May Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - May, 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 Monday, May 31, 2010

Sunday, May 2, 2010
First of 3 days target birding with Larry Cowan and John Chandler from the Vancouver area in British Columbia. We'll be looking for a fairly long list of SE AZ specialties. Today we birded at Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia Roadside Rest Area, Blue Haven Road and Paton's Yard. It was yet another very windy day. Enough already.

Birding at Patagonia Lake was slow and steady rather than spectacular and we found nothing unusual as we sought a number of common targets. Among the 60 species recorded were a lingering RING-NECKED DUCK (I don't have any records at the lake after the first week of May); 10+ NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, GREEN HERON, many BLACK VULTURES, 2 GRAY HAWKS, COMMON MOORHEN, NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET at a nest site; WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, many VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, BELL'S, PLUMBEOUS & CASSIN'S VIREOS; WHITE-THROATED SWIFT and 4 swallow species; many LUCY'S & WILSON'S WARBLERS; RUFOUS-WINGED & RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS, SUMMER TANAGER & HOODED ORIOLE.

A check of the Roadside Rest area yielded a hoped for BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER but no Thick-billed Kingbird (ditto for Salero and Blue Haven Roads). Also at the Roadside Rest area were NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER and an unexpected HEPATIC TANAGER (I only have a few records at this location).

Despite the wind, activity in the Paton's yard was quite good in the early afternoon. In less than an hour we recorded 30 species highlighted by VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD. Species adding color were SUMMER TANAGER, numerous BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, a handful of LAZULI BUNTINGS and HOODED & BULLOCK'S ORIOLES.

Regulars included INCA DOVE, ACORN & GILA WOODPECKERS; CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, ABERT'S TOWHEE and a mess of LESSER GOLDFINCHES and PINE SISKINS.

Monday, May 3, 2010
Out again today with Larry and John. We spent all of our time in Carr Canyon where, compared to my visit last Friday, the birding was very productive and we recorded 67 species entirely within the canyon. This is close to the highest total that I've recorded in a routine morning of birding at this location (74 at the end of May when more species are available). I'm sure the weather had a lot to do with our results -- very cold last Friday; clear and sunny with just a light breeze today.

We began in the lower mesquite-grassland (residential) section of the canyon and saw typical denizens such as GAMBEL'S QUAIL, GILA & LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, VERDIN, CACTUS WREN and the two "P" birds -- PHAINOPEPLA & PYRRHULOXIA.

Our next stop at the parking/camping/picnic area a little above the second stream crossing produced arguably the best (i.e. rarest) bird of the day -- a male NORTHERN PARULA. First spotted by Larry, the bird was foraging (silently) in an oak adjacent to the parking area. Interestingly, this is my second sighting in Carr. the other was a little further downstream at the first stream crossing on June 1, 2007. Northern Parula is a rare transient in SE AZ and most  sightings have occurred in late April and May. Personally, I have 6 records in AZ including one at Terry Flat in the White Mountains.

Other species noted in this oak, juniper and sycamore zone included ACORN WOODPECKER, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, BUSHTITS feeding young, ORANGE-CROWNED, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and numerous TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS; a singing RUFOUS-CROWNED and a small group of LARK SPARROWS;  and a beautiful male SCOTT'S ORIOLE circling the area and singing atop oaks.

In the upper canyon we first worked the drainage south of the Sawmill Spring trail with VIRGINIA'S WARBLER as the primary objective. Somewhat ironically, we saw most of the other high elevation species but only heard Virginia's (and only one bird at that). This area normally has 6-10 breeding pairs and the males should be singing constantly by now. I saw a couple of reports from non breeding locations yesterday which tells me that all birds are not here yet.

BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were particular vocal and conspicuous today and I detected at least 20 of them. We enjoyed multiple good views of several birds plus excellent close views of GREATER PEWEE, GRACE'S & RED-FACED WARBLERS and PAINTED REDSTART. OLIVE WARBLERS were fairly common today but our views were of tree top birds. Among the other species were many BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, all three jays, BROWN CREEPER, HOUSE WREN and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.

Before heading back down the mountain, we stopped at Reef Overlook to look for ZONE-TAILED HAWK. We didn't have to wait long before an obliging bird drifted by and made several passes at eye level. WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were easy to see as they zoomed by at great speed.

I had intended to finish up in the lower area looking for ARIZONA WOODPECKER but a serendipitous encounter obviated the need for that. A male woodpecker flew across the road in front of us and landed conveniently in plain view. We birded briefly along the creek near Carr Ruins without adding anything new save for WILSON'S WARBLER.

A successful day (and without much wind!)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The third and final day with Larry and John was spent looking for additional targets in scattered locations. We started in the Santa Rita Mountains then headed down I-19 to Kino Springs. After an afternoon break, we ventured out again for night birds in the Huachucas. After some recent unseasonably cold weather, today was a little warmer than a typical early May day; 90 degrees where I live in Sierra Vista.

Our drive over the northern edge of the Santa Ritas on Box Canyon Road was unsuccessful for Botteri's and Cassin's Sparrows. The latter would probably be difficult in any year at this time but I would certainly expect to find Botteri's in a "normal" year. However, this year looks like it's not going to be a normal year for a number of species.

Numerous singing LARK and BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS provided false promise for additional sparrows. Other Box Canyon regulars included AMERICAN KESTREL, CASSIN'S & WESTERN KINGBIRDS, VERMILION FLYCATCHER, EASTERN (LILIAN'S) MEADOWLARK and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

It was already quite warm as we started looking for gnatcatchers along Proctor Road. Our first encounter was with a calling BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER that soon flew away offering only a flight view. A more focused search led us to a pair of BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS just starting to build a nest. After signing a non-disclosure agreement, we enjoyed good views of both birds as they made frequent forays for nest material.

Other species present included LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, PHAINOPEPLA, BELL'S VIREO, LUCY'S & WILSON'S WARBLERS and CANYON TOWHEE.

We arrived at Madera Kubo at 9:00am and it didn't take long for Flameboy to put in an appearance. The male FLAME-COLORED TANAGER started singing at 9:12am and we had excellent views from 9:15-9:20am in the large sycamore behind the gift shop. The bird did not visit the feeder area. We then spent a few minutes looking for (and finding) HEPATIC TANAGER that had so far eluded our gaze.

