Species List

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

Bottom of Page

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Tuesday, November 30, 2004.

Monday, November 1, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Today was to have been the first of two days in the field with a client after a month "off". Unfortunately, it was very windy early this morning and we decided to postpone for a day. How ironic is that? Murphy's Law exemplified. A good day to stay home and do chores.

Conditions were quite pristine but the cold and biting wind persisted all day. In mid morning, I made an ill-advised trip to Sierra Vista EOP. The very poor, open construction design of the viewing platform is all too obvious on days like this. It felt pretty raw here (40+ degrees, around freezing with the wind chill) and I didn't stay long. Trying to use use a scope was essentially a waste of time. I barely recorded into double digits and the only species that I haven't seen in recent visits was EARED GREBE.

I went home and shut off the water to the coolers (I won't get caught with burst pipes this year!) and fired up the furnace for the first time this season (about two weeks earlier than normal).

Tuesday, November 2, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out today with Steve Sherwood from MI, Jessica Sherwood from NY and Dave Crockett from CO. Thankfully, there was a major improvement in the weather compared to yesterday and we enjoyed some slow but steady birding at Patagonia Lake State Park and Kino Springs. After an overnight low down to freezing in Sierra Vista, the morning temperature was quite pleasant and the wind wasn't a major factor.

Five hours at Patagonia Lake produced 60 species and one of our two targets -- CASSIN'S VIREO (missed Plumbeous Vireo). We located the vireo in the willow forest where I found a bird last week. The bird was with a major mixed flock that was very excited and I felt sure they had an owl. Although I only heard the Cassin's, everybody else saw it which was the important thing.

We started by scanning the deep end of the lake, then walked the trail at the east end of the lake followed by a short walk along the creek "trail". Highlights on the water were a couple of WESTERN GREBES, a single AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, 100+ AMERICAN WIGEON, a few CANVASBACKS and REDHEADS, 20 LESSER SCAUP and a male BUFFLEHEAD. We noted only one NEOTROPIC CORMORANT among the DOUBLE CRESTED. A lone GREAT EGRET foraged along the edge of the marsh.

Landbird highlights were 20+ CEDAR WAXWINGS along the entrance road, a couple of BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS (one definitely a female), a fair number of RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS and 3 PINE SISKINS (uncommon here).

Not a single empid was seen or heard. YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were annoyingly abundant.

Early afternoon activity at Kino Springs was fairly low but we managed to turn up 30+ species including the hoped for BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS (2 adults and 2 juveniles on the sewage pond),  2 beautiful male VERMILION FLYCATCHERS and 4 WESTERN BLUEBIRDS.

The first pond held very little save for SPOTTED SANDPIPER. The club house pond had a fair number of ducks and a lone EARED GREBE, only my second record here in 270+ visits.

A small flock of LARK BUNTINGS were along highway 82 near the entrance to Las Cienegas.

Day list (77 species recorded):
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes, Am. White Pelican, Double-crested & Neotropic Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Tree & Violet-green Swallows, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Cassin's & Hutton's Vireos, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Lark Bunting, Rufous-winged, Chipping, Lark, Savannah, Song & White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Pine Siskin and Lesser Goldfinch.

Wednesday, November 3, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Steve, Jessica & Dave. Unfortunately, we had to abandon the day after only a few hours due to windy conditions. It was barely breezy in town but the wind in upper Carr Canyon was just too much to handle. Both our targets for the day were mountain birds (Northern Pygmy-Owl and Olive Warbler) and it soon became clear that success was very unlikely.

If fact, in over two hours on the mountain we identified only 11 species -- in order they were a few EASTERN BLUEBIRDS gathered around some mistletoe in the lower canyon, a couple of HERMIT THRUSHES and an AMERICAN ROBIN visiting a frozen puddle at Ramsey Vista Campground, a calling SPOTTED TOWHEE, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, several WHITE-BREASTED & RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES at Reef, and CHIPPING SPARROW, FLICKER, BRIDLED TITMOUSE & MEXICAN JAY back in the lower canyon as we left.

A morning to forget.

Thursday, November 4, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Today was the first of two days with Mike O'Malley from Clarkesville, TN. We've birded together on two previous occasions, each time for a couple days in November 2002 and 2003. Consequently, potential new species are becoming more and more difficult to find. Today we managed to pick up a couple of target species (Green Kingfisher and Townsend's Warbler) and missed a third (Lawrence's Goldfinch). The weather cooperated and it was a pleasantly warm day without too much wind.

We began at the fishing ponds in Garden Canyon where we searched high and low without success for Lawrence's Goldfinch. The area was quite birdy and we recorded 30 species here over 90 minutes. Highlights were WILSON'S SNIPE, 9+ CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, a calling CRISSAL THRASHER (my second record in Garden), 10+ WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, HUTTON'S VIREO (slightly low down the canyon), sparrows of 7 different flavors and a lone female CASSIN'S FINCH. The facial pattern of female Cassin's can vary significantly and this individual is weakly marked.

Next, we checked Soldier Creek in Sierra Vista where I've seen Lawrence's Goldfinches in previous years. No success there either. Only WHITE-WINGED DOVE and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER were of note from about 20 species.

We headed down to the San Pedro where we had almost instant success with the continuing female GREEN KINGFISHER at the big pond. The bird was fairly cooperative and allowed reasonably close approach. Other species from 25 recorded included a couple of INCA DOVES and a lone PINE SISKIN (caught in a banding net) near the San Pedro House. Both species are uncommon on the river and I only have 20 and 23 records respectively.

We finished up by returning to Garden Canyon where we made a token effort to relocate the Elegant Trogon that I saw on Saturday. We also tried again for Lawrence's at the fishing ponds. However, we did have some success -- a stop at the middle picnic area produced a silently foraging TOWNSEND'S WARBLER -- we stumbled into the bird while trying to track down a calling BROWN CREEPER. We also saw perhaps half a dozen more CASSIN'S FINCHES including at least one male.

Day List (64 species recorded):
Great Blue Heron, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Wilson's Snipe, Rock Pigeon, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Belted & Green Kingfishers, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Cassin's Kingbird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cactus, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Western Bluebird, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, European Starling, Hutton's Vireo, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped & Townsend's Warblers, Green-tailed, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Savannah, Song & White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle, Cassin's & House Finches, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Friday, November 5, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out again today with Mike. It was an unseasonably warm day under high, thin clouds and the sultry feel didn't seem to sit well with the birds. Activity was very subdued in each location that we visited -- Patagonia Lake, Kino Springs, Green Valley and Madera Canyon. We didn't see either of our target birds -- Cassin's Vireo and Lawrence's Goldfinch.

Waterfowl numbers at Patagonia Lake were significantly lower than earlier in the week. A couple of WESTERN GREBES continue along with a few CANVASBACKS and REDHEADS.

