Aug. Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - August, 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 Monday, August 31, 2009

Saturday, August 1, 2009
This morning I visited Luna Lake where I wanted to check for Northern Pygmy-Owl. I spent several hours in the pines at the east end of the lake and came up empty. It was another nonsoon, rain free day in the mountains and quite warm in the afternoon.

Before leaving Nutrioso I listened in a few areas for Pinyon Jays (none seen or heard). I watched a male LAZULI BUNTING dueling by song with an unseen BLUE GROSBEAK. Each time that the grosbeak sang, the bunting would throw its head back and respond with a burst of its own. I also heard occasional song from GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE, but they are definitely winding down. It won't be too long before the early birds head down to southeast Arizona.

RED CROSSBILL was perhaps the best bird that I found while not finding an owl. This is almost always a difficult bird to pin down and Luna Lake is the most reliable place that I know to find this capricious nomad. I could hear them calling for almost the entire time that I was in their habitat. 

Other regular species in the pines included HAIRY WOODPECKER, PURPLE MARTIN, hordes of PYGMY NUTHATCHES, singing PLUMBEOUS VIREO, several singing GRACE'S WARBLERS and many DARK-EYED (Red-backed) JUNCOS.

Near the tackle shop I added CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD and WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER.

Not much of special note on the water -- too early for migrant waterfowl. EARED GREBES are still feeding youngsters. Surprisingly, a lone YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was the first that I've seen since arriving in the White Mountains. 40 species in all at the lake.

During a check of Nutrioso, ACORN WOODPECKER was the least common species that I noted. Among the usual suspects were EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, LEWIS'S WOODPECKER, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER and WESTERN BLUEBIRD.

Juniper Hill regulars included lots of RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY and SPOTTED TOWHEE.

Sunday, August 2, 2009
Disappointingly, today is my last day in the White Mountains. I'll be heading home tomorrow to take care of a problem that arose after completing only 1 week of my planned 3 week stay. Today I visited Terry Flat and Hulsey Lake on Escudilla then traveled west on FR 249 where I checked Sierra Blanca Lake and a couple of Three Forks locations; then finished up at Crescent Lake. The dry, monsoon-less weather continues. It was actually chilly at Terry Flat early this morning but the temperature was almost 90 degrees when I returned to Juniper Hill at noon. Too damn warm for this neck of the woods. Dropping down off the mountain on Hwy 261 from Crescent Lake usually provides a great view of the plains to the north. However, the view from "Point of the Mountain" overlook today was quite yucky.

I drove the loop at Terry Flat listening carefully for Three-toed Woodpecker and did not hear any calls or drumming. Since they have already fledged young, I wasn't expecting much even though I had heard two birds drumming at Sheep Crossing a few days ago.

Hulsey Lake had some noisy kids and very few birds.

Sierra Blanca Lake was more productive. Best bird was an immature male NORTHERN HARRIER perched a long way from my vantage point. I tentatively identified the bird but had to wait 20 minutes for the bird to fly to confirm the identification. I've seen Harriers almost every year in late summer but they are definitely not common and I haven't yet managed a July record in the White Mountains.

EARED GREBE and CINNAMON TEAL were on the water and I heard SORA calling from the extensive marshes. WESTERN BLUEBIRDS were very common around the lake. Also present in the forest adjacent to the lake were CLARK'S NUTCRACKER and TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE.

Next I checked the burn area a few miles east of Three Forks. As I mentioned last year, the fire occurred in 2004 and I wondered how long it would remain attractive to Three-toed Woodpeckers. I had great success in 2005, 2006 and 2007 but dipped last year as I did today. I think the burn has run its course. Nevertheless, it's still a good place for woodpeckers in general, regardless of the burn status, so it's still worth a look. Today I found only a few HAIRY WOODPECKERS and lots of FLICKERS.

Best bird was an immature GRAY FLYCATCHER near the old corral. This was an interesting sighting -- apart from being in an odd place (presumably migrating), the bird had an abnormally long bill, perhaps 1.25 inches versus the normal 0.75 inches. It looked very odd so I'm glad the bird was "whit-ing" and tail dipping.

At Three Forks proper I found ROCK WREN, a bird that is very consistent here. I didn't have to time to check the west burn which would have taken several hours to do it justice (plus it was already way too warm).

Crescent Lake had plenty of fisherman on the weekend but it didn't seem to bother BALD EAGLE and OSPREY soaring low over the water. I counted 5 WHITE-FACED IBIS in the marsh (just one a few days ago).

BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS passing by Juniper Hill were a sure sign that some individuals of this species are starting their seasonal movement (not a common bird on the property in midsummer). I was also pleased to see a lone WHITE-WINGED DOVE that was a new property species for me (#75).

Monday, August 3, 2009
Today I drove home from Nutrioso, a journey of about 300 miles. I made a brief stop at Luna Lake and managed to tough out a stop at Willcox for almost an hour (I don't know what the temperature actually was, just that it was more than I could stand).

A singing BLUE GROSBEAK was the last Juniper Hill species of the trip as I got underway at 5:40am this morning.

CANADA GOOSE is normally a common species on most White Mountain lakes but a couple of birds at Luna Lake were the first of the trip. Other species noted included CINNAMON TEAL, OSPREY, lots of TREE SWALLOWS working low over the water and a few YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS in the marsh.

I saw a fire burning in the Mogollon Mountains east of Glenwood in New Mexico, a reminder of the heat that lies ahead. Reality normally sets in for me shortly after I enter Arizona in Greenlee County. After leaving the relative coolness of the pines near Blackjack Campground, the highway drops 1000 feet in less than 3 miles and the hazy vista of the dry landscape is always startling. The elevation drops a further 2000' over the next 10 miles.