Also seen here were MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD, WARBLING VIREO, HOODED ORIOLE and a few other regulars.

We spent a few minutes at the Santa Rita Lodge hoping for a Bronzed Cowbird but seeing only BROWN-HEADED. The feeders were inundated with LESSER GOLDFINCHES and PINE SISKINS. A few other species were present and WILD TURKEY called nearby.

Heading south, a check of the flooded fields at Rio Rico failed to produced any Whistling-Ducks (almost 100 had been reported recently). Species noted included GREEN HERON, BLACK-NECKED STILT and SPOTTED SANDPIPER.

We fared much better at Kino Springs. In addition to 3 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS on the large (but dwindling) club house pond, we found a couple of BRONZED COWBIRDS and a GILDED FLICKER. On the downside, I was amazed that we failed to lay eyes on a calling COMMON GROUND-DOVE despite some effort.

Others from a total of 40 in the increasing midday heat included a female AMERICAN WIGEON, GRAY HAWK, a calling NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET and WESTERN & SUMMER TANAGERS (completing a four tanager day).

Our evening efforts started with a short visit to the viewing platform at Sierra Vista EOP where LESSER NIGHTHAWKS became active some 15 minutes before sunset.

A visit to Battiste's B&B provided excellent views of a pair of ELF OWLS. Many thanks to Tony Battiste for the hospitality and opportunity to view the owls.

After the relatively luxurious environment and ease seeing our previous two targets, we had to earn WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL in Carr Canyon. After some initial reticence, we had excellent views of a very cooperative bird, That was the end of our success and we didn't even hear Western Screech-Owl, Common Poorwill or Whip-Poor-Will.

Nevertheless, the evening session was a successful conclusion to our three day adventure.

92 species recorded:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Gadwall, Am. Wigeon, Mallard, Ruddy Duck, Gambel's Quail, Wild Turkey, Great Blue & Green Herons; Turkey Vulture, Cooper's, Gray & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, Spotted Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged & Mourning Doves; Common Ground-Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Whiskered Screech-Owl, Elf Owl, Lesser Nighthawk, Broad-billed, Magnificent, Black-chinned & Anna's Hummingbirds; Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers; N. & Gilded Flickers; N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Black & Say's Phoebes; Vermilion, Dusky-capped & Brown-crested Flycatchers; Cassin's & Western Kingbirds; Bell's & Warbling Vireos; Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; N. Rough-winged, Barn & Cliff Swallows; Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, White-breasted Nuthatch, Cactus & House Wrens; Black-tailed & Black-capped Gnatcatchers; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, Phainopepla, Lucy's, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Townsend's & Wilson's Warblers; Common Yellowthroat, Canyon Towhee, Lark, Black-throated, Song & White-crowned Sparrows; Hepatic, Summer, Western & Flame-colored Tanagers; N. Cardinal, Black-headed Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle, Bronzed & Brown-headed Cowbirds; Hooded & Bullock's Orioles; House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Out today with Jay and Sandra Zahner from Spring Lake, NJ who I've birded with on one previous occasion. Jay has already been in SE AZ for a couple of days and we only have two target species remaining -- Olive Warbler and Cassin's Vireo. We spent time in upper Carr Canyon and the San Pedro river and were successful with both species. It was another warm day and there are plenty more to come.

We proceeded directly up to the Reef area of Carr Canyon without spending any time birding at lower elevation. This, coupled with a narrow focus on one species, resulted in a very low species total of 30 (compared to the 67 observed on Monday during a more general outing). After an unsuccessful hour in the immediate campground area where Olive Warblers have been quite vocal recently, we moved elsewhere and eventually found a very cooperative sub-adult male OLIVE WARBLER.

While searching for the Olive, I was pleased to hear two different VIRGINIA'S WARBLERS singing. In 5 recent visits since April 22, today is the first time that I've heard more than one bird. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS continue vocal and active. Other species included GREATER PEWEE, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, GRACE'S, WILSON'S & RED-FACED WARBLERS, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO and WESTERN TANAGER.

After we left the canyon, I spotted a low flying ZONE-TAILED HAWK on highway 92 near East Glenn Road. This is at the southern edge of Sierra Vista. Earlier, we had seen SWAINSON'S HAWK in the same general location.

Despite the fact that it was already warm when we reached the San Pedro, some persistent birding produced 2 target CASSIN'S VIREOS. The first encounter was quite interesting. I heard a vireo singing high in a cottonwood and told Jay that I thought it was Plumbeous. A few seconds later I said, no, it sounds more like Cassin's now. Moments later I was back to saying Plumbeous. The conflict was eventually resolved when a PLUMBEOUS VIREO came into view while a CASSIN'S VIREO continued singing and remained unseen. I've lost count of the number of times that I've seen both species together in migration; often foraging together. It happened as recently as last week at Patagonia Lake.

Anyway, we still needed to see Cassin's so we continued north along the river hoping to bump into the bird again. No luck with that but I bumped into my first of season MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER. We headed south again on the trail used by most birders and came across another (or the same) PLUMBEOUS VIREO. Considerably further south, Jay picked up on a bird that turned out to be a CASSIN'S VIREO; seen first then heard singing. Okay, enough with the vireos.

Activity along the river wasn't high in the midday heat and the windy conditions didn't help either. Of note were BREWER'S & VESPER SPARROWS getting close to the end of their stay. BULLOCK'S ORIOLES were abundant feeding on tent caterpillars.

Other species noted included COMMON GROUND-DOVE, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, numerous VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, CASSIN'S & WESTERN KINGBIRDS, the usual scads of YELLOW WARBLERS, vocal but unseen YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS, ABERT'S TOWHEE and SUMMER TANAGER.

Some months ago after I knew that I would be in the field for an extended period, I scheduled three scheduled days off starting tomorrow. I recently received a four day cancellation from an overseas client which now means that I have a week to myself. Apart from the financial impact, I'm not too unhappy to have some time to catch up on routine stuff. I may decide to do some birding in the morning hours or I may take a spur of the moment trip to the White Mountains. However, assuming that the weather remains hot and I don't pick up any last minute business, don't expect any journal reports until I resume with clients on May 13.