No doubt because we weren't looking for them, we twice came across BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS -- heard in one location and a pair seen foraging in another. Perhaps they were different individuals. A couple of BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS were also present.

Empids were again scarce and we noted only one GRAY and two DUSKY FLYCATCHERS. Both species are normally present in numbers by this time of year.

A return of just under 50 species in almost 5 hours was poor by PLSP standards.

At Kino Springs, four BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS (two adults, two immatures) continue on the sewage pond. A couple of COMMON MOORHENS on the club house pond were my first here since November 2000. A lone WHITE-FACED IBIS was a surprise at the first pond -- they are scarce in SE AZ at this time of year and scarce at Kino at any time (this was my only my fourth record). Landbirds included GREATER ROADRUNNER and VERMILION FLYCATCHER.

A visit to the old Pima County Maintenance Yard in Green Valley produced exactly the same number of Lawrence's Goldfinches as yesterday -- none. In fact, the area was almost devoid of birds and we didn't detect any sparrows nor even Lesser Goldfinches. After many early reports of Lawrence's this season (including at the maintenance yard location, a regular spot for them), the reports have dried up. I don't whether this is because the novelty has worn off or the birds have moved off.

Faced with waiting around for goldfinches or checking Santa Rita Lodge for photo ops (Mike uses the same lens as I do with a 10D), we chose the latter. We saw most of the usual feeder moochers including MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD (probably two birds), BRIDLED TITMICE (particularly common) and three flavors of DARK-EYED JUNCOS (Gray-headed, Oregon & Pink-sided). ARIZONA WOODPECKER and CANYON WREN were also near the lodge.

The ride back to Sonoita via Box Canyon was pleasant but uneventful. Three EURASIAN-COLLARED DOVES in Sonoita were the last birds of a below average day.

Day List (83 species recorded):
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White-faced Ibis, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Am. Wigeon, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Magnificent & Anna's Hummingbirds, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray, Dusky & Vermilion Flycatchers, Black & Say's Phoebes, Cassin's Kingbird, Tree & Barn Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cactus, Canyon, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Hermit Thrush, Blue-gray & Black-capped Gnatcatchers, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, European Starling, Hutton's Vireo, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Rufous-winged, Chipping, Vesper, Lark, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed, Oregon & Pink-sided) Juncos, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Sunday, November 7, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I joined the regular Sunday tour of Sierra Vista EOP. Conditions were very pleasant for birding -- overcast, calm and mild (the temperature ranged from 57-64 degrees). The weather closed in after we were done and rain began later in the afternoon. Birding was slow but steady with nothing truly unusual seen.

Both PEREGRINE and PRAIRIE FALCONS were seen perched on poles shortly after we got started. Several RED-TAILS, HARRIERS and KESTRELS rounded out the raptors.

Ducks were not particularly numerous and only AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN SHOVELER and GREEN WINGED TEAL were plentiful. A lone female/immature male LESSER SCAUP was the pick of the (small) bunch. Apart from one SPOTTED SANDPIPER and several KILLDEER, shorebirds were conspicuous by their absence. SORAS were plentiful (calling throughout) and we also heard two VIRGINIA RAILS.

The usual hordes of YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS are always worth the price of admission, as were a small band of 16 SCALED QUAIL. A male VERMILION FLYCATCHER added a splash of color to this drab day. I see them here during the winter months in most years.

Highlight of the morning was a SWAMP SPARROW seen on one of the interior marshy ponds. This was only my third record at SVEOP, the other two were in spring. Swamp Sparrows are generally rare in SE AZ in winter and Patagonia Lake is perhaps the best place to reliably and consistently find them. Today's bird was my first of season (my earliest record is in mid October).

GREAT BLUE HERON (3%), GAMBEL'S QUAIL (1.75%) and ROCK WREN (2.5%) represented less commonly seen species for this location. The numbers are percent seen with respect to number of visits.

I stayed on at the viewing platform after the tour finished, determined not to miss COMMON YELLOWTHROAT (I had to wait 45 minutes!). I also added EARED GREBE. I missed at least two species seen by others (Northern Pintail and Blue-winged Teal). Chihuahuan Ravens were nowhere to be seen (they're all on Fry Blvd.).

54 species recorded at Sierra Vista EOP from 8:00-11:30am:  SVEOP Bar Graph
Eared Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Prairie & Peregrine Falcons, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Tree & Barn Swallows, Cactus, Rock & Marsh Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Loggerhead Shrike, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Canyon Towhee, Lark Bunting, Brewer's, Vesper, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp & White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch and House Sparrow.

Monday, November 8, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
I just made a quick trip into Garden Canyon this morning to have another look for Lawrence's Goldfinch. Once again I failed to find any and it seems that they have moved on from this location, at least for the time being. Following a brief thunderstorm and some overnight rain, it was a partly cloudy and damp morning.

Species that I don't normally see near the fishing ponds were ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, HUTTON'S VIREO and BRIDLED TITMOUSE.

33 species recorded in Garden Canyon:
Red-tailed Hawk. Am. Kestrel, Anna's Hummingbird, Red-naped Sapsucker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cactus & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Western Bluebird, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Canyon Towhee, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Savannah & White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

Tuesday, November 9, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
This morning I checked Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area for the first time this month. It was quite cold when I started around 7:00am and there was still a slight chill in the air at 10:00am. A completely clear sky and zero wind made for perfect birding conditions. My kind of morning. Water levels remain high in all impoundments providing excellent conditions for divers (so where are they?). I was still unable to reach the north viewing platform via the easternmost dike due to standing water (no problem via the interior dike).

At this season, the early morning sight and sound of many thousands of SANDHILL CRANES taking flight is quite a spectacle and always makes the trip worthwhile. However, since I was also hoping for some "white geese", not seeing any was slightly disappointing. Five AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were a consolation prize.

Out on the open water, only EARED GREBE, RING-NECKED DUCK and LESSER SCAUP could be called common. CANVASBACK and REDHEADS were present in the twenties; all remaining ducks were scattered in ones and twos. Surprisingly, I didn't see any species of Teal nor Wigeon.

[As many of you will have gathered, winter plumaged Eared and Horned Grebe identification is a pet peeve of mine. Compare the Eared Grebe photo above with this Horned Grebe photo. There's also a couple of (not-so-good) images of the Horned Grebe that visited Avra Valley WWTP last year in the documentation section of my photo gallery. It's interesting to note that Kenn Kaufman doesn't treat these species in "Advanced Birding", presumably because they are easily identified with a good view. However, given the number of erroneous reports in SE AZ each winter, perhaps they should have been included. (Next edition Kenn)]

Gulls were represented by a single fly-by RING-BILLED GULL and three BONAPARTE'S GULLS sitting on the westernmost body of water.

Shorebirds were few and far between. I saw one WILSON'S SNIPE and two each GREATER YELLOWLEGS and LEAST SANDPIPERS.

