Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - April, 1999 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 Friday, April 30, 1999.

Monday, April 5, 1999     Previous Day    Next Day
Winter returned to SE AZ while I was on vacation with heavy winds, rain, and plenty of snow in the mountains. Yesterday it even snowed at street level in Sierra Vista but quickly melted. Today was a beautiful day that began in the mid 30s and warmed to the mid 60s. In town, VERDINS were chattering, HOUSE FINCHES were singing and WESTERN KINGBIRDS are common again.

I eased myself back into the fray with a short visit to Sierra Vista sewage ponds that were pretty quiet in mid afternoon. I recorded 31 species in 50 minutes. Wintering ducks have definitely thinned out with just a few GREEN-WINGED TEAL, SHOVELERS and RING-NECKED DUCKS still around. CINNAMON TEAL usually increase in April and indeed, several pairs were working the marsh ponds. Numerous MARSH WRENS are still present -- they normally don't leave until around tax day, April 15. However, habitat for them here is now very good and one year perhaps they will stay to breed.

I thought the highlight of my day was going to be 4-ROCK DOVES, only my third sighting here in 634 visits! However, after checking umpteen groups of TURKEY VULTURES, that changed. I was already near the gate on my way out when I spotted a lone "TV". I was so sure that it was going to be another Red-faced Zone-tailed Hawk, but it rarely pays to be lazy so I said to myself "better check it". I'm glad that I did because it was a "real" ZONE-TAILED HAWK, working low over the southwest field.

Tuesday, April 6, 1999    Previous Day     Next Day
Out today with Mary Jo and John Fohner from Uniontown, OH. We visited Patagonia Lake SP, Kino Springs, Paton's Yard, Beatty's B&B and the San Pedro River. On another great weather day, marred only by high winds later in the day, our tally was just shy of 100 species.

The birdlife at Patagonia Lake State Park has changed noticeably over the past couple of weeks from winter to spring mode. After being pretty thin on the ground so far this year, LUCY'S WARBLERS were abundant today. Season firsts for me were WARBLING VIREO, WILSON'S WARBLER and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. Among the migrants seen were OSPREY, CASSIN'S VIREO and four species of swallows. Flycatchers were well represented with several singing and chasing NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS, abundant VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, a few ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS and many CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS. However, we saw only one winter empid, a GRAY FLYCATCHER. We birded here from 7:00-10:00am and recorded the following 64 species:

Pied-billed Grebe, 20-Neotropic Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Great Blue Heron, Black & Turkey Vultures, Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Sora, Common Moorhen, American Coot, 3-Common Snipe, Killdeer, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Black-chinned & Costa's Hummingbirds, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Gray Flycatcher, Say's & Black Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Bell's, Cassin's & Warbling Vireos, Phainopepla, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Tree, Violet-green, Rough-winged & Barn Swallows,  Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Orange-crowned, Lucy's, Yellow, 2.2 million Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Song, Chipping & Black-throated Sparrows, Northern Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Bullock's Oriole, Red-winged and Brewer's Blackbird and   Great-tailed Grackle.

The wind had already picked up at Kino Springs which made finding the GRAY HAWKS in the swaying cottonwoods a little difficult. Fortunately, they called enough that we were able to find them.  Looks like the birds are refurbishing an old nest. A small flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS were near the clubhouse. We checked quite a few TURKEY VULTURES but it wasn't until we passed the Circle Z Ranch that we found a ZONE-TAILED HAWK.

The Paton's Yard was alive with people and birds today, and we quickly saw 6 species of hummers: BROAD-BILLED, VIOLET-CROWNED, BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S, COSTA'S and RUFOUS. Other birds included COOPER'S HAWK, N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, WILSON'S and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

At  Beatty's B&B in Miller Canyon (thanks once again to Tom Beatty for his hospitality) we saw BROAD-TAILED, MAGNIFICENT, ANNA'S, BLACK-CHINNED, COSTA'S and RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS. Also present today but not seen by us were BLUE-THROATED and CALLIOPE. Other birds included MEXICAN and STELLER'S JAYS, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO and PINE SISKIN.

We ended our day at the Hwy 90 crossing of the San Pedro River. By now it was very windy and birds were hard to come by. We saw 35 species from 3:00-4:30pm including HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, LUCY'S and WILSON'S WARBLERS, GREEN-TAILED, CANYON and ABERT'S TOWHEES.

Wednesday, April 7, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 1 of 2 days with Norm Rehn and Marlene Schroeder of Newbury, MA, with day 2 next week. We spent the entire day in the Huachucas and really struggled to find birds because of the high winds that began much earlier than yesterday and gusted more strongly. We visited Garden, Sawmill, Scheelite and Miller Canyons but managed only 50 species after 10 hours in the field. Definitely tough conditions for birding.

It was cool and cloudy at the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon at 7:15am and it took over 30 minutes before we saw any significant activity. The large central willow tree was the most productive area with at least two HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS (seen everywhere today), HUTTON'S VIREO, BROWN CREEPER (seems low elevation this late), ORANGE-CROWNED, LUCY'S (quite rare at this location) and WILSON'S  WARBLERS, and PAINTED REDSTART.

Sawmill was about as unproductive as I have ever seen it at this time of year. We really struggled with BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER, seeing only one singing male at a distance and hearing a couple more calling. We saw only 12 species and bailed out after 90 minutes. The best bird was undoubtedly a WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER that extended my previous late date for Sawmill by 2 days (April 5, 1994).

Scheelite was also quiet and, as we made the trek up canyon, birds were very slow in coming. A calling WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, the usual RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, a pair of close range CANYON WRENS, a secretive SPOTTED TOWHEE, a very vocal HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER (several more eventually) and several singing HUTTON'S VIREOS. We met several parties who had not found the owl and I was hoping that I wouldn't have to go to the higher elevations on such a windy day. However, I was pleased to quickly find a single SPOTTED OWL, roosting in a regular location in plain sight from the trail. I left Norm and Marlene looking at the bird and headed down the trail to call back the other parties, but I only managed to find 3 folks. I hate people to make the effort of hiking up the canyon only to go away empty handed.

A pair of very elusive STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKERS were near the owl. They called and drummed but we only got one flying glimpse. Also around was a BROWN CREEPER, PAINTED REDSTART and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER

Last stop of the day was again at Beatty's B&B in Miller Canyon where we recorded 26 species in 2 hours and saw all the same hummers as yesterday. Other species included HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, numerous CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, EASTERN BLUEBIRD and HEPATIC TANAGER.

Thursday, April 8, 1999    Previous Day    Next day
Day 1 of 2 days with Tom and Michele Strange from La Crosse, WI. Another beautiful day, finally without the wind of the past few days. We visited Patagonia Lake, Paton's and Kino Springs, and recorded close to 100 species.

Excellent birding at Patagonia Lake where a 4 hour casual stint produced 72 species. Nice views of SORA, VIRGINIA RAIL and LEAST BITTERN all in the same general area in the east marsh, not far after dropping to lake level. The ELEGANT TROGON continues and was seen by others today along the creek trail.

One of the neatest sights came where the creek empties into the lake. Here, several bushes were festooned with swallows of four flavors, allowing great comparisons -- TREE, VIOLET-GREEN, CLIFF and BARN. Lots of N. ROUGH-WINGED were also present but they seemed to prefer their own company.

Flycatchers were again very visible and we found  NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET (several, very vocal), 3+DUSKY, 3+GRAY, 1-PACIFIC-SLOPE and several ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS along with the more common BLACK and SAY'S PHOEBES, and scads of VERMILIONS and CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS.

Warblers were represented by ORANGE-CROWNED, LUCY'S (just the odd 1or 2 <grin>), YELLOW, YELLOW-RUMPED, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, YELLOWTHROAT, WILSON'S and PAINTED REDSTART.