Friday, May 7, 2010
[Photo Note: I've added a few images from my Texas trip last month. The most convenient way to view them is via Recent Photos (April 14 and 15).]

Willcox is a place that I rarely get to go when working with clients so, despite having a mountain of paperwork and computer work, I took advantage of my free time to make a trip there this morning.  I was on the road at 0 Dark:30, early enough to see LESSER NIGHTHAWKS hawking insects around the lights of the Border Patrol checkpoint on Hwy 90 north of Whetstone.

It's exactly one month to the day since I last visited Willcox and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of shorebird habitat. On April 7, the water level on the main pond was very high and few shorebirds were present. Today there was shoreline visible around the entire periphery of the pond and plenty of shorebirds. There was also a decent showing of landbirds. I started birding at 5:45am and departed three hours later having tallied 50 species. Viewing conditions were very good -- clear sky, zero wind; quite warm by 7:30am.

The only ducks were a few lingering NORTHERN SHOVELERS and the usual RUDDY DUCKS. I also saw a few EARED GREBES and PIED-BILLED GREBE at the golf course pond.

WILSON'S PHALAROPE was the most numerous species and I counted at least 180. I probably didn't scrutinize every single bird but there were certainly no stand-out Red-necked amongst them. WESTERN & LEAST SANDPIPERS were both common and I counted about 12 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS. Also present were 2 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, many AMERICAN AVOCETS and 4 BLACK-NECKED STILTS.

Gulls were represented by 15 RING-BILLED GULLS and a single FRANKLIN'S GULL. No Terns.

The grass just west of the small golf course pond held many sparrows. Most were LARK and CHIPPING with a sprinkling of SAVANNAH and WHITE-CROWNED. It's getting late for Savannah Sparrows (they are typically gone by mid May) and this was my personal latest sighting in SE AZ by 3 days. An even better bird for me was a location first PINE SISKIN (#198 at Willcox) foraging on the grass with YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. Also on the grass were SCALED QUAIL, many EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES, KILLDEER and EASTERN MEADOWLARKS.

In the marsh and willows around the pond and the surrounding fence lines I saw BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, fly-over WHITE-FACED IBIS, SORA, 2 migrant WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, WILSON'S WARBLER, SONG SPARROWS and several BULLOCK'S ORIOLES.

The composting dump located on the road that parallels the northern edge of the golf course (Fairway Lane I think) has been drastically cleaned up but 20+ SCALED QUAIL and a few GAMBEL'S QUAIL were using the area. I also saw Scaled in several other locations; perhaps 40 in total. Singing BREWER'S SPARROWS were on Fairway Lane.

Along the main entrance road (Rex Allen Drive) I saw more SCALED QUAIL, SWAINSON'S HAWK, CASSIN'S & WESTERN KINGBIRDS, CURVE-BILLED THRASHER and PYRRHULOXIA.

Back at home, I was pleased to see a PLUMBEOUS VIREO for the second consecutive day. Yesterday it represented my 52nd yard bird. I live in a area without many trees (just a few mesquites and junipers) so the bird was unexpected to say the least. The fact that it has lingered is even more surprising.

55 species recorded (5 in italics not a Willcox Ponds): Willcox Bar Graph
Mallard, N. Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, Scaled & Gambel's Quail; Pied-billed & Eared Grebes; Black-crowned Night-Heron, White-faced Ibis, Swainson's Hawk, Sora, Am. Coot, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, Am. Avocet, Spotted, Western & Least Sandpipers; Wilson's Phalarope, Franklin's & Ring-billed Gulls; Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged & Mourning Doves; Lesser Nighthawk, Gila Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds; Plumbeous Vireo, Chihuahuan Raven, Horned Lark, Barn Swallow, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, Yellow-rumped & Wilson's Warblers; Common Yellowthroat, Chipping, Brewer's, Lark, Savannah, Song & White-crowned Sparrows; Pyrrhuloxia, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle, Bullock's Oriole, House Finch, Pine Siskin and House Sparrow.

Monday, May 10, 2010
I made a brief early morning trip to the Huachucas hoping to get a couple of hours birding done before the wind became a problem. I visited Huachuca Canyon and Garden Canyon Fishing Ponds.

It was really windy as I drove through the Fort and I wasn't hopeful. However, Huachuca Canyon was apparently sheltered from the wind and it was just breezy there at 6:00am. I stopped dead in my tracks when I came across a displaying WILD TURKEY with three females in tow right in the middle of the road. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots even though I was too close. I needed to remove the 1.4x teleconverter but I didn't want to lose the opportunity so I shot what I could out of the car window until the birds left the road. It was also pretty dark -- note the shutter speed of 1/160s which is too slow hand-held even with an image stabilized lens. Nevertheless, working on the raffle ticket principle, I managed a usable image.

I reached the last picnic area at the 1.7 mile mark at 6:15am. This is really too early since it takes a while for the sun to reach this location. Even so, plenty of birds were singing and it wasn't too windy. Mission accomplished. I soon picked up WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, calling HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, BUFF-BREASTED & DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, at least 4 PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, HEPATIC TANAGER and SCOTT'S ORIOLE. All were singing except for the migrant Hammond's.

As I maneuvered to get a better view of two male Hepatic Tanagers, some close movement caught my eye.  The bird turned out to be my first of season SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER and it was completely silent over the next 30 minutes. Although this is a very vocal species and easily detected throughout the summer months, over the years I've noticed that they don't vocalize very much when they first arrive.

Of all the breeding flycatchers, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher is one of the latest to arrive. A look at published data shows them as casual during the first two weeks of May becoming rare during the latter part of the month then uncommon through August. Personally, I only have a few records during the first couple of weeks (earliest May 4) and my 18 year average first sighting date is May 18.

Also of note at the picnic area were a migrant SWAINSON'S THRUSH and a couple of LINCOLN'S SPARROWS that have wintered in the wet understory near the stream crossing. You know that I'm a data freak (blame my engineering background) and I like to analyze things. For example, Swainson's Thrush is an uncommon migrant and my data is slightly at odds with published information that shows about equal abundance spring and fall. Yet, of my 58 records, 53 are in spring; mostly in May with a few in June. Some Lincoln's Sparrows stay in SE AZ until early June but I've never seen one after May 18.

