Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - January, 2001 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 Wednesday, January 31, 2001.  

Tuesday, January 2, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 1 of 2 days with Joan Detyna and Greg Hartman from NJ. Not an auspicious start to the year as we missed both Spotted Owl and Green Kingfisher.

Despite a pretty thorough 4 hour search of the lower, middle and upper roosting areas in Scheelite Canyon, Spotted Owl was nowhere to be found today. We also checked the lower canyon area (3/8 mile and below) where an owl has been roosting of late. There are several fairly obvious possible explanations 1) we overlooked the bird in a regular location, 2) it was roosting in a new location that we didn't find, 3) it has left the canyon (hopefully, just for a short while!).

The latter is a distinct possibility because the current bird has perhaps been unmated for some time and may be off looking for a mate (I haven't seen 2 owls in the canyon since late August). After checking Smitty's records (I have many of his notebooks and diaries), I found a similar pattern in winter 1993 when he didn't find an owl until mid February. For whatever reason, the bottom line is we didn't see one!

Among the 20 species that we did find in the canyon were RED-NAPED & WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKERS, 2-ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, CANYON WREN, a calling TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO.

Activity on the San Pedro river (Hwy 90 area) during our late afternoon visit was minimal. We recorded 30 species from 3:00-5:00pm with very little of note. Birds seen included GREEN HERON, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, HAMMOND'S & GRAY FLYCATCHERS and HERMIT THRUSH (only my 9th record here). This is the first time in the last six visits that I haven't seen Green Kingfisher. 

Wednesday, January 3, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Joan Detyna and Greg Hartman from NJ. A much cooler and somewhat blustery day. We started and finished in the Paton's Yard with visits during the day to Nogales Sewage ponds, Green Valley, Continental and Santa Rita Lodge.

There was plenty of activity in the Paton's yard during our 30 minute mid morning visit with the highlight for me being a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. I have only 17 records for Arizona with sightings in the Paton's yard for the past 3 years. Among the 26 species seen were LEWIS'S WOODPECKER, ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, STELLER'S JAY and many CASSIN'S FINCHES.

It was quite cold at Nogales sewage ponds and the wind kept most landbirds subdued. We recorded 30+ common species with the highlight being a close range KESTREL clutching a SAVANNAH SPARROW. 

At the old Pima County maintenance yard in Green Valley we had to wait 30 minutes before a small group of LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCHES put in an appearance. A few MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were fighting the wind by working low over the fields.

A stop in nearby Continental and 10 minutes of stalking produced decent looks at a couple of RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS.

Our 45 minute visit to Santa Rita Lodge was very productive. In addition to the common feeder moochers we saw MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD (male and female), TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, PAINTED REDSTART and a beautiful male SCOTT'S ORIOLE (they sometimes stay for the winter, obviously!).   

Back at the Paton's for the last hour before dark we added 10 species not seen earlier in the day including MERLIN, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, 3-AM. ROBINS and best of all, our sought after LAZULI BUNTING.

Friday, January 5, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Even though I have lots of paperwork, emails and phone calls to catch up on, this morning I headed out to Scheelite Canyon to look for Spotted Owl. I was quite concerned about having missed the bird on two recent visits. This is one of my "bread and butter" birds and it doesn't sit well with me when I'm unable to find an owl and clients end up disappointed. It matters little that my overall success rate is over 90% if you are one of the victims of the law of averages.

After a long search, I finally found a very hard to see SPOTTED OWL. Because an owl has been roosting low in the canyon I spent too much time looking there. Had I followed my regular routine I would have found the bird much more quickly. It doesn't pay to try to out-think an owl. C'est la vie. The bird was roosting in a little used tree (about 2% of my sightings have occurred here). However, it was very high (no doubt catching some rays) and the sunlight made it very difficult to see. Perhaps earlier or later in the day with a different sun angle it would have been easier to see.

Now the second guessing begins. Was it in this tree on my last two visits? (I don't think so.) Was it off roosting in an unknown (to me) location? Did it leave the canyon for a few days? Even though I found the bird I still had unanswered questions and I didn't feel very happy during my long walk out of the canyon. Perhaps I should have stayed at home after all.

I recorded a total of 20 species including several calling and drumming ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, all three regular JAYS, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and CASSIN'S FINCH.

Saturday, January 6, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out with Steve Bobonick from Cincinnati, OH for a day  of target birding.  When I saw the conditions this morning, I wasn't too hopeful of a good day's birding let alone good target bird success. However, despite some really grungy weather, we managed to screw that Murphy guy and find 8 out of 9 target birds and see 86 species in the bargain. Sometimes it's good to be wrong! 

When we arrived at the east end of the San Rafael Valley at daybreak it very cloudy, gloomy and raining. There was absolutely zero activity at the location where I've been seeing Baird's Sparrows so, as the rain increased, we decided to head west to look for Longspurs and return later. After a few miles I chose to stop at a completely random point where we very quickly located a good sized flock of CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS. As we watched them milling around, I heard a BAIRD'S SPARROW calling on the other side of the road. We hurried over and heard two birds calling quite close to us but they soon fell silent. We walked around for a few minutes trying to find them without success then decided to wait for a while. Sure enough, they began calling again and after a further 10 minutes I spotted a distant bird pop up from the grass. A 'scope look confirmed a beautiful Baird's Sparrow. The bird remained perched for about 1 minute, an eternity for Baird's Sparrow in a scope in winter! Two target birds seen in 30 minutes, rain and all, such a deal. Also in there area were WHITE-TAILED KITE and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD.

We headed into a rainy Patagonia via Harshaw Canyon seeing WESTERN BLUEBIRD, PHAINOPEPLA and a few other common species. In the Paton's yard it didn't take long to find our two target birds -- CASSIN'S FINCH and LEWIS'S WOODPECKER. Among the other species present on this brief visit were WHITE-WINGED DOVE, STELLER'S JAY and LAZULI BUNTING. Leaving town we saw a HARLAN'S HAWK. 

