Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - February, 2005 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 Thursday, February 24, 2005.

Thursday, February 3, 2005   
After what seems like an age stuck at home, I finally surfaced from a bout of computer and office work and spent some time on the San Pedro and at Sierra Vista EOP. Today is my birthday but there were no avian birthday surprises or treats waiting for me. Actually, my treat came on Tuesday when Manchester United beat Arsenal 4-2. It's almost certainly too late to catch Chelsea, but a win over Arsenal (especially away from home) is to be savored!

It was sunny with a light breeze and a chill in the air down on the San Pedro. The temperature dropped from 55 to 50 degrees and the wind picked up during the few hours that I was there. The cottonwoods are well into bud and starting to look quite green along with some of the other riparian vegetation. I skipped birding near the San Pedro House (where a banding session was in progress) and proceeded down the del Valle road to Garden Wash. First, I walked west along the wash then east to the river. From there I walked north along the river with a stop at Kingfisher Pond. Despite the pleasant conditions, I turned up less than 40 species and there were long periods when I didn't see any birds at all.

A lone and silent CRISSAL THRASHER in Garden wash was perhaps the best bird that I saw. A few BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS and the usual CANYON and ABERT'S TOWHEE'S were in the same location.

The big pond held 10 CANVASBACKS and a few MALLARDS, SHOVELERS and GADWALLS. A noisy BELTED KINGFISHER rattled in disgust as I disturbed its peace. A few PYRRHULOXIAS were drinking at the water's edge near the north end of the pond.

At one point I came across a mixed flock of WHITE-CROWNED, VESPER and BREWER'S SPARROWS. You'll note from the Brewer's photo that the bird is banded. Ironically, this was the only bird of perhaps 60-80 birds that stayed put when I approached. Coincidence? Of course, they could all have been banded for all I know and this bird was just a dope anyway.

By the time I reached Sierra Vista EOP, the wind was blowing strongly on the viewing platform and I felt a little underdressed in shorts. The pond immediately south of the platform has been filled but viewing conditions are such that I couldn't tell if anything was on the water. For the first time in a while I failed to find the "ever present" Peregrine Falcon. A lone RED-TAILED HAWK and a couple of NORTHERN HARRIERS working over the marsh ponds were the only raptors that I saw. Several handsome male NORTHERN PINTAILS and RING-NECKED DUCKS were present which together with GREEN-WINGED TEAL and RUDDY DUCK were the only duck species that I didn't see at Kingfisher Pond.

47 species recorded:
Great Blue Heron, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Coot, Rock Pigeon, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's Wren, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Brewer's, Vesper, Black-throated, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

Sunday, February 6, 2005   
Out today with Andy Shell from Pleasanton, CA and Bob Pietrusiewicz from Sierra Vista. We birded first at Patagonia Lake, stopped briefly in the Paton's yard and at Las Cienegas, then finished up with a visit to Scheelite Canyon. Thankfully, yesterday's late afternoon storm had moved on but not before leaving fresh snow in the mountains and damp conditions elsewhere. The weather was generally cooperative and didn't really impact the birding -- it was a cloudy, cool (high 40s in Sierra Vista) and blustery day after a calm start.

Although the birds at Patagonia Lake seemed a little subdued at first, we eventually managed to dig out 60 species. We began at the deep end of the lake where an adult BALD EAGLE continues along with 3 male COMMON GOLDENEYES. Both DOUBLE-CRESTED and NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS were present in good numbers. A single LEAST SANDPIPER was foraging along the shore at the beach. Other species on the water included WESTERN GREBE, GREATER & LESSER SCAUP and a few CINNAMON TEAL.

Since the lake level increased some time ago, I've found it difficult to find those "edge of marsh species" that like to walk out on the mud immediately adjacent to the marsh. Exceptions today were a couple of  VIRGINIA RAILS (one seen), several COMMON MOORHENS and 3 WILSON'S SNIPES. No sign of Swamp Sparrow.

Highlights were a soaring GOLDEN EAGLE, a pair of BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS on the hillside above the bench where the trail begins; and LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH along the main (north) fork of the creek 150 yards west (towards the lake) from the creek split. The creek split area was by far the birdiest location that we encountered.

GRAY FLYCATCHERS were common and we also found 2 DUSKY FLYCATCHERS.

Our timing in Marion Paton's yard was poor for hummers and we missed the hoped for Violet-crowned Hummingbird that returned in January this year. A gorgeous male LAZULI BUNTING was some consolation. As I entered the yard, I thought I saw a Scott's Oriole leaving the hummingbird feeders but wasn't able to relocate the bird. [I later learned that a Scott's Oriole was indeed present.]

