Feb Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - February, 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 Thursday, February 25, 2010

Monday, February 1, 2010
Pouring rain and a heavy, gray sky made my decision easy this morning. No point trying to salvage something from such a miserable day (with more to come) when there's nothing at stake. Although I could have driven home from here in one long, tough day (I've done it before), I decided to break up the journey over two days. Today I drove to West Texas via a circuitous route of 530 miles, staying away from interstates for as long as possible. I headed generally west from Port Lavaca well to the south of San Antonio and then worked my way north through the Hill Country. On and off rain stayed with me until I reached the southern portion of the Hill County and I finally lost the clouds when I reached I-10 in Junction (that's the city of Junction, not a road junction). I'd originally planned to stay overnight in Sonora but with some daylight to work with I continued on to Fort Stockton.

In such poor conditions, even roadside birds were hard to come by and even harder to identify. Consequently, I had to let many of the small species go unidentified. Shortly after leaving Port Lavaca, I picked up my first definite AMERICAN CROW of the trip at Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management area near Tivoli. Take a look at a range map -- this is at the edge of their range on the central Texas coast.

Most birds that I identified were raptors with BLACK VULTURE, RED-TAILED HAWK, CRESTED CARACARA and AMERICAN KESTREL being the most conspicuous species. In agricultural areas and ranch habitat I also noted SANDHILL CRANE, RED-WINGED & BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD and WESTERN MEADOWLARK. As I picked up oaks approaching the Hill Country, flocks of roadside CHIPPING SPARROWS were the most obvious species with a few WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS and COMMON RAVENS here and there in the heart of the Hill Country. Throw in a few EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES in rural communities. WHITE-WINGED DOVES were very numerous in the area surrounding Kimble County Library in Junction, where I stopped to change my motel reservation.

I made only one "official" birding stop at Garner State Park located between Concan and Leakey. I'd only birded here once before in April last year. It's hardly a great place to bird in winter but I squeezed a bit more value out of my annual Texas State Parks pass that expires this month.

CHIPPING SPARROWS and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were abundant. CAROLINA CHICKADEES were plentiful with BLACK-CRESTED TITMICE far less obvious (or at least less vocal). Other species included GOLDEN-FRONTED & LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS and EASTERN BLUEBIRD.

I suspect that a day such as this wouldn't be most birder's bag of chips. However, I enjoyed the drive despite a paucity of birds.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Today I continued my journey home which was essentially entirely on I-10. I traveled 560 miles through West Texas from Fort Stockton to El Paso, then Las Cruces-Deming-Lordsburg in southern New Mexico and finally back into Cochise County in AZ. Ironically, it was a mostly sunny and calm day! However, rain began in the early evening in Sierra Vista and continued throughout the night. I made two birding stops -- McNary Reservoir in Texas and Willcox.

McNary Reservoir is south of I-10 a few miles east of Fort Hancock which is ~60 miles east of El Paso. I'd never stopped here before so I wasn't sure what to expect. As things turned out, it was a worthwhile stop. Viewing is from a levee on the south side of the reservoir and early morning viewing conditions were excellent, albeit a little chilly! 

It was a treat to see so many WESTERN & CLARKS GREBES in close proximity, something that I rarely get to do in Arizona (away from the Colorado river). At least 100 birds were present but I didn't attempt to count each species. By scanning through lots of RING-BILLED GULLS I managed to find an AMERICAN HERRING GULL. Other species included a few EARED GREBES, many DOUBLE-CRESTED & several NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, GREAT EGRET and ~20 COMMON MERGANSERS.

The habitat in the area between the reservoir and Fort Hancock consists of desert scrub and agricultural land with a "Sulphur Springs Valley quality". West of the reservoir, I found a perched PRAIRIE FALCON on SR20. Had I been able to spend more time exploring the area, who knows what I might have found in what is probably an under-birded location. However, onward and westward.

Approaching El Paso-Juárez from the east is a sight for sore eyes. In fact, it gives you sore eyes. Pollution is simply awful. If you ever want to live where you can see the air that you're breathing, give this area strong consideration.

Willcox was about as dead as I've ever seen it and my results were poor. Had I driven here from home for a routine visit, I would have been bitterly disappointed. A few hundred SANDHILL CRANES circled overhead and I noted a few REDHEADS and a single CANVASBACK on the main pond along with a few regular common species. I didn't see a single sparrow species.