Landbirds on the various dikes and in the fields included GREAT HORNED OWL, several flavors of VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, a handful of AMERICAN PIPITS, a few LARK BUNTINGS, lots of SAVANNAH SPARROWS and both EASTERN & WESTERN MEADOWLARKS.

The water level at the entrance to the south willow grove has finally subsided and I was able to enter for the first time in a while (treading very carefully through the mud). There's still some standing water in the interior (negotiable) and along the tree line at western edge (not negotiable). It was here that I saw the most landbird activity and the best bird of the morning -- EASTERN PHOEBE (enabling me to tie a three phoebe day record set by many). Unfortunately, I was some distance from the bird so the photo is "documentation quality" only. This was species #188 for me at WWD.

Other species in the willows included GREAT HORNED OWL, SWAMP SPARROW, numerous PYRRHULOXIAS and a single male LAZULI BUNTING. Swamp Sparrow seems to be regular at WWD and I now have 14 records over 6 months in 5 different years. If I invested enough time searching the grove, I'm sure that I would find them more often. I've seen Lazuli Buntings hang in here through November (even one December record). They are much more numerous in winter as you go further west.

BENDIRE'S and CURVE-BILLED THRASHERS were near the Headquarters building and a ROCK WREN was a few hundred yards north along Coffman Road. It seems like an odd place for Rock Wren but I have a handful of records here in November, December and January.

58 species recorded at Whitewater Draw:
Eared Grebe, Am. White Pelican, Green Heron, Gadwall, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Sandhill Crane, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe, Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Ring-billed & Bonaparte's Gulls, Mourning Dove, Great Horned Owl, Eastern, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Horned Lark, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Rock, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, Bendire's & Curve-billed Thrashers, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Green-tailed Towhee, Lark Bunting, Brewer's, Vesper, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp & White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks and House Finch.

Note on Ruddy Ground-Doves: I heard from last week's client, Steve Sherwood, that he saw four Ruddy Ground-Doves at Red Rock on Friday. Another observer reported eight birds yesterday. I also know of a single bird (photographed) on private property in southern Cochise County. 'Tis the season.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
This morning I made a routine visit to Sawmill Canyon, primarily to check on Williamson's Sapsucker. It was another pristine morning -- cold, clear and calm, and I delayed my starting time because I knew it would be inactive early on in Sawmill. By mid morning it was pleasantly warm. Any day of the year can produce a 50 degree temperature swing in southeast Arizona; e.g. 20-70 or 50 -100. Today was closer to the former.

As things turned out, some major troop activity in Garden Canyon slowed me down considerably and I arrived at Sawmill much later than I had planned (8:00am). It was decidedly cold and frosty in the canyon, especially in the shaded areas. You've got to be a special kind of stupid to want to come here on mornings like this. Guilty as charged.

Initially, the only sounds were STELLER'S and MEXICAN JAYS and water dripping from the tree tops as the sun poked over the mountain peaks. The jays were a royal pain for thirty minutes or so -- it's hard to hear or sneak up on anything when they are so plentiful and noisy. They eventually fell silent and I had a good morning, more in terms of quality than quantity. One of my clients from last week will feel mighty _______ (fill in the blank) when he reads today's journal (sorry Steve!). Windy conditions prevented us looking for a couple of target species (Northern Pygmy-Owl and Olive Warbler) -- today I found both of them.

I spent a couple of hours looking and listening for Williamson's Sapsucker without success. RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS were easier to come by and I happened upon at least four. I also heard at least four OLIVE WARBLERS and chased one of them down. I got excited when it turned out to be a cracking orange-headed adult male. When I saw how low the bird was perched I thought today was my chance to get the adult male photo that had so far eluded me. I maneuvered into position only to have the bird fly away at the critical moment. I huffed and puffed up hill, following its calls, and finally caught up with it some 200 yards away. I was still a long distance from the bird (now much higher in a pine) and looking into the sun. Nevertheless, I did manage one salvageable shot (thanks to the 8+ megapixels of the 20D and the wonders of  the "shadows and highlights image adjustment" feature, new in Photoshop CS. The result is not great by a long shot, a little dark and lacking detail, but better than nothing. Here's a full frame thumbnail so you can see what I had to work with (untouched except for scaling).

While wandering around looking for Williamson's, in addition to the Olive Warbler I also found ARIZONA WOODPECKER, a few WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, at least 4 CASSIN'S FINCHES, 2 RED CROSSBILLS and 20+ PINE SISKINS along with the usual dicky birds.

At this point, I felt a little cheated by the Olive experience and the lack of a Williamson's and I was about ready to call it quits. I'm not sure what changed my mind but I decided to make an effort to locate an owl. Tapes and whistling are prohibited in Sawmill proper so unless a bird is calling you're essentially SOL (and they don't spontaneously call very often at this time of year). I headed to a location about half a mile away where I've had success in the past. A few toots from me and I had an instant response from NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL. In fact, I couldn't get rid of the bird (here's another shot in a different tree). There's more, get this. As I was working on the owl, a rather annoyed male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER flew onto a trunk at eye level not 20 yards away. Then, a RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER arrived and the two birds worked the tree side by side! I kid you not. To paraphrase, it ain't over 'til the owl toots and the sapsucker flies! The owl was quite high in a pine, a little too far away for photos, and I should probably have worked on the Williamson's since I already have some good pygmy-owl images. Oh, well. Another day.

Driving back down Garden, I saw only a handful of species plus Coyote, Deer and Javelina. However, the fall colors are starting to look very impressive, especially the maples. As usual, a small image can't really do justice to the actual scene.

I just wish my days weren't so damn boring. How I long to be back polishing a chair in Silicon Valley.

37 species recorded in Sawmill (21) and Garden Canyons:
Red-tailed Hawk, Mourning Dove, N. Pygmy-Owl, Acorn, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, Williamson's & Red-naped Sapsuckers, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Olive & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern Meadowlark, Cassin's & House Finches, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin and Lesser Goldfinch.

Thursday, November 11, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
I only had a limited time spend in the field this morning so I checked the holes in my data to see what I could accomplish in a few hours. I took the road less traveled by most birders and visited St. David Monastery. There aren't any special birds to be found here but it's certainly a pleasant place to bird, especially in the cooler months. My main objective was to check if Lewis Woodpecker had returned (one or more have wintered here in recent years).

Today was my 86th time birding here since 1993 with visits distributed as follows: 13 in spring , 11 in summer, 28 in fall and 34 in winter. The majority of these visits have occurred while returning from Willcox and are usually at a lousy time of day. I've made very few dedicated visits at an optimum time of day like today. The round trip of 70+ miles took 3 hours 20 minutes with 2 hours 15 minutes of birding time. I recorded 45 species and added two new birds to the list of species that I've seen entirely within the monastery property limits -- that list now stands at 152. I'm sure that I could ramp up the total if I spent more time here in summer. Okay, enough with all the numbers and stats. You can take the engineer out of Silicon Valley but you can't take the engineer out of me.

