Journal - March, 2005
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Species List
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Stuart Healy Journal - March, 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, March 31, 2005
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Sign of the times: My first bird of the month was EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE in Sonoita, now a regular location for them (among many others!).
On a beautiful spring like morning, I made a routine visit to Patagonia Lake State Park. It was very cold down by the water at 7:00am and super warm by noon. Although I birded casually without any real focus, I was hoping to find some early returnees. In the blurb that follows, dates mentioned in parentheses represent my previous early sighting dates for returning species (+) or late sighting dates for departing species (-) at the lake. Over the past 10 years I've averaged a visit to the lake roughly every 5 days during March so the sample interval is fairly small. However, that's not the whole story -- I don't necessarily get into the right habitat for all species on every trip. Nevertheless, they are a good indication of when birds come and go. You can also look at the Patagonia Lake bar graph.
Apart from a singing LEAST BITTERN (+March 6) along the east marsh trail and one BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD (+March 5) near the visitor center, I was unsuccessful in terms of finding returning species. Another week should see the return of Cassin's Kingbird, Bell's Vireo and Lucy's and Yellow Warblers. Despite the lack of success in one respect, I did manage to stumble into all the expected goodies as well a recording a solid 70 species.
I started birding in the day use area west of the marina where I spotted an adult BALD EAGLE (-March 7) perched in a regular cottonwood on the small island at the west end of the lake. Near the visitor center I found a couple of continuing COMMON GOLDENEYES (-March 25). The photo is not very good quality because I was too far away. However, I've included it because it's my first of the species and it's also an interesting shot. Perhaps someone can tell me what the bird is trying to eat (a few minutes later the prey item was gone -- eaten or discarded I don't know).
COMMON MERGANSERS were indeed common, CINNAMON TEAL and LESSER SCAUP much less so. I noted a few DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS and EARED GREBES and a lone BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON. The usual WHITE-WINGED DOVES were in full voice.
NORTHERN CARDINALS were in full voice on the hillside above the bench near the east trailhead. I did very poorly on sparrows here.
I wandered along the east marsh trail where I saw plenty of tufted flycatchers (a.k.a. VERMILION -- very common). GRAY FLYCATCHER wasn't as common as usual today. I had decided not too look for BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER but I literally stumbled into a pair of them foraging in the well leafed out willows not far from the lake opposite the fourth wash. I checked my records and found that of the 81 times that I've seen the gnatcatchers at the lake, this was only my third sighting in a willow. Hint: don't focus on the willows if you are looking for this species. Gee, you think. I've published so many photos of these birds but today's image is of a male from an unusual angle. Still no sign of a black cap on this individual.
VIRGINIA RAIL and SORA were along the marsh edge but quite elusive providing only peek-a-boo views.
Near the creek mouth I happened upon a group of 15+ NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS. The individual in the photo allowed fairly close approach and was kind enough to make a nice pose as you'll see. At least one male GREATER SCAUP (-March 10) was nearby. I was happy to see a spiffy looking male BUFFLEHEAD -- always a treat. The female is somewhat duller.
I spotted two distant "big grebes" swimming together and assumed both were Westerns -- wrong! I've seen Clark's here in early March before and they turned out to be WESTERN and CLARK'S GREBES. This is not a close image and lacks detail but you can see a great comparison of three major id characters -- eye in the black (Western) versus eye in the white, yellowish (Western) versus orangish bill and dark (Western) versus pale body.
Along the creek trail I saw HAMMOND'S and DUSKY FLYCATCHERS then got bogged down trying to photograph an elusive ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. Gary and Donna had already located the ELEGANT TROGON (-April 15) and I was able to enjoy that bird along with a few other folks about 1/2 mile upstream from the creek split. I waited for everybody to depart before trying for a photo but never managed to get into a favorable position. However, as I tracked the trogon I stumbled into a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH (-March 9) about 200 yards further upstream!
On my return walk, EASTERN PHOEBE (-March14) completed the winter rarities back near the first wash. A few AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES were only my 8th record at the lake. I heard one HUTTON'S VIREO singing but it wasn't associated with BRIDLED TITMICE or gnatcatchers. The vireos are normally gone from here by mid March. Prize for the drabbest photo of the day goes to a female GREEN-WINGED TEAL, a photo first for me. This species doesn't usually allow close approach and the bird was gone just nanoseconds after I released the shutter.
Not a bad day to get March underway.
71 species recorded at Patagonia Lake State Park:
Pied-billed, Eared, Western & Clark's Grebes, Double-crested & Neotropic
Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Least Bittern, Am.
Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Greater
Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck,
Bald Eagle, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, White-winged Dove, Broad-billed
Hummingbird, Elegant Trogon, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker,
Eastern, Black & Say's Phoebes, Hammond's, Gray, Dusky & Vermilion Flycatchers,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cactus, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, Curve-billed
Thrasher, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted
Nuthatch, Verdin, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped
Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Green-tailed, Canyon &
Abert's Towhees, Chipping, Black-throated, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned
Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle,
House Finch, Lesser & American Goldfinches and House Sparrow.
Wednesday, March 2, 2005
Today I decided to check Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area at the south end of
Sulphur Springs Valley. This is a location with great potential and a poorly
documented history (since it was formerly private property) -- it's also
very much underbirded. Frustratingly, it's a location that I don't get to visit
much when I'm working with clients. Nevertheless, I've been plodding away
steadily over the years trying to build an inventory of the birdlife here and
today was just another drop in the bucket. Every little helps as the actress
said to the bishop.
Before heading to the wildlife area, I checked the fields on Central highway hoping to find a Mountain Plover and extend my latest sighting date (I last saw them here on February 22, missed them the next day). KILLDEER were common and the paler EASTERN and WESTERN MEADOWLARKS gave me pause several times as I tried to make them into plovers. Multiple FERRUGINOUS HAWKS on the ground and on the irrigation rigs were as majestic looking and impressive as ever. HORNED LARKS, LARK BUNTINGS and SAVANNAH SPARROWS were very conspicuous. I noted a few AMERICAN PIPITS.
I reluctantly gave up on the search and started to cruise around the back roads. On one particular birdy section I found lots of birds teed up, singing and/or calling, just inviting me to take photographs. The light was tough but in each case I managed to maneuver to a 45 degree angle to photograph in sequence -- BENDIRE'S THRASHER (two singing within feet of each other), SCALED QUAIL (this guy on a post, many on the ground), GAMBEL'S QUAIL (incredibly tolerant of me) and GREATER ROADRUNNER (just set back a little too far from the road). All the birds were within 200 yards of each other -- an interesting and productive few minutes.
Several EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were on Davis Road in McNeal near the intersection with Hwy 191.
I finally made it to Whitewater Draw at 8:30am. Now it was time to work. Another very pleasant day similar to yesterday -- after a chilly start the day warmed considerably under high, thin clouds. Spring is almost sprung. Conditions for shorebirds continue to improve as migration time approaches. A few days ago there was zero shorebird activity. Today was much better without being in any way spectacular. I found 8 WILSON'S SNIPES, 7 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 6+ LEAST SANDPIPERS and 1 BLACK-NECKED STILT. This was my earliest Black-necked Stilt record in Cochise County by almost a month! I just need to get out more.
