Jan Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - January, 2010 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 Sunday, January 31, 2010

Friday, January 1, 2010
Today I took the road less traveled and checked several Cochise County locations to get my 2010 birding underway. In order I visited St. David Monastery, Willcox Ponds and several locations along Kansas Settlement Road in Sulphur Springs Valley. I returned home via Middlemarch Road through the Dragoon Mountains. I was a little disappointed by how few birds I saw (especially waterfowl). However, it was a gorgeous day and I certainly didn't have to deal with crowds of people (the main reason I chose this route). Clear and cold early; sunny and warm in the afternoon. 

Now to 2010. In the predawn gloom well before I left home, PYRRHULOXIA pipped HOUSE SPARROW to first bird of the year. GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE was a close third. As I loaded the Blue Trogon, a noisy GILA WOODPECKER flew to the top of a light pole. ROCK PIGEONS were still huddled together on the wires as I left my street with the temperature at the freezing mark. Next came CHIHUAHUAN RAVEN seen as I gassed up (by the way, lowest gas price in Sierra Vista is $2.55). Last year's #1 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE was this year's #9 as I drove through Tombstone.

Holy Trinity Monastery had the feel of a ghost town when I arrived at 8:20am. Not a soul about (no pun intended) and I only saw one person over the next hour. GILA &LADDER BACKED WOODPECKERS and WHITE-WINGED DOVES were the most obvious species. A check of the main pond produced 8 GADWALLS (a regular winter visitor at the Monastery) and 3 GREEN-WINGED TEAL (only my third sighting). A male BELTED KINGFISHER announced his arrival in typical noisy fashion as it flew into a large cottonwood overlooking the pond. The hackberry trees on the west side of the pond don't have much fruit this year and only a lone HERMIT THRUSH was present.

I found very few birds on the trail through the mesquite and weedy habitat. NORTHERN CARDINAL was an exception. I noted a handful of them including a couple of bright red males that were decidedly reticent to approach despite my best squeaking noises. I couldn't find any Bishops (pun intended). I also couldn't find any sparrows apart from many SONG SPARROWS foraging in tall weeds. A few uncharacteristically silent ABERT'S TOWHEES skulked around.

By now, multiple EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES and CHIHUAHUAN RAVENS were in evidence and I saw flocks of 40 LESSER GOLDFINCHES and 30 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. A perched COOPER'S HAWK seemed uninterested. A flotilla of 7 RING-NECKED DUCKS were on the sewage pond and a few LARK SPARROWS were hanging out in the nearby mesquites.

I recorded a total of 31 species at the Monastery. I left town via Sibyl Road (short cut to Willcox) seeing many of the same species and nothing new save for my first STARLING of the year.

PRAIRIE FALCON was the first bird that I saw at Willcox. The falcon was high on a pole on the road that borders the north side of golf course and was still there when I left at 11:30am. This is when I tried for a photo even though it was too high and on a less than pleasing perch. The bird flew just after I took this shot proving that the answer to the question "how close can I get?" is always one step less than you think.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I saw more birders than bird species at Willcox -- I recorded only 23 species! After being very low for much of 2009, the main pond is filling up well. Unfortunately, however, it was low at the wrong time when potential wintering ducks were arriving so they probably moved elsewhere. Consequently, duck diversity is very low and a lone CANVASBACK was the pick of only 4 species that I saw. SCALED QUAIL scurried across the road near the entrance to the main pond.

AMERICAN WIGEON were numerous at the golf course pond (I estimated over 200). A smaller "duck" caught my eye through the mass of Wigeon. Did I have a fifth species? No, it was a SORA swimming around. Also here were 6+ PIED-BILLED GREBES, 2 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS (adult and immature) and umpteen EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES.

Sparrows are just as lacking at Willcox as anywhere else and I failed to find any Vesper or Brewer's and managed just one SAVANNAH SPARROW. As I searched for sparrows, a small group of SANDHILL CRANES flew overhead.

After leaving Willcox I headed south down Kansas Settlement Road and made a stop to check the field opposite the Bonita Bean Company. I've seen Mountain Plover at this location so I figured it was worth a look (ever hopeful). As I scanned the field, I noticed lots of small birds swirling around in the sky and could just about tell they were WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS. They eventually came very close and I counted at least 50. From this location south to Faria Dairy is a good place to see the swifts in winter. A flock of 500-ish overhead SANDHILL CRANES and an immature FERRUGINOUS  HAWK were also present.

Further south, I cruised a few roads east of Kansas Settlement Road. WESTERN BLUEBIRD was the only species of note -- a small flock worked the Pecan Grove at the corner of Baker and Cimarron. I enjoyed seeing a beautiful adult light-morph FERRUGINOUS HAWK at the corner of Bell Ranch and Shelton. The rufous wings positively glowed in the sunlight. A male NORTHERN HARRIER and a few LARK BUNTINGS were among the few species seen as I cruised around.

Two continuing WESTERN GREBES were at the Faria Dairy pond.

I was looking forward to birding in the Dragoon Mountains as the grand finale to my day. I generally only visit here a few times a year in winter. Unfortunately, perhaps due to the mid afternoon visit time, I really struggled to find birds. It was actually quite warm and the roadside ice in the shady areas seemed quite incongruous. I was hoping for Juniper Titmouse and Black-chinned Sparrow that are both regular near the intersection of Middlemarch Road and Soren Pass Road. No such luck and I had to settle for the more common BRIDLED TITMOUSE and BLACK-THROATED SPARROW in the foothills.

Apart from MEXICAN JAYS, roadside birds were inconspicuous. I noted WESTERN BLUEBIRDS on both sides of Middlemarch Pass along with CANYON & SPOTTED TOWHEES and OREGON JUNCOS.

A solid if unspectacular start. What will the next 364 days bring?

69 species recorded:
Pied-billed & Western Grebes; Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Ring-necked & Ruddy Ducks; N. Harrier, Cooper's, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Scaled & Gambel's Quail; Sandhill Crane, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves; Greater Roadrunner, White-throated Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers; N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Am. Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cactus, Bewick's & Marsh Wrens; Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Verdin, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan Raven, European Starling, House Sparrow, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees; Lark, Black-throated, Savannah, Song & White-crowned Sparrows; Lark Bunting, Dark-eyed Junco, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark and Great-tailed Grackle.