After a long drive we resumed birding in an overcast and rainy Sulphur Springs valley at 11:00am. After a few attempts at regular locations we found both BENDIRE'S & CRISSAL THRASHERS and had good 'scope looks. Next came a welcome lunch break in Elfrida after which we cruised around looking for PRAIRIE FALCON. We found one atop a pole on Mormon Road and backed away from the bird in order to avoid spooking it and get a 'scope view. HARRIS'S HAWK and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were also in the area,

Next stop was Essary Hay to look for Sage Thrasher. They are much more common further north but Essary is one place in the valley where they occur regularly. However, we had no success and this turned out to be our only miss of the day. Some of the species present here were many FERRUGINOUS HAWKS, MOUNTAIN PLOVER and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD.

We headed south to the Mule Mountains as the sky turned very dark and ominous. We couldn't have timed our arrival any worse -- pea sized hail pelted down on the car as we parked. Not to worry though, a few minutes waiting and a few minutes searching soon produced our final target bird of the day, a dapper looking BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW.

With 8 out of 9 target birds within range seen, we decided to spend the last hour of daylight doing some casual birding on the San Pedro river. Some of the species from 35 recorded were GREEN HERON, COOPER'S HAWK, DUSKY & GRAY FLYCATCHERS, MARSH WREN, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and ABERT'S TOWHEE.

Although Sierra Vista sewage ponds are closed, we stopped and viewed the fields from the fence on our way back to town. A small group of SNOW and ROSS'S GEESE were still feeding and a couple of SHORT-EARED OWLS began hunting. A nice end to a successful and enjoyable day despite the poor weather conditions. 

Sunday, January 7, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 1 of 2 days with Fred and Chris Pratt of Moretown, VT looking for a couple of target birds. On a beautiful sunny morning we began in the San Rafael Valley hoping to repeat yesterday's sparrow success. Driving into the valley from the west side of the Huachucas we disturbed a still roosting GOLDEN EAGLE.

I had looked unsuccessfully for Baird's Sparrow with Fred and Chris in 1999 but this time I was pretty confident. Unfortunately, 90 minutes of walking and listening in the spot were Baird's Sparrows were calling and seen perched up yesterday produced very little except for WHITE-TAILED KITE and many CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS. Originally, we had planned to look for Rufous-capped Warbler today and the sparrow tomorrow, so now I was second guessing my decision to switch days. 

We moved on to another spot where I've seen the sparrows regularly this season. We parked and I pointed out the small bush where I've seem them perching on several occasions. As we walked into the grass to get into a good viewing position, several sparrows popped up and perched in the bush. Would you believe it, two of them were BAIRD'S SPARROWS. One was quickly bumped by a VESPER SPARROW but we enjoyed good 'scope looks at the other for a few minutes, long enough to discuss field marks in detail. So, it was deja vu all over again after all! A few MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and both LILIAN'S and WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were the only other species.

It was still early so we decided to head to French Joe Canyon anyway, and we reached a very silent upper canyon around 1:00pm. After a couple of hours of listening, I thought I heard the warbler calling in the distance. We risked life and limb to get into a good viewing position and finally were able to confirm the presence of the RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER. However, even though the bird sang vigorously a couple of times some 150 feet from us at eye level, we couldn't catch a glimpse. It would have been nice to get the bird today but common sense prevailed and concerns for our safety and impending darkness forced us out of the canyon. 

Nevertheless, one tough bird seen and the continuing presence of the warbler was confirmed, so it was a successful day. I added PRAIRIE FALCON to my French Joe list and, as always, tomorrow is another day. (Sometimes I'm so deep.) 

Monday, January 8, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Fred Pratt from Moretown, VT. On another beautiful morning we returned to French Joe Canyon and had great success with RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER. It took some time to locate the bird but the reward for our effort (and for yesterday's effort in determining that the bird was still present) was 15 minutes worth of great views as the bird actively foraged, sang and perched. Although I've visited the canyon many times and seen the warbler on most visits, it's always a pleasure to watch this delightful bird go about its business. Our full list today was:

Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Golden Eagle, Gambel's Quail, Mourning Dove, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Say's Phoebe, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Hutton's Vireo, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, American Robin, N. Mockingbird, Crissal Thrasher, Cactus, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Olive Warbler, Rufous-capped Warbler, Oregon Junco, Lincoln's, Chipping, Black-chinned, Black-throated and Rufous-crowned Sparrows and Spotted & Canyon Towhees. 

After leaving the canyon we had some time to spare so we headed over to St. David Monastery for some well earned casual birding. The Pecan grove near the entrance was very active with LEWIS'S WOODPECKER, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and a small flock of noisy RED CROSSBILLS. Elsewhere on the property we saw WOOD DUCK, WHITE-WINGED DOVE, BELTED KINGFISHER, GRAY & VERMILION FLYCATCHERS and possibly 1 or 2 more LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS among a total of 40 species seen in 1 hour.

Tuesday, January 9, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Today was the first of a few days to myself and I headed over to the Sulphur Springs Valley to check on a few birds. Unfortunately, a winter storm hit the area and a cold rain persisted all day making for terrible viewing conditions. I'm sure glad that this didn't happen yesterday when I was in French Joe Canyon! There was lots of fresh snow on the Huachucas when I returned to Sierra Vista in the late afternoon. What an absolutely lousy day to go out. To give you an idea of how bad it was, I spent a total of 5 hours in the valley proper without seeing or hearing a single Sandhill Crane. This may be a record (of dubious distinction).

I started at Whitewater Draw intending to work my way through the valley to Willcox, but I didn't get any further north than Zuck Farms. It was hard to see anything at Whitewater Draw this morning. I could make out what seemed to be a larger than usual flock of "white geese", perhaps as many as 100 SNOW GEESE including some blue phase birds (no doubt some ROSS'S too, but I couldn't see well enough). A flock of 19-GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE dropped out of the gray skies. I later saw a flock of 50 unidentifiable dark geese. Also present was a GREAT EGRET and several common duck species.

Elsewhere in the valley I saw lots of bedraggled RED-TAILED and FERRUGINOUS HAWKS, a few HARRIERS and 3-PRAIRIE FALCONS. I checked Zuck Farms looking unsuccessfully for Longspurs. However, at least 17-MOUNTAIN PLOVERS were present (always nice to see) with many MOUNTAIN  BLUEBIRDS and untold numbers of blackbirds of several flavors.

