Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - May, 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 Monday, May 31, 2004.

Sunday, May 2, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
First of three days with Ted Vawter from Alexandria, VA who I last birded with for a couple of winter days in 2001. Today we did some routine birding in the Huachucas looking for typical southeastern Arizona species with excellent results. After a cool start is was a fairly warm and breezy day, although we were done before the wind  became a problem.

We drove up Carr Canyon early enough to catch 3 WILD TURKEYS still roosting in a regular location and it was quite nippy when we started birding at Reef at 6:00am. Over the next several hours we weeded out all the regular and migrant warblers of the habitat as well as a number of other species. With one exception, we found all the birds without much effort and without specifically looking for then. As usual, the pesky VIRGINIA'S WARBLER required some time and effort. OLIVE WARBLER was moderately difficult to track down, although we ended up seeing several of them as we strolled around. Other warbler successes were BLACK-THROATED GRAY, TOWNSEND'S, HERMIT, GRACE'S and two RED-FACED WARBLERS at close range.

We also had good looks at ARIZONA WOODPECKER, GREATER PEWEE, BUFF-BREASTED & DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, HUTTON'S, PLUMBEOUS & CASSIN'S VIREOS, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and HEPATIC & WESTERN TANAGERS, the latter three were all quite common.

42 species recorded in Carr Canyon (most around Reef, some in lower canyon):
Wild Turkey, Gambel's Quail, Mourning Dove, White-throated Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Hairy & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Buff-breasted & Dusky-capped Flycatchers, Cliff Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's Wren, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Steller's & Mexican Jay, Plumbeous, Cassin's & Hutton's Vireos, Olive, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's, Hermit, Grace's & Red-faced Warblers, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted Towhee, Yellow-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

We moved on to Garden Canyon where the crowds have subsided somewhat. It didn't take too long to find an ELEGANT TROGON giving its soft "love call" as the bird tried to entice a nearby female to check out a sycamore cavity. A beautiful PAINTED REDSTART and was nearby.

The trail log in Scheelite Canyon told the story that nobody had found an owl in the past 4 days and several parties that we met on the trail had also not found an owl today. I've learned not to be affected by such stuff and went about my business of routine checking. Eventually, I found this very content looking SPOTTED OWL roosting in a little used tree (10 records) where I haven't seen an owl since July 1998. Ted was happy because he fell into the unlucky 7% when we missed the owl in December 2001. A good end to a good day.

Monday, May 3, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out again today with Ted Vawter. We had a successful morning of birding at Patagonia Lake State Park and Patagonia Roadside Rest Area. A clear blue sky and slightly warmer day (~85 degrees by 11:00am); still a little breezy.

The morning began well at Patagonia Lake when our search for BOTTERI'S SPARROW turned up quite a few birds around 6:00am. Between the singers and the skulkers, I estimated that at least 8 birds were present, probably many more. I found none at all when I last checked for their return on April 28. Later in the morning we had to put in some time and effort to see RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW.

VIRGINIA RAIL has been scarce at the lake this winter so a latish bird was a pleasant surprise. I have May records at the lake in four of the last ten years and my latest record is May 13, 2000. A lingering SWAMP SPARROW was my second latest record.

BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS continue very vocal and conspicuous at both ends of the lake. As I recently mentioned, I have very few records for this species at the lake, although this year they may be nesting here.

NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET was easy to see at a nest site -- here's a photograph from an unusual angle. A male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD was nice to see away from feeders.

Scolding BEWICK'S WRENS and BRIDLED TITMICE led us to a GREAT HORNED OWL.

Migrants were scarce with only WARBLING VIREO, WILSON'S (fairly common) & BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS noted.

The highlight of the morning came at 9:30am when I finally tracked down BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER at the head of the second wash (near where the trail goes over a saddle to the third wash). I'm happy to report that the birds have now fledged and we saw the adult female and (partial black capped) male with two recently fledged birds in tow. The birds were vocalizing constantly and moving very quickly. I persevered through prickly habitat and rough terrain and my reward was a photograph of a youngster.

56 species recorded at Patagonia Lake State Park from 5:50-10:20am:
Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested & Neotropic Cormorants, Green Heron, Cinnamon Teal, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Am. Coot, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Great Horned Owl, Broad-billed & Costa's Hummingbirds, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Say's Phoebe, Vermilion, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Barn Swallow, Phainopepla, Bewick's Wren, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Common Raven, Bell's & Warbling Vireos, Lucy's, Yellow, Black-throated Gray & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Botteri's, Rufous-winged, Black-throated, Song, Swamp & White-crowned Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bullock's Oriole, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch.

A stop at the Roadside Rest area produced GRAY HAWK and several THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS.

Tuesday, May 4, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
The third and last day with Ted Vawter was definitely a day (or should I say night and morning) of two halves. We left Sierra Vista at 2:30am and headed into the Huachucas for an owling session, then visited French Joe Canyon.

After some initial and brief reticence we had excellent looks at WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL and followed that up minutes later with wonderful views of a pair of ELF OWLS sitting together near their nest site. We had to commit the cardinal sin of walking away from both species. We then tried for WESTERN SCREECH-OWL only to find a very sadistic individual that led us on for a while then completely disappeared. We didn't have time to keep working on the bird (or find another) so we had to settle for two out of three. WHIP-POOR-WILL was the only other species calling.

Unfortunately, our time in French Joe Canyon was nowhere near as successful. Ted picked up a couple more lifers but the grand prize eluded us. We arrived at the upper spring quite early (5:40am) and worked near the spring for a while before moving up to the waterfall. At 7:15am, I heard one burst of song from a RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER located above the waterfall and we risked life and limb to climb up there. A few minutes later I heard the warbler "ticking" and alerted Ted to the location. Shortly afterwards I saw the warbler on the ground for about 5 seconds but couldn't get Ted on it before it vanished. We waited around for a further hour and never heard the bird again. The warblers are probably in the incubation phase of the breeding cycle and, historically, they don't sing much during this period.

The day warmed quickly (today was the warmest day for some time) and the canyon was generally fairly quiet. We recorded most of the canyon regulars without seeing anything special. A mild surprise was a male NORTHERN HARRIER in the lower section. I have very few records for this species in French Joe and zero records in SE AZ after May 5. A sighting of BULLOCK'S ORIOLE (also in the lower canyon) was only my third record here.

39 species recorded in French Joe Canyon:
N. Harrier, Scaled Quail, White-winged Dove, White-throated Swift, Black-chinned & Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Hammond's & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Cactus, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Plumbeous & Warbling Vireos, Lucy's, Black-throated Gray & Rufous-capped Warblers, Hepatic & Summer Tanagers, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Black-chinned & Black-throated Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Black-headed Grosbeak, Brown-headed Cowbird, Hooded, Bullock's & Scott's Orioles and House Finch.

Wednesday, May 5, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
First of two days with Kurt Muenz from Glen Rock, NJ. We spent our time in the Huachucas doing some "moderate target birding" in Carr, Garden and Scheelite Canyons. Another fairly warm day with just a slight breeze to provide a little relief.

I had to smile when I stepped out of the vehicle in the parking lot opposite Reef Campground at 6:00am. Tooting away not too far from us was a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL. Not long ago in Carr Canyon (April 24) I walked 6 miles in gale force winds looking for this bird without success! We immediately set off in pursuit only to have the bird retreat up the mountainside. We huffed and puffed through downed brush and thick Manzanita and eventually caught up with the bird after about 0.5 mile, although it seemed like much further. We had a great view of the owl sitting near the top of a pine. In another cruel twist, the bird continued to call for well over an hour, long after we had left -- I could still hear it from the campground as we birded there. We could have lit a campfire, cooked breakfast, strolled up the hill and still have seen the bird!

Various other species came in to show their displeasure at the owl's presence, including the best bird of the day for me -- EVENING GROSBEAK, a very scarce species in the Huachucas. I have 14 records in Carr Canyon dating back to 1993, although I haven't seen one here since March 2001. I actually have lots of records in Sawmill Canyon but only because they nested there for two years in the mid 90s.

Another side benefit of finding the owl was that we got to see VIRGINIA'S WARBLER without any effort, since it was annoyed enough to perch in the open. Later in the morning we enjoyed great views of OLIVE and RED-FACED WARBLERS. The most difficult bird today was HEPATIC TANAGER, especially males, and we didn't see this individual until we were about to leave. On recent visits I must have seen or heard well into double figures.