Sunday, January 3, 2010
It was a beautiful day for the first outing of the year at Sierra Vista EOP. Not a cloud in the sky, zero wind and a temperature ranging from freezing to the high 50s. It didn't seem to matter that the birding was a little below average.

Two woodpeckers were the least common location species noted -- GILA WOODPECKER and NORTHERN FLICKER. Both were new for me at the EOP in January. The continuing small flock of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were next in terms of frequency of occurrence but certainly not in the "wow" department. Also of note were a couple of ROCK WRENS

We managed 75% of a four falcon day by seeing one each AMERICAN KESTREL, MERLIN and the regular PEREGRINE FALCON. We watched the Peregrine unsuccessfully streak through lots of ducks after spooking them into the air. It appears that the Prairie Falcon has found greener pastures. After several sightings in October, November and early December, the bird has now been missed on four consecutive Sundays.

Duck species remain about the same but numbers are much lower. Field birds included 60+ HORNED LARKS, 12 AMERICAN PIPITS and probably as many as 80 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS.

A slow birding day but if I'm ever not chuffed with Buffleheads and Mountain Bluebirds (and Yellow-headed Blackbirds for that matter), check my pulse.

Monday, January 4, 2010
This morning I did a little scouting for a few continuing rarities. I started in Florida Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains then traveled south to Santa Gertrudis Lane near Tumacacori. The weather couldn't have been better. After a mild start by recent standards, it was a gorgeous blue sky day that became quite warm by late morning.

I was hoping for a quick in-and-out visit to Florida Canyon so that I would still have enough morning hours at my next destination. Although things didn't quite go as quickly as I'd hoped, I was able to find RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER and be on my way again in less than two hours. I entered the canyon at 8:00am and worked slowly up the "trail" to a point 1/2 mile above the dam. On my way back down, some 100+ yards above the dam, I heard the soft "eek" calls of NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET and stopped to investigate. I found the bird foraging in low vegetation on the hillside on the west side of the canyon.

Around 9:15am, while watching the Tyrannulet, I heard several "tick" calls of the warbler and focused my attention in the direction of the sound on the east side of the canyon. A few minutes later the warbler gave a short burst of sound as it moved from the hillside to the dense vegetation beneath a stand of streamside oaks. I didn't stick around so I don't know if the bird continued down canyon to the dam or worked its way up canyon (has been seen at the dam and well above in recent weeks).

The only other bird of note was OLIVE WARBLER in the oaks near the water tank. Other species from a total of 20 included ARIZONA WOODPECKER, ROCK & CANYON WRENS and many WESTERN BLUEBIRDS.

Traveling south on I-19 I took a few minutes to stop at Amado Sewage Pond. I was rewarded with a pair of WOOD DUCKS and two CANVASBACKS among a few common duck species.

I couldn't believe the number of vehicles parked along Frontage Road when I reached Santa Gertrudis Lane at 10:45am. It was difficult to find a parking spot. It took some discipline not to bail out, but work is work. I deliberately waited until after the holiday weekend but it didn't make one iota of difference.

I first checked along the De Anza Trail where the immature male ROSE-THROATED BECARD had already been seen. I was quite surprised to hear the bird before I saw it since I don't recall any of the many previous reports mentioning that the bird was vocalizing. It didn't take long to get great views of the bird that ranged from 50-200 yards south of the lane. Yet again, I made the mistake of not carrying my camera (a conscious choice on this occasion) so I went back to the vehicle to get it. Of course, when I returned the bird was less cooperative and the images I obtained are not publishable even by my standards.

Next, I turned my attention to RUDDY GROUND-DOVE that was along the west bank of the Santa Cruz River some 200 yards north of the lane. The bird was with a half dozen INCA DOVES perched about 4 feet off the ground in a small tree. Once again my images were not good enough to publish due to distance and obstructions.

I finished up at the Pyracantha opposite the driveway of house #12 on Santa Gertrudis Lane. After almost three months of plundering by many birds, this bush is now well depleted of berries. Nevertheless, with a little persistence and some intense peering into the bowels of the bush, I eventually spotted a completely motionless RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN. The bird remained in the same position for 15 minutes or more as many birders attempted to see it (most were successful). Stick a fork in me, I'm done.

Other birds in the vicinity included CRISSAL THRASHER and the usual CEDAR WAXWINGS and WESTERN BLUEBIRDS. Back at the "parking lot" I found RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW. By the way, Rufous-winged Sparrows are quite common at the other end of Santa Gertrudis Lane near its intersection with Pendleton Drive.

A successful outing.

60 species recorded:
Wood, Ring-necked & Ruddy Ducks; Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Canvasback, Turkey Vulture, Sharp-shinned & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & Inca Doves; Ruddy Ground-Dove, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers; N. Flicker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Black & Say's Phoebes; Rose-throated Becard, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cedar Waxwing, Cactus, Rock, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens; N. Mockingbird, Crissal Thrasher, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Rufous-backed & Am. Robins; Bridled Titmouse, Brown Creeper, Verdin, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; European Starling, House Sparrow, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Olive, Black-throated Gray & Rufous-capped Warblers; Abert's Towhee, Rufous-winged, Chipping & White-crowned Sparrows; N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Western Meadowlark and Great-tailed Grackle.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010
This morning I made my first (routine and short) visit of the year to Garden Canyon. I wanted to check if the two Rufous-winged Sparrows that I first found at the fishing ponds back in October were still present. The water level in the Gravel Pit pond is now very low (just a little left at the deep end) and there's probably not enough to support ducks. However, a GREAT BLUE HERON and KILLDEER were present today along with a BLACK PHOEBE and AMERICAN PIPIT on the now extensive bare flats.