Among the species heard as I drove through the pines on Hwy 78 were WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, MEXICAN JAY and PLUMBEOUS VIREO -- species that are all standard fare in pine habitat.

It was pretty toasty at Willcox even at 9:45am and I almost decided to leave immediately. However, it wasn't going to get much cooler where I was going so it was a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained. Shorebird habitat continues to improve as the water level drops and most of the birds that I mentioned on July 27 were still present in numbers, particularly AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-NECKED STILT, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER and WILSON'S PHALAROPE.

DOUBLE-CRESTED and NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS (both very scarce at this location) have been around for some time. Today they were side by side on some rocks for a good comparison.  Species that I didn't see last week on my way up to the mountains included 73 LONG-BILLED CURLEWS, a single MARBLED GODWIT and 5 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. I recorded a total of 29 species at Willcox.

Back in Sorry Vista, the trip ended on a sour note. While running errands, I locked my keys in the car (two sets of keys, no less) and had to wait around in the heat after calling AAA. I carry two sets just so this doesn't happen! Reality bites.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Recent weather has been, yes, you guessed it, hot and dry and there's no relief in sight according to the weather folks. Yesterday I had to run an errand in Tucson and it was already 102 degrees before 10:00am. Sierra Vista reached 100 later in the day. Let's hope the monsoon makes a late comeback sometime in August or even September. Today was a little better than I expected. The day began quite cloudy and relatively cool at the expense of some humidity. However, it was clear and pretty warm by late morning even in Sawmill Canyon. Monsoon clouds built up in the afternoon but only produced some light rain by early evening.

José picked up his first lifer of the day -- GREAT ROADRUNNER as we waited to enter Fort Huachuca in a line of traffic. 

I chose to start in Huachuca Canyon where trogons are now more reliable than my former first choice of Garden Canyon. However, even before entering the canyon proper we picked up ACORN WOODPECKER, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER and a heard only BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER. Several families of noisy CASSIN'S KINGBIRD and a lone WILD TURKEY were also present.

We walked the trail above the last picnic area (1.7 miles from the canyon gate) and only had to go about 1/2 mile before seeing a male ELEGANT TROGON. The bird didn't vocalize and I just happened to be looking in the right direction at the right moment. We had a wonderful eye-level view from about 40 feet for perhaps a minute. The rest of the day was now gravy.

Other Huachuca Canyon species were CANYON WREN, PAINTED REDSTART, HEPATIC TANAGER, SPOTTED TOWHEE, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

A stop at Garden Canyon fishing ponds to track what turned out to be a COOPER'S HAWK also produced VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW and BLUE GROSBEAK. I was excited to see an immature DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT on the Gravel Pit pond. It's not often that I pick up new location species. The cormorant was #244 in the Huachucas and I've only added 20 in the past 6 years, 40 in the last 10 years.

In the grassland we had good looks at a couple of BOTTERI'S SPARROWS while a singing CASSIN'S SPARROW remained unseen. We also saw ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, EASTERN MEADOWLARK and a soaring PEREGRINE FALCON.

The road up to Sawmill is definitely on the rocky and rough side but it can still be negotiated in a relatively low clearance vehicle. We made a roadside stop to track down a family of very elusive BEWICK'S WRENS, a flock of twittering BUSHTITS, BRIDLED TITMOUSE and PLUMBEOUS & HUTTON'S VIREOS (eventually seen in the same binocular view). A spiffy male BLACK-BACKED LESSER GOLDFINCH was also present.

Sawmill Canyon was very quiet from 10:00am to noon and we had to work for every species except BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER. I don't think I've ever encountered as many birds as today. Most went unseen (since we had seen one immediately after entering the canyon) but we heard them throughout the canyon and had occasional additional sightings. Almost all were working low in the grass from small pines and junipers (which is typical behavior). An ELEGANT TROGON was barking away in the lower canyon near "where the cabin used to be", henceforth known as the start of the main road up the canyon, or the first cable (a cable blocks the road).

Several SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS were roaming around. This is a fairly scarce post-breeding visitor to Sawmill (they breed not far away in Garden Canyon). We chipped away and had to be content with small victories such as BROWN CREEPER, MEXICAN JAY, female HEPATIC TANAGER and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO (adult feeding streaky dark-eyed immature).

Although we encountered ARIZONA WOODPECKER at least five times, we never laid eyes on a bird despite several pursuits.

Just as I was about to concede that we would not find a warbler (1 mile into the canyon and not a song nor chip note heard), increasing clouds blocked the sun and we came across male and female BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS (silent) and a few singing GRACE'S WARBLERS. 20 species in all.

Driving back down Garden Canyon, we had a fabulous view of a male ELEGANT TROGON just feet from the car window at eye-level in full sun. Unfortunately, José couldn't get his camera operational quickly enough and the photo opportunity was gone. The bird skipped down canyon ahead of us and we enjoyed more views and obtained a few images in less than ideal light.

Friday, August 7, 2009
Out today with Tom Lewis from Gilbert, AZ. Tom contacted me yesterday and we arranged this outing in the Huachucas at short notice. We've birded together on two previous occasions but this was the first time in summer. Consequently, we had plenty of opportunities for new species. We essentially replicated what I did on Wednesday with similar results. The warm and dry weather continues but there was a little bit of a hazy sky and a breeze today. Conditions were pleasant in Huachuca Canyon at 6:00am with the temperature in the low 60s (this canyon doesn't get much sunlight until later in the morning); up to 90 degrees by early afternoon.

