April Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - April, 2008 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, 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 Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Out today with Bob Fox and Dana Duxbury from Andover, MA, who I've birded with on six previous occasions; and Cynthia Pruett from Tucson who I've birded with once before. Bob and Dana have birded in AZ many times so, as has been the case on most of our recent outings, there weren't any lifers on the menu and our focus was on potential state birds (also few and far between). We looked for the oft reported Red-shouldered Hawk in St. David without success. The bird in Patagonia is probably more reliable but we also wanted to spend time at Whitewater Draw and Willcox to look for migrant shorebirds.

Water levels in the various ponds at Whitewater Draw are now pitifully low. Willcox has exactly the opposite problem with very high water. The bottom line at both locations is that shorebird habitat is minimal (birding at Willcox was particularly poor). Just like "if you build it, they will come" seems to hold true,  "if you take it away, they won't come" is also true. Although we had a good day in a general sense with plenty of birds, we didn't find any state birds for Bob and Dana. I saw a number of Arizona FOS species since I spent most of March in California.

Selected species from various locations:

St. David:
Pair of COOPER'S HAWKS nest building at a regular location at the Monastery; GRAY HAWKS and CEDAR WAXWINGS in a couple of locations around town and at the Monastery;  GRAY FLYCATCHER (regular here in winter) and PLUMBEOUS VIREO at the Monastery; prolific YELLOW & LUCY'S WARBLERS throughout; lingering SPOTTED TOWHEE at the Monastery.

Whitewater Draw:
GREAT HORNED and at least three BARN OWLS (a little harder to see now that the willows are greening up); 29 WHITE-FACED IBIS (a common spring migrant starting in April; I also have a number of March records); shorebirds limited to 1 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, several SPOTTED, 2 WESTERN and 10+ LEAST SANDPIPERS. A migrant BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER was only my second record at this location (the other was also in April week 1).

Sulphur Springs Valley:
Singing BENDIRE'S THRASHER on Lee Road; 2 CRISSAL THRASHERS (one singing) on Central Highway; PRAIRIE FALCON at mp 31 on Highway 191; the only SWAINSON'S HAWKS of the day (3) on Kansas Settlement Road; EARED GREBES, REDHEADS and BLACK-NECKED STILTS at Kennedy Farms Pond.

Willcox:
WESTERN GREBE and two pairs of LESSER SCAUP on the main pond; BLACK-NECKED STILTS, AVOCET, 1 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER and a lingering SANDHILL CRANE (only my second April record at Willcox and third in SE AZ).

The few interesting birds were in the "canal" (small, narrow channel of water to the far west of the golf course pond). The two temporal ponds at this location plus the temporal pond at the west end of the main pond were all dry.

I've updated the March journal entries, added photo links and published an overall California Trip Summary.

90 species recorded:
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes; Great Blue Heron, White-faced Ibis, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged & Cinnamon Teal; Mallard, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Cooper's, Gray, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Sandhill Crane, Am. Coot, Black-necked Stilt, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted, Western & Least Sandpipers; Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves; Greater Roadrunner, Barn & Great Horned Owls; Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers; Gray & Vermilion Flycatchers; Say's Phoebe, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds; Horned Lark, Tree & Barn Swallows; Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, Cactus, Bewick's & Marsh Wrens; N. Mockingbird, Bendire's, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; European Starling, House Sparrow, Bell's & Plumbeous Vireos; House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Orange-crowned, Lucy's, Yellow & Yellow-rumped Warblers; Common Yellowthroat, Spotted & Abert's Towhees; Vesper, Lark, Black-throated, Savannah, Song & White-crowned Sparrows; N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged & Yellow-headed Blackbirds; Eastern Meadowlark and Great-tailed Grackle.

Monday, April 7, 2008
I was finally fit enough to get back into the field today which was perhaps as well since I was scheduled out with Jane Rosinski and Gordon Russell from the Bangor area of Maine. For almost a week I've been suffering from flu-like symptoms (achy face, sneezing, hacking cough and such, you've been there) and have felt absolutely miserable. When I met Jane and Gordon in Sonoita this morning, I gave them the option of canceling since I didn't want to pass what I'd just been through on to them. They decided to risk it. As the day wore on, I realized that I wasn't as fully recovered as I thought but I muddled through.

The worst part of this episode for me was the chronic loss of a week. Not just the loss of free-time birding in Arizona that I was so looking forward to after my time in California, but also the lack of achieving anything useful at all with the time. For the most part I had zero concentration. I couldn't put pen to paper, finger to keyboard, read a book; hell, I couldn't even sleep. It's a good thing that I'm over it because daytime TV simply rots the brain. I didn't even get any planning done for my June getaway. A sad state of affairs. Thanks for all the messages.

My morning began poorly when a little brown job hit my windshield at 65 mph as I drove through the Sonoita grasslands. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, it was just a drop in the infinitesimal bucket but I felt really bad about it. There's also a bird missing its partner.

We spent most of our time (6 hours) birding at Patagonia Lake State Park without looking for anything in particular. It was my 500th visit to this location. Although the birding was quite decent (I recorded 71 species), this major milestone didn't produce anything truly unusual and certainly nothing new. After analyzing the data, the least common species was a heard only male BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD. This species is a fairly scarce lowland migrant in SE AZ and I don't have many records in such habitat. At the lake, just 5 records from 4 different years; 4 in April 1 in March.

A few winter ducks including 4 LESSER SCAUP are still around (no Mergansers seen). A dozen or so NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS outnumbered 3 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS. No Least Bittern's seen or heard (at least one overwintered).

A migrant OSPREY, GRAY & RED-TAILED HAWKS and both VULTURES were the only raptors seen.