Yesterday I was surprised not to have seen any swallows. Today I at least managed 20 TREE SWALLOWS. I was pleased to see three pairs of BLUE-WINGED TEAL (right about on time for this location) in with the more plentiful (30ish) CINNAMON TEAL. Apart from the teal, a few GADWALL, PINTAIL and many SHOVELERS, ducks were in short supply.
What I'm assuming is the same white geese flock that I saw a few days ago flew in around 9:30am. I say this because the make up of the flock was about the same -- roughly 100 birds, mostly SNOW GEESE including 2 blue phase birds and at least 5 ROSS'S GEESE.
VERMILION FLYCATCHERS were more subdued today but COMMON YELLOWTHROATS were all fired up.
SONG, VESPER, SAVANNAH and LINCOLN'S SPARROWS were all common but I dipped on Swamp and the wintering White-throated. Lincoln's is a very dainty and colorful sparrow with plenty of attitude but it gets very little press due to being so common. I like them. This particular image illustrates the importance of getting close and having good light which, not surprisingly, translates to greater detail (even after throwing much of it away with jpeg compression to keep file size down).
SANDHILL CRANES are still easy too see but their numbers are definitely diminishing. Despite being a bird that I see regularly, I've never photographed one before today -- and even now it's only a marginal flight shot. Maybe next year when they come back (or maybe in Wyoming in June).
A routine day that was, well, fairly routine.
62 species recorded at Whitewater Draw and vicinity:
Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Snow & Ross's Geese, Gadwall, N. Pintail,
Blue-winged & Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck,
N. Harrier, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Scaled & Gambel's
Quail, Sandhill Crane, Am. Coot, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe,
Greater Yellowlegs, 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, Am. Pipit,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cactus & Marsh Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Bendire's &
Curve-billed Thrashers, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, Yellow-rumped
Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Canyon Towhee, Lark Bunting, Brewer's, Vesper
Black-throated, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia,
Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Great-tailed
Grackle, House Finch and House Sparrow.
Today I continued with routine birding -- the type of birding that I liken to painting the Golden Gate bridge. An ongoing task. You move along one section at a time and when you're finished you start all over again. Today's span was Sawmill Canyon. In another week I'll start thinking about early returning Buff-breasted Flycatchers, today I was still concerned with woodpeckers.
The traffic at the end of Fry was all snarled up entering Fort Huachuca this morning -- it's been like this ever since security was maximized. It took me almost 15 minutes to travel a few hundred yards as vehicles converged on the main gate from three directions. In a few months (when it gets light early) I won't have this problem since I'll be well ahead of the crowd. To make matters worse, today I needed to stop at the office to renew my expired pass which took even more time. I finally cleared the gate at 7:30am.
The drive up Garden Canyon was relatively birdless so I didn't dawdle. Conditions were nippy but extremely pleasant when I got underway in Sawmill -- the early morning sun warming my back felt good. However, the layer of thin ice on the puddles was a reminder that winter isn't quite over yet (at least in this location). Obviously, it was cold overnight! I soon heard the usual STELLER'S and MEXICAN JAYS followed by the annoyed clucking of AMERICAN ROBINS, not happy that I had disturbed their space. The next sound stopped me in my tracks -- CASSIN'S FINCH, a bird that I hadn't seen here since late December. They were relatively common last fall and then disappeared. I tracked down roughly six birds, mostly males.
That was the end of my good fortune. On my last trip I found over a dozen Arizona Woodpeckers, one Williamson's and several Red-naped Sapsuckers. Unbelievably, several hours of searching and listening today did not produce any of them. Not one. All I came up with was NORTHERN FLICKER and even that was a heard only. I didn't want to leave without finding at least one of my targets but time is too precious. Even though it was now fairly windy, I can't really use the wind as an excuse.
The most common birds in the canyon today were HUTTON'S VIREO and BROWN CREEPER. Both species were singing in multiple locations. I was pleased to find a small group of OLIVE WARBLERS whose "phew" calls alerted me to their presence. I found at least three and I think some had already moved on by the time that I caught up with them. I managed to see a good looking male quite well. Any day with such a bird can't be all bad.
I saw three races of DARK-EYED JUNCO (Gray-headed, Pink-sided and Oregon) and the usual YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS.
Nothing much of note as I drove back down Garden Canyon -- COOPER'S HAWK, scads of WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES at the middle picnic area and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE at the fishing ponds.
A poor morning at the office. Thankfully, I wasn't with a client.
Saturday, March 5, 2005
I have plenty of computer work piling up at the moment and I worked through
the night last night in an attempt to make progress. This morning I took an all
too brief break down on the San Pedro to wake myself up. The conditions were
certainly favorable to do that -- cloudy, chilly and blustery, quite a change
from earlier in the week. Rain began to fall by mid afternoon.
[I've taken the plunge and purchased an MP3 player and I plan to create an MP3 section on the site, much as I did the photography section. I'll kick it off with a description of my decision process and a review of the hardware and software that I'm starting off with. Hopefully, I'll follow that up with some successful field use reports as time goes by. I also plan to add all the bird song MP3 files that I create -- downloadable for public use. As they sarcastically say in the old country, "stick a broom up my arse and I'll sweep up". Translation: I'm busy.]
As you might expect given the conditions, there wasn't a lot of bird activity and for a Saturday morning there wasn't even much people activity. The San Pedro House feeders were loaded with the usual LESSER GOLDFINCHES joined by a few PINE SISKINS.
Wintering BREWER'S SPARROWS were very conspicuous perched en masse in low mesquites singing their bubbly, twittering song. WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were also singing (they usually leave the San Pedro by the end of March).
I saw just one migrant empid -- a HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER struggling to make a living in the wind.
The only returning breeding species that I noted were several VERMILION FLYCATCHERS (staying low to keep out of the wind) and a handful of NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS. The majority of both species were gathered around Kingfisher Pond that also held CANVASBACK and BELTED KINGFISHER
37 species recorded:
Great Blue Heron, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Red-tailed Hawk, Gambel's
Quail, Am. Coot, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Gila &
Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Hammond's &
Vermilion Flycatchers, N. Rough-winged Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's
Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Loggerhead Shrike,
Chihuahuan Raven, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Abert's Towhee, Brewer's, Vesper, Song,
Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark,
House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.
Monday, March 7, 2005
First of two days with Jean Myers from Sunnyvale, CA (my old stomping
ground in another life). It rained quite heavily in Sierra Vista on Sunday afternoon and evening
and I
was very surprised this morning when I found the clouds had disappeared and I
had to scrape ice off my windshield at 5:30am. However, the day soon turned into a very pleasant spring day (70 degrees in
the afternoon). We birded at Patagonia Lake, Kino Springs and in Paton's yard
I had originally planned to include a visit to the Santa Rita Mountains but an extended visit of 7 hours at Patagonia Lake put paid to that. The birding here was very good and produced 75 species. The main culprit for the extended stay was LEAST BITTERN. We detected birds in two locations -- in the marsh at the marina and the marsh along the east trail. We spent a total of two hours on the marina marsh bird and for much of the time were just feet from a sadistic individual that stayed put, buried in the reeds, giving its "co-co-co" call. The bird was there from 8:00-9:30 and still there calling at 1:30pm. Very frustrating.
I didn't detect Bald Eagle nor either scaup species today but the big grebes, at least two male COMMON GOLDENEYES and a large group of COMMON MERGANSERS continue. NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS were numerous and a few CINNAMON TEAL and BUFFLEHEADS were present.