Tomorrow is my birthday and my treat will be to watch all the English soccer games that I recorded while in Texas. I resume with clients in about a week -- reports will likely resume at the end of the week when the weather improves. I'll put together a Texas trip summary over the next few days.

Monday, February 8, 2010
My return to the field today was a painful one (literally). I visited Scheelite Canyon and had a bad fall due to slick conditions and my own stupidity

After a soggy day yesterday, today dawned clear and cold. I didn't leave home until 8:45am at which time the frost/ice on the roof was just melting. I delayed my start because construction on the Main Gate of Fort Huachuca begins today and I wanted to check on the effect. No problems at 9:00am but, with just one lane available, I can see serious delays during busy periods (East Gate definitely recommended).

Recent rains and snow melt have had an impact in the lower grasslands. All of the normally dry washes on Garden Canyon road as far down as the Sportsman's Center have running water. However, they do not present a problem to cross even in a small vehicle (the upper picnic area crossing might become a problem for the dinkiest of vehicles).

I was pleased to see that the rain has had a major positive effect at the Fishing Ponds. The large Gravel Pit pond is about as full as I've ever seen it and water is still pouring in. The small pond that has been dry for a long time has a significant amount of water. Another area adjacent to the small pond that rarely has water is waterlogged. The entire complex is making a very good imitation of a bona fide wetland. It's a pity that it wasn't like this in fall when passing birds might have opted to stay for the winter. Only 10 RING-NECKED DUCKS and a GREAT BLUE HERON had rediscovered the area today. I have high hopes for a productive Spring migration at this location.

Although there's still plenty of winter remaining on the calendar, I noted some definite signs of spring at the ponds today with copulating KILLDEER, a displaying ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD and singing BEWICK'S WREN'S. The cottonwoods are in bud and LESSER GOLDFINCHES were taking advantage.

Other species included several very vocal LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS, BLACK & SAY'S PHOEBES, a singing BRIDLED TITMOUSE (very scarce here); HERMIT THRUSH (only my second record at this location); a couple of CANYON TOWHEES and a few WESTERN MEADOWLARKS.

Amazingly (or perhaps not this year), I didn't see a single sparrow of any species. There are normally several large flocks of Chipping Sparrows (and they have been present into early January when I was last here). However, none today. I also missed the two Rufous-winged Sparrows for the first time since I discovered them back in October. Prior to today, I had seen them on 13 consecutive visits and had hoped that they might stay to breed. Hopefully, they are still present and I simply missed them.

I continued on to Scheelite Canyon where there is plenty of running water starting a few hundred yards from the entrance. It's necessary to make water crossings in several places and the trail has some "give" in places. The bedrock areas around 3/8 mile and above the lower roosting area at 5/8 mile are quite slick and dangerous (tell me about it!). I took great care while searching for a Spotted Owl but I eventually let my guard down and had a bad fall. Around the 3/4 mile split I heard jays making a racket and I knew that they were mobbing an owl. In my haste to get there, I forgot about basic safety matters and my feet went from under me as I headed downhill.

Wow, what a shock. Fortunately, I was able to break my fall with my left hand and only my tailbone suffered. I lay prone for ten minutes to let the pain subside and to allow the bleeding in my hand to stop. My palm swelled immediately and I had very little use of the hand. As I type these notes on Tuesday morning with one hand, my left hand is still very bruised, swollen and painful. I never did get to the owl and had a slow, painful walk out. I was surprised to learn how much I rely on my "opposite hand" for balance and support and I had to maneuver each difficult area to favor my right hand. When I got back to town I almost headed to the emergency room but decided on a cheaper trip to Walgreen's. We'll see if it's cheaper in the long run.

Earlier, I had an encounter with a group of undocumented aliens (UDAs). They were in a long line but I figured 12-20 people. Most of them headed off into the trees when they saw me. It's at times like this that I realize how weak my Spanish language skills are. However, over the years I have learned that a few non-threatening words can diffuse such potentially dangerous situations and increase my chances of the incident passing without a problem (especially when I am alone). Por ejemplo, palabras como "hola y buena suerte" son muchas mejores que "me llamo la migra ahorita" (not that a phone would work in the canyon).

I saw very few birds during my 4+ hours in the canyon. Nothing of note, just residents such as ARIZONA WOODPECKER, CANYON WREN, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY and SPOTTED TOWHEE.

