Jan. Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - January, 2009 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 Saturday, January 31, 2009

Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year everyone. The new year began with an absolutely gorgeous day here in Sierra Vista. After the normal chilly start early this morning, the temperature has climbed to 78 degrees as I conclude these notes in mid afternoon. This is well above average for this time of year.

As I opened the door to head down to the San Pedro, I was greeted by a singing EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE perched on a pole across the street. This species arrived in Arizona in 2000 and has spread rapidly throughout the state, mostly in rural locations rather than large cities. This was the third sighting for me in my own neighborhood. I wanted to document the occurrence and rushed to get the camera out of the car. Unfortunately, I failed by a few seconds -- the bird moved off down the street.

I had lots to do today so I only managed a couple of hours on the San Pedro. I spent about half that time near the San Pedro House then briefly checked Kingfisher Pond and several locations along the river.

The most noteworthy bird was a GILDED FLICKER fighting a losing battle with the many GILA WOODPECKERS in the cottonwoods at the SP House. This is generally a rare species at this location (I have 10 records at the SP House) and can only be classed as "locally uncommon" at best in other San Pedro locations.

Conspicuous species around the house were at least 30 WHITE-WINGED DOVES and 10+ PYRRHULOXIAS.

VESPER and BREWER'S SPARROWS were numerous in the extensive weedy areas. I failed on a four towhee day -- I saw the common ABERT'S & GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES along with a rare SPOTTED TOWHEE and missed Canyon! An unexpected CRISSAL THRASHER was a bonus (I usually have to work the area west of the house to find this species).

I didn't see any waterfowl at Kingfisher Pond, not even a coot. Just a GREAT BLUE HERON and a bunch of sparrows. My river walk was also unproductive.

Friday, January 2, 2009
Out today with Susan Jones from Winston-Salem, NC who I've birded with on three previous occasions. Our only target was Rufous-capped Warbler in Florida Canyon. Unfortunately, although we heard at least one warbler singing several times, we were unable to lay eyes on a bird. As far as I'm aware, only a couple of birders among the many present managed a brief view. Susan has the opportunity to try again tomorrow. The Kentucky Warbler was also seen by a few birders in the same location as the Rufous-capped (see below).

It's been years since I was in Florida Canyon (February, 2003 when a Rufous-backed Robin was present) so a trip here made a pleasant change. We started up the drainage at 8:00am and arrived at the "twin sycamores" a little above the dam at 8:30am. This is not a long nor a strenuous walk (even for an old fart like me). However, it is difficult and requires concentration since it's almost mandatory to negotiate large rocks in the streambed. By the way, note my reference to "twin sycamores" -- everything I've read refers to a lone sycamore.

For an hour we focused a few yards upstream from the sycamores. I then ventured a little further up canyon and eventually heard the sound that I'd been listening for -- a rapid burst of song from RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER (three bursts in fact). This was about 10:40am on the west slope, approximately 220 yards upstream from the sycamores. There is a trail through the weeds at this point and we tracked the bird for a while in this same general area (song bursts at 11:10am and 12:05pm). The Rufous-capped was seen briefly near the trail at 12:15pm. The Kentucky Warbler was seen at 11:30am.

The west slope of the canyon was complete overrun by god knows how many LESSER GOLDFINCHES and several small groups of PINE SISKINS. The birds were feeding almost on the ground in the abundant weeds and their incessant chatter and constant flitting around made listening and looking for the warbler a challenge. A very healthy looking COATIMUNDI was seen crossing a rock ridge on the west slope. Over the past few years I've seen less and less of these cute critters. I don't know if they are in general decline or just in the places that I visit.

The only real species of note (warblers notwithstanding!) were a soaring adult GOLDEN EAGLE and a very active HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER. Other species in the canyon included LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, CACTUS, ROCK & CANYON WRENS, SPOTTED & CANYON TOWHEES and RUFOUS-CROWNED & LINCOLN'S SPARROWS.

Personal humiliation note: I separately met three former clients in the canyon today and didn't recognize any of them!

Sunday, January 4, 2009
Although the new year began with clear skies, calm winds and well above average temperatures, that's about to change as a (hopefully short lived) winter storm heads down from northern AZ to the southeast corner. Snow is expected down to 5000 feet. Conditions at Sierra Vista EOP this morning were very cloudy and quite windy for an hour or so, improving to party sunny and breezy later.

The "regular" PEREGRINE FALCON (that has been absent since the end of November) was back to delight a handful of birders today with a few dashing runs over the ponds and marshes. Unless you happened to be the female NORTHERN PINTAIL involved, the highlight was seeing the falcon capture the unfortunate duck only to drop it when harassed by a NORTHERN HARRIER. Despite being unable to fly, the Pintail successfully warded off the hopeful Harrier but didn't stand a chance when the Peregrine returned to enjoy the spoils of its earlier attack.

Less commonly seen species were WILSON'S SNIPE (present for 3 weeks), a female BUFFLEHEAD and 2 female/immature CANVASBACKS (first of season birds at the EOP). 

All the usual ducks were present including at least 20 PINTAIL (now minus one), over 30 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 6 LESSER SCAUP and a lone male CINNAMON TEAL.

VIRGINIA RAILS were more vocal today (3 or 4 calling birds) with probably twice as many SORAS.

Blackbirds were very inconspicuous with just a few YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS seen. The recent CBC recorded less than a hundred (normally in the 1000s).

All the usual sparrow species were seen in a little higher than normal numbers. I noted only one AMERICAN PIPIT, no Horned Larks (also missed on the CBC).

Monday, January 5, 2009
Out today with Leslie and Mike Anderson from Arcata, CA. Patagonia Lake State park was our primary destination and photo opportunities were the only objectives for the day. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't very kind to us at all. Foggy and wet when we left Sierra Vista this morning; generally cloudy all day with a few sun breaks. I felt sorry for Leslie and Mike, both lugging tripods and trying to make the best of things. I've had similar experiences on my travels trying to get images in diabolical light.

Birding was very slow for the first couple of hours at the state park until the sun made a few brief appearances. Given the conditions, I was pleased with an eventual tally of 50 species, especially since we didn't spend much time looking at the water or walking the creek trail.