We spent some time along the creek without finding the Elegant Trogon, then turned our attention to BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER. I heard their unmistakable calls as we approached Nutting's wash and we soon tracked down a pair of them for some great views. The photo is not particularly good due to distance but it does show that the male of this particular pair is developing its black cap.
VERMILION FLYCATCHERS were easy to see and we watched one pair building a nest. Conversely, empids were scarce (or at least inconspicuous) and we found just one each DUSKY and GRAY FLYCATCHERS. Missed Eastern Phoebe that is normally gone by the second week of March.
A singing RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW on the hillside south of the fourth wash was the "most interior" location (so far!) that I've seen this species at the lake. The habitat on this hillside is perhaps somewhat atypical -- more open and less grassy than where you might expect to see them. I first detected them at the state park in 2002 and their normal locations are several spots with suitable habitat along the entrance road, extending down the road to the lake then eastward along the hillside above the trailhead bench.
I was hoping for early Lucy's Warbler and Bell's Vireo (my early date for both species at the lake is March 12) but no luck. YELLOW WARBLER is usually the first to come back and today's bird (just one, singing) beats my previous early date by one day (March 8 in two different years). A male BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD zinging by represented an uncommon migrant at the lake (I have 3 spring records).
A trip to Kino Springs in mid afternoon was generally unproductive, perhaps due in part to construction activity and noise at the club house pond. GREEN HERON and a couple of others were the only additions from about 30 species seen here.
Marion Paton's yard was surprisingly active between 3:00 and 4:00pm. Highlights were BROAD-BILLED and VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRDS, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and LAZULI BUNTING.
On the drive home we had to work for EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE in Sonoita. In this case, working meant actually getting out of the car.
90 species recorded:
Pied-billed, Eared, Western & Clark's Grebes, Double-crested & Neotropic
Cormorants, Great Blue & Green Herons, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Least Bittern,
Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked
Duck, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Turkey
Vulture, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Gambel's Quail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Am.
Coot, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove,
Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Broad-billed,
Violet-crowned & Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn, Gila &
Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Gray, Dusky &
Vermilion Flycatchers, N. Rough-winged Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Phainopepla, Cactus, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed
Thrasher, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted
Nuthatch, Verdin, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, European Starling, Hutton's Vireo,
Orange-crowned, Yellow & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Canyon &
Abert's Towhees, Rufous-winged, Chipping, Black-throated, Song, Lincoln's,
White-crowned & White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Junco, N. Cardinal,
Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark,
Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch and House
Sparrow.
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
Out again today with Jean. Another very sunny and pleasant early spring day. We
birded in Sawmill and Scheelite canyons in the Huachucas then made a brief mid
afternoon visit to the San Pedro river where it was quite windy.
Our time in the Huachucas was generally successful even though we didn't see many species. It's just a week or so early yet for most of the early mountain migrants.
Sawmill Canyon was alive with the raucous sounds of MEXICAN and STELLER'S JAYS this morning making it very difficult to listen for woodpeckers. It took us quite a while and several near misses before we finally caught up with our target ARIZONA WOODPECKER. It was worth it though because we were eventually rewarded with great views of the woodpecker along with this NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL as reward for our considerable physical effort. No pain no gain so they say. The owl flew into a leafy oak where it was somewhat difficult to photograph because I had to step back some distance to get a viewing window.
Signs of spring in the canyon included BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD and singing GREATER ROADRUNNER.
Quite a few WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were active over the pictograph site as we drove back down Garden Canyon.
Our trip up Scheelite Canyon was very successful. A pair of SPOTTED OWLS were in the Huachuca Hiking Club Tree where over 13% of my sightings have occurred (see Spotted Owl data). I'm sure that over the years many folks have seen their lifer owl in this tree because it's so often used and immediately adjacent to the trail. There was a slight difference today though. When both owls roost in this tree they normally do so side by side, facing the same way. Today they were a few feet apart, facing opposite ways, and the photo is of one owl only. The image belies how shady it was in this location (check camera stats).
We also had great looks at PAINTED REDSTART, another species that we were hoping for. This is a common breeder in Scheelite and they normally move back into the canyon during the first part of March, becoming common by the end of the month.
The wind was significant when we arrived on the San Pedro around 2:15pm and was definitely a problem since sparrows were our targets here. We wandered around in the scrubby, tumbleweed infested areas and eventually weeded out (no pun intended) the target BREWER'S and VESPER SPARROWS.
52 species recorded:
Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Greater Roadrunner,
Spotted Owl, N. Pygmy-Owl, White-throated Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird,
Acorn, Gila & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion
Flycatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cactus, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens,
N. Mockingbird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse,
White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western
Scrub-Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, European Starling, Hutton's Vireo,
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Painted Redstart, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Dark-eyed &
Yellow-eyed Juncos, Brewer's, Vesper, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows,
Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser
Goldfinch and House Sparrow.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
My client for today had to cancel for medical reasons. Despite the fact that I
have a couple of major projects (and many minor ones!) in progress, I decided to
make a quick and dirty visit to Patagonia Lake this morning. Even though I visited two days
ago and I'll be there again on Saturday, I wanted to maximize my
opportunities to check for arriving species and keep the sample interval as
small as possible. I wish there were more hours in a
day or days in the week. Maybe I can learn how to live without sleep. I feel
like a juggler and you know what happens to those guys as they get older -- they
start to lose their balls.
March is a double edged sword at Patagonia lake. Plenty of bird activity with new stuff possible every day -- that's the upside. The downside is that spring break is almost here and the crowds are already gathering. There's a Mariachi festival on March 19 -- ay chihuahua, a good day to stay away. Today I started early and left just as the crack of noon club were getting started. Actually, I exaggerate to make a point. I started before sunrise around 6:30am and left about 9:30am, by which time it was already fairly warm.
I tried to maximize my time focusing on migrants and returning species and I didn't look for any of the rarities. My much shorter than usual visit resulted in a species total in the mid 60s (compared to mid 70s on Monday). The only new arrival I managed was BELL'S VIREO -- so nice to hear their "where did the little shit go, what did the little shit do?" refrain again. They will sing constantly from now through September and before long will become very annoying. YELLOW WARBLERS have increased in numbers quickly and I detected at least four singing LEAST BITTERNS, the highest so far this month since I heard the first one on March 1st.. I checked lots of willows with neither sight nor sound of my elusive first eLucy's Warbler of the season.
On my past few visits I've been a little surprised not to find NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET. Today I came across several of them to put that situation right. I was mildly surprised by the number of singing HUTTON'S VIREOS. They were almost into double digits, far more than overwintered here. I normally don't see them after mid March (see PLSP bar graph) so I'm guessing this is due to seasonal movement as birds move back into the mountains. ABERT'S TOWHEES were also singing up a storm and very conspicuous.
VERMILION FLYCATCHERS are now very common (this bird is a stunner, a better image than I expected from the distance I was at). I watched it taking a break from nest building. You know, I regularly get clients who are too jaded to spend a minute or so looking at these birds. This is still one of my three favorite species -- you've gotta love their skydance. If you are out in the field with me and I fail to look at them, please check my pulse. A single GRAY FLYCATCHER was the only empid that I saw (although I didn't make a special effort). Gray Flycatcher numbers fall off in late March but they are usually easy to find until late April, sometimes into May.
