April Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - April, 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 Thursday, April 30, 2009

Thursday, April 2, 2009
Yesterday was yet another windy day and I learned the lesson driven home over the past week. If you don't have to go birding in the wind, don't go birding in the wind! I hate wind so it wasn't hard to do on a World Cup qualifier day. Trying to do routine data collection and learn something is essentially pointless, so why bother?  Today was very calm and it was a treat to be in the field. I chose to do some routine birding in the Huachucas, something that I haven't done very much recently. Over the years, as the scope of my business as expanded and the number of places that I need to check on has increased, something had to give! We all have our crosses to bear.

In Garden Canyon, I was torn between checking the fishing ponds and proceeding directly to Sawmill Canyon (where activity can die down very quickly by mid morning). I didn't want to skip the ponds so I spent a scant 30 minutes running around like a blue-assed fly. Of course, I wasn't able to do the place justice. Nevertheless, given that I was concerned about the impact of habitat loss due to recent controlled burns, I was pleased that such a short visit yielded 25 species. Almost all the scrubby habitat around the main Gravel Pit pond has been swealed away; habitat around the smaller pond is intact. Predictably, with the lack of cover, CHIPPING SPARROW was the only sparrow that I saw. They seemed to like the burned areas that are mostly still charred with new grass starting to appear.

SORA and BELTED KINGFISHER were the highlight species. Others present included a handful of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, male and female CINNAMON TEAL; 2 RING-NECKED DUCKS, ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, a pair of VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, BLACK & SAY'S PHOEBE'S; lots of LESSER GOLDFINCHES and a few PINE SISKINS.

Along Garden Canyon road just a short distance above the ponds, I added 5 PHAINOPEPLAS, 2 CRISSAL THRASHERS, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, several CANYON TOWHEES, a singing PYRRHULOXIA, VESPER SPARROW, EASTERN MEADOWLARK and a latish WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

This was my latest date for Western Meadowlark in Garden Canyon by two days (previously March 31). My latest dates in the southern section of SE AZ are April 7 at Sierra Vista EOP and one oddball May 19 record in Sulphur Springs Valley.

Sawmill Canyon was very active when I got started at 8:15am. By 9:30am, vocalizations from many species had already started to diminish and were significantly reduced my 10:30am. I wasn't hearing very much at all by the time that I left at noon.

Initially, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were extremely vocal and conspicuous. Over the course of the morning I recorded at least 15 in the first mile or so of the canyon (probably more since I didn't try to find non-vocalizing birds). GRACE'S WARBLERS and PAINTED REDSTARTS could probably be considered abundant (perhaps 25-30 each). Both species didn't stop singing much as the morning progressed, especially Grace's.

The most noteworthy species were:

HAIRY WOODPECKER
Hairy Woodpecker is very uncommon in Sawmill (I have a total of 42 records in 595 visits from 10 of the 16 years that I've birded in the canyon). Even though I have records from every month of the year, it's a stretch to call them resident. They breed higher up the mountain.

GREATER PEWEE (I heard just a brief burst of "love trill" as I call it; not the peek-peek call or José María song)
I have 4 March records in Sawmill with March 24 being the earliest. Therefore, today's bird is far from unprecedented. The end of April week 1 is perhaps a typical arrival date.

HERMIT WARBLER
Silently foraging in a Fir tree. A fairly significant record for me. Before today, April 13 was my earliest Sawmill sighting.

RED-FACED WARBLER
Singing and foraging in a regular breeding territory about a mile into the canyon. For those who know the canyon, "big rock" signals the start of Red-faced breeding habitat. I'm not sure what to make of this bird. Since this species typically doesn't arrive in Sawmill until mid April, there's probably a fair chance it's the individual that wintered in the canyon. However, each year seems to see some species arriving earlier so it's impossible to know for sure. 

Also of interest was a male ELEGANT TROGON that seemed to be trolling between the two regular breeding areas that are about 3/4 mile apart. The bird was extremely vocal for over an hour yet I only managed to lay eyes on it once.

I found a couple of active nests -- COMMON RAVEN and RED-TAILED HAWK. The latter was refurbishing an old Zone-tailed Hawk nest.

Other species among 32 in Sawmill proper included a singing GREATER ROADRUNNER (a regular occurrence in March and April); at least 3 ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, numerous MEXICAN and STELLER'S JAYS (the latter was very conspicuous and noisy); several HERMIT THRUSHES (one was singing, albeit not with much gusto); 8 BROWN CREEPERS (lots of song from these guys); a few PINE SISKINS; OLIVE, YELLOW-RUMPED, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS; DARK-EYED (Pink-sided and Gray-headed) JUNCOS and several YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS (already paired up and singing).

Another windy day tomorrow. Enough already!

Friday, April 3, 2009
I need to heed my own words. In my defense, however, I blame the weather guys. The wind wasn't expected to start until late morning (the forecast was for 25-35mph sustained winds with gusts up to 50mph). I decided to check on migration happenings down on the San Pedro where I was hoping to get in some wind free hours. Unfortunately, the wind was already blowing strongly from the south at 6:30am. I had two choices: tough it out or go home and work on the computer. I chose the former, mainly because I have very little personal time available in AZ during April. I have upcoming client work in AZ then I'll be working in Texas during the latter half of the month.

After some initial birding around the San Pedro House, I hoofed it quickly down to kingfisher pond (no ducks) via the "diagonal" trail; then walked north along the river to the wash about a mile north of the highway 90 bridge. The return walk through mesquite grassland was completely unproductive. Although I tallied 52 species as reward for 3 tough hours in the wind, I didn't see many migrants. I left at 9:30am as the wind subsided a little. However, it's blowing a gale again as I write these notes late afternoon.

I did okay on sparrows, mainly in sheltered areas where the birds were congregated. A single CASSIN'S SPARROW that flushed from my feet and perched in viewable location was by far the best of the bunch and my best bird of the day. To come across this species in April (without first hearing one) was a true "Murphy gets screwed moment", especially on a windy day.

ABERT'S and particularly 18+ GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES were conspicuous, the latter being more common north of the bridge. I had nice "field guide" views of SAVANNAH and VESPER SPARROWS perched within inches of each other. SONG and LINCOLN'S SPARROWS were easy to see along the sheltered banks of the river. Hundreds of CHIPPING were the most common sparrow, edging out BREWER'S and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS.

I didn't fare as well on flycatchers. Of course, there's always the omnipresent VERMILION FLYCATCHERS and BLACK & SAY'S PHOEBE'S. Apart from those I only came up with a single PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER, 3 CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS and 4 HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS including one working from the ground alongside (and being harassed by) YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS.

It was a similar situation with warblers. YELLOW and YELLOW-RUMPED were abundant. Otherwise, it was definitely a case of slim pickings. I encountered one area with budding out willows that had a high concentration of LUCY'S WARBLERS trying to feed while almost being blown out of the tree. I saw one ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and heard a few COMMON YELLOWTHROATS.

Other species included a calling GRAY HAWK, BROAD-TAILED and RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS (both uncommon on the river); 3 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS foraging together, 3 singing BELL'S VIREOS and 3 LAZULI BUNTINGS in scattered locations (one singing).  

Sunday, April 5, 2009
I joined the regular Sunday outing to Sierra Vista EOP this morning. For various reasons (two trips out of state, working with clients or something else to do), this was my first visit in 12 weeks. I picked a good day to go -- although the birding was far from spectacular, I saw a new location species (#195). The weather cooperated very well. After all the recent windy days, it was very calm this morning (this is a terrible place to be in the wind). The temperature ranged from 43 to 62 degrees under some high, thin clouds.

By far the best bird was a BELTED KINGFISHER sitting on a metal pole well away from the water (I doubt that there's anything for it to feed on here). This is a species that doesn't appear on the official checklist and it was a first for me as I approach 950 visits over 17 years. HOUSE WREN was a close second. This is another species that doesn't appear on the current checklist and a bird that I've only seen at the EOP once before.