Other stuff included 20+ NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, CINNAMON TEAL, BUFFLEHEAD,  GRAY HAWK, 6+MOORHENS 2-COMMON SNIPE, COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, 10+ CEDAR WAXWINGS, AM. PIPIT, BELL'S and WARBLING VIREOS.

The Paton's Yard was packed to the gills with people, and despite the heat of the day from 12:30-1:30pm we saw a nice selection of 30+ species including BROAD-BILLED, VIOLET-CROWNED, BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S, COSTA'S and RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS,  BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, AM. GOLDFINCH, PINE SISKIN, LAZULI BUNTING, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and GREEN-TAILED and ABERT'S TOWHEES.

After some difficulty, our last stop of the day at Kino Springs from 1:50-3:10pm finally produced a couple of GRAY HAWKS. Additional species seen here were SNOWY EGRET, GADWALL, RING-NECKED DUCK, PHAINOPEPLA, and LINCOLN'S and BREWER'S SPARROWS. About 35 species in all.

Friday, April 9, 1999     Previous Day     Next Day
Out again today with Tom and Michele Strange from La Crosse, WI. We visited Garden, Sawmill and Miller Canyons in the Huachucas, and the San Pedro River. Unfortunately, high winds returned again today and birds were a little hard to come by.

Although we made an 8:30am late start in Sawmill Canyon, we eventually managed to squeeze out a few birds. However, because of the wind and the fact that virtually nothing was singing, it took well over 2 hours of scratching around to find a meager 22 species. Several singing BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were easier to find today but we only came across one silent GRACE'S and a two slightly vocal OLIVE WARBLERS. A couple of birds that have been around at lower elevations for some time have now made it up to Sawmill -- ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER and CASSIN'S KINGBIRD. Lingering species were WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER  and 2-TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES. A migrant CASSIN'S VIREO was also present.

At the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon, the large central willow that has barely leafed out was again productive, with 9 species. I have now dubbed it the "magic willow" (I also have a "magic walnut" tree in Sawmill that is productive in fall). Foraging in the willow today, more or less at the same time were HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, CASSIN'S VIREO, ORANGE-CROWNED, LUCY'S, and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, HOUSE FINCH and my first male HEPATIC TANAGER of the year. However, by far the best bird was a pristine looking BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW. This was the first time that I have seen one in the Huachucas and it seemed very much out of habitat, obviously taking the advantage of the food source during seasonal movement. After checking a few TURKEY VULTURES on our way back to town, we found a low flying ZONE-TAILED HAWK near the range control building.

Hummingbirds really struggled in the wind during our two hour afternoon visit to Beatty's B&B in Miller Canyon. We saw BROAD-TAILED, MAGNIFICENT, ANNA'S, BLACK-CHINNED, RUFOUS and CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRDS and a funny looking Magnificent that must be a hybrid, pero con qué? A couple of HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS continue in the orchard.

The San Pedro River was very windy in the late afternoon, but we managed 40+ species from 4:00-5:40pm. Mostly common stuff including 6 species of sparrows. The best bird was undoubtedly the male MERLIN that flashed by kingfisher pond. Others included GRAY HAWK, BELTED KINGFISHER and numerous BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS.

Saturday, April 10, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Laura and Ernie Gulovsen from Ventura, CA, and their 9 year old grandson, Tyler, who maintained his interest all day and helped me by spotting birds (especially Vermilion Flycatchers!). Another great weather day with no wind that started at 33 degrees in Sierra Vista. We visited Patagonia Lake State Park, Paton's Yard, and Garden and Miller Canyons.

Another excellent morning at Patagonia Lake State Park with 65 species seen from 7:20-10:45am. Most of the same species as of late including 25+ NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, easily seen VIRGINIA RAIL and SORA, 4-COMMON SNIPE, COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRDS, many singing and chasing N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS, several each of HAMMOND'S, DUSKY and GRAY, 1-PACIFIC-SLOPE, lots of VERMILION and 3-ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, BLACK and SAY'S PHOEBES, WESTERN and CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, 2-CASSIN'S VIREOS, the usual warblers and a singing BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW. [Commentary: Although I haven't seen one myself, I've now heard of at least 2 Willow Flycatchers reported so far. Quite unusual for a flycatcher to show up 4 weeks early, especially a long distance migrant.]

The Paton's yard was very popular again and had all the usual hummers plus a quite rare here male MAGNIFICENT and a male CALLIOPE. A single male LAZULI BUNTING put in a few appearances.

The upper picnic area in Garden Canyon also had lots of people today, but the birds in the "magic willow" didn't care and we saw numerous species including HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, CASSIN'S VIREO and HEPATIC TANAGER. However, by far the best bird here was a WINTER WREN along the stream.

A short visit to Beatty's B&B in Miller Canyon today yielded more people than birds and we didn't stay long in the heat of the afternoon. All the hummers that I've been seeing all week were present.

Sunday, April 11, 1999    Previous Day     Next Day
Out today with Lynne and Fairbank Carpenter of Chicago, IL. Another nice day that started almost 20 degrees warmer than yesterday, although the wind picked up again in the afternoon. We visited Scheelite, Garden and Miller Canyons.

We began in Scheelite Canyon at 8:00am looking for two target birds -- Spotted Owl and Strickland's Woodpecker. Not much activity on our way up -- a singing HUTTON'S VIREO, 2 BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS, CANYON WREN, GREATER ROADRUNNER  WESTERN SCRUB and MEXICAN JAYS calling from the slopes, a singing BEWICK'S WREN and PAINTED REDSTART.

The SPOTTED OWL was easy to find again today, in the same tree as a few day's ago. On that visit I had witnessed a nest exchange between a pair of STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER'S without ever seeing the birds. Unfortunately, the same thing happened again today. After the nest exchange we waited for almost an hour without any further activity. On our way back down the canyon we heard another Strickland's almost at the entrance to the canyon. In an effort to induce the bird to call again, I began some NPO toots. The woodpecker never responded but we did entice HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, my first RED-FACED WARBLER of the year (beating my previous early date by one day, 4/12/94), LESSER GOLDFINCH and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW

A brief stop at the "magic willow" at the upper picnic area was not too productive but we did see HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER and LUCY'S WARBLER.

Our final stop of the day was at Beatty's B&B in Miller Canyon to look for Calliope Hummingbird. As I stepped out of the car in the forest service parking lot, I immediately heard the strident call of a STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER in the midst of a noisy flock of MEXICAN JAYS. We hurried over to the location and Lynne soon spotted the bird. I'd rather be lucky than good, any way we get 'em is fine.

Far fewer people today and we enjoyed several hours with the hummers and a chat with the always entertaining Tom Beatty -- thanks for the hospitality. Unfortunately, we did not see the Calliope but we did see BROAD-TAILED, MAGNIFICENT, ANNA'S, BLACK-CHINNED, and RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS. The probable hybrid species also put in a couple of appearances It's mostly a Magnificent in size, plumage and behavior, but it's a tad smaller and has some strange blue colors. Conventional wisdom might suggest hybridization with a Blue-throated, but if the color of blue is any indication I would guess Broad-billed

Other birds recorded were COOPER'S HAWK (nesting here), HAMMOND'S (everywhere right now) and (rare here in migration) BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS, CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, BUSHTIT, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, HUTTON'S VIREO, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, ORANGE-CROWNED and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, GRAY-HEADED and YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS, CHIPPING SPARROW and PINE SISKIN.

Monday, April 12, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Rigdon Currie from Point Reyes, CA. We've birded together 6 times now and have seen a quite few good birds. Pretty soon I expect to be able to use him as a reference. Today our target bird was the Black-capped Gnatcatcher in Chino Canyon. Although I had seen the female on March 16, a four hour search on March 25 was completely unsuccessful, with not even a heard bird, so I was not particularly optimistic.

