Nov. Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - November, 2006 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, November 30, 2006

Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Out again today with Peggy, Russ and Becky. We visited the San Pedro River and Carr Canyon in the Huachucas. November began as October ended with a crisp early morning followed by a sunny, warm day.

We started on the San Pedro to look for Green Kingfisher. The morning began with a COOPER'S HAWK chasing a RED-TAILED HAWK near the San Pedro House. We proceeded directly to Kingfisher pond where, just like my last visit on Sunday, the female GREEN KINGFISHER was on early morning duty. We stayed around for 30 minutes watching the bird as she did some occasional fishing and lots of perching. Other birds continuing in the vicinity of the pond were MERLIN, BELTED KINGFISHER and VERMILION FLYCATCHER.

I was pleased to a see couple of CEDAR WAXWINGS at the pond to confirm the heard only on Sunday, officially making it the 225th species that I've recorded on the San Pedro RNCA. It's interesting to note that the normal food source for this species in winter (fruit) is absent from this area (which may explain why I haven't seen one here before). Also near the pond was a calling CRISSAL THRASHER.

The walk to the pond and back to the San Pedro House via Garden wash and del Valle Road yielded 43 species including ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, GREEN-TAILED and ABERT'S TOWHEES, PYRRHULOXIA, LAZULI BUNTING and a smattering of the regular sparrow species.

Our time in Carr Canyon started well when we saw a GOLDEN EAGLE being harassed by a couple of AMERICAN KESTRELS. An hour of birding in the lower canyon was ultimately productive for the typical species after a slow start. Among the species seen were ACORN WOODPECKER, MEXICAN JAY, PAINTED REDSTART and three flavors of DARK-EYED JUNCO -- Gray-headed, Oregon and Pink-sided. Unfortunately, ARIZONA WOODPECKER and HEPATIC TANAGER were heard only.

On the drive up the mountain (and again at Reef), I was surprised to see a flock of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS. The resident bluebird here is Eastern and this was only the second time that I've seen Western in the canyon.

As you might expect at this time of year, the high elevation birding was certainly on the slow side, especially in the early afternoon. We missed Yellow-eyed Junco completely and even the normally abundant SPOTTED TOWHEES were scarce (just one heard). On the plus side, we had excellent looks at a beautiful male OLIVE WARBLER after tracking several calling birds over a fair distance. We saw RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER and HAIRY WOODPECKER but ARIZONA WOODPECKER was once again a heard only. Reef area regulars included scads of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, HERMIT THRUSH, AMERICAN ROBIN, BROWN CREEPER and STELLER'S JAY.

After checking the snags between Reef and Ramsey Vista without success, I thought we had lost the chance for TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE. However, the last minute came through in fine style when we happened upon a bird perched atop a snag as we drove back down canyon.

A fine weather day and a fairly decent birding day to get November underway. Any day with Golden Eagle, Green Kingfisher, Olive Warbler and Painted Redstart can't be bad.

72 species recorded:
Great Blue Heron, Mallard, N. Harrier, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Golden Eagle, Am. Kestrel, Merlin, Am. Coot, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted & Green Kingfishers, Acorn, Gila, Ladder-backed, Hairy & Arizona Woodpeckers, Red-naped Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cedar Waxwing, Canyon, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, House Sparrow, Hutton's Vireo, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Olive & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Painted Redstart, Hepatic Tanager, Green-tailed, Spotted & Abert's Towhees, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Junco, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackle.

Thursday, November 2, 2006
Out today with Dave Beaudette, an experienced birder who moved to Sierra Vista earlier this year. We birded in Garden and Sawmill Canyons without any specific avian objectives. It was yet another sunny and warm day, warm enough for me to be in Sawmill in short sleeves and shorts -- is this November or what? Hello Wyoming, how's the weather up there? See you next June!

A perched GREATER ROADRUNNER catching the early morning sun atop a mesquite was one of the first birds of the morning.

We started birding in earnest at the fishing ponds where I harbored a slight hope that the lingering MacGillivray's Warbler might still be present. It wasn't, or at least we didn't find it. Even the LINCOLN'S SPARROWS that have been common here were down in numbers. SPOTTED TOWHEE continues. There's still plenty of water in the main (Gravel Pit) pond which today held a few COOTS and MALLARDS, 7 RING-NECKED DUCKS and 2 RUDDY DUCKS. Apart from  SAY'S and BLACK PHOEBES, a few YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS; calling VERDIN and HUTTON'S VIREO, dickey birds were not much in evidence. Perhaps the presence of an adult SHARP-SHINNED HAWK was the reason.

We continued on noting several PHAINOPEPLAS and MOCKINGBIRD in a heavy mistletoe area, GILA WOODPECKER on a pole, a female/immature NORTHERN HARRIER working low over the grass and the omnipresent sky rats (MEXICAN JAYS). Fall colors provided by the cottonwoods, maples and sycamores are now very impressive in upper Garden Canyon.

Although scads of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS are still present in Sawmill, abundant Butterflies are perhaps the the most telling testament to how mild the weather has been.

Woodpeckers are usually the highlight of a visit to Sawmill at this time of year and we weren't disappointed in that regard. Highlight was a pristine male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER, eventually seen at a regular sapwell tree after we inadvertently flushed the bird from a nearby tree after tracking some light tapping. We also saw a very colorful RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER and finally, an ARIZONA WOODPECKER after hearing a couple of distant birds.

The HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER that I noted on my last visit was in almost the same location (I don't have any records in Sawmill after mid November). At least one male HEPATIC TANAGER continues and we encountered 4+ OLIVE WARBLERS (two or more birds in two separate locations). The thrush family was well represented with multiple HERMIT THRUSHES, 2 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES and a small group of 8 WESTERN BLUEBIRDS.

