassland.

For the 11th successive year (perhaps longer, before my time), TROPICAL KINGBIRDS bred here and today I saw at least two very noisy young birds at the small pond. I'm sure the large pond isn't as attractive to them now with all but one large tree gone. I hope the person who decided to introduce beavers is happy.

41 species recorded from 6:30-9:00am:
Mallard, Gray Hawk, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Tropical, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Barn Swallow, Bewick's Wren, N. Mockingbird, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Bell's Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Botteri's, Cassin's, Brewer's, Lark & Song Sparrows, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Lazuli Bunting, Bullock's Oriole, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Monday, August 23, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
The only birding that I had time for today was a one hour early morning visit to Sierra Vista EOP.  Other than 100+ LARK SPARROWS, I didn't see much in the way of migrants. PEREGRINE FALCON continues in the east fields. The southwest pond (not easily checked) held 20+ CINNAMON TEAL and a few LEAST and SPOTTED SANDPIPERS.

24 species recorded at Sierra Vista EOP:
Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Swainson's Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Spotted & Least Sandpipers, Mourning Dove, Black & Say's Phoebes, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Barn Swallow, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, Common Yellowthroat, Brewer's & Lark Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged & Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackle.

Tuesday, August 24, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
I had planned to bird at Willcox this morning -- until I checked my email just before heading out. A Red Knot was reported there yesterday and I figured the state tickers would be out in force so I headed to Whitewater Draw instead. It was a cloudy and cool morning (through ~10:00am) with a few sprinkles.

Monsoon rains have raised water level in all the impoundments at Whitewater Draw creating plenty of duck habitat, wide expanses of shallow water for waders, and some limited mudflat habitat for peeps. Habitat for peeps should improve as the rainy season draws to a close and June makes a comeback in September. Although plenty of birds were present, the lack of concentrated habitat and the scanning distance involved meant that many birds were not very obvious and I had to work for most of the stuff that I saw.

Most of the expected common shorebird migrants were present with nothing unexpected to get the adrenalin flowing. The least common species were a few CATTLE EGRETS and a couple of BLACK TERNS.

Perhaps as many as 200 widely distributed WILSON'S PHALAROPES were working the various ponds and I scanned them repeatedly as best I could. I didn't find any Red-necked Phalaropes (to be expected now) but I could easily have overlooked them. LESSER outnumbered GREATER YELLOWLEGS and, surprisingly, WESTERN outnumbered LEAST SANDPIPERS. Small numbers of AMERICAN AVOCETS, BLACK-NECKED STILTS and WHITE-FACED IBIS were present and one each WILSON'S SNIPE and SPOTTED SANDPIPER rounded out the shorebirds.

Apart from a fair sized flock of CINNAMON TEAL (has bred at this location), a couple of NORTHERN SHOVELERS were the only returnees.

Lots of YELLOW-HEADED and a few RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS festooned the marsh where a couple of SORAS called. A single GREEN HERON flushed along with a GREAT HORNED OWL as I walked one of the berms. BLUE GROSBEAKS and LAZULI BUNTINGS provided some color.

In terms of landbirds, a small flock of LARK BUNTINGS and many LARK SPARROWS were the only real sign of the impending fall season. Breeding CASSIN'S SPARROWS were singing constantly at WWD and in the mesquite-grassland along most of the nearby back roads.

I didn't check the south willow grove due to difficulty of access.

49 species recorded at Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area from 6:30-9:00am:
Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, White-faced Ibis, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, Swainson's Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Sora, Am. Coot, Black-necked Stilt, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe, Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted, Western & Least Sandpipers, Wilson's Phalarope, Black Tern, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Great Horned Owl, Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Tree, Cliff & Barn Swallows, Curve-billed Thrasher, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, Common Yellowthroat, Canyon Towhee, Lark Bunting, Cassin's, Lark & Song Sparrows, Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged & Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Eastern Meadowlark.

Wednesday, August 25, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I birded in Carr Canyon looking for high elevation migrants. Short version: I saw hardly any. Long version: read on. I actually chose my birding destination for the day for a non birding reason -- over the past couple of days I've had some four wheel drive repairs done and I wanted to do some testing. As things turned out, even though I didn't see much in the way of migrants, I did see a few less common species.

On most visits to Carr Canyon I'm limited to birding in locations close to the road. Today I chose the route less traveled and walked a loop starting from Reef parking area up the Old Sawmill trail to its junction with Carr Peak trail, then north along that trail to Ramsey Vista campground, returning along the road to Reef where I finished up birding in the campground. Including side trails, I walked perhaps 5 miles. I thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace and had a delightful time under clear blue skies. After a cool start, the morning warmed quickly following the pattern of recent days.