LUCY'S, YELLOW and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were abundant; Yellow mostly heard only.

Flycatchers were well represented and, including phoebes and kingbirds, we managed 11 species. NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET was a bit of a pill to track down but spending time in the vicinity of an annual nest tree in the mesquite bosque coupled with some careful listening eventually resulted in a good view. In the process we also saw ASH-THROATED and GRAY FLYCATCHERS. In the willow forest along the creek we picked up PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER (several calling with one seen well after I thought we wouldn't lay eyes on a bird in the heavy vegetation); a silent DUSKY FLYCATCHER and a calling DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER that was too far away to chase. Seeing many spectacular VERMILION FLYCATCHERS is always a treat.

BELL'S VIREO can sometimes take a ridiculous amount of time to see well, but today we triumphed at the second attempt. One individual had bitten off more than it could chew (a very large moth or butterfly) and was still trying to compete by singing its incessant song back to another nearby male. Being so preoccupied made our task seem like shooting fish in a barrel. Other vireos today were singletons of CASSIN'S and WARBLING VIREOS. Bell's were very common and vocal throughout.

An early afternoon hour in Marion Paton's yard was productive and quite colorful. Top of the crowd pleaser list were a stunning male HOODED ORIOLE and many LAZULI BUNTINGS approaching their maximum blue-orangeness. VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD is no slouch in the looks department but it had to take a back seat today.

Thursday, April 10, 2008
First of two days with Nigel and Carole Hewitt from the Exeter area of England. Nigel and Carol have been in AZ for several weeks and have managed to see a high percentage of their target species. Consequently, most of the remaining targets are comprised of more difficult species and later arriving birds.

We started at Patagonia Lake where I was surprised and delighted to find an extremely early BOTTERI'S SPARROW in a regular territory in the mesquite-grassland. We came up empty at the first location we checked and it wasn't looking good for a while at the next. However, a few chips and sputters pointed me in the right direction and we eventually had good views of a perched bird in full song. Earlier, during the search, a CASSIN'S SPARROW had popped up so we ended up with two difficult early season sparrows for the price of one.

I'm not sure what to make of the early Botteri's for the second year in a row (see the journal for April 10, 2007). A quick glance at the bar graphs in the birdfinding guides will put these early sightings in perspective. I only have questions, not answers. Does this indicate a potential trend towards a new, earlier arrival date? Also, I wonder just how long the bird has been present. All winter?

Our only other target at the lake was BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER. Initially, we heard two birds calling in the fourth wash and the bird that we latched on to turned out to be a female. She circled around a wide area but eventually returned to the original location. I'm wondering if the interaction we heard was a nest exchange.

Highlight of my morning was an overhead SWAINSON'S HAWK that represented a new species (#264) for me at the state park. Now why couldn't that have happened a few days ago on visit #500. Murphy is always lurking.

As you might expect, our short and focused visit was far less productive in terms of species than a few days ago . Among the 54 species recorded were GRAY HAWK, CASSIN'S VIREO, my first of season SUMMER TANAGER, scads of LUCY'S WARBLERS and double figures of RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS.

Our next destination was Madera Canyon. A birder who was departing just after 10:00am when we arrived informed us that the FLAME-COLORED TANAGER had not been seen this morning. We heard the bird briefly at 10:30am and departed ourselves at 11:30am without seeing or hearing the bird again.

We then spent some time looking for an early Thick-billed Kingbird in the Patagonia area. We checked several regular hangouts without success -- the Roadside Rest Area, the creek crossing on Salero Road and along Blue Heaven Road.

Friday, April 11, 2008
Out again today with Nigel and Carole looking for a handful of target species in Carr Canyon. Although I deliberately delayed our start time, it was still quite chilly in the canyon during the early morning hours. The expected late morning windy conditions didn't materialize and it was a pleasant, sunny day.

BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER and GREATER PEWEE are about as guaranteed as any bird can be at this time of year and it didn't take too long to see both species in regular locations. However, we did have to put in a little time and effort to see the Pewee. The first bird we encountered sang only briefly from some distance away. The second bird was seen well atop a snag in typical fashion, singing for a long period.

Next, we turned our attention to Red-faced Warbler, a bird that usually arrives around mid month. I haven't seen any reports yet and we came up empty today.

Owls were next on the agenda and we went one for two. We couldn't have wished for a better result with NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN) PYGMY-OWL. After hearing close but brief calls without being able to pinpoint the location, the bird did all the work for us by flying our way. What turned out to be a male owl then proceeded to sit in the open in a small, leafless tree. The bird was carrying a decent sized rodent and after a few minutes it flew to a nearby tree and presented it to a female. Copulation ensued (again, in an open leafless tree) and the two birds then sat a few feet apart for a few more minutes before the female flew off with the prey item.

Interestingly, the two owls were of two different races. The smaller male was grey-brown which is the form typically seen in southeastern Arizona. In contrast, the female was very rufous and noticeably longer tailed which is more typical of the birds seen further south in Mexico. I've only seen a few individuals like this north of the border.

Spotted Owl is a tough proposition when Scheelite Canyon is off the menu. Nevertheless, we gave it a shot by working the main Carr Canyon trail. Most birders never go here; in fact, I'd hazard a guess that many folks don't even know where it is. The trail is a bit of a slog to say the least and since I'm still very much under the weather. I was pretty weary when it was all over. I've had success here before but, sadly, we were unable to find an owl today. The closest we came was very fresh whitewash.

A day of few birds. BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD and VIRGINIA'S WARBLER were the most commonly encountered species. Many warblers were singing throughout (just one seen). We also bumped into a couple of MONTEZUMA QUAIL. I saw the male very well, albeit briefly. Unfortunately, Nigel and Carole didn't get a "countable" view.