I spent a total of two hours between the picnic area and a few hundred yards down canyon and I covered 1 mile of road above the picnic area. I didn't see or hear any Elegant Trogons. However, a least two males and a female have been present recently.

In addition to those already mentioned, other species included ACORN & ARIZONA WOODPECKERS; BRIDLED TITMOUSE,  BLACK-THROATED GRAY & WILSON'S WARBLERS; PAINTED REDSTART and SPOTTED TOWHEE.

If was windy by the time that I reached the fishing ponds in Garden Canyon and I struggled for most of what I eventually found. The best bird was a singing RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW that I first detected back in October of last year. This species is slowly becoming re-established in Cochise County and I'm hopeful they will breed at this location.

SAVANNAH SPARROW was of note (perhaps only to me) and represented my latest spring sighting in SE AZ.

Among the 25 species noted were BELTED KINGFISHER, a pair of VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, SUMMER TANAGER, RUFOUS-CROWNED, 50+ CHIPPING, LARK & WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS; PYRRHULOXIA and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

Thursday, May 13, 2010
First of three days with Marilynne Keyser from the Bend area in Oregon. We have a short list of targets to find and the list is now shorter than the initial plan since Marilynne has just spent some time in Texas and picked up a few "AZ" species there.

Today we visited California Gulch for FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW and it was one of my shortest ever visits. I left home at 3:30am and picked up Marilynne in Huachuca City. Without even entering the gulch proper, we managed scope views of a singing sparrow by 7:15am. We first heard the bird singing as we walked down Heartbreak Hill at the north end of the gulch. We then walked north from the first stream crossing (away from the main gulch) to see the bird. I was home before 11:30am well before the heat of the day kicked in.

The only downside to not entering the gulch proper is that we saw very few birds. Still, it's hard to be disappointed with 100% success. The only birds of note were ZONE-TAILED HAWK about 2 miles north of the gulch proper and a GRAY HAWK at mile 7 on the Ruby Road.

A couple of NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS near the dam were perhaps the least common location species (by my records; seen about 1 year in 3 at this location).

Friday, May 14, 2010
Out again today with Marilynne looking for a handful of target species. We visited the Santa Rita Mountains to look for Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Rufous-capped Warbler and Flame-colored Tanager. In the evening we visited the Huachucas for Whip-poor-will and Whiskered Screech-Owl. We managed to see all targets for the day.

We began in Florida Canyon from where there have been few recent reports of Rufous-capped Warbler. I briefly heard a bird singing on April 22 and there was a report of two birds seen on April 30. After a brief spell of listening near the dam, we proceeded up canyon closer to a nesting site used last year and where I hoped the birds would be nesting again.

At 7:15am, a RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER burst into song and continued to sing for three minutes or so. We tried to maneuver into a viewing position without much success; then the bird flew across the streambed to the base of an oak. A few minutes later I hurried back down canyon to alert John Yerger and his client who we had passed earlier. I was hoping to get more eyes looking for the bird, but, unfortunately, they had already left. I returned and learned that Marilynne had seen the bird fly to a new location. After an unsuccessful search, we continued up canyon to a location just above last year's nest. The warbler "ticked" at 8:30am and was seen again briefly in flight. No further vocalizations were heard. Nevertheless, it was a new ABA bird for Marilynne (she had seen one in Mexico) and a successful start to our day with a bird that I wasn't too optimistic about given the paucity of reports.

Of note in the canyon were 2 singing INDIGO BUNTINGS. It's interesting to me how part of the Indigo song is "buzzy" like the Rufous-capped Warbler and I noted last year at this time that both birds responded to each others song. I'm pretty sure this happened at least once today.

Also present among 30 species were NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, HAMMOND'S, CORDILLERAN, ASH-THROATED & BROWN CRESTED FLYCATCHERS; WILSON'S WARBLER, WESTERN TANAGER and HOODED & SCOTT'S ORIOLES. 

Next, we headed to Proctor Road in Madera Canyon to look for the gnatcatcher. After finding the beginnings of a nest earlier this month, I was fairly confident of finding a bird today. Color me crestfallen when I discovered that the nest building had been abandoned. Nevertheless, I soon heard a calling BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER and after almost 45 minutes of cat and mouse activity we had excellent views of a male that perched in plain view at close range. I'm fairly confident it was the same bird that I saw on May 4. This individual only has a partial black cap (some 20-25% coverage). Today the bird moved around frequently over a relatively small area and called occasionally (no female noted). Patience and persistence were the keys to success.

We finished up at Madera Kubo where the male FLAME-COLORED TANAGER (aka "Flameboy") duly obliged. After successfully seeing two difficult birds, I was somewhat apprehensive that the "easy" bird would not be easy. My concern was unfounded -- we arrived at 11;00am and the tanager started singing at 11:15am then came in to feed on oranges.

Our evening session for a couple of targets in Carr Canyon went very well. First up was WHIP-POOR-WILL seen on a sycamore branch. Many were calling at 7:40pm then quit by 8:00pm. We had to work a little for WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL. The first bird that we found came close to the road then retreated and refused to return.

We changed location (moving about 1 mile) to find another individual that turned out to be a star. We first saw the bird fluttering over our heads (literally), feet-a-dangling. The bird then perched at eye level at close range and refused to budge even as we walked past it to leave. No more then three feet away! It doesn't get any better than this -- except perhaps for the Swedish women's volleyball team. While searching for our targets we also heard SPOTTED OWL and ELF OWL, neither of which we pursued.

A good, no, a most excellent day at the office.

Saturday, May 15, 2010
The third and final day with Marilynne was a little more relaxed and we met in daylight for the first time. We started with a visit to Huachuca Canyon for Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, our only target of the day. Following that we did some casual birding at Garden Canyon Fishing Ponds and on the San Pedro.

An early morning stop at the first picnic area in Huachuca Canyon yielded a dozen species including ARIZONA WOODPECKER, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER (a non-traditional spot for this species); LAZULI BUNTING and a pair of HEPATIC TANAGERS.

With a little patience, we easily saw our target SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER at the last picnic area. Also present were a couple of ELEGANT TROGONS -- an adult male and an after hatch year male. The birds stayed together and we witnessed a little argy-bargy between them. The younger bird checked out cavities and actually called from inside a cavity. This behavior typically occurs when a female is present but we didn't see one. 