STELLER'S JAYS were not particularly conspicuous or vocal today. As usual though, MEXICAN JAYS were easy to see. Other species included numerous RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BROWN CREEPER, COMMON RAVEN, HUTTON'S VIREO, YELLOW-EYED & GRAY-HEADED JUNCOS and CHIPPING SPARROW.

The drive back down Garden Canyon was almost birdless save for a calling CANYON WREN near the pictograph site.

We finished up at Lower Garden Pond where it was quite warm at 1:00pm. Among the dozen species that we rustled up were a juvenile COOPER'S HAWK, a couple of ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS catching insects from the top of a cottonwood, LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, CASSIN'S KINGBIRD (one of two on the day), SONG SPARROW and LESSER GOLDFINCH.

55 species recorded:
Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned & Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Anna's Hummingbird, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, Williamson's & Red-naped Sapsuckers, N. Flicker, Hammond's Flycatcher, Black & Say's Phoebes, Cassin's Kingbird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cactus, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Hutton's Vireo, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Olive & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Hepatic Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Chipping & Song Sparrows, Lincoln's Sparrow, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos and Great-tailed Grackle.

Sunday, November 5, 2006
The weather was simply too good this morning and the birding at Sierra Vista EOP was fairly lackluster. Clear blue sky, zero wind and 61-71 degrees from 7:45-10:30am (although it felt much warmer than that to me). Today I started towards 1000 with visit #901 to the EOP. I would have reached that milestone long ago had it not been for configuration changes that reduced open water, limited the the viewing opportunities and dampened my enthusiasm for the place.

Highlights were the continuing female BUFFLEHEAD, an out in the open VIRGINIA RAIL, a few AMERICAN PIPITS, ROCK WREN (possibly the same individual back for another winter) and the usual YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD spectacle.

Duck diversity and numbers are starting to increase with AMERICAN WIGEON being the most common species. Raptors were few and far between and even the ever present PEREGRINE FALCON was almost a no show.

Photo Gallery: I've reworked the gallery to make access to photos easier and more user friendly (I hope). I've also added a few new features. If you have a moment, please take a look. I'd appreciate some feedback, particularly if you find any problems.

45 species recorded: EOP bar graph
Pied-billed Grebe, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, N. Pintail, Green-winged & Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Black & Say's Phoebes, Am. Pipit, Rock & Marsh Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, European Starling, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Vesper, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Tuesday, November 7, 2006
Today I made my first visit of the month to Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area (WWD) located near McNeal in Sulphur Springs Valley. It was a little chilly as I started down Coffman Road at 6:45am and for the first hour or so at WWD. However, the sight and sound of scads of SANDHILL CRANES taking flight was worth the effort of starting my drive in darkness. By 9:00am it was comfortable and by 10:30am it was too warm. My apologies to all in the northern tier who are freezing their asses off already.

Water levels continue to drop but it's still not possible to reach the north viewing platform by the shortest route (my guess is that it will be possible in another week or two). Similarly, it's not possible to enter the south willow grove (without getting seriously wet) and it may take a little longer before dry access is possible. The birding was slow, steady and quite decent when all was said and done. I tallied almost 70 species in 3.5 hours.

The best sighting of the morning was a group of 4 female or winter plumaged male RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS. This is a casual transient in SE AZ and November is far and away the best month to see them, presumably as they push south into Mexico. I have 18 records for the state including 13 for SE AZ in 6 different years, 9 of  which are in November. I have 4 records at WWD from 3 different years, all in November. Okay, enough already with the numbers.

As seems to be the case in most waterfowl locations at the moment, duck diversity was quite good today. However, the number of individuals is still low. I noted 2 distant juvenile SNOW GEESE when I arrived; 7 adults flew in at 10:00am. No gull goodies for me, just a group of RING-BILLED GULLS -- 7 initially and 14 a few hours later. I noted several individual WESTERN GREBES in different locations but never did figure out how many were present. EARED GREBES were common.

Apart from many LEAST SANDPIPERS (I fluked this "stretching" shot from a distance), the shorebird showing was quite poor. I saw just one LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER and a few SPOTTED SANDPIPERS. I wasn't able to locate the three Black-bellied Plovers that I found back on October 16. However, they were seen on Sunday and may still be present. AMERICAN PIPITS were common out on the berms and sandbars.

Although I couldn't enter the south willow grove, the best general birding was in this area. To reach a good vantage point, follow the road that runs south of the grove until you can step up onto the berm. From here you can see the willows and surrounding water looking north and a large expanse of mesquite and scrubby habitat to the south. Among the many species that I saw from this location were a MERLIN that headed right towards me (I was too slow on the camera), a perched GREATER ROADRUNNER (one of six for the morning), 2 LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS, the usual VERMILION FLYCATCHERS (~8 present in multiple locations), HORNED LARK, 2 CRISSAL THRASHERS, GREEN-TAILED & CANYON TOWHEES, 100+ LARK BUNTINGS, the usual sparrow species -- BREWER'S, VESPER, SAVANNAH, SONG, LINCOLN'S and WHITE-CROWNED (all fairly common), a few CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS, a couple of PYRRHULOXIAS and a single male LAZULI BUNTING with more heard.

Other than a few NORTHERN HARRIERS, a handful of RED-TAILED HAWKS (including Rufous-morph and Harlan's) and the aforementioned MERLIN, raptors were not much in evidence.

Less common species for this location were NORTHERN FLICKER and ROCK WREN (near the HQ building). I inadvertently flushed 3 TREE SWALLOWS as I got started (scarce but regular in November), the only swallows that I saw all morning.

I had planned to continue on to Willcox but I decided that it was now too warm for my delicate English constitution (and would be warmer still at Willcox). My compromise was to drive as far north as necessary to see my first FERRUGINOUS HAWK of the season. I didn't have far to go -- this individual was on Central Highway just north of Davis near the "Mountain Plover Fields" and gave me the evil eye as I stopped to take a photo. Incidentally, the grass has been cut a little and the habitat, while far from perfect, is probably okay. Then again, I'm not a plover.