Our tally was 3 target species, 38 species overall, 3 Border Patrol agents and 15 Undocumented Aliens.

Saturday, April 12, 2008
First of two days with Tom and Eileen Wheeler from upstate NY. No target species, just general birding. Today we visited the Patagonia area.

Birding at Patagonia Lake State Park was well below par this morning (due to very windy conditions) and I eventually cut the visit short (no birding along the creek). The first hour working west of the Marina and near the visitor center was the most productive period before the wind really became problematical.

Not much in the way of wintering ducks out on the lake. 4 WESTERN GREBES were in the far northwestern arm. DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS were almost as numerous as NEOTROPIC, with both well into double figures.

Other than the common VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, flycatchers were not much in evidence (probably due to the windy conditions) and we only managed NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER (good views of all). A migrant BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER worked the big willow near the bottom of the steps.

Other species among 53 recorded were GREEN HERON, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, a male BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER (with a partial cap) and a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER (both between the 2nd and third washes). After examining my photos, I was somewhat surprised to see that the Black-capped Gnatcatcher had such a minimal black cap at this date. This is a poor photo but I've included it to show the minimal cap. I think the bird is probably an after hatch year individual. In previous years, I've seen (and photographed) birds with a full cap in mid April.

At Kino Springs, we struggled to come up with GRAY HAWK and managed only one distant flight view over a two hour period. I also expected to see Whistling-Ducks but couldn't find any. On the plus side we had excellent views of a singing RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW.

A lone LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER at the rapidly drying first pond was a location first for me (#216). Also of note was a continuing RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH in the club house pines (this bird has been present since at least December 2, 2007).

Other species included a migrant OSPREY, CANVASBACK, GREAT HORNED OWL (still on nest at first pond); and a migrant trilling-male BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD.

Marion Paton's yard was fairly quiet, perhaps due to the presence of a female COOPER'S HAWK. We eventually saw five species of hummingbirds including star-of-the-show VIOLET-CROWNED and a male RUFOUS. Several male LAZULI BUNTINGS eventually put in an appearance.

Sunday, April 13, 2008
Out again today with Tom and Eileen. It was a case of back to the old routine with visits to Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons in the Huachuca Mountains, something that I haven't done for a while. Although the wind wasn't as bothersome as yesterday, we didn't have a particularly good day. Most of the birds that we saw required far more time than should have been the case and we also missed a few birds.

Garden Canyon grassland was quite productive early this morning. We had scope looks at a perched GREATER ROADRUNNER (always a crowd pleaser)  that was kind enough to sing and let us know where he was located. We also had good looks at SCALED QUAIL, CACTUS WREN, RUFOUS-CROWNED and BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS; poor looks at PYRRHULOXIA and migrant BREWER'S SPARROWS.

A heard only GRAY FLYCATCHER was at the fishing ponds (perhaps the same individual that spent at least part of the winter here).

A little higher up canyon near the lower picnic area we first heard singing and then saw EASTERN BLUEBIRD, a little unexpected at this low elevation in mid April. PAINTED REDSTART was easy to see but we must have picked the meanest BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER in the canyon. It took way too much time and lots of running around to get a good view.

Sawmill Canyon was very tough going. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were initially silent as we worked on other stuff but we eventually had excellent views. OLIVE and GRACE'S WARBLERS didn't do much singing and both were difficult to track down. We stalked a calling ELEGANT TROGON but the bird easily gave us the slip -- twice.

Highlight was a flyover GOLDEN EAGLE with two COMMON RAVENS in close attendance. Other species included a number of noisy ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, HAMMOND'S & DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO.

In Scheelite Canyon I failed to find a Spotted Owl despite slogging to the middle and upper areas in the heat of the afternoon. I was initially encouraged by lots of fresh whitewash in the lower roosting area but I couldn't parley that into an owl. Species in the canyon included WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS screaming away high above the cliffs; "pipping" HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER (we're now into the period when it's a fairly common migrant in the mountains); VIRGINIA'S & WILSON'S WARBLERS and PAINTED REDSTART.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Today marks the start of a busy period that will see me in the field with clients most days through the end of May. More than likely, journal updates will be a little sporadic during this period. Although I've scheduled a few more days off this year than in the past, I know that I'll be ready for my June getaway when that month rolls around. About 45 days away, but who's counting?

First of three days with Eleanor & Sherrie Wages from NY and Gary & Audrey Finley from CA. We birded at Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs and in the town of Patagonia. A mostly sunny and warm day with increasing wind. We saw the temperature swing from 32 degrees (just east of Patagonia at sunrise) to 83 degrees at 1:30pm.

We started at Patagonia Lake where I was again able to find BOTTERI'S SPARROW. I checked several locations but only found one bird (presumably the same early individual that I located last week). Other species in the mesquite-grassland were ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and VESPER, RUFOUS-CROWNED & BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS (the latter two singing). Later in the morning as we were departing, a little effort produced a couple of singing RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS at the park boundary.

Our focus at the lake proper was in mesquite habitat where I failed to find Black-capped Gnatcatcher. Among the species seen in that habitat were NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET (working on a nest); abundant BELL'S, 1 PLUMBEOUS & 2 CASSIN'S VIREOS; and many LUCY'S WARBLERS.

BULLOCK'S ORIOLES and WILSON'S WARBLERS were both common today. We didn't spend much time looking at the lake but did note 1 WESTERN GREBE, both CORMORANT species, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON and GREEN HERON.

My first of season LEAST BITTERN was calling in the marsh at the start of the second wash. At least one bird was present as late as December but I don't think it stayed for the winter.