Among the other species present were HAMMOND'S, BUFF-BREASTED, ASH-THROATED & DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS; numerous PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, WILSON'S WARBLER, PAINTED REDSTART and several WESTERN TANAGERS.

In Garden Canyon, my first of season BOTTERI'S SPARROW was perched up and singing in the lower grassland. In recent years I've detected this species in early April but this year they have arrived much later in most locations.

I was hoping for a few migrants at the fishing ponds but I was more pleased with a continuing SAVANNAH SPARROW once again extending my latest spring sighting date in SE AZ. Otherwise it was standard fare.

It was already warm (80+) on the San Pedro when we began birding at 9:30am and I was pleasantly surprised by the activity level. We turned up 50 species in two and a half hours of birding. Best species were a singing NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET near Kingfisher Pond (quite rare and less than annual at this location) and a migrant DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER (very rare here -- I have two previous records, both in spring).

Also of note was a silent TROPICAL KINGBIRD along the river near Kingfisher Pond (fos for me). This species has nested at the pond for many years.

Migrants included PLUMBEOUS VIREO, several WARBLING VIREOS, MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER (far less common here than in the mountains) and WESTERN TANAGER.

Among the expected summer regulars were a calling GRAY HAWK, 4 COMMON GROUND-DOVES, ASH-THROATED & BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS; BLUE GROSBEAK and many VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS and BULLOCK'S ORIOLES.

LINCOLN'S SPARROW and a few LARK BUNTINGS were the only continuing winter species noted.

A successful three days during which we saw all target species sought.

Sunday, May 16, 2010
Out today with Steve Dexter from Redondo Beach, CA. We started with a fairly short visit to Florida Canyon then birded at Patagonia Lake State Park and Paton's Yard.

I was unable to replicate my Friday success with Rufous-capped Warbler in Florida Canyon and we didn't even hear the bird. However, we hardly gave it a serious attempt since we were in and out of the canyon in less than two hours, including hiking time. I think the birds are almost certainly nesting at the moment so there isn't much singing or activity. Last year, I waited almost three hours for a nest exchange. This being the case, success is likely to require good timing (being in the right place at the right time) or a considerable investment in time.

With the exception of two constantly singing male INDIGO BUNTINGS, the upper canyon was fairly quiet with just a migrant WILSON'S WARBLER. RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and a couple of passing HEPATIC TANAGERS. The most interesting thing for me was seeing a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE flick its tail -- double flicks on a couple of separate occasions. I don't recall having seen this behavior before. Of course, there's often some tail action when a bird first lands -- but this was deliberate tail flicking. There's something new to be learned every day.

Species in the lower canyon included NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET (singing); DUSKY-CAPPED & BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, BELL'S VIREO and SUMMER TANAGER.

We moved on to Patagonia Lake for some casual birding, arriving there at 10:00am. We birded first along the entrance road where I expected to find recently arrived Varied Bunting. No luck with that but we did have good looks at BOTTERI'S and RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS.

The lake was full of boaters and we saw little on the water (not that there would have been much to see at this time of year apart from potential migrants). The shallow northeast corner of the lake yielded GADWALL, an immature DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT (Neotropic not noted); GREAT BLUE HERON, GREAT EGRET, COMMON MOORHEN and a SPOTTED SANDPIPER.

VERMILION FLYCATCHER and YELLOW WARBLER were the most conspicuous birds along the trail. NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET was at a nest site, DUSKY-CAPPED & BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS called. No migrant empids noted. NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS worked over the lake. GRAY HAWK called and both vultures were active. 42 species in all.

Paton's yard was quite active in the early afternoon heat but we had to wait almost an hour to see VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD. Great views of a stunning male BLUE GROSBEAK and the often-skulking YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT (visiting grape jelly). INCA DOVES were common and there were also a couple of COMMON GROUND-DOVES. Sparrows were limited to a few LARK & WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and a rare-in-late-May GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE. My personal latest date is May 28 and I have a half dozen records for the last couple of weeks of May.

The best bird of the day for me came on the drive home after I had parted company with Steve in Sonoita. A GOLDEN EAGLE flew across Highway 92 at mile 47.5 heading north towards the Whetstones. I checked my records and found 5 sightings from this same spot at random times of year dating back to 1995 . Let's call it regular but not frequent. In other words, don't stop here and expect to see one!

Monday, May 17, 2010
First of two days with Andy Shell and Scott Coats from WA. I've birded with Andy on 8 previous occasions and targets are few. Scott can look forward to many new birds. We spent all of our time today in the Huachuca Mountains with visits to Huachuca, Garden and Carr Canyons in that order.

Huachuca Canyon was very productive during the early morning hours. We saw most of the expected species including the two continuing male ELEGANT TROGONS (no female noted). We dipped on Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (present here for a week). RED-FACED WARBLER was a treat as always.

The most interesting sighting for me was the continuing BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER at the first picnic area. Habitat here seems far from typical breeding habitat for this species. We watched the bird bringing nest lining material to a substantially completed nest in a sycamore. This is the first time that I have seen a nest in a sycamore although the Arizona breeding bird atlas does list sycamore as a possibility. Also of note was the fact that the nest was well out on a limb instead of close to the trunk with a protective snag above it (this has been the norm in my experience in a pine nesting situation).

I recorded 40 species in the canyon included a calling GRAY HAWK, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, a latish CASSIN'S VIREO, HEPATIC TANAGER and SCOTT'S ORIOLE (a good bird for Scott).

During a stop in Garden Canyon grassland for BOTTERI'S SPARROW, we also noted calling SCALED QUAIL, LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, CACTUS WREN, CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, BLUE GROSBEAK and EASTERN MEADOWLARK.

At the fishing ponds we added WILD TURKEY (in a cottonwood canopy), LUCY'S WARBLER and LARK SPARROW.

Locations further up the canyon were less productive, although a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at the middle picnic area was a good find (by far my latest sighting in SE Arizona). We also saw the first ARIZONA WOODPECKER of the morning at the same location.

As expected, Carr Canyon was considerably less productive than the lower elevation locations, mainly because we didn't get up to Reef until almost midday. Activity was low and we had to deal with increasing wind. The view into San Pedro Valley was yucky -- smoke and dust made for an ugly scene.