The highlights came in a loose mixed species flock, all in the same place -- along the main Sonoita Creek trail midway between the 3rd and 4th washes. Best species were EASTERN PHOEBE (yet another three phoebe day) and a male BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER along with several flycatchers and vireos -- NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET (scarce here in winter), ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, numerous GRAY FLYCATCHERS and PLUMBEOUS & CASSIN'S VIREOS.

Other species included plenty of EARED GREBES & COMMON MERGANSERS; CINNAMON TEAL, BUFFLEHEAD, several COMMON MOORHENS, DUSKY FLYCATCHER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and a few AMERICAN PIPITS.

As we traveled back east, a brief stop in the Paton's yard yielded some excellent photo ops of GILA and LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS. Among the other species were a few WHITE-WINGED and many INCA DOVES and a lone LAZULI BUNTING.

We finished up in a very cold Huachuca Canyon where it was already around the freezing mark even in mid afternoon. I wasn't too hopeful about finding the (presumed) wintering male ELEGANT TROGON but we managed to turn up the bird after about 15 minutes of effort. A further 30 minutes of effort may have produced an image or two for Leslie and Mike in very difficult lighting conditions. The parking/picnic area at mile 1.7 in the canyon has some fruiting Madrone so the trogon may stick around.

Other species here included RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, EASTERN BLUEBIRD and TOWNSEND'S WARBLER.

Although we found a reasonable set of birds for such a grungy day, decent photo opportunities were few and far between.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Out today with Doug Zollner from Little Rock, AR for the first of four days of target birding. Our main targets for the day were Northern Pygmy-Owl, Crissal Thrasher and Mexican Chickadee, all seen. The weather bounced back nicely and it was a mostly clear day about 10 degrees warmer than yesterday. Fresh snow on the higher mountain peaks, especially in the Chiricahuas.

The day couldn't really have started any better in Sulphur Springs Valley. We got off to a flying start by finding a perched CRISSAL THRASHER on Coffman Road after very little searching. Great scope views and we were off to the mountains in no time at all. Other species noted along Coffman included SANDHILL CRANES departing from Whitewater Draw, EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, lots of BREWER'S SPARROWS and a few LARK BUNTINGS.

Among the species picked up on the drive to the Chiricahuas were several FERRUGINOUS HAWKS and BENDIRE'S THRASHER on Central Highway; and a perched GOLDEN EAGLE in a fairly reliable spot on Highway 181.

The lower portion of Pinery Canyon Road was muddy and slushy; the upper section (to about 1 mile below the campground) had 1-2 inches of snow. We had to spend far more time than I expected to find MEXICAN CHICKADEE  -- just one bird eventually seen about a mile below the campground. Initially, I focused much lower down canyon and didn't so much as hear one in the various mixed flocks that we found. NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN) PYGMY-OWL was much more cooperative. We had excellent views of one individual at close range then heard another several miles from the first bird.

This just reinforces the swings and roundabouts theory that I talked about on December 24. Today it was a case of "what you gain on Crissal Thrasher, you lose on Mexican Chickadee". We didn't skimp either. After working the area around and below the Pine Camp turnoff, I opted to trudge up canyon through the snow to ensure thorough coverage for Chickadee and Owl. Although this is more time consuming (and requires more physical effort) than the drive and stop method, it's less likely to result in a missed bird.

During the search we managed to come across a total of 30 species including ACORN & HAIRY WOODPECKERS, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, a ton of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, a small flock of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS (they seemed to follow us around); JUNIPER TITMOUSE, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES everywhere, BROWN CREEPER, HUTTON'S VIREO, a handful of PINE SISKINS, many GRAY-HEADED JUNCOS and a few YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS.

Even after burning lots of time looking for the chickadee, we made it back to Sorry Vista in mid afternoon. This being the case, I tried to repeat yesterday's success with Elegant Trogon in Huachuca Canyon. Despite being considerably warmer and quite sunny, the canyon was almost birdless compared to yesterday and we came up empty. A bridge too far. Nevertheless, an excellent day.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Day 2 with Doug was another fantastic weather day -- cold and clear this morning (windshield scraping required) and very warm in the afternoon (A/C required). Bird-wise, we didn't have as good a day as yesterday with only one of four targets seen.

Just as yesterday, the day began very well, this time in Florida Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains. We left the parking area at 8:30am and after a brisk hike, or rather, stumble up the rocky stream bed, we reached the "warbler area" above the dam at 8:50am. An hour later we were headed back down after having great views of two RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLERS singing and foraging in a streamside oak about 200 yards above the dam at 9:45am.

Not much else in the canyon save for calling ROCK & CANYON WRENS, lots of LESSER GOLDFINCHES, a few PINE SISKINS and SPOTTED TOWHEE. Among the birds in the lower part of the canyon near the work center were LADDER-BACKED & ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, MEXICAN JAY, HERMIT THRUSH and AMERICAN ROBIN.

The next two attempts were both Hail Mary birds. We spent 30 minutes at Chuparosa Inn feeders in Madera Canyon hoping for a Magnificent Hummingbird without success. Lots of common stuff plus wonderful looks at PAINTED REDSTART and a male HEPATIC TANAGER.

Heading south, we stopped at Amado Territory Inn where a Gray Hawk was seen a few days ago. No hawk for us.

We finished up at Patagonia Lake State Park where I was hoping to find Black-capped Gnatcatcher to avoid a further morning visit. Once again we came up empty. Very few landbirds were stirring in the heat of the afternoon and we only managed 30 common species.

Stats-wise (1 for 4) it wasn't a good day. However, any day with two beautiful Rufous-capped Warblers can't be considered a bad day.

Thursday, January 8, 2009
Day 3 with Doug was another day with more of that "just another crappy day in paradise weather"; and a day with lots of travel and 100% success. It was also an interesting day for me -- the first time that I have seen Spotted Owl, Elegant Trogon and Le Conte's Thrasher all on the same day. If you too have managed to do this, I'd love to hear your story. Long day=short report.

So, what did take to achieve this three species first? Well, the first thing is to get up in the middle of the night and do a lot of driving (~470 mile round trip). We left Sierra Vista at 4:15am and began birding at "the thrasher spot" at the intersection of Baseline Road and Salome Highway (near Buckeye in Maricopa County) at 8:00am. By 8:30am we were underway again having seen 3 separately perched and singing LE CONTE'S THRASHERS. Most years they can be a little hard to find right at the start of their breeding season in early January; usually easier to find in February. It would appear they are starting to breed a little early this year.