A Semipalmated Plover was at the spillway at the far western end of the lake (reported to me by ranger Bill Adler). This would have been a new location species for me but I didn't have time to go look for the bird. Work is the curse of the birding class.

Birding at Kino Springs was very poor (perhaps due to the windy conditions) and we dipped on Gray Hawk. However, we recovered with brief looks of a couple of GRAY HAWKS on Blue Heaven Road in Patagonia (one seen perched) and then excellent views of a bird in flight near Patagonia school.

Thursday, April 17, 2008
Out again today with Eleanor, Sherrie, Gary and Audrey. We spent all of our time in Carr Canyon. That wasn't the plan but birdfinding in Carr took longer than expected (it was cold and windy for the first few hours) and we never made it to Fort Huachuca.

As is often the case, VIRGINIA'S WARBLER was the most difficult "easy" warbler to see and we spent an inordinate amount of time on the bird without ever getting a good view. Last week many of them were singing throughout. Now that territories have been established, hardly any were singing today. The search did produce a couple of good moments though.

First, we saw a perched RED CROSSBILL on an open snag. Earlier we had encountered three fly-bys with one group of 12 birds. However, I certainly had not expect to come across a perched bird. Red Crossbill is a rare permanent resident in the Huachucas. Most of my 60 records are from Sawmill (42) and Carr (11) Canyons.

Then, while trying to attract the warbler with owl toots, a curious NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN) PYGMY-OWL checked us out and we enjoyed excellent views. The bird was mobbed by BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER for some time. Two calling HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS joined the fray but we never laid eyes on them. Finally, two STELLER'S JAYS arrived on the scene and perched very close to the owl. The owl stared back at one of the jays until the jay actually made contact and nudged the owl. The show was finally over.

Virginia's notwithstanding, we did okay on our target warblers -- adult male OLIVE, HERMIT (including one stunning male), GRACE'S (singing throughout) and a pair of PAINTED REDSTARTS.

While tracking GREATER PEWEE and BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER (both seen well), an overhead raptor turned out to be a migrating OSPREY. This was a new Carr Canyon species for me and not a bird that I ever expected to see in the high Huachucas (although I do have one previous record from Garden Canyon grassland).

Friday, April 18, 2008
Third and final day with Eleanor, Sherrie, Gary and Audrey was spent working on a few more target species in Sulphur Springs Valley and in the Chiricahuas. Although this was probably the warmest day of the year in Sierra Vista (about 90 degrees when we returned in mid afternoon), the temperature was just below freezing when we started down Coffman Road in the valley early this morning. Just a short and sweet report today.

Our early start paid dividends with well seen SCALED QUAIL followed by CRISSAL THRASHER and excellent looks at BENDIRE'S THRASHER. Copulating SWAINSON'S HAWKS were a bonus. Other valley species included WHITE-FACED IBIS, a couple of perched GREATER ROADRUNNERS and numerous LARK BUNTINGS approaching breeding plumage.

In the Chiricahuas, a hoped for first of season RED-FACED WARBLER came through in fine style on Pinery Canyon Road. After hearing a bird sing, we parked and walked back down the road to find a very cooperative individual singing and foraging in roadside oaks for an extended period. Earlier we had enjoyed success with MEXICAN CHICKADEE and saw a couple more near the warbler for good measure.

Saturday, April 19, 2008
First of two days with Jan and Jamie Heininger from Arlington, VT. We spent most of our time at Patagonia Lake State Park without any specific objectives. Today was a good reminder of why I prefer not to visit the lake on weekends. The campground was completely full and lots of boats were out on the water. Fortunately, very few folks ever make it out to the trails so, despite the crowds, the birding was pretty decent. Almost six hours at the lake at a leisurely pace produced over 70 species. The weather cooperated in that the predicted high winds didn't materialize. Otherwise, it was cloudy and warm after a chilly start.

Sparrows were once again on duty in the grassland and mesquite areas and we enjoyed good views of BOTTERI'S (still only one bird detected, we're now on nodding terms); RUFOUS-CROWNED, RUFOUS-WINGED and BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS.

At least 2 WESTERN GREBES continue along with many DOUBLE-CRESTED and NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS. The shallow channel/muddy area that begins near the second wash and continues along the marsh for several hundred yards held GREEN HERON, CINNAMON TEAL, SORA, a very spiffy looking WILSON'S SNIPE and a silent MARSH WREN briefly foraging in the open. Marsh Wren usually departs the lake by the end of April and I only have one May record at this location. Sora can be found here through mid May in some years.

The few raptors that we saw all came at once while viewing SPOTTED SANDPIPER and AMERICAN PIPITS from the water's edge at the east end of the lake -- several BLACK VULTURES, GRAY HAWK (excellent flight views) and RED-TAILED HAWK all in flight together.

Ten species of flycatchers with VERMILION FLYCATCHER front and center. A calling NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET was easy to track down and see well. A calling PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER couldn't have been more secretive before finally capitulating. There was a CASSIN'S KINGBIRD convention west of the marina.

The often elusive BELL'S VIREO became easy today when we found a bird building an almost completed nest. A single PLUMBEOUS VIREO was the only other vireo.

Amazingly, we didn't stumble into a single Lucy's Warbler. Abundant YELLOW, YELLOW-RUMPED and a few WILSON'S were the only warblers we came across. My FOS Yellow-breasted Chat still eludes me.

Color was provided by several male BULLOCK'S ORIOLES and now common SUMMER TANAGERS.

Marion Paton's yard was a blaze of color highlighted by males of three species of orioles -- BULLOCKS, SCOTT'S & HOODED ORIOLES. Add SUMMER TANAGER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and many bright LAZULI BUNTINGS and you've got a real crowd pleaser (and there was certainly a crowd present). As usual, VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD was the star hummingbird attraction, although a rather more common but nevertheless stunning ANNA'S wasn't too far behind.