ELEGANT TROGON was easier to find this morning than a couple of days ago. Two birds were calling just above the stream crossing at the last picnic area in Huachuca Canyon and we enjoyed great views with very little time and effort expended. Other birds here included ACORN WOODPECKER, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, several noisy SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, PAINTED REDSTART and a couple of singing SPOTTED TOWHEES.

The immature DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT continues at Garden Canyon Fishing Ponds where we also saw COOPER'S HAWK, a few VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS, 1 female and 4 male LAZULI BUNTINGS and a handful of common species.

In Garden Canyon grassland we had scope views of BOTTERI'S and CASSIN'S SPARROWS. Botteri's were numerous, vocal and easy to detect. However, we only came across one singing and skylarking Cassin's and it was initially quite elusive to see. Also in the grassland were the usual WESTERN & CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, VERDIN, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, many LARK SPARROWS (including juveniles); singing BLUE GROSBEAKS and a few EASTERN MEADOWLARKS.

Continuing higher into Garden Canyon, in order we added more "rubber-ducky" SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS, PAINTED REDSTART, a male HEPATIC TANAGER, STELLER'S JAY, a singing CANYON WREN and a nicely posed male ELEGANT TROGON at the pictograph site.  

Shortly after we entered Sawmill Canyon I could hear MEXICAN JAYS kicking up more of a fuss than their normal obnoxious squawking. I said to Tom that they might have an owl and that turned out to be the case. When I first saw the owl I hoped for a Spotted Owl but it turned out to be "just" a GREAT HORNED OWL. Today was my 600th visit to Sawmill and this is only the second time that I've seen Great Horned in the canyon. Even a male ELEGANT TROGON joined the mobbing activity, all the time giving its alarm call (a clucking sound not unlike a squirrel). The trogon continued to vocalize (the normal territorial barking) for quite some time.

In contrast to my visit a couple of days ago, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were much less vocal and inconspicuous. We eventually had good views of 3-4 birds and heard more. WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES were the most common birds as they were almost everywhere. Activity in general was very low and we only turned up 21 regular species in just over two hours, the least common of which was EASTERN BLUEBIRD. Others included GRACE'S WARBLER, PAINTED REDSTART, HEPATIC TANAGER and numerous YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS.

Back in Garden Canyon, a brief stop at the feeders above the upper picnic area was productive. Best bird was a VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD that put in one brief appearance. This is not a common species in the Huachucas, even at the major feeding stations. We also saw male and female BROAD-BILLED & BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS and a male MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD.

After pursuing several ARIZONA WOODPECKERS on Wednesday and one today in Sawmill without success, payback came when a bird flew across the road and landed in a skinny roadside tree near the Lower Picnic Area. Good views from close range.

Sunday, August 9, 2009
This morning I joined the regular Sunday morning outing at Sierra Vista EOP. A total of 10 diehard and foolhardy birders walked around the various impoundments from 7:00-9:30am. I checked the weather forecast last night and ventured out because of a promise of "20% cloud cover" (there's no shade at this location so cloud cover is important). Although no such relief was forthcoming, the temperature wasn't too bad for the first couple of hours.

On today's evidence, returning waterfowl are still somewhere north of here. There wasn't too much in the way of migrant shorebirds either. Most of the "good" sightings came in the form of less common landbirds. A singing BELL'S VIREO was a location first for me; a male WESTERN TANAGER was only my second record while GILA WOODPECKER and COMMON GROUND-DOVE were both third records.

Highlights included a perched PEREGRINE FALCON, excellent views of an immature SORA at close range at the edge of a marsh (I don't think the bird had learned how to be afraid); and a couple of COMMON MOORHENS (an adult and a probable immature, my first August records at the EOP).

Other species included SWAINSON'S HAWK, 5+ SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, 6 WILSON'S PHALAROPES, a BLACK TERN still in alternate plumage; good numbers of BANK SWALLOWS, 2 BLUE GROSBEAKS, well over 20 colorful LAZULI BUNTINGS in scattered locations; 3-4 BULLOCK'S ORIOLES and hundreds of YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009
With the incentive of an Aztec Thrush currently in Ramsey Canyon (where I rarely go), this morning I visited Carr Canyon to check the chokecherry tree near the spring on the Old Sawmill Trail. This location is mentioned on page 162 in the current edition of TAS' Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona. A total of 7 Aztec Thrushes were seen here in August 1996.  I would have settled for one today. It was a strange weather day -- cloudy, muggy and mild in the early hours with increasing clouds and some light rain later in the day. Nothing to write home about though.

SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS were noisy and conspicuous in the lower canyon. The drive up the windy road to Reef produced lots of WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS and even more SPOTTED TOWHEES. Reef Campground is still closed due to bear activity (through Aug 14 I believe, although the closure date has already been extended once). I saw bear scat in several places along the Old Sawmill trail so be bear aware.

After I was done on the trail, I checked a few pine/fir areas along the road between Reef and Ramsey Vista. Several GREATER PEWEES were detected via their vocalizations (mostly calls with just a little singing). PLUMBEOUS & HUTTON'S VIREOS with recently fledged young were in several locations. I also saw WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, PAINTED REDSTART, more HEPATIC TANAGERS, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.

A stop at the waterfall overlook on the way back down the mountain yielded CANYON WREN and LAZULI BUNTING (not entirely expected here but not too out of place either).

Friday, August 14, 2009
This morning I visited the San Pedro Riparian NCA where I'd originally planned to go yesterday morning. However, constant overnight rain on Wednesday didn't abate until 10:00am on Thursday. This was followed by sporadic rain throughout much of the day. It was hardly monsoonal but it's a start. Despite the rain, the river has a pitiful amount of flow for this time of year and reflects the general lack of rainfall from a weak monsoon season. My main objective was to find a few early migrants. Although I was moderately successful in that regard, breeding birds made up the bulk of the 50 species that I recorded.