We parked near the "lone saguaro" at 8:25am and almost immediately heard a BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER. However, it was almost 90 minutes later before we saw both male and female (the male of course may be last year's hybrid, no way to know from today's view). The birds stayed very low and remained elusive for most of the time. As time wore on they vocalized less and less and only once or twice did we hear both calling at the same time. We never heard them at all after 10:00am until we left the area at 10:30am. During this entire time we had a few fleeting glimpses as the birds flitted low through vegetation. We briefly saw the male during the one time that he perched high, but fortunately, just long enough to get a diagnostic look at the white undertail and black cap. Rig also got more satisfying close range looks at the female. All of the activity was down canyon from the saguaro on the north/west side of the trail.

I didn't pay much attention to other birds and recorded only 21 species including DUSKY FLYCATCHER, BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER and BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW.

Tuesday, April 13, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Loren Smith from Seattle, WA and Pat Fontaine from VT. A pleasant but much cooler day that again became quite windy. We visited Patagonia Lake, Sonoita Creek, Garden and Scheelite Canyons.

Patagonia Lake was as birdy as usual and yielded 70 species from 7:00-11:00am. All of the regulars were present such as NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, VIRGINIA RAIL, CINNAMON TEAL, COMMON SNIPE, NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, HAMMOND'S, DUSKY, GRAY and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, ROCK WREN, BELL'S VIREO, and LUCY'S WARBLER. Others included PAINTED REDSTART, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and my first Arizona SUMMER TANAGER of the year.

Next we spent a little time on Sonoita Creek near the town of Sonoita, birding on the property of San Pedro River Inn owner, Walter Kolbe -- thank you Walter. We saw about 20 species in a short visit to this this nice mix of riparian and oak habitat including COOPER'S HAWK, MEXICAN JAY, ASH-THROATED and DUSKY FLYCATCHERS, BUSHTIT, WILSON'S WARBLER, LINCOLN'S and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

A late lunch stop in Garden Canyon at the "magic willow" produced HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, ORANGE-CROWNED and LUCY'S WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, HEPATIC TANAGER and LESSER GOLDFINCH.

On our trip to Scheelite Canyon I was unable to find a Spotted Owl today for the first time in a while. By 4:00pm everyone was tired (including me!), after 10 hours in the field, and we abandoned the search without checking the entire canyon. However, I got the impression that further searching would not have been successful. Birds in the canyon included STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, CANYON WREN, BROWN CREEPER, BUSHTIT, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, HUTTON'S VIREO, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS.

Wednesday, April 14, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Ron and Mary Teel from Fairbanks, AK. Another beautiful blue sky day that was much warmer than yesterday with very little wind. We visited Patagonia Lake, Paton's Yard, Garden Canyon and Beatty's B&B.

Another excellent morning's birding at Patagonia Lake State Park. Despite missing several "easy" trash birds, we recorded 81 species from 7:00-11:00am. The highlight for me was a migrating male HEPATIC TANAGER, species #202 that I've seen at this location. A couple of season first for me were also present, WHITE-FACED IBIS and HOODED ORIOLE (perched near a BULLOCK'S for a nice comparison). A first yesterday SUMMER TANAGER continued as expected, and they will grow in numbers from now on.  I'm not going to bore you with all the regular flycatchers, warblers, etc, but wintering VIRGINIA RAIL and SORA continue easy to see in the marsh and today they were in the company of a LEAST BITTERN. A lingering SWAMP SPARROW was also in the marsh. Migrants included CASSIN'S and WARBLING VIREOS and PAINTED REDSTART. Other species less commonly seen here were CEDAR WAXWING and LARK SPARROW.

In the Paton's Yard all the regular breeding hummers were seen (no Rufous or Calliope) along with AMERICAN GOLDFINCH and LAZULI BUNTING.

A late lunch break stop at the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon was very productive. In and around the "magic willow" we saw ACORN and STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKERS, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, BUSHTIT, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, HUTTON'S VIREO, ORANGE-CROWNED, LUCY'S, YELLOW-RUMPED BLACK-THROATED GRAY and TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, HOUSE FINCH, GRAY-HEADED JUNCO and HEPATIC TANAGER. It shouldn't be very long now before the "song" of Elegant Trogons once again grace the area.

Our final stop of the day was at Beatty's B&B in Miller Canyon. In contrast to recent trips, instant gratification came when we sighted a male CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD after only a few minutes. Also present were male MAGNIFICENT, BLACK-CHINNED, BROAD-TAILED, ANNA'S, and RUFOUS.  I expect that White-eared will be back soon, perhaps in another week or so. Continuing in the orchard were HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER and EASTERN BLUEBIRD.

Thursday, April 15, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 2 with Norm Rehn and Marlene Schroeder of Newbury, MA, day 1 was last week. On another very warm day, we visited Patagonia Lake, Kino Springs and the Paton's, followed by some evening owling in the Huachucas.

Patagonia Lake was marginally less productive than yesterday with 73 species from 7:00-11:15am. However, since we did see the overwintering ELEGANT TROGON, I'd have to say we had a good morning. I was amazed to find that the bird is still here. We stumbled into it completely by luck, finding a group of birders who had already tracked it down. Other birds seen today but not yesterday were GREEN HERON, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, 2-ZONE-TAILED HAWKS (including one oddly plumaged bird without any visible tail banding, first summer?), several RING-BILLED GULLS, PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER, BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW (singing) and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS.  Most of the regulars were seen including all the flycatchers, several CASSIN'S VIREOS, and continuing SWAMP SPARROWS.

A trip to Kino Springs produced the hoped for GRAY HAWKS, seen perched and flying back and forth to the nest site with nesting material. The one and only "TV" that we checked was a ZONE-TAILED HAWK.

In the Paton's yard I was shocked to see a very late male RUDDY GROUND-DOVE feeding under the seed feeders with INCA, MOURNING and WHITE-WINGED DOVES.   All the regulars plus a rare here male BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD. A fly-by GRAY HAWK, harassed by dicky birds, was a treat to see.

Our evening owling expedition in the Huachucas was mostly successful and certainly interesting. We began, as I often do, at my most reliable spot. However, after some initial encounters around dusk, the owls stopped calling and the night fell silent. We moved on to another location and this time failed to hear any owls at all. At this point the chances for success did not look good, but we moved down canyon to yet another location, just 1/4 mile from the last spot and 1/2 mile from the first. Wow, what a difference. I began my whistling once again and this time we struck gold as both WHISKERED and WESTERN SCREECH-OWLS and ELF OWLS were calling at the same time, all very close together. However, they would not approach the road and for the next hour we worked diligently to see the owls in the woods. We eventually got good looks at both the screech-owls, but even though we were 8-10 feet from the Elf, we were unable to see it in a very dense tree and had only a flying view. Oh well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad, especially when it looked as though we would not see any owls at all.

Friday, April 16, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
A cancellation gives me a couple of days off, but after 10 consecutive days in the field I'm not complaining.  I made a 45 minute mid-morning visit to Sierra Vista Sewage Ponds, a place that I haven't been able to check much lately. Very little activity -- here's what I saw:

Green-winged Teal (very few), Mallard, Cinnamon Teal (several pairs), 100+ Shovelers,
2-Ring-necked Ducks, Turkey Vulture, my first AZ Swainson's Hawk of the year, Sora, Coot, 2-Long-billed Dowitchers, 1-Western Sandpiper, 6-Least Sandpipers, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Say's Phoebe, Western Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, 1 singing Loggerhead Shrike, a lot more European Starlings than normal, Marsh Wren (my SE AZ late date is May 1), Verdin, Barn, Violet-green and Cliff Swallows (everwhere when I started, none when I left), lots of singing House Finches, Common Yellowthroat, White-crowned Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow (rare here in migration), Yellow-headed Blackbird and Eastern Meadowlark.