42 species recorded in Carr Canyon:
Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, N. Pygmy-Owl, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Arizona Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Brown Creeper, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireos, Olive, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Grace's, Wilson's & Red-faced Warblers, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted Towhee, Yellow-eyed Junco, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-headed Grosbeak, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and Evening Grosbeak.

Ironically, as we stepped out of the vehicle at the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon, HEPATIC TANAGERS were calling and flew overhead saying "take that". GRACE'S WARBLER has been singing at this location on several recent visits which is quite unusual so late in the season (they arrive in mid to late March and usually nest at higher elevation where there are lots of pines). BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER is also present here for the fourth consecutive year.

We had to work long and hard for ELEGANT TROGON today but our reward after an hour or so was this male sitting in the open (albeit a little high) for a walk way view. Another target bird around the picnic area was ARIZONA WOODPECKER that duly obliged us after a little effort.

The day went south a little bit in Scheelite Canyon when I failed to find a Spotted Owl in the lower roosting area, despite a thorough search. Due to the time of day, we didn't continue on to the middle and upper areas. [This complicates my owl database and I normally consider such cases as a "non visit", due to an incomplete search, rather than a miss.] Recently, a single owl has been roosting consistently in the lower roosting area so something changed today. Yesterday, the bird was close to 0.5 mile and lots of people were in the canyon looking at it. This may have caused it to move up canyon, although moving up canyon is something that the owls regularly do when the weather warms up. Also, if the owls are nesting again this year (and I think they are), that might be a factor. We may try again tomorrow but I'm a little worried about the effects of the Spotted Owl survey being conducted tomorrow morning (if tapes are played).

Thursday, May 6, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out again today with Kurt Muenz. We visited Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia Roadside Rest area, Paton's yard and Scheelite Canyon. It was another warm day with some cloud build up in the early afternoon over the mountains.

Patagonia Lake is now very much into summer mode and we saw virtually nothing on the water (although we didn't spend much time looking). We also didn't make a serious attempt to look for Black-capped Gnatcatcher.

BOTTERI'S SPARROWS were quite numerous and singing strongly as we got started in the grassland at 5:45am. I also noted my first of season BLUE GROSBEAK. Closer to the lake, RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW was easy to find today, first perched up singing and then feeding along the edge of the road.

LEAST BITTERN song is dwindling and I only heard one today. YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS have reached epidemic proportions. BELL'S VIREOS and BEWICK'S WRENS were both prolific and vocal, although we had to spend a little time to get good views of both, especially the scruffy looking wren in the photo!

Migrants noted were 5-WILLETS and TOWNSEND'S & WILSON'S WARBLERS. At least one VIRGINIA RAIL continues.

57 species recorded at Patagonia Lake State Park:
Pied-billed Grebe, Neotropic Cormorant, Great Blue & Green Herons, Least Bittern, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Am. Coot, Willet, White-winged Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Broad-billed & Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Gila Woodpecker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Western Wood-Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Vermilion, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, N. Rough-winged & Barn Swallows, Phainopepla, Cactus & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Common Raven, Bell's Vireo, Lucy's, Yellow, Townsend's & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Botteri's, Rufous-winged, Black-throated & Song Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-headed Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bullock's Oriole, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS were easy to find at the Roadside Rest. We had to work a little harder for ROCK WREN.

A stop in Marion Paton's yard produced my first of season BRONZED COWBIRDS but zero Lazuli Buntings (they may already have left although in some years they stay here until mid May). VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD was regular at the feeders.

This SPOTTED OWL with its beady eye on me was back on duty in the lower roosting area of Scheelite canyon today. 

Friday, May 7, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out this morning with Nick Thold and Sally Spence from CT who I've birded with once before. We visited Carr Canyon for Northern Pygmy-Owl.

I was hoping that the very cooperative owl that was spontaneously calling for such a long time on Wednesday morning would oblige me again. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I wasn't really surprised (just disappointed) since the bird was in a location where I hadn't previously seen NPOW. It was probably just passing by, which seems odd at this time of year. After determining that the bird wasn't around, we headed over to Ramsey Vista and started the trail down to Comfort Spring. We'd hardly left the parking lot when the distant toots of a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL drifted our way. It took some time to for us to realize that the bird was way down in the bottom of the main Carr drainage, at which point Nick and Sally decided that they didn't want to make that trek! There isn't much of a trail there -- I know because I've looked for and found Spotted Owl in that location.

We did a little casual birding before returning to town (I wasn't feeling very well and had to cancel the rest of the day). Except for OLIVE WARBLER (heard only), we saw all the regular warblers including great looks at a singing RED-FACED WARBLER. A migrant TOWNSEND'S WARBLER was also present. No sign of Hermit Warbler, I've never seen a spring migrant Hermit in the Huachucas after May 12. My first of season (~12) BAND-TAILED PIGEONS were near Ramsey Vista campground. Carr Canyon is consistently good for this species.

Many species were in full voice, particularly GREATER PEWEE, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, WESTERN TANAGER and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK (the latter two were both very common). A lingering RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET was just about at the end of its stay in the Huachucas, perhaps another week. I have no evidence of them breeding here, although they definitely breed in the Pinaleño mountains and perhaps other SE AZ ranges. We watched a HERMIT THRUSH working on a nest in Reef campground.

The surprise of the morning was a singing and chattering BULLOCK'S ORIOLE at Reef Campground -- my first at this location and elevation (although I do have a four records for Sawmill Canyon which is well over 1000 feet lower at 6200 feet). The bird was moving around fairly rapidly, perhaps trolling for a mate -- it might have to troll for a while!

37 species recorded in Carr Canyon:
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Wild Turkey, Band-tailed Pigeon, N. Pygmy-Owl, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireo, Olive, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's, Grace's & Red-faced Warblers, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted Towhee, Yellow-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Brown-headed Cowbird and Bullock's Oriole.

Monday, May 10, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Today was the first of five days of target birding with Byron and Joan Bossenbroek from Worthington, OH. On a partly cloudy (unusual at this time of year), breezy and fairly warm day, we birded in Carr, Garden, Scheelite and Sawmill Canyons in the Huachuca Mountains.

After easily seeing BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER in Carr Canyon, we focused on looking for migrant Hermit Warbler. Disappointingly, we came up empty despite searching in appropriate habitat for several hours. As I mentioned recently, I do not have any records in the Huachucas after May 12. Other warblers included the usual OLIVE, GRACE'S and RED-FACED WARBLERS.

By far the best bird of the morning was a very late RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER along the road near Reef campground. My records don't correlate very well with data published in the SE AZ birdfinding guides, both of which give the impression that the bird can routinely be found into mid May. Today's sighting extends my own late date for this species in SE AZ by a whole month! I know there are a few records here and there in late April, but since I get out more than most in suitable habitat, something is amiss.

In Garden Canyon it didn't take long to find our target ARIZONA WOODPECKER. I heard one calling above the middle picnic area as we drove by and we soon tracked it down. We also heard one in Scheelite and saw another in Sawmill,

This very indifferent SPOTTED OWL was again ridiculously easy to find in Scheelite Canyon (I'm sure that I'll pay for all these easy finds sooner or later!). Today the bird was about 250' above the "Jaws" landmark in an infrequently used "Forestry Oak" roost location (I last saw a bird here in April 2002).

We finished the morning in Sawmill Canyon with another unsuccessful attempt at Hermit Warbler. Despite the late morning hour, an ELEGANT TROGON was calling near the trailhead. We turned up a few regulars including GREATER PEWEE, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER and OLIVE WARBLER. We also disturbed a roosting WHIP-POOR-WILL that voiced its displeasure.

Day list (51 species recorded):
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, White-winged Dove, Spotted Owl, Whip-poor-will, White-throated Swift, Magnificent, Black-chinned & Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Red-naped Sapsucker, Arizona Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Buff-breasted & Dusky-capped Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireos, Olive, Virginia's, Black-throated Gray, Grace's & Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstart, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Yellow-eyed Junco, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-headed Grosbeak, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

Tuesday, May 11, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 2 today with Byron and Joan was largely unsuccessful. We spent the morning in French Joe Canyon and ended with a wind impacted owling session.