Although it was a warmer day, the temperature when I got started was only 34 degrees and frost covered most grassy areas. I traversed about three miles of terrain and checked most areas twice, once early then again as the day warmed. Despite much looking at the tops of cottonwoods and in the pecan grove, I failed to find Lewis's Woodpecker. For the first time in while, I also missed the male Wood Duck with an injured wing.

Highlights were the two new species -- a very vocal and visible SWAMP SPARROW on the small westernmost pond; and a small flock of LARK BUNTINGS out in the scrubby mesquite area near the river. This is my third Swamp Sparrow in three different locations in the past 5 days (who said they are rare in SE AZ, oh, I did!).

Most of the hackberry trees have fruit but I didn't find much in the way of fruit eating birds save for a fly-by of 8 WESTERN BLUEBIRDS. The large hackberry near the Hermitage pond held lots of calling and flitting YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS among which I detected the drier "whit" of GRAY FLYCATCHER, a regular here in winter (I saw two more elsewhere). The flycatcher was very cooperative and this is perhaps my best photographic effort to date of this species. The small flock of (almost!) ever present WHITE-WINGED DOVES were in the same hackberry. The individual in the photo was the bravest of the bunch and the only one not to fly away as I approached.

A "flock" of GILA WOODPECKERS, catching the warmth of the morning sun, were gathered in force atop a cottonwood. I witnessed some argy-bargy between a KESTREL and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK in the same tree.

GADWALL and AMERICAN WIGEON were the most conspicuous species on the main pond. GREEN HERON and BELTED KINGFISHER were easy to see here. Numerous AMERICAN PIPITS worked the open grassy area near the Hermitage pond (nothing on the pond). ABERT'S TOWHEES were abundant close to the river. PINE SISKINS were present in small numbers -- I'm seeing them in all habitats at the moment. WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were fairly numerous out in the fields.

45 species recorded at St. David Monastery from 7:15-9:30am:
Green Heron, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Sharp-shinned & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray Flycatcher, Black & Say's Phoebes, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's & House Wrens, Western Bluebird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Chihuahuan Raven, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Lark Bunting, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed) Junco, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp & White-crowned Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Western Meadowlark, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Friday, November 12, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
As yesterday, I only had a short time to bird again this morning and I decided to visit the San Pedro for a couple of hours. I toyed with the idea of not going out at all because I've got so much other stuff to do. However, when I push myself I usually end up with some kind of reward -- if you don't buy that ticket you won't win the raffle. What was my prize today? Well, on my 518th visit to the river I saw three species of note -- a first record, a second record and a fourth record. Every day in the field is another opportunity to prove that "you never know what you might see" is not just a cliché.

It was partly cloudy and still a little chilly near the San Pedro House despite my late start (8:00am). I took the trail directly east and saw the first goody of the morning as I reached the river -- EASTERN PHOEBE. Only my fourth record on the SPRNCA and my second Eastern Phoebe of the week. Later, as I entered the sighting in the log back at the SP House, I noted that (presumably) the same bird had been seen on November 9, further south near Garden Wash.

I birded my way over to Kingfisher Pond where I spent only a few minutes -- too many folks there presumably looking for Green Kingfisher. I stayed just long enough to pick up an immature DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, species #215 for me on the SPRNCA.

Next, I birded in Garden Wash. I wandered along looking at the various flavors of sparrows and towhees when, all off a sudden, up popped a very colorful and obviously different sparrow. I was initially taken aback but very soon got binocular and then camera on the bird which turned out to be a very out of place GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, conveniently perched in a mesquite. I'm calling the bird an immature. Note how the pale central crown stripe and darker lateral stripes are not really developed yet. In fact, you can't see them at all in the main image, that's why I included the inset. Although I had to crank up the ISO to 800 to get an image, it's still a little better than "documentation quality".

This was only my second record for Grasshopper Sparrow on the SPRNCA, the other was near the Charleston bridge in October, 2000. I suspect that they are probably rare but regular in winter, in the grassy areas well away from the river. However, I don't spend much time in that habitat. Today's sighting was not my first in scrubby mesquite habitat -- I once saw one in winter on Lee Road in Sulphur Springs Valley.

34 species recorded on the San Pedro (highway 90 area):
Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Mallard, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Eastern & Black Phoebes, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Green-tailed, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Chipping, Brewer's, Grasshopper, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

Sunday, November 14, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
I'm not sure what woke me up at 5:00am this morning, the alarm or the pounding noise of heavy rain. I'd planned to visit San Rafael Valley but I soon kissed that off. In fact, at this point it appeared that I wouldn't get out at all today. The rain finally quit around 7:00am and I later headed down to Sierra Vista EOP. The clouds had lifted a little, enough to reveal the first snow of the season in the Huachucas, down to perhaps 7000 feet or a little less. The white stuff had melted from this level a few hours later but I couldn't see the mountain tops where snow may persist.

Under cloudy skies and with a constant wind, it felt much colder than the actual start time temperature of 40 degrees at SVEOP. It's not often that I get rugged up with sweater, jacket, rain jacket and long pants! Bird activity was way down from recent visits which was hardly surprising. The "highlight" was a lone RING-BILLED GULL that I tried to make into a Bonaparte's with some wishful thinking. The PEREGRINE FALCON continues but raptors were generally scarce.

AMERICAN WIGEON and NORTHERN SHOVELERS were the most common ducks. GREEN-WINGED TEAL and CINNAMON TEAL were present in lesser numbers along with four RING-NECKED DUCKS and one female LESSER SCAUP. Calling SORAS seemed to be present in all the marshy ponds but none were seen. At least one SPOTTED SANDPIPER continues.

44 species recorded at Sierra Vista EOP from 8:00-10:30am:
Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Am. Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Sora, Am. Coot, Wilson's Snipe, Spotted Sandpiper, Ring-billed Gull, Mourning Dove, Black & Say's Phoebe, Horned Lark, Rock & Marsh Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Canyon Towhee, Lark Bunting, Vesper, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackle and House Finch.

Monday, November 15, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
This morning I decided to check what might have blown in at Willcox as a result of the recent stormy conditions,. The day began completely cloudy with a few sprinkles in Sierra Vista and much milder and calmer than yesterday. When I arrived in Willcox around 7:30am, it was colder, just as cloudy and quite windy. I saw a few sun breaks during the couple of hours that I spent birding around the ponds. On the way home I spent an hour at St. David where it was calm and mild. The midday temperature back in Sierra Vista was only in the mid 50s with heavy clouds obscuring much of the Huachucas.

I was hoping for at least a smattering of storm driven birds at Willcox but the only bird of note was a lone adult SNOW GOOSE on the main pond. Although they've already been reported at several locations by others, this was my first of season -- always a treat and something to brighten a dreary day. The goose wasn't very close to shore but I tried for a photo anyway (taken from the car as I drove past the bird).