71 species recorded:
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes; Snow Goose, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, N. Pintail, Green-winged & Cinnamon Teal; N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, N. Harrier, Cooper's, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Merlin, Scaled & Gambel's Quail; Sandhill Crane, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitcher, Spotted & Least Sandpipers; Ring-billed Gull, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes; Vermilion Flycatcher, Horned Lark, Tree Swallow, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Rock & House Wrens; N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers; Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan Raven, House Sparrow, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Green-tailed & Canyon Towhees; Lark Bunting, Brewer's, Vesper, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows; Chestnut-collared Longspur, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks; Red-winged, Yellow-headed & Brewer's Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackle.

Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Today was another splendid fall day with clear blue skies and plenty of warm sunshine (if you like that sort of thing). I birded at Patagonia Lake State Park, a location that I've visited many times (444 to be exact). However, this day was a little different for me -- I started with my inaugural visit to the recently-opened-to-the-public Sonoita Creek Natural Area at the west end of the lake. The road to this area leaves the park entrance road about 0.2 miles before you reach the main park gate. From here it's a 1.2 mile drive thorough mesquite grassland with desert scrub and a few junipers to a dead end parking area. The road also passes a few interesting washes. I didn't explore any of this habitat today since it was entirely in shade -- however, it looks good for wintering sparrows, breeding Rufous-winged Sparrow and a variety of species that like drier areas such as Rufous-crowned & Black-throated Sparrows and, probably, Varied Bunting.

From the dead end parking area it's a 5 minute walk down a fairly steep road to the concrete spillway south of the dam. This is near "Eagle Island" where a Bald Eagle often perches in winter. I've scoped this area many times from the far end of the lake! From this location (water levels permitting), it's possible to cross the spillway to walk to the dam as well as downstream to the riparian area. I did neither today and just spent 30 minutes at the spillway since I wanted to do my regular route at the east end of the lake. In summer, I think it would difficult to do justice to both ends in the same day. This would only be possible on a cool winter day when birds are more likely to remain active all day.

Practical considerations for visiting Sonoita Creek Natural Area: Access to the natural area is by permit only (no additional charge above the park entrance fee). All you need do is give your name and vehicle info at the visitor center. Unfortunately, the visitor center doesn't typically open early enough for birders. Consequently, you'll have a problem if you want to start early and forget to call ahead (520 287-2791). Being a planner, I called yesterday. There's a limit of 30 permits per day and permits are per person and per horse. Therefore, a day with a group of 15 horse riders using the area would mean that you are SOL (I saw only two today). Finally, the gate at the start of the access road is manually operated and is currently open from 7:00am to 5:00pm. However, it will shortly be converted to an automatic gate (like the main park gate) and will then be open at 4:00am allowing an early visit in summer.

There were just a few common species in the limited area that I looked at today -- GREAT BLUE HERON, lots of COOTS & KILLDEER, BLACK PHOEBE, a handful of AMERICAN PIPITS, ROCK & HOUSE WRENS, CANYON TOWHEE and RUFOUS-CROWNED, WHITE-CROWNED & BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS.

Next, I birded near the visitor center where I picked up more common species including many EARED GREBES, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, a small flock of WHITE-WINGED DOVES (regular here in winter), BELTED KINGFISHER, a few MARSH WRENS, VERDIN (not sure what food item the bird has in its bill) and small numbers of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER.

At the east end of the lake, the birding was somewhat in keeping with the serene conditions and could hardly be called spectacular. I walked along the eastern shore trail and then along Sonoita Creek "trail", hardly a trail after the monsoon did its thing. Nevertheless, I plodded away and eventually tallied close to 70 species at the lake.

Out on the water I noted 5 or 6 WESTERN GREBES, 2 immature DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, a single GREAT EGRET and a smattering of ducks of 9 species including 4 NORTHERN PINTAILS (uncommon here) and 6 REDHEADS. I was hoping to locate and identify the scaup species that I saw on my last visit but I didn't see any scaup at all today. Marsh birds were not easy to find and I only saw GREEN HERON and heard VIRGINIA RAIL along with lots of MARSH WRENS. This PIED-BILLED GREBE certainly knew I was interested in its presence and slowly slinked off into the marsh.

Flycatchers were definitely front and center today. In addition to the continuing EASTERN PHOEBE which was very vocal, I came across at least 10 GRAY, 4 DUSKY, 2 HAMMOND'S and 2 ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS. Would have made for a good clinic.

Along the creek trail I was hoping for a winter goody or two but had to settle for a migrant RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, CASSIN'S & PLUMBEOUS VIREOS (both singing) and SPOTTED TOWHEE, uncommon here in winter.

73 species recorded (italics not seen at lake): Patagonia Lake bar graph
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes; Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue & Green Herons; Great Egret, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked & Ruddy Ducks; Am. Kestrel, Virginia Rail, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves; Common Ground-Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpecker; Red-naped Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Hammond's, Gray & Dusky & Ash-throated Flycatchers; Eastern, Black & Say's Phoebes; Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cactus, Rock, Bewick's, House & Marsh Wrens; Curve-billed Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; House Sparrow, Plumbeous & Cassin's Vireos; House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers; Common Yellowthroat, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees; Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Vesper, Lark, Black-throated, Song & White-crowned Sparrows; N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia and Great-tailed Grackle.

Sunday, November 12, 2006
Today I made a brief visit to lower Garden Canyon then joined the regular Sunday tour at Sierra Vista EOP. Another "Indian summer" day with only a slight sign of cooling (mid 60s by mid morning).

Now that we're well into November, there really isn't enough daylight for me to hit Garden Canyon and get to the EOP by 8:00am. Consequently, I only managed a very skimpy (15 minutes) check of the fishing ponds. To make matters worse, I spent five of those minutes verifying that the loud chip note I was hearing was in fact the "Myrtle" form of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER that I thought it was. They have a louder and more metallic note than "Audubon's".