The sun was just catching the tree tops in the lower canyon as I got started and I paused to look at a SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER calling from the top of a leafless tree. Perched right next to it were ACORN and ARIZONA WOODPECKERS -- now that's the way to get a day started.

The highlights of the morning both came on the Sawmill trail near where it meets the Carr Peak trail. The elevation here is close to 8000 feet. First up was EVENING GROSBEAK in a location about 0.5 mile from where I saw one on May 5 this year. Ergo, there's a good chance that breeding occurred in the area. Apart from many records in Sawmill Canyon (where they bred for a couple of years in the mid 90s), most of my remaining records for Evening Grosbeak in southeast Arizona are from Carr Canyon (100+ SE AZ records total, 73 in Sawmill, 15 in Carr, remainder scattered).

Also of note was a GRAY FLYCATCHER, not really regarded as a high elevation migrant. Although I have records of this species as a migrant at over 6000 feet in multiple years, today's sighting was certainly the highest elevation that I've seen them in Arizona. However, since I found them breeding in the White Mountains at around 7500 feet earlier this year, perhaps these records are not all that surprising.

I noted the continuing small flock of RED CROSSBILLS near Ramsey Vista campground. They are uncommon at best in the Huachucas but I'm sure they bred here this year (ditto in the Chiricahuas).

SPOTTED TOWHEES were the most common species everywhere that I went including lots of juveniles (a.k.a. the poor man's Aztec Thrush). YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS were not far behind, also with lots of juveniles. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS continue to be easy to find, next month they won't be so easy. Even VIRGINIA'S WARBLERS were fairly common and relatively easy to see. A handful of HERMIT WARBLERS represented the only definite migrant warbler.

The irony of five OLIVE WARBLERS seen in three different locations wasn't lost on me. Recently when I needed to find this bird I couldn't buy one. Particularly "off pissing" was the fact that I saw a cracking adult male in a spot where I regularly find Olive Warblers. A few hard-to-detect GREATER PEWEES are still around. I located three of them via their "peek-peek" calls. PLUMBEOUS VIREOS were singing in multiple locations and I found a couple of birds feeding young -- a reminder of why they sing late in the season and stay around later than other migratory breeding species.

Due to the Evening Grosbeak sighting I had a three grosbeak day, not easy to do in SE AZ. Had I been so inclined I could have dashed over to Madera Canyon for Rose-breasted and made it four. Then, perhaps a long drive to the White Mountains for a nocturnal Pine Grosbeak. Thud. That's me coming back to earth. I took lots of photos today (over 70) but I have none to publish -- I guess that I getting more picky.

48 species recorded in Carr Canyon from 6:00-10:00am:
Mourning Dove, Anna's, Broad-tailed & Rufous Hummingbirds, Acorn, Hairy & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Gray, Buff-breasted & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Cactus, Bewick's & House Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireos, Olive, Virginia's, Black-throated Gray & Hermit Warblers, Painted Redstart, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Rufous-crowned & Chipping Sparrows, Yellow-eyed Junco, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, House Finch, Red Crossbill, Lesser Goldfinch and Evening Grosbeak.

Thursday, August 26, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
I was on the lookout for migrants again this morning and gave pride of place to Kino Springs. Although I saw a respectable 50 species, migrant landbirds were at a premium and I saw very few. I began with a drive by of both ponds as far as the Santa Cruz river and then doubled back to the first pond where I worked the wash for a while. I followed this with a brief check of the first pond and spent the remainder of my time at the second (club house) pond. I should probably have worked the river but it was another clear and sunny day (the monsoons may be over) and uncomfortably warm by 8:30am.

The first pond wash held a fair number of regular birds and zero migrants. VARIED BUNTINGS were singing strongly and quite easy to detect. I stalked a singing BLACK-THROATED SPARROW for some time and ended up with the only real decent photo of the day. The bird flew less than a second after I took this shot! I tried the same thing with RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW (image #2, slightly better) with nowhere near the same result (I was too far away and at the limit of my equipment -- cropped image size = published image size). Both sparrows were photo firsts for me. Other species in the wash included GRAY HAWK, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, BELL'S VIREO and many LARK SPARROWS. Over at the pond, CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS were still feeding young.

I moved on to the club house pond where several vocal TROPICAL KINGBIRDS were easy to see in the trees on the island. The lush vegetation held many LAZULI BUNTINGS. I played cat and mouse with this SPOTTED SANDPIPER (already in winter garb) without ever getting the shot that I wanted. LESSER GOLDFINCHES were in heaven with all the weedy stuff but this individual seemed to prefer eating dirt. COMMON GROUND-DOVES were plentiful. The only hummingbird that I noted was a male RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD.