Other less commonly seen species included 3 WILSON'S SNIPES, several singing BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS and a spiffy male PYRRHULOXIA.

Wintering species continuing in the marshes (perhaps bolstered by migrants) were VIRGINIA RAIL and SORA (both quite vocal, the latter very numerous) and a few MARSH WRENS. The migrant HOUSE WREN was also in the marsh pretending to be a Marsh Wren and almost got by unnoticed.

Except for NORTHERN SHOVELERS, duck numbers were pretty low with 3 BUFFLEHEADS and a LESSER SCAUP being the pick of 9 species.

Along with a few KILLDEERS, 3 WILSON'S SNIPE near the viewing platform were the only shorebirds.

Very little in the way of raptors -- a few TVs, 2 HARRIERS and 1 RED-TAIL on the official trip. I added KESTREL by staying on for a while.

A single CASSIN'S KINGBIRD and several SAY'S PHOEBES were the only flycatchers.

YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD numbers are down but there were still plenty to enjoy. A few WESTERN MEADOWLARKS continue.

In terms of the daily total, swallows and sparrows came to the rescue (4 and 7 species respectively). Listed in order of decreasing abundance they were BARN, TREE, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED & CLIFF SWALLOWS; and SAVANNAH, WHITE-CROWNED, VESPER, BREWER'S, SONG, BLACK-THROATED & LARK SPARROWS.

Monday, April 6, 2009
First of four days with Alan Van Norman from Bismarck, ND who I've birded with on one previous occasion. Our focus will primarily be on owl photography with opportunistic photography of selected other area specialties as time and circumstances permit. Today was a late start since Alan didn't arrive until after lunch. I took advantage of the morning by checking on Spotted Owl. This and Northern Pygmy-Owl are our only daytime owl targets.

Even though it meant that I would have to trudge up Scheelite Canyon twice in one day, I headed up there early this morning firstly hoping to find an owl and secondly hoping to find one in a photographable location. If I failed to find an owl or the owl was not positioned well, we could avoid a wasted afternoon. If successful, the afternoon visit would be very efficient since we could go straight to the bird. Normally, the time spent looking for an owl is much greater than the hiking time.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I think the owls are nesting this year. Consequently, I had a good idea of where I might find a bird. This being the case (and being alone!), I broke my own rule of following my standard search methodology and proceeded to the guesstimated spot with limited checking on the way up. I'm happy to say that, after expending very little time beyond the hiking time, I found a SPOTTED OWL perched in a location that offered a very good photo opportunity in terms of a pose. My only concern was that the light would be unfavorable in the afternoon.

Among the birds in Garden Canyon (where I spent some time before heading to Scheelite) included GRAY FLYCATCHER. my f-o-s VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE all at the fishing ponds; and my f-o-s DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER & HEPATIC TANAGER at the middle picnic area.

In Scheelite, I added several HAMMOND'S and a second DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER; all three regular JAY species; WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS screaming overhead; BUSHTIT, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, HUTTON'S VIREO, a singing HOUSE WREN, many PAINTED REDSTARTS and a few SPOTTED TOWHEES.

I was hoping to find my f-o-s Virginia's Warbler but that didn't pan out. There were a couple of extremely early reports back in February -- one from the Huachucas and another in New Mexico. They typically arrive in Scheelite in the last week of March and become fairly common by mid April.

As I left the canyon, it was with some trepidation that I told a group coming up the canyon where to find the owl. I can only remember one time that a bird moved during the day but I still had an uneasy feeling that the bird may not be there later.

I needn't have worried. After I met with Alan in town at 1:00pm, we headed directly up Scheelite. The cloudy and breezy early morning conditions had given way to bright sunshine and calm wind and it was a warm hike. The SPOTTED OWL hadn't moved an inch since this morning and was positioned such that the sun was behind the bird while the bird itself was in the shade. Translation: very difficult photographic conditions and I struggled to get a decent image despite a nicely posed owl. Alan shot lots of images and should end up with a similar result. [I was able to confirm that the owls are indeed nesting (the birds briefly called to each other). Of course, I will not disclose the nest location.]

Although the canyon was much quieter than it had been this morning, we saw or heard many of the same species and added PLUMBEOUS VIREO and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER.

In the evening we visited Battiste's B&B in lower Miller Canyon for our second target of the day. Many thanks to Tony Battiste for his hospitality and ELF OWL show. I normally go to Carr Canyon for "little owls" but the current closure (implemented with ridiculously short notice) had me scrambling around. There was a small crowd gathered just before dusk and the pair of owls did not disappoint. I obtained a reasonable image despite a super low shutter speed. While in the yard, a GREAT HORNED OWL flew by and COMMON POORWILLS called as we left.

An excellent end to a successful first day.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Out again today with Alan for three main targets -- Northern Pygmy-Owl (morning) and Whiskered & Western Screech-Owl (evening). It was a clear, mostly calm and quite warm morning after a chilly start in Sawmill Canyon. Although it was calm today, the strong winds that have been around for almost two weeks are due back tomorrow.

We didn't have any difficulty locating NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN) PYGMY-OWL in a Sawmill tributary. There's no calling allowed in Sawmill proper (people that is, not owls, since they don't read signs). Unfortunately, the owl refused to cooperate photographically. While responsive, the bird remained fairly high in pine trees at all times even though it moved around from tree to tree. Nevertheless, we had excellent views. However, photos were the order of the day so the success factor was tempered somewhat. Alan shot lots of images and managed a couple that are usable. After doing other stuff, we relocated the bird again but fared even worse in terms of photo opportunities.

We didn't work much in the main canyon and I only recorded 24 species including calling EASTERN BLUEBIRDS (not as numerous or regular in Sawmill as they used to be). BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were numerous and vocal in the early hours. In between Pygmy-Owl sessions we unsuccessfully tracked a calling ELEGANT TROGON for some time as it trolled for a mate (a guess). The bird left us high and dry without even a glimpse let alone a photo opportunity.

Conditions in the evening were favorable and our owling session went extremely well. Although it was mostly cloudy, there was still enough ambient "walking around" light under a full moon. Wind was not a factor (close to dead calm) and it was very mild after a day in the 80s. A bonus pair of NORTHERN GOSHAWKS flew by before dusk. The scene was set.

We worked first on WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL and it didn't take too long (or much effort) to find a pair of cooperative and aggressive birds. A pair of WESTERN SCREECH-OWLS were initially a little stubborn before showing themselves (turns out, they were busy). Alan managed good images of both species, including a male Western with a mouse. At least three pairs of ELF OWLS were active (we didn't pursue those) and COMMON POORWILLS called.

Today was a day of few birds but very successful in terms of targets. Furthermore, after just two days, Alan has images of all five target owls (although we'll try to improve on Pygmy-Owl on Thursday). Now it's "gravy time".

Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Day 3 with Alan saw us travel over to Patagonia for opportunistic photography without any hard targets. We started early and managed a morning without wind that was just kicking up as we finished and very strong by the time we returned to Sierra Vista. A mostly cloudy and warm morning.

We began in the scrub at the park boundary where birders are always few and birds often plentiful (there were certainly plenty today and most species were singing). Alan shot many images and I shot a few. We worked first on sparrows seeing RUFOUS-CROWNED, RUFOUS-WINGED, BREWER'S, BLACK-THROATED & WHITE-CROWNED. We tracked a couple of BELL'S VIREOS without much (photographic) success. LUCY'S WARBLERS were plentiful but "wick" as we say in the old country (moving around quickly). I managed to catch one in a weak moment as it paused on an ocotillo, although I was really too far away. In contrast, a cooperative ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER was more accommodating. Other species included LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, GRAY FLYCATCHER, VERDIN, numerous PHAINOPEPLAS, CACTUS WREN, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, CANYON TOWHEE, and CARDINAL.

A quick stop near the visitor center was unproductive for the first time in a long time. Nothing of note around the feeders or on the water; just a couple of distant CINNAMON TEAL.

Although the park trails were full of birders, there were more than enough birds to go around. We only covered a small area that didn't include the creek and came up with 65 species.