Sunday, April 18, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 1 of 2 days with Richard and Peggy Puffer from Lincoln, MA, with day 2 later in the week. We spent a beautiful spring day in the Chiricahuas birding at Willow Tank, Portal area, Cave Creek (South Fork), Paradise (George Walker House), along the Rustler Rd. and at Rustler Park. From a birding standpoint, spring is definitely not in full swing in the mountains and we had to scratch and scrape for most of our birds today.

Two stops at Willow Tank (one at 6:30am on my way to Portal and another at 7:30am) produced a nice selection of birds for such a small area. Highlights were a PRAIRIE FALCON watching us intently from a nearby pole and a LAZULI BUNTING feeding in the marsh. Here's the full list:

1-Blue-winged and 6-Cinnamon Teal, 2-Ring-necked Ducks, Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer, Mourning Dove,  Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Cactus Wren, Violet-green, N. Rough-winged, Barn and Cliff Swallows, Yellow-rumped and Wilson's Warblers, White-crowned and Chipping Sparrows, Lazuli Bunting, Bullock's Oriole and Red-winged Blackbird.

Activity around Portal was moderate at best. Among the birds in town were ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER and a small flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS; along the San Simon Rd we found SWAINSON'S HAWK, GAMBEL'S QUAIL, CRISSAL THRASHER (thanks to Dave Jasper for pointing it out), BUSHTIT, LUCY'S WARBLER, VESPER SPARROW, SCOTT'S ORIOLE and several other common species.

South Fork has never been a favorite place of mine and when I saw the packed parking lot, I remembered why and knew that my opinion wouldn't change today. We saw at least 3 times as many people as birds, but ironically, the best area was close to the parking area. We abandoned our efforts at the third stream crossing having seen BAND-TAILED PIGEON, ACORN WOODPECKER, my first DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER of the season, MEXICAN JAY, HUTTON'S VIREO, BEWICK'S WREN, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, HERMIT THRUSH, AMERICAN ROBIN, GRACE'S, YELLOW-RUMPED and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART and SCOTT'S ORIOLE. 

Next, we enjoyed the birds around the feeders and a chat with our host Dale Julian, at the George Walker House in Paradise. Thanks Dale. Among the birds here were a COOPER'S HAWK that certainly scattered the birds, MAGNIFICENT, BLACK-CHINNED and BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS, LESSER and AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, PINE SISKIN and SCOTT'S and BULLOCK'S ORIOLES. However, the most interesting bird was a hummer that we were unable to put a name to. It had some characters of a female Lucifer, including a rich buffy color that extended from the throat to mid-belly, a long but only marginally curved bill, and considerable white at the end of the undertail. However, there were also contradicting characters that may indicate an aberrant Broad-tailed or a hybrid, and so it was one of the birds that we just had to let go.

Although it was clear that most of the "good" higher elevation birds are not yet at the higher elevations, along the Rustler Rd and at Rustler Park we found many of the expected birds including HAIRY WOODPECKER, STELLER'S JAY, COMMON RAVEN, MEXICAN CHICKADEE, all three NUTHATCHES, BROWN CREEPER, RUBY and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, TOWNSEND'S, GRACE'S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, WILSON'S and OLIVE WARBLERS, PINE SISKIN and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO.

However, the best was saved for last. As we headed down the road from Rustler Park I mentioned that "Red-faced Warblers are probably here and working their way up the mountain". Just at that point a small bird flew across our path and perched in plain view -- you guessed it, it was a spiffy looking RED-FACED WARBLER! To add a further touch of drama, as I got out of the car, a NORTHERN GOSHAWK was passing overhead. A good end to the day.  

Tuesday, April 20, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
A long, hard day of target birding with Dominic Mitchell from London, England, on perhaps the warmest day of the year so far in Sierra Vista at somewhere in the mid-80s. We spent 15 hours in the field and recorded 120 species, most notably 6 species of owls all seen well. A very good day with 6 season firsts (italics) for me.

We began in Garden Canyon seeing KESTREL, MOURNING DOVE, GREATER ROADRUNNER, GILA WOODPECKER, WESTERN and CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, SAY'S PHOEBE, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, HOUSE FINCH, LARK and BREWER'S SPARROWS and EASTERN MEADOWLARK on our way through the grassland. The upper picnic area was extremely birdy and among the birds in and around the "Magic Willow" were HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, HUTTON'S VIREO, AM. ROBIN, LUCY'S, ORANGE-CROWNED, WILSON'S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and HERMIT WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, WESTERN TANAGER, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE and SCOTT'S ORIOLE.  As we worked our way up to Sawmill, additional birds included STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, SCRUB-JAY,  BUSHTIT, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, SPOTTED TOWHEE, and LINCOLN'S and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS.

The lower portion of Sawmill was very active and we soon came across BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER, GRACE'S WARBLER, HEPATIC TANAGER and a few other usual suspects. New arrivals to the canyon were ELEGANT TROGON, GREATER PEWEE (on the same snag used every year!), DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, PLUMBEOUS VIREO and SCOTT'S ORIOLE. Unfortunately, the trogon vocalized very little and we were unable to track him down. However, we had better success just before leaving as I tried for NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL in an often productive area. After only a few toots from me, a very cooperative bird flew in to a gnarly old juniper and perched low, very close and in the clear. Should be some great photos! For good measure, a male LAZULI BUNTING flew in to bug the owl -- I've only seen this species once before in Sawmill.

Next stop was Scheelite Canyon around 11:30am, where glum faces from all parties exiting the canyon told the same tale, nobody had seen the owl. Not discouraged (except for the prospect of a long hike in the now considerable heat), we headed up canyon seeing in order PAINTED REDSTART, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and WILSON'S WARBLERS, CANYON WREN, STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, TOWNSEND'S and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and HUTTON'S VIREO. A thorough search of the lower roosting area confirmed the worst, so we slogged on up canyon. At the 3/4 mile split, for once I made the correct decision. I have three choices, check the easiest trail first, check the most often seen trail first, or check the trail where I last saw the bird. In view of the conditions, I chose the easiest trail. Lucky me. In almost the first location that I checked, and in a place that I had a sneaky feeling that the bird would be, there sat a very well concealed SPOTTED OWL, in a shady spot. Smart bird.  On our way back down canyon we added DUSKY FLYCATCHER, BROWN CREEPER, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, BUSHTIT and BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER.

A brief stop at Sierra Vista Sewage Ponds yielded two target birds -- WHITE-FACED IBIS and CINNAMON TEAL, plus CATTLE EGRET, AVOCET, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, BANK SWALLOW, LARK SPARROW, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD and a few others.

A very warm late afternoon session at the Hwy 90 crossing of the San Pedro produced just over 40 species, including what seemed like the entire world's population of WILSON'S WARBLERS that are simply everywhere right now. Not too much of note but certainly interesting to me were a few uncommon location birds -- BUFFLEHEAD, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, GILDED FLICKER and VIRGINIA'S WARBLER, the latter working low at the marsh edge. Plenty of HAMMOND'S (also everywhere right now) and 2-3 DUSKY FLYCATCHERS.

Although sunset wasn't until almost 7:00, the sun was well below the Huachucas as we arrived at Beatty's B&B in Miller Canyon at 6:15pm. The activity at the upper hummingbird feeders was quite frenzied and in short order we saw MAGNIFICENT, BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S, CALLIOPE, BROAD-TAILED, RUFOUS and the hoped for but hardly expected prize of WHITE-EARED HUMMINGBIRD. (Last years first date was 4/24/98).

