Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - November, 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 Friday, November 30, 2001.

Thursday, November 1, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Finally, a break in the warm weather as November begins. Today started quite cool and cloudy and the clouds remained throughout the day. It was pleasantly warm later on but definitely much cooler and more in keeping with the season.

As the winter birding season approaches, I decided to check on the status of the trails at Patagonia Lake State Park where I expect to spend plenty of time over the next several months. I debated with myself about wearing "wellies" but decided against it. As things turned out I managed OK without them but wearing them would definitely have been beneficial. Although the main channel of Sonoita Creek is flowing meekly into the lake, a couple of secondary channels are still flowing strongly making access to the northeast section of the lake a little difficult.

I had to ford a couple of water areas and slog through some densely tangled debris to make the loop trip around the edge of the lake, along Sonoita Creek and back through the interior. Had this been a trip with a client, it would not have been worth the investment in time and effort. However, a sighting of single WILD TURKEY in the "willow forest" along Sonoita Creek made the trip worthwhile for me. The bird was my 230th species seen at the state park and only my second out of the mountains (the other was at the stream crossing on Salero Road in Patagonia.)

I began by checking the deep (west) end of the lake before the speedboats became active and was rewarded with a few species including 5-WESTERN GREBES, 2-NORTHERN PINTAILS and 4-REDHEADS. Pintail is actually quite rare here and I only have 4 previous sightings in 4 of the 9 years that I've birded here regularly.

Among the species at the east end of the lake were 2-NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, 4-CINNAMON TEAL, 8-LESSER SCAUP (6 males, 2 females) and 4-RING-NECKED DUCKS. The marsh edge still has too much vegetation to see very well but I did manage a couple of VIRGINIA RAILS and a SWAMP SPARROW.  

Although the area doesn't yet have the "look and feel" of winter, winter empids were represented by at least 6-GRAY and 3-DUSKY FLYCATCHERS. I also saw one each of NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER. Both are usually present throughout the winter with the latter being more likely.

Less common species for the lake were CRISSAL THRASHER, 6-CEDAR WAXWINGS and HOODED ORIOLE (does not often winter in SE AZ).

I recorded a total of 65 species from 7:20-11:00am.
10+Pied-billed & 5-Western Grebes, 2-Neotropic Cormorants, Ruddy Duck, Mallard, 2-Northern Pintails, 4-Cinnamon Teal, 4-Redheads, 4-Ring-necked Ducks, 8-Lesser Scaup, Great Blue Heron, Red-tailed Hawk, 1-Wild Turkey, Gambel's Quail, 2-Virginia Rails, Am. Coot, Mourning & Inca Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, 6-Gray & 3-Dusky Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Common Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, 6-Cedar Waxwings, Hermit Thrush, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rock, Canyon, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, House Finch, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned, Chipping, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Hooded Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark and Great-tailed Grackle.

A brief visit to the Paton's Yard produced only 20 species but was definitely a worthwhile stop. I found the previously reported very colorful male RUDDY GROUND-DOVE sitting in a tree in the horse corral along with many INCA DOVES and several male and female COMMON GROUND-DOVES. Other species included WHITE-WINGED DOVE, ACORN, GILA & LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS, a few ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS, a location first BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER and a nicely plumaged male LAZULI BUNTING showing much blue and orange. 

Including the more mundane MOURNING and ROCK DOVES, it was a six dove species day to start the month. Perhaps I should have hurried over to Willcox to look for Eurasian Collared-Dove to set or tie a SE AZ record. That and a couple of bucks will get me a cup of coffee. 

Friday, November 2, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Please note, as of today my email address is: stuarthealy@earthlink.net

Today I visited Carr Canyon again to work on November week 1 data. I selected today over either of the upcoming weekend days figuring there would be almost nobody using the canyon. Boy was I wrong. I had Reef campground to myself until around 9:30am when loads of teenagers showed up in about a dozen cars, radios, dogs - you get the picture. I moved elsewhere but for the rest of the morning there were more cars coming and going everywhere. When I finally headed down canyon around noon there was now a major gathering in Reef campground and cars were still headed up canyon, including a couple of cop cars and a border patrol vehicle. I have no idea what the hell was going on. It's getting harder and harder to find solitude!