Lots of RUDDY DUCKS and 30+ EARED GREBES were out on the open water of the main pond. Most other ducks and the few shorebirds that I saw were huddled along the leeward eastern shore.  RING-NECKED DUCKS, LESSER SCAUP and REDHEADS numbered around a dozen or so each. I noted 4 WILSON'S SNIPE, 6 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS and 10+ LEAST SANDPIPERS.

I recorded a total of 36 species. Except for the goose, the birding was uninspiring and hardly worth the investment of gas and time to drive over.

The highlight at St. David was seeing CASSIN'S and PLUMBEOUS VIREOS in the same tree. I heard the Cassin's singing and followed the sound, eventually catching up with two squabbling birds that turned out to be one of each species. I saw both species here a couple of years ago almost to the day (November 11, 2002) and I have a couple of similar fall records for Cassin's at the Monastery -- November 3, 1998 and October 27, 1997. Same bird? Coincidence? I also have spring records for both species.

Also of note was my first AMERICAN GOLDFINCH of the season. Among a total of 35 species, I noted many of the same birds as on my visit last week including WHITE-WINGED DOVE, GRAY FLYCATCHER and lots of ABERT'S TOWHEES. I missed the Wood Duck again -- I wonder if its wing healed?

61 species recorded at Willcox (36) and St. David (35): Willcox Bar Graph
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Snow Goose, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Sandhill Crane, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe, Long-billed Dowitcher, Least Sandpiper, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray Flycatcher, Black & Say's Phoebes, Horned Lark, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cactus, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, Plumbeous & Cassin's Vireos, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Abert's Towhee, Vesper, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Brewer's Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Am. Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Tuesday, November 16, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
First of two days with Stuart White from McLean, VA. Today we birded in the San Rafael Valley and in the Huachucas looking for three primary targets -- Baird's Sparrow and Williamson's & Red-naped Sapsuckers. Thankfully, after a few unpleasant days, we enjoyed good weather and found two of our targets.

We left Sierra Vista early and headed out through the west gate of Fort Huachuca in the pre-dawn gloom. The temperature was right at freezing as we reached my favorite sparrow spot around sunrise. Visibility was poor due to low lying fog but that soon cleared as the sun came up under clear blue skies. Very little was stirring and we didn't even see a SAVANNAH SPARROW for almost an hour. EASTERN and WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were common and we had a few fly-by HORNED LARKS and CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS.

We stayed in the same location for about 1 1/4 hours and then decided to take a walk around. We returned about 30 minutes later and just as I was saying "I wonder how many BAIRD'S SPARROWS popped up while we were gone" -- we saw one! In fact, I had barely got the word "popped" out of my mouth when we saw the bird perched in the open on a small bush, a very richly colored individual. I struggled to get the scope on it and the bird flew just as I got it in focus. Not a problem as it turned out -- Stuart managed a decent binocular view since we were only 50 feet or so away. Shortly afterwards we saw a couple of GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS that perched up for barely a minute.

We retraced our route back to the Huachucas and headed to Sawmill Canyon to do battle with sapsuckers. Miller and Carr peaks have plenty of snow but we didn't see any in the much lower elevation Sawmill. What we did see surprised me -- lots of people due to an army training exercise. I rarely see any military personnel up here. At 10:30am the canyon was cloudy, 45 degrees and very calm -- ideal listening conditions. First, I decided to see if lightning would strike twice in the same place. Last week I found an owl  that in turn attracted both sapsucker species to the same tree. Unfortunately, even though we had no trouble at all locating and getting great views of the same NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL, sapsuckers were a no show.

We then spent almost three hours working the canyon and turned up 3-4 silently tapping RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS but no Williamson's. As the saying goes, two out three ain't bad. A flock of 30ish BAND-TAILED PIGEONS represented my first November record in Sawmill (they breed here but usually leave quite early). Note: many of the Madrone trees in the canyon are fruiting and may attract something good.

A token stop at the fishing ponds back in Garden Canyon didn't produce any Lawrence's (or Lesser) goldfinches. However, I was surprised to see a handful of LAZULI BUNTINGS since I hadn't seen them here in recent visits. Maybe there's still hope for the goldfinches.

42 species recorded in San Rafael Valley, Garden & Sawmill Canyons:  Sawmill Bar Graph
N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Killdeer, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, N. Pygmy-Owl, Acorn Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Horned Lark, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Bewick's Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Vesper, Savannah, Baird's & Grasshopper Sparrows, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Lazuli Bunting, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Brewer's Blackbird, Cassin's Finch, House Finch and Pine Siskin.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Stuart for what turned out to be a very short and successful trip to Sawmill Canyon. The day began clear and cold in Sierra Vista, cold enough that I was in ice scraping mode again at 6:30am.

On the way to Sawmill, we made a brief stop at the fishing ponds to check (unsuccessfully) for goldfinches. GILDED FLICKER was a very pleasant surprise here and species #199 for me in Garden Canyon. At least four CASSIN'S FINCHES were present along with fly-by PINE SISKINS, a small group of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, PHAINOPEPLA, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, CANYON & GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES and singing WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

In a quite frosty and chilly Sawmill Canyon, our reward for all of yesterday's effort came after only five minutes. I chose just the right place to recycle the coffee and the tapping that we heard turned out to be a male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER, the first (and almost the only) bird that we saw. The bird was very accommodating and went about its business of creating sapwells as we watched at close range. You can't make this stuff up.

We returned to the fishing ponds then checked Soldier Creek in town. Again, no luck with Lawrence's, although we did have one strong contender at the ponds. Stuart then went on to Tucson to try again for Lawrence's, this time successfully.

38 species recorded:
Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Gila Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Northern & Gilded Flickers, Black & Say's Phoebes, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Bewick's Wren, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Western Bluebird, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Hutton's Vireo, Green-tailed & Canyon Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Savannah, Song & White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Western Meadowlark, Cassin's & House Finches, Pine Siskin and Lesser Goldfinch.

Thursday, November 18, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
First of two days with Colin & Celia Bradshaw from Newcastle, England (day two will be in a few days). We spent all our time at Patagonia Lake State Park where the birding was relatively slow and steady (some areas had lots of activity, others none at all). After a typically cold start (close to freezing), it was the warmest day for a while with an early afternoon temperature well into the 70s.

We started by checking the deep (west) end of the lake, then birded the mesquite bosque and willows at the east end, finishing up along the first 1/2 mile or so of Sonoita Creek. We didn't look hard for anything in particular, although we did hope to find trogon and gnatcatcher. Colin also did a fair bit of photography.

After a three fleeting glimpses of silent gnatcatchers, we eventually located a pair of BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS along Sonoita Creek. The birds stayed fairly close together as they foraging low in mesquites. They only called a couple of times, just enough to let us know they were around and get us to the right place.