However, the best was yet to come as our evening owling expedition turned out very well. After seeing GREAT HORNED OWL perched on a pole as we headed into the mountains, we then looked to be in serious trouble as one by one the initially vociferous WHISKERED SCREECH-OWLS disappeared into the night. However, I persisted, and before long I was able to whistle in a curious bird for excellent close range views. At the next location where I hoped for Western Screech we only heard a pair of ELF OWLS. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth,  we accepted the gift and were soon able to track them down for more excellent views, deep in the woods at their bare Sycamore nest site. It won't be so easy once the tree leaves out. Our hardest owl of the night was WESTERN SCREECH-OWL. It was certainly easy to find but, although it called incessantly right over our heads, it took 15 minutes of trying to find the right angle before we finally saw the bird. Amazing!   A very good end to a mostly successful day.

Wednesday, April 21, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Another day with Richard and Peggy Puffer from Lincoln, MA. We birded at Patagonia Lake, Kino Springs and the Paton's Yard. A little cooler than yesterday with very high winds in the afternoon, that eventually caused us to abandon birding for the day, as we struggled to find and see birds in Garden Canyon at 2:00pm.

Another excellent morning at Patagonia Lake State Park where we recorded 74 species in three hours. The highlight for me was my first state bird of 1999, 2-VAUX'S SWIFTS working low near the eastern edge of the lake (AZ #406 for me). I have scanned the skies every spring and fall migration but this is the first time that I've been looking up at the right moment! I also saw a few birds that I haven't seen at the state park before, bringing my total of species seen here to 205.

Warbler migration in Arizona is pretty weak compared to most places, but by AZ standards the warblers put on a good show today and we saw ORANGE-CROWNED, NASHVILLE, LUCY'S, YELLOW, YELLOW-RUMPED, TOWNSEND'S, HERMIT, MACGILLIVRAY'S, YELLOWTHROAT and WILSON'S. The 2-3 Hermits seen working in the mesquite bosque were a little surprising given that they mostly favor mountain habitats. I see very few in riparian places.

For the first time this year, winter empids definitely appear to be petering out and we came across just a few HAMMOND'S. On the other hand, NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS were very plentiful as evidenced by their song, heard throughout. We watched a very cooperative bird at a nest site. VIRGINIA RAIL and SORA continue to be seen easily in the marsh.

Migrants included CASSIN'S and WARBLING VIREOS, LAZULI BUNTING and WESTERN TANAGER New for the year at the park today were a flock of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS.

During a short visit to Kino Springs, we had great looks at a pair of GRAY HAWKS. However, I was quite puzzled to see them taking nesting material to two locations, both different from the location that I saw them working on last week. I find it hard to believe that more than one pair are nesting in such close proximity. However, time will tell. A spectacular sight as we arrived was a group of 8 bright male LAZULI BUNTINGS feeding with CHIPPING SPARROWS and WILSON'S WARBLERS on the clubhouse lawn.

A late morning stop at the Paton's was very productive and in no time at all we saw BROAD-BILLED, VIOLET-CROWNED, BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S, COSTA'S and RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS. A male LAZULI BUNTING was constantly at a seed feeder, calling nearby was a NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, and a ZONE-TAILED HAWK cruised overhead a couple of times.

Thursday, April 22, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Kevin and Debbie Krogh, Craig and Jennifer Richard and their son Logan, from Virginia. At 18 months, Logan has the distinction of being my youngest client! We visited Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons and the San Pedro River. Unfortunately, high winds made it a very tough morning to be in the mountains and we really struggled to find birds. For added drama, my clients were on a tight time schedule. Pressure, pressure, pressure  <grin>.

Despite the wind, our day actually began quite well at the Garden Canyon upper picnic area when we found a male ELEGANT TROGON. This is a traditional nesting site for trogons and my records show that today's date represents an average arrival date here (4/13 and 4/29 being the extremes). Because of the wind we didn't get spectacular views but, under the circumstances, we took it. The bird was not very vocal, singing just once and giving his clucking call several times.  Other birds in the area included HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER and WILSON'S WARBLERS that are simply hard to miss anywhere right now, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, PAINTED REDSTART, LESSER GOLDFINCH and HEPATIC TANAGER.

Our luck ran out in Sawmill Canyon where we (and another party) virtually struck out on BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER. The wind made it almost impossible to listen for their soft "pit" calls (one bird heard once only) and we ended up with most unsatisfactory glimpses. This bird is always a "gimme" that such failures come really hard. We also struck out on Northern Pygmy-Owl that had been so cooperative just 2 days ago. During the search we paid little attention to other birds but did hear RED-FACED and GRACE'S WARBLERS. Also present were HAMMOND'S and DUSKY FLYCATCHERS, ironically easy to see despite the wind.

It was also windy in Scheelite Canyon and our poor luck continued when the SPOTTED OWL was not in the lower area. A major blow considering the tight schedule. At the 3/4 mile split, I again chose the easy fork (where the bird was 2 days ago) but this time I guessed wrong. After a fruitless search we headed up the other fork and soon found the bird (in a tree that I had somewhat expected in the wind). As I neared the tree my suspicions were confirmed, as I could hear STELLER'S JAYS mercilessly scolding the owl (that was completely unperturbed by the jays). On the way out we were able to direct several parties that had given up, to soldier on. Other birds in the canyon included STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, CANYON WREN,  ORANGE-CROWNED, TOWNSEND'S, and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS and PAINTED REDSTART.

Although we saw precious few birds, given the conditions I'd have to say that the trogon and owl made it a successful morning for my clients. However, my highlights came from 3 quite mundane species. Given the number of times that I've birded in the Huachucas, I certainly deem these sightings to be of some significance -- a GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE in Sawmill Canyon was a first for the location (I have seen them in Garden and Scheelite), an AMERICAN KESTREL in Scheelite was another first for the location (very common in the lower grasslands). Taking first prize, however, was a very confused looking SPOTTED SANDPIPER wandering around in the road in Garden Canyon, a little ways above Scheelite Canyon. A first for me in the Huachucas. I can only assume that the wind grounded the bird and he found the rocky habitat that they favor to it's liking. The bird eventually moved out of our way to a rock by the side of the road. As some famous guy wrote and Smitty often said, "study nature not books, there's a different page everyday".

The windy conditions continued unabated and our mid-afternoon visit to the Hwy 90 crossing of the San Pedro River was another tough gig. Although we did not see anything outstanding, I was still amazed that we eventually squeezed out 42 species in a couple of hours. Certainly interesting was a COOPER'S HAWK hunting low over the grassland, at first   looking for all the world like a Harrier! All birds were working low to get out of the wind, especially the 8 flycatcher species that we saw -- DUSKY, HAMMOND'S,   PACIFIC-SLOPE (calling for a change), VERMILION, and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS and BLACK & SAY'S PHOEBES. Apart from the usual YELLOW-RUMPED and scads of WILSON'S, warblers were not very evident but we did see a nice male MACGILLIVRAY'S, LUCY'S, YELLOW, and YELLOWTHROAT. Sparrows were represented by GREEN-TAILED, CANYON and ABERT'S TOWHEES, CHIPPING, BREWER'S, VESPER, SONG, LINCOLN'S and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS.  In and around the pond were the usual COOTS and MALLARDS plus PIED-BILLED GREBE, CINNAMON TEAL and COMMON GROUND-DOVE.

Friday, April 23, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
I was scheduled to be out with Dominic Mitchell again today, but since we put in such a long day on Tuesday I ended up with a day off. For about 1 millisecond I thought about "ticking" the first state record Yellow-footed Gull. However, the prospect of a 1000 mile round trip drive, to see a bird that I've seen many times elsewhere, quickly brought me to my senses. How dumb would that be? No, I'm content to continue working on my state list by stumbling into birds here and there.