It was another great weather day, quite cool when I began birding at 7:00am and unseasonably warm in the afternoon. I started in the lower canyon residential area and birded my way up to Reef and along the road to Ramsey Vista. When I entered Reef campground at 8:00am there was hardly a sound but I soon encountered "woodpecker central" with at least 6-RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS, a couple each HAIRY and ARIZONA WOODPECKERS and lots of NORTHERN FLICKERS. When I was forced to leave the campground by the noise, I moved on to a good stand of pines and found my real quarry, a male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER. In the lower canyon I had already seen ACORN and GILA WOODPECKERS but I failed to complete the regular set possible for the canyon by missing Ladder-backed (uncommon here).

Apart from the sapsuckers, other winter species that I was hoping to see included a lone TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and a few PINE SISKINS. Vocalizing EASTERN BLUEBIRDS and OLIVE WARBLERS were in multiple locations. 

I recorded a total of 48 species in the canyon:
Gambel's Quail, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Acorn, Gila, Arizona & Hairy Woodpeckers, Red-naped & Williamson's Sapsuckers, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Cassin's Kingbird, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Eastern Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Cactus, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Pine Siskin, House Finch, Olive & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Pyrrhuloxia and Eastern Meadowlark.

Monday, November 5, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Heavy clouds, a few sprinkles and a thunderstorm just north of town greeted me as I left home shortly before 6:00am this morning. The clouds remained all day and it was the coolest day in quite a while. I birded a loop through Santa Cruz and Pima Counties with visits to Kino Springs, Palo Duro Golf Course in Nogales, Amado Sewage Pond, Green Valley, Madera Canyon and Box Canyon. 

Kino Springs was far less birdy than I had hoped and I only managed 55 species from 7:10-9:40am. Highlights were a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 2-RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS, 2-GRAY FLYCATCHERS and a beautiful male VERMILION FLYCATCHER, all near the club house pond; and CRISSAL THRASHER & 6-RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS in the wash west of the first pond. None of the hackberry trees that I looked at had any fruit.

The ponds at Palo Duro Golf Course were busy with common species. Less common species were DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, GREAT EGRET and a HARLAN'S RED-TAILED HAWK. When I looked at the cormorant with the naked eye, I immediately recorded it as an immature Double-crested. Later, when I looked at the bird in the scope I noted a white outline around the gular area, similar to a Neotropic, so I did a double-take. However, the overall size, neck-thickness, extensive gular area and small tail confirmed it as a Double-crested. I've noted the "white outline" a few times before.

On my way to the old Pima County Maintenance yard in Green Valley I made a quick check of Amado sewage pond which was birdless save for MALLARD. During the past few winters, a flock of Lawrence's Goldfinches have been regular at the watering trough near the old maintenance yard so I decided to check. I stayed for 30 minutes without seeing anything of note. HOUSE FINCHES were abundant and a couple of lingering CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS were present.

Madera Canyon was extremely quiet around noon, although I did find a hoped for PAINTED REDSTART behind the cabins at Santa Rita Lodge (they are regular here in winter). I was watching the regular feeder customers when a couple of ARIZONA WOODPECKERS flew into a tree just a few feet from me. 

I always enjoy the pleasant and scenic drive to Sonoita through Box Canyon, which is just as well because it was almost birdless today. Apart from the long overdue and welcome change in weather, it was generally an uninspiring day.

[About 6 years ago I wrote some software to produce bar graphs from my data. Recently, I got around to adding the ability to create output suitable for displaying on the web. You can see a couple of examples on the bar graph page. I'll add more as I find the time.] 

Day list, 72 species seen:
Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, Red-naped Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Gray & Vermilion Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Cassin's Kingbird, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Canyon, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Painted Redstart, Dark-eyed Junco, Song,  Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Lark, Black-throated, Rufous-winged & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Green-tailed, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia and Great-tailed Grackle.

Wednesday, November 7, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
My plan for today was to spend part of the morning in the Sulphur Springs Valley then head into the Chiricahuas and finish up in Willcox. Somehow the time got away from me and by early afternoon I was still in the valley. I switched to Plan B and returned home through the Dragoon Mountains. After a cool and foggy start (still warm enough for short sleeves and shorts) it was back to Indian Summer again with a warm afternoon.

Activity at Whitewater Draw continues to dwindle and today was the quietest that I've seen the place in some time. The numbers bore that out and I recorded only 50 species in 2 1/2 hours. Highlights were the SANDHILL CRANE spectacle, BENDIRE'S and CRISSAL THRASHERS perched up catching the early morning sun, and a few CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS. Shorebird habitat continues excellent but I found only 1-COMMON SNIPE, 10-LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 3-WESTERN & 25-LEAST SANDPIPERS plus plentiful KILLDEERS. Of course, the shallow water that helps shorebirds does nothing for diving ducks and they were completely absent, just a few puddle ducks -- CINNAMON and GREEN-WINGED TEAL, N. PINTAILS and N. SHOVELERS. On my last trip here I missed AM. COOT, today there were a grand total of 2! 