I was surprised by how many sparrows were present in the surrounding grassy areas. I saw more than 50 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and at least as many CHIPPING SPARROWS plus a few SAVANNAH and VESPER SPARROWS. After an hour of searching I was pleased to find one RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW when it looked like I would get skunked. I heard the sparrow's sharp call one time only but it was enough to get me on the bird.

Other species among 20 noted at the fishing ponds included ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, PHAINOPEPLA, MOCKINGBIRD, CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, VERDIN, lots of LESSER GOLDFINCHES, CANYON TOWHEE, PYRRHULOXIA and a WESTERN MEADOWLARK on the flats with the pipit.

Before heading home to do chores I quickly checked the upper picnic area where it was still quite chilly. PAINTED REDSTART foraging in the canopy of an oak was the only bird of note. Regular species included RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, MEXICAN JAY, SPOTTED TOWHEE and plenty of GRAY-HEADED JUNCOS.

Thursday, January 7, 2010
Out today with Andy Shell from Redmond, WA, our eighth time birding together  Principal targets on this occasion were Rose-throated Becard, Rufous-backed Robin, Lawrence's Goldfinch and Rufous-capped Warbler. We replicated the route that I did on Monday but couldn't quite replicate the results (we saw three out of 4 dipping on the warbler). It was another mild start followed by a warm day (in the 70s) under high clouds.

We put in a couple of hours in Florida Canyon (8:00-10:00am) working from the dam to 1/2 mile above the dam without even hearing Rufous-capped Warbler. In fact, compared to Monday the canyon was very quiet and we saw very few birds. Birds of note were a very skulky BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW on the hillside near the dam and a beautiful male OLIVE WARBLER foraging low in an oak near the water tank.

Other species included ROCK & CANYON WRENS, many WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, a BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER that I initially thought was Black-capped, BROWN CREEPER and HUTTON'S VIREO.

We fared much better at Santa Gertrudis Lane. After a brief, Becardless, walk along the De Anza trail, we returned to the lane to look for the robin. Although the bird had been seen well west of its formerly regular location earlier in the morning, I decided to check the #12 Pyracantha that doesn't have much fruit left. Andy spotted the RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN doing its favorite thing -- sitting still high in the tree (11:50am to noon). It would appear that the bird isn't ready to abandon this location entirely even though there are plenty of fruiting Pyracantha bushes elsewhere along the lane.

Next, we took another stroll along the De Anza trail and happened upon a couple of birders who were looking at the ROSE-THROATED BECARD foraging high in a Hackberry tree. The location was several hundred yards along the trail from the entrance gate at a "Y" intersection where the main trail forks to the west. Time here was 12:15-12:25pm.

Other species noted included a male BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD, GRAY FLYCATCHER, the usual scads of CEDAR WAXWINGS and WESTERN BLUEBIRDS and a very cooperative SAGE THRASHER at the side of the road near the west end of the lane.

Before heading to Kino Springs, we traveled the short distance north to Plan B Tubac (before Plan A because of travel logistics). Unfortunately, we had zero success with Lawrence's Goldfinch. An immature male VERMILION FLYCATCHER was the best bird.

At Kino Springs, after unsuccessfully checking a couple of areas where I saw the goldfinches recently, we saved the day by seeing a couple of male LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCHES at the dry southeast corner of the small club house pond. Although they were perched in a small leafless trees, we would probably have missed them had they not been chattering.

Surprisingly, the club house area was quite birdy in mid afternoon on this unseasonably warm day. Among the 25 species noted were GREAT EGRET, a small group of NORTHERN PINTAILS, VERMILION FLYCATCHER, side by side CARDINAL and PYRRHULOXIA and a handful of sparrow species including LINCOLN'S and LARK SPARROWS.

Sunday, January 10, 2010
I don't have much to report today. I'm bogged down with trip planning at the moment and I didn't have much time for birding this morning. I initially went to Sierra Vista EOP then changed my mind and continued on to the San Pedro River. It was a chilly and cloudy morning and bird activity was very low except around the San Pedro House feeders and at Kingfisher Pond. My walk on the river trail yielded very few birds.

Birds seen as I left home included EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE and WHITE-WINGED DOVE. It's always been a mystery to me why White-wings leave the warmer areas (Phoenix and Tucson) and choose to spend the winter in much colder places, including Sierra Vista. I usually have a few in my neighborhood and they often start singing in January (but they weren't singing this morning with the temperature below freezing!).

During a brief stop at the EOP, I noted PEREGRINE FALCON perched on a regular pole and a large flock of wintering WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. It's interesting that they have vastly outnumbered the resident Eastern Meadowlarks for several months.

At the San Pedro House, a large group of at least 50 LESSER GOLDFINCHES were queuing up in a bare mesquite to visit the feeder. I also saw WHITE-WINGED DOVES at the San Pedro House and in the leafless cottonwoods along the river. Unlike "my" yard birds, several of those birds were singing.

ABERT'S TOWHEES and PYRRHULOXIAS were both in double figures -- at the feeders, under the feeders and staging in mesquites. I also noted a single GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE. In most years, Green-tailed Towhees are fairly common (sometimes very common) and easy to find. Not so this year; whatever is causing the absence of sparrows is also affecting Green-tails.

Speaking of sparrows, apart from abundant WHITE-CROWNED I saw only a single CHIPPING in the grassland and a few SONG at the pond.

Also at the pond were a single PIED-BILLED GREBE, 2 GADWALLS, a few MALLARDS and at least 3 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS.

Along the river trail I looked unsuccessfully for the wintering Louisiana Waterthrush.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010
I wasn't in the field today but I added a noteworthy bird to my yard list. I stepped outside at 12:30pm just in time to see a ZONE-TAILED HAWK soaring low overhead. This is such an unseasonable occurrence that I have to assume it is the same bird that has been reported soaring over Fry Boulevard recently.

The hawk was yard bird #50 for me. My neighborhood isn't blessed with birds and I don't feed them so it has taken a long time to reach this milestone.

Thursday, January 14, 2010
First of four days with David Patick from Huntington, WV who I've birded with on five previous occasions in multiple states. When this trip was scheduled last year, our targets were unclear. As things have panned out, we'll be looking for a few rarities -- Short-tailed Hawk, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Rose-throated Becard, Rufous-backed Robin and Rufous-capped Warbler; and a couple of regulars -- Northern Pygmy-Owl and Le Conte's Thrasher. Well, that was Plan A and it didn't last long. Plan B is now in effect.