It was another very windy day in Sierra Vista and I had pretty much decided to stay at home. However, since I had not been able to check the sewage ponds very much lately, I made visit #637  despite the wind. It seems that every time that I push myself to do something that I'm rewarded, and today was no exception. Clinging to a skinny and isolated mesquite and swaying in the wind was a very unexpected BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, species #177 for me at the ponds.

Although over the years I've seen most of the shorebird species here that can be expected in AZ, Sierra Vista sewage ponds (unlike most other area sewage ponds) are not blessed with very much shorebird habitat. Therefore, it was with much surprise that I saw 8 species of waders and shorebirds today in the muddy area of the north marsh pond, including 2 season firsts for me -- WILSON'S PHALAROPE and BAIRD'S SANDPIPER. Although Baird's is a common fall migrant, it's rare to uncommon in spring and I only have 3 other AZ spring records. Also of note was an adult BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, only my 4th record here.

Here's a list of the 34 species that I recorded during a very brief visit from 10:00-10:30am:
Ruddy Duck, Mallard, 10+Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Black-crowned Night-Heron, 10+White-faced Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Swainson's Hawk, Scaled Quail, Sora, American Coot, 3-Long-billed Dowitchers, Spotted, 4-Western, Least, 2-Baird's Sandpipers, 8-Wilson's Phalarope, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Say's Phoebe, Western Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Marsh Wren, Verdin, Barn Swallow & Swallows, Horned Lark, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Chipping, Brewer's, & Lark Sparrows, Black-headed Grosbeak and Yellow-headed Blackbird.

Saturday, April 24, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 1 of 2 days with Elizabeth deFato and Neil and Lee Elgee from Seattle, WA. A very good weather day for birding -- mostly cloudy and cool in the morning, warming to only 70 degrees by mid-afternoon. Even the wind died down today and barely qualified as a nuisance from time to time. We visited Patagonia Lake, Kino Springs, Paton's Yard and the Roadside Rest.

Our day began with another excellent morning at Patagonia Lake State Park where we recorded 91 species from 6:30am to 11:15am, a species count that betters my previous one day count at this location by 10. I also added two more species to my cumulative list for the state park which now stands at 207. Perhaps the best birds were 2 separate, rare in AZ, TENNESSEE WARBLERS. In fact, by AZ standards, warblers put on a good show again and we saw ORANGE-CROWNED, NASHVILLE, LUCY'S, YELLOW, YELLOW-RUMPED,  BLACK-THROATED GRAY, TOWNSEND'S, HERMIT, YELLOWTHROAT, WILSON'S, PAINTED REDSTART and a season first YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT (completely silent!).

"Western" type flycatchers were common today and, fortunately, most were calling. In addition to the PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS that have been passing through for quite a while now, several CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS were present. They are decidedly uncommon in migration in riparian habitats, and perhaps about one week earlier than normal. Unlike a few days ago, all the winter empids -- HAMMOND'S, DUSKY and GRAY FLYCATCHERS were again present, no doubt boosted by migrating birds. Surprisingly, N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS were not singing today nor present at a previously located nest site. However, we did finally hear some calling (not singing) and tracked them down, hopelessly backlit, at another nest location. All the other regulars were around including ASH-THROATED and many VERMILION FLYCATCHERS.

Among the birds in the marsh and on the mudflats were GREEN HERON, 4-SORAS (no Virginia Rail today), COMMON SNIPE, SPOTTED and SOLITARY SANDPIPERS, MARSH WREN, SONG, LINCOLN'S and SWAMP SPARROWS and LAZULI BUNTING.

Other birds included NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, CINNAMON TEAL, GRAY HAWK, MOORHEN, ROADRUNNER, many BELL'S, 3-CASSIN'S and a few WARBLING VIREOS, AMERICAN and LESSER GOLDFINCHES, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE, many SUMMER, 1-WESTERN, and a rare here HEPATIC TANAGER, and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.

During a 1 hour visit to Kino Springs we had great looks at GRAY HAWK. In a moment of pure serendipity, I put the scope on a nicely perched bird just as a second bird arrived and they began to copulate. I hope you'll understand, but I can't guarantee this for everybody!

The Paton's yard was very active and we saw about 35 species from 1:00-2:15pm. "Only" five species of hummingbirds -- BROAD-BILLED, VIOLET-CROWNED, BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S and COSTA'S. Perhaps because they were in short supply here this winter, LAZULI BUNTINGS overcompensated today and we could not look around without seeing them. I counted at least 20 birds, probably many more, and almost all were sharp looking males. Also present was a displaying SUMMER TANAGER courting a female, male HOODED and female BULLOCK'S ORIOLES, and 4-BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS. Calling some distance away was a DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER. A pair of NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS, initially also some distance away, finally came into the yard and struck a pose just a few feet from us.

Our only strike-out of the day came at the Roadside Rest area where I thought we might find a Thick-billed Kingbird. Perhaps they are not back yet. The area was fairly quiet in mid-afternoon and the only birds of note were a small flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS feeding on hackberries.

Sunday, April 25, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Elizabeth deFato and Neil and Lee Elgee from Seattle, WA. We were blessed with another unseasonably cool day (only 62 degrees at 11:30am), albeit a little windier again.

Our morning got off to a great start at the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon at 6:45am with two very cooperative male ELEGANT TROGONS. Both birds were calling frequently and perched in the clear in the bare sycamores as they checked out potential nesting cavities. We left 1 hour 15 minutes later having seen 36 species in and around the picnic area! We did so well here that I decided not to even visit Sawmill -- we had great looks at two of the Sawmill specialties, a frequently singing GREATER PEWEE (gotta love that José María) and a BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER  Among the other species present were STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, HAMMOND'S and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, ORANGE-CROWNED, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, HERMIT, WILSON'S and RED-FACED WARBLERS, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, WESTERN and HEPATIC TANAGERS and LAZULI BUNTING.

Our experience in a delightfully cool Scheelite Canyon was also very successful, but not before we had expended a considerable amount of time and effort. Although we eventually found the SPOTTED OWL in the lower roosting area, it wasn't until we were leaving the canyon! Having missed it on the way up, hiding in plain sight in a new roosting tree (for me, maybe not the owl), we first checked the upper areas of both forks of the canyon. However, because of this we did get to enjoy the canyon and see quite a few birds and some great views. I again remembered Smitty's advice about double checking on the way out and it certainly paid off today. However, I was still pretty angry with myself because after checking the lower area without success, I had already "double checked" before proceeding up canyon. In keeping with Smitty's tradition of naming trees after the person he was with when he saw the owl in a new tree, I named today's tree the "Elgee Oak".

We recorded a total of 27 species in the canyon, the best of which was a remarkably friendly RED-FACED WARBLER only 1/8m in. The bird was foraging low and came so close we could almost have touched it, and we were enjoyed it for several minutes. In fact, Red-faced were common today and I heard them (calling, not singing) throughout the upper canyon along both forks. In the "most interesting bird" category was a BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW, singing from the west slope about 1/4m in -- a Scheelite first for me. Just a few weeks ago I had my first in the Huachucas, perhaps an indication that they may breed here -- the habitat on the scrubby slopes of Scheelite certainly seems suitable, but then again, I'm not a BCSP. Other species included WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, GREATER PEWEE, HAMMOND'S, DUSKY, CORDILLERAN and DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, BUSHTIT, CANYON WREN, VIRGINIA'S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and WILSON'S WARBLERS and HEPATIC TANAGER.