A 4:00am departure produced 4 COMMON POORWILLS along the canyon access road, a couple of which stayed put on the road for excellent looks and even used the our headlights for bug catching (a symbiotic relationship!). We reached the upper spring by 5:45am, stayed there until 6:30am then headed up the "trail" above the upper waterfall (8 out of 10 on the danger of death scale). After spending about two hours in this location we returned to the spring where we remained until a little after 11:00am. It was a windy morning except for about 2 hours

RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER was in stealth mode again today. Two bursts of song above the upper waterfall at 6:45am provided brief hope but didn't even produce a flicker of movement, let alone a sighting. At 9:40am, I heard the bird "ticking" its way down canyon into a dense area of vegetation southwest of the spring. Over the next 10 minutes we heard a couple more bursts of song, however, once again the bird did not materialize into view. My advice to anyone with a flexible schedule is to wait a week or so until the eggs hatch and the adults become active again.

Less common species present in the canyon today were ACORN WOODPECKER and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE (I have 4 records each). Migrants included HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, many WILSON'S WARBLERS, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER and LINCOLN'S SPARROW. We noted most of the regulars including a few high flying BAND-TAILED PIGEONS, a calling CRISSAL THRASHER, several singing BLACK-CHINNED SPARROWS and numerous singing SCOTT'S ORIOLES. Cordilleran Flycatcher doesn't appear to be on territory yet.

48 species recorded in French Joe Canyon:
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Band-tailed Pigeon, White-winged Dove, Common Poorwill, White-throated Swift, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Acorn & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Western Wood-Pewee, Hammond's Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Cassin's &, Western Kingbirds, Violet-green Swallow, Cactus, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Crissal Thrasher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireos, Lucy's, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's, Wilson's & Rufous-capped Warblers, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Black-chinned, Black-throated & Lincoln's Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Black-headed Grosbeak, Brown-headed Cowbird, Hooded, Bullock's & Scott's Orioles and House Finch.

We had to abandon our evening efforts for Flammulated Owl due to high winds. However, we did manage an excellent look at WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL in a location where the wind was less of a problem -- the only success of the day.

Wednesday, May 12, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Day 3 today with Byron and Joan was infinitely better than yesterday with all 7 target species seen. It was also a long day -- we left Sierra Vista at 5:00am and returned after 11:00pm. We visited Patagonia Lake, Paton's Yard, Kino Springs, Madera Canyon, California Gulch and the old Oro Blanco mine site.

We had instant success at Patagonia Lake State Park when a BOTTERI'S SPARROW immediately popped up onto a fence wire. They have been relatively easy to see on the past three visits. We then spent over 3 hours looking for BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER before enjoying some great views. The basic problem was that I was working on a false premise by looking for a foraging group of two adults and two fledglings. However, the kids have been ditched and the adults are working on a new nest. In fact, it's almost finished and we watched the male and female putting the finishing touches to it as they added lining, using their bodies to squish it down. The male is the same partial capped male that I've been seeing so I know that it's the same pair that recently fledged young. A good end to a tiring search as we worked the various washes, seeing about 50 species in the process.

We headed back into town where we quickly saw VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD in Marion Paton's yard. Unfortunately, a calling GRAY HAWK didn't oblige us by flying into view. These were the only two "gimmes" of the day.

A short visit to Kino Springs produced a great view of GRAY HAWK at the first "pond". Work is progressing well with the rework of the pond but water has not yet been added.

FLAME-COLORED TANAGER in Madera Canyon couldn't have been easier to see. As we walked up the hill from the Amphitheater parking lot, I could hear the male singing its raspy and staccato song that is much slower and "thicker" than a Western Tanager. We soon saw the bird in a tree close to the road opposite Kubo gift shop. What a spectacular looking individual, much more flame colored than others that I have seen (the female was also present). I couldn't help but think about all the slogs I've made up Miller Canyon to find this bird in previous years. I'd left my camera in the car so I hurried back to get it while Byron and Joan enjoyed the bird. Of course, when I returned the pair had moved into the interior trees. Damn!

After a short lunch stop in Green Valley, we drove to California Gulch where it took a little time to find FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW in the surprisingly low 80 degree heat of the afternoon. Success finally came at 4:15pm. We enjoyed a satisfying close up view of the bird, albeit disappointingly (from a photographic standpoint) in shadow. A nice bonus was a male ELEGANT TROGON at the second stream crossing -- a new bird in the gulch for me.

We headed back the short distance to Oro Blanco mine where we had about two hours to kill before the main event. As sunset arrived, the quavering calls of numerous MONTEZUMA QUAIL drifted down from the surrounding ridges. A nice touch -- however, I was more pleased that not another soul had arrived making our chances of seeing the nightjar that much higher. We first heard at least two (possibly more) BUFF-COLLARED NIGHTJARS calling at 7:36pm and by 8:00pm we had a decent 30 second look at a bird sitting on the ground.

Now it was just a matter of a 3 hour drive home to get some precious sleep.

Day list (84 species recorded):
Pied-billed Grebe, Neotropic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Black & Turkey Vultures, Gray & Red-tailed Hawks, Gambel's & Montezuma Quail, Am. Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Great Horned Owl, Common Poorwill, Buff-collared Nightjar, Broad-billed, Violet-crowned & Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Acorn, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Western Wood-Pewee, Black & Say's Phoebes, Pacific-slope, Vermilion, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Cassin's, Thick-billed & Western Kingbirds, N. Rough-winged & Barn Swallows, Phainopepla, Cactus, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Bell's, Plumbeous, Hutton's & Warbling Vireos, Lucy's, Yellow, Townsend's & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer, Western & Flame-colored Tanagers, Green-tailed & Canyon Towhees, Botteri's, Rufous-crowned, Five-striped, Black-throated & Song Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Great-tailed Grackle, Bronzed & Brown-headed Cowbirds, Hooded & Bullock's Orioles, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch & House Sparrow

Thursday, May 13, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 4 with Byron & Joan was a much more relaxed affair. After a solid 4 1/2 hours sleep, I indulged in a 5:30am late departure from Sierra Vista since we only had a couple of relatively easy targets for the day.

A few minutes on Coffman Road in Sulphur Springs Valley produced a pair of BENDIRE'S THRASHERS and we were quickly on our way north to to the Chiricahuas.

Conditions on the Pinery Canyon Road were excellent -- sunny but cool and zero wind. After a little bit of effort we found a cooperative MEXICAN CHICKADEE that can sometimes be elusive during the breeding season when they are not in flocks and making noise. WARBLING VIREOS and CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS were both common and very vocal.

A little casual birding on the return journey through the valley produced BARN and GREAT HORNED OWLS roosting in the same structure. Not too far away, a BURROWING OWL was perched on a fencepost. LARK BUNTINGS in breeding plumage were on highway 191 at the 181 intersection. We noted EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE in Elfrida where they are becoming more regular.

A short stop at Whitewater Draw was totally unproductive. Only the main impoundment has water. SPOTTED SANDPIPER was the only migrant.

Friday, May 14, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Today was the fifth and final day with Byron & Joan. We visited French Joe Canyon again for another attempt at Rufous-capped Warbler. Conditions couldn't really have been better -- a partly cloudy sky kept the temperature low for a long period near the upper spring, winds were calm and we had the place to ourselves. However, we ended up with the same unsuccessful result as on Tuesday.

A 4:00am start produced (the same?) 4 COMMON POORWILLS on the canyon access road, including a couple that didn't want to get out of our way. BLUE GROSBEAK and BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS were singing in the dark.

RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER remains in stealth mode and the only indication of its presence today were a few brief tick notes as a bird zipped past us into the dense vegetation near the spring around 8:30am. Unfortunately, the warbler instantly disappeared. We spent a total of 5 hours at the spring (I left to check the waterfall area for about an hour) and at no other time did I hear a warbler calling or singing.

Even though I recorded about the same number of species as a couple of days ago, overall activity and song were both much lower today. Species recorded today and not on Tuesday were CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER (finally back on territory), a calling DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER (very scarce here -- I have 4 records), WARBLING VIREO and BLUE GROSBEAK.

47 species recorded in French Joe Canyon:
Cooper's Hawk, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Common Poorwill, White-throated Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Hammond's, Cordilleran, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Violet-green Swallow, 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, Wilson's & Rufous-capped Warblers, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Black-chinned & Black-throated Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Brown-headed Cowbird, Hooded & Scott's Orioles and House Finch.

A very disappointing end to our 5 days in the field. I had anticipated finding 19 target species but we ended up with only 17 having struck out twice on Rufous-capped Warbler and getting blown out by high winds during our attempt for Flammulated Owl. A couple of migrants might have made up the numbers (Cassin's Vireo and Hermit Warbler) but we didn't stumble into any. However, seeing Buff-collared Nightjar, Black-capped Gnatcatcher and Flame-colored Tanager were no small consolation. 