Back in Sierra Vista I checked the (closed) sewage ponds from the west fence seeing 10 distant "white geese" and a stunning ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. A good way to finish a miserable and hardly memorable day.

Wednesday, January 10, 2000    Previous Day    Next Day
On a much better weather day than yesterday (sunny but quite chilly), I made my first visit of the year to Patagonia Lake State Park. Birds were a little hard to come by and a 5 hour session only produced 50 species. 

The recent rain has made conditions a little soggy again and I had difficulty reaching and negotiating along the creek. However, my reward for sloshing through the mud and water was an ELEGANT TROGON. The bird was on the south side of the creek about 1/2 mile from where it empties into the lake. 

On the lake today were at least 75-COMMON MERGANSERS which is double my previous high at this location. Interestingly, at least half of them were males as opposed to the normal mix of almost all females. Also on the water or in the marsh/mud  were many EARED GREBES, a couple of NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, a small group of CINNAMON  TEAL (they have been relatively scarce here this winter), 3-LESSER SCAUP, 5+ COMMON MOORHENS, VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA, 4+ COMMON SNIPE and BELTED KINGFISHER. 

Among the landbirds were many GRAY and 2-DUSKY FLYCATCHERS, 6-WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, AM. ROBIN, HERMIT THRUSH, AM. PIPIT and 4+ ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS.

Thursday, January 11, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Today I headed out to work on a few year birds, or, more precisely, month birds. My highest ever species seen total for January in Arizona is 204 which I recorded in January, 1996. With my current mix of work and personal birding for the remainder of the month, I realized that I may have a chance to improve on that this January -- as long as I can find the time to hit the Colorado River and Northern Arizona. I began the day at 151 and ended at 158.

I started birding in the Sells area where I'd forgotten how difficult it is to bird along the highway. The combination of a narrow road without any shoulder, busy morning work traffic and a low sun angle made for difficult birding. I gave up on trying to repeatedly stop and scan and decided to do what my quarry does -- look for road kill! Conveniently, near a pullout at milepost 116 just east of Sells, I spotted some COMMON RAVENS working a fresh kill. I only had to wait 5 minutes before a couple of CRESTED CARACARAS put in an appearance. As luck would have it, I found GILDED FLICKER and BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER at the same spot saving me the trouble of looking for them later in the day

Back in Tucson, my next stop was at the CAP ponds where the first bird I saw was my target HOODED MERGANSER. After breakfast, I visited Sweetwater Wetland and dipped on both target warblers -- Northern Parula and Wilson's Warbler, both seen yesterday. The windy conditions certainly didn't help and I left after an hour recording a total of 43 species including 2-HARRIS'S HAWKS, quite a few CINNAMON TEAL, SORA, COMMON MOORHEN, COMMON SNIPE, ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, 100s? of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, many ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and 1000s of YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.  

Next, I visited the Santa Cruz River at Ina Road to look for Dunlin that have been present at this location for some time. Several COMMON SNIPE and a few SPOTTED and LEAST SANDPIPERS were working under the bridge. However, most of the shorebirds that I could see were well north of the bridge and scoping from the highway for 45 minutes was not productive. I  made a quick trip up to Marana to tick BURROWING OWL and then returned to the river to get serious. I drove north as far as I could on the west bank and then walked until I reached a point about 1/2 mile north of Ina, where there is another river crossing for trucks. Most of the shorebirds were concentrated here and, in addition to those species already mentioned, I found 1-GREATER YELLOWLEGS and 2-DUNLIN, both year birds bringing my total for the day to 7. Other species here included GREEN-WINGED and CINNAMON TEAL, AM. WIGEON and AM. PIPIT.

Saturday, January 13, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
A major storm hit the area yesterday with snow at street level in Sierra Vista and plenty of fresh snow in most of the mountain ranges. Definitely a good day to stay home and catch up on paperwork! Conditions were much better when I headed down to the San Pedro river this morning - clear, sunny and brisk, to say the least. I birded here from 8:00-11:00am recording 44 species, two of which were new for the year.

I focused along the river hoping for Green Kingfisher or Louisiana Waterthrush (last reported 12/30/00). I didn't have any success with those birds, however, a much better bird for me in terms of location was a GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, my first ever on the river. I couldn't quite believe my ears when I heard the thin "see see see" so I tracked it down and found a female foraging high in a cottonwood. Although they are fairly common in the Chiricahuas and some of the other ranges, I only have 3 records from the Huachucas so this bird may have come from elsewhere.

Almost every bird that I saw today afforded great views, because they were so intent on feeding after a cold night. ABERT'S TOWHEES, which are often very skittish, were abundant and particularly confiding. Less common river species were BROWN CREEPER, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, OREGON JUNCO and SPOTTED TOWHEE. I also saw all three regular winter empids -- HAMMOND'S, DUSKY and GRAY FLYCATCHERS.

Full list: Ruddy Duck, Mallard, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Great Blue Heron, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, American Coot, Mourning Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Hammond's, Gray & Dusky Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned & Golden-crowned Kinglets, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Oregon Junco, Song, White-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's & Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted & Abert's Towhees, Red-winged Blackbird and Western Meadowlark.

Sunday, January 14, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Day 1 of 3 days with Arthur and Karen Jones from Cool, CA, now in a very cool AZ. After a well below freezing start we spent a pleasant, sunny day in the Sulphur Springs Valley. Unlike my last visit when I didn't see a single one, SANDHILL CRANES were numerous throughout all parts of the valley today.

SNOW, ROSS'S and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were present during our short visit to Whitewater Draw but precious little else was stirring. BENDIRE'S THRASHER was easy to see on Coffman Road but CRISSAL THRASHER on Lee Road proved a little more difficult due to sun angle. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH continues at the Pecan grove on Frontier Road along with WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, both are very rare in the valley. A couple of HARRIS'S HAWKS were in the same tree on Mormon Road that I've seen them in on three recent visits.