Sunday, April 20, 2008
Out again today with Jan and Jamie. We spent all of our time in Carr Canyon working all the habitat zones from highway 92 to about a mile beyond Reef. Despite windy conditions at high elevation (and very little birdsong), we managed to turn up almost 70 species including many of the specialties. Another short report today.

Highlights were a ZONE-TAILED HAWK seen well from the Reef overlook (it's always good to get eye level views of raptors in flight) and multiple views of multiple CASSIN'S FINCHES beyond Reef (numerous males and females were present).

RED CROSSBILLS continue (heard only). Migrant HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS were seen at both low and high elevations.

Regulars included GREATER PEWEE (silent, working low in the wind); BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER, OLIVE, GRACE'S, VIRGINIA'S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY & LUCY'S WARBLERS, migrant HERMIT, TOWNSEND'S & WILSON'S WARBLERS; great views of a pair of HEPATIC TANAGERS

Monday, April 21, 2008
First of two target birding days with Andy Fayer from Fort Washington, PA who I've birded with on one previous occasion in late winter. We visited Patagonia Lake, Kino Springs and Patagonia Roadside Rest Area looking for a number of target species.

The morning began well at Patagonia Lake where I was able to find BOTTERI'S SPARROW for the fourth consecutive visit. However, today was the first time that the bird has been perched up and spontaneously vocalizing. This may mean that there's some competition in the area, although once again I only heard one individual.

LUCY'S WARBLER was a target and since I spent six hours at the lake without seeing one on Saturday, I made a point of finding one right away. While looking at the warbler, a singing CASSIN'S SPARROW grabbed our attention. Unfortunately, the bird soon fell silent and we were unable to track it down. The first of many BELL'S VIREO had to suffice as consolation.

Other species noted from the mesquite area near the entrance gate included 4 continuing WESTERN GREBES at the far west end of the lake; a heard only NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, PHAINOPEPLA, RUFOUS-CROWNED, RUFOUS-WINGED & BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

In the park proper we made a beeline for a NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET nest tree and immediately found both birds working on the nest. Many of you may not know that this species takes advantage of "debris clumps" to form the nucleus of its nest. We watched a bird taking material from one clump and adding it to an almost identical clump that it had chosen as the nest. To us, the chosen clump was the most exposed to the elements of 5 or 6 clumps present and quite vulnerable to the wind. However, the bird probably had a good reason for its choice.

Next up was DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER and we soon had good views of a bird perched in the open. So far so good. However, our other targets at the park were migrants -- HAMMOND'S & PACIFIC SLOPE-FLYCATCHERS and CASSIN'S VIREO and targeting migrants is usually far from a slam-dunk. I decided to head to the creek to maximize our chances. It took a while but we were eventually successful with all three species. Although we came across several Pacific Slope-Flycatchers, it was unfortunate that the first couple were very secretive and only occasionally vocal.

A total of three focused hours produced 8 targets and a total of 68 species including CINNAMON TEAL, WILSON'S SNIPE, BELTED KINGFISHER and my first of season YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.

At Kino Springs, we found a very reticent GRAY HAWK that evaded us for an hour before we managed to get a good look. We dipped on Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. The habitat at the sewage pond (a preferred location for the ducks) was drastically cleared this winter and this may prevent the birds from nesting here this year.

For the second time in a week, a soaring SWAINSON'S HAWK was a new location species for me (#217 at Kino Springs, last week #264 at Patagonia Lake). Among the 40 species noted were 5+ adult and immature BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, 2 GREAT HORNED OWL chicks in the nest; INCA DOVE (uncommon but regular here); lots of LARK SPARROWS and LAZULI BUNTING.

Our last destination was Patagonia Roadside Rest Area where we had good success. Along the creek we found both target species -- BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER and 2 THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS, both first of season species for me. Also present were BELTED KINGFISHER, PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER (good views of a bird perched low and in the open -- oh the irony) and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER.

We finished up with a cruise along Blue Heaven Road hoping for a soaring Zone-tailed Hawk (there wasn't even a Turkey Vulture soaring). Nevertheless, a very successful outing

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Out again today with Andy. We visited Garden, Huachuca and Carr Canyons in the Huachuca Mountains in search of 9 target species (8 seen, missed Zone-tailed Hawk). A sunny and warm day (~90 degrees in the afternoon), slightly breezy at times at high elevation.

We began in Garden Canyon where a couple of hours spent patrolling up and down canyon from the upper picnic area failed to produce a trogon. This location is one of the better places in the Huachucas for this species as a breeder but I haven't seen any reports yet (my personal average arrival date at the upper picnic area is April 19). It's interesting to note that the few birds that occasionally winter in the mountains and early arrivals favor other locations. The time wasn't completely without reward since we did pick up a pair of HEPATIC TANAGERS.

CASSIN'S FINCH was the least common species present (at least 7 birds feeding in a sycamore). Other species in the area included HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, BLACK-THROATED GRAY & HERMIT WARBLERS, LAZULI BUNTING, BULLOCK'S & SCOTT'S ORIOLES.

A single GRAY HAWK was on a roadside pole in the mesquite-grassland, just below the lower picnic area. This may seem an unlikely location but they have become a breeder along the nearby creek (I first noted them in Garden Canyon in 2003, although I think the first report was in 2002).

We recovered on ELEGANT TROGON at the last picnic area in Huachuca Canyon. Two males were dueling by song and we had multiple views of both birds. Other species present here included COOPER'S HAWK, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, PAINTED REDSTART, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and LAZULI BUNTING.