Other species at the fishing ponds were AMERICAN WIGEON, KESTREL, BLACK PHOEBE, CASSIN'S KINGBIRD (see note), RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, PHAINOPEPLA, HOUSE WREN, MOCKINGBIRD, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, VERDIN, LESSER GOLDFINCH, CANYON TOWHEE, LINCOLN'S & WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and EASTERN & WESTERN MEADOWLARKS.

*Although Cassin's Kingbirds are sometimes found throughout the winter in low elevation locations of SE AZ, I usually don't see them in the Sierra Vista area after late November (the elevation around Sierra Vista is close to 5000 feet so the winter temperatures can be quite low here). November 28, 2003 is my latest record for Garden Canyon.

Birding at the EOP was extremely slow and I recorded only 43 species, my lowest total here during the last month. Plentiful NORTHERN HARRIER'S bucked the trend and I don't recall a period during the 2.5 hours when at least two weren't in view. Even a silver adult male was present -- they are always much scarcer than females and juveniles.

The regular PEREGRINE FALCON put on a great show this morning with several flyovers. We watched the bird nail a female RING-NECKED DUCK and then pin the duck to the ground on a berm quite close to our location. The Peregrine started to rip feathers from the unfortunate duck whose struggles rapidly diminished. I though it was truly a dead duck until a RED-TAILED HAWK (presumably looking for a free meal) came by and forced the Peregrine to abandon the duck. We were all surprised to see the duck escape on foot into the marsh. One lucky duck, although it may not survive.

SPOTTED SANDPIPER was the only shorebird; not a single Killdeer seen or heard. Duck numbers continue to increase but the only new species today (compared to recent weeks) as a female LESSER SCAUP hanging out with RING-NECKED DUCKS.

As usual, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were abundant.

Less common location species were a single RING-BILLED GULL and a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET working the reeds around one of the ponds. The kinglet was only the second that I've seen here.

Monday, November 13, 2006
Today I started at Las Cienegas NCA then checked the eastern sections of Box Canyon Road and Gardner Canyon Road on the east side of the Santa Rita Mountains. The predominant habitat in all these areas is mesquite-grassland with a few isolated stock ponds. There are also some oaks, junipers, cottonwoods and the occasional sycamore, especially on the canyon roads. Consequently, species diversity is low and (at this time of year) wintering sparrows are the most prevalent species. After a chilly start, it was a mild morning under high, thin clouds becoming a little breezy by midday. A very pleasant day to be in the field.

Grassland highlights at Las Cienegas were two stunning male NORTHERN HARRIERS (one perched at close range), a perched MERLIN and a CASSIN'S SPARROW. The sparrow was at a stock pond along with 6 other sparrow species -- CHIPPING, BREWER'S, VESPER, LARK, LINCOLN'S and WHITE-CROWNED. Las Cienegas seems to be a reliable place to find Cassin's Sparrow in winter (but it's far from a slam dunk and I rarely target this species outside of the breeding season). Today's bird was a hatch year individual still showing a few breast streaks.

BREWER'S and VESPER were the most common sparrow species, although SAVANNAH outnumbered both in a few locations. EASTERN MEADOWLARKS were common in the first five miles (starting from Hwy 82 south entrance) but I only saw (and heard) a few WESTERN MEADOWLARKS.

I was all grasslanded out by the time I reached the ranch and was looking forward to birding the riparian habitat along Empire Gulch (where there's still a small amount of running water). However, Murphy struck as soon as I started along the trail -- two noisy hikers started right behind me and I quickly abandoned my walk. As the hikers approached, I was sifting through sparrows when an accipiter dashed through the trees and landed about 40 feet from me. I managed a couple of shots before the bird flushed. As often seems to be the case with my photo attempts, the bird was too far away and the light was poor. Even so, I obtained a decent enough image to identify the bird as a juvenile SHARP-SHINNED HAWK.

After the plentiful sparrow activity at Las Cienegas, nearby Box Canyon Road was very disappointing and I saw hardly any birds at all let alone sparrows. I turned around after 5 miles and headed for greener pastures. AMERICAN KESTREL was the only conspicuous species (~10 birds seen). I also saw my second columbarius MERLIN of the morning and a few MEXICAN JAYS.

In contrast, Gardner Canyon Road was loaded with birds, at least in the main canyon wash up to about 5 miles from Hwy 83 where the road leaves the canyon bottom. Highlights here were ARIZONA WOODPECKER, CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, a few WESTERN BLUEBIRDS and, appropriately enough, a single TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE. Other species included BRIDLED TITMOUSE, MEXICAN JAY, GREEN-TAILED & SPOTTED TOWHEES and lots of LINCOLN'S SPARROWS.

Despite a general lack of species for my investment in time and mileage, it was an interesting morning in areas that I don't spend much time. A perched male Harrier at close range is very impressive and definitely worth the price of admission.

43 species recorded:
Great Blue Heron, N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Merlin, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers; N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Cassin's Kingbird, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; Green-tailed & Spotted Towhees; Cassin's, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Lark, Savannah, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows; Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds; Eastern & Western Meadowlarks; and Great-tailed Grackle.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Today I visited Sawmill Canyon and then spent some time in lower Garden Canyon. Fairly high winds ruined what was otherwise a pleasant day (sunny and mild).

Although it's still mild in Sawmill Canyon (water is running from all the regular seeps and there's no sign of ice), the birdlife is switching to winter mode. Ten days ago when I was last here (November 2), Yellow-rumped Warblers were abundant. However, it now seems like they've wimped out since today I didn't detect a single one! More telling, perhaps, is that PINE SISKINS have finally arrived. Some years I see them in late September and they are usually present in low numbers throughout October, so I'll call them late this year. I also failed to detect Hepatic Tanager for the first time this season.

