Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - February, 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 Friday, February 27, 2004.

Sunday, February 1, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out again today with Jim Kopitzke from Mesa, AZ. We duplicated yesterday's itinerary with visits to San Rafael Valley and Patagonia Lake State Park and I'm happy to report we had considerably more success. Fortunately, we didn't have to contend with cold and windy conditions again.

We began at the west end of San Rafael Valley at sunrise and for a while it seemed like a repeat of yesterday. It was chilly and cloudy and very little was stirring. However, we soon had several sun breaks and by 8:00am the clouds dispersed and it became a sunny and warm day, more like spring than winter. After lots of fruitless scanning, success came at 7:50 am when I spotted a BAIRD'S SPARROW perched on a fence wire. We had the bird in the scope for about 30 seconds and managed to get decent and diagnostic views, although we could certainly have used a closer and longer look. 

When the sun finally broke through, I fully expected the bird to pop back up onto the fence again. Unfortunately, only SAVANNAH SPARROWS and a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW perched up to enjoy the warmth of the sunshine (as did we). We waited around for another hour without seeing any further activity, presumably all the birds were down in the grass feeding. However, after yesterday's miserable results, I'll definitely settle for "beggars can't be choosers" and take 30 seconds worth!.

CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS were quite active at the Vaca Ranch stock pond (we had to wait many hours for such activity yesterday). Most of the 100 or so birds that we saw were females in flight in several small flocks. Eventually, we had a decent scope look at a female perched on the fence to add to yesterday's view of a male. We also saw a distant WHITE-TAILED KITE from this location.

We arrived at Patagonia Lake at 11:00am to try again for Rufous-backed Robin and Gray Flycatcher, this time with success. We met lots of birders who reported having seen the robin. It took us about an hour to locate the bird (with the help of many others also tracking it) and we enjoyed great views of a very colorful RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN in the hackberries near the start of the second wash (next to the marsh trail). I've mentioned before that this individual is the most colorful that I've ever seen. Although the bird was some distance away (about the limit of the range of my lens for this size bird), I managed to get one record shot that wasn't quite in focus (damn twigs in the way). I should have used manual focus. 

Unlike yesterday, GRAY FLYCATCHERS were plentiful.

With these birds under our belt, we headed to the creek where it is definitely muddier than of late (wellies pretty much a necessity). We didn't find any of the rarities (trogon, waterthrush, winter wren), also the case for others that we talked to. Among the 42 species that we recorded at the lake were WILSON'S SNIPE, lots of WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS working over the east end of the lake (a species that I see here sporadically from February through May), numerous DUSKY FLYCATCHERS and SWAMP SPARROW. 

Monday, February 2, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
The day began with plenty of sunshine and the neighborhood WHITE-WINGED DOVES were singing as I headed out this morning (they have been singing for the past couple of weeks). I made short visits to the San Pedro river and Sierra Vista EOP (short because there were few birds).

A beautiful, albeit crisp morning on the river and the San Pedro House feeders had lots of customers consisting mostly of GAMBEL'S QUAIL, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, lots of LESSER GOLDFINCHES and a few PYRRHULOXIAS. As I walked the trail down to the pond, male and female HOUSE FINCHES posed nicely. Away from the feeders there was very little activity and the highlight from only 25 species recorded was this SORA, out in the open at the big pond. The more I use my new camera and lens, the more I'm impressed by its ability to produce useful hand-held results from distance and/or with small subjects. For example, a rectangle encompassing the actual body size of the Sora represents just 3.5% of the frame! (555 x 403 pixels of the 3072 x 2048 total image size). Also, bear in mind that I could produce better quality if I didn't compress the images to keep file size reasonable.

I was disappointed to see a couple of people blatantly ignoring the leash law. I've challenged one of them before and he quickly put his dog on the leash when he saw me. Obviously, he doesn't really give a shit (although, more than likely, his dog often does). Apparently, there isn't any enforcement. I'm not sure what I can do -- if anyone reading this has any ideas, let me know.

My first two GREATER ROADRUNNERS of the month were the only birds of note at Sierra Vista EOP. No blackbirds, no ducks. 

Tuesday, February 3, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Today was my birthday and last week I promised myself a trip to French Joe Canyon to look for a Rufous-capped present. A recent sighting of the warblers provided some encouragement to make the effort even though the weather was very discouraging. After the nice day yesterday, I was really surprised to see widespread clouds that threatened rain when I stepped outside at 7:00am this morning. Worse still, it was very windy.

I really had to bundle up for the walk up the canyon where it was a little cold and extremely windy, much more so than back in town. By mid morning a few sun breaks enticed me to change into shorts -- bad move. All this did was to bring on the snow and hail to add to the persistent high wind. Happy birthday to me! I finally bailed out from the upper spring area at noon when the snow and hail became heavier. I should have taken the day off to watch a bunch of soccer games that are threatening to fill up the hard drive on my digital recorder.

Apart from a couple of brief encounters with RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER, the trip was essentially a waste of my time and effort because the windy conditions ensured that routine data gathering was pretty much a washout. However, I guess it's days like this that contribute to overall average data being what it is. So, in that sense, the trip had value.

At 10:20am, at least one RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER was on the south (north facing) slope about 50 feet below the "big oak" that is 150 feet or so below the bottom of the pools. At 11:00am the same (or another) bird had moved up canyon and was on the south slope about midway along the pool section. The birds only briefly vocalized with a few chips (no song). Incidentally, although the pools are currently dry, there is standing water at the upper spring.

It was somewhat of an unusual day for me because almost every species that I detected was by sight, not sound. There was essentially zero chance of hearing a bird unless it was either very loud or very close. The most common bird was HERMIT THRUSH although sparrows and the like dominated the short list of birds that I managed to find. Listed in decreasing order of abundance they were BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, SPOTTED TOWHEE, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, CANYON TOWHEE and BLACK-THROATED SPARROW. Less common species for the canyon in winter were WESTERN BLUEBIRD and TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE. 

I recorded only 21 species in the canyon from 7:50am-1:10pm (gate to gate):
Mourning Dove, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Western Scrub-Jay, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, White-breasted Nuthatch, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Rufous-capped Warbler, White-crowned, Black-chinned, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees and N. Cardinal.