As usual, a visit to Beatty's B&B in Miller Canyon from 12:00-1:15pm was interesting, entertaining and productive. In the hummingbird department we saw several MAGNIFICENT, many BLACK-CHINNED, a few ANNA'S, male and female CALLIOPE, scads of BROAD-TAILED, and at least 2 female RUFOUS/ALLEN'S types that must be left unidentified, although the chances are almost 100% that they were Rufous. The White-eared that I saw last week has not been seen again and, apparently, was just passing through. Visiting the seed feeders were BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and lots of PINE SISKINS. Coming in to drink and pick up "pre-soaked" sunflower seeds were the Gray-headed form of DARK-EYED and YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS. It's remarkable how much alike these two birds are. Seen or heard in the area were 3 species of Jays --  STELLER'S, MEXICAN and WESTERN SCRUB, and foraging in the orchard were several HAMMOND'S, 1-GRAY and 1-BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER. The Gray was my first sighting here and a little out of habitat, although I have seen them sporadically in migration in almost every mountain canyon.

After a mid-afternoon break we resumed on the San Pedro River (Hwy 90) where it was quite cool and moderately windy. We recorded 45 species from 5:15-7:00pm.  Despite the wind, flycatchers were numerous and all working low. It's simply unbelievable how many HAMMOND'S are passing through right now.  If I had a dollar for every Hammond's, Wilson's and Yellow-rumped Warbler that I've seen over the past two weeks, I would be a rich man. Other flycatchers were DUSKY, GRAY, PACIFIC-SLOPE, VERMILION and BLACK-PHOEBE. In addition to all the flycatchers and usual common species, along the river trail we found 2 separately roosting GREAT HORNED OWLS and 2-MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS. Activity at the pond was a little less than of late. We saw a migrating OSPREY passing overhead, a migrating VIRGINIA'S WARBLER foraging in the swaying cottonwoods, and lots of swallows foraging  low over the pond (BARN, TREE and N. ROUGH-WINGED). Shortly before dusk LESSER NIGHTHAWKS arrived at the pond as a BELTED KINGFISHER raucously announced its presence. Walking back through the grassland to the San Pedro House we saw plenty more LESSER NIGHTHAWKS starting their feeding activity, lots of BREWER'S SPARROWS, PYRRHULOXIA, and CANYON and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES.

Our evening concluded back in the Huachucas with an interesting but fairly unsuccessful session. Over the years I've tried to correlate night-birding results with many factors, such as moonlight and weather, concluding that most of them have little affect on the outcome. Success and failure statistics average out regardless of every factor except wind and season. Tonight was bright (just over 1/2 moon), cool, and very still with hardly any breeze at all. Under such conditions (and based on several recent owling successes), I again expected good results. Ha! Generally, the silence was deafening with almost zero noise from any night critters. In order, we heard WHIP-POOR-WILL, WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL, COMMON POORWILL and ELF OWL. We worked only from the road and had to be content with a quick flying view of the Whip-poor-will, a briefly perched and silhouetted Screech-Owl, and a herd of foraging JAVELINAS.

Monday, April 26, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
On a somewhat warm and breezy afternoon visit to Sierra Vista sewage ponds, I recorded 38 species highlighted by a lone BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK and a group of 10 LAZULI BUNTINGS lined up on the fence as I was leaving (9 males). This was only the second time that I've seen the duck here and although Lazuli Buntings are common fall migrants at the ponds, this was the first time that I've seen them here in spring.

Among the birds still present in the marsh were SORA, MARSH WREN and plenty of female and young male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS. Disappointingly, what little shorebird habitat that was present is now gone due to increased water levels. I saw only SPOTTED SANDPIPER (along the rocky shore) and at least 20 WHITE-FACED IBIS in the marsh.

Here's the list of 38 species seen from 2-3:00pm:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, White-faced Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Sora, American Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Say's Phoebe, Western Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, European Starling, Cactus Wren, Marsh Wren, Verdin, Tree, N. Rough-winged, Barn & Cliff Swallows, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Savannah, Brewer's & Lark Sparrows, Lazuli Bunting, Yellow-headed, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Tuesday, April 27, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 1 of 2 days with Chris Dredge and Gillian Church from Nottingham, England. On a very warm and windless day we recorded 105 species with visits to Patagonia Lake, Kino Springs and the Paton's yard. On our our way west, I was surprised to hear and then see a singing CASSIN'S SPARROW on Hwy 82 opposite the Texaco gas station in Sonoita. A singing HORNED LARK was perched next to it on the fence and a group of SCALED QUAIL were in the parking lot next door. A nice trio.

Patagonia Lake State Park continues to provide great birding and today we found 89 species from 6:45am-12:00pm.  Present in the marsh and on the mud flats were BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK, LEAST BITTERN, 6-SORA, 2-VIRGINIA RAILS, MOORHEN, SPOTTED and SOLITARY SANDPIPERS and continuing MARSH WREN. All the regular resident and winter/migrant flycatchers of recent weeks were all seen plus DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER. Good views today of N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET at a nest site. Warblers were much less evident but we did see 2 each of HERMIT and MACGILLIVRAY'S along with most of the more common species. SUMMER TANAGERS are now abundant and we also saw WESTERN TANAGER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, LAZULI BUNTING and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

A truly amazing spectacle greeted us at Kino Springs. Feeding on the clubhouse lawn were at least 60, mostly male, LAZULI BUNTINGS. Wow! Even better, a very rare in SE Arizona (male) INDIGO BUNTING was with them. As usual, good looks at GRAY HAWK but not so good looks at a distant ZONE-TAILED HAWK. We birded here from 12:15-2:00 and recorded 55 species, mostly the same as those already seen at the state park. The clubhouse pond had a group of 16-BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS. Birds at the first pond included COMMON GROUND-DOVE, PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER and MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER.

Our last stop was at the Paton's yard from 2:20-4:40pm where we recorded 35 species. Hummers continue to dwindle as migration winds down and today we had only the "regular crew" -- BROAD-BILLED, VIOLET-CROWNED, BLACK-CHINNED and ANNA'S. At the seed feeders, at least 30 LAZULI BUNTINGS put on a colorful show along with AM GOLDFINCH and several BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS. A singing N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET was nearby.

Our day list was as follows: (all species except those in italics were recorded at the state park).
Pied-billed Grebe, Neotropic Cormorant, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Ruddy Duck, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Great Blue Heron, Least Bittern, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Gray, Swainson's, Zone-tailed & Red-tailed Hawks, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Solitary & Spotted Sandpipers, Killdeer, Rock, Mourning, White-winged, Inca & Common Ground-Doves, Broad-billed, Violet-crowned, Black-chinned, Anna's Hummingbirds, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Hammond's, Gray, Dusky & Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Vermilion, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Chihuahuan Raven, Common Raven, Bell's & Warbling Vireos, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Northern Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Tree, Northern Rough-winged & Barn Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, American Pipit, American & Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Orange-crowned, Lucy's, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Hermit, MacGillivray's & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Song , Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping, Vesper, Lark, Black-throated, Cassin's, & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Green-tailed & Canyon Towhees, Summer & Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, Northern Cardinal, Lazuli & Indigo Buntings, Bullock's Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Wednesday, April 28, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 2 with Chris Dredge and Gillian Church from Nottingham, England. Today we visited Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons in the Huachucas, and the San Pedro River. On yet another day plagued by high winds, we somehow managed to find 90+ species.

We began at the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon at 6:30am, where the wind and constant construction noise and traffic combined to make birding difficult. Not surprisingly, we didn't have the ELEGANT TROGON show, although we did hear one higher up the canyon. Despite the conditions, lots of birds were active, particularly warblers. Among the species seen here were  GREATER PEWEE, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, PLUMBEOUS and HUTTON'S VIREOS, ORANGE-CROWNED, VIRGINIA'S, YELLOW-RUMPED, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, TOWNSEND'S and WILSON'S WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, HEPATIC and WESTERN TANAGERS,  BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and PINE SISKIN.  