It was a little late by the time we reached Carr Canyon (and quite warm by the time we left at 1;00pm) but it didn't impact our results. Serendipity struck on the road up the mountain when we were forced to stop by a car blocking the road. A couple of birders had seen a roadside RED-FACED WARBLER and, after parking safely, we enjoyed great views. Note: Everyone should treat this potentially dangerous road with care and respect, especially since its driven by lots of yahoos.

While looking at the Red-faced, I heard a singing VIRGINIA'S WARBLER. We tried to see the bird for a few minutes (mostly unsuccessfully, just glimpses) and then I decided to try some owl toots. Note only did we see the warbler, a NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN PYGMY-OWL graced us with its presence. We had excellent close range views of a red phase bird, the kind of views that you get when you don't have a camera. This is the third time that I've seen a Pygmy-Owl in four recent visits to Carr Canyon, all in different locations.

At first blush, Reef Campground was very quiet. However, as is often the case, patience and persistence eventually paid dividends. We found a cracking, orange-headed adult male OLIVE WARBLER foraging just above eye-level and had almost simultaneous success with a GREATER PEWEE that we had been tracking. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER was very quiet and inconspicuous and we had to do some patient stalking to see one. Among the additional species in the campground were HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, BROWN CREEPER, HERMIT THRUSH, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, TOWNSEND'S, HERMIT and GRACE'S WARBLERS, SPOTTED TOWHEE and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO.

We finished up at Reef Overlook where an hour of scanning didn't turn any of the TURKEY VULTURES into Zone-tailed Hawks. A small group of RED CROSSBILLS flew over the area and a few VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS and WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS zoomed by from time to time.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
First of two days with Wayne and Bonnie Miller from North Warren, PA. Our only objective is to find photo opportunities without doing much walking. Wayne uses similar hand-held Canon equipment as I do plus a larger lens and tripod; Bonnie just uses hand held equipment. Today we visited Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs and Paton's yard. Our second day is next week.

We spent most of the morning at Patagonia Lake trying to photograph a number of regulars (mostly the easily observed species) including CINNAMON TEAL, LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, VERMILION & DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, WESTERN KINGBIRD, VERDIN and LESSER GOLDFINCH. Quite a contrast from most of my work so far this month.

We covered very little ground and I wasn't able to take inventory as thoroughly as normal. I only recorded 50 species including newly arrived BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS in the day use area west of the marina. Several small egrets were near the spillway. Unfortunately, due to distance and other factors, I was unable to determine if they were Cattle or Snowy. I have April records at the lake for both species (only one record for Cattle).

A brief visit to Kino Springs quickly produced a GRAY HAWK (briefly perched in a regular cottonwood nest tree, then in flight). We came here hoping to get shots of Lark Sparrows that were abundant on the club house lawn a couple of days ago. Today, not a one.  

Marion Paton's yard had plenty of birds and people. Colorful highlights were all three regular oriole species -- HOODED, BULLOCK'S & SCOTT'S ORIOLES; SUMMER TANAGER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and numerous LAZULI BUNTINGS.

Thursday, April 24, 2008
First of two days with Bill and Jayne Fiero from Walden, NY. We'll be working on a few targets for Bill; Jayne has many more possibilities. Today we birded at Patagonia Lake, Patagonia Roadside Rest Area and Carr Canyon. The weather continues sunny and warm with occasional light wind.

We started at Patagonia Lake looking for five primary target species. BOTTERI'S SPARROW was a tough nut to crack today. The bird that I've seen on each of the last four visits (spontaneously singing a couple of days ago) only gave a few chips this morning and never showed itself at all despite plenty of patient stalking. Fortunately, I located another bird in a regular spot but even that bird was very reticent and we didn't lay eyes on it until our second attempt at 11:00am.

NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET and BELL'S VIREO were both easy to see at nest locations. Migrant PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER was not easy to locate and then we had great difficulty tracking down the bird in the now very leafy willows. It took an hour to get a decent (albeit brief) view. Conversely, migrant CASSIN'S VIREO was very difficult to locate (only one singing bird encountered) but we did get a good view just when it seemed we were about to be skunked.

A pair of BLUE-WINGED TEAL were the best birds for me. Blue-winged is quite uncommon at the lake and I don't record this species every year (15 records in 6 of 15 years). A continuing WILSON'S SNIPE has hardly moved in 6 days. Wilson's Snipe is a regular wintering bird as well as a migrant (sometimes present from November through April). Recently arrived YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS are now quite numerous and vocal in the willow forest adjacent to the creek. Other species among the 57 recorded as we searched for our birds included two pairs of CINNAMON TEAL, the usual NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, all three regular myiarchus species, several WARBLING VIREOS and a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER (an uncommon migrant at the lake).

It didn't take long to locate a THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD at the Roadside Rest Area. However, the bird insisted on staying at the top of the tall sycamores so the views could definitely have been better. Also present were GRAY HAWK, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER and CANYON WREN.

We finished up with a brief stop at the Paton's were three Oriole species continue along with all the usual suspects (see recent reports). A fly-by GRAY HAWK was not seen well in the yard but we did have an excellent view near Patagonia school as we left town.

Our evening owling session in the Huachucas was productive and short (sleep is good). We had excellent views of ELF OWL and WHISKERED-SCREECH-OWL in short order. COMMON POORWILL sitting in the road was just gravy. Unfortunately, we couldn't raise a Western Screech-Owl to put the icing on the cake of a successful day.