On the menu today were Rufous-backed Robin at Boyce Thompson Arboretum and Le Conte's Thrasher near Buckeye. Since these birds are roughly an hour each side of Phoenix and David wasn't scheduled to arrive at the airport until 10:30am, I figured we'd only have time for the robin today. However, what do I know, we managed to see both birds by 4:00pm and that's when Plan B took effect. We decided to try for Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch in Albuquerque tomorrow and drove directly to Gallup for an overnight stay. In June of last year, David picked up Black and Brown-capped Rosy-Finches on our Wyoming and Colorado escapade. Let's hope that we can complete the trifecta tomorrow.

We arrived at Boyce Thompson a little before noon and it didn't take much time or effort to see RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN. Between 12:30 and 12:45pm the bird made several visits to the fruiting Myrtle located at the Pump House on the main trail.

Early success allowed us to try for the thrasher and we headed east to the other side of Phoenix. The temperature was in the mid 70s in the scrub at the Baseline Salome intersection at 3:00pm and I thought we might have to wait a while. Rather than hang and listen, I chose to walk in the scrub and we eventually found a pair of LE CONTE'S THRASHERS at 4:00pm some 3/4 mile west of the intersection. We didn't hear any singing, just a few "wheep" calls. One bird perched up briefly and we saw them scurrying on the ground in typical fashion.

We arrived in Gallup at 10:40pm, almost 20 hours and 700+ miles since I rolled out of bed at 3:00am this morning.

Friday, January 15, 2010
Day 2 with David was a day of many miles and few birds. It was also another successful day. A rather short version of our day follows:

We continued east from Gallup to Albuquerque this morning encountering a low temperature of 15 degrees along the way. However, by the time we arrived at Sandia Crest (over 10,500 feet) at 10:00am it was a balmy 25 degrees with bright sunshine and zero wind. Beautiful conditions. It's been almost 15 years since I last visited here.

In a rare "Murphy gets screwed moment", our only target, a single GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH, was perched on a bare branch near the feeder on the restaurant deck. Almost the first bird that we saw - how about that for timing! To put that in perspective, a flock of 40 birds had been present at 9:00am and up to 75 birds of all three species have been reported on the web site http:www.rosyfinch.com. Still, one was all that we needed.

Now came the long drive west back to Arizona. We ended up in Green Valley for the night.

Saturday, January 16, 2010
Day 3 with David saw us looking for Ruddy Ground-Dove, Rose-throated Becard and Rufous-capped Warbler. Today was a "normal" day with more birding than driving. We visited Florida Canyon (twice) and Santa Gertrudis Lane and were successful with all three species. It was a mostly cloudy day with temperatures ranging from the high 30s to the high 60s; a little windy in the afternoon.

During a three hour morning session in Florida Canyon, we worked the area between the dam and about 1/2 mile above the dam without success. The canyon typically doesn't have many species at this time of year and today it very quiet with only TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW of note. We left shortly before 11:00am to look for our other targets.

There were plenty of folks at Santa Gertrudis Lane and most appeared to be looking for Rufous-backed Robin. Our focus was elsewhere and we worked the river trail then the De Anza trail with good success. Among the birds seen as we walked down the lane were CEDAR WAXWING, WESTERN BLUEBIRD and RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW

Around 12:15pm, after an unsuccessful search for the Becard, we found our target RUDDY GROUND-DOVE with the small group of INCA DOVES on the east bank of the river about 120 yards north of the lane. Other birds seen on the river trail included HUTTON'S VIREO and PAINTED REDSTART.

Next, we walked the De Anza trail. After a few minutes the call of ROSE-THROATED BECARD got our attention and we enjoyed excellent looks at the bird as it foraged in a mesquite. The location was on the main trail just north of the "Y" fork several hundred yards from the entrance gate. Other birds noted included a calling GRAY FLYCATCHER and ABERT'S TOWHEE.

We returned to Florida Canyon and started up the trail just after 2:00pm. After initially focusing near the dam, we worked our way up canyon and concentrated our efforts in the streambed. A small flock of WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were the only birds present that we didn't see this morning.

We found the RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER just before 4:00pm when David spotted some low movement. We then enjoyed the fruits of our labor for several minutes as the bird foraged just feet from us. Fantastic views!  The location was in a dense area of seep willow in the streambed, approximately 150 yards up canyon from where the streambed takes a sharp jog left as you walk upstream.

I left David to enjoy the bird and ran back down to the dam to alert a couple of birders who were still searching there. We rushed back up canyon and arrived within a minute of when David had last seen the bird. Drat, but no matter - they caught up with us at the trailhead just as were driving away and were very happy to have seen the bird 

An excellent end to a successful day.

48 species recorded:
Mallard, Sharp-shinned & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves; Ruddy Ground-Dove, White-throated Swift, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers; N. Flicker, Gray Flycatcher, Black & Say's Phoebes; Rose-throated Becard, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Cedar Waxwing, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens; N. Mockingbird, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Lesser Goldfinch, Yellow-rumped & Rufous-capped Warblers; Painted Redstart, Canyon & Abert's Towhees; Rufous-winged, Black-chinned & White-crowned Sparrows and N. Cardinal.

Sunday, January 17, 2010
The fourth and final day with David was the antithesis of yesterday as we struck out on our final two target birds, Short-tailed Hawk and Northern Pygmy-Owl.

After a short drive from our overnight location in Willcox, we spent over four hours birding along Pinery Canyon road in the Chiricahua Mountains. The lower section was snow free but the area from a little above the pine camp turn to the campground had increasing packed snow and ice. Conditions were favorable -- 35 degrees, patchy sunshine, zero wind; and I was quite hopeful of finding an owl. We mostly focused on the lower, snow free sections that had more dicky bird activity thinking that owls would do the same. Sadly, despite some methodical searching, we came up empty in locations where I've often seen Pygmy-Owls at this time of year.