Hummingbirds are not a major feature at this location so four species was a good return. Highlight was a BROAD-BILLED female on a nest. We also saw ANNA'S that I tried to make into Costa's, numerous BLACK-CHINNED and a real male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD.

Highlight of the morning for me came as we tracked a PLUMBEOUS VIREO in a large mesquite. In that same mesquite we also saw CASSIN'S VIREO (within inches of the Plumbeous at one point); two male BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS and a male BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER. What are the odds of seeing both those species-pairs in the same tree on any given day in SE AZ? In fact, fairly good for the vireos in migration since I've seem them together on perhaps a handful of occasions. Not so the warblers -- this was my 10th sighting of Black-and-White in AZ (a former AZ nemesis bird).

Flycatchers were not front and center today and we even had to work for NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET.

The lake and adjacent marshy areas yielded a few EARED GREBES, GREEN HERON, GREAT EGRET, male BUFFLEHEAD and a fair number of AMERICAN PIPITS.

Raptors were few and only a soaring GRAY HAWK was of note.

The Paton's yard also had plenty of birders. VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD was regular at the feeders but not frequent or photographically accommodating. A male CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD was more considerate as it fed in the flowers. However, trying to photograph hummers in poor light that doesn't show gorget color is less than satisfactory. Lots of BROAD-BILLED and BLACK-CHINNED and a few RUFOUS rounded out the hummers.

A flock of 12+ CEDAR WAXWINGS represented a scarce yard visitor. LAZULI BUNTINGS have increased in number and color intensity. Lots of PINE SISKINS continue. 33 species in the yard.

Thursday, April 9, 2009
The fourth and last day with Alan was actually only a half day. Our main objective was to improve on the images that Alan managed of the Pygmy-Owl on Tuesday.

It was a beautiful, sunny and (thankfully) calm morning in the Huachucas. The day began well with a WILD TURKEY strutting its stuff at the middle picnic area in Garden Canyon (two birds were present).

We returned to Sawmill Canyon where the early morning temperature was in the 30s. I had planned to try for the same bird that we saw on Tuesday but a spontaneously calling NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN) PYGMY-OWL on a nearby territory changed the plan. This bird is less than a mile from the other guy. We had to work a little to get a decent (yet still far from ideal) photo opportunity. The bird was high and partially shaded but we ended up with a far better result than a couple of days ago. Best of all, we were done with the bird by 8:15am allowing us to work on getting images of additional species.

After a brief, frustrating and unproductive attempt at photographing PAINTED REDSTART on difficult terrain in lower Sawmill, we bailed out and headed down to the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon. Species in Sawmill included ARIZONA WOODPECKER, ELEGANT TROGON (still calling away) and EASTERN BLUEBIRD (looks like this year will be a nesting year in the canyon for the bluebird).

We had good success with a number of species in the vicinity of the picnic area and Alan shot lots of images. It's not often that I get a chance to do any photography when working with clients. Today I had the opportunity and I managed the following -- COOPERS HAWK (image #2), BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER (perhaps attempting to nest here again) and PAINTED REDSTART.

A calling MONTEZUMA QUAIL on the hillside south of the picnic area was the best bird in the area. Among the other species present were HAMMOND'S and DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS (at least two pairs), HUTTON'S (lots!) and PLUMBEOUS VIREOS; ORANGE-CROWNED, LUCY'S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY & TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS and LINCOLN'S SPARROW.

A good end to four successful days.

Sunday, April 12, 2009
For the second consecutive week, I joined the regular Sunday outing to Sierra Vista EOP. Unless my schedule changes radically, this will be my last visit for a while and I probably won't be able to get here again until fall. After the stormy conditions yesterday, fresh snow on the Huachucas provided a picturesque backdrop to the proceedings. It was a cool morning (45-53 degrees from 6:45-9:45am) but it actually seemed quite cold with the almost constant wind. Damn that bloody wind!

Slow and steady birding produced a group total of 62 species which is significantly more than is typical. I missed a couple of birds (Lesser Goldfinch and an unconfirmed Swamp Sparrow) and managed 59 which ties my highest ever single day total at this location. For the second week running I picked up a new location species (#196), this time a fly-over BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD in the parking lot as we finished up. Another milestone for the day was reaching 350 species for the year to date.

Less common species listed in increasing order of occurrence were a female WOOD DUCK, a male WILSON'S WARBLER flitting around in one of the marshes, a lone CATTLE EGRET in breeding plumage (rare in spring and fall with sightings every other year on average); a lone WILSON'S SNIPE; fly-by WHITE-WINGED DOVES, 2 LUCY'S WARBLERS, 2 RING-BILLED GULLS and a lone GREATER YELLOWLEGS.

Other species of note included 24 migrant WHITE-FACED IBIS, a pale richardsonii MERLIN (my latest EOP spring sighting); PEREGRINE FALCON (likely a migrant, not one of the wintering regulars); and a few lingering WESTERN MEADOWLARKS (my latest EOP spring sighting).

Also present were SWAINSON'S HAWK, VIRGINIA RAIL (one seen, several calling); SORA (many calling); CASSIN'S & WESTERN KINGBIRDS, 5 species of swallows including my f-o-s BANK SWALLOW (April 9 is my earliest record at the EOP); ~10 AMERICAN PIPITS, continuing MARSH WRENS and still plentiful YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

Monday, April 13, 2009
Out today with Mike Putnam from Long Beach, NY. We spent all of our time in the Huachucas looking for the typical mountain specialties. The weather rebounded well and we enjoyed a wind free day with plenty of sunshine.

Carr Canyon was very productive and our sessions in low and high elevation habitat yielded over 60 species. Red-faced Warbler was the only serious miss (I don't think they are back in numbers yet).

A stop at the lower picnic area wasn't particularly productive although we did find ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, CASSIN'S VIREO, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, a pair of HEPATIC TANAGERS and a few common species.

Even in a small vehicle the drive up the canyon was relatively easy on the recently improved road. Birds along the way included lots of WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS (some at very close range); a less than cooperative ROCK WREN (seen, but only at a distance); a heard only CANYON WREN, several WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS, a second CASSIN'S VIREO, a beautiful PAINTED REDSTART and a female SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

Up top we had to work on two separate OLIVE WARBLERS before getting great looks at a beautiful "orange-headed" male. We tracked a very sadistic bird in Reef campground for almost an hour and never did lay eyes on the little stinker. A little further along the road (Reef +.3) it only took about 10 minutes. It was here that we saw our only GREATER PEWEE of the morning and heard EASTERN BLUEBIRD.

Several BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were easy to see in the campground. At Reef and vicinity we saw 25+ BAND-TAILED PIGEONS, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, HERMIT, TOWNSEND'S & GRACE'S WARBLERS (common & vocal); SPOTTED TOWHEE and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO.

The best bird of the day for me was a GOLDEN CROWNED KINGLET in the campground. We could see the rear end of a tiny bird sitting motionless in a pine for over 5 minutes and no amount of coaxing caused it to move. Eventually, the bird revealed its identity. By my results, Golden-crowned Kinglet is extremely rare in the Huachucas -- I only have 6 records in almost 17 years!

As we departed, I tried for VIRGINIA'S WARBLER from Reef overlook and it turned out to be the easiest bird of the day. Although Virginia's isn't usually a tough bird to locate, it's often the most difficult of the regular warblers to see well.

It was noon by the time we reached Huachuca Canyon and it took a little time before we saw a (completely silent) male ELEGANT TROGON. However, there were a number of species to keep us entertained in the interim. A soaring GRAY HAWK was a bit of a surprise here, perhaps off course due to the dense smoke from a controlled burn. Among the more expected species were ARIZONA WOODPECKER, 4-6 HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS, ORANGE-CROWNED, NASHVILLE & TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS and PAINTED REDSTART. Also present were a male LAZULI BUNTING and the second TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE of the day.

This was my last day of work in AZ this month. On Wednesday I head to Texas and won't be back in AZ until May 1. Journal reports will likely be sporadic while I'm on the road.