Other highlights for this time of year included a couple of PLUMBEOUS VIREOS (east and west ends of the lake) and one, possibly two BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS.

Less common species at this location included a couple of LEAST SANDPIPERS (only my second record here in 350+ visits) and half a dozen fly-by AMERICAN ROBINS.

Among the regulars and continuing species were scads of EARED GREBES (the individual in the photo was very cooperative), 2 WESTERN GREBES, 15-20 WHITE-WINGED DOVES, LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, several GRAY & DUSKY FLYCATCHERS, a few AMERICAN PIPITS, NORTHERN CARDINAL and unbelievable numbers of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS.

63 species recorded at Patagonia Lake State Park:
Eared & Western Grebes, Double-crested & Neotropic Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Virginia Rail, Sora, Wilson's Snipe, Spotted & Least Sandpipers, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray & Dusky Flycatchers, Black & Say's Phoebes, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Rock, Canyon, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Common Raven, Plumbeous & Hutton's Vireos, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped & Black-throated Gray Warblers, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Black-throated, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Saturday, November 20, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I made a brief trip down to the San Pedro where I went north of the highway 90 bridge for a change. I spent lots of time looking through the common White-crowned Sparrows for something more interesting. I walked about 4 miles and saw very few birds. Before heading out I watched the early live game from England -- Manchester United v Charlton. I'm not sure which was the most lackluster, the game or the birding.

26 species recorded at SPRNCA:
N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Mourning Dove, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's & House Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Green-tailed, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Vesper, Black-throated, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird and House Finch.

Sunday, November 21, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
Today was the second day with fellow Brit Colin Bradshaw who was joined by Richard Fray from Tucson, also a Brit (we talked a lot about the real football). It was a grungy day -- cloudy, cool and blustery but at least the rain held off until we were done (tomorrow is supposed to be worse).

We started on Coffman Road in Sulphur Springs Valley then worked Lee Road and Central Highway, finally finding a cooperative BENDIRE'S THRASHER at the fourth location that we tried. In another month (when they get into breeding mode) they'll (hopefully!) be much easier to find. LARK BUNTINGS were abundant on Coffman where we also found GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE and lots of sparrows of various flavors. We saw SNOW GEESE in flight with SANDHILL CRANES and at least 7 AMERICAN AVOCETS out on the water at Whitewater Draw (although we didn't bird there). 

Next, we headed north to Essary Hay on Rucker Canyon Road. None of the fields looked particularly good for Mountain Plover and we didn't spend much time looking for them -- it started to get quite windy here and the weather in the distant Huachucas (where we still had to go) looked nasty. I only have one November record for MOPL here, most of my season first sightings occur during the first week in December. Our other target here was FERRUGINOUS HAWK and we saw several gorgeous looking individuals in flight and sitting on the ground. [The fields at Davis and Central look better for plovers.]

Our trip into the Swisshelm Mountains for BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW was thankfully short and very sweet -- we saw several birds shortly after we arrived and were able to quickly get under way again.

After an hour drive back to to town, I was dismayed to see Fort Huachuca Main Gate barricaded -- some sort of protest against the fort was going on nearby. Fortunately, the East Gate was accepting day visitors (normally you cannot get access here).

My first trip of the month to Scheelite Canyon was very successful. After my customary quick and dirty preliminary check, I started a more thorough search and soon came across this very cooperative SPOTTED OWL. The light wasn't very good for photography but you wouldn't really know it from this image. Other species in the canyon included ARIZONA WOODPECKER, lots of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and HUTTON'S VIREOS and one, possibly two HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS.

Day List (58 species recorded):
Snow Goose, N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Sandhill Crane, Am. Avocet, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Spotted Owl, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Hammond's Flycatcher, Black & Say's Phoebes, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cactus, Rock, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Bendire's & Curve-billed Thrashers, Hermit Thrush, Bridled Titmouse, Brown Creeper, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, European Starling, Hutton's Vireo, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Green-tailed, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Dark-eyed Junco, Lark Bunting, Brewer's, Black-chinned, Vesper, Black-throated, Savannah & White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern Meadowlark, Brewer's Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch and House Sparrow.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
I planned out my week based on the weather forecast for yesterday. I should have known better than to trust those dopes in Tucson who think of Sierra Vista as a dot on the map and probably don't really have a clue about the weather here. The predicted nasty weather didn't occur until late in the day on Monday and dumped plenty of fresh snow on all the mountain ranges last night, including the relatively low elevation Mules and Whetstones. Wintry, Christmas card scenes at every turn today.

I spent a few hours at Whitewater Draw this morning. It was mostly cloudy, quite cold and just a tad windy. However, the cloying mud out on the dikes was by far the biggest challenge. Just a few steps and you're several inches taller and a few pounds heavier (I need help with the former but not the latter). The birding was a generally a little slow, although I did see a few interesting species. I was hoping to relocate the Eurasian Wigeon seen yesterday by recent client Colin Bradshaw -- unfortunately, I didn't see Wigeon of any flavor!

Highlights were a single GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (surprisingly, my first November record in AZ); one immature and four adult SNOW GEESE; and a female or immature male GREATER SCAUP. I have two other November records for Greater Scaup at WWD.

Species of note were WHITE-WINGED DOVE (completely out of place here, I have just a handful of summer records); a latish and very forlorn looking VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW struggling against the wind; and a couple of lingering LAZULI BUNTINGS.

Others present included many PINTAILS and LESSER SCAUP; a few RING-NECKED DUCKS, CANVASBACKS and REDHEADS; singletons of AMERICAN AVOCET and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER; three adult RING-BILLED GULLS, two GREAT HORNED OWLS and several flavors of  VERMILION FLYCATCHERS (adult male, immature male and immature female) somehow managing to make a living,

49 species recorded at Whitewater Draw:
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Greater White-fronted & Snow Geese, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Sandhill Crane, Sora, Am. Coot, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitcher, Ring-billed Gull, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Great Horned Owl, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Violet-green Swallow, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Marsh Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Common Yellowthroat, Brewer's, Vesper, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds, Western Meadowlark and House Finch.

Wednesday, November 24, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
After a very cold night in Sierra Vista, it was still fairly chilly (39 degrees) when I headed down to the San Pedro this morning despite a late start. The sunny, clear, calm and brisk conditions contributed to a pleasant few hours birding on the river. Most of the snow has already disappeared from the low elevation mountain ranges but the snow capped Huachucas still look quite impressive,

I started at the San Pedro House feeders where activity was very high, mostly due to HOUSE FINCHES and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS. However, after a few minutes of poking around, I was able to locate a female RUDDY GROUND-DOVE to get the morning off to a good start. No sign of the male Ruddy nor the Common Ground-Doves first seen here by Colin Bradshaw on Monday. A single female YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD at the feeders represented a scarce record for this location (there are thousands of them just four miles away at SVEOP).