Activity on the water was more human than avian. However, NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, at least two male COMMON GOLDENEYES, WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBES, a handful of duck species including BUFFLEHEAD and the posse of COMMON MERGANSERS all continue.
Now to sparrows. Today was the day that I finally stumbled into a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW that's been seen on and off all winter near the visitor center. This was species number #252 for me at the state park. BLACK-THROATED, RUFOUS-CROWNED and RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS were all singing, the latter in several locations. I did poorly along the marsh trail missing Lincoln's and Swamp and saw precious few SONG.
64 species recorded at Patagonia Lake:
Pied-billed, Eared, Western & Clark's Grebes, Double-crested & Neotropic
Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Least Bittern, Am.
Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Common
Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Cooper's Hawk, Common
Moorhen, Am. Coot, White-winged Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Broad-billed
Hummingbird, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, N.
Beardless-Tyrannulet, Black & Say's Phoebes, Gray & Vermilion Flycatchers,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, N. Mockingbird,
Curve-billed Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Common
Raven, Bell's & Hutton's Vireos, Yellow & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Canyon &
Abert's Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Rufous-winged, Chipping, Black-throated, Song,
White-crowned & White-throated Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged
Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, House Sparrow.
After such a warm day it was a very mild evening and I headed to Carr Canyon in the Huachucas to check if Elf Owls have returned. I spent about an hour checking several regular locations without detecting them (this is right on the leading edge of when they arrive). Although it was a calm evening, stream noise definitely affected my listening ability. However, I don't think I would have missed them had they been calling so they probably haven't returned to this location yet. I heard a few COMMON POORWILLS calling and had good views of two very cooperative WHISKERED SCREECH-OWLS in different locations. I didn't hear any Western Screech and the only other owl that I saw was a GREAT HORNED OWL sitting on a power line.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
First of three days with Norm and Karen Shorts from Ketchum, ID and Dawn
Campbell from Rancho Mirage, CA & Portland, OR. A little cloudier day than of late but
unfortunately just as warm. We visited Patagonia Lake (crowded by noon), Kino
Springs and Paton's Yard.
An abbreviated highlights only report today (soccer to watch):
Patagonia Lake (66 species): My first LUCY'S WARBLER of the year (incredibly just one singing bird) was also my 200th AZ bird of the year (when I was much dumber I chased around and saw 216 in January alone). BELL'S VIREOS and YELLOWS WARBLERS are now numerous and very vocal. Pair of BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS seen well between the bench and steps (thanks to Jerry Bock and Tom Staudt for the heads up). Another (or possibly the same) pair were calling near the fourth wash. The black cap of this particular male is well developed (bill coloration is due to "mesquite droppings"). Who knows how many pairs are now present (at least three, probably more).
Pair of NORTHERN BEARDLESS TYRANNULETS investigating leaf clumps (base for potential nests) in the same tree they nested last year at the mouth of Nutting's Wash. Two COMMON GOLDENEYES and the WESTERN and CLARK'S GREBES continue. Five RING-BILLED GULLS flying around trying to avoid boats. We had to work in the heat of the day for RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW -- two eventually seen well along the entrance road.
Kino Springs (30 species): Hoping for an early Gray Hawk and/or Cassin's Kingbird but nothing of note.
Paton's (16 species): Usual BROAD-BILLED & VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRDS; LAZULI BUNTINGS. We apparently missed a female Purple Finch.
Sonoita (drum roll): EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE on small wooden fence, north side of Hwy 82 just east of Hwy 83.
80 species recorded:
Pied-billed, Eared, Western & Clark's Grebes, Double-crested & Neotropic
Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Least Bittern, Am.
Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler,
Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck,
Turkey Vulture, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Wilson's Snipe, Spotted Sandpiper,
Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged
Doves, Broad-billed & Violet-crowned Hummingbirds, Gila & Ladder-backed
Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Gray Flycatcher, Black & Say's
Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Tree & N. Rough-winged Swallows, Ruby-crowned
Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cactus, Rock, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, Curve-billed
Thrasher, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch,
Verdin, Common Raven, Bell's Vireo, Orange-crowned, Lucy's, Yellow &
Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Green-tailed, Canyon & Abert's
Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Rufous-winged, Chipping, Black-throated, Song,
Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting,
Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser
Goldfinch, House Sparrow.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Out again today with Norm, Karen and Dawn. We started the day in Sulphur Springs
Valley then moved on to the Chiricahua Mountains where it was quite windy. A
slightly cooler day but still warm in the afternoon.
Another abbreviated report today.
We had a good morning in the valley hitting our targets in quick succession -- BENDIRE'S THRASHER (two birds initially, others seen later), SCALED QUAIL at a nest, side by side with GAMBEL'S QUAIL, lots of LARK BUNTINGS, and a handful of INCA DOVES. Other birds included FERRUGINOUS HAWK, MERLIN, EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD.
During a short visit to Whitewater Draw we failed to turn up a Swamp Sparrow. Birds here included GREAT HORNED OWL, 5 BLUE-WINGED TEAL, a few CINNAMON TEAL, REDHEAD, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, at least 2 singing VIRGINIA RAILS and 2 SORAS (one of each seen). A probable WESTERN was in with the LEAST SANDPIPERS but I didn't record it as such due to not having a good enough look. We also saw a single SANDHILL CRANE that apparently didn't get the memo it was time to leave.
Our success continued in the Chiricahuas where my efforts to whistle in MEXICAN CHICKADEES also produced a NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN) PYGMY-OWL. The owl stayed around long enough for Karen to try some digiscoping and in the end we walked away from the bird. This was our reward for being good Samaritans earlier when we went out of our way to give a ride to someone who had broken down. No good deed goes unpunished.
A handful of RED CROSSBILLS were at Pinery Canyon Campground as we ate lunch. On the other side of the mountain, I heard the squeak of a BLUE THROATED HUMMINGBIRD as we drove past the Southwest Research Station. A few minutes of patience paid off when the bird visited a feeder. Further down the road I heard PAINTED REDSTART but this time the bird failed to appear.
We finished the birding day in Rodeo, NM where a couple of RUDDY GROUND-DOVES were feeding on the ground as we arrived. The ~2 hour drive home was uneventful.
Species recorded:
Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Gadwall, N. Pintail, Blue-winged Teal,
Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Turkey
Vulture, N. Harrier, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Merlin, Scaled
& Gambel's Quail, Sandhill Crane, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer,
Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove,
Ruddy Ground-Dove, Inca Dove, Great Horned Owl, N. Pygmy-Owl, Blue-throated
Hummingbird, Acorn & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe,
Vermilion Flycatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cactus, Bewick's & Marsh Wrens, N.
Mockingbird, Bendire's Thrasher, Western Bluebird, Mexican Chickadee, Bridled
Titmouse, Pygmy, Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Loggerhead Shrike,
Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Painted Redstart,
Canyon Towhee, Brewer's, Vesper, Lark Bunting, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's &
White-crowned Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Red-winged,
Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds, House Finch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin and
House Sparrow.
Monday, March 14, 2005
The third and last day with Norm, Karen and Dawn was a much cooler day with
extremely high winds in the Huachucas. Of course, it was also the day I had
scheduled to visit Carr, Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons! Nevertheless, we
muddled through and managed to pick up the majority of our target species for
the day.