Saturday, May 15, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out today with Mark Dolan from Jacksonville, FL who has already been in SE AZ for a few days working on a target list. Our original plan was for a couple of days -- one to look for Rufous-capped Warbler in French Joe Canyon and the second for a day/night trip to California Gulch for Five-striped Sparrow and Buff-collared Nightjar. However, given the silent and secretive behavior of the warbler during my two recent visits, we decided not to invest the time with a low chance of success. Instead, we combined two days birding into one long 18 hour day and worked on various targets in scattered locations. We had a successful outing seeing all the species that we looked for plus a few bonus birds and a decent selection of species in the process.

We left Sierra Vista at 5:00am and headed east into the Sulphur Springs Valley. Early success with BENDIRE'S and CRISSAL THRASHERS provided the impetus to compress two days into one and we quickly drove back west into the Huachucas.

Next stop was Carr Canyon to work on a few missing species. We again had good success in a reasonable time and found BAND-TAILED PIGEON, GREATER PEWEE and OLIVE WARBLER. Bonus bird #1 for the day was a migrant OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. All of the regular high elevation species were active around Reef campground area between 7:30-8:30am.

Continuing east, we visited Patagonia Lake State Park where I was able to confirm something that I suspected had happened last year. We quickly found male and female BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS and one youngster (#2 already lost?) near the site of the new nest. Thus, it appears that the gnatcatchers build a new nest in preparation for a second clutch while still tending to the previous youngsters. The exact timing of such activity may depend on how many birds are successfully fledged. I suspected this behavior last year and the nest building noted a few days ago on May 12 and today's feeding activity would tend to confirm that. I was able to photograph a very unkempt looking female carrying food (begging bird in background) and the partial capped male, also looking a little worse for wear.

Before looking for the gnatcatchers, we successfully tracked down RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW at a regular spot near the park entrance. There has been some local discussion recently about the expansion in range of this species and my experience tends to support this. I did not record RWSP during the first seven years that I birded at Patagonia Lake. I've seen it sporadically over the past 3 years (mainly due to the fact that I don't spend much time in its habitat).

We arrived in a quite warm California Gulch in mid afternoon and proceeded to work on a number of target species. Most important, of course, was FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW and we found a fairly reticent individual after about 30 minutes of effort. The bird was fairly vocal but stayed mostly on the ground, perching up only briefly on a couple of occasions. We also had wonderful scope looks at a singing VARIED BUNTING that perched for a long period. Other species in the gulch included GRAY HAWK, NORTHERN BEARDLESS TYRANNULET, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and a family of CANYON WRENS (image #1 singing, image #2 carrying "fishy" thing!).

While killing time at Oro Blanco mine we found a couple more bonus birds. First, a pristine male MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER near some standing water. At 7:00pm I heard the always eerie sounding quavering calls of MONTEZUMA QUAIL and we decided to make an effort to find one (when calling they are usually in an exposed position). We followed the sound to a ridgeline and found a beautiful male standing on top of a rock. We stopped 25 feet away from the bird even though it showed no sign of being concerned. After some great looks we committed the cardinal sin of walking away. I decided to return with my camera -- alas the bird had gone. I must write on the blackboard 100 times "I am a dumb shit -- carry camera at all times because doing so does not jinx potential sightings and not doing so often results in lost photo opportunities".

The main event was essentially a non-event tonight. At 7:58pm, a single BUFF-COLLARED NIGHTJAR first called from a considerable distance northwest of the mine site. Calling lasted less than two minutes. We did not play a tape nor try to cover such a long distance on difficult terrain. We departed shortly afterwards, well satisfied with a day that produced ~20 target species for Mark.

Day list (88 species recorded):
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's, Gray, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's & Montezuma Quail, Rock & Band-tailed Pigeons, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Common Poorwill, Buff-collared Nightjar, White-throated Swift, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Black & Say's Phoebes, Buff-breasted, Vermilion, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Violet-green & Barn Swallows, Phainopepla, Cactus, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Bendire's, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Am. Robin, Black-tailed & Black-capped Gnatcatchers, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Bell's & Plumbeous Vireos, Olive, Virginia's, Lucy's, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Grace's, MacGillivray's & Red-faced Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Summer & Western Tanagers, Green-tailed, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Rufous-winged, Five-striped, Black-throated & Song Sparrows, Yellow-eyed Junco, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Varied Bunting, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Hooded, Bullock's & Scott's Orioles, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Monday, May 17, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Having crammed two days of birding into one on Saturday, I was very thankful  for a day off yesterday. Today was the first of three days with Winston Cailouet from Baton Rouge, LA and Brian Henderson from Lake Charles, LA. Winston has birded in AZ a few times so there's a short list of targets for him. Brian has many more opportunities for new birds. We birded in Carr, Garden and Scheelite Canyons in the Huachuca Mountains.

We started in a very windy Carr Canyon where we spent 5+ hours digging out the various species. Apart from an unsuccessful jaunt down to Comfort Spring looking for Northern Pygmy-Owl (although we did pick up BAND-TAILED PIGEON and WESTERN SCRUB-JAY here as well as second looks at many other species), all of our time was spent near Reef campground where the birding was very productive despite the wind.

The best bird of the day (for me!) came as we were tracking down a spiffy looking (adult male, orange headed) OLIVE WARBLER. Imagine my surprise to see a pristine adult male BALTIMORE ORIOLE, only my second sighting in Arizona. I couldn't get the bird in the clear for a great photograph, however, what I ended up with is certainly good enough for documentation. The bird was (silently) foraging in the trees behind campsite #6 in Reef campground.

As usual, VIRGINIA'S WARBLER was the hardest warbler to see well. BLACK-THROATED GRAY, GRACE'S & RED-FACED WARBLERS and PAINTED REDSTART were considerably easier. We watched a GREATER PEWEE building a nest while sporadically singing. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were easy to find. WESTERN TANAGERS were very common.

A couple of BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS in the sycamores at the first stream crossing were a location first for me. With the oriole, you might say it was a good visit!

53 species recorded in Carr Canyon:
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Band-tailed Pigeon, White-throated Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Acorn, Hairy & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Violet-green Swallow, Canyon & Bewick's & House Wrens, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Common Raven, Plumbeous, Hutton's & Warbling Vireos, Olive, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Grace's & Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstart, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Yellow-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Bronzed & Brown-headed Cowbirds, Baltimore Oriole, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

The upper picnic area in Garden was very quiet at 11:15am (I wish I could figure out how to be everywhere first thing in the morning). One person told us that a male Elegant Trogon was inside a sycamore cavity but we didn't hang around. We noted about 20 species here including COOPER'S HAWK and HEPATIC TANAGER on nests, the latter surprisingly (ridiculously!) low in a roadside deciduous tree.

The walk up Scheelite Canyon was decidedly hot and uncomfortable, so I was thankful to find a SPOTTED OWL in the lower roosting area. A good end to to a good morning. The only bird of note was a calling WHIP-POOR-WILL that we flushed but couldn't locate. WILSON'S WARBLERS are still passing through.

After a good beginning, our evening owling session was generally unsuccessful. I was able to whistle in WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL and we enjoyed good looks at a cooperative bird. ELF OWLS, on the other hand, were very uncooperative. We just heard brief chatter at two sycamore nest sites, probably due to the stage in their breeding cycle. Western Screech-Owl was a complete no show, not even heard. COMMON POORWILLS and WHIP-POOR-WILLS were both calling for a short period.

Tuesday, May 18, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Second day with Winston and Brian. On the warmest day in a while (possibly Tucson's FOS 100 degree day), we visited Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia Roadside Rest area, Paton's yard and Madera Canyon. With the exception of the recently reported Rose-throated Becard, we managed to see all target species that we sought.

It was surprisingly chilly in the grassland approaches to Patagonia Lake shortly before 6:00am. Nevertheless, it didn't take long to see BOTTERI'S SPARROW perched on a fence wire. Next, I decided to check the deep end of the lake before hitting the trail and that strategy paid off with a lone WESTERN GREBE. Other species in the marina area included NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

At the east end of the lake we soon found the pair of BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS -- the male was on the nest and the female was foraging nearby. Just a few days ago (May 15) the birds were feeding a fledgling and they are now incubating again. At this rate, perhaps SE AZ will soon be inundated with Black-capped Gnatcatchers!