Texas days with Amazon Kingfisher have to be paid for with days like this.

Wednesday and Thursday look as though they are going to be pretty nasty with rain and perhaps snow. It's just as well since I likely can't go birding for a couple of days because I can't tie my bootlaces! 

38 species recorded:
Great Blue Heron, Ring-necked Duck, Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves; Greater Roadrunner, Anna's Hummingbird, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers; N. Flicker, Black & Say's Phoebes; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens; Curve-billed Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; House Sparrow, Hutton's Vireo, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Spotted & Canyon Towhees; Dark-eyed Junco, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks; Brewer's Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackle.

Saturday, February 13, 2010
First of two days target birding with Peter Jarzembowski from White Lake, MI. We've birded together on two previous occasions, most recently in February 2008. We've already picked the "low hanging fruit" for this time of year so our targets are few and scattered. Today we looked for five species and saw three. After an ice scraping start, it was a beautiful blue sky day ranging from the low 30s in Sulphur Springs Valley to the low 70s in Tucson.

We began at the south end of Sulphur Springs Valley near Whitewater Draw looking for Sage Thrasher. This is a fairly uncommon wintering species in the valley and some winters (including this one) there are few, if any, present. However, even in a barren year, they typically appear in mid February as birds that wintered further south start to push north. Looking at my data for the valley, my sighting percentages are 27, 70, 14 and 12 respectively for weeks 1 through 4 with roughly equal visits. There's a noticeable peak in week 2.

Starting at 7:30am, we slowly cruised a rectangle of Coffman Road, Bagby Road, Central Highway, Lee Road and back to Coffman. At 8:30am we saw a perched up, fluffed up SAGE THRASHER in a mesquite on Coffman just south of Grants Road and enjoyed an extended close range view as reward for our persistence. During the search we saw 2 BENDIRE'S, 3 CRISSAL and multiple CURVE-BILLED THRASHERS. For those unaware, this is the breeding season for thrashers and January through March is an excellent time of year to see them.

We didn't see many other species while searching for the thrasher; sparrows in particularly are notably absent as I've mentioned a few times already this winter. Species seen included FERRUGINOUS HAWK on Lee Road, lots of SANDHILL CRANES, a few VESPER, BLACK-THROATED & SAVANNAH SPARROWS and EASTERN & WESTERN MEADOWLARKS.

SCALED QUAIL was another target that I was hoping too see in this area but we had to travel as far north as Rucker Canyon Road before finding a small group. On the way we picked up at least 4 SAGE SPARROWS, our only other valley target. Other species on Rucker included several FERRUGINOUS HAWKS, a pristinely plumaged PEREGRINE FALCON, numerous LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES, HORNED LARK, several small groups of LARK BUNTINGS and a mixed flock of blackbirds containing RED-WINGED, YELLOW-HEADED & BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS.

At this point we were in Fat City with three targets seen by 10:00am. Next, we headed to Tucson for two "easy" stakeout birds. Ha! We struck out on the Short-tailed Hawk near the intersection of Ridgeway and Seneca despite two visits and we struck out on the Red-breasted Sapsucker in McCormick Park. If ever I needed reminding that Murphy is always on the job, it came when I got home and read that both species were seen earlier this morning. I need a helicopter which, barring a matter transporter, would be my best option to be in two places at once.

[Personal note: I'm well recovered from my fall earlier in the week. I still have some lower back pain when I walk and my left hand is still painful. However, I'm mobile.]

Sunday, February 14, 2010
Out again today with Peter for more target birding. As yesterday, we looked for five target species and found three. We visited Patagonia Lake State Park and San Rafael Valley. It was another sunny day, much milder in the morning and warmer in the afternoon than yesterday. Very spring-like weather.

We started at Patagonia Lake where our initial focus was in mesquite habitat looking for Black-capped Gnatcatcher. I was also hoping for an early Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet. We struck out on both species. We then turned our attention to the willow forest and the creek looking for Dusky Flycatcher. We were successful but it took a long time, first to locate and then to see well.

We probably spent two hours on DUSKY FLYCATCHER before getting diagnostic and satisfactory looks. On the plus side, we also had good looks at GRAY and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS for comparison. I heard Dusky calling early in the search but the bird evaporated. Much later, I heard a bird again and as we headed towards the sound a bird flew towards us followed by a second bird. Peter got on one of them and started describing it to me. Unfortunately, it was a Hammond's and some interaction occurred between them. We resumed searching and the real Dusky eventually stood up. We finally enjoyed multiple decent views as the bird foraged and called. A frustrating but ultimately successful exercise.