78 species recorded:
Pied-billed Grebe, Neotropic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Mallard, Blue-winged & Cinnamon Teal; Ruddy Duck, Black & Turkey Vultures; Gray & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Coot, Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe, Spotted Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves; Whiskered Screech-Owl, Elf Owl, Common Poorwill, White-throated Swift, Broad-billed, Black-chinned & Anna's Hummingbirds; Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers; N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Pacific-slope, Vermilion, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers; Thick-billed & Western Kingbirds; Horned Lark, N. Rough-winged & Barn Swallows; Cactus, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens; Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; Bell's, Cassin's & Warbling Vireos; House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Lucy's, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Townsend's & Wilson's Warblers; Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Canyon Towhee, Botteri's, Rufous-crowned, Chipping, Lark, Black-throated, Song & White-crowned Sparrows; N. Cardinal, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle and Hooded, Bullock's & Scott's Orioles.

Friday, April 25, 2008
Out again today with Bill and Jayne. We birded in Carr Canyon looking for five target species (Northern Pygmy-Owl, Buff-breasted Flycatcher & Canyon Wren seen; Scaled Quail and Red-faced Warbler missed). More of the same weather-wise, just another crappy day in paradise.

We began in lower Carr Canyon where SCALED QUAIL was relatively easy to locate. Unfortunately, the bird was calling on private property and we couldn't entice it away. A second try in the heat of the afternoon was also unsuccessful. Other lower canyon birds included EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, lots of GAMBEL'S QUAIL, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN & CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, CACTUS WREN, CANYON TOWHEE, LARK SPARROW, PYRRHULOXIA and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

The NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN) PYGMY-OWL that I found so serendipitously on Tuesday was on duty again this morning and we had great views of the bird. At the same spot, our first attempt at Canyon Wren instead produced a couple of ROCK WRENS. Among the birds checking out the owl were BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, VIRGINIA'S WARBLER and PAINTED REDSTART.

A stop at the overlook produced a distant calling Canyon Wren, a few VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS and a continuing flock of circa 20 RED CROSSBILLS.

As earlier in the week, it took a little while to get a good look at now mostly silent BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS at Reef. A check of the campground and surrounding trails produced all the expected warblers except our target Red-faced (three regular territories don't seem to be occupied yet). Species noted included a handful of BAND-TAILED PIGEONS, a constantly singing GREATER PEWEE (as I've mentioned before, their song is at first endearing but quickly becomes annoying when I'm trying to listen for other stuff); a calling HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, several singing PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, two beautiful male OLIVE WARBLERS fighting; BLACK-THROATED GRAY, TOWNSEND'S, HERMIT & GRACE'S WARBLERS, several singing HEPATIC TANAGERS and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.

The Comfort Spring trail has several RED-FACED WARBLER territories and we did locate two singing birds. Alas, we were unable to lay eyes on one. We followed one bird into a drainage where it was high on a slope obscured by vegetation, then eventually it stopped singing. Drat! On the plus side, we enjoyed wonderful close range views of a singing CANYON WREN on the rocks below us. What a great song this bird has. Other species here were NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN) PYGMY-OWL in a regular spot, a calling GREATER PEWEE, my first WESTERN TANAGER of the season; YELLOW-EYED JUNCO and a lone female CASSIN'S FINCH.

Saturday, April 26, 2008
First of two days with Polly and Russ Boley from Evergreen, CO and Becky Boley from Portland, OR. We've birded together on one previous fall occasion so we have some new species available on this trip. We spent all of our time in several canyons on Fort Huachuca. Another very warm day for this early in the season; about 90 degrees in Sierra Vista in mid afternoon. Fire danger is high.

We began at the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon where once again I failed to detect a trogon (at least from 6:30-7:30am). We passed by again later in the morning and didn't hear a bird, although another birder said that one had been calling. Species in the area included HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, HEPATIC TANAGER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and LAZULI BUNTING.

Among the birds in the lower canyon mesquite-grassland were calling SCALED QUAIL, 3 GREATER ROADRUNNERS, WESTERN & CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

In contrast, Huachuca Canyon was alive with ELEGANT TROGONS from 8:00-9:00am. At least three birds provided excellent close range views as they interacted. I didn't see a female but the behavior of the males leads me to believe that one was present. We didn't hear much of the territorial "hard barking" calls, just the quieter and less harsh "love calls". We stayed with the birds for quite some time and enjoyed watching them interact and perch in the open with little regard for all the gawking homo sapiens.

As we returned to Garden Canyon, a GRAY HAWK was perched on a roadside pole just below the lower picnic area (same spot as a couple of days ago).

It was already quite warm as we trudged up Scheelite Canyon and I was very happy that SPOTTED OWL was present in the lower roosting area. In fact, we enjoyed great views of two birds for the price of one. Both birds were roosting in oaks about 300 feet apart; one only about 6 feet from the ground. A singing RED-FACED WARBLER foraging close to the trail not far from the owls was a great bonus (the irony of yesterday's antics didn't escape me). We also saw WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS high over the cliffs; HUTTON'S VIREO taking food to a nest; and PAINTED REDSTART taking nesting material to a nest site on the ground at the base of a rock.

Back at the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon, a beautiful male WESTERN TANAGER was perched in a sycamore in full sun. Quite spectacular to say the least. Nearby, we watched a male ARIZONA WOODPECKER enlarging a small hole in a sycamore.

We finished up at the fishing ponds where it was a tad toasty. Not much stirring but we managed to rustle up 17 species including a sky-dancing VERMILION FLYCATCHER, singing LUCY'S WARBLER and a rather reticent GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

Sunday, April 27, 2008
Out again today with Polly, Russ and Becky. We visited Patagonia Lake (for a change) and Paton's Yard. Windy conditions persist and highway visibility due to dust and smoke was poor (the Huachuca, Dragoon and Mule Mountains were virtually obscured as we returned to Sierra Vista on Highway 82 in the afternoon).