It was pretty cold out in the scrub and we didn't see much else, especially during such a short visit. Species seen included two CRISSAL THRASHERS, BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER, SAGE SPARROW and ABERT'S TOWHEE. 

We returned via Old US Hwy 80 rather than slog back through Phoenix traffic on I-10. It's a little slower but there's hardly any traffic and there are a few birds to see. Nothing of note, just lots of blackbirds and doves, a few raptors plus GILDED FLICKER and SANDHILL CRANE.

Back in Sierra Vista, we were able to take advantage of time not spent looking for the thrasher. An afternoon foray into the Huachucas yielded SPOTTED OWL and ELEGANT TROGON in the same Huachuca Canyon location that I saw the bird on Jan 5 and missed it on Jan 6.

By the way, the male trogon at Patagonia Lake was seen along the creek trail yesterday, fairly close to the lake.

Doug made an afternoon visit to Ash Canyon B&B and was able to see a MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD to complete a very good day.

Friday, January 9, 2009
Fourth and final day with Doug saw us journey over to Patagonia for Sinaloa Wren and Black-capped Gnatcatcher. Sadly, it was a double dose of defeat and disappointment. Another warm day after a pretty cold start in Patagonia.

The wren was seen briefly by others a couple times between 8:20 and 8:50am, about 20 yards upstream from the now famous "cut bank" on Blue Haven Road. We were only yards from the spot at the time of each sighting but failed to lay eyes on the bird.  I didn't hear the bird vocalize at any time.

We followed this with 3 hours of tramping the washes and hillsides at Patagonia Lake without a gnatcatcher sighting, just one brief call the entire time. The most noteworthy birds were a continuing NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET in the second wash; and a SAGE THRASHER in the gully that heads south from the head of the fourth wash. This was only the second Sage Thrasher that I've seen at the state park.

Other species included ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, the usual GRAY FLYCATCHERS (quite common); WESTERN BLUEBIRD in the same location as the thrasher (uncommon here, rare is probably more accurate); and SWAMP SPARROW.

We salvaged something from the day with an evening owling session in the Huachucas. Conditions were close to perfect -- full moon and very little wind. WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL was our only target and I'm happy to report that we had an excellent look at one of three calling birds. January is often a tough time to raise these small owls but we had a bit of an owl party going on for a while. A single WESTERN SCREECH-OWL briefly joined in the fun but we didn't pursue that bird.

Of the the 12 target species that we actively sought over the four days, 9 were seen (Whiskered Screech-Owl, Spotted Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Magnificent Hummingbird, Elegant Trogon, Crissal Thrasher, Le Conte's Thrasher, Mexican Chickadee and Rufous-capped Warbler) and 3 missed (Gray Hawk, Sinaloa Wren and Black-capped Gnatcatcher). Doug will try again for the wren and gnatcatcher tomorrow.

Friday, January 16, 2009
First of three days with Katy Morse from Tucson, AZ who I've birded with once before for four days in October last year. On this trip, as then, we won't be doing any "hard target birding". The ridiculously warm weather continues (Tucson was 14 degrees above average yesterday). Although it was a little below freezing when I left home for the drive over to Patagonia to meet Katy, the early afternoon temperature in Patagonia was 75 degrees and it was almost 80 degrees in Sierra Vista later in the afternoon. Bloody outrageous for mid January (what global warming?).

We started in San Rafael Valley then worked our way down Harshaw Canyon (in the Patagonia Mountains) and finished up at Patagonia Lake State Park.

San Rafael Valley was about as quiet as I've ever seen it and I've seen it quiet many times! Great weather, fantastic views in every direction but precious few birds. We didn't have a pressing need to find anything in particular but a little trudging around paid dividends. Eventually, I was happy to find a lone BAIRD'S SPARROW even though the view was inferior to the great views to which I've become accustomed. HORNED LARK was the only conspicuous bird. How is it possible to miss Savannah Sparrow? Well, we did. Go figure.

Harshaw Canyon was much more productive. Highlights from almost 30 species seen on several opportunistic roadside stops were a very white (partial albino?) RED-TAILED HAWK, a female WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER and several EASTERN BLUEBIRDS. The Red-tail is so unusual I have to think it's the same bird that I saw a few times in 2007. When I first got a fleeting look today, it was so white I thought it would turn out to be a Barn Owl!

It was after midday when we arrived at Patagonia Lake and I didn't expect much. However, we actually did okay for the time of day and the warm conditions. Mesquite trees in the bosque are already starting to leaf out (about 3 weeks ahead of schedule) and if this weather continues, don't be surprised to see short distance migrants arriving early.

Best birds for me were 2 male and 1 female BLUE-WINGED TEAL, my first in January at the lake. I normally see them here starting late February continuing through April (and even then they are rare). Other less common species were EASTERN PHOEBE and PLUMBEOUS VIREO.

The best moments were provided by a very spiffy male COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and a richly colored SWAMP SPARROW foraging in close proximity in the muddy grass.

Other species among 35 noted were a couple of male BUFFLEHEADS, lots of COMMON MERGANSERS, a very territorial INCA DOVE responding aggressively to my whistled imitation of its song, the usual GRAY FLYCATCHERS and several VERDINS singing like it was spring.

Can we have some winter please?

Saturday, January 17, 2009
Out again today with Katy. On another sunny and warm day (slightly cooler than yesterday), we covered a fair number of miles by visiting both ends of Sulphur Springs Valley -- Whitewater Draw in the south and Willcox in the north. In between those location we also made a sortie into the Chiricahuas along Pinery Canyon Road. Lots of birders in the field today as part of the Wings over Willcox birding festival.

After a quick check of the fields on Central Highway where we saw numerous FERRUGINOUS HAWKS and zero Mountain Plovers, we birded our way successfully down Coffman Road. Highlights were good views of a PRAIRIE FALCON that flew by as we searched for thrashers; and perched BENDIRE'S and CRISSAL THRASHERS ('tis the season).

Other species included a beautiful Rufous morph RED-TAIL, COOPER'S HAWK, GREATER ROADRUNNER, BLACK-THROATED SPARROW, LARK BUNTING and fly-over CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS.