As we headed back to Sierra Vista, the prospects for our owl quest in Scheelite looked bleak as clouds and rain obscured the Huachucas. The snow level appeared to be about 7000 feet. Fortunately, by the time that we started up the canyon we actually saw some sunshine. Even better, SPOTTED OWL was relatively easy to find. The bird was in the "McMoran Tree", a location where I thought the bird might be today since it offers a high roosting location and a chance of sunshine. We enjoyed good looks at the owl that in turn couldn't even be bothered to open its eyes to look at us! By the way, I recently updated usage distribution data for the top fifteen Spotted Owl roost sites to reflect sightings through 2004 (accessible from here -- then click on roost sites).

The area of a recent controlled burn in Garden Canyon grassland had attracted many birds including a decent sized flock of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS.

78 species recorded:
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes, Double-crested & Neotropic Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Bald Eagle, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Golden Eagle, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe, Least Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, White-winged Dove, Spotted Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray & Dusky Flycatchers, Black & Say's Phoebes, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cactus, Canyon, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Western Bluebird, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Hutton's Vireo, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Vesper, Black-throated, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Scott's Oriole, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Monday, February 7, 2005   
Out today Ron Goering and Imogene Bessett from Austin, TX. We birded at Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs and Paton's Yard. It was a mostly cloudy day very similar to yesterday with a little more sunshine and much windier my mid morning.

Four hours of birding at Patagonia Lake yielded exactly 60 species with 11 species seen today and not yesterday and 11 species missed today and seen yesterday! Just as yesterday, a pair of BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS were on the hillside above the bench near the trailhead. The BRIDLED TITMOUSE flock with the hanger on HUTTON'S VIREO were in the same area on both days. Present in the same vicinity today were BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER, many BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS and a couple of RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS.

GREATER SCAUP and COMMON GOLDENEYE continue -- missed both eagle species today. Several VIRGINIA RAILS and SORAS were vocal with the latter seen well. GRAY and DUSKY FLYCATCHERS were easy to see. The continuing EASTERN PHOEBE worked the willows along the edge of the marsh between the first and second washes. Some of the willows are starting to green up considerably.

A brief visit to Kino Springs yielded the hoped for male VERMILION FLYCATCHER at the club house pond despite high winds and several weed whacking workers working whacking weeds (try saying that fast a few times). A female BUFFLEHEAD and GREEN HERON were the pick of the rest.

Activity was high in Marion Paton's yard in the early afternoon. We saw nothing unusual among 20 species -- best birds were LAZULI BUNTING and PINE SISKIN.

71 species recorded:
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Double-crested & Neotropic Cormorants, Great Blue & Green Herons, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Wilson's Snipe, Spotted Sandpiper, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Anna's Hummingbird, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray, Dusky & Vermilion Flycatchers, Eastern, Black & Say's Phoebes, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Rock, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Black-tailed & Black-capped Gnatcatchers, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Abert's Towhee, Rufous-winged, Chipping, Black-throated, Song & White-crowned Sparrows, Northern Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Tuesday, February 8, 2005   
Out today with Tom Maley from Shrivenham, England. We birded a loop through Santa Cruz County starting in Sonoita with stops at Patagonia Lake State Park, Paton's Yard, Kino Springs, Green Valley and Madera Canyon; returning via Box Canyon Road. Tom had plenty of new bird opportunities and our birding style for the day could best be described as "casual with some soft-target birding". The storm clouds that have been around for a while cleared out overnight making for a colder start and a warmer day. After an ice-scraping start I was in shorts by 9:00am -- not unusual in southeast Arizona at this time of year.

Although this was my third consecutive morning at Patagonia Lake, today was the start of week two and held new promise for me from a data collection standpoint  We spent the first hour working from the west (deep) end of the lake, then over the bridge near the visitor center to the beach area and back. This segment yielded about 30 species including 3 male COMMON GOLDENEYES, many COMMON MERGANSERS and the usual grebes, cormorants, herons and ducks.

We then worked along the marsh trail and creek trail at the east end of the lake. We turned up a total of  60 species incrementing my total over the past three days to 80. Highlights included great looks at a pair of BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS in Nutting's wash (foraging with a BRIDLED TITMOUSE flock and the usual hanger-on HUTTON'S VIREO); and a very cooperative ELEGANT TROGON near the creek split. Despite its obliging behavior that delighted a small gathering of birders, I had trouble getting photographs because of twigs in the way and the fact that the bird seemed to prefer sitting in the shade. I shot almost 50 images from which I selected three to publish  -- image #1, image #2 and image #3. My favorite is #3 eating a bug. Even though you can't really tell from the photos, the light was poor as indicated by the camera stats.