We worked on a few more common target species then moved on to the Roadside Rest area. We spent about an hour looking and listening for Rose-throated Becard without success. One party that we met had searched in vain yesterday, another had heard the bird earlier this morning.  Species present included BLACK VULTURE, a pair of THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS building a nest very close to a CASSIN'S KINGBIRD nest, all three Myiarchus species and HOODED ORIOLE.

Some whistle stop target birding in Marion Paton's yard yielded more THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS, VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD and ABERT'S TOWHEE.

Our final stop of the day was in Madera Canyon where we quickly picked up four target species. At noon, the male FLAME-COLORED TANAGER was vocalizing and easy to see near the Kubo gift shop. Nearby was a singing male SCOTT'S ORIOLE. A little further up canyon it would have been hard to miss several noisy "rubber ducky" birds, a.k.a. SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. At the same location, a vocalizing male ELEGANT TROGON provided a fitting end to a successful day. I have better photos of a trogon but working on the premise that any trogon shot is a good shot, here's a couple --  image #1 (side) image #2 (front).

Day list (77 species recorded):
Pied-billed & Western Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mallard, Black & Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Greater Roadrunner, White-throated Swift, Broad-billed, Violet-crowned & Anna's Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Western Wood-Pewee, Vermilion, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated, Brown-crested & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Cassin's & Thick-billed Kingbirds, Barn Swallow, Phainopepla, Cactus, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Am. Robin, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Mexican Jay, Bell's, Plumbeous & Warbling Vireos, Lucy's, Yellow, Black-throated Gray & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Painted Redstart, Yellow-breasted Chat, Hepatic, Summer, Western & Flame-colored Tanagers, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Botteri's, Black-throated & Song Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Black-headed Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Hooded, Bullock's & Scott's Orioles, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Wednesday, May 19, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Third and last day with Winston and Brian. The day began cloudy and relatively cool but soon warmed up when the sun broke through, eventually becoming quite windy. We spent our time in the Sulphur Springs Valley and the Chiricahua Mountains.

We began near Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area where BENDIRE'S and CRISSAL THRASHERS were much harder to find this morning. Now that their breeding season is over they are not particularly easy to locate (especially Crissal), so perhaps one hour wasn't much of an investment. BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS, BLUE GROSBEAKS and BULLOCK'S ORIOLES were all common along mesquite lined roads in multiple locations. SCALED QUAIL were also easy to see. Several PHAINOPEPLAS in multiple locations were a mild surprise. I have very few valley floor records away from Double Adobe Road and most of those records are in winter.

As we headed north and east to the mountains, we noted several EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES perched on roadside wires in Elfrida and two BURROWING OWLS at a regular spot on highway 181.

Pinery Canyon Road was quite birdy with many regular species, RED-FACED WARBLERS in particular were in full voice. However, we focused on just a few target species including CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER and MEXICAN CHICKADEE. A flyover potential Northern Goshawk had to be left unidentified.

We made a token effort for Short-tailed Hawk at Barfoot Park where numerous OLIVE WARBLERS were present.

Our arrival at the George Walker House in Paradise couldn't have been better timed as a couple of JUNIPER TITMICE were foraging near the feeders (thanks to Jackie Lewis for her hospitality).

For the third time in recent weeks, I struck out completely on BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW at what is normally a very reliable location on the Paradise Road. Although time of day and temperature were against us, I fully expected to find them. However, it wasn't to be and we ended on that disappointing note.

Day list (67 species recorded):
Turkey Vulture, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Burrowing Owl, Magnificent, Black-chinned & Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Acorn, Ladder-backed & Hairy Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Cordilleran, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Barn Swallow, Phainopepla, Cactus, Bewick's & House Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Bendire's, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Mexican Chickadee, Bridled & Juniper Titmouse, Pygmy, Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireos, Olive, Virginia's, Black-throated Gray, Grace's & Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstart, Western Tanager, Canyon Towhee, Black-throated Sparrow, Yellow-eyed Junco, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Eastern Meadowlark, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bullock's & Scott's Orioles, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Thursday, May 20, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
First of two days with Ken and Nancy Hammond from Bradenton, FL. On a cloudless and very warm day, we spent all morning in Carr Canyon where we had to put in a significant amount of time and effort to locate most of our target species. I've visited Carr Canyon frequently over the past couple of months and have noticed a steady decline in vocalization during this period (expected). Compared to my last trip on Monday, the lack of warbler song was very noticeable today. Even though we eventually heard and saw all the regular warblers, it was tough going at times.

As usual, VIRGINIA'S WARBLER was the toughest nut to crack -- until we saw the first one, then they seemed to be evident everywhere. The first RED-FACED WARBLER was also difficult to find. Of course, just like Virginia's, I then  heard several more. OLIVE WARBLER was also difficult to track down. Flycatchers were a little easier, especially BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS that became more active and vocal as the morning warmed up. We watched this nicely posed GREATER PEWEE working on a nest, note the fluffy stuff on its bill.

BAND-TAILED PIGEONS were not present at a convenient and regular spot so we hiked down to Comfort Spring (currently dry) to find them (a handful were perched in a shady pine). We, on the other hand, were in the open sun on the trail. Vocalizing CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER and SCOTT'S ORIOLE remained unseen near the spring. Near the top of the trail overlooking the cliffs of Carr Canyon proper, we got about as close as you can get to a WHITE-THROATED SWIFT without a collision as it zoomed by at great speed. Whoosh!

The most satisfying moment of the morning (for me) came when a concerted effort of scanning snags paid of with a migrant OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. Carr Canyon, with its many snags due to fires, is consistently a good location to find this species in migration. The highlight of the morning (for me) was finding a BROWN CREEPER nest, something that I don't remember seeing before. Without seeing the bird fly in, the "nest" would be almost undetectable (a thin sliver of bark covered the entrance to a cavity).

47 species recorded in Carr Canyon:
Turkey Vulture, Band-tailed Pigeon, Whip-poor-will, White-throated Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Acorn & Hairy Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Olive-sided, Cordilleran, Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Violet-green Swallow, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Plumbeous, Hutton's & Warbling Vireos, Olive, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Grace's, Wilson's & Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstart, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted Towhee, Yellow-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Brown-headed Cowbird, Scott's Oriole, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

Friday, May 21, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out again today with Ken and Nancy. On another fairly warm and breezy day, we birded at Patagonia Lake and Patagonia Roadside Rest area.

A flock of 20 or so CEDAR WAXWINGS were in Patagonia as we drove through early this morning. Latish but certainly not "late" until early June.

We needed two sessions to find BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER at Patagonia Lake State Park. A check of the nest early this morning didn't produce a bird which I thought was odd. Another check around midday also didn't produce a bird and that set the alarm bells ringing. A peek into the nest revealed zero eggs. I have no idea what happened since a bird was incubating just 3 days ago. In the heat of the day, I didn't fancy my chances of finding a bird the old fashioned way (i.e. earning it) but there was no alternative. Fortunately, after very little wandering around I heard a gnatcatcher calling at the base of the hillside between the 4th wash and Nutting's wash. The bird turned out to be a youngster but beggars can't be choosers.

The morning started well with BOTTERI'S, BLACK-THROATED and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS in the grassland along the entrance road. Soon after getting started at the lake we had great looks at a LEAST BITTERN from the marina bridge. Later in the morning we had not so great looks at a ZONE-TAILED HAWK in with the TVs.

WESTERN GREBE continues on the lake and we also saw the usual BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS and NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS. A pair of CINNAMON TEAL were in the channel at the northeast corner of the lake (possible nesters?). COMMON MOORHEN is present every summer but a bird feeding young today was my first definite confirmation of nesting. Approximately 5 migrant SPOTTED SANDPIPERS were at the east end of the lake.

Perhaps the best record of the morning was a latish CASSIN'S VIREO. Most of my 17 May records for SE AZ are during the first two weeks and I only have 4 records during the last two weeks, the latest date being May 28, 2001.

60 species recorded at Patagonia Lake State Park:
Pied-billed & Western Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, Great Blue & Green Herons, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Least Bittern, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Black & Turkey Vultures, Zone-tailed Hawk, Gambel's Quail, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Say's Phoebe, Vermilion, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Western Kingbird, Barn Swallow, Phainopepla, Bewick's Wren, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Bell's & Cassin's Vireos, Lucy's Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Western Tanager, Canyon Towhee, Botteri's, Rufous-crowned, Black-throated & Song Sparrow, N. Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Hooded & Bullock's Orioles, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

We spent from 10:00-11:15am at a very quiet Roadside Rest area without seeing or hearing the Becard. Even the normally raucous THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS were mostly silent. I recorded 25 species here including GRAY HAWK and a migrant WARBLING VIREO.