Our timing at Essary Hay was a little off as a flock of McCOWN'S LONGSPURS left the corral just as we arrived. After that we saw only a couple of single individuals in flight with HORNED LARKS. As has been the norm this winter, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were plentiful but we found only a handful of hard to see MOUNTAIN PLOVERS, even in short grass.  As usual, many FERRUGINOUS HAWKS were present including a dark phase bird. The only eagle seen was an immature GOLDEN EAGLE. Over at Zuck Farms we found little activity, just a perched richardsonii MERLIN.

We ended the day in the Mule Mountains where BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW was easy to find and a small flock of WHITE-WINGED DOVES were lined up together on a wire. 

Monday, January 15, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Arthur and Karen Jones from Cool, CA. Another below freezing start in the San Rafael valley that turned into a windy, but nice afternoon in Patagonia with the temperature somewhere in the the high 50s.

After they almost tried our patience to the limit, and we threatened to leave, several individuals from a flock of CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS perched on a fence wire and provided excellent views. The males that we saw were well advanced into breeding plumage with strong black bellies and rich chestnut napes, only the facial yellow was lacking. Unfortunately, our patience with BAIRD'S SPARROW didn't turn into the same success. After a long wait, a Baird's perched up in its regular shrub, but slightly below the top and almost completely obscured by what little vegetation there was! The bird stayed only 30 seconds and then flew into the long grass. Definitely a BVD job. Among the few other species that we saw in the valley were an adult BALD EAGLE and 3-GREATER YELLOWLEGS.

Our next stop was at a still wet and muddy Patagonia Lake State Park. We had to use up a lot more of our patience scrutinizing the marsh edge before being rewarded with a good view of a foraging VIRGINIA RAIL. The state park wasn't very birdy around midday and the gusty wind certainly didn't help. Some of the birds seen were PIED-BILLED, EARED & WESTERN GREBES, NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, COMMON MERGANSER, COMMON MOORHEN, BELTED KINGFISHER, HAMMOND'S, GRAY and DUSKY FLYCATCHERS and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.

We finished up in the Paton's yard which was busy with birds and people. Species here from 27 seen included INCA DOVE, ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, STELLER'S JAY, LINCOLN'S and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, all four regular Towhee species and CASSIN'S FINCH.

Tuesday, January 16, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Today I was scheduled to bird in Tucson with Arthur and Karen Jones but they decided to cancel due to the bad weather. However, I was all set to leave the house for a day of birding so that's just what I did. In the morning I birded in the Chiricahuas followed by a visit to Willcox, then I worked my way south through the Sulphur Springs Valley and finished up at Whitewater Draw. I spent most of the day working in snow. 

Despite the snow, I had no trouble finding MEXICAN CHICKADEE on Rustler Park Road and JUNIPER TITMOUSE on the Paradise Road. However, I failed to find Pygmy Nuthatch and Hairy Woodpecker simply because I couldn't get high enough. There was 4-6 inches of existing snow on the ground above Onion Saddle and with heavy snow coming down I decided to be sensible and turn around. 

With snow falling, the feeders in Portal (at Spofford's and on Main Street) had plenty of customers. Birds in these locations included several BLUE-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS, all three regular JAYS,  RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, AM. ROBIN, HUTTON'S VIREO, PAINTED REDSTART, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO, PINE SISKIN, LESSER & AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES and CASSIN'S FINCH.

I've mentioned before how depressing Willcox is when it's snowing. Some things never change! I saw only 20 common species and not many individuals, and in hindsight I should probably have skipped the visit here. However, I did add MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD to my Willcox list.

Next, I tried for BARN OWL in the northern section of Sulphur Springs Valley and was successful at the first location I checked. Continuing south I stopped just north of Zuck Farms and was treated to the spectacular sight of 18-FERRUGINOUS HAWKS sitting on the ground in the same field. Wow. Even better, I found McCOWN'S LONGSPURS feeding close to the road with HORNED LARKS in an adjacent ploughed field. 

I finished up at a cold and blustery Whitewater Draw where many SANDHILL CRANES were flying in to roost. An adult BALD EAGLE seemed to have already selected a roosting spot. SNOW, ROSS'S and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE continue.

Wednesday, January 17, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
I was scheduled into French Joe Canyon today but I advised my clients against going. The warbler can be tough enough without the extra variable of what it will do after snow. Today's weather was much better, mostly sunny but still cold with a little snow here and there. With my free day I visited Patagonia-Sonoita Creek  Sanctuary and Patagonia Lake State Park.

The sanctuary is one of my least favorite places to bird, as evidenced by the fact that I haven't been here in over two years. Given the very cold morning, it was hardly surprising that birding was very slow. I saw the following during a two hour walk around the loop: Sharp-shinned, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Anna's Hummingbird, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray Flycatcher, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Cassin's & House Finches, Song, Lincoln's & White-crowned Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees and N. Cardinal.

I found the same story at Patagonia Lake. I bailed after only one hour and my list here was: Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes, Ruddy Duck, Mallard, Lesser Scaup, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Am. Kestrel, Virginia Rail, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Killdeer, White-winged & Inca Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Gray & Dusky Flycatchers, Say's Phoebe, Common Raven, Hermit Thrush, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, House Finch, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Song & White-crowned Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird and Western Meadowlark.

Thursday, January 18, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Rae Hudspeth and Evelyn Wadsworth from The Sea Ranch, CA. I was a little taken aback to find an inch of snow on my vehicle this morning. Even though the conditions were much better today, I advised against hiking up French Joe Canyon because there was simply too much risk of injury. Instead, we headed into the Huachucas for one bird that has eluded Rae and Evelyn on three previous trips (is this a pressure job or what?). After only 30 minutes of searching in the snow, we located our target ARIZONA WOODPECKER and had excellent close up looks, first at a foraging female then a male, posing in fine style atop a dead juniper tree.

We spent the rest of the day casual birding and enjoyed beautiful weather -- cold, clear skies and zero wind. Thousands of SANDHILL CRANES were easy to see throughout the Sulphur Springs Valley where we also saw SNOW GOOSE, ROSS'S GOOSE, numerous FERRUGINOUS HAWKS, HARRIS'S HAWK, PRAIRIE FALCON, MOUNTAIN PLOVER, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, BENDIRE'S THRASHER and many common species.