Water levels have risen to almost normal levels with the January and February rains. We didn't focus much on the lake but I did notice that NEOTROPIC outnumbered DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS and that many COMMON MERGANSERS were present. An OSPREY near the spillway was a good find and my first at the lake in February. I normally don't see them here until mid March.

Generally, birding was very poor by normal winter standards at the state park and I recorded only 46 species in almost 5 hours of wandering around. Even allowing for the fact that we were target birding, that's a poor return. A beautiful PAINTED REDSTART along the creek was of note. By my records, this is a scarce species at the lake from February-April. Other birders saw the wintering ELEGANT TROGON but we didn't look for the bird. Species along the creek included ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

By comparison, our afternoon session in San Rafael Valley was infinitely more successful but hardly any easier. Fortunately, Peter and I had great views of Baird's Sparrow last February and our targets today were the "easier" longspurs. We found both Chestnut-collared and McCown's Longspurs at and near Vaca Ranch Corral. Note: this location was previously a "no bird watching zone" but it has not been posted for many months now. There was quite a bit of activity there today including some kind of amateur photo shoot.

We saw a flock of 40-ish CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS swirling around in the fields south of the corral and heard their distinctive calls. Unfortunately, they never settled in an area where they were visible, only in the long grass. Consequently, they don't go in the win column. However, the pendulum swung back in our favor when, after much scanning of HORNED LARKS, I found a few female McCOWN'S LONGSPURS. With more time and patience, I was able to find a good looking male well advanced towards breeding plumage (plenty of black and gray) and we enjoyed a scope view.

Other than the longspurs, birds on FR 58 were few and far between on this warm afternoon. We saw a spiffy male NORTHERN HARRIER, several KESTRELS, GREATER ROADRUNNER, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, a few SAVANNAH &VESPER SPARROWS and BREWER'S BLACKBIRD.

Ditto that as we headed back to Sierra Vista via the west gate of Fort Huachuca, SAY'S PHOEBE, MEXICAN JAY and DARK-EYED JUNCO were the only roadside birds noted.

Monday, February 15, 2010
Out today with Bob Fox and Dana Duxbury-Fox from Andover, MA, who I've birded with on seven previous occasions; and Cynthia Pruett from Marana who I've birded with twice before. Bob and Dana have visited Arizona many times so, as has been the case on most of our recent outings, there weren't any lifers on the menu and our focus was on potential state birds (also few and far between). On another glorious "spring" day, we spent the morning in Sulphur Springs Valley then visited Battiste's Bed and Breakfast in Hereford.

We started with a visit to Whitewater Draw Wildlife area hoping for a Bald Eagle. Even though we didn't see an eagle, there were plenty of birds to enjoy. Highlights were at least one ROSS'S GOOSE that we eventually picked out of the SNOW GOOSE flock (that included two Blue Phase birds); a continuing GREATER SCAUP with LESSER SCAUP; and all three teal species including a pair of BLUE-WINGED TEAL swimming with CINNAMON TEAL. Most common species present was probably RING-NECKED DUCK. The only shorebirds that we saw were SPOTTED & 40+ LEAST SANDPIPERS and a lone WILSON'S SNIPE.

Landbirds were inconspicuous and PRAIRIE FALCON was the best bird. VERMILION FLYCATCHER is always a delight to see. ROCK WREN was the least common species noted (I've seen them here most winters since the area opened to the public). A single TREE SWALLOW was the only definite migrant.

Coffman Road once again had the full complement of thrasher species with 2 SAGE THRASHERS being the highlight. BENDIRE'S, CURVE-BILLED & CRISSAL THRASHERS were present here and seen elsewhere on our travels. There were also a small group of BREWER'S SPARROWS, the first time that I've seen more than one for several months.

Continuing north we briefly saw a couple of reticent SAGE SPARROWS. We checked Jefferson Road Pecan Grove and Hwy 191 mile 33 area for American Crows without success. Earlier this winter an irruptive flock of several hundred were present but I haven't seen any recent reports. Rucker Canyon Road produced 4 FERRUGINOUS HAWKS and lots of LARK BUNTINGS.