Whitewater Draw was bustling with people and the birding wasn't too shabby (40 species in about 90 minutes). Many of the usual suspects were present including 6 CINNAMON TEAL, lots of SANDHILL CRANES, GREAT HORNED OWL, several very spiffy VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, a handful of sparrow species and PYRRHULOXIA. Best birds were a very pale MERLIN, 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 145 SNOW GEESE, 2 ROSS'S GEESE and a very hard to find BARN OWL in the willow grove (seen from quite a distance away from the willow grove).

Our experience on Pinery Canyon Road was the antitheses of my visit earlier this month on Jan 6. MEXICAN CHICKADEE was easy to rustle up today near the Pine Camp turnoff. As a bonus, we saw a couple of soaring adult GOLDEN EAGLES on Hwy 181.

Although Willcox was a little quiet in mid afternoon, we still managed to pick up a few new species for the day -- BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, GREEN HERON, lots of COMMON MERGANSERS and a lone LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER. Our second PRAIRIE FALCON of the day was perched north of the golf course near the dump. An after hatch year female VERMILION FLYCATCHER (pale yellow belly) worked the golf course pond.

A good day at the office.

[Mini Rant: Don't shoot the Messenger. Yesterday I posted to the local birding list that the "no bird watching" sign had been re-installed at Vaca Ranch. I did this as a public service since it was posted as being removed a few weeks ago. Wow. It caused quite a fuss. Some people seriously need to get a life (how many birders does it take to screw in a light bulb). No good deed goes unpunished. The reason for the sign (initially installed many years ago) was due to bad behavior towards the landowner by a tour group leader. I'm not going to rehash this, check the AZ-NM list archives if you are interested.]

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Third and last day with Katy. We spent the morning in the Huachuca Mountains visiting Carr Canyon and several canyons on Fort Huachuca; then finished up with a visit to Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David. More of the same warm weather. A short report today.

Lower Carr Canyon was very active early this morning a little above the second stream crossing. Highlights were BLACK-THROATED GRAY and OLIVE WARBLERS and a pair of continuing HEPATIC TANAGERS. Regulars included ACORN, GILA & LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, HERMIT THRUSH, HUTTON'S VIREO and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW.

On Fort Huachuca we were successful in seeing SPOTTED OWL but dipped on Elegant Trogon. Among the highlights of 23 species at the Fishing Ponds were MERLIN and decent views of SORA. I was surprised to see a high number of MEXICAN JAYS at this location (not a common species so low in the canyon). Ducks of several species were fairly numerous. A male NORTHERN PINTAIL was new for me in Garden Canyon (#216).

Other species seen here and elsewhere on the Fort included RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, BELTED KINGFISHER and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER.

It was pretty warm over at St. David and I wasn't expecting much. This was more of an introductory visit for Katy. Nevertheless, we turned up 30 species with PLUMBEOUS VIREO and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER being the most noteworthy species. The wintering flock of WHITE-WINGED DOVES were singing away in spring mode.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Out today looking for a few target species with Larry and Nadia Aufderheide from Mentor, OH. This was my last birding day in Arizona for a couple of weeks and I'm happy to say that I'm leaving on a good note. Today we enjoyed great weather and similar success seeing all the species that we looked for (Ross's Goose, Barn Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Williamson's Sapsucker, Red-naped Sapsucker & Brewer's Sparrow) as well as a few pleasant surprises.

SPOTTED OWL was bonus species #1 for the day, seen on the drive up to Sawmill.

We began birding in earnest in Sawmill Canyon where, despite a moderate early chill, it was really quite mild compared to how it can be at this time of year. We enjoyed some early success after expending a little physical effort to find a NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN) PYGMY-OWL. The bird was kind enough to perch low in a Juniper and toot for at least 5 minutes providing excellent, unobstructed eye-level views from 20 feet. (Later in the morning we heard a second bird).

We turned our attention to sapsuckers and managed to track down a RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER after 30 minutes or so by following its light and sporadic tapping. 

Two calling ELEGANT TROGONS near a stand of sycamores at the first creek crossing were bonus species #2. Trogons breed in this location but are hardly to be expected here in January. That being said, I do have a few January records in the canyon. Fruiting Madrone trees sometimes entice the birds to stay in high elevation locations (most wintering trogons are seen at lower elevation locations).

Wind velocity increased as the morning warmed and listening for the tapping of sapsuckers became increasingly more difficult. I finally heard our prey near a regular sap well tree and it didn't take too long before we enjoyed the fruits of our labor -- great views of a male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER.

As we watched the sapsucker, I heard a metallic chip among the calls of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and set off in pursuit of what I thought was going to be a Townsend's Warbler. When I caught up with the bird I simply couldn't believe what I was seeing -- a beautiful RED-FACED WARBLER, my first winter record in Arizona and big bonus bird #3. As far as I'm aware, until a couple of years ago the bird had not been recorded in AZ in winter (has now been seen in the Patagonia Mountains in a couple of years). You don't have to go far into Mexico to see them in winter so this may be a case of birds responding to global warming and staying further north.

Our choices from this point were to head west to Patagonia or east to Sulphur Springs Valley and we chose the latter. It was quite windy when we arrived and we had to persevere for a while just to get a common BREWER'S SPARROW.

At Whitewater Draw, a huge mass of SANDHILL CRANES were gathered on the eastern edge of the main impoundment (to get some shelter from the wind I assume). The white geese flock intermingled with the cranes, much closer than normal, and it was a relatively easy task to pick out our target ROSS'S GOOSE from the many SNOW GEESE.

We finished up the target birding by finding a single BARN OWL in the willow grove. Other species at Whitewater included a regular GREAT HORNED OWL (our 4th owl of the day), VERMILION FLYCATCHER and BENDIRE'S THRASHER.

A quick check of the Davis Road fields yielded just one FERRUGINOUS HAWK on the ground. I expected to see many more given the windy conditions.

A day of surprises produced one more when I saw a lone TURKEY VULTURE at home in Sierra Vista. With the exception of the Douglas area, this is a species that withdraws from Cochise County in winter and I normally don't see them returning until late February at the earliest.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Florida Trip, Day 0: Sierra Vista to New Orleans, LA.
Today I began a trip to Florida by traveling to New Orleans, LA. I took a late afternoon Southwest flight out of Tucson via Las Vegas, arriving in New Orleans after midnight. Ergo, no birding!  But the price was right.