74 species recorded:
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's, Gray & Red-tailed Hawks; Gambel's Quail, Rock & Band-tailed Pigeons; Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves; White-throated Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Elegant Trogon, Acorn, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers; N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Hammond's, Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers; Say's Phoebe, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds; Barn Swallow, Golden-crowned & Ruby-crowned Kinglets; Cactus, Rock, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens; N. Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Steller's & Mexican Jays; Western Scrub-Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; House Sparrow, Plumbeous, Cassin's & Hutton's Vireos; House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Olive, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's, Hermit & Grace's Warblers; Painted Redstart, Hepatic Tanager, Spotted & Canyon Towhees; Rufous-crowned & White-crowned Sparrows; Yellow-eyed Junco, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Great-tailed Grackle and Scott's Oriole.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Texas trip, Day 1 ~ Sierra Vista - Kerrville ~ Trip List 16
The start of a 2+ week sojourn in Texas. Although this is primarily a working trip, I will have a little time to myself for a few days at the start and end. The first few days will be scouting (but hey, I might manage a photo or two). Today was a major travel day from home to Kerrville in the Hill Country, a drive of exactly 800 miles. However, don't look for the Blue Trogon if you're in Texas. I picked up a rental vehicle in El Paso -- much more convenient than renting in Tucson which would have added 150+ unnecessary miles.

Weather for the ride was mostly sunny until I reached Ozona; then cloudy in the Hill County. Worst of all, it was quite windy and West Texas is not the place to be in the wind! Can you say "wide open spaces"? I encountered a high temperature of 90 degrees in Scratchass, West Texas. More wind is in the forecast along with rain for tomorrow. Finding Black-capped Vireos and Golden-cheeked Warblers may be a challenge.

Very few birds today at high speed along I-10 in habitat that is hardly bird rich for much of the way. Perhaps the only redeeming feature of West Texas is that the speed limit is 80mph. Several SWAINSON'S HAWKS and SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHERS were the only birds of note.

Thursday, April 16, 2009
Texas trip, Day 2 ~ Hill Country - Kerr County ~ Trip List 51 (+35)
Today I birded at Kerr Wildlife Management Area west of Kerrville; then MO Ranch and a couple of spots along the north fork of the Guadalupe River, all in Kerr County. You've heard the expression "the operation was successful but the patient died". Well, I had a successful day but I didn't enjoy it very much.  It was a depressing day of heavy overcast (100% cloud cover all day) so the light was absolutely dismal and photo opportunities were pretty much nil. Thankfully, there wasn't much in the way of wind to contend with, just on and off drizzle. On the plus side, my focus today was BLACK-CAPPED VIREO and I found a total of 8. I also found a GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER, a bird that really wasn't on my agenda until tomorrow.

All of the vireos were seen at Kerr WMA in two different locations, 6 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. In fact, the main section of the wildlife area was closed until noon for a Turkey shoot. The warbler was along the Guadalupe River near Stower's Ranch. Don't expect much from the "photo first" images, there's not a lot that can be done when the light is so crappy. I'm surprised that I managed to get any kind of result. The quality is very poor but at least it's a start.

Unfortunately, tomorrow is forecast to be more of the same, perhaps even worse in terms of rain.

Friday, April 17, 2009
Texas trip, Day 3 ~ Hill Country - Kerr, Bandera and Uvalde Counties ~ Trip List 72 (+21)
Just like referees who issue yellow cards early in the game and then have nowhere to go, I used up the best words (depressing and dismal) to describe yesterday's weather. Today the overcast was even thicker and it seemed like I was still in darkness at 8:30am (probably pretty normal around here). Furthermore, it was lashing down with rain as I drove to Lost Maples State Natural Area near Vanderpool. Miraculously, the rain eased off about 30 minutes after I arrived, enough that I could contemplate walking the trail. My focus today was Golden-cheeked Warbler.

I've only been here a couple of times before and both times there were lots of people. Today I drove straight through the rather large parking area directly to the primo trailhead parking spots! How often does that happen I wonder? I had the trail completely to myself -- well, me and the bedraggled birds. I took the east trail to just beyond "primitive camping area A", a round trip of about 3.5 miles. Despite the wet conditions that subdued the birds for the first couple of hours on the trail, I detected at least 12 GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLERS and saw about half of them. No pictures, I didn't even bother taking a camera.

It was a very vireo-y day (try saying that fast a few times). I saw six species including a totally unexpected HUTTON'S VIREO at the above mentioned camping area. I was surprised when I heard the bird singing and tracked it down to be absolutely certain. This species is not on the state park checklist that was last revised in 2002. Apparently, according to Mitch Heindel of Utopia who I contacted about the bird, no records of Hutton's on the Edwards Plateau existed 20 years ago, but they are now present and on the increase. I saw one at Kerr WMA about 7 years ago. Anyway, a decent bird for this neck of the woods.

Among the species on the trail were WHITE-EYED, BLUE-HEADED, YELLOW-THROATED & RED-EYED VIREOS all singing away; too many ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS to count; 6+ NASHVILLE WARBLERS, many BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS (I could hear their high, thin notes wheezing away in the woods so my ears are still working!); a lone migrant WILSON'S WARBLER (detected by its soft "kip" note) and a loudly singing yet ridiculously elusive LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH. It was an interesting exercise to listen to all the vireos singing and to sort them out.

I also saw several ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS and a couple of  EASTERN PHOEBES; a handful of common species that are present throughout the Hill Country; and LAZULI & INDIGO BUNTINGS (missed Painted)

I stopped at Utopia Joe's Coffee House in (you guessed it) Utopia for lunch and to dry out. A little quaint and the food was good. Give it a try if you're in the area. Several wet and scraggly BLACK-BACKED LESSER GOLDFINCHES were voraciously attacking the feeders. An EASTERN BLUEBIRD was so bedraggled that I had great difficulty in naming the bird. PURPLE MARTINS were around town.

My next stop was Garner State Park on Hwy 83 between Leakey and Concan. Leakey was probably leaky today (I bet they've never heard that one before). There aren't any birds at the park worth a special visit (although Golden-cheeked is there) but it sounded like an interesting place. Birding along the river (Rio Frio) was productive and I'm glad that I checked it out, albeit quickly. I wish that I had been there on a weekday morning instead of Friday afternoon as the weekenders were rolling in and setting up camp.

As soon as I got out of my vehicle, I heard the sweet singing of a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER that turned out to be right above my head. A decent view but no photo. The next song I heard was NORTHERN PARULA. As I tracked the bird, a band of chasing GOLDEN-FRONTED WOODPECKERS stopped by and one landed close on a tree trunk. I said, "okay, you'll do". Now why isn't this bird called Golden-naped Woodpecker? I continued tracking the Parula in a dark oak canopy and was cursing my photographic luck. Then, in a Murphy gets screwed moment, the warbler dropped into some low vegetation right in front of me and sang its heart out.

Other species near the river included a raucous BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER calling from a high perch and a BLUE-HEADED VIREO.

I finished up with a late afternoon visit to Kerr WMA. I was hoping to improve on my BLACK-CAPPED VIREO image but that didn't work out. I found at least four but they were more interested in each other than in pausing to give me a chance. YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was the only bird that I didn't detect here yesterday.

Saturday, April 18, 2009
Texas trip, Day 4 ~ Hill Country - Kerr County ~ Trip List 79 (+7)
I was a only a part-timer today. I spent the morning birding and the remainder of the day working on email, record keeping and general paperwork. Routine stuff has to continue despite being on the road. After a cloudy and drizzly start in Kerrville, the weather improved dramatically and by mid morning the sky was clear and the temperature over 80 degrees. I had two objectives for the day -- find a Cave Swallow and take another crack at getting a better image of Black-capped Vireo.

I began at Kerr WMA. Although it was quite overcast, the light wasn't too bad and I knew that if I could find a cooperative BLACK-CAPPED VIREO I would have a chance. Fortunately, one of the 12 individuals that I found was kind to me. I had to do a lot of running around carrying my stuff to get this shot. A lot of work for one second of perfect pose (thankfully, I was ready for it). When the birds are interacting with each other (I had four of them going at it at one point), they don't hang about! Photographically, I'm happy to be done with the little stinkers. I also found a GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER but I didn't attempt to get an image.