We only came across one mixed flock that mainly contained MEXICAN CHICKADEE and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET. Other species were few and far between and included HAIRY WOODPECKER, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, a flock of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, BROWN CREEPER and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO.

From 2:00-4:30pm we staked out the eucalyptus trees near the intersection of Ridgeway and Seneca in Tucson. Short-tailed Hawk wintered at this location last year and has been seen several times recently including yesterday afternoon and 8:00am this morning. For us, it was a no show. We had to be content with the common neighborhood species.

A very disappointing end to our four day adventure. Looking at the big picture, we managed to see 6 of 8 targets including some of David's highest priority targets so it wasn't all doom and gloom. He has a chance for the hawk in Florida later this year and for the owl on a future trip to Arizona.

I had planned to continue on to California at the end of this trip. However, with several storms about to hit the west coast, I reluctantly decided to abandon my trip. I dropped David in Phoenix and drove directly home. Besides, after 4 days on the road with 2000 miles traveled,  I was actually ready for home.

The weather in southeast Arizona is expected to bring rain and snow for much of the coming week so don't look for much in terms of reports. Since I had scheduled time for traveling, I may decide to hit the road (away from the storms of course, perhaps Texas).

By the way, as I write these notes on Monday morning, Mourning Doves, White-winged Doves and Eurasian Collared-Doves are all singing in the sunshine. Maybe this time tomorrow they won't think it's spring anymore.

Sunday, January 24, 2010
After a week of (field) inactivity, I pointed the Blue Trogon east towards Texas today. I plan to spend time in the valley and on the coast without any strong objectives other than learning more about Texas birds. I hope to see a variety of regulars and rarities and perhaps take a few photos. You never know, I might see that Bare-assed Tiger-Heron.

I sat out the past week that brought some very wintry weather to Arizona, particularly in the north. In southeastern Arizona we saw plenty of rain at low elevation, plenty of snow at high elevation and very high winds throughout. A few interesting birds were blown in -- Brant and Magnificent Frigatebird were seen in Tucson and another Frigatebird was seen in Nogales.

All of the mountain ranges in the Sierra Vista area are snow covered down to low elevation. The high peaks of the Huachucas (~9500 feet) showed lots of the white stuff as I left town this morning. The distant Santa Rita Mountains seemed very close. Far more snow on all the ranges than I've seen for quite a few years. It was a pristine, ice scraping morning under a clear blue sky and I was a little conflicted to be leaving now that the bad weather is behind us. Murphy is always lurking.

Normally when I head to the Rio Grande Valley, I drive to Kerrville on I-10 for an overnight stop then work my way south through the Hill Country to I-35 and on to Laredo. On this trip I decided to try something new. Today I drove directly from Sierra Vista to Fort Stockton, garden spot of West Texas, a distance of approximately 540 miles. It was clear and chilly early then mild the whole way. Very windy in Arizona and New Mexico, less so in extreme West Texas then increasing wind as I traveled further east. It's invariably windy every time I travel through West Texas. Tomorrow I have a more leisurely, non-interstate drive in prospect to Laredo via Del Rio.

I saw very few birds and certainly nothing of note. A few SANDHILL CRANES near Bowie, AZ were the highlight of all those miles. Nothing much to do in the vast nothingness of West Texas except listen to music. In this neck of the woods you have a choice of head-banging music, shit-kickin' music or bible thumpers. If you're lucky, you might get an oldies station or a news program. Makes one thankful for CDs and MP3.

Monday, January 25, 2010
Today I journeyed on from Fort Stockton to Del Rio via highways 285 and 90; then on to Laredo via highway 277, a total distance of 375 miles. While this was ostensibly another travel day, I was able to get some birding done in a couple of Del Rio locations and again when I reached Laredo. Thankfully, the high wind of yesterday abated and it was a mostly calm and sunny day. I saw temperatures ranging from the low 30s leaving Fort Stockton at sunrise to the mid 70s in Laredo.

My early morning drive along Highway 285 to Sanderson yielded few birds, mostly because of the murderous, low angle sun in my face. NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was the most conspicuous species perched up in the juniper areas. As I mentioned yesterday, this route to Laredo was new for me and I was a little surprised to see CRESTED CARACARA and WESTERN SCRUB-JAY here (just one of each).

Since I'd never been further upriver than Laredo before, I decided to spend a little time in Del Rio. First, I checked a couple of spots on Lake Amistad north of town. The habitat on lake access spur road 406 is similar to many desert scrub areas of Arizona and I saw several of the same species such as BEWICK'S WREN (very common), CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, VERDIN, BLACK-THROATED SPARROW and PYRRHULOXIA. It's always interesting to me, as an ear birder, how the vocalizations of familiar species vary when traveling to other locales. Bewick's Wren is a prime example -- they have enough of a repertoire such that it seems like a new bird when you throw in the local dialect. Other species seen included NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, CANVASBACK, REDHEAD, BLACK VULTURE, AMERICAN PIPIT, LARK SPARROW and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. At Governor's Landing I added EARED GREBE. 

Next, I spent a leisurely hour in town on San Felipe Creek in the vicinity of Thomas Romanelli Memorial Park. Birds here had more of an eastern and  "valley flavor". I was delighted to immediately see a couple of noisy RINGED KINGFISHERS as I stepped out of the vehicle. At this point, little did I know that this was the beginning of a four kingfisher day! Wait, you say, "four kingfishers, how can that be"? All will be revealed. A walk in the park yielded GOLDEN-FRONTED WOODPECKER, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, GREAT KISKADEE (their "kis-ka-dee" call is wearing thin already), EASTERN PHOEBE and CAROLINA WREN; along the creek I added adult and immature YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, not birds that I see every day. BELTED KINGFISHER and an immature male VERMILION FLYCATCHER provided a touch of home.

As I traveled south, understory habitat that grows above the desert plants began to get a little greener about 60 miles from Laredo, although much of the taller growing brush was still dormant. AMERICAN KESTRELS and WESTERN MEADOWLARKS (fairly common roadside birds throughout the day) were now joined by HARRIS'S HAWKS and CRESTED CARACARAS.