The only raptors that I saw at Whitewater were 1-SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 6-NORTHERN HARRIERS and numerous RED-TAILED HAWKS. Elsewhere in the valley I added COOPER'S HAWK, 2-HARRIS'S HAWKS on Mormon Road, at least 10 FERRUGINOUS HAWKS including 6 on Rucker Canyon Road, an adult GOLDEN  EAGLE soaring over Mormon Road, and a PRAIRIE FALCON on Moore Road near Zuck Farms.

I burned quite a bit of daylight on Rucker Canyon Road and Bell Ranch Road scanning the fields for Mountain Plovers to no avail. However, I didn't really expect to find them -- even though they are often seen elsewhere earlier than this, they normally don't show up here until December. My earliest date for Sulphur Springs Valley is November 25, 1994 on Rucker Canyon Road. 

Before leaving the valley I checked a regular owl roost and found 1-BARN OWL and 1-GREAT HORNED OWL. My journey home through the Dragoons was pleasant but yielded very few birds in the heat of the afternoon.

Day list:
Ruddy Duck, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Harris's, Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagle, Am. Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Scaled Quail, Am. Coot, Sandhill Crane, Common Snipe, Long-billed Dowitcher, Western & Least Sandpipers, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Say's & Black Phoebes, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Loggerhead Shrike, Bendire's, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Cactus, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Bushtit, Tree Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Lark Bunting, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper and Black-throated Sparrows, Green-tailed & Canyon Towhees, Pyrrhuloxia, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Great-tailed Grackle and Brewer's Blackbird.

Thursday, November 8, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
The warm weather refuses to quit and today was another summer-like day. I guess that we'll pay for it somewhere down the road. This morning I checked a few places around Patagonia.

Best bird at Patagonia Lake was an AMERICAN BITTERN, uncharacteristically out in the open in the grass next to the east end marsh. When the bird saw me it automatically went into its "head to the sky" freeze mode. It's quite comical how they do this even though they are in plain sight. American Bitterns are rare in SE AZ but a bird has been present at the lake in either October and/or November for 4 out of the past 5 years (and in Spring for the past 2 years).

Other less common birds at the lake today were ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, HUTTON'S VIREO and WESTERN BLUEBIRD. Among the more regular species were 5-WESTERN GREBES, 2-NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, GREAT EGRET, 4-CINNAMON TEAL, 15-LESSER SCAUP, VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA, GRAY, DUSKY and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, AMERICAN PIPIT and SWAMP SPARROW.

On the way back to town I made a quick stop at the Roadside Rest. The creek area was completely dead but the other side of the road had ROCK and CANYON WRENS and lots of soaring and screaming WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS. A flock of MEXICAN JAYS were somewhat out of habitat at the stream crossing on Salero Road (suitable habitat is fairly close across the highway). 

The mixed species dove flock was absent from the Paton's yard (Ruddy Ground-Dove was seen yesterday) and all the hummingbird feeders were swarming with bees so I had to be content with seed feeder visitors. LAZULI BUNTING was the only species of note among 25 seen.

Day list:
Pied-billed & Western Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Gadwall, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Am. Bittern, N. Harrier, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Inca Dove, White-throated Swift, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Gray, Dusky & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Cactus, Rock, Canyon, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Tree Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned, Chipping & Black-throated Sparrows, Green-tailed & Canyon Towhees, N. Cardinal, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackle.  

Friday, November 9, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
It was blowing a gale as I started up Carr Canyon this morning so turned around and headed instead to the San Pedro River (highway 90 crossing). In terms of escaping the wind this turned out to be a good move, however, it certainly didn't pay off in terms of birds. The area around the San Pedro house was almost completely devoid of birds and there were precious few on my loop route south along del Valle road, east down Garden Wash then back north along the river.  

In the grassland, sparrows were particularly absent and I saw only a few WHITE-CROWNED, a single VESPER SPARROW (unbelievable!) and not one Brewer's. At this time of year all of these species should be very common. It wasn't any better along the river where I couldn't even find a Song Sparrow. The only species of note were DUSKY FLYCATCHER and CRISSAL THRASHER.

I recorded only 32 species in 2 hours:
Great Blue Heron, N. Harrier, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Dusky Flycatcher, Say's & Black Phoebes, Chihuahuan Raven, Crissal Thrasher, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping & Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Red-winged Blackbird and Eastern Meadowlark.