Thanks to info from local birder Tony Gallucci, I learned that Cave Swallows in Kerr County are not prevalent using artificial "caves" (i.e. culverts and the like) since there are plenty of natural sinkholes (on private property). Using his info, I was able to find a small group of CAVE SWALLOWS to complete my morning tasks.

Earlier, while looking unsuccessfully for swallows on the Guadalupe river, I noted OSPREY, 12 BLUE-WINGED TEAL and GREEN KINGFISHER. All were new for the trip list which is growing very slowly since I've been birding every day in the same type of habitat.

Sunday, April 19, 2009
Texas trip, Day 5 ~ north of San Antonio ~ Trip List 90 (+11)
Since I needed to be in San Antonio this evening to pick up my client (David Patick from Huntington, WV who I've birded with on three previous occasions in Arizona and California), I spent some time just north of the city at Warbler Woods. In between morning and afternoon visits, I also made a brief visit to Guadalupe River State Park. A very short report today on a day that ended poorly (can't find my driver's license and one of my credit cards). Reports over the next 8 days will likely be sporadic or absent since I'll be working and putting in some long days.

Unfortunately, warblers were hard to come by today. Migration is always a crap shoot. However, the habitat at Warbler Woods is very good and it's hard to be disappointed with 12 male INDIGO BUNTINGS and 2 male PAINTED BUNTINGS in view at the same time. Thanks to Susan Schaezler (who I unfortunately didn't get to meet) for the opportunity to bird there. 67 species were reported by 37 visitors on the day; I saw roughly 40 but I spent much of my time trying to photograph buntings!  Photos: male Indigo Bunting, female Indigo Bunting, male Painted Bunting and Clay colored Sparrow.

Monday, April 20, 2009
Texas trip, Day 6 ~ Kerrville - Laredo ~ Trip List 105 (+15)
Day 1 of 8 with David Patick.
Over the next 8 days we'll be target birding in the Hill Country, the upper and lower Rio Grande Valley, several lower and upper coastal locations and finally, the Piney Woods in East Texas. Although we have a list of over 50 potential target species, a fair number of them are extremely rare and unlikely. I expect to find at least 35, perhaps 40 or more if things go well. Migrant warblers and shorebirds are not on the agenda so we won't be visiting any migrant traps such as High Island.

Following several cloudy, sometimes wet and windy days in the Hill Country, today we had glorious sunny and calm weather. My scouting paid off big time and we were able to pick up the two prime target species for the day rather easily -- BLACK-CAPPED VIREO at Kerr WMA; and GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER at Lost Maples. This allowed us to leave the Hill Country very quickly.

Additional targets seen while searching for the 2 "must get in the Hill Country" targets were GREEN KINGFISHER (North Fork of Guadalupe River, Wagon Wheel Crossing); SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER, a good bird for our first success (multiple locations in Hill Country becoming very common further south); CAVE SWALLOW and BLACK-CRESTED TITMOUSE (widespread and common). Other species during some rather brief birding included GREATER ROADRUNNER, LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, WESTERN KINGBIRD, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, FIELD & LARK SPARROWS and LAZULI & INDIGO BUNTINGS.

Heading south we picked up the first CRESTED CARACARA of the day just west of Utopia. During a lunch stop with some brief birding at Neal's Lodges in Concan, we were able to "steal" a few easy target species that we'll almost certainly see again as the trip progresses. These were GOLDEN-FRONTED WOODPECKER, LONG-BILLED THRASHER, OLIVE SPARROW and PAINTED BUNTING

I was a little sad to be moving on after 5 nights in the Hill Country (the longest of my 5 visits to this very pleasant and scenic area). However, we have places to go and birds to see. Now it was time to head even further south to the heat of the valley to get a head start on the birds down there (not in the plan until tomorrow). SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHERS were very common on the drive and we also saw a few CRESTED CARACARAS.

Although I normally look for seedeaters in Zapata and/or San Ygnacio (location currently flooded), on this trip I decided that Laredo was our best bet, especially since it was our valley starting point. I had scheduled an overnight stop here with the intention of looking for the birds tomorrow. However, a successful morning meant that we could try today. It was pretty damned toasty down on the river as we listened and looked and it was still 90+ degrees at 6:30pm when we finally had a good look at a WHITE-COLLARED SEEDEATER. We put in the effort to tramp around in the heat since I knew that the chances of success elsewhere were not good. Eventually, we saw four individuals -- 2 separate birds (male and female) in the extensive cane on the Las Palmas Trail; as well as an apparent pair in the small patch of cane between International bridges 1 and 2; quite close to bridge 1. My thanks go to Susan Foster of Laredo for some local info.

I managed a fairly poor quality image of a bird in shadow from a bad angle. I don't know much about the different races and plumages of this species having only seen them a few times. This bird was singing its heart out so I have to believe it's either an immature male or a male in "basic" plumage (from Howell & Webb). Chime in if you have some insight.

Other target species seen here were noisy and active GREAT KISKADEES (the punishment for missing this bird on a trip to the RGV is having your optics confiscated); less vocal COUCH'S KINGBIRDS and a silently foraging AUDUBON'S ORIOLE. Other species included SPOTTED SANDPIPER, WHITE-TIPPED DOVE (heard only, David will have to wait at least one more day); SWAINSON'S THRUSH, ORANGE-CROWNED & NASHVILLE WARBLERS, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and CLAY-COLORED, LINCOLN'S & OLIVE SPARROWS.

An excellent day with 15 target species seen to get us off to a great start.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Texas trip, Day 7 ~ Laredo - Lower Rio Grande Valley - Mission ~ Trip List 145 (+40)
Day 2 of 8 with David Patick.
With the seedeater under our belt, this morning we were able to travel to locations further downriver without further ado. Although Brown Jays haven't been seen for quite some time (years?), I guess there's always a chance for them as well as Muscovy Duck and Red-billed Pigeon. All you can do is stand by the river and hope for the best. In reality though, unless your timing is perfect or you have oodles of time to spend at various river crossings, the chances for all have to be very small. Still, what's that saying about raffle tickets?

After clearing Laredo traffic, birds seen along Hwy 83 as we drove south included HARRIS'S HAWK and CRESTED CARACARAS (both common); SWAINSON'S HAWK and SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHERS.

Our first stop was the river crossing in Chapeño, home of the now defunct El Rio RV park where I saw my lifer Brown Jay many years ago. Birding was difficult due to the presence of large and noisy trucks and other road machinery; and we almost bailed out until a few birds flying along the river caught our eye. Our perseverance was rewarded when a couple of MUSCOVY DUCKS flew by heading upriver. Shortly afterwards, a RINGED KINGFISHER appeared from nowhere but didn't hang around. Two targets in quick succession.

Among the other species in the Chapeño area were GOLDEN FRONTED WOODPECKER, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, PURPLE MARTIN, BANK SWALLOW, CASSIN'S SPARROW and PYRRHULOXIA.

We continued south to the river crossing in Salineño where, not surprisingly, we failed to see either the pigeon or jay. However, we did pick up a couple more easy targets in GREEN JAY and ALTAMIRA ORIOLE. Other species here included GREEN HERON, OSPREY, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, heard only WHITE-TIPPED DOVE, LADDER-BACKED & GOLDEN-FRONTED WOODPECKERS, GREAT KISKADEE, LONG-BILLED THRASHER, BLACK-CRESTED TITMOUSE, WARBLING VIREO, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and AUDUBON'S ORIOLE.

Next, we made a brief stop at Roma Bluffs, part of the "World Birding Center" (don't get me started). It was pretty warm now (90 degrees) and nothing much was stirring along the river below the overlook save for noisy COUCH'S KINGBIRDS. However, at the feeders in the courtyard, BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD was our 5th target of the day (first sighting of many I'm sure). INCA DOVES and a female BALTIMORE ORIOLE were also present in the courtyard.