Wednesday, February 4, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Matt Victoria from Camillus, NY. By normal standards today would have been a very poor day, however, this was far from a normal day. If I were as good a bird guide as the weather forecasters on the Tucson TV stations are at their jobs, I'd be outside a supermarket on Fry Blvd. with a tin cup and a sign saying "will work for birds". What a diabolical day. We saw it all -- heavy clouds, a little rain, driving snow, high winds and even a little sunshine. Under the circumstances, I think we did reasonably well to find 7 target birds from a total of 80 species seen.

We began at Patagonia Lake State Park where the sky was heavy with clouds and it was on the chilly side. Little did we know that this was the best weather we would see all day. We saw very little activity in the almost four hours that we were there and I think we would have been better off coming later -- activity was picking up as we left at 11:15am. We spent time looking unsuccessfully for the Rufous-backed Robin and Elegant Trogon and our only target bird successes were GRAY & DUSKY FLYCATCHERS. Continuing rarities seen were GREATER SCAUP (east end of lake), EASTERN PHOEBE (mesquite bosque near third wash) and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH on the north side of Sonoita Creek just upstream from the north/south creek fork. After first hearing the bird, it followed its regular pattern by flying high up into a tree and doing its tail bobbing and weaving thing. 

Back at the vehicle, a male PYRRHULOXIA was singing loudly watched by a female CARDINAL perched just two feet away in the same mesquite. I snapped several shots only to discover that I didn't have a memory card in the camera! (The camera can be set to prevent this).

Snow along Hwy 82 east of Sonoita was a sign of things to come and there was already 1/2 inch on the ground when we reached Sawmill Canyon. It was also windy here and we searched in vain for woodpeckers and sapsuckers. We trudged around in the snow and wind and did have some success in the form of several OLIVE WARBLERS including adult and sub-adult males, a couple of STELLER'S JAYS and a handful of YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS -- good looks at all species.

As we started up Scheelite Canyon, I thought that the weather was improving -- wrong -- very soon it was snowing like crazy! In the winter months, especially when there's snow on the ground, the owls regularly move down canyon and today I was hoping to find a bird in the "3/8 Oak" -- a regular location under such conditions (see my spotted owl data for more info). Fortunately, that was the case and saved us having to go higher up the canyon which would have been dangerous. As soon as we reached the 3/8 Oak, Matt spotted a SPOTTED OWL roosting in regular spot (puns intended). Even better, an ARIZONA WOODPECKER called nearby and we diverted our attention for a few minutes to track it down before returning to the owl. An irregular-in-Scheelite CRISSAL THRASHER was calling from the east slope -- no chance to see it.

We finished the day at Sierra Vista EOP with an unsuccessful search for Prairie Falcon. Here we encountered the the coldest conditions of the day on the viewing platform where there was zero protection from a bitterly cold wind. I was pleased to see that one of the reworked areas is being filled with water again. (The marsh was burned in December and the area was recently ploughed over, still completely dry as of two days ago). The birds have quickly discovered the shallow pond and 2 SNOW GEESE, 3 ROSS'S GEESE and 1 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE were a nice consolation. These are birds that have been around for a while but cannot normally be seen on the interior ponds.

Day list (80 species recorded):
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Greater White-fronted, Snow & Ross's Geese, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, N. Harrier, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Wilson's Snipe, Killdeer, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Spotted Owl, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray & Dusky Flycatchers, Eastern, Say's & Black Phoebes, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Hermit Thrush, Crissal Thrasher, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Cactus, Canyon, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Olive & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, Song, Lincoln's, Savannah & Chipping Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle and Brewer's Blackbird.  

Thursday, February 5, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Today was better weather day, albeit still windy and cold. I did a little casual birding at St. David Monastery and Sierra Vista EOP.

Conditions at the Monastery were sunny and breezy from 10:00-11:30am and I found 30 species during this period. Nothing of real note, just regular stuff including the "resident" WOOD DUCK, a.k.a. "broken wing", GREEN HERON (uncommon here), COOPER'S HAWK, GREATER ROADRUNNER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, ABERT'S TOWHEE and WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

It was blowing a gale and very cold at Sierra Vista EOP when I arrived there at noon. I saw all three goose species that I reported yesterday plus PEREGRINE FALCON and 20 or so common species.

Friday, February 6, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out today with Bill Lindley from London, Ontario who I've birded with on three previous occasions. We have two days scheduled for two target birds -- Ruddy Ground-Dove and Rufous-backed Robin. Bill arrived in Phoenix yesterday afternoon and he used the information that I had given him to find the Red Rock RUDDY GROUND-DOVES -- 4 birds on Hollis Road about 5:20pm after about 1 hour and 15 minutes of searching. 

The day began with a nippy 22 degrees under clear skies in Sierra Vista and I had to do some serious ice scraping before I could meet Bill in town.  Today was a much better day -- sunny all day, in the mid 50s with far less wind. We arrived at Patagonia Lake State Park at 7:50am and from 8:25-8:50am we had excellent looks at the RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN. The bird was on the south side of the creek trail about 100 yards or so further upstream from where it spent much of its time during January. It was close to where my Wednesday client, Matt Victoria, saw the bird yesterday. 

As we watched the bird, I thought back to sighting a month or so ago when the robin faced us the whole time and would not show its back! Today was just the opposite as it sat enjoying the warmth of the early morning sun on its back. I learned from my mistake of February 1 and used manual focus to ensure that I got a good shot through the twigs. The only other rarity that we noted from 30 species seen in a short visit to the lake was GREATER SCAUP.

Now we had a problem that everybody can handle -- both target birds seen and two days ahead of us. For the rest of the day we just bummed a loop around the Santa Ritas with visits to Amado Sewage Pond, the old Pima County Maintenance Yard in Green Valley, Santa Rita Lodge, Box Canyon Road, Paton's Yard and Las Cienegas. Selected species from the rest of the day:

BLACK VULTURES still roosting as we passed through Nogales.
 
Many CANVASBACKS, VERMILION FLYCATCHER and a few TREE and NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS at Amado Sewage Pond. Spring is just around the corner.

Several brief looks at MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD and great looks at ARIZONA WOODPECKER at Santa Rita Lodge.

ROCK WREN on Box Canyon Road.

SAGE THRASHER at Las Cienegas where Matt Victoria saw the bird yesterday (0.3 mile from highway 82 on west side of road).