We spent a couple of pleasant mid afternoon hours at Battiste's Bed and Breakfast. Thanks to Tony Battiste for the hospitality and help. Highlights here were the continuing SLATE-COLORED FOX SPARROW and lone PINYON JAY. Unfortunately, the jay was heard only. The bird came very close on several occasions but did not reveal itself. I've been living in AZ since 1993 and this is only the third winter that I have recorded Pinyon Jays in the southeast part of the state. However, I find it very surprising that only one bird is present (and has been since November).

Birds in and around the busy yard included GAMBEL'S QUAIL, ACORN & LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS, lots of MEXICAN JAYS, VERDIN, CACTUS & BEWICK'S WRENS; several SPOTTED TOWHEES. PYRRHULOXIA and PINE SISKIN. I noted 25 species

81 species recorded:
Snow & Ross's Geese; Gadwall, Am. Wigeon, Blue-winged, Cinnamon & Green-winged Teal; N. Shoveler, N. Pintail, Canvasback, Ring-necked & Ruddy Ducks; Greater & Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Gambel's Quail, Great Egret, N. Harrier, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Sora, Am. Coot, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Spotted & Least Sandpipers; Wilson's Snipe, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged & Mourning Doves; Greater Roadrunner, Anna's Hummingbird, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers; Black & Say's Phoebes; Vermilion Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, Mexican & Pinyon Jays; Chihuahuan Raven, Horned Lark, Tree Swallow, Verdin, White-breasted Nuthatch, Cactus, Rock, Bewick's & Marsh Wrens; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Sage, Bendire's, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers; Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted & Canyon Towhees; Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Black-throated, Sage, Savannah, Fox, Song & White-crowned Sparrows; Lark Bunting, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds; Eastern & Western Meadowlarks; Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Pine Siskin. Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Out today with Bill Drummond and members of Brookline Bird Club from MA. I've worked with Bill and his groups on three previous occasions. Spotted Owl was our only target. The weather cooperated and it was another beautiful, blue sky day; around freezing at dawn, low 60s in the afternoon.

With Spotted Owl as the only target, we were able to start late and enjoy a leisurely breakfast in town. Such decadence. A side benefit of the late start was light traffic entering Fort Huachuca through the construction zone at the main gate. '

Birds seen driving through the grassland in lower Garden Canyon were few and far between and included SAY'S PHOEBE, PHAINOPEPLA and CANYON TOWHEE. A brief stop at the upper picnic area yielded RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER and PAINTED REDSTART.

After last week's miserable visit to Scheelite Canyon (when I had a bad fall and didn't find an owl), I was a little apprehensive about today. Fortunately, conditions in the canyon were much better (very little water on the trail) and everyone made it in and out without incident. Even better, I was able to find a very confiding SPOTTED OWL without difficulty. The owl was roosting close to the trail and barely bothered to look our way as it preened a couple of times.

On the way back to town we stopped for just a couple of minutes at the Fishing Ponds. GRAY FLYCATCHER was the only bird of note. However, there wasn't really any time to find much else save for a few RING-NECKED DUCKS and MEXICAN MALLARDS, ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD and BLACK PHOEBE. Someone thought they heard a Greater Yellowlegs but I was unable to track it down.

Later in the day, the group visited Battiste's B&B and saw PINYON JAY and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, the latter very late in the afternoon.

30 species recorded:
Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Red-tailed Hawk, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged & Mourning Doves; Spotted Owl, Anna's Hummingbird, Gila Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Gray Flycatcher, Black & Say's Phoebes; Hutton's Vireo, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; Bridled Titmouse, Canyon Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Phainopepla, Painted Redstart, Spotted & Canyon Towhees; Pyrrhuloxia, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch and House Sparrow.

Thursday, February 18, 2010
Today I spent some time in the Tucson area which is very unusual for me. Even when I'm with clients, it's not often that I spend any time birding in the Tucson area. However, today I had a couple of errands to run (on the south side of town and up in the extreme north, near Marana) so I decided not to waste the journey. I checked on a few birds in town then continued on from Marana to the Santa Cruz Flats. I can summarize my day with the phrase "so many miles, so few birds".