Most of my journey today was through "terra incognita" and very enjoyable. It's not often that I'm on new roads. Nevertheless, it was a bit of a slog and I was happy to finally reach Laredo. Everyone uses the phrase "timing is everything" but it was never better exemplified than today. When I reached Fort Stockton last night, I learned that a U.S. first record AMAZON KINGFISHER had been discovered that day in Laredo by Ontario birders Alan Wormington and Roger Epstein. I was headed there today just to look for Seedeaters. A quick check of Texbirds when I got to Laredo confirmed that the bird had been seen again today so I headed down to Zacate Creek, just a couple of miles from my motel. The exact location was midway along the creek between the end of Water Street and the Rio Grande.

I arrived to see a group of happy local birders looking at the bird and I doubled back to the Blue Trogon to get my camera. The female AMAZON KINGFISHER could not have been more cooperative. The bird perched completely in the open at eye-level on a small limb -- and stayed there for at least an hour! The bird was on the east bank of the creek and was thus bathed in late afternoon (5:00pm) sunshine. Photographically, the only downside was distance and the fact that the bird mostly looked down towards the creek. However, when have you known me not to try my luck? I shot about 1GB worth of images and ended up with a couple of decent poses -- image #1 yawning and image#2 stretching. The bird was obviously overcome with excitement with all the attention it was getting. 

Okay, you say, why is this not a Green Kingfisher (google it). Briefly though, note the absence of white spotting and speckling on the wings. Also, though not apparent in the images, Amazon is nearly twice the size of Green, almost as big as a Belted. At this point in the day I'd still only seen 3 Kingfisher species. However, BELTED, RINGED and GREEN were all present along the creek or down at the river where I also saw both YELLOWLEGS, GREAT KISKADEE and a handful of other species. So, I ended the day with four kingfisher species to tie a record set by all the other birders present. What an amazing finale to the day.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
This morning I spent some time in Laredo looking unsuccessfully for White-collared Seedeater. I then worked my way south to Mission in the lower Valley with stops at several locations. It was an increasingly cloudy day that reached the mid 70s; breezy at times.

I started by walking Las Palmas trail in Laredo. A few people were out looking for the Amazon Kingfisher along nearby Zacate Creek (the bird was seen again throughout the day). I checked the cane between the trail and the river then checked the stand of cane between the two international bridges. Unfortunately, I failed to find a seedeater. A beautiful AUDUBON'S ORIOLE and COUCH'S KINGBIRD were some consolation. Other species noted included RINGED & GREEN KINGFISHERS, GOLDEN-FRONTED WOODPECKER, GREAT KISKADEE, CAROLINA WREN, HERMIT THRUSH, many GREEN JAYS and OLIVE SPARROW.

My next stop was the "Sanctuary" in San Ygnacio which now seems to be defunct (a Brown Jay was seen here last week). No seedeaters here either. A noisy group of 12 PLAIN CHACHALACAS and a few INCA DOVES were present along with a number of species already seen. WHITE PELICANS were on the river.

I continued on to the last chance seedeater location in Zapata where it didn't look too promising. GREAT KISKADEES were really common along the trail that parallels the pond. After a lunch break, I took a second pass and managed to find a singing male WHITE-COLLARED SEEDEATER at the north end of the pond closest to the library. In addition to expected species, I also noted VERMILION FLYCATCHER and several CEDAR WAXWINGS.

HARRIS'S HAWKS were common in multiple locations along highway 83 and I also saw a few CRESTED CARACARAS.

My next stop at a windy Falcon Lake State Park was brief. New species for the day included HOUSE WREN and CASSIN'S & SAVANNAH SPARROWS.

From the state park I took the shortcut road to Salineņo seeing more CASSIN'S SPARROWS and adding LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, BLACK-THROATED & WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and LARK BUNTING.

Timing is everything (or nothing) and my arrival in Salineņo coincided with the arrival of a bus load of birders. I gave the feeders a miss. At the river overlook I noted a few ducks and egrets plus OSPREY, LONG-BILLED THRASHER and BLACK-CRESTED TITMOUSE.

The remainder of my journey south through Roma and Rio Grande City was a slog. I detest this section of the valley.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010
I'm currently in Mission in the lower valley which is a convenient location for Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park, my destination this morning. I'd planned a casual day of photography but the weather had other ideas. Sadly, it was very cloudy day with increasing wind and a little rain at times. If I were at home, I wouldn't have ventured outside at all.

I spent the better part of the morning at Bentsen and saw most of the expected "easy" species. I enjoyed seeing a first year male ROSE-THROATED BECARD that looks very similar in plumage to the bird overwintering at Santa Gertrudis Lane. The main difference is that it's coming in to peanut butter and much easier to find! Back in SE AZ I have to do it the hard way. I attempted to get a photo even though the light was terrible and the perch less than desirable. I also enjoyed at least 4 and perhaps as many as 6 CLAY-COLORED THRUSHES. I again tried my hand at getting some images. Here's one of a bird in stately profile and a different furtive individual at a pool of water. The results belie the poor light but note the shutter speeds.

A touch of color was provided by many GREAT KISKADEES, just as many GREEN JAYS and several ALTAMIRA ORIOLES. Other stuff included GRAY HAWK, 20-ish PLAIN CHACHALACAS, plentiful WHITE-TIPPED DOVES, GOLDEN-FRONTED WOODPECKERS and LONG-BILLED THRASHER.

It's interesting to watch the behavior of Chachalacas. A large group will be wandering around, feeding quietly, until all of a sudden they all start squawking and take off into the trees. This seems to be a species trait and it happens when there's no apparent danger present.

BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS were common throughout. BLACK-CRESTED TITMICE were easily seen but not plentiful. I also noted a couple of OLIVE SPARROWS (likely present in numbers but easily overlooked if not calling or singing).

At the visitor center I added a male BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD and EASTERN PHOEBE.