Returning VIOLET-GREEN and NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS were a good indication that spring is just around the corner. A fair number of WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS made a brief appearance over the lake. Even though they nest nearby, the swifts don't visit the lake much except in the latter part of February when they are regular. GRAY and DUSKY FLYCATCHERS continue to be easy to see.

After doubling back into town to check Marion Paton's yard (20 species), we stopped by Kino Springs to pick up the ever-obliging wintering male VERMILION FLYCATCHER. In a week or so, Patagonia Lake (and other breeding locations) should have plenty of them as they return in droves. The highlight of my day came here (on the larger section of the club house pond) in the form of a gorgeous male HOODED MERGANSER accompanied by two females. This was a new location species for me bringing my Kino Springs total to 202.

Our stop at the old Pima County maintenance yard in Green Valley was disappointing. A single male LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH was in a mesquite near the water trough when we arrived. Unfortunately, the bird departed before Tom had a chance to see it. Even worse, the White-crowned Sparrow flock was nowhere to be found across the street and we dipped on Harris's Sparrow.

However, we bounced back at Santa Rita Lodge to end on a good note. With time running out we finished with a flourish -- wonderful close up views of a CANYON WREN bouncing around on the rocks, a MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD (aren't they all) flycatching and sitting in the oaks, and PAINTED REDSTART and TOWNSEND'S WARBLER also in the oaks (the latter two were detected by their calls and were somewhat difficult to track down).

88 species recorded:
Pied-billed. Eared & Western Grebes, Double-crested & Neotropic Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Hooded & Common Mergansers, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Wilson's Snipe, Rock Pigeon, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, White-throated Swift, Magnificent & Anna's Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray, Dusky & Vermilion Flycatchers, Black & Say's Phoebes, Violet-green & N. Rough-winged Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Canyon, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, European Starling, Hutton's Vireo, Yellow-rumped & Townsend's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Painted Redstart, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Chipping, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser & Lawrence's Goldfinches and House Sparrow.

Thursday, February 10, 2005   
This morning I made what in retrospect was perhaps an ill-advised visit to the Huachucas. Although the weather was fairly grungy (the entire Sierra Vista area was covered by low clouds today), I decided to go ahead with a planned visit to Sawmill Canyon since I'm short of data for this time period and tomorrow is forecast to be quite wet.

I reached Sawmill Canyon just as a light drizzle began -- the gray skies and misty rain reminded me of my days living in Bellingham, WA. I chose not to don my rainwear because it pretty much ensures that I can't hear anything except for the sound of rain hitting plastic. I trudged around for a while and most of the tapping that I heard led me to RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS, perhaps as many as six. I also found four NORTHERN FLICKERS in courtship mode making a hell of a noise and a couple of ARIZONA WOODPECKERS.

After almost two hours the persistent drizzle turned to heavier rain and, even though I hadn't found my target species, the thought of calling it quits crossed my mind (the sound of rain hitting the trees was making it virtually impossible to listen for light tapping). That thought was immediately dispelled when I heard the soft "churr" call of a WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER, quite different from the loud and "whiny" calls that I'd been hearing from Red-naped Sapsuckers. I followed the sound to a male Williamson's working a sapwell. More often than not, this species will allow close approach but on this occasion the bird took one look at me and made a bee-line further up canyon. Drat!

I estimated that the bird had flown about 200 yards and since I was already wet through I said "what the hell", why not follow. Fortunately, I heard the bird call again and tracked it to a Madrone where it was hanging upside down feeding on berries. [I once saw three male Williamson's Sapsuckers in the very same tree feeding on berries.] Now the rain didn't seem to matter.

The only unexpected species in the canyon was a small flock of about ten BAND-TAILED PIGEONS -- I've seen them in Sawmill just once before in February. I have a few records in April and May but they don't become regular in the canyon until late June through mid August when they breed here in small numbers.

Otherwise, it was common fare of jays, titmice, kinglets and juncos.

Back in Garden Canyon, the area of a recent controlled burn near "Game Management Area T" continues to attract birds. I estimated 400 CHIPPING SPARROWS, 30 WESTERN BLUEBIRDS and lots of LESSER GOLDFINCHES that I didn't count.

Not a lot of species today but the solitude of Sawmill; success in finding my target sapsucker; and some great views of snow capped peaks through the swirling clouds were well worth the price of admission (the price today was getting soaked!).