We began in Carr Canyon which was a complete bust. Wind velocity increased the higher we climbed and it was obvious by the time we reached Reef campground that we wouldn't find many birds. After a token effort we abandoned and returned to low elevation. The few species noted included BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD and a "swarm" of PINE SISKINS swirling around in the wind.
A short stop before leaving the canyon produced a handful of common species in a relatively sheltered spot -- ACORN & ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and lots of LESSER GOLDFINCHES. Overhead, wind assisted WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS zoomed around at great speed.
Our next stop was Scheelite Canyon where I knew the wind wouldn't impact our search for SPOTTED OWL. The bird was very easy to find today but I didn't find it! After I had thoroughly searched the lower roosting area, we moved up canyon to the 3/4 mile trail split. I decided to check the east fork first and left the group waiting at the split. Norm started up the west fork and soon found a very obvious owl roosting in the last tree in the middle area. Our first target bird success of the day.
On the walk up, we had tantalizingly heard a calling PAINTED REDSTART that soon moved away from us. Fortunately, on the journey down we managed some good looks at this colorful bird. Now things were looking a little better. Other birds in the canyon included ARIZONA WOODPECKER and several singing species -- HUTTON'S VIREO (many), CANYON WREN and HERMIT THRUSH. Hearing the thrush singing in this location, especially this early in the season, was a mild surprise -- they winter in Scheelite but move to higher elevation locations to breed. Also of note was a calling BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, a species that does breed in Scheelite. However, mid March is on the early side for their arrival here.
After a lunch break we headed to Sawmill Canyon. I didn't fancy our chances here with the wind and the afternoon hour (1:30pm). However, the break worked in our favor as the wind gradually abated over the next hour. We persevered and eventually found a mixed flock that contained several of our target OLIVE WARBLERS including at least two cracking males and one female.
By early evening the wind wasn't much of a factor and our owling session turned out very well. Earlier in the day I would have lost money betting against that! The night began well when we saw a COMMON POORWILL sitting in the road. The bird stayed put until we drew alongside then disappeared, never to return. Although it called back in response to my whistled imitation, the bird didn't approach.
We moved on and it didn't take long to find a very cooperative WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL. Even though the bird was buried in a juniper, it was kind enough to continue calling until we eventually figured out where it was located.
During the search, an ELF OWL had been calling and we now turned our attention to that bird. Unlike the screech-owl, the bird was sitting in the clear on small dead branch and stayed there for as long as we wanted to look at it -- a walk away view. Our final reward for a day of perseverance and the fifth owl seen over the three days.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
This morning I made a short visit to the San Pedro and an even shorter visit to
Sierra Vista EOP. After a week of unseasonably warm days, the overnight lows
have dropped down to the freezing mark again so I left it late to get started.
Temperatures ranged from 40-60 degrees between 7:30 and 10:30am.
I didn't spend much time near the San Pedro House due to the presence of a fire crew and didn't notice any hummingbirds. GAMBEL'S QUAIL and STARLINGS couldn't be missed. BREWER'S and VESPER SPARROWS were common in mesquite areas. VERMILION FLYCATCHERS and particularly ABERT'S TOWHEES were very conspicuous along the river.
In the "migrant and returning breeder" category I noted fly-by VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS, a few LUCY'S WARBLERS near Kingfisher pond (they nest in willow cavities here) and a fair number of YELLOW WARBLERS singing at regular intervals from the cottonwoods along the river. Generally speaking, migration in the San Pedro valley is usually later than in the Santa Cruz valley -- by as much as two or three weeks in some years. This year the difference appears to be much less.
Absolutely nothing noteworthy to report from the EOP (eradication of pajaros).
51 species recorded:
Great Blue Heron, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked
Duck, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Gambel's Quail, Sora, Am. Coot,
Mourning & White-winged Doves, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker,
Say's Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Horned Lark, Violet-green & Northern
Rough-winged Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens,
Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Chihuahuan Raven.
European Starling, Lucy's, Yellow & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Green-tailed, Canyon
& Abert's Towhees, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned
Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged & Yellow-headed
Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House
Sparrow.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
As most of you will have figured out, I get my birding jollies a little
differently than most. I like to work "regular patches" to determine the
different species that use each habitat type and, in particular, I like to
monitor seasonal movement to determine when non-resident species arrive and
depart. Consequently, March is an exciting time as new birds arrive on a daily
basis. It's also a double edged sword because there are too many places that I
check on a regular basis and I just can't get to them all often enough at this
time of year. This being the case, sample intervals are often too course to
accurately determine arrival dates. Still, half a loaf is better than none and
plus/minus a day or so is okay. We all have our crosses to bear.
This morning I decided to head to Sawmill Canyon where Buff-breasted Flycatcher has always been a special interest of mine. I feel like I have an affinity with this species. Of course, the flycatchers don't realize this and it's an unrequited love. March 16 is the earliest date that I've ever recorded the bird so I thought it was time to get cracking. Given the conditions, I didn't expect to find them today and that's the way it worked out. I'd hazard a guess that the recent cold front stalled them not too far south of here.
Despite the fact that it was well below freezing when I got started in Sawmill, activity was the highest that I've seen so far this year. A singing PAINTED REDSTART greeting me in the parking area -- they normally move into the canyon in mid March. On the drive up Garden Canyon I had heard several singing between the middle picnic area and the pictograph site.
STELLER'S and MEXICAN JAYS were screeching and squawking making it difficult to listen for the soft "pit" calls of the flycatcher. A group of CASSIN'S FINCHES perched high in a dead tree made for a pleasant interlude -- I counted 20 birds split 50-50 males and females. The bird in the photo was really too far away but that's never stopped me before.
After the finches, a lightly tapping RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER grabbed my attention. I moved on and soon heard more tapping that I eventually tracked to a male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER. The bird was totally absorbed and let me approach -- unfortunately it was 30 feet up in pine and in a dark location.
I continued to traipse around and turned up at least 4 ARIZONA WOODPECKERS along with some common stuff such as HUTTON'S VIREO, BROWN CREEPER, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, BUSHTIT, AMERICAN ROBIN and YELLOW & DARK-EYED JUNCOS
No Buff-breasted Flycatchers yet but a very crisp, interesting and pleasant morning. As always, tomorrow's another day.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Not much to report today. I returned to Sawmill Canyon this morning where I was
once again unable to confirm the arrival of Buff-breasted Flycatcher. Their
average arrival date is approximately March 21 so this is really not a big
surprise nor a disappointment. However, the general birding was a big
disappointment. As the song says "what a difference a day makes", but not in a
good way. Yesterday was very cold (freezing) and very sunny and lots of birds
were active and singing. Today it was completely overcast, perhaps 15 degrees
warmer in the mid 40s and completely lacking in birds. Yesterday I heard
Redstarts singing all the way up Garden Canyon, today nada. Hell, I didn't even
see or hear a jay on the drive up or down. Had this been a beginner's first day
of birding it may also have been their last.
STELLER'S and MEXICAN JAYS were all that I heard in Sawmill for almost an hour and even they were extremely quiet by their own standards. The group of CASSIN'S FINCHES were still around although I only noted half a dozen or so. What presumably is the same RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER as yesterday was in the same leafless tree in exactly the same location. The weird part is that the tree appears to me to have zero nutritional value (but obviously not to the bird!). A few ARIZONA WOODPECKERS were drumming. YELLOW-EYED JUNCO was my only photo attempt and the result belies the gloomy conditions. I've always wondered about their name -- perhaps "Orange-eyed" is more appropriate.