Saturday, May 22, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out today with Pat Tate from Annapolis, MD who I've birded with on five previous occasions. We made the trek to California Gulch for what was my fourth trip of the season. However, this was my first "normal" morning visit, the previous three have been afternoon/night trips. We left Sierra Vista at 2:45am and after enjoying some great looks at 8 COMMON POORWILLS along the Ruby Road, we began birding in the riparian area at the south end of California Gulch shortly after 6:00am.

THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD was one of the first birds to greet us. A noisy pair perched very cooperatively near the "south parking area". They nested in this area in 2002 and 2003 and it appears that they will do so again this year. I also saw them here in 1996 and 1999, although I don't think that they nested in those years. A fly-by GRAY HAWK protested at our intrusion into its space.

As is often the case, we didn't need to enter the gulch proper because a pair of very active albeit not too vocal FIVE-STRIPED SPARROWS kept us entertained for at least 30 minutes near the fourth stream crossing. We enjoyed many close up looks as the pair went about their business.

Many VARIED BUNTINGS were in full voice from well south of the gulch to as far north as we went (4th stream crossing). We saw them showing their true colors, perched in ocotillos on the west slope in full sunlight, as well as some "black looks" down in the grass on the east slope.

Other species from ~40 recorded in the gulch included COMMON GROUND-DOVE, all three myiarchus species, lots of singing BELL'S VIREOS, an uncommon at this location N. ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, several BLUE GROSBEAKS, HOODED ORIOLE and BRONZED COWBIRD.

Sunday, May 23, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out today with Joe Harrington and MariaAna Garza from Kansas City. We birded in Carr and Garden Canyons in the Huachucas. A cool morning turned into another moderately warm and windy day. I don't remember a year when windy conditions persisted for so long.

We started at first light in Carr Canyon where our primary targets were warblers. A stop for a pair of calling ARIZONA WOODPECKERS on the road up to Reef produced excellent looks. Unlike Thursday, most species were singing and we chipped away until we had seen GRACE'S (easy at Reef), RED-FACED (singing and easy to see in multiple locations), OLIVE (singing in a couple of locations) and BLACK-THROATED GRAY (mostly silent). I left the usually difficult to see VIRGINIA'S WARBLER until last. Today they were mostly silent and especially difficult to locate and see. We found only one singing individual and a few "chinking" skulkers; and we eventually settled for a few fleeting but diagnostic glimpses. Conservatively, we spent 1.5 hours on this species.

A latish HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER on the trail west of Reef was perhaps the best bird of the morning. In most years, my latest sighting date in the Huachucas is May 22 and I have one May 25 record.

Garden Canyon was very quiet in the late morning and we had to work for a while to locate a (silent) ELEGANT TROGON. We found a male about 1/2 mile below the upper picnic area -- unfortunately the bird flew immediately and we couldn't relocate it. Even the noisy SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS were not calling much, although we were able to track down a pair and see them well just above the upper picnic area

51 species recorded in Carr and Garden Canyons:
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Mourning & White-winged Doves, White-throated Swift, Elegant Trogon, Acorn, Hairy & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Hammond's, Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Violet-green Swallow, Phainopepla, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireos, Olive, Virginia's, Black-throated Gray, Grace's & Red-faced Warblers, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Yellow-eyed Junco, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Eastern Meadowlark, Brown-headed Cowbird and House Finch.

Tuesday, May 25, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
First of two days with brothers Neil Davis from Vancouver, BC and Russell Davis from Bradford, England. I'd originally planned to spend today in the mountains and tomorrow in Patagonia, however, when I saw how cloudy it was this morning I decided to flip the days around. Anytime you can get a cool day in a low elevation location at the end of May, you take it! In order, we visited Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia Roadside Rest, Paton's Yard and Kino Springs. The clouds stayed around and the only time we felt any heat was at Kino Springs around 1:00pm. The downside was that birds seemed somewhat subdued today.

In the grassland approaches to Patagonia Lake at 5:45am, we had good looks at BOTTERI'S, RUFOUS-CROWNED and BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS, but RUFOUS-WINGED was a heard only. We heard one singing spontaneously at a spot where I've been seeing them regularly in the past few weeks. Unfortunately, the bird dropped out of sight before we could see it and nothing we did enticed the bird back into view. A singing VARIED BUNTING up on a wire looked black in horrible light (another downside to the cloudy day), although we saw another later in the morning, this time on the ground in good light.

The lake was virtually devoid of birds. LEAST BITTERNS were not calling much and we failed to see any. A group of 5 WHITE-FACED IBIS and 3 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS were the "highlights" along with the usual NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS.

At the Roadside Rest, we saw THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS but not the Becard during a 30 minute stop.

Marion Paton's yard yielded VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD and a colorful combination of BLUE and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS and a CARDINAL all on the same feeder.

We had a great view of GRAY HAWK at Kino Springs but struck out on Whistling-Ducks (and at Patagonia Lake). Work on the first pond seems to be nearing completion, perhaps there'll be water in it before the summer is over!

Day list (73 species recorded):
Pied-billed Grebe, Neotropic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Least Bittern, White-faced Ibis, Mallard, Turkey Vulture, Gray & Red-tailed Hawks, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Greater Roadrunner, White-throated Swift, Broad-billed, Violet-crowned & Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Pacific-slope, Vermilion, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Cassin's, Thick-billed & Western Kingbirds, Barn Swallow, Phainopepla, Cactus, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Bell's & Warbling Vireos, Lucy's & Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Summer & Western Tanagers, Canyon Towhee, Botteri's, Rufous-crowned, Rufous-winged, Lark, Black-throated & Song Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Varied Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bullock's Oriole, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Wednesday, May 26, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Neil and Russell. We visited Carr, Garden and Scheelite Canyons on a surprisingly pleasant weather day. We saw lots of clouds, cool and blustery conditions and even some light rain here and there. Very strange weather for late May -- Tucson hasn't recorded its first 100 degree day of the year yet and it's almost June.

We began before 4:00am in Carr Canyon and soon managed decent looks at WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL. We didn't have such good results with ELF OWL. The birds probably have young to feed and one owl tried to lead us away from the nest site several times by calling from a nearby tree and then falling silent. Several WHIP-POOR-WILLS and many COMMON POORWILLS were calling as dawn approached. As the light improved, we set off to track a calling SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER (seen) only to run into an ELF OWL that flew in and perched just 10 feet away from me! Birding, I tell you.

The birds up at Reef found the cool conditions to their liking and the place was alive with song. We tracked down all the expected warblers -- OLIVE, VIRGINIA'S, GRACE'S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, YELLOW-RUMPED & RED-FACED WARBLERS and PAINTED REDSTART. As usual, Virginia's was difficult and it took us an hour before we finally saw one perched in a dead tree for a few seconds. GREATER PEWEE and BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER were both easy to find.

After 30 minutes or so sans trogon in Garden Canyon (already seen by Neil and Russell), we started up Scheelite Canyon in search of Spotted Owl. We met a couple of birders leaving the canyon who had not seen an owl and none of the birders who had signed the log in the last six days had reported seeing an owl. After a thorough and physically exhausting double check of the lower roosting area, I feared the worst. A single owl has been consistently obvious in the lower roosting for several weeks now. I thought that eggs may have hatched and that both birds might be near the nest site and would likely not be locatable. So much for conjecture.

We continued on up the canyon on a wonderful day for such endeavors -- very cloudy and cool with a few sprinkles now and again. What normally is a slog to the upper area in the late morning was actually quite pleasant. Even better, after checking the middle roosting area we found a completely exposed SPOTTED OWL roosting in a seldom used maple tree in the upper area. Use of maples (for roosting) by the owls peaks in May (see the chart of roost types in my Spotted Owl data section). Other species in the canyon included ARIZONA WOODPECKER, CORDILLERAN (breeder) & SULPHUR-BELLIED (rare at this location in May and August) FLYCATCHERS and SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

Day list (62 species recorded):
Turkey Vulture, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Wild Turkey, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Whiskered Screech-Owl, Spotted Owl, Elf Owl, Common Poorwill, Whip-poor-will, White-throated Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Acorn, Hairy & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Cordilleran, Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Violet-green & Barn Swallows, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Plumbeous, Hutton's & Warbling Vireos, Olive, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Grace's & Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstart, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Spotted Towhee, Yellow-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Brown-headed Cowbird, Scott's Oriole, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

Today was my last scheduled day of spring birding in SE AZ and I'll be heading to the White Mountains on Friday for a six week stay. My reports will continue from there.