Day list (69 species recorded):
Neotropic Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Black & Turkey Vultures, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Magnificent & Anna's Hummingbirds, Acorn, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray & Vermilion Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Rufous-backed Robin, N. Mockingbird, Sage Thrasher, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Cactus, Rock, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Tree & N. Rough-winged Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Dark-eyed Junco, Song, White-crowned, Chipping, Vesper & Lark Sparrows, Abert's Towhee, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks and Great-tailed Grackle.

Saturday, February 7, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out again today with Bill. We spent the day in the southern half of Sulphur Springs Valley without any particular agenda. After a clear and cold start it was a calm day with thin, high clouds. We saw temperatures ranging from 23 degrees on Coffman at 7:30am to 60 degrees in the Granites in the early afternoon.

Highlights of the day were thrashers and raptors (including three PRAIRIE FLACONS, PEREGRINE FALCON and GOLDEN EAGLE), three GREAT HORNED OWLS and a JUNIPER TITMOUSE. We missed LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS seen by others at the Pecan grove on Frontier, south of Davis. RED-TAILED HAWKS and LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES were both very common. The most amazing bird for me today was one that we didn't see. In all the miles that we covered, not a single BREWER'S SPARROW was seen. In fact, sparrow numbers were down considerably from a "normal" year and we only saw a few small flocks of LARK BUNTINGS.

We started out cruising for thrashers on Coffman--Lee--Central and found plenty of CURVE-BILLED THRASHERS (common everywhere that we went today), a pair of CRISSAL THRASHERS and a BENDIRE'S THRASHER catching the early morning sun. The latter two species were on Central between Lee and Grant's. Later in the morning we found another BENDIRE'S singing at Central and Noble.

Next, we spent a couple of hours at Whitewater Draw where the shallow water was frozen in many places. This GREAT HORNED OWL was sitting in the "sideless barn" structure (occasional here); another owl was in the more regular willow grove location. Continuing shorebirds were the flock of ~30 LEAST SANDPIPERS, a handful of LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS & 2 DUNLIN. Other species included two pairs of CINNAMON TEAL, a small group of SCALED QUAIL, scads of SANDHILL CRANES, GREATER ROADRUNNER, several male VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, 2 SWAMP SPARROWS and ABERT'S TOWHEE. The latter two are worth a mention. Swamp Sparrows are scarce in SE AZ in winter and WWD now seems to host them annually. Abert's  Towhee was absent here until a few years ago and now seems to be established, albeit in small numbers.

The fields at Davis and Central had a couple of FERRUGINOUS HAWKS and the first PRAIRIE FALCON of the day was in the field on Central opposite Noble. Two more falcons were on Jefferson as we drove to the Granites. This PRAIRIE FALCON was still on Jefferson when we returned.  

The Granites (end of Jefferson, about 8 miles from Elfrida) were a little quieter than I had hoped and it was also quite warm here with direct sun and rocks. However, a couple of interesting birds were WESTERN SCREECH-OWL and JUNIPER TITMOUSE, both of which I've seen here before. Although the owl likely breeds here, the titmouse is probably just a winter visitor. Common species here and on the approach roads were CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, CACTUS WREN, BLACK-THROATED SPARROW and CANYON TOWHEE. I regularly find Black-chinned Sparrows here in winter, but not today. The hackberry trees near the "campground" were frequented by the thrashers and NORTHERN CARDINAL. Other species included WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, COMMON RAVEN and ROCK, CANYON & BEWICK'S WRENS. 

A regular roost location on Mormon Road produced our third GREAT HORNED OWL of the day. On Rucker Canyon Road we enjoyed numerous soaring FERRUGINOUS HAWKS and a soaring GOLDEN EAGLE. The immature Golden had so much white in the tail that I initially mistook it for a Bald until Bill set me straight! I should have noticed the white areas in the wings.

We wound down the day cruising unsuccessfully for Brewer's Sparrow. However, this terrific PEREGRINE FALCON on Moore Road was perhaps a better bird (gee, you think).

This was an unusual work day for me in that we were not looking for anything in particular. Consequently, I was able to spend time at places where I might only make a fleeting visit (or not at all) on a normal day. Most enjoyable.

Day list (71 species recorded):
Ruddy Duck, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Lesser Scaup, N. Harrier, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagle, Am. Kestrel, Prairie & Peregrine Falcons, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Sandhill Crane, Long-billed Dowitcher, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Killdeer. Rock Pigeon, Mourning & Inca Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Western Screech-Owl, Great Horned Owl, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Say's & Black Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Western Scrub-Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Loggerhead Shrike, N. Mockingbird, Bendire's, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, European Starling, Cactus, Rock, Canyon, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Juniper Titmouse, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Lark Bunting, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned, Savannah, Vesper & Black-throated Sparrows, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Great-tailed Grackle and Brewer's Blackbird.

Monday, February 9, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Although the overnight low was in the low 20s again, by the time that I visited Sierra Vista EOP in mid afternoon it was sunny, warm and very calm. Passerine activity was minimal until after 4:00pm.

The lone GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE and adult and juvenile SNOW GEESE continue at the north end of the pond immediately east of the viewing platform. I didn't see the three Ross's Geese but they could  easily have been on one of the interior ponds.

Raptors were much in evidence, especially NORTHERN HARRIERS -- male, female and immature birds were all hunting over the marshes. Also present were a few RED-TAILED HAWKS and AMERICAN KESTRELS. Ironically, after being absent when I needed it a few days ago, the PRAIRIE FALCON was back on its regular pole today.

Other species included two pairs of CINNAMON TEAL, many GREEN-WINGED TEAL and NORTHERN PINTAILS, a female VERMILION FLYCATCHER (another couple of weeks and they'll be abundant again),  a good sized flock of HORNED LARKS, a few AMERICAN PIPITS and lots of YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

27 species recorded at SVEOP from 2:30-5:00pm:
Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Say's & Black Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Verdin, Horned Lark, Am. Pipit, Song & Savannah Sparrows and Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds.

Tuesday, February 10, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I made a routine visit to Sawmill Canyon. I delayed my arrival to allow the canyon to warm up and it was sunny and mild when I got started at 9:00am. Initially the canyon was completely calm, becoming breezy by mid morning. As usual at this time of year, the puddles on upper Garden Canyon road were frozen and the road had icy patches in the shady areas, especially near the pictograph site.