COOPER'S HAWK usually moves into the canyon (from lower elevation) in late March and today was my first sighting here this year. BAND-TAILED PIGEON was a bit of a surprise, my first record here in March. They are a fairly scarce breeder in Sawmill and I only have 40 records in 10 of the last 11 years. Most are from April to November with a couple of oddball records in February. Of course, I usually only detect them when they call, as was the case today. In the dense pines they could easily go undetected on many a visit.
The price of gas in Sierra Vista has insidiously increased and it's now up to $2.03. These little jaunts are getting expensive. With the amount of research birding that I do, I estimate that I'm working for about 9.7 cents per hour.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Sawmill again and still no Buff-breasted Flycatchers. The last thing that
I wanted to do on this my soccer watching day was head up the canyon again --
however, perseverance is my middle name. It may be almost spring but the weather
continues to be more like winter. Mostly cloudy early this morning; 45 degrees
in town but breezy and much colder in Sawmill with a few light snow flakes
falling.
I was pleased to see a very vocal and active the PAINTED REDSTART in the parking area again after being absent yesterday. The RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER is obviously as stubborn as I am and the bird was again in the same location in the same tree -- it's hardly moved a foot in three days! It's alive I tell you, it's alive. I saw it move. CASSIN'S FINCHES continue (although I only heard them today and didn't chase after them). ARIZONA WOODPECKERS were a little more active than yesterday and I tracked down a couple of them hoping for Williamson's.
WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were the only new species for my recent series of visits. I counted approximately 30 birds that screamed and whizzed overhead on and off for a couple of hours. This is a fairly scarce bird here from March through July and usually shows up during the second or third week in March.
Although I saw a little sun in Sawmill by 9:00am, clouds soon returned at lower elevation in Garden Canyon. Light rail was falling as my first TURKEY VULTURE of the season in the Huachucas soared over the range control building. This is about a week or so later than usually see them here.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Sawmill otra vez, pero todavia sin Buff-breasted Flycatchers. Same in any
language, perhaps they are still in Mexico. Another cool, breezy and cloudy
start in the canyon with a fair amount of sunshine by 9:00am. There was
considerably more activity than yesterday and it was a case of the gang's all
here except, of course, for the star of the show. I saw most of the species seen
in recent days and recorded 21 species, the highest daily count so far this
month with a cumulative total of 31 seen in 7 visits.
Déjà vu all over again. The PAINTED REDSTART was on duty as I arrived and, incredible as it may seem, the RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER was still in the same place near the parking area. I just cannot see what food the bird is getting from the location it is in. I also found a male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER in an unusual situation -- feeding in an Alligator Juniper. Typically, they prefer conifers. Just like the Red-naped, the bird seemed to have fallen in love with a specific location. Unfortunately, that location was well obscured by foliage and branches and I stayed with it for 30 minutes trying to get a decent photograph without success. I had better luck with a male ARIZONA WOODPECKER, although I was a little too far away for much in the way of detail.
CASSIN'S FINCHES were calling and WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS circled overhead. I heard male and female MONTEZUMA QUAIL calling to each other close to the cabin. The male's quavering call is great to hear. I missed them a couple of days ago when they were seen crossing the road just below the cabin by another birder.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Back to sunny and cold conditions in Sawmill Canyon this morning with a layer of
frost on the grass for the first day of spring. Por fin, a single BUFF-BREASTED
FLYCATCHER put in an appearance to end my quest. The arrival date this year
falls right on my average first sighting date based on eleven years worth of
data (early and late dates are March 16 and 30).
Activity levels in the canyon today really confirmed something that I've long thought to be the case about bird behavior -- sunny days (even if very cold) result in higher activity than cloudy days (even if relatively warm). I've seen both types of days in the canyon on my spate of recent visits and this fact was readily apparent. Last Thursday and today were both sunny and cold and activity was very high in both cases with lots of birds singing. The cloudy days in between produced very little activity, almost dead by comparison across all species. Some may scoff at this conclusion based on empirical data to which I'd reply that the sum total of the world's knowledge to date was gained this way! As the incomparable Yogi said -- "you can see a lot just by observing".
LILIAN'S MEADOWLARKS were perched up and singing in the mesquite-grassland as I drove up Garden Canyon. PAINTED REDSTARTS were singing in multiple locations once I hit the tree line.
In Sawmill, I again observed the RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER in its "place". What can I say that I haven't already said. Today I found two male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKERS in typical pine locations. One was working the same sapwells as on March 17.
BROWN CREEPERS were absolutely everywhere this morning. This is a bird that I've never managed to photograph before because they always seem to either be in dark place (blending with the tree they are working, as is their design), or constantly on the move. The bird in the photo was working up a dark trunk but I knew it would go by a sunny patch and I took advantage of that brief moment. Not a particularly good photo but it's a start for this species.
I found the CASSIN'S FINCH flock hanging out taking turns to drink and managed to creep up on a male for a decent photo. BAND-TAILED PIGEONS are still present but I didn't see or hear the swifts today.
A fly-by BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD (my second of the month in Sawmill) was species #22 for the day edging out yesterday as the highest so far this month.
I really didn't want to leave the canyon this morning because there was so much going on. However, I had to bail before 9:30am since my car was scheduled into the shop. Tomorrow I'm with a client but I hope to return on Wednesday to start work on detecting the arrival of Grace's Warbler.
Over the course of 8 visits to Sawmill this month so far, I've recorded the
following:
Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Montezuma Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Greater
Roadrunner, N. Pygmy-Owl, White-throated Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Acorn
& Arizona Woodpeckers, Williamson's & Red-naped Sapsuckers, N. Flicker,
Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's Wren, Hermit Thrush,
Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper,
Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Olive Warbler, Painted
Redstart, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos and Cassin's Finch.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Out today with John Porter from Virginia Beach, VA. We made a very atypical
visit to Patagonia Lake State Park -- we didn't look for any rarities and we
didn't even cover lots of ground. John is getting accustomed to using a recently
acquired hearing device that downshifts what to him are now inaudible high
frequencies to a lower frequency range. Obviously, even the sounds of common
birds sound quite different with the device and we spent time listening to many
in this category including VERDIN, BEWICK'S WREN, LUCY'S & YELLOW WARBLER'S and
GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE.
Although the lakeside temperature at 6:30am was downright chilly, the day became very warm day and conditions were a little uncomfortable by 12:30pm when we quit. My god, this is only March. The thought of a frosty morning in Sawmill Canyon tomorrow seems very appealing! However, for the most part we had an enjoyable morning. The only downside was a large group with a loud mouthed guide that could be heard 1/2 mile away. She was either completely oblivious to the impact on other birders or didn't care.
Waterfowl activity on the lake was very low -- whether the spring break hordes were responsible or it was just time for them to go (or we just missed them!), I don't know. CLARK'S GREBE continues but we saw little else in terms of the recent goodies. Of course, the usual NEOTROPIC and DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, EARED GREBES and lots of COMMON MERGANSERS can still be found.