I'm not really sure why, but I started my day looking for the wintering Short-tailed Hawk near the intersection of Ridgeway Road and Seneca Street in east-central Tucson. Although I've seen this species a half dozen times in the mountains of SE AZ, a couple of recent misses with clients at this location have elevated the situation into a personal battle with the bird. After today, the bird is killing me 3-0. My previous two failures this year have been in the afternoon so I decided to try a morning visit. Today I was present from 7:20-8:20am and, along with 6+ other birders, had no success. The hawk has been reported several times in the last week in this time period. Murphy at his finest once again.

I moved on just a few miles to McCormick Park (on Columbus Blvd. near Ft. Lowell Road) where I was hoping to photograph the continuing RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER. Although I found the bird immediately on arrival at 8:35am, it quickly headed elsewhere. The bird was in a large pine tree in the northeast corner of the park. Judging by the number of sapwells, this is a well used tree and the bird has been reported here many times.

I moved on again to check for the long-staying LEWIS'S WOODPECKER on Woodland Road (this location is in the birdfinding guides). I found the woodpecker at 9:30am on the property of 8315 Woodland Road but it wasn't a slam dunk. The bird was lying very still on a horizontal limb and would have been easily to overlook.

I can count on one hand the number of times that I've driven along Tangerine Road. What are the odds that I would be driving by the entrance to Dove Mountain when a major golf tournament was going on. Who knew?  Had the birding on the Santa Cruz Flats been anything like worthwhile, that traffic would be a fading memory. Unfortunately, the birding was lousy. It was another very warm day for this time of year and my midday arrival obviously didn't help. My results were extremely poor.

I checked the sod farms on Greene Reservoir Road and Pretzer Road looking in vain for Mountain Plovers. Wintering plovers in Arizona have declined dramatically in the past few years, particularly in Sulphur Springs Valley. The Santa Cruz Flats locations haven't suffered as much but even here birds have not consistently been present. There have been a few sporadic reports this winter including just yesterday in the very places that I checked today. Unfortunately, the heat shimmer made scanning next to impossible and I could easily have overlooked any birds that were present. I found 15+ KILLDEER on Pretzer and 40+ LEAST SANDPIPERS on Greene Reservoir.

Unlike the plovers, Crested Caracaras (once confined to an area many miles southwest of here) now have a significant and still-increasing presence in this area and high numbers are regularly reported. I cruised around many roads today without even a false alarm. Apart from lots of RED-TAILED HAWKS and AMERICAN KESTRELS, the only raptors that I noted were a handful of NORTHERN HARRIERS and 2 FERRUGINOUS HAWKS (one each on Pretzer and Harmon Roads).

As things turned out, I should have done the route the other way around. I would have missed the golf traffic and might have enjoyed a little more success on the Santa Cruz Flats. I would probably have missed the birds in town but that falls into the "who cares" category since I don't learn much from stakeout birding.

Monday, February 22, 2010
I was in Tucson this morning dropping off my vehicle and picking up a rental vehicle. I resisted the temptation to look for the Short-tailed Hawk again and drove home the long way down I-19 to Nogales. I made stops at Madera Canyon, Amado Sewage Pond, Santa Gertrudis Lane and Kino Springs. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't very cooperative -- it was cloudy, cool and quite windy at times and rain chased me away from Madera Canyon and Kino Springs. Quite a change from last week. Birding was generally very poor and I didn't see anything of real note. The rain followed me home and late afternoon and early evening were wet in Sierra Vista.

I started at Proctor Road where it was cool and windy. A thirty minute walk along the trail didn't yield a single species, seen or heard! Wow, what a great start to the day. A short stop at Santa Rita Lodge was slightly better. Species here included a small flock of WILD TURKEYS, the usual ACORN WOODPECKERS and MEXICAN JAYS; a PAINTED REDSTART to brighten this dreary day; gobs of DARK-EYED and a few YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS; and a similar mix of LESSER GOLDFINCHES and PINE SISKINS. Rain increased as I headed towards Kubo so I turned tail and left the mountains.

At Santa Gertrudis Lane, it was definitely a case of "after the Lord Mayor's Show". None of the rarities present from late fall into January have been reported recently and fruit trees are depleted. I walked north along the De Anza trail then back south along the river hoping for a few early migrants. No luck with that quest and I recorded just 20 species among which were GREATER ROADRUNNER, GRAY FLYCATCHER, a calling CRISSAL THRASHER, several ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and numerous ABERT'S TOWHEES.