I couldn't buy a woodpecker on my last visit in the snow and wind -- today I found at least six ARIZONA WOODPECKERS but still no sapsuckers. I also found a surprise HAIRY WOODPECKER, a species that is now quite scarce here. They are fairly common at higher elevation and I assume that the recent bad weather caused some movement down the mountain. In checking my records, I found that Hairy Woodpecker was common in Sawmill in 1994 after which I had only a few sightings in 1996, 1997, and 1998; and one sighting in 1999.  Today's bird was my first here since 1999. 

OLIVE WARBLER was quite vocal today and I detected at least four birds, one of which was an adult male. Continuing a trend for the past few visits, LESSER GOLDFINCHES were very common. I'm not sure what they are doing in the canyon at this time of year because in the past 10 years I have only seen them here in fall. Other than that it was pretty standard fare for February (i.e. not much!). I recorded 14 species including BROWN CREEPER, HERMIT THRUSH, lots of YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS. 

Back in Garden Canyon at the middle picnic area I finally tracked down my first RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER of the month. CHIPPING SPARROWS and BUSHTITS were common.

Wednesday, February 11, 2004     Previous Day    Next Day  
First of two days with Susan Lowmiller and Susan Sherwood from Columbus, OH. Today was an absolutely beautiful weather day -- after the usual cold start under cloudless skies the day warmed into the 60s. The birding was pretty good too. We visited Patagonia Lake, Amado Sewage Pond, Madera Canyon and Paton's Yard.

After a few less productive than usual trips in recent days, Patagonia Lake State Park was very birdy today. We started by scanning the west end of the lake where the day began well with COMMON GOLDENEYE, BALD EAGLE and about 20 common species. A bunch of YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were nice to see, they are uncommon here. 

We then birded along the marsh trail, the creek trail as far as the "robin spot", and finished by checking the east end of the lake. The highlight of the entire day was finding the very cooperative ELEGANT TROGON. Actually, the bird found us along Sonoita Creek about 100 yards downstream from where the robin is currently being seen. At one point I was about 8 feet from the bird and it flew towards and past me just a couple of feet from my head. I followed the bird around for a bit and became frustrated because it always seemed to perch with twigs in the way or in the shade. However, I did manage a few decent shots -- perched, front view; almost on the ground, side view; perched, rear view showing why it was previously called "Coppery-tailed Trogon" (although females usually have a more coppery colored tail). 

Soon after leaving the trogon I heard the flight call of the RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN and we tried to sneak up to the hackberry where the bird was. Unfortunately, the robin flew off and we only got a flight view. The two Susans didn't want to spend more time on it so we didn't! Location was about 50 yards upstream from where the trail makes a hard right

Other species today included WESTERN GREBE, 20+ NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, the continuing GREATER SCAUP, singing WHITE-WINGED DOVES, lots of WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS, the usual GRAY FLYCATCHERS, a few migrant TREE SWALLOWS and several SWAMP SPARROWS.

Amado Sewage Pond has had lots of birds recently so a lone SHOVELER represented quite a disappointment. One lousy duck and no landbirds!

A stop along Continental Road to look at male and female PHAINOPEPLAS also produced a scope look at RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW with just a modicum of effort -- we even saw the rufous wing which is not always the case.

Santa Rita Lodge was active with people as well as birds. Thankfully, it was also productive and in addition to the normal sky rats (MEXICAN JAYS) and ACORN WOODPECKERS we had great looks at ARIZONA WOODPECKER, a magnificent MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD and a very cooperative PAINTED REDSTART. Cooperative on two counts -- first, the bird called to lead us to its location just down canyon from the lodge and second, the bird was uncharacteristically sedate, at least initially until I tried to take a photo!

We finished the day in the Paton's yard where we immediately saw male and female LAZULI BUNTINGS. Marion Paton told us that a Violet-crowned Hummingbird has been back for two days, however, we only saw a gorgeous looking ANNA'S during our brief stay. She also told us that it was 17 degrees in the yard this morning!

Day list (75 species recorded):
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Rock Pigeon, Mourning & White-winged Doves, White-throated Swift, Magnificent & Anna's Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon. Acorn, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray Flycatcher, Say's & Black Phoebes, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Phainopepla, Hermit Thrush, Rufous-backed Robin, N. Mockingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Tree Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Painted Redstart, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed & Pink-sided) Juncos, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned, Chipping & Rufous-winged Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackle.

Thursday, February 12, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with the two Susans. We spent the day in Sulphur Springs Valley where the weather was essentially a repeat of yesterday, nippy to start and warm from mid morning onwards. With the exception of a couple of late morning hours at Whitewater Draw, we spent the rest of the time cruising around for thrashers, raptors and whatever we could find.

Whitewater Draw was a little quiet but still produced 35 species. The highlight came as were getting ready to leave a little before midday when a large flock of SANDHILL CRANES, SNOW GEESE and ROSS'S GEESE took to the sky and eventually flew over the parking area. Earlier we had seen 7 SNOW and 1 ROSS'S, however, by the time the midday flight occurred there were 70+ white geese, mix unknown.  The 5 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 20+LEAST SANDPIPERS and 2 DUNLIN all continue. Other stuff included two pairs of CINNAMON TEAL, a MERLIN that had devoured a MOURNING DOVE at the side of the road near the HQ building, a very tolerant GREAT HORNED OWL roosting in the "barn", gawked at by countless visitors (including us!), 2 VERMILION FLYCATCHERS and a lone TREE SWALLOW.

Our early morning thrasher efforts yielded a BENDIRE'S THRASHER on Coffman and 2 CRISSAL THRASHERS on Lee. Around noon, another CRISSAL THRASHER was on Grant's with a tag along SAGE THRASHER. Lee Road also produced 2 SAGE SPARROWS.

FERRUGINOUS HAWKS were very common in the Essary Hay fields viewed from Rucker Canyon Road in the early afternoon. Most were soaring with perhaps 6 on the ground. GOLDEN and BALD EAGLES were also in the air here. LARK BUNTINGS were along the roadside. We finally tracked down a PRAIRIE FALCON on nearby Courtland Road. 

At the the Pecan grove on Frontier Road just south of Davis, 30 minutes of effort produced a few fleeting glimpses of a LEWIS'S WOODPECKER. The bird was working an area from 5-9 rows from the southern edge of the grove. However, it was deep into the grove (a fair distance in from Frontier Road) and hard to detect. We saw it only as it flew between the rows, never perched. 