At lunchtime I headed over to nearby Azalduas County Park where it was equally windy and at times wet. While sitting in my vehicle eating lunch, I watched a female HOOK-BILLED KITE fly across the river from Mexico and perch in a tree just 200 feet away. I was so taken by surprise that I failed to get outside fast enough to grab a shot before it flew away.

Birding was a little challenging and certainly not much fun and I didn't stay long. Species seen included OSPREY, GRAY HAWK, GREAT HORNED OWL on a nest; a male GREEN KINGFISHER that refused to be photographed (it matched my every stalking move with ease); EASTERN PHOEBE, many AMERICAN PIPITS (I looked in vain for Sprague's); a lone EASTERN BLUEBIRD and a flock of HOUSE FINCHES that I understand are not common here. About 30 species in all before I threw in the towel.

I ate an early dinner in McAllen then headed out to a regular GREEN PARAKEET roost at the intersection of 10th and Violet. Although I'd already seen a flock in downtown Laredo, I was hoping for photo tonight. I noted at least 20 raucous birds but the absence of light and the presence of traffic was a deal killer.

Thursday, January 28, 2010
When I left Mission this morning it didn't look as though I would be doing much birding at all today. It was raining heavily and the wind was blowing hard. The forecast was for rain throughout the day so I was rather surprised that it only lasted for an hour. However, the strong wind persisted all day and the clouds for much of the day.

I started at Estero Llano Grande State Park where I was hoping to photograph Fulvous-Whistling Duck and BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD. Trying to get shots of the hummer was a frustrating exercise and I was very unhappy with the results. Although I found one spot where a bird was staging, it was swaying in the wind so much and other vegetation was blowing in front of it. Consequently, I had to wait for just the right moment when I had a window and hope that the bird was looking in the right direction. Given that the light was so bad I shouldn't really have bothered. However, I won't find one in Sierra Vista. A lone Fulvous-Whistling Duck has been regular at this location and was seen today. I missed it and saw only 40+ BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS. So, one for two in terms of my objectives but a poor quality result.

Birding in the wind seemed more like work than fun but I managed to find and enjoy a few species that I don't see regularly. The boardwalk between several ponds and grassy areas was quite productive. SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER was a real surprise and not a bird that I expected here in January. Side by side COUCH'S and TROPICAL KINGBIRDS were kind enough to vocalize. I don't remember seeing and hearing them together before. A male VERMILION FLYCATCHER and GREAT KISKADEE rounded out the flycatchers working the same grassy area. A singing BLUE-HEADED VIREO was the first that I've seen on this trip.

The two expected cormorant species and ANHINGA were present. Herons were well represented by GREAT BLUE, LITTLE BLUE & TRICOLORED HERONS and GREAT & SNOWY EGRETS. It was a treat to see WHITE IBIS and a dozen or so LEAST GREBES scattered around the ponds along with a couple of MOTTLED DUCKS.

I missed many of the shorebirds that have been reported recently and saw only LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER and LEAST & SPOTTED SANDPIPERS. Three species of sparrows worked the boardwalk area -- SAVANNAH (very common), SWAMP and LINCOLN'S.

In the early afternoon I visited Frontera Audubon Thicket where I hoped to photograph the Tropical Parula that has been present for a while. I was also hoping for a little respite from the wind and the central feeding station was indeed quite sheltered. I was able to see and photograph the TROPICAL PARULA feeding on grapefruit. Of course, the light was still poor and the bird wasn't close so once again I wasn't happy with the result. There's no pleasing some people. Seriously though, I was happy to see such a colorful bird on a dreary day (a bird that I've only seen a few times before). Other warblers present were the omnipresent ORANGE-CROWNED, NASHVILLE, BLACK-AND-WHITE, a heard only WILSON'S and a skulky OVENBIRD.

I finished up in mid afternoon with a brief visit to Edinburg Wetlands. I added three new species for the day -- a few BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, a lone ROSEATE SPOONBILL and many BLUE-WINGED TEAL. Also present were a few LEAST GREBES, lots of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS and several heron species.

As last night, after dinner I went "parroting". I visited Gibson Park in Weslaco at dusk and just managed to see a couple of RED-CROWNED PARROTS. A good end to a challenging day that produced plenty of species that I don't see very often.

Friday, January 29, 2010
The third diabolically windy day in a row and you know how I hate wind. Oh, and it was cloudy too. Great conditions for birding and photography. If it weren't for the Amazon Kingfisher, Hook-billed Kite, White-collared Seedeater, Tropical Parula .......etc., I'd have no luck at all. It was perhaps fortunate that I had a fair bit of driving to do today. I headed east from the valley to South Padre Island then backtracked south to Boca Chica. From there I drove north to Alice for an overnight stay. A town like Alice, sounds like a good title for a movie.

On the road to South Padre Island (TX 100) I noted ANHINGA in a roadside pond; several NORTHERN HARRIERS, 2 WHITE-TAILED HAWKS and many KESTRELS all battling the wind.

I spent a couple of hours on the WBC boardwalk on the island. Most birds were hunkered down in the wind but TRICOLORED HERON and LITTLE BLUE HERON were both active and conspicuous as were GREATER YELLOWLEGS and LESSER YELLOWLEGS (oh for some better light). Also present were both PELICAN species, REDDISH EGRET too far away to shoot; WHITE IBIS, PINTAIL, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, 6 COMMON MOORHENS and BLACK-NECKED STILT.

I was hoping for rails but couldn't find any. Ross's Goose was reported earlier in the morning but neither I nor any of the other birders present saw it.

On the way to Boca Chica I picked up LONG-BILLED CURLEW and ROYAL TERN, both trip firsts. Boca Chica beach was deserted and the wind was really howling. The waves were pretty serious and sand was blowing horizontally from north to south. Not much to see bird-wise, just a few huddled RING-BILLED GULLS and a few distant NORTHERN GANNETS plunge diving.

I was surprised not to see any more White-tailed Hawks on my drive north on Hwy 77. I was able to add CRESTED CARACARA and HARRIS'S HAWK before reaching Alice. I almost went a day in Texas without seeing NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD. Almost.