35 species recorded in Garden and Sawmill Canyons:
Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer, Band-tailed Pigeon, Acorn, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, Williamson's & Red-naped Sapsuckers, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Bewick's Wren, N. Mockingbird, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Canyon Towhee, Chipping, Vesper & White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, Eastern Meadowlark and Lesser Goldfinch.

Sunday, February 13, 2005   
The past couple of days have been very wet (I saw almost 30 hours of continuous rain of varying intensity where I live) and it was good to be back outside in the sunshine this morning. I'd planned to visit Whitewater Draw but didn't want to battle the mud. Instead, I joined the regular Sunday morning excursion to Sierra Vista EOP. Over 20 people were present which is way too many for a quality outing. The birding was generally quite poor with less than 40 species recorded. Conditions were mostly sunny and calm and the temperature ranged from 54-64 degrees between 8:00 and 11:00am.

The only birds of note were a couple of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE on one of the interior ponds. Geese are generally scarce at SVEOP, especially since the area was reworked, and this was the first goose of any species that I've seen at the ponds this season. Here's a quick summary of all my geese records at SVEOP since 1993 (years present, total records and most recent sighting dates) -- Greater White-fronted (6, 29, March 2004); Snow (8, 82, March 2004); Ross's (6, 53, Feb. 2004); Canada (2, 10, Dec. 1999).

As usual, NORTHERN SHOVELER and GREEN-WINGED TEAL were the most common ducks. RING-NECKED DUCK and LESSER SCAUP were also fairly numerous today. SAVANNAH and (especially) VESPER SPARROWS were common but I managed to miss Song and White-crowned! No shorebirds except for KILLDEER.

38 species recorded: SVEOP Bar-graph
Greater White-fronted Goose, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Horned Lark, Marsh Wren, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, Canyon Towhee, Lark Bunting, Vesper & Savannah Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackle and House Finch.

Monday, February 14, 2005   
After deciding to give Whitewater Draw another day to dry out, I headed over to Carr Canyon this morning -- more for solitude and views than for birds. Unfortunately, my plan didn't come to fruition -- the road was closed at the gate above the third stream crossing (presumably due to weather related road conditions) and I was limited to birding in the lower canyon. Consequently, my visit was quite short and I continued on to Coronado Memorial.

It was a very spring-like morning with plenty of sunshine and zero wind. Most of the species in the grassland and scrub of lower Carr Canyon canyon were singing, particularly MOCKINGBIRDS and CURVE-BILLED THRASHERS. I also enjoyed watching SCALED and GAMBEL'S QUAIL calling very close to each other. Further up canyon, in the oaks between the second and third stream crossings, I found a singing PAINTED REDSTART, a few singing SPOTTED TOWHEES and a good sized flock of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS. Many visiting birders are surprised to find Eastern Bluebirds in SE AZ. However, this is the resident bluebird in the Huachucas and Carr Canyon is a particularly good location for them.

At Coronado Memorial I was hoping to see the pair of Golden Eagles. Once again my plans didn't work out, probably because I was too early in the day for them to be soaring.

The most noteworthy bird was my season first BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD. The sighting extends my early date for this species in the Huachucas by four days. The bar-graphs in the Tucson Audubon and ABA birdfinding guides are at odds for Broad-tailed return dates. Based on my records over the years I'd say that the TAS guide is accurate.

ARIZONA WOODPECKERS and RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS were easy to locate by their tapping. SPOTTED TOWHEES were common.

Species recorded in Carr Canyon and at Coronado Memorial
Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Mourning Dove, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Red-naped Sapsucker, Acorn, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cactus & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Mexican Jay, Painted Redstart, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Vesper & White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed (Oregon & Gray-headed) Junco, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern Meadowlark, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005   
Today I finally got in a visit to Whitewater Draw on the last day of week 2 (from a data collection standpoint). I'm sure glad that I waited a few days after the rain -- Coffman Road was really churned up (quite dry now) and must have been very treacherous a few days ago. The mud in the wildlife area had also dried out. It was a cloudy day again after yesterday's spring teaser -- mild to start, in the 60s by midday with filtered sunshine. A very pleasant morning to be out.

The water level at Whitewater Draw continues to drop (slowly) and shorebird habitat is appearing just in time for spring migration. Nothing much in terms of waders today though -- a few LEAST SANDPIPERS, lots of KILLDEER and a lone AMERICAN AVOCET, perhaps a little on the early side. This is a breeding species at Whitewater and I normally see them for the first time around February 20 (my earliest date is February 10 in 1996). However, there's no way to tell if this bird will be a summer resident or is just stopping by on its way elsewhere. Duck diversity was fairly high (9 species) but numbers were very low.