A stop at Reef Overlook failed to produce Zone-tailed Hawk (although we may have had a candidate later that was too high to be certain). WHITE-THROATED SWIFT and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW both worked over the ridges. GRACE'S WARBLERS were fairly numerous and easy to find. Ditto YELLOW-EYED JUNCO. We only found one singing OLIVE WARBLER; unfortunately though, I was the only one who saw the bird.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Out again today with Andy and Scott looking for a variety of species in Santa Cruz County. We visited Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs, Patagonia Roadside Rest Area, Paton's Yard and Las Cienegas.

Our birding at Patagonia Lake was confined to (a very productive) 90 minutes in desert-scrub habitat and we didn't get down to the water or walk any trails. Two singing VARIED BUNTINGS greeted us as we stepped out of the vehicle. They were even on the "right" side of the road and we enjoyed a sunlit view (this colorful bird can look very dull in poor light). I looked for them without success at this very same spot on Sunday so they probably just arrived. This is one of the later arriving species and most of my first sighting dates are in the second half of May.

As we got started, a small group of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS headed towards the lake from the Water Treatment Plant ponds (possibly where they roosted). BLACK & TURKEY VULTURES were still inactive on the hillside.

Numerous WESTERN TANAGERS fed atop Ocotillos along with BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. Flowering Ocotillo did double duty and provided a perch for a singing RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW. A migrant PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER flitted in a mesquite and we also found a pair of NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS in mesquite. We had a couple of fly-by GRAY HAWKS, the first of many sightings throughout the day.

Other species included ASH-THROATED & BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS; BELL'S VIREO, VERDIN, PHAINOPEPLA, LUCY'S & WILSON'S WARBLERS; YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and HOODED & BULLOCK'S ORIOLES.

Although we failed to find couple of species that I had hoped to see at Kino Springs (Gilded Flicker and Tropical Kingbird), the area was very productive. Highlights were a male BRONZED COWBIRD on the club house lawn and a singing VARIED BUNTING. From 7:30-9:00am we recorded 46 species including 4 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS, GRAY HAWK, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, a singing GREATER ROADRUNNER, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE and numerous common species.

A brief stop at Patagonia Roadside Rest area yielded a pair of vocal and active THICK-BILLED KINGBIRDS atop a sycamore. The birds conveniently sallied and returned to the same snags allowing us to get a scope view. High soaring BLACK VULTURES were overhead and the song of CANYON WREN drifted down from the cliffs. We saw 3 more GRAY HAWKS and HOODED ORIOLE.

Half an hour spent in Paton's Yard was entertaining and productive. Of course, VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD was the star of the show. Others among 30 species noted were 5 species of doves including INCA DOVE & COMMON GROUND-DOVE; a very close DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, a spiffy out-in-the-open YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, ABERT'S TOWHEE and SUMMER TANAGER.

We finished up at Las Cienegas headquarters area where I hoped to find Zone-tailed Hawk in a regular spot (no success). Activity was much lower here in the early afternoon and only WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE was new for the day. A single GRAY HAWK maintained the record of sightings at every location that we visited.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Out today with Vivek Tawari from the south bay area of California who I've birded with on one previous occasion. It was a different kind of day as we first traveled east then west in search of a handful of targets in scattered locations. It was a very warm day as temperatures creep towards the first 100 degree day of the year (I can hardly wait).

We began in Sulphur Springs Valley in search of thrashers, hardly an ideal time to be doing this after they've completed their breeding activities. We worked my primary "thrasher route" -- a rectangle bounded by Central and Coffman east-west; Davis and Bagby north-south; and several east-west side roads. CURVE-BILLED THRASHERS were very numerous (mostly immature birds) and served to add another level of difficulty to our search (several false alarms occurred). We persevered and worked methodically and found our targets after 2.5 hours of effort -- BENDIRE'S THRASHER (adult and immature on Coffman at a traditional nest site) and a pair of CRISSAL THRASHERS on Grant's. We heard some "whisper song" from Crissal.

Although there's nothing special about Lee Road (dense mesquite on one side of the road; open grassland and cultivated fields on the other), over the years I've noticed that it seems attractive to migrants. A couple of WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES and several WESTERN TANAGERS were present today. Presumably these are birds heading much further north since local birds are already on territory.

Among the species seen during our search activities (mostly in mesquite and open grass habitat) were many SCALED & GAMBEL'S QUAIL (both conspicuous); SWAINSON'S HAWK, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, GREATER ROADRUNNER, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN & CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS; LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (abundant); BLACK-THROATED SPARROW (common, singing); PYRRHULOXIA, EASTERN MEADOWLARK (fairly common, singing) and several BULLOCK'S ORIOLES.

Our next stop was St. David Monastery in search of Zone-tailed Hawk and Mississippi Kite. Not long after we got started, Sierra Vista birder Dieter Kamm called us over to view a splendid MISSISSIPPI KITE perched low and in the open near the sewage pond. We didn't put in much effort for Zone-tailed and soon departed. Species noted in 30 minutes included GRAY HAWK, NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, VERMILION & BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS; PHAINOPEPLA, LUCY'S & YELLOW WARBLERS, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, LARK SPARROW and SUMMER & WESTERN TANAGERS.

Next came an aborted attempt to visit upper Carr Canyon. The first few miles of the road were (very!) recently graded and in excellent condition. Just as I said "I hope we don't meet the grader" that's exactly what happened (two of them). After 1/2 mile following the graders, we were told that a "rock crusher" was about to start working and that the upper road would soon be closed for 3 hours. Not wishing to invest that much time, we reluctantly turned around forfeiting all hope of Virginia's Warbler.

We spent 45 minutes at Ash-Canyon B&B without seeing Lucifer Hummingbird (in fact, very few hummers were active in the midday heat). Vivek returned later in the day and hopefully had success. Great views of ARIZONA WOODPECKER and a number of common species.

We journeyed west to Patagonia Lake seeing GRAY HAWK and THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD as we passed the Patagonia Roadside Rest Area.

Despite the time of day and high temperature, I was very confident of finding VARIED BUNTING at the lake. As thing turns out, my confidence was almost unfounded. In over an hour of effort, we only found one singing bird and managed just a couple of brief views. Success nevertheless.