It was really warm by the time we reached Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park and I only expected the low hanging fruit. Sure enough, despite the heat, it didn't take long to "find" PLAIN CHACHALACA and WHITE-TIPPED DOVE. We also saw many of the same common birds already seen earlier in the day and added a calling GRAY HAWK, COMMON MOORHEN, NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, GRAY CATBIRD, ORANGE-CROWNED & BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLERS, BRONZED COWBIRD and a few others.

After gathering some info and directions at the Visitor Center (José Uribe was extremely helpful), we headed out to Edinburg wetlands. Although we never found the right spot, we did find our target FULVOUS WHISTLING DUCKS (10+ birds) along 186 north of Hargill. In the ponds just off the highway we also saw a few egrets, shorebirds and terns, etc., including WHITE PELICAN, TRICOLORED HERON, WHITE-IBIS, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN AVOCET, LESSER YELLOWLEGS and GULL-BILLED TERN.

We finished the day with excellent views of GREEN PARAKEETS in McAllen (after blundering around for almost an hour in the wrong location); then returned to Bentsen where PAURAQUE was easy to hear. Mosquitoes were very active so we stayed only long enough to get a brief perched view and several flight views. EASTERN SCREECH-OWLS were calling.

A good end to a successful second day.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Texas trip, Day 8 ~ Lower Rio Grande Valley ~ Trip List 164 (+19)
Day 3 of 8 with David Patick.
Another warm (and windy) day in the valley. This morning we returned to Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park for a few remaining targets and had great success. Rather than waste time waiting for the first shuttle (not until 8:30am); we walked and had to tramp around for several miles.

First up was CLAY-COLORED ROBIN on the Acacia Loop (the bird was singing and fairly easy to track down). Most of the common regulars were seen in the same vicinity. Also present was a marauding SHARP-SHINNED HAWK that made several passes without success.

Then came a long walk to the Hawk Watch Tower where it was extremely windy. Our hopes here were for HOOK-BILLED KITE and GROOVE-BILLED ANI and we saw both species in less than an hour. The Anis had apparently arrived a few days ago and we saw three birds chasing around in the shrubbery below the tower. There wasn't much aloft to look at so a distant Kite easily got our attention when it finally put in an appearance. A bird had been regularly reported from this location in the preceding days.

Other species seen or heard from the tower included ANHINGA, BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, SWAINSON'S HAWK, MARSH WREN, SCARLET TANAGER, INDIGO BUNTING, numerous BRONZED COWBIRDS and stunning, close up views of an ALTAMIRA ORIOLE that flew in and perched on the railing.

Next we visited Frontera Audubon Thicket in Weslaco where we searched in vain for the two continuing rarities -- Crimson-collared Grosbeak and Blue Bunting. The grosbeak was seen but we arrived at the location a minute too late. However, we did learn some useful info. Apparently, the grosbeak seems partial to the green berries of Solanum crispum, locally referred to as "Potato Plant". The bunting seems to visit the water feature after official closing time (4:00pm).

Although it was very warm and uncomfortable here around midday, hardly the best time to be looking, we managed to record 35 species in less than two hours. CHIMNEY SWIFT, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK and OVENBIRD were the only new trip species. 

Next, we made a short visit to Estero Llano Grande State Park. We only birded from the main entrance deck overlooking Grebe Pond and had two quick "Least" target successes -- LEAST GREBE and LEAST TERN. Among the 20+ species seen from the deck were BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, BLACK-NECKED STILT, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, WILSON'S PHALAROPE and GULL-BILLED TERN.

While at Frontera Audubon Thicket, Estero Llano Grande and subsequently the Valley Nature Center in Weslaco, we gathered intel about Red-Crowned Parrots. My thanks go to Martin Hagne, executive director of the nature center, who was particularly helpful. Although the parrots can readily be seen in large roosts during the October - April period, they are much more difficult to reliably pin down once nesting starts. We'd seen reports of recent sightings but nothing that I considered really repeatable.

In the evening, using the info gathered earlier, we cruised the streets of Weslaco before finally locating a single RED-CROWNED PARROT that eventually grew to six parrots around 7:15pm near the Valley Nature Center.

A good day despite missing the two rarities (tomorrow is another day!).
 
Day list: 78 species recorded (6 targets in bold, 31 cumulative):
Least & Pied-billed Grebes; Am. White Pelican, Anhinga, White-faced Ibis, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Blue-winged Teal, N. Shoveler, Turkey Vulture, Hook-billed Kite, Sharp-shinned & Swainson's Hawks; Plain Chachalaca, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, Laughing Gull, Gull-billed & Least Terns; Rock Pigeon, Mourning, White-winged, Inca & White-tipped Doves; Red-crowned Parrot, Groove-billed Ani, Chimney Swift, Buff-bellied & Black-chinned Hummingbirds; Green Kingfisher, Golden-fronted & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers; N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Great Crested & Brown-crested Flycatchers; Great Kiskadee, Couch's & Western Kingbirds; Purple Martin, Cliff Swallow, Carolina & Marsh Wrens; Gray Catbird, N. Mockingbird, Long-billed Thrasher, Swainson's Thrush, Clay-colored Robin, Black-crested Titmouse, Green Jay, European Starling, House Sparrow, White-eyed, Blue-headed & Warbling Vireos; Orange-crowned, Nashville, Black-throated Green, Black-and-white & Wilson's Warblers; Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Scarlet & Summer Tanagers; Olive Sparrow, N. Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Bronzed & Brown-headed Cowbirds and Altamira Oriole.

Thursday, April 23, 2009
Texas trip, Day 9 ~ Lower Rio Grande Valley - Laguna Atascosa NWR - Raymondville ~ Trip List 173 (+9)
Day 4 of 8 with David Patick.
On another warm (but slightly cooler) and windy day, we focused on three rarities -- the two missed yesterday plus Masked Duck. We began by returning to Frontera Audubon Thicket at opening time (8:00am). We spent two birdy hours without target bird success before heading out to look for the duck. In retrospect, we should probably have stayed longer, but I had no idea how easy or difficult the duck would be (it was easy). However, a return to Frontera did produce the two rarities so all's well that ends well.

The morning session at Frontera produced INDIGO and PAINTED BUNTINGS but no Blue. LEAST BITTERN was a new trip species.

The two continuing female MASKED DUCKS were easy to find on Alligator Pond at Laguna Atascosa. Other species seen on a very short and focused visit included LEAST GREBE, WHITE IBIS, ROSEATE SPOONBILL, 5 SWAINSON'S HAWKS battling the wind, NORTHERN BOBWHITE and VERDIN (a friend from home).

When we returned to Frontera, we learned that the grosbeak and bunting had both been seen so we had some encouragement. We separately staked out the potato plants from the sightings yesterday and this morning; and were eventually rewarded when the female CRIMSON-COLLARED GROSBEAK called repeatedly. I radioed David (the bird was near his location) and he had also heard it. We tried to track down the bird in dense habitat without success (even though it was very close) and didn't see it until it took flight. I was able to briefly see the bird in its new location before it disappeared, never to return for the rest of the day (at least for us). This was a life bird for me as well as David.

The manager of the property graciously allowed birders to remain on the premises after closing time (actually, until 7:00pm when he would return to lock the gate). Fortunately, we didn't need all that time and by 4:30pm all parties remaining had great looks at the female BLUE BUNTING. I've only seen male Blue Buntings before and was struck by how reddish brown the bird appears, much richer than any of the field guides indicate.

Friday, April 24, 2009
Texas trip, Day 10 ~ Raymondville - King Ranch - Rockport ~ Trip List 185 (+12)
Day 5 of 8 with David Patick.
When this Texas trip with David was planned back in late August of last year, I struggled with how to handle Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. The formerly (and probably still!)  reliable area below Falcon Dam is no longer accessible. Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park offers a good chance to hear the bird but sightings are relatively infrequent. This leaves visiting private ranches as the best option. I chose to schedule a trip to King Ranch to "guarantee" the owl as well as Tropical Parula (or at least guarantee the best chance of seeing both birds since no birds can be guaranteed). Sure it's expensive ($125 per person) and requires allocating most of the day -- but what's the point of starting with an inferior plan for important birds?