The highlight of the morning came in the form of a grunting VIRGINIA RAIL -- species #191 for me at Whitewater Draw. This is a bird that I've specifically tried to find here before without success and I've never come across it on any of my many routine visits. I've always thought it surprising but the stats don't lie. I've recorded SORA here on almost every visit during the expected dates for them (including today), but never Virginia Rail. I've either been extremely unlucky or they are indeed very scarce here.

Signs of the season were provided by reduced numbers of SANDHILL CRANES, a few migrant TREE SWALLOWS and a couple of singing VERMILION FLYCATCHERS. The Vermilions that stayed for the winter will soon be joined by those that wintered further south. The end of the third week in February is usually when the "Vermilion switch" is thrown and they suddenly become very common.

The south willow grove was quite active and the continuing WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was easy to find feeding on the ground completely in the open. A roosting GREAT HORNED OWL was wary as I walked by but didn't ruffle a feather. It doesn't seem that long ago when ABERT'S TOWHEE appeared here for the first time and I only have a few records at this location -- today I saw several birds so breeding is a definite possibility. GREEN-TAILED and CANYON TOWHEES were also present along with a surprising 10+ PYRRHULOXIAS.

LARK BUNTINGS were abundant near the entrance along with this common ground dwelling species in a location that may surprise you (perched in a tree, something that they regularly do). Take a guess before taking a look! BENDIRE'S and CURVE-BILLED THRASHERS were side by side here.

I checked the fields on Central Highway and managed to come up with approximately ten very hard to see MOUNTAIN PLOVERS. The birds were in the third field north of Davis  -- in the northern third of the field but well west, away from the highway. They were difficult to pick up and had it been a sunny day I think the heat haze would have precluded finding them. Two adult BALD EAGLES were on the ground in the same field. FERRUGINOUS HAWKS were on the irrigation rigs in the first and second fields. Several EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were perched on a wire in the yard of a nearby house.

Before heading home, I checked Frontier Road hoping to find Sage Sparrow. This is a scarce species in Sulphur Springs Valley and the open areas with scrubby habitat along the northern section of Frontier is one of the few (semi) reliable valley locations. I struck out on the sparrow but did find a SAGE THRASHER. This is a highly variable valley bird in winter -- some years common, some years almost absent. This winter was poor for them and today's sighting was probably a migrating bird that wintered further south.

61 species recorded:
Pied-billed Grebe, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Bald Eagle, N. Harrier, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Sandhill Crane, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Mountain Plover, Least Sandpiper, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Great Horned Owl, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Horned Lark, Tree Swallow, Cactus & Marsh Wrens, Sage, Bendire's & Curve-billed Thrashers, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, Common Yellowthroat, Green-tailed, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Lark Bunting, Brewer's, Vesper, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned & White-throated Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds, House Finch and House Sparrow.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005   
This morning I made a routine visit to Sawmill Canyon. I'm often asked why I spend time here during the winter months when very few birds are present. Well, the answer is very simple. Most birders (and all birdfinding guide authors) are regularly guilty of generalizing and drawing conclusions from too little data (it's easy to do and I sometimes find myself doing it without thinking). However, I'm making every effort not to do it by gathering the requisite data (be it positive or negative) in all seasons for all locations that I visit on a regular basis. Definitely a tall order in one partial lifetime (I wasted the early years). Each month I review a "location visit report" to determine where the holes are. I need at least one visit to Sawmill in February week 3. Like I said, the answer is simple!

It was an extremely pleasant morning in the canyon -- high, thin clouds and very mild (if I can wear shorts here on an early morning in February then it's mild!). There was absolutely zero wind and conditions were excellent for listening (apart from the noisy MEXICAN and STELLER'S JAYS). Woodpeckers were my primary focus for the morning (particularly Williamson's Sapsucker).

I worked steadily for about 1 1/2 hours before I finally came across a male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER. Ironically, after lots of diligent listening and chasing down plenty of false alarms, I simply stumbled into a bird that was feeding silently on Madrone berries. The (not very good) photo was just a quick snap before I tried to work my way around the foreground tree that was blocking my view. Unfortunately, the bird flew away as I got into a better position. I relocated it again after another 30 minutes without ever really improving on the view. Nevertheless, I was well satisfied in confirming the presence of the bird.