70 species recorded:
Mallard, Scaled & Gambel's Quail; Wild Turkey, Black & Turkey Vultures; Mississippi Kite, Gray, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks; Killdeer, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged & Mourning Doves; Common Ground-Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Great Horned Owl, Broad-billed & Anna's Hummingbirds; Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers; N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Western Wood-Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Vermilion, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers; Cassin's, Thick-billed & Western Kingbirds; Loggerhead Shrike, Bell's Vireo, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; Horned Lark, Barn Swallow, Bushtit, White-breasted Nuthatch, Cactus & Bewick's Wrens; N. Mockingbird, Bendire's, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers; Phainopepla, Lucy's & Yellow Warblers; Yellow-breasted Chat, Canyon Towhee, Lark, Black-throated & Song Sparrows; Summer & Western Tanagers; N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Black-headed Grosbeak, Varied Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bullock's & Scott's Orioles; House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Saturday, May 29, 2010
Today I started a short trip to the White Mountains. As is the norm for me on such trips, I made a point of spending a little time at Willcox pond before continuing north. I left home in darkness and arrived at Willcox about 15 minutes after sunrise.

SCALED QUAIL was the most conspicuous species. I saw birds perched on the main entrance sign, on both viewing blinds and on various signs and fence posts on the golf course. All of these birds were singing (if you can call it that). I noted may others scurrying around the grass on the margin of the main pond. It was quite entertaining.

Ironically, now that shorebird migration is almost over, the habitat for shorebirds is the best that it has been for quite some time. Not many shorebirds present today though. Migrants consisted of 4 WILLETS, 2 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS and 3 WILSON'S PHALAROPES. Also present were 28 AMERICAN AVOCETS and 2 BLACK-NECKED STILTS (both breeders here).

I noted a pair of NORTHERN SHOVELERS (possibly staying to breed?) and a drake GREEN-WINGED TEAL. A previously reported SCAUP thought to be a Greater Scaup by others was not seen well enough for me to identify (distant and heavily backlit).

WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE and PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER were the only migrant landbirds that I noted. Among the other species present were a couple of female BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS gathering nesting material; WESTERN & CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, HORNED LARK, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, EASTERN MEADOWLARK and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. 32 species in all.

Climbing away from the heat of Safford into the pines and junipers at Blackjack on Hwy 78 in Greenlee County, I noted ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, MEXICAN JAY, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, GRACE'S WARBLER, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, HEPATIC TANAGER and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. Just past Stateline in New Mexico, I added JUNIPER TITMOUSE.

Timing is everything, right?. How many times have you heard that. It was certainly true for me today. Driving along Hwy 180 in New Mexico just north of Glenwood, I was in exactly the right place at the right time for a great view of a low flying COMMON BLACK-HAWK directly in front of me.

My first stop in the White Mountains at Luna Lake was quite windy and very disappointing. Perhaps too many boats on the water. An adult BALD EAGLE near a regular nest site was the highlight. Around the lake I noted regulars such as CANADA GOOSE, GADWALL, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, AMERICAN CROW, EASTERN MEADOWLARK  and YELLOW-HEADED & BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS.

The tackle shop is closed (hence no feeders and no hummers).

I wasn't able to find much in the pines by late morning. Species noted included WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, STELLER'S JAY, WHITE-BREASTED & PYGMY NUTHATCHES and DARK-EYED (Red-backed) JUNCO.

In Nutrioso, a slow drive along the creek produced many CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS and not much else. In town I saw at least two LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS. Nutrioso Reservoir had high water and few birds.

My final stop of the day was at Nelson Reservoir. The normally shallow south end is a little too marshy and deep for shorebirds. Highlight here was provided my latest spring sighting of BUFFLEHEAD in Arizona (one male, two females). Two REDHEADS were present.

A fairly slow first day, enjoyable nonetheless. At least it's a little cooler up here (here being Springerville).

Sunday, May 30, 2010
Out today with Greg Lavaty and Jin from Houston, TX. Our main targets for the day were all warblers -- MacGillivray's, Virginia's and Red-faced in that order of priority. Regular readers won't be surprised to learn that we spent a lot of time looking for Virginia's without success. We had great views of the other two as well as a number of secondary targets. It was a sunny, mostly wind free day with temperatures ranging from the 30s to low 80s.

We began in West Fork in Greer where it was downright chilly (somewhere in the mid 30s). Nevertheless, it didn't take long at all to find our first MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER. Greg and Jin were able to get photos of several uncharacteristically  cooperative birds. We probably saw as many as six of them. Based on their behavior, I'd say that the birds have only recently arrived. They were chasing each other around and calling (which is how we found them). No territorial singing.

Not much else was active during our early morning visit. Species noted included a fly-by OSPREY, several CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS (common in most places today), singing HOUSE WREN & RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, HERMIT THRUSH and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK,

We followed this early success with visits to South Fork, Sipe, Rudd Creek and Nutrioso.

At South Fork, traditional local breeders INDIGO BUNTING (singing) and GRAY CATBIRD (at least 3 birds singing and chasing) were present along with a small flock (20+) of PINYON JAYS. South Fork is one of the best places to find these nomadic jays. Among the other species noted in forest and riparian habitats were HAIRY WOODPECKER, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, PLUMBEOUS & WARBLING VIREOS, CLARK'S NUTCRACKER, PYGMY NUTHATCH, HORNED LARK, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

Sipe Wildlife Area (including the adjacent Rudd Creek Canyon on National Forest land) produced 35 species including a couple of RED-FACED WARBLERS. Among the other species were perched VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS that also spent time of the ground; a singing but reticent JUNIPER TITMOUSE, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, a very cooperative singing GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE, several WESTERN TANAGERS and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD.

Along Rudd Creek just north of Nelson Reservoir the most interesting sighting was a HAIRY WOODPECKER in rather dry juniper habitat. This is a fairly common occurrence in the White Mountains. ROCK WRENS were seen carrying food. A couple of WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS zoomed by.

We finished up in Nutrioso where LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS were easy to find in the same locations as yesterday. One posed cooperatively for photos. Also in town were ACORN WOODPECKER and RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER.

In the afternoon I visited Greer Lakes, Sunrise Lake and Sheep Crossing.