The morning started well with a couple of RED CROSSBILLS near the cabin. Most of the crossbills that I've seen in Arizona have been large billed stricklandi birds giving a fairly "hard" jib-jib call. When they flew (as soon as I put hand to camera), today's birds gave a weak, muted call so perhaps they were interlopers from elsewhere. Crossbill races are the proverbial "can of worms" that I definitely won't be opening.

As I've mentioned before, woodpeckers are perhaps the main reason to visit Sawmill throughout the colder months and today I was easily able to locate a good looking male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER at a regular sapwell tree. ARIZONA WOODPECKERS were also fairly easy to find and I came across at least four of them.

YELLOW-EYED and DARK-EYED JUNCOS (Gray-headed & Pink-sided) were both plentiful. MEXICAN and STELLER'S JAYS were both present but surprisingly quiet. Why MOURNING DOVES persist here (even increase!) in November beats me.

The only mixed flock that I found contained 3+ resident OLIVE WARBLERS (including an adult male) and 1 migrant TOWNSEND'S WARBLER along with a nucleus of BRIDLED TITMICE, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, particularly common WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and BROWN CREEPERS.

44 species recorded (italics in Sawmill -19):
Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers; Williamson's Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Canyon Wren, N. Mockingbird, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Steller's & Mexican Jays; Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; European Starling, Hutton's Vireo, House Finch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Olive, Yellow-rumped & Townsend's Warblers; Chipping, Vesper, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows; Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos and Great-tailed Grackle.

Thursday, November 16, 2006
The gusty winds that persisted over the past couple of days abated today and it was a completely calm, blue sky morning. Conditions were picture perfect and after the usual chilly start, the temperature in Sierra Vista climbed into the low 70s by late morning. I spent several hours on the San Pedro then briefly checked Sierra Vista EOP.

WHITE-WINGED DOVES greeted me as I left home this morning and that was almost the first species that I saw near the San Pedro House. ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS persist at the feeders (I don't have any records here after November week 3).

Next, I watched an accipiter chasing (and making contact with) a RED-TAILED HAWK, the very same activity that I witnessed here on November 1. After seeing off the Red-tail, the accipiter returned to the San Pedro House and perched high in a cottonwood. I deliberated long and hard before deciding that it was a sub adult male COOPER'S HAWK. I haven't seen many individuals in this plumage -- called Basic I (first adult plumage) in the Clark & Wheeler Hawks of North America Field Guide).

Unfortunately, because of the steep angle of the photo, you cannot see the thick legs of the bird (or get an overall feel for the size of the bird) which helps to identify it as Cooper's. However, note the graduated tail feathers. Breast and back (not visible) plumage are like an adult but the cheeks are still rufous and the eye is orange-red, not gray and red respectively as older adults. An interesting exercise in accipiter identification and I may still be wrong! Adults are much more difficult to identify than juveniles. As an aside, I'd like to know how it long it takes (for hawks in general) to attain adult plumage. I don't recall reading about this anywhere.

After the accipiter photo session, I proceeded directly to Kingfisher Pond where I had immediate success with a female GREEN KINGFISHER. While engaging in an exercise in futility of following the bird around trying to get a photo, I caught sight of a second Green Kingfisher (but was unable to determine sex). However, Dave Beaudette (who was also at the pond) told me that he had seen male and female at the pond on Tuesday.

I persisted and managed to obtain a couple of less than perfect images that nevertheless show today's bird is not the same female that I have photographed several times over the past month. Compare the front view and rear view of today's bird with images from October 11, 20 and 29, particular the similarly posed front and rear views from October 11. Note that today's bird has much less orange on the throat/collar and less spotting/speckling on the back.

The easiest way to compare today's images side by side  with previous images is as follows: 1) click on the "Photos" link in the index header (top left of screen). 2) Click the "Oct" link under 2006. You'll note links for Green Kingfisher for 11, 20 and 29. Now, click either the front or rear links for today (on this page) and then bring up the older images by clicking on the links for October at left (you can have multiple images on screen at the same time). Note: Most browsers will minimize images to the taskbar so you will have to click (possibly right click) the icons to get them back on screen (then position them as you wish). The images on October 20 and 29 really show lots of orange on the collar. If you carefully examine breast ring patterns, you'll also notice some differences.

Okay, enough of all this. Hopefully, you can see what I'm talking about. The bottom line though is that there are definitely at least three Green Kingfishers present -- two females and a male. Very good news after the decline over the past 8 years. Of course, they may not stick around/return to breed.

Other species at the pond included BELTED KINGFISHER, 3 BLACK PHOEBES,  SAY'S PHOEBE and the continuing male VERMILION FLYCATCHER (a banded bird).

With a few exceptions, bird activity was generally fairly low. Among the exceptions were PYRRHULOXIAS and ABERT'S TOWHEES, both quite quite numerous and active. I also noted a couple of GREEN-TAILED and SPOTTED TOWHEES but missed Canyon Towhee! MARSH WRENS are not common this year and I only noted one at the pond, none along the river. While searching unsuccessfully along the river for Louisiana Waterthrush, I found one, possibly two WILSON'S SNIPE, a species that is very scarce at this location. EASTERN and WESTERN MEADOWLARKS called but remained unseen. 45 species in all over a period of three hours.

I spent about 45 minutes at Sierra Vista EOP where my location first of season PRAIRIE FALCON was the only species of note. 20 species in all.

Friday, November 17, 2006
On another ridiculously splendid weather day (sunny, calm, not a cloud in the sky), I visited San Rafael Valley. Even by its own standards the valley was sadly lacking in birds and I saw very few species. The valley can be a cold place around dawn but today it was extremely mild and by 8:00am I was in shorts and shorts and short sleeves. The weather is simply way too good for this time of year which may explain the lack of birds. The afternoon high  in Sierra Vista reached almost 80 degrees and the five day forecast is for more of the same. As my regular readers will know, I have an ongoing battle with Murphy and he has surely stuck it to me yet again -- yesterday I disconnected the water line to my cooler to prevent freeze up which ensures the continuing great weather.