It was definitely a day for ARIZONA WOODPECKERS -- while looking for the Williamson's I found no less than 12 of them, perhaps as many as 18! Sometimes I can't buy one. I also came across 3-5 RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS and a handful of NORTHERN FLICKERS. After a while (and after tuning out the tapping of Mexican Jays), it's usually possible to tell from the type of tapping which species it is (and I'm talking here about "feeding tapping", not drumming). All well and good but that and $5 will get you a coffee at Starbucks.

The only birds of note in the canyon were a flock of 20ish WILD TURKEYS and a couple of calling OLIVE WARBLERS that I didn't pursue.

Note on Garden Canyon Road
The three mile section of dirt road between the end of the blacktop (at the upper picnic area) and the entrance to Sawmill Canyon has been graded in several locations that were in bad condition. Although there are still some hazards such as water bars (humps), rocks and puddles, even the smallest of rental vehicles should be able to make it to Sawmill as long as proper care is taken.

All of the stream crossings are running heavily and the stream is "dipper quality".

Thursday, February 17, 2005   
The weather spoiled my plans today. I had intended to visit St. David and Willcox but early morning rain put paid to that. It was a dismal, gray day with on and off rain -- more of the same is expected tomorrow with heavier rain on Saturday and snow on the higher peaks. Fortunately, I don't have any clients until next week.

After the rain stopped, I contacted the Forest Service then headed up to Carr Canyon. Although the road is open again and completely free from snow and ice, the surface is in very bad condition in several locations and there's evidence of recent slides. A small car can probably make it to the top with some difficulty but I certainly don't recommend it. Both Reef and Ramsey Vista campgrounds were closed to vehicles and camping.

It certainly wasn't the best of days to visit this location. However, since I don't have a lot of data here in February I gave it a shot. Wouldn't you know it, the rain picked up again above 7000 feet and persisted for the three hours that I spent in the canyon. It was also a little breezy and visibility was poor. To say that the birding was slow gives the impression that something was happening and I don't want to mislead you! Birding was stopped would be a better description. I worked the trails around Reef and the road between Reef and Ramsey Vista.

Only HERMIT THRUSH, AMERICAN ROBIN, BUSHTIT and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH were present in numbers. I saw exactly one woodpecker species (a lone RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER) and not a single Steller's Jay -- amazing.

The only species of note was OLIVE WARBLER -- a couple of birds were just beyond Reef in a regular spot.

26 species recorded in Carr Canyon:
Mourning Dove, Gila Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Cactus & Bewick's Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Mexican Jay, Hutton's Vireo, Olive Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Friday, February 18, 2005   
This morning I took advantage of a break in the weather between the overnight rain and more rain expected later. I visited Willcox and St. David on what turned out to be a very pleasant morning with a fair amount of blue sky and sunshine. The temperature climbed into the mid 60s by lunchtime.

The birding at Willcox was slow and steady and several hours produced 40 species. Highlights were a couple of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE feeding on the golf course grass (they have been here for a while), a FERRUGINOUS HAWK on the road north of the golf course and a large flock (4-500?) of LARK BUNTINGS along the entrance road. The geese and hawk are both scarce here and both were February firsts for me at this location. Lark Buntings are regulars but their numbers this year are impressive.

AMERICAN WIGEON were abundant on the golf course grass and COMMON MERGANSERS were very numerous on the main pond. I noted one CANVASBACK and a few REDHEADS along with the more common species. I did not find any shorebirds other than the extremely evident KILLDEER -- a common bird in poor light but I couldn't resist the pose. EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were singing and easy to locate. I saw very few SANDHILL CRANES and just a couple of SCALED QUAIL.

Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David is always a pleasant and interesting birding location but rarely has any surprises. Even the Lewis's Woodpeckers didn't return this winter. Today I recorded 30 species in about an hour by walking a shortened version of my regular loop. There was one surprise in the form of a location first -- a lone GILDED FLICKER interacting with many NORTHERN FLICKERS. This was species #154 for me at the Monastery -- not bad for a small, secondary birding area.

The cottonwood grove west of the main pond was the most active location and the well-into-bud trees had attracted many birds including a fair sized flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS. A singing VERMILION FLYCATCHER may have been a wintering or a returning bird. Neither the main pond nor Hermitage pond had much of note and a small group of dapper looking RING-NECKED DUCKS were the pick. Near the marsh pond, CURVE-BILLED THRASHER and NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD were perched side by side singing their hearts out. WHITE-WINGED DOVES outnumbered MOURNING DOVES,

58 species recorded at Willcox ponds and St. David Monastery:
Greater White-fronted Goose, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Cooper's & Ferruginous Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Scaled Quail, Sandhill Crane, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Northern & Gilded Flickers, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, Bewick's & Marsh Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Verdin, Chihuahuan Raven, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Lark Bunting, Brewer's, Vesper, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Red-winged & Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005   
Out today with Phil Henson from Norwalk, CT who I've birded with once before. Since that occasion was also in February, our target species for the day were quite limited and scattered. Of six real possibilities, we looked for five and found four (dipped on Northern Pygmy-Owl, never made it to Sawmill Canyon to look for Williamson's Sapsucker).