We ended the day at St. David Monastery where 3-WOOD DUCKS, many WHITE-WINGED DOVES and at least 2-LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS continue. 

Friday, January 19, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Riley Case from Kokomo, IN, who I've birded with once before. On that occasion we missed Spotted Owl in Scheelite Canyon and, sadly, we missed the bird again today. I was able to search the lower area fairly thoroughly, however, deep snow made the upper area quite treacherous so I abandoned the search there. The canyon was very quiet with the only birds of note being several calling ARIZONA WOODPECKERS (they have established territories already) and a wintering female WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER. The sapsucker must have been around for some time because there are a few fresh sap wells in the Douglas Firs 3/8 mile into the canyon.

A late start and 3 hours  in Scheelite Canyon blew a big hole in the day but we salvaged it somewhat in mid afternoon with great views of LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS at St. David. I've mentioned before that this is a pleasant place to bird without being spectacular and today was pretty typical. Our full list here was:

3-Wood Ducks, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Great Blue Heron, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Killdeer, Mourning & many White-winged Doves, Belted Kingfisher, 2-Lewis's, Ladder-backed & Gila Woodpeckers, Red-naped Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Chihuahuan Raven, Western Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Song, Lincoln's, Vesper & Lark Sparrows, Green-tailed & Abert's Towhees, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Western Meadowlark and Brewer's Blackbird.

Sunday, January 21, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
In 1996, I set out to see 200 species in Arizona in January and quit a few days before the end of the month having seen 204 species. This year I'm trying to beat that total, although my work schedule hasn't allowed me to travel much yet. However, I now have a window of time to work with and today is the first of a few days on the road.

I spent most of the day chasing stakeout birds in Phoenix with excellent success. First though, I began by checking several ponds - Gilbert/Riggs, Gilbert/Chandler Heights and Gilbert Wildlife Area. The two ponds on Gilbert Road were both loaded with common ducks including CINNAMON TEAL, CANVASBACK and REDHEAD. The Riggs pond had COMMON MERGANSER; the pond at Chandler Heights had some shorebird habitat and held many LEAST SANDPIPERS and my first year birds of  the trip -- BLACK-NECKED STILT and AM. AVOCET. Gilbert WA was teeming with PINTAILS, lots of LEAST SANDPIPERS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS and another year bird, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER. 

Although it doesn't seem that long since I was in this area, I was really shocked by the amount of development here. The land around Gilbert WA was the first to go some years ago. Now, however, the urban sprawl has spread like cancer south along the Gilbert Road as far as Riggs Road. Gee, and I thought it was only Sierra Vista that allowed uncontrolled growth. I think the pond at Chandler Heights will survive (seems that it is being turned into a feature), however, maybe not the pond just north of Riggs. 

Now it was time to chase some stakeouts. I headed to Scottsdale where I quickly found the male AMERICAN REDSTART in the same Cottonwood where it's been reported for some time. Not only a year bird but also new for me in AZ in January, so I killed two birds with one Redstart stone. I also added BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON. Staying in Scottsdale I headed south to McKellips Lake and almost immediately saw the EURASIAN WIGEON. So far, so good.

I arrived at the downtown RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN location shortly after 10:00am and managed a brief glimpse at the bird sitting in one of the dense Pines, around 10:30am. Although I stayed and searched for another 75 minutes, I never saw the bird again - I just heard its flight call a couple of times.

Continuing west I headed over to Arlington to look for the Pipit, a bird that I thought would be tough to find and one that I didn't really expect too see. First, I checked the shorebirds working the small, shallow puddles and was immediately rewarded with a lone SEMIPALMATED PLOVER in with LEAST SANDPIPERS and DUNLIN. I believe a Snowy Plover was also reported here recently. I started checking the fields and after only 15 minutes of searching I located the SPRAGUE'S PIPIT, fairly close to where it was first reported. I inadvertantly flushed the bird and got to see the upward "staircase flight" followed by the "drop like a stone" behavior, which in itself is diagnostic. I then spent 30 minutes or so working the area in order to get a better viewing angle. These babies can really hide in the grass!

So much for the easy stakeout birds. Although I still have some easy birds to find on my travels, there are no more easy stakeouts and it's time to go to work! My plan is to head over to the Colorado River starting at Parker and then to work my way north to the Nevada state line. After that I'll head east across the northern section of the state to the Four Corners region and then south to the White Mountains. I hope that I have enough time to get it all done. 

Even though there's not really time to scout new locations on this trip, I made a round trip detour of 90 miles to check Alamo Lake State Park. I was hoping to find some riparian habitat that might hold some wintering passerines, in which case I would have returned tomorrow. I didn't find any such habitat, but I did add four more year birds CLARK'S GREBE, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, RING-BILLED GULL and TREE SWALLOW, all of which I should easily see elsewhere. The lake was an interesting place but certainly not worth a special visit, especially out on a limb as it is. WESTERN GREBES were abundant, vastly outnumbering Clark's. 

Monday, January 22, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
After an overnight stay in Parker, I started south of town in the Parker Valley and then worked my way north to Bullhead City with stops at Parker Dam, Buckskin State Park, Holiday Harbor, Bill Williams NWR, Lake Havasu, Havasu NWR and the Mohave Valley. Not much species diversity today, but I did add 6 more year birds to end the day at 192. 

Those 6 species were COMMON LOON (1 above Parker Dam and 2 on Lake Havasu), many COMMON GOLDENEYE (everywhere on the river), BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (1 male below Parker Dam), BUFFLEHEAD (many at Holiday Harbor), SNOWY EGRET (1 in the Parker Valley) and FORSTER'S TERN (4 at Havasu NWR).

Abundant birds in multiple locations were DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, WESTERN and CLARK'S GREBES (many more Clark's than Western), COMMON GOLDENEYE and RING-BILLED GULL. Birds of interest from a total of 56 species seen were a few SANDHILL CRANES, large flocks of AMERICAN PIPITS and small flocks of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS (all in Parker and Mohave Valleys), and RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER at Havasu NWR.