Sparrows certainly responded to the rain and I heard 8-10 CASSIN'S SPARROWS singing from dense mesquite along Hwy 90 between Avenida del Sol and the river. They were also singing on the SPRNCA, mostly on the west side of del Valle road. BOTTERI'S SPARROWS sang from the less dense areas of mesquite-grassland south and southeast of the San Pedro House. BLUE GROSBEAKS were also in full voice.

TROPICAL KINGBIRDS (4-6) were active and very conspicuous (but only occasionally vocal) at Kingfisher Pond. I heard at least 4 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS either at the pond or within a few hundred yards along the river. Among the other expected species at the pond and immediately adjacent along the river were GREEN HERON, VERMILION FLYCATCHER (several families with youngsters still being fed); BLACK PHOEBE, numerous CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, many YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS, SUMMER TANAGER and abundant ABERT'S TOWHEES.

Species seen away from the immediate river corridor included GRAY HAWK, many COMMON GROUND-DOVES, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, BELL'S VIREO feeding young; many LESSER GOLDFINCHES (one feeding a BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD more than twice its size); a few LARK & BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS and lots of immature SONG SPARROWS out in the dry grassy areas.

WILLOW FLYCATCHER was the least common migrant. Looking at my records, I see a step function for this species in mid August. Today's sighting was my earliest fall record in southeastern AZ (previously August 19). Perhaps the bird was from the AZ breeding population rather than a breeder from further north. CHIPPING SPARROWS (still with full reddish breeding caps) and WILSON'S WARBLER were also on the early side (my 2nd earliest SE AZ date for Wilson's). Other migrants included SPOTTED SANDPIPER, a couple of WESTERN TANAGERS and ~10 LAZULI BUNTINGS.

I'm not sure how to classify a GREEN KINGFISHER at Black Phoebe pond. This species used to be a fairly common year round resident; now its a rare visitor, mostly in fall and early winter. A bird was first reported a couple of weeks ago which makes it much earlier than usual this year.

Sunday, August 16, 2009
To paraphrase a movie title "if this is Sunday, it must be Sierra Vista EOP". Ten folks wandered around the ponds in full sun this morning and were rewarded with an excellent tally (for mid August) of 56 species including a few early, new and less common species. [Actually, 57 species including an unidentified nighthawk flying very high and heading south -- possibly Common rather than the local resident Lesser.] The city recently added an access gate on Moson Road that provides access to a few more ponds and some decent mesquite and scrubby habitat. Seven of us spent some time in this area after the main walk and added four species that had not been seen earlier.

CLARK'S GREBE was by far the best bird for me. Not only was it a new location bird (#198), it was also my first sighting in southeast Arizona in August. The bar graph in the TAS guide shows them absent from SE AZ for most of July and almost all of August. MARSH WREN was another excellent bird. This was an August first for me at the EOP and my earliest fall sighting. I have two other August records, both at Whitewater Draw.

Other less common location species were GREEN HERON, female WOOD DUCK, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, GILA WOODPECKER, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER and BELL'S VIREO. Also, CASSIN'S SPARROWS were singing along highway 90 and at least one was heard from the interior of the EOP.

LAZULI BUNTINGS were very common, conspicuous and colorful in the high grasses and weeds.

Five species of regular swallows were seen including excellent close up views of BANK SWALLOWS at close range.

Shorebirds/waders were not impressive, although any at this location are good. Today we saw WHITE-FACED IBIS and 5 SPOTTED, 3 WESTERN & 2 LEAST SANDPIPERS.

Other species included a perched PEREGRINE FALCON (bothered by a MOCKINGBIRD and eventually bugged enough to fly way); a well hidden SWAINSON'S HAWK that defied identification for a while, CINNAMON & GREEN-WINGED TEAL, calling SORA, a decent sized group of CHIHUAHUAN RAVENS, one or two BLACK-THROATED and numerous LARK SPARROWS; at least 3 singing BLUE GROSBEAKS and a flock of 20+ LARK BUNTINGS still holding enough breeding plumage to be deemed "spiffy".

Monday, August 17, 2009
Out today with Susan Jones and Kay Bergey from Winston-Salem, NC. I've birded with Susan on four previous occasions. We visited the San Pedro RNCA and Carr Canyon without a target bird agenda. It was another dry and super warm day.

A couple of relatively cool early morning hours on the San Pedro were very productive and enjoyable. Activity wasn't quite as high as my visit last Friday but we still saw a decent selection of species (45 in all). We began in the grassland southwest of the San Pedro House where we had decent views of CASSIN'S & BOTTERI'S SPARROWS. Both species were singing and easy to detect, although Botteri's sang with less gusto and was more difficult to see.

After some concerted scanning at Kingfisher Pond, we saw the continuing GREEN KINGFISHER perched quite high on a snag on the west side of the pond. This time I saw the front of the bird and was able to determine that it was a female. After perching high and motionless for some time, the bird eventually dropped lower to make a fishing attempt followed by a "double click" call. All this was around 7:30am. Other species at the pond included GREEN HERON, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and TROPICAL KINGBIRD.

Migrants today were about the same as a couple of days ago and included WILSON'S WARBLER, WESTERN TANAGER and many LAZULI BUNTINGS. Near the San Pedro House we added a flock of ~20 LARK BUNTINGS (mixed males and females). A similar quantity and mix flock was at the EOP yesterday and may have been the same flock.

CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD was our last bird on the SPRNCA and it was certainly the best bird for me (location species #233). Calliope is mainly a mountain migrant (foothills and high elevation) and this was one of very few that I've seen at low elevation away from the Paton's (where I have 6 records). It's interesting to note that several Calliope Hummers have been reported at other locations along the river over the past few days.

It was already warm by the time we started in Carr Canyon and birds were far from easy to come by. A family of noisy SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS at the second stream crossing were an exception. Youngsters were still being fed.

With time and effort, we located 40+ species and had good views of all the breeding warblers in the vicinity of Reef -- OLIVE (sub adult males and adult males); VIRGINIA'S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, GRACE'S & RED-FACED WARBLERS and multiple PAINTED REDSTARTS. No migrant warblers were noted. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER was heard only.

Reef Campground remains closed to campers due to bear activity. I haven't seen anything official about another closure extension and I thought the campground was due to reopen this past weekend. We saw a good sized young BLACK BEAR wandering around today.

Highlight of the day for me was a soaring adult dark-morph SHORT-TAILED HAWK seen looking south from Carr Canyon Road. Location was about 0.8 mile beyond Reef Campground entrance, about 0.4 mile from Ramsey Vista Campground.

Thursday, August 20, 2009
Out today with Dave Kubitsky from Lititz, PA who I've birded with on three previous occasions. This outing was scheduled some time ago for later in the month with undefined targets. However, my early return from the White Mountains allowed us to reschedule. Primary targets for the day in Patagonia were Sinaloa Wren (heard) and Rufous-capped Warbler (seen). A better view of Thick-billed Kingbird was a secondary objective (well seen). We finished up with a short vigil at Spirit Tree Inn where the Plain-capped Starthroat missed the opportunity to show itself to us.

Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Sanctuary is one of the worst (best?) places in SE AZ for Chiggers (lots of long grass). I wore knee high gaitors that usually work very well. Today not so much though and I ended up with the worst case I've had in some time. It's hard to resist ripping the skin off my ankles as I'm writing this. Just part of the price of doing business. After a cool and pleasant start to the day, late morning temperatures climbed into the mid 90s. No rain in Patagonia; some rain fell in Sierra Vista in the evening.

We began at the Sanctuary fence along Hwy 82 at the south/west end of Patagonia (opposite the closest rumble strip to town). It didn't take long to hear the SINALOA WREN that sang loudly for about 10 minutes starting at 6:10am. We figured that there was very little chance to see the bird and decided to put all of our eggs in the warbler basket. Later in the morning we saw a couple of birders who arrived at the wren spot as we were leaving. They didn't even hear the bird so we made the right decision. A vocalizing BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER was at the wren spot (this is one of the earliest species to leave SE AZ and many birds typically leave by mid August).

Activity in the sanctuary proper was very high for a couple of hours with many species vocalizing (which obviously makes it difficult to listen for the warbler). A point worth making about this location compared to almost all other locations where the warblers have shown up in Arizona is that there's a lot more dense vegetation and many tall trees (absent in most other warbler locations). Consequently, there are lots of YELLOW WARBLERS and YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS making a din. The tall cottonwoods also allow the warblers to easily get out of sight as they did several times this morning. Then there's the traffic noise on Hwy 82 -- one of the reasons why this ear birder has (until today) forsaken this location since January 2001. I have one more visit scheduled but after that I won't be hurrying back of my own volition.

After almost two hours working the trail and listening, we first heard a RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER singing at 8:25am some 25 yards east of bench #3 (bench #1 is at trail sign #7). Murphy being the sadistic bastard that he is, the song burst coincided with the arrival of a very noisy tractor in the adjacent field and the bird got away. The next burst of song came at 9:10am, this time just west of the bench. However, we were unable to lay eyes on the bird in a dense cottonwood. We didn't have to wait long for another bout of song and at 9:25am we had a brief glimpse of a bird. We persevered and our reward came at 10:00am, about 10 minutes after we heard more singing high in a cottonwood. This time we had great views of 2 RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLERS as they bounced around on some large, fallen tree trunks about 100 yards west of bench #3 and just south of the trail. Despite the fact that I've seen this species many times, it's always a thrill to see this delightful warbler that has color and character.

Between episodes of waiting, listening and stalking, we were able to enjoy a number of other species. GRAY HAWKS wailed away in typical fashion, sounding for all the world like they were being strangled. MONTEZUMA QUAIL called from across Hwy 82. LAZULI BUNTINGS were abundant in the Johnson grass. We had excellent views of a family of THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS and saw migrant NASHVILLE and MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS.

After we left the sanctuary, the only practical option was to head over to Spirit Tree Inn on Harshaw Creek Road. We spent from 10:40-11:45am watching the feeders without seeing the Plain-capped Starthroat. Others had been present since 7:30am without seeing the bird. The bird was seen yesterday which makes 9 days of sightings (and will likely be seen again later today if Murphy has anything to do with it).

Sunday, August 23, 2009
The last three days have seen late day rain and Friday's effort in the Sierra Vista area was actually worthy of the name "Monsoon". The temperature has moderated a little and it was quite reasonable for this morning's outing at Sierra Vista EOP (albeit at the expense of some humidity). There were only 8 folks present today for what turned out to be pretty decent birding. Being able to access the additional habitat from Moson Road adds the possibility of a few more species (7 there today not seen on the main walk). In fact, today's tally of 64 was my personal highest single day count in 951 visits since I started birding at the ponds in October 1993. Not particularly impressive compared to some locations but excellent for the EOP in its current configuration.