Next, I headed over to Kingfisher Pond which remains very muddy. Waterfowl haven't had much of a presence here recently so four species of ducks including a pristine male CANVASBACK were a pleasant surprise. After thirty minutes or so birding around the pond, the characteristic hard clicking sound alerted me to the arrival of the female GREEN KINGFISHER. This isn't a particularly good image because I was too far away, however, I'm including it because of the bird's "I know you're looking at me" expression. It was only after I returned home that I realized the lens was not fully extended (260mm instead of 400mm) so I'm amazed I got anything usable at all (more brownie points for the 8+ megapixels of the 20D). The kingfisher started out in the small channel on the east side of the pond then moved to the island for a while. I last saw the bird of the west side of the pond.

Although ABERT'S TOWHEE is a very common bird in multiple locations throughout southeast Arizona (particularly on the San Pedro), I'd never even got close to photographing this species before today. I finally caught this individual off guard while following the kingfisher around. Gotcha!

Also of note at the pond were a single CRISSAL THRASHER and couple of SWAMP SPARROWS. I only have a handful of Swamp Sparrow records on the river in three of the last eleven years. This is the fourth location where I've seen them in the past few weeks -- must be an invasion year!

Not much seen during my walk back north along the river, only a calling and fairly inactive DUSKY FLYCATCHER was of note.

42 species recorded at SPRNCA:
Great Blue Heron, Am. Wigeon, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Red-tailed Hawk, Gambel's Quail, Mourning Dove, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Belted & Green Kingfishers, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Dusky Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's Wren, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, European Starling, Green-tailed, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Brewer's, Vesper, Black-throated, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp & White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged & Yellow-headed Blackbirds, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

A quick stop at Sierra Vista EOP on the way home produced the continuing PEREGRINE FALCON.

Thursday, November 25, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day  
If I'm scraping ice off my windshield in town, it's a safe bet that Sawmill Canyon will be pretty damn cold -- and yet, that's where I headed this Thanksgiving morning. It was a distinct pleasure to drive down a deserted Fry Blvd. The one guy on duty at Fort Huachuca main gate most have been pretty bored -- he asked to physically handle my monthly pass and actually checked it against the vehicle id. It was also fun to be the first one driving up the canyon and to break the ice on all the puddles! I spent almost five hours in Garden and Sawmill Canyons and didn't see a single person.

First, I stopped off at the Fishing Ponds where I saw a handful of regulars along with a seemingly larger than usual group of CASSIN'S FINCHES. The sun was just hitting the area and a hardy band of BUSHTITS came twittering my way. Do you know how difficult it is to follow these pesky birds with a long lens at close range -- I finally found one bird that paused for more than a few milliseconds. The photo was worth my time and effort.

I reached Sawmill Canyon at 8:30am and stayed until almost 12:00pm. I spent all of my time searching for WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER. I first checked the location where I saw one last week then walked my ass off without success until I returned to the same spot 3 1/2 hours later. Of course, now the bird was present. However, I still managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory since the bird quickly disappeared before I had a chance to enjoy it. Had I been with a client, even more effort would have been necessary.

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the canyon -- solitude, pristine blue sky conditions, really cold at first, frost on the grass, snow in the sheltered spots, very calm (until 10:00am) and the fresh smell of pine and juniper. The downside was that apart from the sound of water dripping from the trees, it was very Simon and Garfunkelesque.

I came across only a total of 21 species during my search including at least six RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS and four ARIZONA WOODPECKERS. I followed the two male sapsuckers in the photo for ten minutes and they seemed to get along just fine.

CASSIN'S FINCHES were very common during my first thirty minutes in the canyon, after which time I didn't see nor hear them again. A small group of fly-by WESTERN BLUEBIRDS were the only other uncommon species that I observed.

39 species recorded in Garden and Sawmill Canyons:  Sawmill Bar Graph
Sharp-shinned & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Mourning Dove, Williamson's & Red-naped Sapsuckers, Arizona Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Bewick's Wren, N. Mockingbird, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Hutton's Vireo, Canyon Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Song &  White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed) & Yellow-eyed Juncos, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern Meadowlark, Cassin's & House Finches, Pine Siskin and Lesser Goldfinch.

Friday, November 26, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I checked Parker Canyon Lake, a location that I only visit a few times each year, usually in winter. It was another cold and clear morning, warming slightly and becoming quite breezy by mid morning.

I started by scanning the lake near the marina boat launch then waked the shoreline to the far end of the lake and back (this is quite a slog). Despite the fact that I didn't see any of the hoped for species typical of the lake at this time of year (big grebes, loons, Osprey and Bald Eagle), I enjoyed my time here. While the birding may have been disappointing, the pristine conditions and views were ample reward for making the trip.

Highlight of the walk around the lake was my first MERLIN of the month. When I first saw it flash by, I got the impression that it was a "black" suckleyi race bird, by far the scarcest race in southeast Arizona. However, I later saw the bird perched and determined that it was just a dark columbarius individual. I managed a poor but diagnostic photo that allowed me to rectify my mistake. In a bitter irony that so typifies my existence, the only people that I saw on the trail showed up right on time to flush the bird as I was trying to approach for a closer photo. Drat it, or words to that effect.

PIED BILLED GREBE, COOT and GADWALL were the most obvious species on the water. COMMON MERGANSERS (just two birds) were the least common species noted. A couple of BELTED KINGFISHERS voiced their displeasure in multiple locations (were they following me or vice versa?). Species along the trail and in the trees were not common anywhere and 3 RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS and a handful of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS represented the pick of the bunch.

35 species recorded at Parker Canyon Lake:
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Great Blue Heron, Gadwall, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Am. Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Belted Kingfisher, Red-naped Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Black Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Bewick's Wren, Western Bluebird, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Chipping & Song Sparrows, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed) Junco, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

I saw the best bird of the morning as I was driving home through Fort Huachuca. Shortly after passing through the west gate, I spotted a low soaring juvenile (white in wings, strong white tail band) GOLDEN EAGLE. I quickly stopped the car and got out to try for a photo. Guess what, I couldn't for the life in me find that bird again. Drat once more.

Saturday, November 27, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
On another brisk, calm and clear blue sky morning, I squeezed in a visit to Sierra Vista EOP between soccer games. I expected to be there for 30 minutes or so but the presence of a gull turned that in to 2 hours. The temperature ranged from 43-58 degrees from 8:00-10:00am and climbed to 70 in mid afternoon.