Some good news for the day -- FR 5661 that I reported closed by an electric fence on September 21 is now open again (fence removed). This is a short access road that leaves Apache Road near the "four corners" intersection at the west end of the valley. The road leads to a good sized pond (which currently has water) and provides a high vantage point for viewing the four corners area. I'm not sure about the who and why of getting access restored, but thank you! Unfortunately, it didn't do me any good at all today. I set up shop and scoped around for 45 minutes and saw only 5 species (yikes!) -- a spiffy male NORTHERN HARRIER, a couple of MOURNING DOVES that I flushed from the grass, a distant LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, about a dozen SAVANNAH SPARROWS and a flock of 40 CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS headed to the pond. Not a sniff of Baird's Sparrow nor Grasshopper Sparrow.

Around 8:00am I left with my tail between my legs and headed to nearby Bog Hole WA. A pair of WHITE-TAILED KITES were perched near the now defunct windmill (replaced by solar panels) on Meadow Valley Flat Road (which leads to the Bog Hole turnoff). I also picked up a single HORNED LARK here which is just as well because otherwise I would have to turn in my Birder's Union card.

Compared to where I'd just been, Bog Hole was "loaded with birds" and I turned up 20 species in 90 minutes. I spent much of that time trying to rustle up a Baird's Sparrow by walking the grass and scanning fence wires, small bushes and other bits of vegetation that protrude above the grass. I managed only VESPER, SAVANNAH and 4+ GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS.

Birds on and around the water included 1 EARED GREBE, 2 SHOVELERS, 16 RING-NECKED DUCKS, another male HARRIER, LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, SAY'S PHOEBE, a female VERMILION FLYCATCHER and a few YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS.

Driving back east through the valley on FR 58, I picked up lots more (60+) CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS, many of which were perched on the fence wires (at least until I slowed down). The image is quite poor because of distance but I've included it to show how drab winter longspurs can be and how they barely resemble anything that you're likely to see illustrated in a field guide.

Very little else of note on my way back through the mountains via Fort Huachuca west gate, just a flock of ~12 WESTERN BLUEBIRDS and a ROCK WREN in the Canelo Hills area.

30 species recorded:
Eared Grebe, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked & Ruddy Ducks; White-tailed Kite, N. Harrier, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Mourning Dove, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Horned Lark, Rock & Bewick's Wrens; Western Bluebird, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Chipping, Vesper, Savannah, Grasshopper & White-crowned Sparrows; Chestnut-collared Longspur, Pyrrhuloxia and Eastern & Western Meadowlarks.

Monday, November 20, 2006
Out today with Bob Gilmore from Santa Paula, CA. We birded at Patagonia Lake State Park and at Kino Springs without looking for any specific targets. I've run out of superlatives to describe the continuing summer-like weather (with temperatures well above average) so I'll just call it another shitty day in paradise.

My day began well with a PRAIRIE FALCON on Hwy 83 as I was driving to Sonoita to meet Bob. Other species along the highway were a male NORTHERN HARRIER (now seemingly widespread), KESTREL and RED-TAILED HAWK. Sonoita had the now well established EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES.

Birding at Patagonia Lake was well below par this morning and our 3.5 hour casual session, while enjoyable, only produced 48 species. Winter waterfowl have increased a little but Common Mergansers haven't returned yet (at least I didn't detect any). A couple of BUFFLEHEADS were at the far west end of the lake and at least 6 WESTERN GREBES and a lone GREAT EGRET continue at the east end.

In contrast to my last visit on November 8 when I saw lots of flycatchers, we barely managed to lay eyes on one GRAY FLYCATCHER today. An amazing change.

Best bird was LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH (heard only) near where the creek feeds the lake. Also of note were a couple of calling AMERICAN ROBINS, my first lowland birds of the season.

Despite the late morning hour, Kino Springs was very productive and we noted 45 species in 1.5 hours. Highlights here were a group of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS at the sewage pond (3 adults and 11 well grown immatures); adult male and female VERMILION FLYCATCHERS at the club house pond; and the continuing group of LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCHES along with a reluctant-to-leave CASSIN'S KINGBIRD at the first pond.

Several COMMON GROUND-DOVES were present and I checked all for Ruddies without success, although there was a potential candidate at the first pond. AMERICAN WIGEON were very numerous on the larger section of the club house pond as well as at the sewage pond (not thoroughly checked for Eurasian). A couple of CANVASBACKS and LESSER SCAUP were also present.

The hackberry grove at the first pond looks like it will have decent fruit soon. However, the only fruit eaters noted today were WESTERN BLUEBIRDS in the open area near the sewage pond.

I arrived back home around 2:30pm to find a WHITE-WINGED DOVE perched on my fence giving me a quizzical look that seemed to say "I think global warming is real". They have become increasingly more reliable in winter during the 14 years that I've lived in Sierra Vista..

Wednesday, November 22, 2006
I spent a few hours on the San Pedro this morning to get "winter" underway. More of the same great weather -- clear blue sky, not a breath of wind; 54-74 degrees from 8:00-11:30am.

I checked Kingfisher Pond, Black Phoebe Pond, Garden Wash; and the stretch of river between Kingfisher Pond and the San Pedro House trail. The birding was interesting with plenty of activity (although mostly from a few sparrow species). My 3.5 hour session produced 40 species.

Best bird was the continuing LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH that I haven't seen since I first detected it on October 27 (probably the same bird that has wintered here for several years). This can be a very difficult bird to detect unless you hear it call and I certainly wouldn't have seen it today (foraging in the leaf litter at the edge of the river in deep shade) had it not called. I tried for a photo but the bird flew up into a still-leafy cottonwood as soon as it knew I was interested. The location was exactly the same as previously -- along the river roughly midway between Kingfisher Pond and where the San Pedro House trail meets the river. This location is easy to find -- the river makes a 45 degree jog east at this point and there are lots of closely spaced marker poles in the water. Just east of this spot is a back channel where I suspect the waterthrush hangs out making it difficult to detect.