It was a good day for shorebirds/waders with 4 WHITE-FACED IBIS, KILLDEER, 1 WILSON'S SNIPE, 1 (possibly 2) SOLITARY SANDPIPER; several each SPOTTED, LEAST, WESTERN & BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS; and a lone WILSON'S PHALAROPE.

The snipe was noteworthy. In SE AZ terms, they are casual in August, rare in the first half of September and common after that throughout the winter. At the EOP, they typically don't become regular until October. I only have one record here in September and until today, none in August. Today's bird was only my fourth August record in SE AZ and just a few days shy of my earliest SE AZ "fall" sighting (August 19, 2002 at Willcox). Still awake?

A soaring male NORTHERN HARRIER was my season first and the earliest that I've seen one at the EOP by a week. Otherwise, raptors were as expected and included PEREGRINE FALCON and adult & juvenile SWAINSON'S HAWKS.

Ducks are drifting back slowly and nothing new was seen today. The early MARSH WREN of last week was present in the same clump of marsh and a second was present elsewhere.

Less common species today were GILA WOODPECKER, BELL'S VIREO, YELLOW WARBLER and WESTERN TANAGER. Other species that are far from common included GREEN HERON, COMMON MOORHEN, BEWICK'S WREN, CANYON TOWHEE and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

LAZULI BUNTINGS continue quite common and the LARK BUNTING count today approached 60.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009
This morning I visited Scheelite Canyon where I hoped to find young Spotted Owls (this is the time of year when juveniles are typically seen). Earlier this year (April and early May), I determined that the owls were attempting to nest. However, subsequent events led me to believe that the attempt had failed. Today I hoped to prove myself wrong but, unfortunately, I was only able to find a pair of adult SPOTTED OWLS. Of course, even if present, I could easily have missed the juvenile birds. If you have recently seen young birds in the canyon (or see them in the coming months), I'd appreciate hearing from you -- thanks.

Before heading to Scheelite I spent some time in Garden Canyon, particularly the lower grassland area. I began with a productive 45 minutes-25 species stop at the Fishing Ponds. I was pleased to find some migrant activity including BELTED KINGFISHER (my earliest sighting at this location); MACGILLIVRAY'S & WILSON'S WARBLERS. SUMMER TANAGER, a male INDIGO BUNTING and many LAZULI BUNTINGS.

The Indigo Bunting was a first for me in Garden Canyon. It's been a banner year for this species in SE AZ and some folks seem to think that it's been a gradual increase over several years. However, that hasn't been my experience. Although this is the first time that I've seen Summer Tanager at the ponds, the cottonwoods may now be mature enough to support a breeding bird and today's bird may have been a local breeder or a seasonal mover rather than a migrant. Summer Tanager is a scarce breeder in Garden Canyon (including Lower Garden Pond).

Other species at the ponds included 8 WILD TURKEYS, a male ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD on a regular perch warding off other (unidentified) hummers; GILA & LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS; LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, RUFOUS-CROWNED & LARK SPARROWS and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.

Moving on, the grasslands were alive with the songs of BOTTERI'S & CASSIN'S SPARROWS and BLUE GROSBEAKS; no doubt as happy as, well, grassland birds with the recent rain (better late than never). I also heard a singing GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. Formerly a regular breeder in the grasslands in the 90s, I haven't detected Grasshopper Sparrow here since 2002. The power lines held a "gathering" of VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS (a regular occurrence at this time of year).

Further up canyon, in the vicinity of the upper picnic area, I picked up MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD, ELEGANT TROGON (adult and immature males near the yellow gate); SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, PLUMBEOUS & HUTTON'S VIREOS and PAINTED REDSTART.

Conditions in Scheelite Canyon were cool, damp and pleasant for the walk up. Coming back down not so much, as the humidity kicked in with increasing temperature. I found a pair of owls in the lower roosting area using an oak tree where I've only seen an owl on 4 previous occasions. The birds were sitting very close to each other and I saw a little mutual preening. They gave me a brief look as if to say "huh, haven't seen you for a while".

As expected at this time of year, the canyon was fairly quiet. A spontaneously calling NORTHERN (MOUNTAIN) PYGMY OWL was a notable exception. I also saw and/or heard ARIZONA WOODPECKER, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, CRISSAL THRASHER (scarce here and only present from mid summer through mid winter); WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, at least 20 NASHVILLE WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, HEPATIC & WESTERN TANAGERS and SPOTTED TOWHEE. 20 species in all.

Back in Garden Canyon, I noted a migrant OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER in the exact same location (snags just above the middle picnic area) as two previous years (also in late August).

Wednesday, August 26, 2009
First of two days with Rich and Ellen Borzelli of Bridgeport, NJ who I've birded with on one previous occasion. I was up at the crack of night and left home at 3:00am to meet Rich & Ellen in Nogales at 4:30am for a trip to California Gulch. We had a good outing seeing all five targets (Gray Hawk, Montezuma Quail, Common Poorwill, Five-striped Sparrow and Varied Bunting).

Ruby Road is quite washboarded in places but is otherwise in very good condition all the way from Peña Blanca Lake to the California Gulch turnoff. Very little standing water in the dips where water collects. California Gulch Road remains in extremely good condition. No water on the road worth mentioning; some water is present below the dam and in various locations alongside the road. No travel issues at the moment but this could change with heavy rain. Today was mostly sunny; fairly cool entering the gulch; warm later, somewhere in the high 90s in the afternoon in Sierra Vista.

The start time was chosen to put us in the right place on the Ruby Road at the right time to see a COMMON POORWILL. Sounds simple enough but it's not always easy to get the timing just right (and the weather and moon also play a part). Today we managed to see just one bird sitting on the road at mile 6.5 in the pre-dawn gloom. Fortunately, one bird is all that it takes.