Correction:
Scratch my remark about the split of Northern and Mountain Pygmy-Owls. Although briefly split, they are lumped again as of the December 2008 Clements update. One speaks one toot, the other speaks two toots -- y no hablan mit einander. Two different animals for me.

Local notes:
Ironically, now that I'm leaving town, it was cloudy, drizzly and cooler this morning. It didn't last long though -- warm and muggy in the afternoon.

As is normal in January (and almost to the day each year), WHITE-WINGED DOVES were singing in my neighborhood today. Not so normal was a singing EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, although I know that it won't be long before it becomes a familiar sound (after all it was my first bird of the year on my street on January 1). The resident CURVE-BILLED THRASHER has been singing for about a week now. It's interesting to note how the birds starts a little earlier each day. Also interesting is the fact that a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD fires up just before the thrasher.

Trip preamble:
Regular readers and clients will know that, when it comes to personal birding, I march to a different band compared to most mainstream birders. In fact, on this trip I'm going to focus my efforts more on finding photo opportunities than on finding life birds and I certainly won't be wasting my time looking for parrots and the like. Mangrove Cuckoo? -- hell, I can't even find a Black-billed Cuckoo! My plan for the next two weeks is to work my way through Florida (in a general loop fashion) starting in the panhandle, then southwards visiting both coasts and a few inland locations. At this point, my plans are not very firm regarding visits to the Keys and Everglades. However, drum roll please .... I'm scheduled on a pelagic trip next week (I'm either getting braver or more stupid).

This is my third trip to this part of the world. I made two trips to Florida of about a week apiece in another life -- conference in Miami, vacation in Orlando; zero birding on both trips. Therefore, my state list will skyrocket on this trip. I also expect to find 3 or 4 lifers (the low hanging fruit).

Apart from multiple visits to Texas, my gulf coast birding has been limited to western Louisiana and one trip to Dauphin Island in Alabama. On this trip I decided to carry on where I left off and start at Dauphin Island (not a good time of year, I know, since it's really a migration birding spot). From there I'll work my way along the Florida Panhandle coast.

A Birder's Guide To Florida states "Although the Panhandle offers excellent birding opportunities, it is seldom visited by out-of-state birders because it is far from the popular tourist destinations and lacks most of Florida's specialty species". "far from the popular tourist destinations" -- I'm sold.

I'll maintain my journal as usual throughout the trip. However, I may not publish on a daily basis. My schedule for February is filling up so I'll be busy upon my return.

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Florida Trip, Day 1: New Orleans, LA - Pensacola, FL; Trip List: 45
My first day was hardly auspicious. The travel went well enough with on time flights and trouble free rental vehicle pickup. I finally lay my head to rest in New Orleans at 2:00am this morning. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way I ate some dodgy airport food and I had a severe case of the collywobbles today. You don't need me to tell you that this isn't good when you are on the road. I tried to make the best of it as I traveled a planned 230 miles through 4 states (LA, MS, AL & FL); but I didn't get much birding done.

Land birds were not conspicuous at Dauphin Island but I did find a few birds on the bay. RING-BILLED, LAUGHING and HERRING were the only gulls that I noted and ROYAL was the only tern. [Later, I added CASPIAN TERN at "The Pines" on the east side of Mobile bay] GREATER SCAUP outnumbered LESSER SCAUP near Fort Gaines. I was pleased to find a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, one of my photo targets. This was a fairly common species when I lived in Washington but then I didn't own a camera. Unfortunately, the bird was really out of range. Other species included COMMON LOON, many BROWN PELICANS, a handful of RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS and a few shorebirds including WILLET. It was interesting note how skinny the Willet appeared compared to western birds (jizz more like a Yellowlegs).

It was late afternoon by the time that I reached Big Lagoon State Park and I didn't find much. My main purpose in stopping here was to purchase an annual state park pass (I'll still get good value out of it on a two week visit). I saw several of the same species as at Dauphin Island plus a few woodland birds including EASTERN BLUEBIRD, CAROLINA CHICKADEE, BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH and PINE WARBLER.

Pensacola quitting time traffic was the crowning glory of a less than ideal day.

45 species recorded:
Common Loon, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Mallard, Greater & Lesser Scaup; White-winged Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Willet, Sanderling, Ring-billed, Herring & Laughing Gulls; Caspian & Royal Terns; Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, House Wren, N. Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Am. Robin, Carolina Chickadee, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Loggerhead Shrike, Blue Jay, Am. Crow, European Starling, House Sparrow, Yellow-rumped & Pine Warblers; Common Yellowthroat, Swamp Sparrow, N. Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle.

Friday, January 23, 2009
Florida trip, Day 2: Pensacola - Crawfordville; Trip List: 70 (+25)
Although I felt a little better this morning, it was well into the afternoon before I was back to normal. When planning today's route at home some weeks ago, I seriously underestimated the time to drive along the Panhandle coast and only managed half the distance that I had planned for the day. I had reservations in Gainesville but only made it as far as the small community of Crawfordville. Much of the morning consisted of very slow driving through populated areas along the coast. I made two birding stops -- St. Joseph Peninsula State Park and Wakulla Springs State Park. A partly cloudy day, breezy along the coast and a little warmer than yesterday; 68 degrees for much of the afternoon.

From Panama City eastwards I started hearing the distinctly different calls of FISH CROWS. I saw them in many scattered areas, handfuls at a time. No photo ops because of traffic.

St. Joe SP was fairly productive on an incoming tide but the experience was marred by a controlled burn. New trip species included a handful of HORNED GREBES, BUFFLEHEAD (common); FORSTER'S TERN, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE and WESTERN SANDPIPER (not a bird that I'd thought about seeing in Florida but, as I now know, they are quite common here).

My plan for the day had been to bird St. Marks NWR and vicinity then travel on to Gainesville. Not a chance even if I had been feeling on top the world. In the silver lining category, my shortened journey allowed me to visit Wakulla Springs State Park, about 10 miles from where I spent the night. This is a delightful place to bird. I found plenty of photo targets but afternoon clouds precluded any photography. I used to tolerate hand-held shots at low shutter speeds, now not so much. However, I managed to get a so-so (photo first) image of PINE WARBLER because they were so common. How common? you may ask. Well, as I saw groups of birds flush from a grass verge, I'm thinking Chipping Sparrows. Wrong! Pine Warblers. Ironically, a geographically challenged Pine Warbler is causing plenty of interest in Tucson at the moment.