Waterthrush notwithstanding, continuing GREEN KINGFISHERS at Kingfisher Pond were the highlight of the morning. I was delighted to see a male for the first time this season and to witness a little interaction with the female (sitting a foot or so from each other), although they mostly foraged independently. As usual, I didn't let distance and adverse light stop me from attempting to get a photograph, especially since I didn't have a decent image of a male. I walked around to the east side of the pond where the male remained long enough for me to get a few shots -- image #1 (I know you're looking at me); image #2 (but I'm more interested in looking for fish); image #3 (now I'm indifferent).  All shots were taken from the same distance (about 50 feet) and image #2 is probably the best from a quality standpoint.

The time spent messing with the kingfisher cost me a Lawrence's Goldfinch seen on the west side of the pond while I was gone. Also at the pond were the continuing adult male VERMILION FLYCATCHER and BLACK & SAY'S PHOEBE'S.  Several flavors of sparrows, ABERT'S TOWHEES and PYRRHULOXIAS were conspicuous in the surrounding grassy areas.

Other birds of note were HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER (waterthrush area) and LAZULI BUNTING in Garden Wash. WHITE-WINGED DOVES continue near the San Pedro House.

Schedule Note: The period from Thanksgiving to Christmas is when many folks plan their birding trips and my schedule starts to fill up. Much of late April and early May are already gone so don't delay if you're interested in this period. White Mountain dates are also starting to fill. Although I'll be in the mountains for about 35 days, I'm planning on accepting clients for only about half of those days and 6 are already booked. Don't hang about if interested.

40 species recorded:
Great Blue Heron, N. Harrier, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Mourning & White-winged Doves; Belted & Green Kingfishers; Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers; N. Flicker, Hammond's & Vermilion Flycatchers; Black & Say's Phoebes; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's & House Wrens; White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, House Sparrow, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Green-tailed & Abert's Towhees; Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows; Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting and Red-winged Blackbird.

Thursday, November 23, 2006
On yet another great weather day, I birded in lower Garden Canyon this Thanksgiving morning. It was either that or watch the parade. Looking forward to the sales tomorrow. Amazingly, although the mesquite-grassland habitat with a couple of ponds in lower Garden Canyon is not a place for great species diversity, I picked up two new location species. Proof positive that the hopeful statement -- "you never know what you might see" sometimes delivers on its potential promise. Happy Turkey day for me!

I started by checking a wet, brushy area at Garden Canyon fishing ponds (where I've seen MacGillivray's Warbler and Swamp Sparrow in recent weeks). The terrain is a little awkward so I left my camera in the car. Dumb move! I had only just got started when up popped a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW in response to my pishing. The bird sat still and posed perfectly for about 10 seconds at close range and in the clear. Many expletives deleted! How many times of getting screwed is it going to take before I carry the camera (heavy as it is) as a matter of course.

Although certainly annual, White-throated Sparrow is a relatively scarce winter visitor to southeast Arizona and is usually mentioned on the local Rare Bird Alert when present. The ABA birdfinding guide lists them as uncommon which is way too optimistic. The Tucson Audubon birdfinding guide lists them as rare which is pretty close to the mark. Generally, unless there's a stakeout bird at a feeder, I would never expect to go out and be able to find this species on any given day, even in the best of locations where it might be possible. Having said that, I have 46 records in 12 of the last 14 years. However, this was a first for me in Garden Canyon and only the second time that I've seen one in the Huachucas (probably because I don't spent much time at feeders).

I returned to the car to get my camera and then spent a frustrating hour amongst the weeds, thistle, fallen branches and boggy grass trying to entice the bird to perch up again. The bird would sing on a regular basis but I was never able to replicate the photo opportunity that I had earlier. After an hour of such nonsense, I was happy to obtain this reasonable image from a distance even though the bird is a little obstructed.

While tracking the White-throated, I pished off every little brown job in the neighborhood -- a skulking RUFOUS-CROWNED, many CHIPPING, a single CLAY-COLORED, VESPER, SAVANNAH, a handful of LINCOLN'S and way too many WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS to contemplate counting. I quickly learned to differentiate the louder "pink" call of the White-throated from the many White-crowns that were calling.

By the way, Clay-colored Sparrow is much rarer in Arizona than the White-throated and I've only managed to accumulate 15 records in 6 of the last 14 years. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to get a photograph of my second new location bird of the morning.

Other, more mundane stuff, around the ponds included COOPER'S HAWK, LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, BLACK PHOEBE, PHAINOPEPLA, CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, a small flock of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, lots of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and SPOTTED TOWHEE.

It was quite warm by the time I reached Lower Garden pond and activity was minimal. Three GREATER ROADRUNNERS and a flock of GAMBEL'S QUAIL were my only reward. After my good fortune earlier, perhaps I should have checked for Lesser Roadrunner.

40 species recorded:
N. Harrier, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Rock Pigeon, Mourning & White-winged Doves; Greater Roadrunner, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers; N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Bewick's & House Wrens; Curve-billed Thrasher, Western Bluebird, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Clay-colored, Vesper, Savannah, Lincoln's, White-crowned & White-throated Sparrows; and Great-tailed Grackle.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Cabin fever got the better of me today after a week of home repair chores and software projects. I eased myself back into the field with a fairly lackluster visit to the San Pedro and I have very little to report.

Most of the activity was around the San Pedro House feeders and at Kingfisher Pond; very few birds along the river proper. Apart from the continuing male and female GREEN KINGFISHERS, I saw absolutely nothing of note. Both birds were at Kingfisher pond around 9:00am and I saw them both on the river south of the pond around 10:00am. The male VERMILION FLYCATCHER also continues at the pond and may possibly stick around for the winter. Last year was the first time that a Vermilion wintered at the pond since I moved to Sierra Vista in late 1993.