Driving by the dam on California Gulch road I heard the screaming of GRAY HAWKS. A stop to scope a streaky juvenile, perched in an oak in plain view, subjected us to a mosquito attack of some ferocity.

In the gulch proper, VARIED BUNTINGS (abundant) and FIVE-STRIPED SPARROWS (6-8) were both vocal and fairly easy to detect. Nevertheless, it still took a while to get scope views of both species. We saw a bunting atop a Sotal in full sun (just as well since this is a drab bird otherwise). The sparrows insisted on staying in the shade.

We heard a couple of MONTEZUMA QUAIL calling but were unable to track them down. However, we recovered later.

The gulch was quite birdy and it was a shame to leave. Regulars included YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, VERMILION & ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, ROCK & CANYON WRENS, BELL'S VIREO, LUCY'S WARBLER, SUMMER TANAGER, RUFOUS-CROWNED & BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS and HOODED & SCOTT'S ORIOLES.

Among the migrants were GRAY & PACIFIC SLOPE FLYCATCHERS; ORANGE-CROWNED, NASHVILLE, BLACK-THROATED GRAY & WILSON'S WARBLERS; WESTERN TANAGER and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

News flash: Cow helps birders to see quail (a genuine Murphy gets screwed moment). Back on the Ruby Road near mile 12, a calf ran down an embankment to get out of our way and flushed a MONTEZUMA QUAIL. The quail flew across the road in front of us and landed on a ridge. As I backed up to get the vehicle off the road, Rich and Ellen walked up the slope and relocated the bird.

Also seen on the Ruby Road were 3 GREATER ROADRUNNERS and a couple of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS near Sycamore Canyon.

Rich & Ellen picked up BERYLLINE HUMMINGBIRD in Miller Canyon in the afternoon.

Our evening owling session in the Huachucas was unsuccessful despite excellent conditions -- mild, calm and decent light from the half moon. The only (and significant) factor against us was season. I didn't expect much and I wasn't wrong. We heard 2-3 WHISKERED SCREECH-OWLS and even got fairly close at one point but the birds soon lost interest. Murphy always gets his revenge (and then some).

Thursday, August 27, 2009
Out again for more target birding with Rich and Ellen. Our targets today were Rufous-capped Warbler, Rufous-winged Sparrow and Lark Bunting (all seen) and Sinaloa Wren (not seen). The late monsoon flurry has fizzled out (hopefully not for good) and today was a record breaker in Tucson. It was mild in Patagonia this morning (57 degrees on Blue Haven Road); very warm in Sierra Vista in the afternoon.

Most of our time was spent in the Patagonia area. Wasn't it Jimmy Buffet who sang "Scratching away again in Chiggerville"?

We began near Patagonia State Park entrance where RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS were singing and easy to see. In the grassland approaches, BOTTERI'S and CASSIN'S SPARROWS were singing strongly, especially the latter. Other species here included ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, BLUE GROSBEAK and VARIED BUNTING.

In Patagonia, we spent about 45 minutes near the "cut bank" on Blue Haven Road where it appears the Sinaloa Wren is again starting to favor its old haunt. The bird was seen here yesterday but we didn't even hear it this morning. However, there was certainly plenty of bird activity -- species present included NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, WILSON'S WARBLER and the usual riparian suspects.

In Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Sanctuary, our search for RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER started along the creek trail at 8:15am and culminated in an excellent sighting at 9:50am. We first heard a warbler singing at 8:30am about 200 yards west of bench #3. Over the next hour+ the bird sang sporadically as it worked its way east staying close to the creek and out of sight. Eventually, the bird came close to the trail and we had a few fleeting glimpses before finally seeing it well some 30 yards east of the bench. The particular individual that we saw today was very ratty, especially the tail.

Activity in the sanctuary wasn't quite as high as Blue Haven Road but we still saw plenty of birds as we sought the warbler. Among the species present in the narrow area that we covered were GRAY HAWK in flight pursued by CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, noisy THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS, PLUMBEOUS & CASSIN'S VIREOS, ORANGE-CROWNED & MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS and scads of LAZULI BUNTINGS.

Returning to Sierra Vista, a stop along Upper Elgin Road on the Santa Cruz side of the Santa Cruz-Cochise County border yielded a small group of LARK BUNTINGS with males still looking quite black. My first BREWER'S SPARROW of the season was present here in the yucca grassland along with LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, a singing LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE and numerous LARK SPARROWS.

We settled for what we had at this point and quit for the day, abandoning the original plan to head up to Carr Canyon (it was already 97 degrees in Sierra Vista by late morning).

Sunday, August 30, 2009
First of two days with Gail Johnson from Hatboro, PA who I've birded with on one previous occasion. We were scheduled to start yesterday but a weather related flight delay and a missed connection meant that Gail was stuck overnight in Houston. He managed to recover by doing some hummingbird watching in the Huachucas and shorebirding at Willcox on Saturday afternoon.

Our objectives are a combination of year birds and life birds with emphasis on year birds. Today we birded at Patagonia Lake, Kino Springs, Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Sanctuary and Paton's Yard. Another very warm day (almost 100 in Sierra Vista in mid afternoon) with light rain in the evening,

We began along Patagonia Lake entrance road and didn't enter the park proper. Sparrows were our first targets and we picked up BOTTERI'S, RUFOUS-CROWNED, RUFOUS-WINGED & BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS all singing (but not a single Cassin's heard). Next victim was VARIED BUNTING and we saw a very colorful male with a begging juvenile in tow. Also seen and/or heard were GREATER ROADRUNNER, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, PHAINOPEPLA, LUCY'S WARBLER and BLUE GROSBEAK (very common). 25 species in all.