I checked Catfish Paradise (part of Havasu NWR) to look for a Prairie Warbler seen here recently. Although my one hour search for the warbler proved unsuccessful, I did find the Sapsucker (rare here, I would say), working the many Salt Cedars, and the Forster's Terns (a year bird), so it was definitely a productive stop. Also here were TURKEY VULTURE, N. HARRIER, RED-TAILED HAWK, MARSH WREN, VERDIN, BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and ABERT'S TOWHEE - just like SE AZ!

The most common birds today were Snowbirds. For those who haven't visited the Colorado River in winter, the spectacle should not be missed. Untold numbers of RVs just peedling along, and each year there seems to be more and more of them. Don't these people realize that I have places to go and birds to see.

Tuesday, January 23, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
I started this morning by heading north on the Nevada side of the Colorado River to Cottonwood Cove, only about 18 miles upriver from Davis Dam as the Loon flies, but over 3 times that by road.  I spent about 90 minutes there looking for the Yellow-billed Loon that has been around for some time. I may have caught a glimpse, but the bird dove when a boat went by and I never relocated it. Ironically, the only Yellow-Billed Loon I have ever seen was on the Colorado in Arizona. I did see a couple of COMMON LOONS and a new for the year HERRING GULL on the Arizona side of the river, so the trip was productive. Just south of the cove is where Lake Mohave begins and the river is very wide. This would appear to be a good spot for the loon, but access is difficult and I didn't have time to investigate. Oh well. 

My original plan for the day was to continue north through Vegas and the corner of Utah and reenter AZ at Colorado City, to look for Black-capped Chickadee. However, because of the late hour and a new storm coming on Thursday, I doubled back so I could reach the Four Corners region before the storm. I stopped to check Davis Dam, my last chance for RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. What do you know, a lone male was almost the only bird above the dam!

I left the river just after noon and in less than 1 hour from the balmy conditions there I began seeing the first patches of snow. By the time I reached Flagstaff the temperature had dropped considerably, although it was much better than I expected i.e. sunny and well above freezing. There was plenty of snow on the mountains and roadsides, but the pavement was bare and dry. Roadside birds included ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK and a new for the year AMERICAN CROW (wow).

As I swung north on Highway 89 towards Page, the sky was heavy with low clouds and visibility was very poor, and at this point I wasn't hopeful about my chances of seeing Rosy-Finches. About an hour or so later and 20 miles from my destination, the clouds miraculously disappeared and the red Echo Cliffs were glowing magnificently in the late afternoon sunshine. I arrived at "the finch spot" (mile 526.1 on Hwy 89) at 4:43pm and settled down to what I thought might be a long wait. However, to my pleasant surprise, I heard many birds calling after less than 10 minutes had passed. I soon saw their shadows above me as a flock of BLACK ROSY-FINCHES dropped from the sky like magic and began foraging 30 feet away. I stepped out of the car and counted 50 birds before a truck came by and flushed them. They came back immediately and flew within a couple of feet of me. I couldn't believe what was happening, they seemed to deliberately head towards me and I was totally surrounded by the flock. What a thrill. On checking my records, it was almost 2 years ago to the day (Jan 24, 1999) that I saw the birds at this same spot, a far cry from the top of Mt. Baldy in the Uinta Mountains of Utah where I saw my lifer. 

My 30 minute drive into Page with the view of Lake Mead ahead of me was a very pleasant end to a day of few birds and lots of driving. I added 4 year birds and my month list now stands at 196. 

Wednesday, January 24, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
After an overnight stay in Page, I drove east to the Four Corners area and for almost the entire drive of 170 miles I was in thick fog. Then, just as yesterday, as I approached my destination of Teec Nos Pos I came out of the fog and into bright sunshine. Unfortunately, that was the end of the good news because a gale force wind was blowing. This is not a birdy place folks, and on this day it was hard to find any birds perched up save for STARLINGS, AM. ROBINS and WESTERN BLUEBIRDS. Nevertheless, I birded the main wash with high hopes of Black-capped Chickadee, seen here last month. I was surprised to hear chickadees above the noise of the wind but my hopes were soon dashed when I found a small flock of MOUNTAIN CHICKADEES. I checked them all several times to no avail. In the end I was thankful for small mercies and was happy to leave here with just a "gimme" BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, also seen in the wash. Before leaving I drove around town looking for Northern Shrike and didn't see another single Magpie. 

I left around midday for the long drive south to Springerville with stops at Round Rock Reservoir (50% ice), Many Farms Lake (100% ice, no birds), Ganado Lake (80% ice, lots of birds), Lyman Lake State Park (80% ice) and Becker Lake (80% ice). Species seen on most open lakes included PINTAIL, REDHEAD, CANVASBACK, COMMON GOLDENEYE, BUFFLEHEAD and COMMON MERGANSER. I almost didn't stop at Ganado because I thought it would be iced over. As it turned out, the small amount of open water held a very large concentration of 16 species including WESTERN GREBE, CANADA GOOSE and a small group of nearby PINYON JAYS, the latter two being year birds.

As I continued south the distant White Mountains came into view, blanketed in snow and looking spectacular in the sunshine  I ended the day at Becker Lake where 2 adult BALD EAGLES were at a nest tree. I added four year birds on the day bringing my January total to date to 200.

Thursday, January 25, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
My plan for today was to spend all day birding in the White Mountains and then drive home but, just as yesterday, the weather foiled my plans somewhat. After an overnight stay in Springerville, I drove west on Highway 260 heading for Sunrise Ski area. The few snowflakes in town turned to heavy blowing snow the further west I went, and I was only able to briefly check South Fork and Greer before common sense prevailed and I turned around. In these almost white-out conditions, only the extremely hardy and omnipresent COMMON RAVENS were to be seen.

Back in Springerville I checked Wenima Wildlife Area where I found a large flock of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and four COMMON GOLDENEYES on a small patch of the Little Colorado that wasn't iced over. The weather looked much better to the south so I headed towards Alpine. On the way over I checked Nelson Reservoir (80% ice) which had the usual common species including REDHEAD, CANVASBACK, COMMON GOLDENEYE, COMMON MERGANSER and BUFFLEHEAD. A check of Nutrioso Reservoir (100% ice) produced zero birds, although a few PINYON JAYS were nearby. I cruised around to see if any Lewis's Woodpeckers were still present but didn't find any, perhaps because they are all in SE AZ this winter! 