Day list (60 species recorded):
Pied-billed Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Snow & Ross's Geese, Green-winged & Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagle, Am. Kestrel, Merlin, Prairie Falcon, Am. Coot, Sandhill Crane, Long-billed Dowitcher, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Killdeer, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Great Horned Owl, Lewis's & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Say's & Black Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Sage, Bendire's, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, European Starling, Cactus & Marsh Wrens, Verdin, Tree Swallow, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Lark Bunting, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah, Black-throated & Sage Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Great-tailed Grackle and Brewer's Blackbird.

Saturday, February 14, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with George and Maurice Harton from Glenn Dale, MD who I've birded with once before. We birded at Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs, Patagonia Roadside Rest Area and Paton's yard. It was more of the same weather wise -- clear blue sky, chilly to start and a warm afternoon.

While waiting for George and Maurice in Sonoita, I noted a group of EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES on the wires and poles north of the antenna tower (north east section of the 82/83 intersection). Sonoita is one of the places where this species has become established in Arizona and today's count of 13 birds (probably more) was the highest that I have seen at this location.

A check of the west end of the Patagonia Lake produced the continuing male COMMON GOLDENEYE and a few YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

The low water level has kept rail numbers down this year and a calling VIRGINIA RAIL was my first here since November. SWAMP SPARROWS were particularly common today and I noted between 8 and 10 birds. Most were in the marsh near where Sonoita Creek enters the lake.

Our main focus was on the wintering Elegant Trogon. Unfortunately, after great success just a few days ago, we struck out completely. There are a number of rarities currently at the lake either in absolute terms, season and/or range, and it seems that I can never see them all in the same day -- today's sightings were GREATER SCAUP, EASTERN PHOEBE, BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH. While tracking the very vocal and elusive waterthrush (in the area where Sonoita Creek forks), an adult BALD EAGLE soared overhead.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the gnatcatcher after many visits without seeing the bird (nor reports of sightings by others). The bird was on the hillside near the creek trail in the area where the Rufous-backed Robin is currently being seen. I had recently surmised that the gnatcatchers had changed their habits or disappeared entirely. Of course, there's no way to know if this bird was one of the original pair or one of their offspring. There's also no way to know if others have been seeing the bird(s) without reporting in January and February, hence my RFI on the AZ/NM list. If others have been seeing the bird on a regular basis, it means that all of a sudden I lost my ability to find the bird. I last saw a gnatcatcher on December 31 and heard one on January 5, then 11 consecutive misses until today. Before that I had over 40 (mostly consecutive) sightings since the bird first showed up in October 2002. Disconcerting to say the least. However, I really don't think that I've lost my mojo, I believe that the birds have changed their habits or that today's bird was not one from the original pair.

We spent an hour working the sewage and main ponds at Kino Springs. Although we quickly found our target VERMILION FLYCATCHER at the sewage pond, it was one of those blotchy and weakly colored immature males. Later we found a stunning adult male working from the club house pines. Work continues at the main pond and there's now a fair amount of water in it after being almost complete drained. Many AMERICAN WIGEON were present along with BELTED KINGFISHER and a lone NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW. The sewage pond held mostly RING-NECKED DUCKS and a lone SORA.

The Paton's Yard produced 3+ LAZULI BUNTINGS and little else in the early afternoon.

Day list (67 species recorded):
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Neotropic & Double-crested Cormorants, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Am. Kestrel, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray, Dusky & Vermilion Flycatchers, Eastern, Say's & Black Phoebes, Hutton's Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rock, Canyon, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, N. Rough-winged Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Am. Pipit, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned, Chipping & Lark Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackle.

Monday, February 16, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out today with Bill Drummond and 8 participants of his Brookline Bird Club tour group from MA. Another super "winter" day in SE AZ. We birded in Sulphur Springs Valley, Scheelite Canyon and at Ash Canyon B&B.

We started with a search for thrashers on Coffman Road as SANDHILL CRANES streamed out of Whitewater Draw. After a couple of strike outs at my first two stops for Bendire's, we struck gold on Central Highway with BENDIRE'S, CURVE-BILLED and CRISSAL THRASHERS all seen well at the same location. In the same general area we saw GREATER ROADRUNNER and a couple of flocks of SCALED QUAIL.

We journeyed north on Hwy 191 seeing lots of LARK BUNTINGS and amazingly, my first BREWER'S SPARROW of the month (and just one bird at that!). During a short stop in Elfrida, a WHITE-WINGED DOVE was singing away in the morning sunshine.

As usual, a stop on Rucker Canyon Road produced good looks at numerous FERRUGINOUS HAWKS on the ground, on poles and in flight. LARK BUNTINGS were abundant here. We found a PRAIRIE FALCON just across Central Highway on Courtland Road, almost in the same spot as as few days ago. 

After a brief stop at Sierra Vista EOP where all three species of geese were conspicuous by their absence, we headed into the Huachucas to look for Spotted Owl. Four vehicles were parked at Scheelite Canyon trailhead and as we started up the canyon we met one party who had failed to find an owl. Unfazed, we plodded on. Even though the weather was mild and sunny, I was hoping that I would again find an owl in the 3/8 oak as on my last trip in the snow. This is the lowest reliable winter roost location. As we stopped to check out the tree, one of the group soon located this couldn't care less SPOTTED OWL roosting in a regular spot. This shot was taken from about 50 feet away and is my first published Spotted Owl photo taken with the Canon 10D (had to use ISO 400 because of poor light)

All other parties in the canyon had missed the bird and continued on -- god knows how far up canyon they went. Fortunately (for them), I heard one group of three just as we started back down canyon and I went back to get them on the owl. Perhaps they were able to return the favor to others, I'll never know. Nothing else of note in the canyon, just a singing. HUTTON'S VIREO, a band of BUSHTITS and a few other regulars.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon at Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast in the Huachucas; thanks to Mary Jo for her hospitality. Although the hoped for Arizona Woodpecker didn't grace us with its presence, we were continually entertained by lots of birds. ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS were very common and there was always one in sight. MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD was a little more reticent, although we did eventually see the bird well. Neither of the overwintering Broad-tailed Hummingbirds made an appearance from 2:30-4:15pm. MEXICAN JAYS, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and HOUSE FINCHES were omnipresent at the feeders. LESSER GOLDFINCHES seemed surprisingly few and far between. This male LADDER BACKED WOODPECKER didn't seem to have any trouble figuring out how to get to the suet in the inner cage. Several females were also present along with a few ACORN WOODPECKERS.