Greer Lakes had plenty of people and I gave it short shrift. A few female COMMON MERGANSERS were on River Reservoir.

In contrast, I had the south side of Sunrise Lake to myself. I saw perhaps 40 COMMON MERGANSERS, about 40% of which were females. I found this a little surprising since I would expect them to be breeding on the rivers by now with just the males lounging around at the lake.  Also present were plenty of GADWALL, 10 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, a single CINNAMON TEAL and a few RUDDY DUCKS. Lots of VIOLET-GREEN and a few CLIFF SWALLOWS worked over the lake, 20 AMERICAN CROWS foraged around the periphery. MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD and EASTERN MEADOWLARK were in the surrounding grassland. A second visit later in the day yielded HORNED LARK, VESPER SPARROW and a rufous morph SWAINSON'S HAWK. Swainson's Hawk is very uncommon as a breeder in the White Mountains. They are a little more common in the plains grassland to the north of the mountains.

The main reason for my visit to Sheep Crossing was to check on the presence of AMERICAN DIPPER. There's been lots of construction work done here over the past few years and I'm happy to say that it hasn't impacted the birds -- I watched a pair bringing food to a nest. I spent a couple of hours working around the bridge (+/- 1/2 mile) and saw a dozen common species. RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS were extremely numerous and vocal and I also saw a few GOLDEN-CROWNED along with RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH and MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE.

[White Mountain conditions: The willows at all the higher elevation locations that I visited today are still far from fully leafed out. Interestingly, many of the high Aspens are in full leaf while others are still dormant. Most of the lakes have plenty of water and the Little Colorado is flowing strongly in all areas visited. There's still a few patches of snow in places, mostly in the Sunrise area.]

Monday, May 31, 2010
Today I spent all of my time at high elevation locations. I made extended visits to Big Lake Lookout, Three Forks and Sheep Crossing. It was a sunny day with the temperature ranging from the mid 40s to high 80s in Springerville, cooler on the rim.

I enjoyed the early morning tranquility and chill at Big Lake Lookout and it didn't seem to matter that I failed to find Dusky Grouse. I certainly didn't embark upon a thorough search and focused on the birds that were around. Most notable were a pair of AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS, a bird that I only see at this location on about 10% of visits. I first heard the male drumming just below the top on the south side of the "knoll". Over the course of an hour, the birds foraged in the immediate vicinity of the parking area below the tower then worked their way down slope on the north side. I tried unsuccessfully for a photo -- most were horribly backlit and unfit for public consumption. I managed just one mediocre peek-a-boo head shot of a female from some distance when the light was in my favor.  

Also of note was a silently foraging RED-FACED WARBLER. I've seen singing birds here several times and surmised that they breed in this location even though the habitat seems somewhat atypical (9300 feet, mostly fir and aspen). Of course, the birds know best about such matters. WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE is another (occasional) breeder at this location that I always think seems a little out of place.

Among the regular species that I noted were CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, WARBLING VIREO, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, HERMIT THRUSH, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH and WESTERN TANAGER.

At Three Forks (4 miles east of the lookout road on FR249), I wanted to check on MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER. I quickly found a singing bird near the bridge then spent way too much time trying to get a photograph without even coming close to an unobstructed view. The willows are far from maximum growth on the last day of May but they were dense enough! I later found a pair further upstream but left them well alone. Once bitten....

ROCK WREN is pretty much "guaranteed" at this spot and a bird was on duty as usual as I stepped out of my vehicle. The bird was fearless and allowed close approach as it went about its business of singing from three different perches. I watched it for a while as it alternately sang from a rock (duh!), a wooden post at the bridge and atop a small pine tree. Quite a versatile performer and the antithesis of MacGillivray's in terms of its behavior.

Species noted as I worked the warbler and wren included a nest-building BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, STELLER'S JAY, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE (singing constantly for two hours), WESTERN TANAGER and a group of bickering BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS.

I stopped to eat lunch at Crescent Lake where I saw several COMMON MERGANSERS and a handful of regulars, although 4 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS didn't fall into that category. The road west of here is in fine shape and it only took ten minutes to reach Sheep Crossing.

It was noon by the time I arrived at Sheep Crossing and I was surprised to find low human activity on the holiday. Bird activity was also low. No matter, I spent three hours watching AMERICAN DIPPER activity at a nest site (built on a ledge under a bridge). You'll note that fishing line is part of the nest material.

I soon figured out that one bird was in the nest. Every 3-5 minutes the other bird returned with food and transferred it to the bird in the nest. Occasionally, the food was rejected and the bird sat for a minute or two in a willow before trying again. Sometimes it took 10 minutes for the bird to return and I assumed that it was feeding itself during this period.

There came a time when the foraging bird didn't return for almost 30 minutes. Upon its return and subsequent food transfer, the foraging bird removed fecal sacs that had been pushed outside of the nest by the bird inside the nest. Both birds then left the nest and returned independently with food at 5 minute intervals. Throughout the entire period that I watched, I kept myself entertained by trying to figure out which way the birds would go to find food (upstream, 20%; or downstream, 80%). I could easily see the upstream side (a large, slow moving pool) and noted how the birds foraged by swimming and ducking under the water to find food, occasionally walking along the bank and picking food from the edge of the water. Interesting stuff. Downstream was fast flowing and out of my sight.

I took the short cut to get off the mountain by returning through Greer. A quick check of Greer Lakes produced my first WESTERN BLUEBIRD of the trip. Normally, this is a very common bird and easily seen in pine habitat that is so extensive throughout the White Mountains.

My day ended poorly when I arrived at Becker Lake and discovered that I had a flat time. After installing the spare (and patting myself on the back for having decided to purchase a hydraulic jack some years ago), I found a place in town that was open and got the offending tire fixed. Not one, but two rock punctures! I've lost count of the number of times that I've had a flat tire on White Mountains trips.

[Road note: With the exception of a short stretch of a few miles just east of Sunrise Lake, SR 273 (the main east-west high elevation route) is now paved all the way from Hwy 260 to Big Lake. East of Big Lake the road (FR249 at this point) is improved compared to recent years and consists of good sized gravel, very dusty, not much fun to drive and probably where I damaged the tire.]

May Species Seen

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

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