Next, I checked Luna Lake just east of Alpine, where I again found 100% ice. The weather here was beautiful, albeit with a temperature of only 32 degrees and a biting wind. I tramped around the pines in the snow (up to 12 inches in places) and managed to pickup a couple of year birds -- HAIRY WOODPECKER and PYGMY NUTHATCH. Ironically, I was cheated out of these two species by heavy snow in the Chiricahuas last week.

The weather to the west now looked clear so I drove back to Greer where I again found sunshine and high wind. I spent some time looking for Three-toed Woodpecker but, in the wind, I really had no chance unless I just stumbled into one. I didn't. Very few birds here -- a surprise KESTREL, STELLER'S JAY, a handful of MOUNTAIN CHICKADEES & PYGMY NUTHATCHES and BROWN CREEPER. 

Next, I headed to Sunrise Ski Area where I hoped to find Clark's Nutcracker and Gray Jays looking for handouts. No such luck, just lots of skiers and Common Ravens. Sunrise Lake was complete iced over. Now it was time to head home and bring this insanity to an end. I normally head home via New Mexico but, being this far west, I decided to return via Globe and Tucson. What a mistake that was as I encountered three sets of road work and heavy traffic. However, it wasn't all bad, I did stumble across a roadside group of WILD TURKEYS on Highway 260 just east of the Sunrise Road, one more for the list . A soaring BALD EAGLE on Highway 60 south of Show Low was my last trip bird. Three more year birds on the day bringing my month total to 203. 

The 5 day trip yielded a paltry 107 species, however, 30 of them were year birds and that was the object of the exercise. Of the remaining days in January, I have three work days which should add 3 and perhaps as many as 6 to my list, plus a couple of free days, so I feel pretty confident of beating 204. I know, I know, you thought I wasn't a gambling man.  

Saturday, January 27, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Paul Mayer from Chicago, IL and Weerasak Suthapong from Bangkok, Thailand. What a diabolical day for birding and what a shock for Weerasak -- one day a hot Bangkok, next day freezing Arizona. The weather forecast  was for snow down to 4000 feet and that certainly wasn't wrong. The temperature began at 32 and never climbed above 35 all day. We had to contend with rain, sleet, snow and worst of all, a biting wind.

In the morning we birded in Sulphur Springs Valley where birds were hard to come by, although SANDHILL CRANES were visible in numbers. This is a very open area and it was far from fun. Our day was epitomized by an abandoned search for Mountain Plover at Essary Hay. All the internal gates were closed and it was a major hassle to keep opening and closing them in the high winds. The usual numbers of FERRUGINOUS HAWKS were easy to see, most of them sitting on the ground, and hardy MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were working low over the fields.

We did have some early success with a cold looking BENDIRE'S THRASHER, surprisingly perched up. Our quest for BARN OWL was also successful with 3-GREAT HORNED OWLS thrown in for good measure (#204 on my January-to-date list, equaling my previous high). Perhaps the most interesting birds were COMMON GROUND-DOVE (not a bird that I see much in the valley, especially in winter) and WESTERN SCRUB-JAY (always rare in the valley).

After lunch we visited the Monastery at St. David where conditions were much better. We finally lost the snow and just had a cold wind to deal with. We easily found our target LEWIS'S WOODPECKER and then enjoyed an hour of casual birding. Highlight for me was a seriously out-of-habitat STELLER'S JAY, my first at the Monastery. Our full list here was:

Wood Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Coot, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Lewis's, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Steller's Jay, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco, Song & Chipping Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird and Western Meadowlark.

We ended the day on the San Pedro River (Hwy 90) where most birds were concentrated around the San Pedro House feeders. A few AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES (uncommon here) were mixed in with the regular LESSER GOLDFINCHES.

Sunday, January 28, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Today I was scheduled into French Joe Canyon to look for Rufous-capped Warbler. However, in view of the weather, the trip was postponed to a later date. I took the day off and didn't venture out until this evening when I headed into the Huachucas to look for owls. Although the temperature in town at 7:00pm was 25 degrees, it was only around 20 degrees in the mountains and I had great difficulty in finding any owls at all (gee, go figure). I'm happy to say that, eventually, curiosity got the better of an inquisitive WESTERN SCREECH-OWL. This was species #205 for January and my goal is met with a few days to spare. Interestingly, even though Whiskered Screech-Owls are far more common than Western, I didn't hear a single call from that species in the hour that I was in their habitat.

My next client (scheduled for Tuesday) is stuck in the snow in Texas so we rescheduled for Thursday. Consequently, I have a three consecutive days free and have decided to spend a day birding the Yuma area (a place that I have hardly birded at all) sandwiched between time in Phoenix and Tucson. With the self-imposed pressure now off, I'll be able to enjoy my birding a little better and perhaps add enough birds so that I won't be tempted to beat my own record next year.

Monday, January 29, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
A cancelled working trip meant that I still "needed" Le Conte's Thrasher for the month so that's the bird I began with this morning. Despite Phoenix workday commute traffic, an early start from Sierra Vista put me at "the thrasher spot" near Buckeye at 8:50am. The area was much warmer and birdier than on my last visit at the end of December and by 9:15am. I was happily 'scoping a perched up LE CONTE'S THRASHER. I walked around for an hour and turned up another Le Conte's plus a still roosting PRAIRIE FALCON, NORTHERN HARRIER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and CACTUS WREN. Also present were many VERDINS, BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHERS, WHITE-CROWNED, BREWER'S, BLACK-THROATED and SAGE SPARROWS.  

My next stop was at Arlington where all recent shorebird species continue in the small shallow puddles - LEAST SANDPIPER, DUNLIN, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER and the SNOWY PLOVER that I missed on my last trip a week ago. I didn't look for the Sprague's Pipit.