LEAST BITTERNS were calling from the marsh near the Marina and near the third wash along the east end marsh trail. In this location I heard one grunting VIRGINIA RAIL and saw one WILSON'S SNIPE in flight.
BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER was ridiculously easy to find -- we had four encounters in different locations and we didn't even look for the bird! Based on the amount of black on the head, at least two different males were present between the second wash and Nutting's (fifth) wash..
Several first-of-season CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS were quite vocal at the west end of the lake. RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS were on the hillside above the trailhead bench. A migrant OSPREY was working over the lake.
VERMILION FLYCATCHERS were their usual conspicuous selves otherwise flycatchers were not much in evidence. Apart from the phoebes, we saw a couple of NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS (vocal and easy to find) and a single (fairly quiet) GRAY FLYCATCHER.
LUCY'S WARBLERS were absolutely abundant singing their very unmusical song. This is a bird that really got the shaft in life -- nothing to look at and a nothing song. BELL'S VIREOS were also common. Again, not much to look at but at least they have a decent song.
Species recorded:
Pied-billed, Eared & Clark's Grebes, Double-crested & Neotropic Cormorants,
Great Blue Heron, Least Bittern, Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Common
Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Virginia Rail, Common Moorhen,
Am. Coot, Wilson's Snipe, Spotted Sandpiper, White-winged Dove, Broad-billed
Hummingbird, Gila Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, N.
Beardless-Tyrannulet, Black & Say's Phoebes, Gray & Vermilion Flycatchers,
Cassin's Kingbird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's & Marsh Wrens, Hermit Thrush,
Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch,
Verdin, Common Raven, Bell's Vireo, Lucy's, Yellow & Yellow-rumped Warblers,
Rufous-crowned, Rufous-winged, Chipping, Black-throated, Song & White-crowned
Sparrows, Northern Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed
Grackle, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Sawmill Canyon was a blowout this morning (literally). Nevertheless, I toughed
it out for about 1 1/2 hours even though the wind velocity was really beyond my
ability to function (in terms of hearing birds). Why? Today was the last
day of March week 3 (for my data purposes) and I was hoping to catch an early
arrival. Not a chance. I considered myself lucky to record a dozen birds.
I looked at the "Red-naped Sapsucker tree" and found it sapsuckerless. Smitty named a tree in Scheelite the "Ditto Tree" when the owls used it on five consecutive days. Maybe I'll call this particular tree the Sapsucker-Ditto tree.
A small group of WESTERN MEADOWLARKS in lower Garden Canyon grassland were the most noteworthy birds of the morning. They were side by side with EASTERN (LILIAN'S) MEADOWLARKS which, as most of you will know, is the resident meadowlark in southeastern Arizona. Although Westerns winter in many locations, they are strictly a transient in the grassland of the Huachuca foothills. They pass through starting mid-October until late November and again from mid February to early March, with stragglers until late March. I wonder if these are birds that winter just south of the Huachucas, perhaps in Mexico (only a stone's throw), or perhaps they are San Rafael Valley birds.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Another visit to Sawmill this morning to get week 4 underway (my "weeks" are
1-7, 8-15, 16-23 and 24-31). It was another windy morning, although not quite as
bad as yesterday, and I enjoyed a modicum of success.
Despite the wind, I was able to detect my first GREATER PEWEE of the season. This ties my earliest date for Sawmill (March 24, 1995) and is considerably earlier than their "average" arrival date in the canyon of April 7. I'm not sure about the value of average arrival date for this species because the deviation in their arrival date (in this location at least) is quite significant -- from March 24 to April 26. The majority of records fall between April 6 and 22.
I also picked up my first Huachuca CASSIN'S KINGBIRD of the season after seeing my FOS birds three days ago in Patagonia. I have a couple of mountain records in the second week of March but they typically show up here during the last week of March. It's still cold and windy so who can blame them.
Wintering species weren't much in evidence this morning -- I didn't find any sapsuckers and came up with just one female CASSIN'S FINCH. Of course, the wind may have been a factor.
Birds at the other end of the seasonal spectrum included drumming ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, singing PAINTED REDSTARTS, OLIVE WARBLERS, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS and YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS. The latter three species have just started to sing. It's interesting to note that the lowland Rufous-crowns (say, at Patagonia Lake) have been singing for a few weeks).
All this knowledge and data stuffed into my brain which together with $5 will get me a coffee at Starbucks.
Saturday, March 26, 2005
I took a day off yesterday because I'm sick of trying to listen for birds in the
windy conditions. Guess what, today was another windy day. I usually stay home
to watch soccer on Saturday but there weren't any Premiership games today because of
international matches. I wasn't willing to shell out $25 to watch England play
Northern Ireland on PPV, even if it was a World Cup qualifier. Instead, I headed
up to Sawmill Canyon -- just for a change. I jest, but I almost went elsewhere
today. I don't have too many free days left before my busy period begins and I
would have liked to visit Patagonia Lake, Whitewater Draw, French Joe Canyon or
a dozen other places. However, Sawmill won the day.
I arrived at the cabin shortly after 7:00am to find mostly clear skies, continued cold temperatures and high winds. I stayed until 9:30am by which time it had warmed up a little. Unfortunately, the wind didn't really die down during the entire time that I was birding. I was hoping to find my first of season Grace's Warbler (seen in the Catalinas yesterday) but was unsuccessful in that endeavor.
BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS have increased significantly in numbers since the lone FOS bird that I found last Monday. Although the first birds to arrive can usually be found near the cabin, all of the birds that I located today were in the main canyon. I came across at least eight individuals, all of which were singing along the first mile of the trail, apparently already maintaining territory. Obviously, the early arriving individuals of any migratory species arrive early in order to get the best territories. However, I have to wonder why such a tiny little flycatcher returns to such a cold place in March at all. Why not wait a week or two until the temperature increases and bugs are easier to find. It's not like they have any competition -- they are the only nesting empid. I have to assume it's because they are a short distance migrant.
While listening intently for Grace's, a loud, urgent call grabbed my attention. Although it was a call that I don't hear very often, it was instantly recognizable as EVENING GROSBEAK. I soon got over my surprise and set about finding the bird. It didn't take long to track down a lone male perched in a pine tree. In fact, it was in the very same tree where a pair of Evening Grosbeaks nested in two consecutive years -- 1994 and 1995. Coincidence? I like to think not. I stayed with the bird for 30 minutes as it moved slowly and methodically, in short hops, over a distance of roughly a half mile. It paused regularly, called loudly, and looked around intently, and I have little doubt that it was trolling for a mate. I certainly hope it finds success and they nest again in the canyon. I haven't seen any here since 1999. Almost all of my 100+ southeast Arizona records are from Sawmill and Carr Canyons, the latter being the only location where I've seen them with "irregular regularity" in recent years.
Despite the wind, shadowy light and the fact that the bird stayed high, I tried for a photo and managed two usable shots. In this first image, you can clearly tell the bird knows I was paying attention to it (I've got my beady eye on you mate). The second image. shows more of the bird but the light was really crappy and I wasn't close enough. Still, beggars can't be choosers when a photo first is at stake. When I lived in Bellingham, WA, Evening Grosbeak was a regular back yard bird and they would come in 50 at a time to clean out the feeders. While I can hardly call it a favorite bird because I don't see them often enough, it's definitely up there and I really enjoyed seeing the bird today. I considered it payback for my persistence and grunt work in the canyon this month.