The gobbling of WILD TURKEY greeted us in Sawmill Canyon at 8:20am along with the screeching of STELLER'S and MEXICAN JAY'S. By now the wind had really picked up and we struggled for 2 1/2 hours to find 30 species. At this time of year the canyon is normally filled with the song of breeding species, but today there was almost no song. Even the abundant GRACE'S WARBLERS were mostly silent and hard to see, as were BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS. However, we did get good looks at both plus wonderful "close enough to touch" looks at two of  my three favorite birds, PAINTED REDSTART and RED-FACED WARBLER (Vermilion Flycatcher is the other, yes I like red!). Despite the wind we found 6 species of flycatchers -- in addition to Buff-breasted we saw GREATER PEWEE, HAMMOND'S, DUSKY, CORDILLERAN and DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS. Among the other birds in the canyon were MONTEZUMA QUAIL (giving the quavering call), STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, PYGMY NUTHATCH, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO.

Just after 11:00am we started up Scheelite Canyon where we met many folks including one large tour group that had not seen the owl. "Here we go again" I thought. However, I had a sneaky feeling where the bird would be on a windy day like this. Because of my "intuition", and the fact that so many folks had already looked for the bird, I was tempted to ignore the lower roosting area and head right away to the upper part of the canyon. I resisted and spent time checking the lower area to no avail, and after some time we continued on up canyon. Today I "guessed" correctly and there sat one sleepy looking SPOTTED OWL in the tree where I expected to find it. Other birds included calling STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKER, SCRUB-JAY and GREATER PEWEE, HAMMOND'S and CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, TOWNSEND'S and RED-FACED WARBLER flitting down the trail ahead of us, and HEPATIC TANAGER.

After a mid-afternoon break we headed down to the San Pedro River (Hwy 90 area) where we spent from 5:00-7:15pm and recorded 45 species. It was extremely windy and most birds were again working low. Almost the first birds that we saw near the SP house were a drab looking HOUSE SPARROW perched next to a bright male LAZULI BUNTING. Now there's a contrast!

Apart from WILSON'S WARBLERS, flycatchers were the most visible birds along the river trail. For the only time this year, my first of the year WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE will grab pride of place in this journal. Very soon they will become as annoyingly common as the Wilson's are right now. The others were HAMMOND'S, DUSKY, GRAY, PACIFIC-SLOPE, VERMILION and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, BLACK PHOEBE and CASSIN'S KINGBIRD.

I think that it's time to rename the rather grandiosely named Kingfisher Pond (formerly "the big pond"), since it hasn't lived up to its name for 18 months. The Green Kingfisher population along the San Pedro River all but disappeared in 1998 and there have been few sightings so far this year. Swallows provided most of the activity at the pond with TREE, N. ROUGH-WINGED, BANK and BARN SWALLOWS working low over the surface.

Other birds included CINNAMON TEAL, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, LUCY'S WARBLER, PYRRHULOXIA, GREEN-TAILED, CANYON and ABERT'S TOWHEES, still many BREWER'S SPARROWS, and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. Apparently, the wind wasn't to the liking of LESSER NIGHTHAWK, because we saw only 2 as we were leaving compared to over 20 just a few nights ago at the same time.

Thursday, April 29, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Boy, am I sick of the windy conditions that have persisted for over a month. This morning was no exception when I made another windy visit to Sierra Vista sewage ponds. As I drove through the gate, a WILSON'S WARBLER was sitting on the fence as a BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK flew by, quite bizarre!. Those of you that know the habitat should see the funny side. Foraging over the ponds and braving the wind were five species of swallows. In the marsh were 50 hunkered down WHITE-FACED IBIS,  SORA, VIRGINIA RAIL and MARSH WREN. A few WILSON'S PHALAROPES seemed unfazed, spinning constantly as usual.

I recorded the following 36 species from 11:00-11:30am.
Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, White-faced Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Swainson's Hawk, American Kestrel, Virginia Rail, Sora, American Coot, Wilson's Phalarope, Mourning Dove, Say's Phoebe, Western Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, European Starling, Marsh Wren, Verdin, Tree, Violet-green, N. Rough-winged, Barn & Cliff Swallows, American Pipit, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Brewer's & Lark Sparrows, Black-headed Grosbeak, Pyrrhuloxia, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbird.

In the evening I headed into the Huachucas to do some owling with with Chris Dredge and Gillian Church from Nottingham, England. We had planned to do this last evening but we wisely cancelled because of the wind. Tonight, under a full moon and with little to no wind, we had excellent results. However, since very little was calling, it certainly wasn't easy. Nevertheless, we persevered, working deep into the woods, and after a couple of hours we had good looks at WHIP-POOR-WILL, both WHISKERED and WESTERN SCREECH-OWLS, and ELF-OWL. In particular, the views of the Whip-poor-will and Elf Owl were excellent.

Friday, April 30, 1999    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with John and Moana Dunn from Shippensburg, PA. We visited Patagonia Lake, Kino Springs, Paton's Yard and Garden Canyon in the Huachucas. After last night's cool down the day began at 37 degrees in Sierra Vista at 5:30am and had warmed to 70 degrees by 3:30pm. A mostly calm day with moderate wind in the afternoon.

Another excellent morning's birding at Patagonia Lake State Park where we recorded 82 species from 6:30-10:00am. If there's a better general birding location in SE AZ than this location, I'd like to hear about it. The varied habitat in a very confined area make the park a delightful and productive place to bird. Where else can you compare multiple flycatcher species in one binocular view on a regular basis, and at the same time see rails, tanagers, warblers, etc, without hardly having to move!

I was quite shocked to hear "singing" MONTEZUMA QUAIL (the quavering call), only the second time I've recorded them here. My previous sighting was earlier this winter when their presence here was certainly understandable. But today, out of habitat, and singing to boot?

Early activity by warblers and flycatchers was quite frenzied today. Migrant warblers were not as evident but flycatchers certainly were -- N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, HAMMOND'S, DUSKY, GRAY, PACIFIC-SLOPE, VERMILION and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, SAY'S &. BLACK PHOEBES, and CASSIN'S & WESTERN KINGBIRDS were all present. Many species were foraging on the ground today including SUMMER and WESTERN TANAGERS at 20 feet. Easy to see in the marsh or on the mud flats and were COMMON SNIPE, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, copulating KILLDEER, VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA, and still hanging in, MARSH WREN. Migrants included 5-WHITE PELICANS, WHITE-FACED IBIS, WARBLING VIREO and several MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS. Both YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE have gone from not present to "hey, were back in numbers" overnight.

Over at Kino Springs GRAY HAWK was not as cooperative today although we did get nice fly-by looks. A lone VAUX'S SWIFT was at the club house pond and the group of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS continue. Plenty of activity at the first pond and we saw 50+ species in one hour including DUSKY-CAPPED and my first of season BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER.

The Paton's yard was full of people and birds -- all the usual hummers, loads of LAZULI BUNTINGS and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, SUMMER and WESTERN TANAGERS, 3-GRAY HAWKS (perched and soaring), N. BEARDLESS TYRANNULET, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER and MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER. All in all, quite a show.

The upper picnic area in Garden Canyon was loaded with Friday lunchtime picnickers when we arrived at 1:30pm, but they soon dispersed and we only had to contend with the lousy time of day and the wind! Surprisingly, activity was high for about 90 minutes and then someone sucked all the birds out of the area. A VERMILION FLYCATCHER and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE seemed a little out of place here, although I've seen them both here occasionally before. Warblers put on a good show and we saw ORANGE-CROWNED, YELLOW-RUMPED, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, TOWNSEND'S, HERMIT and PAINTED REDSTART. We had good looks at a pair of STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKERS being harassed by an ACORN WOODPECKER that didn't want to let them settle. Flycatchers weighed in with a singing GREATER PEWEE, HAMMOND'S and DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS.

Another April comes to an end -- 220 species in SE AZ for the month and 280 statewide for the year to date.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Friday, April 30, 1999.

Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - April, 1999 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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