Other birds from a total of 25 species that came in to the feeders included HERMIT THRUSH, BUSHTIT, DARK-EYED (GRAY-HEADED) JUNCO, CANYON & SPOTTED TOWHEES and PYRRHULOXIA.

Thursday, February 19, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
I scheduled a ten day trip to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas for this time period. Unfortunately, a couple of days ago as I was due to leave, I had to cancel the trip due to a last minute problem and I've spent the past two days at home feeling very disappointed. Those days were the warmest days of the year so far, running about 10 degrees above average. In fact, both days set records in Tucson at 83 and 85 degrees. Today was about 20 degrees cooler and a little windy. I did some fairly dull and less than inspiring birding on the San Pedro and at Sierra Vista EOP.

A large (bird banding) group was at the San Pedro House when I arrived this morning so I kissed off birding there and headed out on the trail. I stayed away from the river proper and worked the big pond followed by the mesquite and grassy areas to the west. Highlights were a couple of singing CRISSAL THRASHERS, many BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS and several GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES. 

Of note was a flock of 30+ WESTERN MEADOWLARKS, not a common bird at this location. ABERT'S TOWHEES were very common and easy to see. WHITE-WINGED DOVES were singing.

SPRNCA (28 species recorded):
Mallard, N. Shoveler, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Bewick's Wren, Crissal Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Chihuahuan Raven, Green-tailed, Canyon, & Abert's Towhees, Chipping, Vesper, Black-throated, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

At Sierra Vista EOP, the two ponds east of the viewing platform now have water and it's a pleasure to bird there again. It's a pity that this will be a short lived event until the marsh grows back again after the recent renewal work. Most of the birds that I saw were in the southernmost pond and viewing conditions looking into the sun probably caused me to miss a few species. Highlights were 2 SNOW GEESE, 1 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (no sign of the Ross's Geese) and a male BUFFLEHEAD, always a pleasure to see 

Sierra Vista EOP (21 species recorded):
Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Coot, Black & Say's Phoebes, Am. Pipit, Verdin, Chihuahuan Raven, Savannah Sparrow and Yellow-headed Blackbird.

Friday, February 20, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Recently I ordered a "measuring wheel" to help me accurately document the trail and roost sites in Scheelite Canyon. Today I spent a number of hours in the canyon and christened the wheel. It was a good day for such endeavors -- cloudy and quite cool. I also re-marked the first five of Smitty's original mileage markers (1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 and 5/8), something that I've been meaning to do for a while. In a few weeks I hope to add to the Spotted Owl data that I started to publish at the beginning of the year. I'm planning the initial release of the trail log (covering the lower canyon and the lower roosting area) and I'll also publish a detailed map of the lower roosting area showing all the roost sites that I'm aware of.

With regard to my Spotted Owl data, I'm looking for a web site where I can park a duplicate copy of the information. Obviously, if I suddenly kick the bucket, it won't take long for my web host to remove my site when the bill doesn't get paid. When Smitty passed away, I inherited 15 years worth of notebooks. Even if I had the time to go through them, it would take an eternity to get the data computerized. I can't even farm it out because nobody else would be able to interpret the data! Essentially, his data is lost to mankind unless I suddenly get a lot of free time.

I don't want this to happen to my data, hence the idea of a duplicate web site. I'm looking for a commercial site or a university site, not a personal web site -- longevity is the keyword. If anyone has the capability and the inclination to get involved please contact me. Since there'll be some technical and logistical details to work out, the sooner I get started the better.

Although I wasn't specifically looking for owls today, I did find two SPOTTED OWLS roosting about 35 feet apart. Earlier this month, on February 4 when I was with Matt Victoria, and again on February 16 with the Brookline Bird Club, a single owl was roosting in the 3/8 Oak. This is a hard tree for the casual birder to spot an owl -- you have to know the location and look carefully. Today the birds were further up canyon in the 5/8 mile area. One was hard to see in the McMoran Tree, the other was easy to see in the "First of the Last Three Oaks", a roost site that I haven't documented yet. However, this tree is annotated in the photo of the McMoran tree.

Although the canyon was way too gloomy for me to photograph the McMoran tree bird, I was able to get useful shots of the second owl by cranking up the sensitivity. (The first owl was in the location shown in photo #3 of the McMoran tree documentation). The following two images really don't convey how dark it was in the lower roosting area with no sun. Both these shots were taken with the Canon 100-400mm Image Stabilized lens -- focal lengths in parentheses are digital equivalents using the Canon 10D camera. As you'll see by the shutter speed, I would have got nothing without image stabilization.

Photo #1  Focal length 200 (320); ISO 400 1/45s f4.5
Photo #2  Focal length 170 (270); ISO 800 1/45s f4.5

Here's a small context shot that shows where the owl was in the tree and how dark it really was.

There wasn't much else going on in the canyon and I recorded only 9 species. In order they were MEXICAN JAY, ARIZONA WOODPECKER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, BUSHTIT, CANYON WREN, SPOTTED OWL, SPOTTED TOWHEE and HERMIT THRUSH.

Monday, February 23, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
I like Mondays. Most folks don't but I do. Quite often when I'm not working I'll invoke my "stay at home on weekends" policy and I spent this past weekend planning my annual June escape from SE AZ. After such occasions, I look forward to Monday as a fresh day back in the field without the crowds. I had my week nicely planned out with a trip to Patagonia Lake today and a working trip there on Friday, with trips to French Joe, Scheelite and Sawmill Canyons sandwiched in between. Unfortunately, the weather messed things up today and could well do so for the rest of the week.

At 6:00am as I was getting ready to head out, the wind was blowing hard and rain was pouring down so I abandoned by plan to go to Patagonia Lake -- I'd rather have no data than wind impacted data. There was a break in the weather in mid morning so I took the opportunity to head over to Willcox, a place that I hadn't visited yet this month. Today was the last day of week 3 (as far as my data gathering is concerned) and I didn't want to miss out altogether because of the weather. The clouds cleared a little as I finally got underway at 9:30am and I could see fresh snow covering the Huachucas, probably as low as 6000 feet. Valley rain and mountain snow is forecast for later in the day as well as later in the week. Today I saw sun, wind, hail, rain and snow!