Friday, May 28, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Trip Species List       Trip Photo List
Today was the start of my annual escape, AKA "goodbye SE AZ  for June, 2004" (my feelings about being in SE AZ in June are public record!). During the early part of this year I planned a 6 week road trip with the focus on Maine. Unfortunately, a 60% increase in gas prices put paid to that idea. Instead, I decided to head to the White Mountains of Arizona for a 6 week period. It's not as cool as I would like, however, the upside is that I'll be able to work on gathering more data for this seriously under-birded part of the state.

As I was packing a "mini library" for the trip, I threw in the last three issues of ABA's Birding magazine dating back to December. I haven't read any of them and the last two still have the plastic wrapper intact. I've been busy, yes, but the articles seem to be getting further away from my birding reality and I've kind of lost interest. Life's too short.

Today was mostly a travel and settling in day, however, I still managed to record a fair number of species. I began the trip, as I do most of my White Mountain trips, with a stop at Willcox. I was unable to visit the ponds during my busy work period and the last time that I birded here was April 7. In fact, I haven't birded any of the wintering duck and migrant shorebird locations at all and 10 of the 35 birds that I recorded at Willcox were new for the month.

AMERICAN AVOCETS and SPOTTED SANDPIPERS were both present in numbers - circa 20 apiece. I saw two BLACK-NECKED STILTS and a smattering of ducks including one GADWALL, several CINNAMON TEAL three SHOVELERS, a few REDHEADS and one LESSER SCAUP. Also present were a couple of RING-BILLED GULLS and RED-NECKED PHALAROPES that outnumbered WILSON'S PHALAROPE by a factor of two. Okay, 2 Red-necked and 1 Wilson's (statistics can be misleading!). I photographed BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON and SWAINSON'S HAWK.

For a while I was puzzled by a bird hunkered down in the grass. Although I could see the head quite well, I was having trouble putting a name to it. It was a recently fledged bird and I've always found that birds at this stage are not easily identified. By a process of elimination (what the hell is breeding here?), I figured out that it was a HORNED LARK, a fact that was confirmed when the bird eventually flew. Phew!

After a short absence during part of last year, the population of EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES at the golf course is increasing. At least three were chasing around in the sprinkler spay and I could hear others calling at the same time. I saw another driving through town (Willcox) and several in the Safford area (Hwy 191 at 366, Solomon Road at Hwy 191 and on Clifton Street in Solomon). Add several birds in Nutrioso and it was the day of the collared-dove, not to be confused with Day of the Triffids, although the doves are taking over.

I took my usual route through the Burro Mountains on highway 78; then into New Mexico and north on highway 180; back into Arizona near Luna Lake. On most of my trips, I'm usually in a hurry to get to the White Mountains so I don't stop much along the way. Today I had no such constraint. Many times I've passed a small riparian section with sycamores at mile 162.5 on highway 78 in Greenlee County. Today I stopped and had a look around. Among the species that I noted were GAMBEL'S QUAIL, LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, BLACK PHOEBE, VERDIN, ROCK WREN, LUCY'S WARBLER, SUMMER TANAGER and BLUE GROSBEAK.

In the rocky foothills of the Burro Mountains I picked up a singing RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and at a couple of regular stopping places in the pines I added WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, MEXICAN JAY, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, GRACE'S WARBLER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and a few others.

As I approached Luna Lake, I was dismayed to see and smell smoke from the Hannagan fire to the south. Strong winds had brought the smoke north to the Alpine area and even the fairly close Escudilla Mountain was moderately obscured. Fortunately, as I crossed Alpine Divide into Nutrioso, the smoke was much reduced.

Not much of note at Luna Lake save for two adult and two immature BALD EAGLES at the nest. The young birds look almost ready to fledge. Through the smoke haze I saw a few EARED GREBES, lots of CANADA GEESE, one GREAT EGRET, various ducks, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, VESPER SPARROW and scads of trilling BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS and "singing" YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS. Oh, and lest I forget, my first AMERICAN CROW of the day, month, trip and an AZ year bird to boot!

It was blowing a gale in Nutrioso and a quick check of the creek and in town didn't produce much save for EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES performing acrobatics to stay perched on the wires. Others included ACORN WOODPECKER (didn't see Lewis's), BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and PINE SISKIN.

On all other trips to the White Mountains I've stayed in a Springerville motel. However, on this extended visit I needed something a little more like home and I'm staying at The Bunkhouse at Juniper Hill, just north of Nutrioso. After getting set up there, I made a grocery run into Springerville and checked Nelson Reservoir and Becker Lake in the process. High wind and bad light combined to frustrate me and the only new birds for the day were WESTERN GREBE  (I tried hard to make into a Clark's in the choppy water) and WESTERN MEADOWLARK, both at Becker.

Day list (85 species recorded):
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Black-necked Stilt, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Wilson's & Red-necked Phalaropes, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Acorn & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Western Wood-Pewee, Black & Say's Phoebes, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Horned Lark, N. Rough-winged, Cliff & Barn Swallows, Cactus, Rock & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Mountain Bluebird, Am. Robin, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Am. Crow, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, European Starling, Plumbeous Vireo, Lucy's & Grace's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Summer Tanager, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Vesper & Song Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks,  Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bullock's Oriole, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Saturday, May 29, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Since today was the start of a long holiday weekend, I decided not to visit places like Greer and South Fork and seek less crowded places. I began by trolling for potential breeding Gray Flycatchers in Pinyon Juniper habitat - I figured there wouldn't be many other folks out doing that! Kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack when you don't really know if there's actually one in there. I only have one record of Gray Flycatcher breeding in the White Mountains (in the foothills on the north slope of the rim near Springerville) but I'm guessing they breed regularly in a few locations and go undetected due to lack of coverage. As expected, I came up empty today but I'll keep trying periodically throughout my time in the White Mountains. I did pick up many PINYON JAYS (I love their call) and singing GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES,

I visited Sipe Wildlife Area, where I only saw employees, and Rudd Creek Canyon where I didn't see a another soul. Rudd Creek Canyon is my own name for a place that may have another name or not have a name at all -- it's the canyon west of Sipe WA with Rudd Creek running through it. Lower Rudd Creek within Sipe WA was essentially devoid of birds this morning except for the ubiquitous BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS and BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS that are everywhere throughout the mountains. This part of the creek and around the Sipe HQ buildings  is good in migration.

Rudd Creek Canyon had plenty of birds including VIRGINIA'S, GRACE'S and RED-FACED WARBLERS, all singing and easy to locate. I "stalked" a Virginia's Warbler for about 30 minutes trying to get a photograph. It was a case of deja vu all over again from a few days ago as the warbler led me hopelessly around in circles. I could just imagine the bird saying "who's this guy trying to kid". The only photograph that I managed was of a BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, not quite as common here as in SE AZ.

Other stuff that I detected at Sipe and/or Rudd Creek included singing DUSKY & CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS, CANYON WREN, MOUNTAIN & WESTERN BLUEBIRDS side by side, PINYON JAY, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, PLUMBEOUS & WARBLING VIREOS, WESTERN TANAGER, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE, VESPER SPARROW and DARK-EYED JUNCO feeding young.

Returning to Nutrioso, I made a quick check of Nelson Reservoir where fishermen significantly outnumbered birds. Fortunately, the south (marshy) end is not favored by fishermen and the birds tend to congregate there. I noted 20+ species including trip firsts GREEN-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON and RING-NECKED DUCK. Numerous SPOTTED SANDPIPERS continue and a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was "hiding" in the marsh.

I'm watching a gorgeous male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD on the fence in the yard as I finish these notes at 6:30pm. The wind has finally died down.

Day list (65 species recorded):
Pied-billed Grebe, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Mourning Dove, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Dusky & Cordilleran Flycatchers, Black & Say's Phoebes, Violet-green, N. Rough-winged, Cliff & Barn Swallows, Rock & Canyon Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Western & Mountain Bluebirds, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Mountain Chickadee, Pygmy & Red-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Western Scrub-Jay, Pinyon Jay, Common Raven, Plumbeous & Warbling Vireos, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped, Grace's & Red-faced Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Western Tanager, Green-tailed & Spotted Towhees, Chipping & Vesper Sparrows, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbird and Lesser Goldfinch.