Interesting birds for me (not my everyday fare) were ANHINGA, LITTLE BLUE HERON, RED-BELLIED & PILEATED WOODPECKERS, CAROLINA WREN, TUFTED TITMOUSE and BLUE HEADED-VIREO. Among the other species present were BLUE-WINGED TEAL, COMMON MOORHEN (very numerous); CAROLINA CHICKADEE and BLUE JAY (present in almost every town that I passed through).

Saturday, January 24, 2009
Florida trip, Day 3: Crawfordville - Gainesville; Trip List: 89 (+19)
Today I visited at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge located on the coast about 30 miles south of Tallahassee. I spent 6 hours at the refuge and then drove east to Gainesville where I'll be staying for a couple of nights. A mostly cloudy day, breezy on the coast, a few sprinkles here and there, 50-65 degrees. Although it was a great day to be out birding (especially since I was feeling 100% again), the light was quite poor for photography. Since photography was my main reason for visiting this location, I fell victim to Murphy once again.

I found the refuge to be an excellent birding area with several different habitat types (woodlands, ponds, marshes, coast); and decent access. All too often I've found National Wildlife Refuges to be quite poor birding areas with limited access, so this was a pleasant change. In particular, I enjoyed St. Marks Lighthouse coastal area. I didn't spend much time in woodland habitat nor did I do much scanning of the gulf. Nevertheless, I stumbled across 60 species as I looked for photo opportunities. The gulf must be very shallow here -- I found it amusing to watch the tide come in without any wave action. Any waves came from boats!

I was hoping to get some images of AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER. I found three birds but they were much too far away. I'll have other chances (famous last words). I saw all the expected wading species bar one. Easily seen were GREAT BLUE, LITTLE BLUE and TRICOLORED HERONS, REDDISH EGRET (not common at this location), GREAT & SNOWY EGRETS and WHITE IBIS. The refuge checklist has Glossy Ibis as common. Is this another nemesis in the making? I don't think so, they should be plentiful further south (more of those famous last words).

Interesting birds for me that I haven't seen very often were numerous ANHINGAS (conspicuous; goofy looking dudes) and BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES (really common; a slightly wimpier version of Great-tailed). The pictured Anhinga is in serious need of a makeover and I just had to get an image despite the crappy light with some backlighting to boot.

I saw three species that are listed as "occasional" at the refuge in winter (Osprey, Reddish Egret and Royal Tern). With my 3 day knowledge of Florida birds, I find this surprising (except for the Egret). Very few checklists use the same meaning for this level of abundance. In this case, it means a couple of times per year in the appropriate season.

My last birds of the day were a large flock of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS flying over a pond near La Quinta in Gainesville. All other species on the list below were seen at the refuge.

Sunday, January 25, 2009
Florida trip, Day 4: Gainesville Area; Trip List: 104 (+15)
I had three locations on my itinerary today and I just about managed to fit them in by skimping a little. In order, I visited Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park just south of Gainesville; Cedar Key on the coast southwest of Gainesville; and Goethe State Forest, about 25 miles due east from Cedar Key (as the Fish Crow flies).

Despite morning clouds at Paynes Prairie State Park (making good photography almost impossible), I very much enjoyed my time there and wish that I could have stayed all day. I only had time to visit the south unit and the Boylen Bluff trail; I skipped the La Chua trail. I tried to work on dicky birds without much success. CAROLINA WREN was perhaps the most common bird that I encountered. However, getting a photo was another story. In the end I was happy to settle for a less than ideal shot that I can perhaps improve on later. I managed to get images of a couple more species on my photo target list -- RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and WHITE-EYED VIREO (fairly common and wickedly elusive). I also photographed a perched BALD EAGLE.

Other species seen in the state park included WILD TURKEY, SANDHILL CRANE, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, EASTERN PHOEBE,  GRAY CATBIRD, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, CAROLINA CHICKADEE (common), TUFTED TITMOUSE, BLUE-HEADED VIREO (more common than White-eyed); ORANGE-CROWNED, PINE & BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.

The "let's call it quaint" community of Cedar Key was crawling with grockles on a Sunday afternoon. What was I thinking! Nary a place to park. The tide was high (lots of WILSON'S PLOVERS roosting on sandbars) and I hung around as long as I could to see what birds would show up. I ended up seeing at least 10 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS, all out of range for a photo opportunity (of course, now that there was plenty of sunshine). I noted about 40 species including several OSPREYS, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, WESTERN SANDPIPER, the "usual" gulls and terns, FISH CROW and boatloads of BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES (figuratively and literally, hanging out on boats).

Although it was late afternoon by the time that I reached Goethe State Forest, it didn't take too long to locate a couple of RED-COCKADED WOODPECKERS on Gas Line Road. This is a species that I've only seen three times previously so I wasn't sure how the bird would behave. I spent over an hour trying to get images without much success. Now I know! They were adept at always being on the opposite side of the tree as well as staying high and in the shade. If they they came to the (fading) light side, I could only get a back view. Very frustrating. I may have a usable image. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES (another photo target) were present but not very active.

Monday, January 26, 2009
Florida trip, Day 5: Lake and Orange Counties; Trip List: 106 (+2)
Birding took a back seat today as I spent all of my time on photography at two locations -- Venetian Gardens in Leesburg, Lake County; and Oakland Nature Preserve at the southern edge of Lake Apopka in Orange County. My morning began with a very foggy drive south from Gainesville to Leesburg. However, clear skies soon prevailed and the temperature reached 85 degrees in mid afternoon.

My main reason for visiting Venetian Gardens (a series of vegetated "canals" adjacent to a lake) was for photo opportunities of PURPLE GALLINULE, a local species in winter from all that I have read. Well, that locality is here! The birds were very common and confiding; and would cozy up to anyone who had bread (a daily occurrence according to the locals who I spoke with). I didn't have any bread so I just followed those who did. COMMON MOORHENS were also common. AMERICAN COOT was low on the totem pole. Plentiful WHITE IBIS were also bread moochers and even the BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES had to give them dibs.