Despite wind, rain and a midday arrival, Kino Springs was actually the most productive location in terms of number of species. I noted 25 species but birding was well below par. Water levels at the two club house ponds remain quite low and waterfowl diversity was commensurately low. A sharp looking male BUFFLEHEAD was the pick of a small bunch. Shorebird habitat at the south end of the main pond is quite good and might attract a few shorebirds during spring migration over the next couple of months. Normally, this is not a good place for shorebirds.

Highlight was a RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW sporting the largest and most colorful rufous "wing" that I've ever seen on this species. Normally, the tinge of rufous on the shoulder is fairly inconspicuous. Other sparrows were hard to come by and I only saw 1 CHIPPING, 4 BREWER'S and a few WHITE-CROWNED. A few WESTERN MEADOWLARKS and a lone AMERICAN ROBIN were the least common location species. VERMILION FLYCATCHERS typically return mid to late February and I was hoping to see several males. However, I only managed one female at the sewage pond and that may have been an overwintering bird.

Thursday, February 25, 2010
Today I made short visits to the San Pedro River and Garden Canyon Fishing Ponds. It was a mostly cloudy, cool and blustery morning; becoming clear and increasingly windy as the day progressed. Birding was slow at both locations though it ended with a pleasant surprise.

[Vehicle note: Yesterday I picked up the Blue Trogon in Tucson and exceeded my quota of visits for 2010. The vehicle is now worthy of the name again (for several years it has been blue and peeling gray). I recently made the decision to keep the vehicle until it pegs out (or I do) so a new coat of paint was in order. While it's certainly still far from Elegant, I can now call it the Respectable Blue Trogon. For those who don't know why I call my Explorer the Blue Trogon (now at almost 330,000 miles) -- well, it's blue and the license plate is trogon. Duh!]

Lots of action around the San Pedro House feeders. Mostly common stuff, of course, including GAMBEL'S QUAIL and many WHITE-WINGED DOVES, GILA WOODPECKERS and PYRRHULOXIAS. However, a few YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were definitely not in the common category. They only show up here occasionally even though there are many thousands nearby at Sierra Vista EOP.

It's been a winter of discontent for some sparrow species and nowhere is this more apparent than on the San Pedro. In fact, away from the San Pedro House feeders, I saw very few birds at all. I took the trail that heads southeast from the San Pedro House to Kingfisher Pond then walked back north along the river. It's safe to say that I saw at least 40 times more birds (individuals, not species) around the house than I did on my walk. However, I did enjoy the spectacular views of the snow covered Huachucas. They've had snow for a while and received more from Tuesday's mini-storm.

PIED-BILLED GREBE was the only waterbird species that I found on Kingfisher pond. No ducks, not even a coot. A few COMMON YELLOWTHROATS worked the pond edges. SONG SPARROWS were very numerous and I noted a lone LINCOLN'S SPARROW. A nice male NORTHERN HARRIER coursed over the grassland.

The disparity between the Santa Cruz (where I was on Monday) and San Pedro drainages was very obvious today. It's a known fact that migration in the western part of southeast Arizona is noticeably earlier than in the east and with good reason -- the milder temperatures bring earlier leaf-out that migrants need. The cottonwoods along the Santa Cruz are already quite green whereas on the San Pedro they are barely showing the first signs of spring. I typically see Vermilion Flycatchers here by mid month and they are normally fairly common by now. However, none today. Several have been reported further upriver so, hopefully, it won't be long.

It was quite windy when I reached the fishing ponds in Garden Canyon where water levels remain high. I did a thorough search for Rufous-winged Sparrow and came up empty. In fact, I didn't find a sparrow of any species!  A male ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD was on duty at a regular perch; the wintering HERMIT THRUSH and a few WESTERN MEADOWLARKS continue. Standard fare included several RING-NECKED DUCKS, BLACK & SAY'S PHOEBES, a pair of CANYON TOWHEES and many LESSER GOLDFINCHES. Unlike the San Pedro, the cottonwoods here are budding out and flocks of BUSHTITS and BRIDLED TITMICE were taking advantage of the food source.

As I was leaving the ponds, a flash of blue caught my eye (no, it wasn't my vehicle). That blue turned out to be 3 spectacular male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS. What a wonderful bird with blue to die for. At the time I didn't remember seeing them here before and that was later confirmed when I checked my records -- a new bird for me in Garden Canyon (#223).

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Thursday, February 25, 2010

Feb Species Seen

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

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