Willcox was cold and windy when I arrived but at least it was dry and I managed two hours of birding before the weather became a factor. The water level on the main pond is back to normal (i.e. the pond is almost full). Unfortunately, that hasn't translated into lots of waterfowl -- most of the few ducks that I saw were on the golf course pond. Sparrows remain conspicuous by their absence.

Highlights were a large flock (2500-3000) of SANDHILL CRANES filling the sky and 6 CLARK'S and 1 WESTERN GREBE on the main pond. I think the crane total in the Sulphur Springs Valley this year was over 30,000. 

When I first saw the grebes, all except the Western had their heads down and I almost passed them off as all Western's. In fact, I'm sure that all but the careful observer today would have done just that. None of the Clark's were classic "eye in the white" birds, however, the bill color on all of them was bright orange-yellow and the flanks were very pale. The contrast between the darker greenish-yellow bill and dark flanks of the nearby Western was very apparent. This goes to show that, in winter, eye in the black/white is not a good diagnostic character. Bill color is always a good character. The adult non breeding portrayal in Sibley (page 29) is pretty representative, although National Geographic third edition page 27 is a little better. I watched the birds interact a little and it was only when the Clark's lunged forward aggressively that the eye appeared to be isolated "in the white".

Vegetation near the big willow at the east end of the golf course pond is very sparse and I watched a SORA walking around in the open for quite a while. The AMERICAN WIGEON flock was too far away near one of the interior ponds so I wasn't able to check for the hybrid Eurasian Wigeon. I took the opportunity to photograph NORTHERN SHOVELER for the first time, quite surprising since this is such an abundant bird. Have you ever really looked at a Shoveler's bill? I certainly haven't and I was intrigued by these photos of male and female. There's quite a bit of intricacy to the bill (especially along the sides) and the field guides really don't do it justice.  

As the wind and rain arrived in Willcox I bailed out and cut across Sybil Road to St. David. Unfortunately, the weather beat me to the Monastery and I wasn't able to do any birding there. I decided to try and get in a few minutes at Sierra Vista EOP but again, the weather won the race. I drove through a tremendous (short lived) hailstorm near Tombstone.

25 species recorded at Willcox ponds:
Pied-billed, Western & Clark's Grebes, Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, Sandhill Crane, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Horned Lark, Marsh Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, Song & White-crowned Sparrows, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks and House Finch.

Tuesday, February 24, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Today I followed through with my plan to visit French Joe Canyon despite the less than ideal weather. Actually, I really didn't care much about the weather because the purpose of my trip was to do some trail measurements and I didn't do much birding. It was a mostly cloudy day and quite mild, about 45 degrees or so in the canyon. Given that it was mild enough for shorts when I headed out at 6:30am, it was weird that I had to scrape ice of my vehicle.

I spent about 6 hours in the canyon and recorded only 23 species. Whether that was because I wasn't really birding or that few birds were around I'm not sure, probably a combination of both. It was obvious that the brunt of yesterday's snowfall had bypassed the Whetstone Mountains and I saw very little snow on the ground -- none at all until 2.5 miles from highway 90 and very little in the upper area. I saw a few flakes a couple of times during the morning.

I detected at least one RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER singing briefly just up-canyon from the upper spring at 10:05am. The only other birds of note were a small flock of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS about mid canyon and a lone STELLER'S JAY near the parking area -- both are uncommon here. BLACK-CHINNED SPARROWS were less common than usual today. HERMIT THRUSHES continue abundant.

23 species recorded in French Joe Canyon:
Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Hutton's Vireo, Rufous-capped Warbler, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Black-chinned & Black-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed & Oregon) Junco, N. Cardinal, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

Wednesday, February 25, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
A break in the nasty weather today (apparently, two more storms are headed our way) and it was a sunny and calm day somewhere around 60 degrees. As planned, I headed into the Huachucas this morning, although I changed my destination canyon at the last moment, deciding to visit Carr instead of Sawmill.

Upper Carr Canyon road has plenty of snow in the shady spots so don't even think about going there in the next few days without 4WD. That's just what I did today but I didn't know until it was too late. I'd gone through a few easily passable snowy areas and eventually came across a long, straight and steep section where I started to lose traction. I pushed the 4WD button -- gulp, nada, nichts, nothing happened. Now I had a real problem because I was in an area with a sharp drop off -- those of you who know the road will know what I mean. I was forced to go back downhill in reverse for several hundred feet, on and off the brake, moving a foot or so each time. I felt the vehicle sliding several times and I don't mind admitting that I was shit scared. Good thing that I had a change of underwear with me. Seriously, I don't think that I've ever been as scared in a vehicle. I tried the 4WD button many times and it was such a relief when it miraculously worked because I still had a long way to back up. At this point, any sensible person would have got the hell out of there. Not me, I continued on to Reef Campground! 

Enjoying the views and solitude were the main reasons that I went to Carr -- and I didn't get either. The San Pedro Valley was filled with a yucky cloud of haze or smoke and the views were awful. Middle Carr canyon road was full of fire trucks working on a prescribed burn, although I don't think that alone was responsible for the poor viewing conditions. So far so good.

At Reef Campground I was hoping to find some woodpeckers -- no chance. All I could hear was the sound of snow melting off the trees (about 1-3 inches of snow on the ground, depending on location). OLIVE WARBLER was the only bird of note at the campground. BUSHTITS were common at all levels of the canyon. HUTTON'S VIREOS were in full voice in several locations. 

18 species recorded in Carr Canyon (mostly down below):
Curve-billed Thrasher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Olive Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern Meadowlark, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Back on terra firma I made a midday visit to Sierra Vista EOP. An hour spent there was quite pleasant (certainly not life threatening) and produced 24 species. Highlights were the continuing geese -- 2 SNOW and 1 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED, male CINNAMON TEAL, male and female REDHEADS (my first of the year so I guess that I need to get out more) and a VIRGINIA RAIL walking around in the open.

24 species recorded at Sierra Vista EOP:
Greater White-fronted & Snow Geese, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked & Ruddy Ducks, Red-tailed Hawk, Virginia Rail, Am. Coot, Greater Roadrunner, Say's Phoebe, Marsh Wren, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Song Sparrow and Red-winged Blackbird.