Sunday, May 30, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
I'm still in low key mode, just bumming around (not looking for area specialties) until the holiday is over. Today I started at Terry Flat where I promptly got a flat tire to give new meaning to the name. It was breezy and fresh (to say the least) here at 10000 feet just as the sun was hitting the meadow area shortly before 6:00am.

A singing GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE and a calling FLICKER were the first birds to greet me. I then worked on tracking multiple DUSKY FLYCATCHERS that were singing and moving around quickly. Fortunately for me they didn't travel very far since every step is an effort at this altitude. Conservatively, I counted four birds, perhaps as many as six. I had great difficulty in getting close enough for a photograph and I tried for over an hour without ever managing to get the shot that I was hoping for. I selected these two images (image #1 and image #2) to show how different the same bird can look depending on the pose. Note the raised hackles crested appearance of image #1 versus the smooth headed look of image #2.

Terry Flat is a high elevation, low species diversity location. Between chasing the flycatchers and changing a tire I recorded less than 20 species including SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, AMERICAN KESTREL, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE (several calling but not singing), MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, VESPER SPARROW and PINE SISKIN.

I moved on to a very breezy Luna Lake where many fisherman and families were congregated. All the activity was focused on the water and I had the pines at the east end of the lake to myself. A quick check of the lake produced a few EARED GREBES, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, various ducks and COMMON MERGANSER, OSPREY, one adult and one immature BALD EAGLE (fledging must have occurred), a few PURPLE MARTINS and many YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

In the pines I focused on finding OLIVE WARBLER, a relatively scarce bird in the White Mountains. I'd covered a couple of miles on rocky terrain when I finally heard the unmistakable "phew" call of a warbler. Although I wasn't surprised to find them, I was surprised by the numbers -- I estimated 4 to 6 birds singing in a small area (just 10 minutes from where I was parked!). Interestingly, they were all concentrated in an old burn area. Just across a track (natural firebreak) in an unburned area, I found several GRACE'S WARBLERS but no more Olive. Sounds like a topic for someone's thesis.

WESTERN BLUEBIRDS were the most common species in the pines. PLUMBEOUS VIREO was also fairly common without being as vocal as usual. The bird in the photo came down to the ground to gather nesting material. The image is not great but it's my first of this species! Other birds included WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, STELLER'S JAY, PYGMY NUTHATCH, BROWN CREEPER, DARK-EYED JUNCO and WESTERN TANAGER. When I first heard the creeper I thought, whoa, what the hell -- then I remembered. I've commented before about how the song of Brown Creeper in the White Mountains is so different from the birds in SE AZ.

I finished the morning in Nutrioso where I failed to find Lewis's Woodpecker for the second time in two visits (and today I walked all the streets around town). Even though it was quite windy, the birds are normally so numerous and conspicuous that I expected to find them. Perhaps they were present and I was just sloppy. On both days (Friday and today) I saw ACORN WOODPECKERS. On checking my records, I found that the Acorns moved into central Nutrioso in 2002. I wonder if they have forced the Lewis's out?

I noted about 20 species as I walked around including 4+ EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD and several BULLOCK'S ORIOLES.

Day List (67 species recorded):
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Dusky & Cordilleran Flycatchers, Say's Phoebe, Purple Martin, Violet-green, Cliff & Barn Swallows, Golden-crowned & Ruby-crowned Kinglets, House Wren, Western & Mountain Bluebirds, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Mountain Chickadee, Pygmy, Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Steller's Jay, Am. Crow, Common Raven, European Starling, Plumbeous & Warbling Vireos, Olive, Yellow-rumped & Grace's Warblers, Western Tanager, Green-tailed Towhee, Chipping & Vesper Sparrows, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds, Bullock's Oriole, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Monday, May 31, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
A change in the weather today as the wind went from one extreme to the other -- calm winds made for much warmer conditions. I started with quick checks of Nelson Reservoir and Becker Lake then birded at Wenima Wildlife Area and the eastern section of Rudd Creek. I added 7 new species bringing the total for four days of birding in the White Mountains to 101. Although there are still a number of easy birds to find when I get to appropriate habitat, I don't expect to see more than 140 during the course of my six week stay.

MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were calling in the yard as I dragged myself out of bed at 4:30am and it wasn't long before I heard the trilling of a BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD. I arrived at a very chilly Nelson Reservoir at 5:40am -- it was well after sunrise but the sun hadn't yet poked over the protective eastern slope. I saw the usual suspects included CINNAMON TEAL, REDHEAD and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. However, a grunting VIRGINIA RAIL was the first new species of the day. As I drove north, a lone PINYON JAY flew across the road just north of the reservoir.

Near the Little Colorado on Airport Road in Springerville, I added three new species in short order -- BLUE GROSBEAK, YELLOW WARBLER and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. Becker Lake Road was quite birdy with regular species including SAY'S PHOEBE, WESTERN KINGBIRD and lots of singing WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. In contrast to my last visit on Friday in high wind, the water at Becker Lake was like glass and fishermen were already out in force. I stayed just long enough to confirm the continuing presence of WESTERN GREBE.

I moved on to nearby Wenima Wildlife area were I spent a frustrating couple of hours. Although I like birding here and the place has plenty of potential, the "trail" conditions leave lots to be desired. In fact, a first time visitor might be completely discouraged from ever returning. Birding along the south "Powerhouse trail" means walking first in overgrown tire tracks and then through long grass. After this, when the best riparian habitat is reached, the trail peters out completely.  If any AZ Game and Fish folks are reading this, here's a suggestion -- divert some funds and manpower from the seriously over-manicured Sipe Wildlife Area and use the resources to maintain at least a semblance of a trail at Wenima.

While walking the "trail" and cursing, I recorded 20 species including at least 4 BLUE GROSBEAKS in scattered locations (the bird in the photo was some distance away), WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, BLACK PHOEBE, ROCK WREN, WARBLING VIREO, numerous YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and roughly one shit load (give or take) of WESTERN MEADOWLARKS.

I finished the morning along the eastern section of Rudd Creek, where it empties into Nutrioso Creek just north of Nelson Reservoir. My previous visits here were in fall so I was looking forward to seeing what the breeding species might be. The creek (currently dry) comes in from the west through a moderately wide canyon, the south slope of which is fairly gentle with grass, pinyon juniper and pinyon pine; the north slope is steep and rocky topped with bluffs, and has similar but sparser vegetation. The canyon bottom is grassy with scattered low, brushy vegetation and more pinyon pines and junipers. The eastern end (where it meets Nutrioso Creek at the access point near highway 180) has a small but interesting riparian area. To reach the access point, take the inconspicuous dead end dirt road on the west side of highway 180 about 1.6 miles north of Nelson Reservoir south parking area.

I was a bit late starting here (my next visit will be first thing) but the riparian section was still fairly active. PLUMBEOUS and WARBLING VIREOS were both in full voice as were DUSKY FLYCATCHER along the creek bed and several ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS on the steep, north slope. WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, WESTERN BLUEBIRD and BUSHTITS were close enough to touch. I watched a NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW visiting a nest cavity. VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS cruised over my head.

Further into the canyon, where the habitat changes, I picked up WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, CANYON WREN, ROCK WREN (sitting atop a pinyon pine) and singing SPOTTED & GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES. Just as I was thinking that the habitat looked good for breeding Gray Flycatcher, my heart skipped a beat when I heard one singing. Seconds later my hopes were dashed when I realized it was a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD!

Back in the riparian area I heard light tapping but was unable to track down whatever bird it was. I've seen Red-naped Sapsucker here in fall but wouldn't expect them to breed at this location. However, birds are infinitely better judges of habitat then I am. Maybe I'll find the culprit on my next visit.

It was a fairly warm day (85 degrees) and I didn't venture out again in the afternoon. Instead, I did a little backyard birding and brought my Juniper Hill property list up to a whopping 15 (today was the first time I've actively looked for birds here). There's lots more habitat beyond the yard proper but that will have to wait for another day.

I spent most of my time trying to photograph a pair of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS. This beautiful male cooperated extremely well by perching very close in good light. The female is somewhat duller (as the field guides often say). I tried various maneuvering tactics but she wouldn't come to the same perch as the male and I had to settle for a less than ideal location. Nevertheless, a decent image.

Notable yard list additions were GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE and a flyover GOLDEN EAGLE directly overhead, new trip bird #7 for the day. I photographed the eagle but even by my standards it wasn't fit to publish.

A dapper looking male LESSER GOLDFINCH was somewhat of an also ran compared to the bluebirds and towhee.

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

Species List

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

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