Rain fell throughout the night in Sierra Vista and it was still raining when we left town at 6:30am. Fortunately, the clouds disappeared and by the time we reached Sulphur Springs Valley it was a sunny morning. Blue skies also prevailed in the Chiricahuas although the wind was a serious problem at high elevation.

We began on Central highway where some persistent scanning turned up just two MOUNTAIN PLOVERS, first on the wing and then feeding in the same field where I've been seeing them this winter (third field north of Davis). I'd already warned Phil that we might be too late in the season and I'm sure they won't be around much longer -- they normally leave before the end of February. In fact, today tied my latest sighting date for Sulphur Springs valley set back in 1999. However, sample interval certainly plays a part with this species since it's not a bird that I look for every day.

When the birds faced us they positively glowed like beacons in the morning sunlight. Conversely, they all but disappeared when they turned their backs illustrating just how difficult they can be to find at times. Also present here was a PRAIRIE FALCON and the usual FERRUGINOUS HAWKS. Noble Road had a singing BENDIRE'S THRASHER and lots of LARK BUNTINGS. A single EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE was on Davis Road just east of Central Highway.

A good start to the morning -- now we had a fair drive to make. We pulled into Rodeo, NM at 9:00am and it took about 30 minutes before we had satisfactory looks at a male RUDDY GROUND-DOVE at the feeder on 2nd street just south of the fire house. We found females almost immediately and eventually saw 3 females and two males. COMMON GROUND-DOVES were also present along with WHITE-WINGED DOVE and EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES.

After a brief stop in Portal (WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS right in town), we worked along the Paradise Road, then up to Onion Saddle, along Shaw Peak Road; and finally over the mountain on Pinery Canyon Road. JUNIPER TITMOUSE was easy to find near Paradise Cemetery but we had to work a little to get a decent look. I've mentioned before how these pesky little birds can hide in a relatively open pinyon-juniper. While looking at the titmice, a HUTTON'S VIREO popped into view. Two for the price of one.

For the rest of the day we worked diligently looking for Northern Pygmy-Owl without a sniff of success. I think the high wind probably didn't help our cause. We did see quite a variety of birds to keep us interested though. MEXICAN CHICKADEES, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and BROWN CREEPERS were common at every stop. GOLDEN CROWNED-KINGLETS were fairly low down the mountain at the Paradise cutoff. PYGMY NUTHATCHES were at Onion Saddle, RED-CROSSBILLS just above Pinery campground and OLIVE WARBLER about two miles below the campground. Other species included ARIZONA and HAIRY WOODPECKERS, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO and PINE SISKIN.

Road note: There wasn't a trace of snow or ice on any of the roads that we traveled and even the normally muddy section of Pinery Canyon road wasn't a problem.

We finished the day with a pleasant hour at Willcox where we turned up 30 species including the two continuing GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, a few CINNAMON TEAL, about a dozen REDHEADS, lots of COMMON MERGANSERS, a small flock of SANDHILL CRANES, GREATER ROADRUNNER and a well earned SCALED QUAIL.

Q: How do you know when a weather guy is lying? A: His lips are moving. Rephrased: Never trust a weather forecast.

Day List (86 species recorded):
Pied-billed Grebe, Greater White-fronted Goose, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Sandhill Crane, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Mountain Plover, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Common & Ruddy Ground-Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Acorn, Ladder-backed, Hairy & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Horned Lark, Golden-crowned & Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Phainopepla, Cactus, Bewick's & Marsh Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Bendire's & Curve-billed Thrashers, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Bushtit, Mexican Chickadee, Bridled & Juniper Titmouse, Pygmy, Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Loggerhead Shrike, Western Scrub-Jay, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, European Starling, Hutton's Vireo, Olive Warbler, Canyon Towhee, Lark Bunting, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Black-throated, Savannah, Song & White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds, House Finch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin and House Sparrow.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005   
First of two days with Bill Harrigan from Midland. MI who I've birded with once before. I spent five days with Bill and three friends back in July of last year. Although we had a very successful trip, we did miss Black-capped Gnatcatcher despite trying for the bird on three separate days (see journal starting July 26, 2004 for details of that adventure). Ironically, shortly after Bill finished his trip I was monitoring a gnatcatcher nest again. Obviously, the main objective today was to find a pesky Gnatcatcher!