Saturday, January 30, 2010
Today I headed over to the coast near Rockport in preparation for a Crane viewing trip on Sunday. I stopped at a couple of locations on the way to check on continuing rarities with good success. The weather improved significantly today and it was a partly cloudy to mostly sunny day with much less wind, albeit much cooler.

It was actually quite chilly when I arrived at the Calliham unit of Choke Canyon State Park and I needed gloves for the first time on this trip. Quite a change from the mild temperatures in the valley. Bob Shutsky (Birdtreks) and a local birder were already looking for the Jacana on 75 acre lake (present here since at least November, maybe late October). I became distracted by a CRESTED CARACARA eating what used to be a COOT.

The Caracara didn't tolerate me very long and flew off to finish its breakfast elsewhere. I walked to the northwest corner of the lake where the NORTHERN JACANA was strutting its stuff. I would have liked a shot of the bird in flight to show the impressive underwings. However, that would have taken the investment of more time and patience. It's been a while since I last saw this species in Arizona (way back in 1998, although there have been a couple more birds seen since that date).

I didn't spend much time looking for other species at the state park. Among the species that I noted were a few CINNAMON TEAL, numerous BUFFLEHEADS, EASTERN PHOEBE and an immature male VERMILION FLYCATCHER.

My next stop was at the Bomtrager farm on F-M 796, 6 miles south of Highway 59 in Bee County, where a Wheatear has been present for about a month. My timing here at 11:30am was impeccable as the female NORTHERN WHEATEAR had just put in an appearance. The bird only showed for a few minutes then disappeared for almost an hour. I tried for images but the light (working into the sun) was a problem and the distance was just a little too much for my equipment. Still, beggars can't be choosers. This is the first time that I have seen this species in the lower 48.

WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were abundant in this location and I also heard my first definite EASTERN MEADOWLARK of the trip.

I journeyed on to the coast and spent a couple of hours looking unsuccessfully for Seaside Sparrow at Goose Island State Park. Although they are not as common here as they are to the north, I nevertheless expected to find one. Perhaps the cold wind didn't help. I was surprised and pleased by the number of ROSEATE SPOONBILLS (here and at my next stop). I was in the Rockport area in January two years ago and really struggled to find them; today they were well into double figures.

I continued on to nearby Lamar Beach Road and stumbled into several birders viewing a couple of wayward WHOOPING CRANES that had strayed off the reservation. I shot several images but the birds were simply too far away for a useful result. However, if I don't get any shots on tomorrow's boat trip I may have to use them! The location was the intersection of Lamar Beach Road and 12th Street (I think the city is Lamar). There's a convenient pullout here where you can see along the beach to the north.

Among the other species at the state park and/or along Lamar Beach Road were both PELICAN species; TRICOLORED and LITTLE BLUE HERONS; WHITE IBIS, OSPREY, several shorebird species including both species of YELLOWLEGS; the "standard" three gulls RING-BILLED, HERRING & LAUGHING and FORSTER'S TERN.

I was pretty pooped when I checked into my motel in Ingleside after a tiring, successful and enjoyable day. I enjoy coastal birding and obviously don't get to do much of that in Arizona!

Sunday, January 31, 2010
Today I took the Wharf Cat out of Rockport for a rather disappointing trip to Aransas NWR. Although I saw perhaps 20 WHOOPING CRANES (mostly pairs, but at least 2 family groups i.e. 2 adults with a chick), none of them were closer than 1/2 mile so I had zero chance of a photograph. [There are an estimated 263 Whoopers present on the refuge this winter.] It was a very cold morning on the coast and with the wind chill it was really cold on the upper deck of the boat. I braved the upper deck for the outbound journey without much reward -- nothing that I saw was close to the boat. For photographers, based on my experience today, I wouldn't recommend this trip. However, I have no benchmark and don't know if this was a typical day or not. Apart from the lack of photo opportunities, I enjoyed the trip and the birds.

It takes about 45 minutes to reach the refuge. Among the 40-ish species seen from the boat on the 4 hour round trip were COMMON LOON, side by side NEOTROPIC & DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS for good comparison; all the usual heron species and large wading birds including quite a few REDDISH EGRETS and ROSEATE SPOONBILLS; COMMON GOLDENEYE, MOTTLED DUCK, 3 HOODED MERGANSERS, a soaring WHITE-TAILED HAWK, a flock of BLACK SKIMMERS, ~6 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS (I managed a "photo first" quality image shot from the moving boat) and 2 CASPIAN, 1 ROYAL and lots of FORSTER'S TERNS.

Before leaving the area, I checked Oystercatcher Point at the base of Aransas Bay bridge (no Oystercatchers); and Lamar Beach Road where the two WHOOPING CRANES were even further away than yesterday.

My plan for the next few days was to work my way up the coast. However, the weather for the rest of the week is going be cold and wet so I drove just one hour north for an overnight stay in Port Lavaca to leave my options open. From here I can continue north, return to the valley or simply head home.

I was surprised to see 2 BALD EAGLES (adult and immature) some 10 miles south of Port Lavaca. Later I learned that a few pairs breed on the central coast. My day concluded at dusk at the Lighthouse Beach Sanctuary in Port Lavaca. In fading light I saw a several DUNLIN and a handful of CAVE SWALLOWS. No rails or sparrows seen from the boardwalk.

If I decide to go directly home, reports may not resume for several days.

56 species recorded:
Common Loon, Am. White & Brown Pelicans; Double-crested & Neotropic Cormorants; Great Blue, Tricolored & Little Blue Herons; Great, Reddish & Snowy Egrets; White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Gadwall, Mottled Duck, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Black & Turkey Vultures; Osprey, Bald Eagle, N. Harrier, White-tailed & Red-tailed Hawks; Crested Caracara, Am. Kestrel, Whooping Crane, Am. Coot, Am. Oystercatcher, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitcher, Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs; Spotted Sandpiper, Willet, Dunlin, Ring-billed, Am. Herring & Laughing Gulls; Caspian, Royal & Forster's Terns; Black Skimmer, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Cave Swallow, Am. Pipit, N. Mockingbird, European Starling and Great-tailed Grackle.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Sunday, January 31, 2010

Jan Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - January, 2010 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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