Not many species overall here but every bird was easy to approach including RED-SHOULDERED HAWK and TRICOLORED HERON. Over a period of four hours, I managed to photograph all the aforementioned species. It's not often that I fill a 4Gb memory card and kill a battery. FISH CROW avoided my lens and lives to fight another day. OSPREY, BLACK VULTURE and ANHINGA were present

I didn't stay long at Oakland Nature Preserve in the heat of the afternoon. Nary a bird was stirring and the feeders didn't have a single species let alone the Painted Buntings that I was hoping to shoot.  I did manage an image or two of the numerous PALM WARBLERS at the end of the boardwalk near the lake. BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS and PINE WARBLERS were also numerous. [Apparently, I'm now in the "common" range for Palm Warbler, I saw them on the grass at a gas station and in a small hedge at the Fairfield Inn in Clermont where I'm staying. None of the birds that I saw had a chestnut cap and all were very pale and washed out.]

I'd planned to travel over to St. Petersburg tonight but I postponed that for a day so I could return to the Nature Preserve again tomorrow when it's a little cooler! I'll wager that not too many visiting birders (except, perhaps, snowbirds) put this small, out-of-the-way preserve on their itinerary.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Florida trip, Day 6: Oakland to St. Petersburg; Trip List: 111 (+5)
Today I traveled west to the Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg area. Even when I was planning this trip at home, I wasn't looking forward to this day -- and I saw nothing to change my mind. Most days from now through to the end of the trip will be in highly populated areas. In fact, if Scotty were to beam me home right now I wouldn't be too disappointed. A very brief report follows.

I started the day on a positive note with a return to Oakland Nature Preserve. In contrast to yesterday, PAINTED BUNTINGS were easy to see and I probably saw at least 6 (mostly males). If there was a downside it was that the area frequented by the buntings was completely in the shade so my photos won't be too good. Give me the sun and I want the moon. I improved on my PALM WARBLER images from yesterday and I got a few starter images of TUFTED TITMOUSE. I didn't take the boardwalk to the lake so only saw landbirds which included BROWN THRASHER (trip bird) and many PALM WARBLERS.

I'd read a lot about Honeymoon Island State Park and was looking forward to my visit. I arrived about 1:00pm after 3 hours of driving, much of it in heavy traffic. In other words, I was already in such a good mood. This is a state park? Lots of cars, lots of people sunbathing on the beach. Patagonia Lake State Park on Mariachi Day in March is quiet by contrast. Perhaps if I could have been here early before the people were out in force I may have enjoyed it. As it was, I simply bailed out without recording a bird. I'm sure that I missed plenty of birds, however, this birding lark has to be fun or else what's the point. I wish I'd known in advance how crowded it was going to be, I would have spent more time at the Oakland Nature Preserve. I live and learn.

I drove over to John Chesnut State Park where I spent the rest of the afternoon (far less people here). Unfortunately, one of the boardwalks I'd planned to walk was closed for construction. There's nothing quite like the sound of an electric saw to enhance your birding experience. I wandered around this pleasant state park for several hours without seeing very much in mid afternoon. However, what a contrast from the zoo called Honeymoon Island State Park just 13 miles away . New additions to my very slowly growing trip list were HERMIT THRUSH & OVENBIRD.

Painted Bunting's notwithstanding, a day to forget.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

I learned my lesson about birding beach locations in the afternoon so I was at Fort De Soto at sunrise. This is another location that doesn't fit with my interpretation of a state park. Still, the birds like it. Unfortunately, arriving early doesn't do you a lot of good if the tide isn't right. I blundered around for a while shooting whatever I could find. I found a few photo targets but didn't fare too well.

Species on the beach and the lagoon style flats included TRICOLORED & LITTLE BLUE HERONS, REDDISH EGRET (and white egrets, I don't want them to get an inferiority complex); AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER and WILSON'S PLOVER, both too far away; and numerous PALM WARBLERS. There was also a spectacular diving display from BROWN PELICANS and ROYAL & FORSTER'S TERNS on an incoming tide.

While driving south, a fortuitous stop at a gas station near the Skyway Bridge produced a handful of MONK PARAKEETS. No chance of a photo.

At Leffis Key, I immediately found yet another photo target that I couldn't shoot -- a YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON hiding in the mangroves. I also saw a PALM WARBLER that had attained a chestnut cap, the first of the trip of over 30 individuals seen.

Photographically speaking, things took a Tern for the better just down the road on Greer (AKA "Beer Can") Island (you get the picture). A loafing flock of BLACK SKIMMERS and ROYAL, FORSTER'S and SANDWICH TERNS allowed me and all beach goers (and there were many) to approach very closely. An upside of so many people constantly on the beach, day after day. Also present was a somewhat unexpected SNOWY PLOVER along with lots of SANDERLINGS.

A late afternoon visit to Oscar Scherer State Park produced a single FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY, my first lifer of the trip. I only saw the bird from a distance and didn't get a chance to try for a photo.

Thursday, January 29, 2009
Florida trip, Day 8: Bradenton to Fort Myers; Trip List: 128 (+10)
All of my birding today was inland. In terms of overnight locations, I moved just a short distance down the coast to Fort Myers where I'm staying for a couple of nights. Another sunny day (just another crappy day in paradise) with an afternoon temperature of 85 degrees. I focused on three species today (two lifers and one photo target that was a lifer yesterday!). I also obtained images of a few secondary photo targets. All in all, a very successful day.

I started at Myakka River State Park, an excellent birding spot located southeast of Sarasota. My targets here were GLOSSY IBIS (potential nemesis nipped in the bud!) and LIMPKIN, both seen well. Interestingly, Glossy Ibis is listed as a common permanent resident at the park and I saw exactly one. However, one is all that it takes. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a decent image of the bird which was a little too far away. I fared a little better with the Limpkin. Both birds were below the weir at the south end of Upper Lake Myakka.

A Ruff has been present at the state park for several weeks but was missed yesterday. I had a quick look without success. However, the bird was seen later in the afternoon. Species seen included a handful of WOOD STORKS, scads of BLACK VULTURES (way more than I've ever seen in one location); BALD EAGLE, several OSPREYS, RED-SHOULDERED HAWK (very noisy and present almost everywhere I've been so far); GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS (side by side for good comparison, I probably have a usable image); CASPIAN TERN, PILEATED WOODPECKER, lots of PALM WARBLERS and those beautiful BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES (not kidding). I also saw Alligators and Feral Hogs (big black suckers, bigger than the Javelinas back in AZ)

Next, I returned to Oscar Scherer State Park to get a better view of (and hopefully obtain photos of) FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY. I was very successful on both counts (it's somewhat obscene how tame the birds were when I found them). This state park has the largest population of scrub-jays along the gulf coast. All but one of the six birds that I saw were banded. I could certainly discern a difference in the voice of the birds -- shorter calls, not as loud nor as harsh as the calls of Western Scrub-Jay.