A flock of WHITE-WINGED DOVES continues at the San Pedro House where BREWER'S SPARROWS were plentiful today (they have been relatively uncommon here so far this season).

Following a sunny, calm and relatively mild start, the day became much colder and very windy ahead of the cold weather heading our way from the north. Tomorrow will likely start well below freezing in Sierra Vista for the first time this season. It will be interesting to see what birds get pushed south by the weather.

Thursday, November 30, 2006
The predicted cold weather certainly arrived last night and the temperature was only 25 degrees when I left home at 7:30am this morning. The last day of November was a beautiful blue sky day that didn't warm up much. I took the road less traveled (in fact, one not traveled at all recently due to a monsoon related closure). I circumnavigated the Huachuca Mountains by way of Coronado National Memorial, Montezuma Pass, Parker Canyon Lake and Canelo Road; returning to Sierra Vista via the west gate of Fort Huachuca. Despite some windy conditions (very gusty and cold at times), I spent a chilly but thoroughly enjoyable day in the field. These are the days that I like, screw the 100 degree stuff.

WHITE-WINGED DOVES didn't seem to mind the cold this morning as they pigged out on a neighbors seed. I was happy not to be ice scraping (no humidity means no frost!). I wasn't quite as happy an hour later at the top of Montezuma Pass where it was blowing a gale (worst wind of the day). Fantastic, pristine views to the east, west and south but precious few birds. Just below the pass I was amazed to spot a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER from the car -- I watched the bird struggle to maintain its dignity in the wind. Earlier, in the he lower elevation grasslands, I saw typical species such as AMERICAN KESTREL, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, VESPER SPARROW and EASTERN MEADOWLARK.

As a result of the just-completed roadwork, the route over the pass is now open (closed since summer) and the dirt section of the road (beyond the visitor center) is in the best condition that I can remember. The drive was very pleasant, not the extremely washboarded road that I was expecting.

For a while, I saw more Border Patrol vehicles than birds. That changed once I dropped down the west side of mountain on FR 61, passing Copper and Bear Canyons. WESTERN BLUEBIRDS and CHIPPING SPARROWS were both very common (and common everywhere that I went for much of the day). I also picked up ARIZONA WOODPECKER, PHAINOPEPLA, BUSHTIT and a flock of noisy MEXICAN JAYS (sky rats).

I stopped a few times seeing more of the same species (including a couple more ARIZONA WOODPECKERS) but didn't add much save for RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and a slightly out of place WESTERN MEADOWLARK in predominantly oak-juniper habitat, although grassland isn't far away. As I swung north along the west flank of the Huachucas, HORNED LARKS were common in the short grass habitat to the east.

Parker Canyon Lake was my main destination and I spent about 3 hours here, mostly working along the northern shore. It was pretty chilly to start with scanning the lake near the marina store (only open Fri-Sat-Sun in winter). Although Bald Eagle has returned (seen by a fisherman yesterday), the only birds in the air for me were a single OSPREY, several (male) NORTHERN HARRIERS, RED-TAILED HAWK and COMMON RAVEN.

Apart from EARED GREBE and PIED-BILLED GREBE (tied for most abundant species), birds out on the water were not particularly plentiful. I noted 3+ WESTERN GREBES, 10+ AMERICAN WIGEON, lost of GADWALL, 1 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, a few MALLARDS, 4 PINTAILS, 4 SHOVELERS, 12 REDHEADS, 4 RING-NECKED DUCKS, lots of RUDDY DUCKS and 8 COMMON MERGANSERS. Had I walked further into the final arm of the lake I would probably found a few goodies. Next time.

WESTERN BLUEBIRDS were plentiful enough to never be out of my sight along the trail. I have lots of images of males so I persevered to get a shot of a female which wasn't easy to do in the wind. I won by attrition. I turned up almost 40 species at the lake including SPOTTED SANDPIPER, 2 RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS, PHAINOPEPLA, CANYON TOWHEE, RUFOUS-CROWNED, SONG & LINCOLN'S SPARROWS and a few DARK-EYED JUNCOS (GRAY-HEADED and PINK-SIDED).

Along highway 83, a few miles north of the lake, I picked up a flock of at least a dozen WILD TURKEYS that were content to stare at me until I poked my camera lens out of the window.

Before swinging east into the fort, I drove along Canelo Road. This is a two mile stretch that roughly parallels highway 83 between Lyle Canyon Road and Cimmaron Road (the road that goes to the fort). There's some easy on the eye ranch habitat here that I like to check in winter. My reward today was a female MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD working low along a fence. Despite the wind, I watched the bird forage successfully several times. Even though the perch is not aesthetically pleasing, I like this shot of the bird with a very quizzical expression. Other species here included MERLIN, SAY'S PHOEBE, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, MEXICAN JAY and lots of RED-WINGED & BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS.

Mountain Bluebird is a hit and miss species in SE AZ in winter. Most years there are usually a few and some years they are common. There have been a number of reports further north so far this season (Santa Cruz Flats, Sulphur Springs Valley) and today's bird confirms they have now progressed southward. Perhaps this will be a good year for them (or at least for birders looking for them!).

After a relatively bird free drive through the fort (GREATER ROADRUNNER was new for the day), I took a brief look at the fishing ponds in lower Garden Canyon. My reward for the extra effort came in the form of a male VERMILION FLYCATCHER, a species that is very scarce in Garden Canyon. Also of note among the 20 species that I recorded here were a single WILSON'S SNIPE and a couple of PINE SISKINS, my first lowland birds of the season. I tried to relocate the White-throated Sparrow without success. In fact, I didn't even find a White-crowned Sparrow. PYRRHULOXIAS were common.

Not a bad day to finish of the month.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Thursday, November 30, 2006

Nov. Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - November, 2006 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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