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS and my SE AZ season first BELTED KINGFISHER were on the larger of the two impoundments that make up the pond.

A very sadistic CASSIN'S SPARROW perched atop a mesquite and sang for over an hour near the club house pond. Whenever I approached to attempt a photo, the bird would either drop mid-bush, drop into the grass, or fly to another mesquite. If I moved back a few feet the bird would pop up again. I tried sidling up to the bird without eye contact to no avail. Nothing worked, I tipped my cap to the bird and moved on..

On the way home I stopped off at Patagonia Lake State Park to check on the BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS that have now fledged. Consequently, I'll provide sighting location again (whenever I can find them!). Today the adults and two fledglings were at the eastern end of the 4th wash were it transitions from dense to open mesquite. I took many photographs but I wasn't happy with any of them.

Conditions here were extremely unpleasant and I didn't hang around very long. I turned up ~40 species in 90 minutes including BOTTERI'S (perched roadside) & CASSIN'S SPARROWS and VARIED BUNTINGS (all three species singing). The buntings were fairly easy too see. I checked both ends and the middle of the lake for Neotropic Cormorants without success (just one DOUBLE-CRESTED seen). Boat traffic was not the problem. NASHVILLE WARBLER was the only migrant warbler that I saw. Flycatchers were AWOL except for a singing NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET and the usual VERMILIONS.

63 species recorded at Kino Springs and Patagonia Lake:
Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Turkey Vulture, Gray Hawk, Am. Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Rufous Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Tropical & Cassin's Kingbirds, Violet-green, Cliff & Barn Swallows, Phainopepla, Rock & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Common Raven, Bell's Vireo, Nashville Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Canyon Towhee, Botteri's, Cassin's, Rufous-winged, Chipping, Lark, Black-throated & Song Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli & Varied Buntings, Great-tailed Grackle, Bullock's Oriole, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Sunday, August 29, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
After a couple of days off away from birding, I was back in the field today. I could have joined the "sheep" looking for state ticks but I've just about weaned myself off such nonsense -- it doesn't advance my knowledge of Arizona birds and it certainly doesn't improve my birding skills. Instead, I relaxed and passed on looking for species such as Red Knot, Yellow-throated Vireo and Hooded Warbler, all of which would have been state birds.

Out today with Tom Pericak and Bonnie Simmons from Indianapolis, IN who I've birded with on two previous occasions. Our targets for the day were Five-striped Sparrow and Black-capped Gnatcatcher. A somewhat abbreviated and terse report today -- sleep beckons.

My last scheduled trip of the season to California Gulch was a quick and dirty affair. So quick and dirty, in fact, that we were in and out in about two hours and that includes and hour of driving back and forth along the gulch road. Our hurry was so that we could make it over to Patagonia Lake while it was still only moderately uncomfortable. Consequently, I entered via Heartbreak Hill at the north end of the gulch and barely ventured past the first stream crossing.

COMMON POORWILLS were much in evidence along the Ruby Road. Our total today was 9 with several seen well sitting on the road.

Although FIVE-STRIPED SPARROWS weren't singing much at an early hour, we didn't have any trouble locating a couple of birds perched up near the first stream crossing. The gulch (what little we saw of it) was very birdy and it was a shame that we had to bail out so quickly. Nevertheless, we saw or heard most of the usual suspects. Migrants were plentiful including BELTED KINGFISHER (my first in the gulch), GRAY FLYCATCHER and a handful of warbler species of which MACGILLIVRAY'S was the pick of the bunch.

Apart from the sparrow, the highlight was a male MONTEZUMA QUAIL and a few queludes.  My timing with this species continues to be impeccable (touch wood), today the birds were roadside at the first stream crossing -- 5 sightings in the last 6 visits!. Unfortunately, the birds waddled away up the hill before I could react and get a photo. Drat. A total of 40 species was a decent return for such a short visit.

Back on the Ruby Road, BOTTERI'S SPARROW was singing near the entrance to Ruby and BOTTERI'S and RUFOUS-WINGED were singing between mileposts 5 and 6 on the blacktop section, a regular location.

BOTTERI'S and CASSIN'S SPARROWS were still singing along the Patagonia Lake State Park entrance road at 9:45am.

Even though it was 10:00am and already very warm by the time we started out on the trail, it didn't take long to hear and get a fleeting glimpse of a gnatcatcher in the fourth wash. However, that was just the beginning not the end and we had to work for two hours in very unpleasant conditions before finally catching up with a male BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER. The bird was at the base of the hillside between the 4th and 5th (Nutting's) wash, vocalizing strongly for about 5 minutes and apparently foraging alone. Of course, we had already doubled back and checked the 2nd and 3rd washes before we relocated the bird. It was now midday and very hot and I was never happier to hear the bird.