Chelsea (or should I say Chelski) are not my favorite team but I enjoyed watching them beat Stuttgart as I relaxed back at home. Thank heaven for digital recorders (and 4WD). You can't make this stuff up.

Thursday, February 26, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
On an absolutely gorgeous late winter day, I spent three hours on the San Pedro this morning (highway 90 area). This was a milestone occasion for me -- my 500th visit to the river. It's a pity that the birding didn't match the occasion. 

I've simply got to remember not to visit here on Thursdays. The bird banding group had once again monopolized the area near the San Pedro house feeders so I gave that area a miss and headed straight down to the river. As I hit the river trail, 5 PYRRHULOXIAS and 3 CANYON TOWHEES were perched together in a mesquite. Perhaps they were avoiding the bird banders as well.

Exactly one week ago ABERT'S TOWHEES were very vocal and conspicuous, today I encountered only a couple of calling birds. They were replaced in abundance by LESSER GOLDFINCHES that were absolutely everywhere, twittering away like there was no tomorrow. I photographed a male taking a drink from the river. For those interested in such matters, I was quite some distance from this bird (on the other side of the river) and it represents the limit of the range for my equipment at the size that I publish images (cropped image size ~ published image size).

About the only event that was significant on this milestone occasion was the fact that I managed to photograph a bird in flight for the first time. Believe me, I've tried many times and almost every attempt is hopelessly out of focus. Today I fluked this mostly in focus shot of an immature RED-TAILED HAWK in flight as it passed over the big pond. It's far from perfect but everyone has to start somewhere.

There seemed to be an increase in WHITE-CROWNED and VESPER SPARROWS today but the numbers are still way low. WESTERN MEADOWLARKS are still present and singing.

I walked slowly along the river looking and listening carefully for the wintering Louisiana Waterthrush without success. This is one of the earlier migrants further north so it might have already left. However, in previous years I've seen them in SE AZ through the end of February and I even have one record in March (3/9/2001 at Patagonia Lake). The only bird of note was a HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER working high in the cottonwoods along the river just east of the big pond. The bird called a few times alerting me to its presence and I watched it work downstream (northward) from tree to tree. The birding was really slow and I didn't even see a Black Phoebe (hell must be freezing over at the edges).

30 species recorded:
Mallard, N. Shoveler, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Coot, Mourning Dove, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Hammond's Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's Wren, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Chihuahuan Raven, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Chipping, Vesper, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, and House Sparrow.

Friday, February 27, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
After I had to cancel my scheduled 10 day trip to Texas, it follows that I've had 10 days off without working with clients. Today I was back at it with Box Fox and Dana Duxbury from Andover, MA who I've birded with on three or four previous occasions. They were joined by their friend Cynthia Pruett from Virginia, currently in Tucson. Our objectives for the day were to find some state birds for Bob and Dana; Cynthia had a few lifer possibilities. We visited Patagonia Lake State Park and Paton's yard.

Today was forecast to be a stormy day but the morning turned out okay after all. Under cloudy skies it was neither cold, hot, wet nor windy -- my kind of day. Unfortunately, by late morning the wind picked up and the rain began. It was raining fairly hard in the Paton's yard in early afternoon. 

Despite the favorable conditions, birding at Patagonia Lake was tough going and I was a little surprised by day's end that we had recorded almost 70 species -- certainly a sign of approaching spring.  Flycatchers were especially hard to come by -- we saw 2 GRAY and heard just one each of DUSKY and HAMMOND'S. I'm happy to say that a beautiful male VERMILION FLYCATCHER was back on territory, right about on time for this location. They are a very common breeder at the lake but absent in winter. This is still one of my favorite birds. Completing the flycatchers, we had a three phoebe day with EASTERN PHOEBE seen in Nutting's wash.

The male GREATER SCAUP continues on the lake. TREE & VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS were working over the water as were many WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS. Less common species included two, possibly more BLUE-WINGED TEAL (seen at both ends of lake) and two adult RING-BILLED GULLS. 

I wasn't hopeful of seeing the gnatcatchers given their absence during January and much of February. However, as we walked past the 2003 first nest location I heard BRIDLED TITMICE and HUTTON'S VIREO up on the hillside and said, what the hell.. In the past two winters, finding the gnatcatchers was almost assured if you found the titmouse/vireo flock. However, that all changed at the end of 2003 and I went about 15 visits without seeing the gnatcatchers until February 14. We trudged up the hill and it wasn't long before I heard a BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER calling in the distance and after a few minutes we were able to track one down (only one for sure, possibly the pair).

After a quick check of the various hackberries in the mesquite bosque, we then spent an inordinate amount of time along the creek looking unsuccessfully for the Louisiana Waterthrush. Later, around noon, we checked the hackberries at the mouth of Nutting's wash one more time. Lo and behold, this time the RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN was there in all its glory, perhaps a little less resplendent than usual because of the cloudy conditions. I managed a photo in the gloom but it wasn't any improvement over my February 6 efforts.

67 species recorded at Patagonia Lake from 7:20am-1:00pm.
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Blue-winged & Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Red-tailed Hawk, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Ring-billed Gull, Mourning & White-winged Doves, White-throated Swift, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Hammond's, Gray & Dusky Flycatchers, Eastern, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Tree & Violet-green Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Bewick's & Marsh Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Rufous-backed Robin, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Green-tailed, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Black-throated, Song, Lincoln's & Swamp Sparrows, Northern & Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle and Lesser Goldfinch.

An hour in the Paton's yard was marred by wind and rain although the activity level was high. We had great looks at lots of LAZULI BUNTINGS in close-to-breeding plumage as well as a very cooperative VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD. The bird mostly sat in a bare tree in the rain and made only a few sorties to the feeders. I took many photos of the bird sitting in the tree -- here are three of them: Photo #1  Photo #2  Photo #3.

On a more sobering note, the battle to save the Roadside Rest area from (needless) road modifications seems to have been lost. Highway 82 was closed today between each end of Patagonia Roadside Rest Area. Alternate one way traffic was being routed through the rest area under flagger control. No parking allowed in the rest area. Effectively, there's no birding here under the current conditions. Quite what the situation will be when the work is done remains to be seen.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Friday, February 27, 2004.

Species List

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

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