I'd planned to head to the sanctuary next but at the last minute I decided to visit Kino Springs first (a decision that I later regretted). If you figure out how to be in two places at once, please let me know forthwith. Bird activity at Kino was very good and we recorded 45 species in just over an hour. Shorebirds were the highlight for me. Kino is not known as a place for shorebirds but the low water level at the large club house pond has created lots of exposed mud that today had attracted four individuals and four species! One each of SOLITARY, SPOTTED, LEAST & BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS. The Baird's was a location first for me -- #218 on my 400th visit.

Not much else in the way of migrants save for PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER and a few swallows. Other species included GREAT EGRET, 6 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS at the sewage pond, several COMMON GROUND-DOVES, at least two TROPICAL KINGBIRDS along with numerous WESTERN and CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, plenty of LAZULI BUNTINGS and a heard only BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

A stop at the Salero Road crossing of Sonoita Creek yielded the surprise bird of the day -- TROPICAL KINGBIRD perched in plain view on snags over the creek. This is the first time that I've seen one in the Patagonia area and I'm assuming that it was a passage bird.

It was almost 10:30 by the time we reached the RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER area in the sanctuary and it was already way too warm. We met one person who had seen the bird. Unfortunately, for us it was a heard only near bench #3 at 10:35am.

Among the species in the sanctuary were GRAY HAWK, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD, ORANGE CROWNED WARBLER, a spiffy male MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER, several WILSON'S WARBLERS; SUMMER & WESTERN TANAGERS and abundant LAZULI BUNTINGS.

In the Paton's yard, we learned the sad news that Marion Paton had passed away yesterday afternoon after a long illness. I'm sure that many folks have seen their lifer VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD here (including me) so it was fitting that we soon saw one or more visiting the feeders. [From Robin Baxter: If you wish to send condolences, you can send them to the family at P.O. Box 887, Patagonia, AZ 85624. However, please don't ask about the future of Paton's Birder Haven. For the time being, the yard remains open to birders.]

Just off Hwy 82 near the Cochise-Santa Cruz County border we made a stop on Upper Elgin Road where numbers of LARK BUNTINGS have increased since I was here on Thursday. However, all the birds were either females or males that have lost their breeding plumage (no black birds seen).  LARK SPARROWS and EASTERN MEADOWLARK were present along with a singing BOTTERI'S SPARROW in less than ideal habitat (the bird obviously didn't agree).

Monday, August 31, 2009
Out again today with Gail trying to find the right balance between searching for life birds while maximizing year birds. As Rodney Dangerfield said "it's not easy being me". We started with a short visit to the San Pedro River followed by short visits to Huachuca and Garden Canyons; then spent the bulk of our time in Carr Canyon. A slightly cooler and muggy day due to partial cloud cover. Some light rain fell in the evening.

The day began well at Kingfisher Pond on the San Pedro where it only took about 10 minutes to find the continuing female GREEN KINGFISHER. After briefly scanning around from the north end of the pond, we took up a central position on the east side of the pond. I heard the bird call just below our location (where it had obviously been sitting out of our sight) and soon saw it fly to a snag and start fishing. We watched it make a couple of successful sorties.

I recorded 30 species on the 45 minute round trip from the San Pedro House including COMMON GROUND-DOVE, PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER, BOTTERI'S SPARROW, 8 LARK BUNTINGS, several singing BLUE GROSBEAKS and many LAZULI BUNTINGS that are present in numbers throughout southeast Arizona at the moment. Lazuli Bunting is normally a fairly common fall migrant but this year their numbers are very high.

Our foray into Huachuca Canyon wasn't successful for Elegant Trogon and we soon bailed out having seen only a couple of targets -- HEPATIC TANAGER and PAINTED REDSTART.

We didn't fare much better in Garden Canyon in terms of a trogon but we managed to pick up OLIVE-SIDED and SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW and CANYON TOWHEE. Also seen among a total of 30 species were a perched PEREGRINE FALCON, GREATER ROADRUNNER, a few ACORN WOODPECKERS, BUSHTIT, NASHVILLE WARBLER and PAINTED REDSTART.

The time spent not finding a trogon meant that we didn't get started in Carr Canyon until late. Activity at Reef was minimal at 11:00am. I told Gail that we would have to work for all our birds and that's the way that it worked out. At Reef Overlook we saw WESTERN SCRUB-JAY and fly-by VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS (but no swifts); a BAND-TAILED PIGEON flushed near the campground entrance (the only one we saw). By the way, the campground is open again. Plenty of bear scat on the trails so they are still around.

In the campground we saw BROWN CREEPER, STELLER'S JAY, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, GRACE'S WARBLER and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO. Continuing on the trails we added HERMIT WARBLER then came a long period of nothing. Eventually, I heard a BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER that proved a tough nut to crack. We only came across the one calling bird and it was a real pill to track down. However, it was certainly worth it in the end -- we were rewarded with excellent looks at a richly colored individual for our efforts.

The flycatcher chase led us to an area of activity and we were able to see OLIVE, VIRGINIA'S and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS along with a few species already seen including HEPATIC TANAGER and PAINTED REDSTART.

Serendipity struck as we drove back down Carr Canyon road when we encountered a pair of roadside MONTEZUMA QUAIL about 200 yards below Reef overlook. I almost didn't stop in time! At first, the birds stayed put and we had great views from close range. Eventually, they just worked their way slowly up the embankment. This is typical behavior as long as you stay in the vehicle!

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

Aug. Species Seen

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

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