We stumbled into about 40 species while looking for the gnatcatcher including OSPREY, NORTHERN BEARDLESS TYRANNULET, GRAY FLYCATCHER and LUCY'S WARBLER. Following an unsuccessful search for NEOTROPIC CORMORANT a few days ago, a single bird was out on the lake with a continuing DOUBLE-CRESTED today.

All in all, a very successful albeit long morning (we left Sierra Vista at 3:30am and returned at 1:30pm).

Monday, August 30, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
First of two days with Steven Bullock and Gloria from North Carolina. We'll be looking only for photo opportunities and not any particular target species. Steve uses a fairly heavy 600mm lens so today I selected Kino Springs as a level, open and compact location with easy access (and, hopefully, a few birds!). I certainly wouldn't want to lug the equipment around very far. With a Canon 10D camera (1.6X, same as I use) and 1.4X converter, the effective lens size is 1344mm, a little over twice the 640mm that I use. Consequently, Steve was able to get many shots from distance that I could never hope to shoot. Nevertheless, I managed a few images on the day. Although we didn't try to dig out every possible species and just stumbled into whatever came along, I recorded over 60 species birding only at the two ponds.

The highlight (for me) was my first August record for GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE in SE AZ. The bird was in the scrubby area at the east end of the first pond, a regular wintering location for this species. Also of note was a flock of mostly female YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS at the second pond, only my second record at Kino in 268 visits over 11 years. I was also amazed to find that a lone BANK SWALLOW was only my second record here. I guess I need to get out more.

The vegetation around the second pond continues to be very birdy. Several families of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS were easy to see, including one with very tiny young that must have hatched very recently. TROPICAL KINGBIRDS were vocal and visible before the day warmed (very warm by the time we left approaching 11:00am). GRAY HAWKS put in a couple of appearances and I managed one not so great flight shot of a distant bird, a photo first for me otherwise it wouldn't have made the cut. I was more pleased with this YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO image because it was obscured by foliage and I had to use manual focus. This is something that I am rarely able to do when working because it's so time consuming.

Migrants included BELTED KINGFISHER, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, lots of swallows, a smattering of warblers, many LAZULI BUNTINGS and WESTERN TANAGER.

Even allowing for the time of day, the second pond was far less birdy. A bill clapping GREATER ROADRUNNER, a calling CRISSAL THRASHER and a singing RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW were the highlights here. I photographed this immature female VERMILION FLYCATCHER that appeared to have bitten off a little more than it could chew! Vermilions were present in all plumages.

64 species recorded at Kino Springs:
Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, Gray Hawk, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Greater Roadrunner, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebe, Willow & Vermilion Flycatchers, Tropical & Cassin's Kingbirds, Tree, Violet-green, Bank, Cliff & Barn Swallows, Phainopepla, Bewick's Wren, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, European Starling, Bell's & Warbling Vireos, Yellow, MacGillivray's & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Summer & Western Tanagers, Green-tailed & Abert's Towhees, Cassin's, Rufous-winged, Chipping, Lark & Song Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Lazuli Bunting, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bullock's Oriole, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Even though it was extremely warm by the time we reached Marion Paton's yard, many individuals of five species of hummingbirds were swarming all over like bees. Several VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRDS were in constant sight.

Tuesday, August 31, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Steven and Gloria looking for more photo opportunities. We spent from 6:00am to 1:00pm birding between Reef and Ramsey Vista in Carr Canyon. It was very warm by 8:00am even at high elevation and the birding was slow (extremely slow at times). We had to work hard for most of the birds that we found. Although photo ops were few and far between, I think Steven probably managed to shoot 15 of the 40 species that we turned up.

GREATER PEWEE and BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS are getting thin on the ground but we managed to find one pewee and a couple of flycatchers, both photographed. Warblers were also hard to come by but we eventually turned up at least one each of the expected species including one pristinely plumaged HERMIT WARBLER and a singing OLIVE WARBLER.

As I tried to attract dicky birds, a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL responded in an unexpected location. The owl flew in quite close and called for a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, this wasn't quite long enough and the bird flew off before we could track it down. A fly-by PEREGRINE FALCON was a first for me in upper Carr Canyon.

40 species recorded in Carr Canyon:
Turkey Vulture, Peregrine Falcon, Band-tailed Pigeon, Greater Roadrunner, N. Pygmy-Owl, Acorn, Hairy & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Common Raven, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireos, Olive, Virginia's, Black-throated Gray, Hermit, Grace's & Wilson's Warblers, Painted Redstart, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted Towhee, Yellow-eyed Junco and Lesser Goldfinch.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Tuesday, August 31, 2004.

Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - August, 2004 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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