While eating lunch, a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER happened by and caught me by surprise. The bird didn't hang around and I managed only a marginal image. You snooze (or eat), you lose.

My last stop of the day was at the Venice Audubon Rookery in, yes, you guessed it, Venice. This is a small area with an island in a pond with ANHINGAS, GREAT BLUE HERONS, GREAT EGRETS, etc. I was hoping for a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. No joy with that but I may just have managed to photograph a BLUE JAY, something I've been trying to do for years.

A lone CATTLE EGRET in the median of Highway 41 just north of Fort Myers was my first sighting of the trip.

Time is marching on and I've decided to pass on visiting Everglades National Park and the Keys. I'll miss out on a bird or two but the world will keep on turning and my bills will still be overdue tomorrow. I'll have my headstone engraved with "... and he never saw a White-crowned Pigeon". I'll spend tomorrow and part of Saturday in the Fort Myers and Naples areas then, after a quick trip to the Atlantic coast, I'll head back to northern Florida (an area that I very much enjoyed). I needed a month to do what I'm trying to do in just under two weeks!

Friday, January 30, 2009
Florida trip, Day 9: Fort Myers & vicinity; Trip List: 134 (+6)
Today I had several photo targets: Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Wilson's Plover and Short-billed Dowitcher. Although I found and photographed all three, it was a horrible day for photography. After yesterday's sunny and warm weather, I was shocked to encounter rain when I headed out in darkness this morning.  I visited National Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp sanctuary, where rain persisted on and off throughout my stay (7:30am-1:30pm); and Bunche Beach Preserve in Fort Myers Beach where it was windy, cool and cloudy for the remainder of the afternoon. Even though the conditions obviously caused photographic difficulties, the birding was very enjoyable. I can highly recommend a visit to both locations if you are in the Fort Myers/Naples area.

Highlights at Corkscrew were watching a couple ANHINGAS calling to each other (quite an interesting noise); several close PILEATED WOODPECKERS, a couple of perched YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS and a few male PAINTED BUNTINGS (maldita mi suerte with the bad light). At least the buntings look decent in bad light compared to Varied Bunting that looks black in poor light. Other species included a few fly-by WOOD STORKS (many nests are active apparently; none seen perched); scads of BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS, WHITE-EYED & BLUE-HEADED VIREOS, NORTHERN PARULA, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER and the usual PINE WARBLERS.

Bunche Beach was loaded with shorebirds on a receding tide. I shot hundreds of images but once again I was plagued by crappy light with a cold wind for good measure. Not many people though! Every cloud has a silver lining. Four species of plovers were present -- in decreasing order of abundance they were WILSON'S, PIPING, BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED.

Less than ideal conditions but a very enjoyable day nevertheless.

Saturday, January 31, 2009
Florida trip, Day 10: Fort Myers to Daytona Beach; Trip List: 140 (+6)
My initial plan for today was to visit Ding Darling NWR on Sanibel Island. However, I'm rapidly running out of days so I decided to pass on this location (there was nothing new there for me anyway). My adjusted objectives for the day were simple -- to see a Snail Kite and to photograph a Purple Sandpiper (plus any other photo targets that I might stumble into on the Atlantic coast). There was a vast improvement in the weather today; sunny all day, much cooler than recent days and quite windy at all locations that I visited. The morning low dipped to 36 degrees somewhere along I-4 and never climbed out of the 50s.

I was up at the crack of night for the drive from Fort Myers to St. Cloud. I made excellent time via I-75, I-4 and several of those outrageous toll roads. In fact, I was out looking for Snail Kites before Snail Kites were out looking for snails. There was a cold wind blowing at the south end of East Lake Toho on Lakeshore Blvd. All the locals were bundled, up as was I (fortunately, I'd brought cold weather clothing). No kites and not much of anything for a while. Eventually, a lone SNAIL KITE briefly worked over the marsh for a few minutes and I managed a so-so flight shot. I waited around for another hour hoping to improve on my photographic efforts without success. Still and all, life bird #4 of the trip (and almost certainly the last of the trip) was ample reward for my decision to come this way and my early morning driving effort. 

Now came another drive (not as long this time) over to the Daytona Beach area, actually Ponce Inlet which is to the south near New Smyrna Beach. From what I'd read, the North Jetty of the inlet is a good place for PURPLE SANDPIPER and I certainly encountered a very cooperative bird pointed out to me by a local. The bird foraged on the jetty rocks at high tide in similar fashion to a Surfbird. I've only seen Purple Sandpiper once before (in Maine in winter) and I was struck by how very similar they are to Rock Sandpipers. I shot lots of images so at least one should be okay!

Late afternoon on the beach at Daytona Shores (just south of Daytona Beach) would have sent gull lovers into a multi-orgasmic state (me not so much). I'm not sure how many thousands of gulls were present but they were 15 to as many as 30 deep and stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions along a very straight and flat beach (in other words, a shit load of them). Apparently, this gathering of gulls is a daily occurrence at a place known locally as Peck Beach (behind the Peck Condo building). There have been some goodies present here recently but I was more interested in photographing the low hanging fruit. Besides, it would have taken me a month of Sundays to sift through them, especially with a fair number of people deliberately walking and running into the flocks to flush them -- and I'm not just talking about kids.

It was a treat to be on a beach in the afternoon with the sun behind me. Not something I've experienced too often in my life being a left coaster. I wandered around shooting a few images including a photo first adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. Most gulls were LAUGHING (although some may well have been crying, I'm not sure) and RING-BILLED with a fair number of HERRING GULLS also present. I also saw a smattering of Terns of three species. Shorebirds were limited to RUDDY TURNSTONES and BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. I watched a handful of NORTHERN GANNETS plunge-diving out in the ocean.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Saturday, January 31, 2009

Jan. Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - January, 2009 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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