Continuing southwest I exited I-8 at Citrus Valley Road and made a disappointing and wasted trip to Painted Rock Reservoir. There was barely a trickle of water being released below the dam and the lower lake is virtually dry. I saw only one waterbird species - a lone GREAT BLUE HERON; and even landbirds were at a premium. Along Sisson Road (where I almost got bogged down in a foot of mud) I found PRAIRIE FALCON and FERRUGINOUS HAWK. Among the handful of species below the dam were GILDED FLICKER and ROCK WREN. I returned via Painted Rock Road where my trip was redeemed somewhat with a few CATTLE EGRETS and an OSPREY near the intersection with I-8. Amazingly, I watched the Osprey catch something from the narrow irrigation canal, also being worked by a BELTED KINGFISHER.

My last stop of the day was at Tacna Marsh which is located along the Gila River about 40 miles east of Yuma. This is the only location in the vicinity of Yuma that I have birded regularly, although very infrequently. To reach a good viewpoint, leave I-8 at exit 42 and go north on Avenue 40E for 1.4 miles, turn left (west) and proceed along the northern edge of a citrus grove and park after 0.5 mile. Here you can look down on an extensive area of the marsh. Species present today were PIED-BILLED GREBE,  DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, REDHEAD, COMMON MERGANSER, GREAT-BLUE HERON, COOT, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, GREATER ROADRUNNER, MARSH WREN, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and ABERT'S TOWHEE. In the past I've seen Osprey and Brown Pelican here.

I took the quiet way into Yuma via old U.S. 80 with a few side trips into the agricultural areas along the river. I added 5 more species to my January list, ending the day at 210.

Tuesday, January 30, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I birded along the Colorado River north of Yuma with stops at Betty's Kitchen, Mittry Lake, Imperial Dam and Imperial NWR. In the afternoon I birded in the agricultural areas of Dome Valley (east of Yuma) and Yuma Valley (south of Yuma). Although it was pleasant, sunny day with an afternoon high near 70 degrees, high winds throughout most of the day made birding difficult.

Betty's Kitchen was fairly quiet shortly after dawn. I worked the marsh hoping for Clapper Rail but only turned  up VIRGINIA RAIL and COMMON SNIPE. Common throughout were RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, VERDIN, MARSH WREN, ORANGE CROWNED & YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and ABERT'S TOWHEE.

At Mittry Lake I saw my first year bird of the day - a single NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW foraging near the water. I met a birder here who told me he had seen a Greater Pewee earlier. I spent some little time looking for it but came up empty. DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS were plentiful on the lake along with many RING-BILLED GULLS that squabbled over every fish. Also here was a single WESTERN GREBE and a few COMMON GOLDENEYES on the adjacent canal.

I checked Imperial Dam where most of the action was at West Pond on the California side. I was scanning the pond when a fly-by PEREGRINE FALCON scared up all the ducks and didn't even favor me with a sortie into Arizona air space. The pond was loaded with mostly common stuff including CINNAMON TEAL, CANVASBACK, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE, COMMON MERGANSER, GREAT & SNOWY EGRETS, OSPREY and TREE SWALLOW. 

Next I checked Imperial NWR where results were poor in what at times seemed like a gale force wind. I pitied the poor TREE SWALLOWS trying to make a living. They flew incessantly and it certainly appeared to me that they used more energy than they were able to replace. A single EARED GREBE was the only one that I saw on the trip. Martinez Lake had a handful of common species. Back at the dam the only bird of note was a lone FORSTER'S TERN.

After a cruise through Dome Valley (which was heavy with GREAT & SNOWY EGRETS along the various canals and ditches), I attempted to reach Yuma Valley by exiting on Fortuna Blvd., about 10 miles east of Yuma. This turned out to be too soon an exit to work my way through on the back roads and I had to continue further west. However, every cloud has a silver lining. As Fortuna Blvd. petered out to the south I saw 2-WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS battling the wind, a bird that had eluded me so far this month. Presumably they were from the nearby Gila Mountains.

I eventually reached the Yuma Valley and during the late afternoon I spent a frustrating time trying to check many flooded fields in the midst of quitting time traffic. I probably got cursed a few times as I pulled over to check yet another batch of RING-BILLED GULLS. Fortunately, persistence overcame frustration and I eventually got my reward, a CASPIAN TERN bathing in a field of at least 250 Ring-billed Gulls. Other species in the valley included CATTLE EGRET (locally abundant), GREATER YELLOWLEGS and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD.

Wednesday, January 31 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Amazingly, on the last day of the month after seeing 213 species thus far there were still a few relatively easy birds left to find on my way home via Tucson. I mapped out a route and said to myself "I'll look for these birds a) until dark or b) quit on first failure."

I left Yuma early and by 9:00am I was on Sunland Gin road in the Avra Valley where I spent about 30 minutes before finding SAGE THRASHER in a regular spot. I continued south to Tucson to look for COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD which I quickly found at Tohono Chul park. This is the time of year to find them easily because they are singing their distinctive song. Next, I checked the corrals on nearby Roger Road to tick BRONZED COWBIRD.

This is where the rot set in and I failed to find Blue-winged Teal during a 90 minute session at Roger Road WWTP and Sweetwater Wetland. Some of the species from 35 seen at Sweetwater were HARRIS'S HAWK, COMMON MOORHEN. COMMON SNIPE, GILDED FLICKER, PYRRHULOXIA and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. 

So, even though I still had  a number of possibilities (including Peregrine Falcon, Western Sandpiper, Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cedar Waxwing, and Swamp Sparrow) and it was only 12:45pm, I stuck to my plan and headed home to relax.

Although I ended the month with 216 species, I was struck more by what I didn't see. My cumulative January AZ list now stands at 272 species which means that I have seen 56 species in the past that I didn't see this year. Add to that perhaps 30 species that have been present in January in the past or this year that I haven't recorded at all in January, and the possibilities approach 300. Of course, one would need plenty of time, money and perhaps most of all, a great deal of determination to get anywhere close to that number. Problems that I encountered just to reach 216 were mainly due to a limited time to travel and some bad weather when I did. My work birding will generally turn up 175 species in January, but because I am constantly birding in the same places, additional species are hard to come by. I also didn't bird on 5 days, shame on me. Although I was happy with the results, the bottom line is -- it's work and I don't think I will repeat the exercise any time soon!

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Wednesday, January 31, 2001. 

Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - January, 2001 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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