We spent almost 5 hours at the lake without doing any hard target birding (~60 species recorded). However, I did make an effort for Botteri's Sparrow without success (not even a single chip heard), perhaps due to the wind. Did I ever mention that I hate wind? We did have some sparrow success with RUFOUS-CROWNED, RUFOUS-WINGED & BLACK-THROATED all seen perched up and singing.

Among the regular breeding species seen were NORTHERN-BEARDLESS TYRANNULET, VERMILION, ASH-THROATED & DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, BELL'S VIREO and many SUMMER TANAGERS.

Migrants were much in evidence. Less common common migrants were 2 SNOWY EGRETS, 2 CATTLE EGRETS (with buffy breeding plumes) and an estimated 45 WILLETS. Other migrants included a female BUFFLEHEAD, OSPREY, 2 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, 4+ WARBLING VIREOS and a few WILSON'S WARBLERS scattered throughout. Wintering RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (now scarce) and PINE SISKIN (still numerous) continue.

Marion Paton's yard had plenty of activity. Bird species (34) outnumbered human visitors almost 2:1 during our stay. The recent array of color provided by SUMMER TANAGER, 3+ BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, many LAZULI BUNTINGS, HOODED, BULLOCK'S & SCOTT'S ORIOLES was today augmented by a stunning male WESTERN TANAGER visiting the grape jelly. A slightly early Blue Grosbeak has also been seen in recent days.

GRAY HAWK called from the nearby trees; BLACK VULTURE and RED-TAILED HAWK were the only raptors seen

As usual, BROAD-BILLED & BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS were always present; VIOLET-CROWNED & ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS were infrequent visitors.

LARK SPARROWS (~6), LESSER GOLDFINCHES & PINE SISKINS were always in view.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Day 2 with Wayne and Bonnie Miller was spent in the Huachuca Mountains looking for more photo opportunities (our first day was last week).

The ELEGANT TROGON show in Huachuca Canyon wasn't as spectacular today -- "only" two males were present from 6:30-8:00am. Nevertheless, an hour or so of persistent tracking ultimately resulted in Wayne and Bonnie getting decent shots of a bird perched low in an oak. Most of the time the birds were perched high in sycamores. I made the supreme sacrifice and left my camera in the car.

Although I didn't have the time to pay much attention to other birds in the canyon, I was able to record 20+ species including MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD,  ARIZONA WOODPECKER, my first of season WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, PAINTED REDSTART, HEPATIC TANAGER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and LAZULI BUNTING.

We spent the remainder of the morning in Carr Canyon where Wayne and Bonnie were able to photograph a number of area specialties. On the drive up the canyon, a reasonably cooperative NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN) PYGMY-OWL obliged us with its presence in the same location where I've seen the bird in recent days. Unfortunately, the owl was mostly perched in the shade which is not conducive to great photography. While Wayne & Bonnie got their shots, I also tried my hand and shot 120+ images. The published image was chosen for the pose rather than for its inherent quality. Nearby, we couldn't find anything to complain about with regard to this ROCK WREN -- nicely posed in good light.

The constantly tooting owl was persecuted by numerous BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS, VIRGINIA'S WARBLER, PAINTED REDSTART and SPOTTED TOWHEE. Every now and again, WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS passed by overhead.

Continuing on, a soaring PEREGRINE FALCON was a great bonus bird. Three roadside ARIZONA WOODPECKERS were not very confiding.

A couple of hours at Reef were quite productive before the wind started to become a factor in late morning. Among the species that cooperated for photos were GREATER PEWEE, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER and HEPATIC TANAGER. Other regulars included ACORN & HAIRY WOODPECKERS, BROWN CREEPER, OLIVE & GRACE'S WARBLERS, a migrant TOWNSEND'S WARBLER and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO.

The drive back down canyon was punctuated by my first of season (migrant) OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. This was my earliest record in SE AZ, previously April 22, 2007 at Sweetwater Wetland.

A spiffy looking SWAINSON'S HAWK soared low over highway 92 as we drove back to town.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
First of two days with Mike and Kathy Yip from Vancouver Island, BC. We'll be looking for photo opportunities of a wide range of species. We spent our time in Santa Cruz County visiting Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs, Patagonia Roadside Rest Area and Marion Paton's yard. A short and perfunctory report today.

We started in the grassland and mesquite areas on the approach road to Patagonia Lake working on sparrows. Although it's still a far cry from a slam-dunk it will become in a week or two, BOTTERI'S SPARROW was a little easier to find this morning (three birds singing) and Mike was able to get some images. We also found BLACK-THROATED, RUFOUS-CROWNED and RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS.

Birding at the lake was far less productive today than of late (perhaps due to windy conditions) and I was surprised to find that I managed to record 60 species as we wandered around looking for photo opportunities.  We saw most of the usual suspects including good looks at NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET; plus a couple of less common species -- a female MONTEZUMA QUAIL (seen in a rocky wash while tracking Botteri's Sparrow) and a migrant HERMIT WARBLER. Hermit is a far more common migrant in the mountains and this was only my fifth record at the lake (all in late April). At least one SORA was present at the edge of the marsh. There's a slight peak in my Sora records in late April, perhaps due to additional migrants rather than lingering winter birds.

A short visit to Kino Springs produced a couple of GRAY HAWKS near the nest tree. The only photos that Mike was able to get were of a bird in flight.

THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD posed for pictures at the Roadside Rest area (albeit a little too high in a sycamore). A loudly calling BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER declined to show itself.

Activity in the Paton's yard was way down from recent visits (24 species noted). My first of season BLUE GROSBEAK was the best bird.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Wednesday, April 30, 2008

April Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - April, 2008 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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