I'd been at the viewing platform for about 30 minutes when I saw a distant gull near the trash compaction site. For the next hour and a half I struggled to get a decent view of the bird without much success. The gull stayed mostly (hidden) on the ground but would occasionally fly when workers disturbed it. By a process of elimination from multiple brief and crappy views looking into the sun, I eventually formed the opinion that it was a winter adult CALIFORNIA GULL but couldn't completely rule out Herring Gull. At times, the eyes seemed light, but it was just a trick of the light. Eventually, I said "to hell with it" and decided to leave. I was almost to the main gate when I noticed the bird flying towards the plastic lined intake ponds so I doubled back. In this location, I was able to get a better (but not great) look at the bird to confirm its identity. Although I have about 20 records for California Gull in southeast Arizona (most of them at Willcox), this was my first at the EOP and species #189 here.

Other than the gull it was pretty standard fare except for a latish lone BARN SWALLOW -- they are mostly gone from the EOP by the end of October. However, I have quite a few November records and several birds stayed here into December one year.

PEREGRINE FALCON continues, the bird is usually to be found on one of the poles in the east fields or on Moson Road. A couple of COMMON RAVENS were present along with the regular CHIHUAHUAN RAVENS. It's not often that you get to see (or hear) them side by side.

36 species recorded at Sierra Vista EOP:  SVEOP Bar Graph
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Am. Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, California Gull, Mourning Dove, Black & Say's Phoebes, Horned Lark, Barn Swallow, Am. Pipit, Marsh Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, European Starling, Savannah & Song Sparrows, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackle and House Finch.

Sunday, November 28, 2004    Previous Day   Next Day  
Although the forecast for today was for gusty winds, I went ahead with my plans anyway. Guess what, it was windy and I should probably have stayed home. I started in the Dragoon Mountains then continued on to Willcox. Common sense prevailed by midday and I declined to check St. David on my way home -- wind impacted data is of little use to me. It was generally cold and blustery all day and a short-lived freezing rain kicked in by early evening in Sierra Vista. A very cold night in prospect and a cold week ahead.

This morning I decided to bird in the Dragoons, another location (like Parker Canyon Lake) that I only check a couple of times each year. The western side of the mountain was cloudy and cold and had few birds. However, after crossing Middle March Pass I encountered sunny, albeit very windy conditions and bird activity picked up.

By far the best bird was OLIVE WARBLER. Since I've recorded them here in previous years, I know that the warblers winter in the Dragoons even though there's not much in the way of serious pines (plenty of pinyon pines though among the oaks, junipers and manzanita). They may even breed here.

I found a number of species typical of the habitat including RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, JUNIPER TITMOUSE, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY and RUFOUS-CROWNED & BLACK-CHINNED SPARROWS.  The "Pink-sided" race of DARK-EYED JUNCO was particularly common. I was thankful to record a meager 20+ species given the conditions.

After leaving the mountains, I checked Kennedy Farms ponds. The original (north pond) was almost overflowing with water and held zero birds. The new (south) pond had a lone EARED GREBE, many AMERICAN PIPITS and scads of BREWERS BLACKBIRDS.

Willcox was hard work in the wind and over 1 1/2 hours of effort produced less than 30 species. Highlights were a lone COMMON MERGANSER, a couple of SNOW GEESE, 3 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS and 2 CALIFORNIA GULLS. The gull photo shows how darkly streaked the head of a winter adult can become. The other individual (not pictured) was far less streaky.

Other species included a few LEAST SANDPIPERS, 3 RING-BILLED GULLS, SANDHILL CRANES circling and calling overhead, EASTERN & WESTERN MEADOWLARKS sitting side by side on fence wires and calling; and a good sized flock of tough-to-photograph LARK BUNTINGS.

Day List (50 species recorded):
Eared Grebe, Snow Goose, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Am. Kestrel, Sandhill Crane, Am. Coot, Long-billed Dowitcher, Least Sandpiper, Ring-billed & California Gulls, Mourning Dove, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Black & Say's Phoebes, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Canyon, Bewick's & Marsh Wrens, Western Bluebird, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Juniper Titmouse, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Western Scrub-Jay, Olive Warbler, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Lark Bunting, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's, Black-chinned, Vesper, Savannah & White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed & Pink-sided) Junco, N. Cardinal, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Brewer's Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird and House Finch.

Tuesday, November 30, 2004    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Kaye Lefreniere from Colorado Springs, CO. We started at Patagonia Lake, doubled back to the Paton's in Patagonia, continued on to Kino Springs and Madera Canyon; and returned via Box Canyon Road. It was a very cold start to the day -- low 20s leaving Sierra Vista and about the same as we started birding at the lake. On the drive over the temperature dipped to 12 degrees near Sonoita. Perhaps not surprisingly, it was a below average birding day.

Waterfowl diversity and numbers on the lake were much higher than "normal", probably due to a combination of the cold snap (forcing birds south) and the lack of recent high speed boat activity on the water. On the down side, landbird activity was very low and we struggled to come up with anything special from a total of 60 species.

Highlight on the water was a male COMMON GOLDENEYE, my first record for November at the lake (others have shown up later). It's possible there are two birds since we had sightings at both ends of the lake. Others present included a lone WESTERN GREBE, unusually high numbers of AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN PINTAILS, CANVASBACKS and REDHEADS; 8 BUFFLEHEADS and a couple of COMMON MERGANSERS (they normally show up here in late November). A single NEOTROPIC CORMORANT was well outnumbered by 6-8 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS. A single adult BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON complemented the many GREAT BLUE HERONS, no Great Egret or American Bittern for us.

The WHITE-WINGED DOVE flock continues near the visitor center.

Other than BLACK & SAY'S PHOEBE'S, we found just one flycatcher species and just one individual -- GRAY FLYCATCHER. Very disappointing.

The Paton's yard was almost devoid of birds with nothing of note seen. I don't know if the seen-until-recently Violet-crowned Hummingbird has finally departed or not.

Our short stop at Kino Springs produced the hoped for VERMILION FLYCATCHER -- a cracking male contrasted well with a GREAT EGRET in the same binocular view. This was perhaps the highlight of the day.

At Santa Rita Lodge and environs we struck out on the major players - Arizona Woodpecker, Magnificent Hummingbird and Painted Redstart. It's a rare occasion when the feeders here are not overrun by HOUSE FINCHES. Even DARK-EYED JUNCOS were very scarce along with just one YELLOW-EYED JUNCO. Of course, no getting away from ACORN WOODPECKERS and MEXICAN JAYS.

To cap it all off, there wasn't a single Chihuahuan Raven to be found when we arrived back in Sierra Vista. Perhaps it's time for me to hang up my binocular, scope and camera to write a book and become a public speaker, or perhaps return to Silicon Valley (you decide whether I'm kidding or not).

Momma told me there'd be days like this.

Day List (78 species recorded):
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes, Double-crested & Neotropic Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Least Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Gray & Vermilion Flycatchers, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cactus, Rock, Bewick's & Marsh Wrens, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Rufous-winged, Chipping, Lark, Black-throated, Song & White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Tuesday, November 30, 2004.

Species List

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

Top of Page