Today was our day to visit the Norias division of King Ranch. The morning began very cloudy and windy and we saw temperatures range from 49 - 90 degrees on the ranch; 80 degrees on the coast when we reached Rockport in late afternoon.

I was a little worried when I saw how windy it was, as was our guide, Peggy Kuhn. However, she sensibly worked on finding an owl as first priority and we were successful at the second location tried. It didn't look good for a while but just as we were about to move on, a brief toot from an owl changed that. After a couple of minutes, David spotted a fairly close but well obscured FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWL. Fortunately, the owl soon moved to a more favorable position and perched in the clear (well, just one twig!) for all to see. In a similar fashion to the Northern Pygmy-Owl that I'm used to dealing with in AZ, the bird remained perched in the same spot for some time and in the end it was a walk-away deal. David was well pleased with his lifer (as were most of the 14 tour participants) and I was happy to get a photo first.

TROPICAL PARULA was the next target and it was considerably easier to coax into view than the owl had been. The warbler perched in clear view and sang. I tried for a photo but poor light meant that the resulting images didn't make the cut even using my relaxed photo first standard.

We had several views of soaring WHITE-TAILED HAWKS as well as a chick in the nest for our third and final target of the day.

Other tour targets were NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET that was a bit of a pill before capitulating; and a very cooperative BOTTERI'S SPARROW that sang spontaneously and posed nicely as we stepped out of the vehicles.

I recorded a total of 70 species on the ranch including LEAST GREBE, HARRIS'S HAWK, CRESTED CARACARA, many "WILD" TURKEYS, several groups of NORTHERN BOBWHITES, MOTTLED DUCK (a distant view so David will wait to count this one), several GREATER ROADRUNNERS, BARN OWL, GREAT HORNED OWL, VERMILION FLYCATCHER, EASTERN KINGBIRD and many species that we had seen in the valley over the past few days.

Regular readers will know how much I hate trying to find birds in the wind. As an ear birder, it's a serious handicap for me so I could appreciate how difficult it was for our guide. She did an excellent job of getting the most important tour species.

This concludes our time in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas. After the tour ended we drove to Rockport on the coast above Corpus, ready for coastal birding over the next couple of days. A couple of WHITE-TAILED HAWKS were perched along Hwy 77 as we drove north to Kingsville.

Saturday, April 25, 2009
Texas trip, Day 11 ~ Rockport - Quintana - Texas City ~ Trip List 205 (+20)
Day 6 of 8 with David Patick.
Targets are fewer now (just two for the day) and less hectic days are ahead. Today we worked our way up the coast from Rockport to Quintana. It was a windy day and the temperature only reached 80 degrees under cloudy skies.

Before heading north, we birded a few locations around Rockport. I last birded in this area during a January trip last year. We checked several waterfront spots in Rockport and Fulton; Oystercatcher Point at the base of the bridge over Aransas Bay, the (all but dry) pond at Holiday Beach and Goose Island State Park.

Although our only target bird success was SANDWICH TERN (a couple were at Oystercatcher Point), we came across a fair number of species including many RUDDY TURNSTONES and SANDERLINGS;  TRICOLORED HERON, REDDISH EGRET, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, lots of LAUGHING and a few HERRING & RING-BILLED GULLS and CASPIAN, ROYAL & LEAST TERNS.

On the drive north we saw CRESTED CARACARA, SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER and the first AMERICAN CROW of the trip.

Quintana Beach was very popular on a Saturday afternoon and our quest for Snowy Plover wasn't helped by the fact that driving on beaches is an okay thing in Texas. Fortunately, the further we traveled from the access point towards the Brazos river mouth, the less traffic we encountered. David and I searched long, hard and unsuccessfully for Snowy Plover on our trip to California in March last year so it was a serious target today.

We found found a total of 6 plover species including five -- BLACK-BELLIED, SEMIPALMATED, WILSON'S & PIPING PLOVERS and KILLDEER before finding a lone SNOWY PLOVER (phew!).

During a two hour search for the plover, we saw many of the same species seen further south in the Rockport area plus DUNLIN, HORNED LARK, SAVANNAH SPARROW and BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE.

Sunday, April 26, 2009
Texas trip, Day 12 ~ Texas City - Anahuac NWR - Houston - Lufkin ~ Trip List 216 (+11)
Day 7 of 8 with David Patick.
Mottled Duck, Monk Parakeet and Seaside Sparrow were our targets for the day (all seen but not without some effort). Another mostly cloudy and windy morning with sunshine later in the day.

The day began poorly at the ferry dock in Galveston. We arrived just as a ferry was departing and due to some unspecified problem, we didn't get underway for over an hour (service is supposed to be every 20 minutes). BLACK SKIMMER near the ferry terminal was a new trip species.

After leaving the ferry and driving along Bolivar Peninsula, the effect of last year's hurricane was very evident (much like a war zone in places) with entire sections completely wiped out. I was glad that I hadn't planned to get Snowy Plover here.

We started birding at Anahuac NWR and soon found MOTTLED DUCK in the flooded fields along the entrance road. Actually, we'd already seen the bird on two previous days but now we had a good close up and satisfactory view. Other species seen before reaching the refuge proper were BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER and numerous singing DICKCISSELS.

SEASIDE SPARROW proved a tough nut to crack and it took over two hours before we found a perched up bird (not that it stayed perched for long). I haven't had such problems in the past and I wonder if the hurricane has impacted their habitat resulting in reduced numbers. Just a WAG on my part.

Species on the refuge during a focused search (35 total) included SORA (heard), CLAPPER RAIL (seen), a few SEDGE and many MARSH WRENS; numerous SAVANNAH SPARROWS and abundant ORCHARD ORIOLES.

For our final target of the day we drove to the University of Texas campus in Houston. While watching the feeders there (no Parakeets), we noted RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, several ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, many AMERICAN ROBINS, BLUE JAY and OVENBIRD.

We abandoned the feeders in favor of hanging out at the long standing MONK PARAKEET nesting and living quarters atop a cell tower next to McDonalds (very close to campus). It didn't take long to find at least four birds -- they flew in to the trees in the roadside median and then fed in the grass until they realized that a guy hiding behind a tree pointing a lens at them was not normal. Photos (not great but usable): in grass, in tree.

Mid-afternoon success allowed us plenty of time to drive to Lufkin (~120 miles NE of Houston) ready for birding in the Angelina National Forest tomorrow,

Monday, April 27, 2009
Texas trip, Day 13 ~ Lufkin - Angelina National Forest - Lake Jackson ~ Trip List 229 (+13)
Day 8 of 8 with David Patick.
The final day saw us down to just one target, Bachman's Sparrow (the only reason for visiting East Texas on this trip). My experience with this species (only a handful of encounters) has been that it's relatively easy to locate and usually difficult to see. Patience is the keyword for this bird.

We were on site early in the Angelina National Forest near Boykin Springs. The area that we birded had recently been burned for habitat management -- so recent in fact that several trees were still smoldering and the ground was heavily charred. Our shoes and pants were filthy after an hour or so of walking round. There wasn't much understory remaining and I wondered how that might impact our quest for the sparrow. Is the nesting season really the appropriate time for a burn? Perhaps the burn was solely for the purpose of maintaining Red-cockaded Woodpecker habitat and screw the sparrow that surely needs some grassy stuff during the nesting season. As things turned out, we heard and followed several birds and all of them stayed relatively high in the pines (they had nowhere else to hide).

We were run ragged for a while until one kind BACHMAN'S SPARROW took pity on us and perched relatively low below the needle zone in a pine. We had excellent views of the bird as it sang for almost 5 minutes. Photographically, I didn't fare too well though, due to poor light and an obscuring branch.