I'm happy to say that we were in and out of Patagonia Lake State Park in no time at all having had great views of a male BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER (no black cap yet on the individual that we saw). With such a single minded task and less than an hour on site, we recorded very few other birds -- a definite downside for me. However, that's why it's called work.

Shortly after we arrived I heard a gnatcatcher calling at the base of the hillside adjacent to the fourth wash (near the site of the first nest in 2003). The bird soon stopped calling and I became distracted by BRIDLED TITMICE in the mesquite bosque. After a quick and unsuccessful check of the titmice, I heard a HUTTON'S VIREO singing from the ridge well to the south of the fourth wash. We huffed and puffed up a cow trail to the top of the ridge and were well rewarded with great views of the male gnatcatcher foraging in the same juniper as the still singing vireo. It's simply amazing how often these birds are together -- perhaps there's an invisible piece of string between them.

Other species from only 30 recorded at the lake included recently returned (and singing) VERMILION FLYCATCHER and wintering GRAY FLYCATCHER and EASTERN PHOEBE.

Following this early success we drove back to Sierra Vista and into the Huachucas. Bill had only seen the "Northern" Northern Pygmy-Owl and wanted to see "Mountain" Northern Pygmy-Owl ahead of the impending split. Once again, I'm happy to report that after driving up Carr Canyon, a round trip hike of 1.5 miles and a scramble up a fairly steep and obstacle strewn hillside, we were rewarded with excellent views of a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL perched in the open on a snag. Bill is the sprightliest 76 year old that I know -- I can't see myself doing this shit 20 years from now!

Just like yesterday in the Chiricahuas, it was quite windy in the mountains and I was very happy to hear the tooting of the owl drifting in and out with the wind. Very faint toots to be sure but enough to allow us to home in on the bird. There's no justice in the world. Yesterday I worked for hours trying to locate a pygmy-owl in the wind without success. Today I had to work for much less time (albeit with a lot more physical effort) to locate a bird in a regular spot. Sorry Phil!

Including the driving, hiking and searching we were only in Carr Canyon for 2.5 hours and saw very little else, especially with the wind. Only RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER and a few EASTERN BLUEBIRDS are worthy of mention.

Thursday, February 24, 2005   
Out again today with Bill for a day of casual birding -- our reward for the target bird successes of yesterday. We spent a very pleasant day in a partly cloudy and mostly calm Sulphur Springs Valley. After a barely above freezing start on Central Highway at 7:30am, the temperature climbed to around 70 degrees in the Granites in the early afternoon.

Other than a check of the fields on Central Highway for Mountain Plovers (non present early am), we didn't look for anything in particular. We cruised around a few back roads then spent a couple of hours at Whitewater Draw and a couple of hours in the Granites.

Whitewater Draw had a surprising number of SANDHILL CRANES present -- far more than are normally present after the flock heads out to feed for the day. A large flock of white geese flew in mid morning -- about one hundred SNOW GEESE including two Blue Phase and two ROSS'S GEESE. The number of VERMILION FLYCATCHERS has increased significantly and multiple males and females were chasing each other around. At least one SWAMP SPARROW continues. A male MERLIN was perhaps the highlight.

BENDIRE'S THRASHERS were singing and easy to detect in several regular locations. A single SAGE THRASHER was on highway 191 just north of McNeal. EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were seen in three locations. A second (female/immature) MERLIN was on Central near Grant's. A large flock of AMERICAN PIPITS were on Lee Road. LARK BUNTINGS were common throughout. FERRUGINOUS HAWKS were conspicuous in the fields on Central.

In the Granite's, I had to work a little harder than usual to turn up a BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW but we eventually had great looks at a singing bird. For my money, this is a vastly underrated species. NORTHERN CARDINALS and CANYON WRENS were plentiful and singing but we only heard a single ROCK WREN.

67 species recorded:
Snow & Ross's Geese, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks, Am, Kestrel, Merlin, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Sandhill Crane, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Great Horned Owl, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Horned Lark, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cactus, Rock, Canyon, House & Marsh Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Sage, Bendire's & Curve-billed Thrashers, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Canyon Towhee, Lark Bunting, Chipping, Brewer's, Black-chinned, Vesper, Black-throated, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp & White-crowned Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds, 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 Thursday, February 24, 2005.

Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - February, 2005 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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