OLIVE WARBLERS were very common and vocal this morning and definitely in spring courtship mode. I watched birds in several locations chasing around and doing a kind of aerial interface thing (flying almost vertically face-face). I took several photos but nothing better than I already have for this species.
I recorded 19 species in the canyon including RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER (no, not in that tree again), ARIZONA WOODPECKER, lots of HUTTON'S VIREOS and BROWN CREEPERS, PAINTED REDSTART, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO.
In Garden Canyon, PAINTED REDSTARTS are now very numerous and singing in many places. SPOTTED TOWHEES have also started to sing.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
After skipping a couple of days to give Grace's Warbler a chance to return, I
headed up to Sawmill Canyon again this morning. It's still quite cold up there
although the wind was thankfully a little less today. I listened my ears off but
once again I came up empty and did not detect Grace's.
BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER, PAINTED REDSTART and OLIVE WARBLER were again easy to detect but apart from those species, there's not much to indicate that the breeding season is about to get underway. BAND-TAILED PIGEONS called sporadically and I detected a handful of female CASSIN'S FINCHES.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Out today with Dave Verhulst who splits his time between Tennessee and
Wisconsin. We birded at Patagonia Lake State Park and in Marion Paton's yard. A
pleasant day for me without anything in particular to find, just whatever we
came across. Just a slight chill down by the water at 6:30am under clear skies
becoming sunny and warm by 9:00am. Mostly calm winds in the morning but quite breezy by
early afternoon.
Patagonia Lake was very birdy (as it almost always is at this time of year) and we turned up over 70 species. Of note were at least six calling LEAST BITTERNS -- five at the west end and one at the east end of the lake. However, we saw only one (and that's one more than usual!). Also of note were three BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS -- my first at the lake in March (in previous years I haven't seem them here until mid April) and a male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD (also a March first here, they are regular at the lake in April and I have a dozen records then). Four species of hummers were at the visitor center feeders.
My first CASSIN'S VIREO of the year was initially elusive, pictured here having just caught a bug. WESTERN KINGBIRD (working side by side with CASSIN'S KINGBIRD) was another year bird.
Waterfowl activity has dropped off dramatically and there were very few ducks today. The Common Merganser flock is apparently gone (so many birds couldn't hide!). After seeing only CLARK'S GREBE recently, the bird was again joined today by a WESTERN GREBE. I heard the single note vocalization of Clark's for some extra reinforcement.
In the marsh, several SORAS and VIRGINIA RAILS were quite vocal and I picked up a SWAMP SPARROW for the first time in a while.
Empids were scarce and we found only GRAY and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS. For reasons that escape me, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS were absent from the lake this winter and a calling bird along the creek was my first seen here this year. NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS were vocal and easy to find.
Untold numbers of BELL'S VIREOS and LUCY'S & YELLOW WARBLERS sang incessantly. Migrant YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were everywhere, otherwise migrants were scarce and represented by singletons of OSPREY and RING-BILLED GULL.
We watched a female BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD building a nest. She fetched material at 30 second intervals than squished it down with her body.
Oh, lest I forget, we had fantastic close up looks at a male BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER, at times foraging on the ground.
Marion Paton's yard had plenty of hummingbirds including a stunning male COSTA'S and a male ANNA'S that positively glowed. Making up the numbers were at least 2 VIOLET-CROWNED, 4-6 BLACK-CHINNED and gobs of BROAD-BILLED.
Colorful LAZULI BUNTINGS and a gorgeous male HOODED ORIOLE added to the spectacle.
79 species recorded:
Pied-billed, Eared, Western & Clark's Grebes, Double-crested & Neotropic
Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Least Bittern, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck,
Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ruddy Duck,
Black & Turkey Vultures, Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail,
Virginia Rail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Ring-billed Gull, Mourning &
White-winged Doves, Broad-billed, Violet-crowned, Black-chinned, Anna's &
Costa's Hummingbirds, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N.
Beardless-Tyrannulet, Hammond's, Gray, Vermilion & Ash-throated Flycatchers,
Black & Say's Phoebes, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Phainopepla, Rock, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, Black-capped Gnatcatcher,
Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Common Raven, House Sparrow, Bell's & Cassin's Vireos,
House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Lucy's, Yellow & Yellow-rumped
Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Abert's Towhee, Rufous-winged, Chipping,
Black-throated, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp & White-crowned Sparrows, N.
Cardinal, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle,
Brown-headed Cowbird and Hooded Oriole.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
With the number of windy mornings that I've endured in Sawmill Canyon recently
still fresh in my mind, I didn't
feel much like repeating the dose this morning. However, since it was the last
day of the month (and I only have three more days left to my own devices), I made the effort to look for new arrivals
again. Sure enough,
the weather continued cold and blustery as March comes to an end -- the
temperature in Sierra Vista was 40 degrees early this morning with a stiff breeze
blowing; much windier and colder in Sawmill Canyon. In fact, I was still able to
find ice covered puddles in a shady, north facing area. However, I'm happy to
report that I did get some
reward by picking up a few new species.
First up was SCOTT'S ORIOLE in lower Garden Canyon. They typically move into Garden, Sawmill and (to a lesser extent) Scheelite Canyons in April and I only have a half dozen March records for the three canyons combined.
Although it was definitely a brass monkey and soldering iron job in Sawmill when I got started, the temperature and the birds picked up by 8:15am or so when I started listening in earnest for Grace's. I plodded along diligently and was delighted to hear my first of season BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. I stayed with the bird for 30 minutes trying to get a photograph as it played hide and seek with me -- mostly in oaks and occasionally in pines. During this time it was constantly singing its secondary song -- a fairly unmusical series of jumbly notes, very different from the buzzy primary song (that I didn't hear at all). It seems to me that newly arrived birds use the secondary song when trolling for mates, switching to their primary song when establishing and maintaining territories. Later in the morning I heard another bird in Garden Canyon, also singing the secondary song.
It took me quite a while to detect my first of season GRACE'S WARBLER. Eventually, I found two or three birds singing at the very top of pines which is quite typical. Por fin! I thought that I was going to miss them in March. They may have arrived yesterday when I wasn't able to check. PAINTED REDSTART, OLIVE and LUCY'S (in lower Garden) WARBLERS rounded out a whopping five warbler morning!
Very vocal species this morning included NORTHERN FLICKER (pair investigating a nest cavity), BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER (many singing and chasing), HUTTON'S VIREO (singing their monotonous "song" throughout), BRIDLED TITMOUSE, BROWN-CREEPER and, of course, a plethora of obnoxious sounding STELLER'S and MEXICAN JAYS.
ARIZONA WOODPECKERS remain fairly inconspicuous as they get into nesting. I saw just a couple and heard several drumming.
Species recorded:
Turkey Vulture, Arizona Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Say's
Phoebe, Cassin's Kingbird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Canyon Wren, N. Mockingbird,
Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper,
Verdin, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, House Finch,
Olive, Lucy's, Black-throated Gray & Grace's Warblers, Painted Redstart,
Dark-eyed (Gray-headed) &Yellow-eyed Juncos, Eastern Meadowlark and Scott's
Oriole.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries
are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Thursday, March 31, 2005
|
Species List |
Stuart Healy Journal - March, 2005 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks. |
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