Sparrows apart, the pines were fairly quiet. We heard EASTERN BLUEBIRD and multiple PINE WARBLERS. Light tapping led us to a RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER. Nearby broadleaf habitat held TUFTED TITMOUSE, BLUE JAY, WHITE-EYED VIREO and HOODED WARBLER.

With all targets now exhausted, we headed over to Martin Dies Jr. State Park (west of Jasper on Hwy 190) for the only casual birding of the trip. This was a very pleasant location to bird (big-assed mosquitoes notwithstanding) and a couple of hours spent in the park were very interesting and productive. In fact, I managed to see my second lifer of the trip when a SWALLOW-TAILED KITE soared fairly low over our heads -- twice. I was slow on the draw otherwise I would have had a decent flight shot.

Swallow-tailed Kite occurs mostly as a migrant in Texas but there is a small breeding population along the Trinity river, also in East Texas. I'd tentatively planned to visit there after David and I part company but that's no longer necessary!

Vireos were the most prevalent species (by song at least). We heard WHITE-EYED, YELLOW-THROATED (common) & RED-EYED and saw WARBLING. Flycatchers were represented by EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE (several singing); a calling GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER and at least 4 ACADIAN FLYCATCHERS. In the warbler department we had TENNESSEE, several YELLOW-THROATED, a couple of PROTHONOTARY (one still singing even with a large bug in its bill); KENTUCKY, HOODED and NORTHERN PARULA. Other species included RED-HEADED, RED-BELLIED & DOWNY WOODPECKERS; CAROLINA WREN, BROWN THRASHER, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, SUMMER TANAGER, CARDINAL, INDIGO BUNTING and ORCHARD ORIOLE.

After the last supper (lunch) in Livingston, we headed south to Houston Airport. Rain began as we approached the airport and it became very heavy in late afternoon. David's flight home was delayed considerably. I also encountered rain as I drove south to Lake Jackson for a final day of birding on the coast tomorrow.

Overall, the trip was extremely successful and during the 8 days we picked up 43 target species. This was more than either of us had initially envisaged when the trip was conceived, mainly due to the presence of lingering winter rarities and some perseverance with parrot species. Although we essentially conceded Red-billed Pigeon, Brown Jay and Tamaulipas Crow (no recent reports of the latter two species), we didn't miss any of the species that we specifically sought.

The 43 targets seen were:
Least Grebe, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Muscovy, Mottled & Masked Ducks; Hook-billed Kite, White-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Plain Chachalaca, Snowy Plover, Sandwich & Least Terns; White-tipped Dove, Green & Monk Parakeets; Red-crowned Parrot, Groove-billed Ani, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Pauraque, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Ringed & Green Kingfishers; Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Great Kiskadee, Couch's Kingbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Cave Swallow, Long-billed Thrasher, Clay-colored Robin, Black-crested Titmouse, Green Jay, Black-capped Vireo, Tropical Parula, Golden-cheeked Warbler, White-collared Seedeater, Olive, Bachman's & Seaside Sparrows; Crimson-collared Grosbeak, Blue & Painted Buntings; and Altamira & Audubon's Orioles.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Texas trip, Day 14 ~ Brazoria County ~ Trip List 239 (+10)
After wrestling with where to spend my last day, I decided to bird in the Quintana area again. I wanted to avoid the High Island Zoo even though I would have seen more birds there (maybe even a Black-billed Cuckoo!). Also, I wanted to avoid traveling further south within range of Corpus Christi where the ABA convention is taking place. Those who know me will be well aware that crowd birding is definitely not my style.

Lots of overnight rain made for very soggy conditions this morning but the rain mostly held off during the day. Houston fared even worse and there were lots of problems there. It was a cloudy day and bugs were a real problem for only the second time on the trip.

I started at the tiny HAS sanctuary in Quintana where mosquitoes outnumbered birds by a significant factor. I was hoping that the stormy conditions might have produced a fallout but I didn't see a single warbler in an hour of early morning birding. I should probably have returned later in the day but I couldn't face the mosquitoes again. I photographed male and female PURPLE MARTINS at the martin house across the street from the entrance (a photo first for me). It's interesting how Texas birds return at least two months earlier than Arizona birds (perhaps due to bug availability?).

Migrants noted in the sanctuary included BROWN THRASHER, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, several ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS, lots of INDIGO BUNTINGS and BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

Next, I returned to Quintana beach where we searched for Snowy Plover last Saturday. What a contrast. First off, I was the only person on the beach for a while. The rain/stormy conditions had brought all the accumulated trash high on the beach. What a mess. The locals should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves; there's no excuse for dumping trash on the beach. I donned my wellies and decided to walk rather than risk driving at high tide.

In complete contrast to a few days ago, I found two easy SNOWY PLOVERS, many BLACK-BELLIED and a few SEMIPALMATED -- but not a single Wilson's or Piping. Terns were well represented with a couple of SANDWICH, many ROYAL, a few FORSTER'S, countless LEAST and a couple of BLACK TERNS. I saw 3 REDDISH EGRETS and 2 TRICOLORED HERONS on the inland lagoons where a couple of RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS lingered. RUDDY TURNSTONES in breeding plumage were common as were SANDERLINGS (some just acquiring breeding plumage). DUNLINS and SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS were almost in full breeding plumage.

After a quick check of Quintana Jetty (heavy surf, few birds), I was driving back along Burnet Road at the right time to see a MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD very low overhead. Just like yesterday's kite, my timing was perfect. Also like the kite, I couldn't react quickly enough to get a photo (although from the distant image I could tell the bird was not a full adult). We could have used this bird earlier in the week since it would have been a lifer for David. My lifer came in Mexico and this was only my second US sighting.

I ended the day in the grassy and marshy habitat along Blue Water Highway (CR57) east of Surfside. Although I was pleased to rustle up a hoped for SEASIDE SPARROW, an unexpected lingering NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW was a better bird. I also saw WHITE IBIS, ROSEATE SPOONBILL, LONG-BILLED CURLEW and NORTHERN HARRIER.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Texas trip, Day 15 ~ Lake Jackson - El Paso ~ Trip List 238 (+0)
Virtually nothing to report today as I began the first leg of my journey home. I drove from Lake Jackson to El Paso, a distance of 800 miles. It was a very cloudy and humid until I reached West Texas when the dry heat kicked in (95 degrees was the highest temperature that I encountered). I paid very little attention to roadside birds. I had planned to stop at South Llano River State Park in the Hill Country but it was still cloudy and very windy when I arrived in Junction so I kept on truckin'

Thursday, April 30, 2009
Texas trip, Day 16 ~ El Paso - Willcox - Sierra Vista ~ Trip List 238 (+0) only birds in Texas included
The home stretch. After picking up the Blue Trogon in El Paso, all I wanted to do was get home. However, I decided to make a stop at Willcox where it was already quite toasty under a clear sky at 10:00am.

I've mentioned before that when I push myself a little, good things often happen. Nothing spectacular today but I did pick up two new location species -- WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE and, more interestingly, an immature NEOTROPIC CORMORANT. This is a species that has dramatically expanded its range in Arizona in recent years. Of course, there's no telling where this bird originated from and I'm not suggesting that Willcox is a potential breeding site, far from it. I also saw two more distant cormorants but not well enough to identify with certainty.

Less common location species (listed in order of increasing abundance) were LAZULI BUNTING (30 birds on the golf course grass, roughly 50-50 male-female); a male MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER (my first spring migrant record at Willcox, I have a few records in fall); WHITE-WINGED DOVE, GREAT EGRET, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW and VERMILION FLYCATCHER.

Others among the 40 species that I recorded were 2 LESSER SCAUP, a few BLACK-NECKED STILTS and AVOCETS; 5 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 22 WILLETS, over 60 WILSON'S PHALAROPES (most were brightly colored females); singing EASTERN MEADOWLARKS and chattering BULLOCK'S ORIOLES.

I now have a few days to myself before I start working with clients again. Look for journal reports to resume after May 4. I'll put together a Texas trip summary as my schedule permits.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Thursday, April 30, 2009

April Species Seen

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

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