Monday, November 12, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
On another wonderful day to be outside, I birded at Whitewater Draw and Willcox. It was pristinely clear and chilly as I began on Coffman Road shortly after sunrise at 7:00am, as thousands of SANDHILL CRANES were just leaving their roosting area for the day. Clouds rolled in as the day progressed but the temperature still managed to reach 80 degrees by the time I left Willcox at 1:00pm.

Since Whitewater Draw opened to the public some years ago, I've been steadily working on data collection and building an inventory of the species here. Today I reached a minor milestone with my 100th visit. However, even though 100 visits certainly gives me a good feel for what species use the area and when they use it, from the standpoint of bar-graphs it takes at least 200 visits to create halfway decent data and 400 to be really useful. (Take a look at the recently added bar-graphs to see the problem.) So, even if I could visit twice per week for the next 3 years I would just make the latter number. Taking into consideration that there are only a few species that bring me here for work birding, it will probably take me much longer than that. A sobering thought indeed.

Highlight of today's visit was a very dull male RUDDY GROUND-DOVE. After walking to the extreme end of the west levee, I was returning east (about halfway back) when I flushed a ground-dove from the weeds. The bird flew up into a willow where I was able to study it. Unfortunately, the leaves were dense and I was looking into the sun which made identification very difficult. I could see the back and wings and noted black markings, not brown/reddish, so I thought right away that it was a Ruddy. I worked to get the sun behind me and through the leaves I could see the smooth bluish head, gray/black bill and dull red breast and belly. The bird was preening so its ruffled feathers made it tough to detect lack of scaling. Then, in one of those rare and richly satisfying moments when Murphy gets screwed, the bird called to confirm its identity! I've rarely heard any of the Ruddy Ground Doves that I've seen in SE AZ. This is my second sighting at Whitewater Draw, interestingly the other sighting was on a similar date - November 20, 1998. 

Another "screw that Murphy guy moment" came when I saw two different sized white geese feeding side by side on the mud flats. Sure enough, 1-SNOW GOOSE and 1-ROSS'S GOOSE, sorting through the flock not required! Out on the water were a lone RING-BILLED and 7-BONAPARTE'S GULLS. Shorebirds were well represented with a few LONG-BILLED CURLEWS, 1-GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 9-LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, a few WESTERN SANDPIPERS, circa 30 LEAST SANDPIPERS and 2-DUNLIN. The Dunlin were a first for me at Whitewater bringing my location list to 178.

I checked a dead tree where I saw a Merlin recently to find an AMERICAN KESTREL perched there. I turned away for perhaps 30 seconds and looked again to now see a MERLIN. My day was going well. Other raptors were the usual NORTHERN HARRIERS and RED-TAILS, a FERRUGINOUS HAWK a little to the north near Lee Road, and a GOLDEN EAGLE sitting on a pole near the main entrance.

Somewhat latish species included 100+ TREE SWALLOWS and a lone CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, neither of which set any late date records for me. I have SE AZ Tree Swallow records through the end of November and one for December; and a handful of Cassin's Kingbird records for November 13 in different years and locations, and one record for December..

The birding was generally quite good today and my 3 1/2 session was very productive. I missed an American Bittern that would have been another new location species for me, seen by another birder along the north levee. I recorded the following 63 species from 7:10-10:40am:

Ruddy Duck, Snow Goose, Ross's Goose, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, N. Harrier, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagle, Am. Kestrel, Merlin, Scaled Quail, Am. Coot, Sandhill Crane, Long-billed Curlew, Greater Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher, Western & Least Sandpipers, Dunlin, Killdeer, Ring-billed & Bonaparte's Gulls, Mourning Dove, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Say's & Black Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Cactus & Marsh Wrens, Verdin, Tree Swallow, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah, Brewer's & Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed & Canyon Towhees, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird and Eastern & Western Meadowlarks.

In contrast, the birding at a warm Willcox around midday was a bit of an anti climax. The only species of note here was 6-BONAPARTE'S GULLS on the main pond. EARED GREBES seem to have been a little scarce so far this fall so a flock of 85 was nice to see. I recorded the following 30 species from 11:30am-1:00pm.

85-Eared Grebes, many Ruddy Ducks and Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, 4-Canvasbacks, 6-Ring-necked Ducks, Great Blue Heron, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Coot, 100s of Sandhill Cranes, 1-Greater Yellowlegs, 6-Bonaparte's Gulls, Say's & Black Phoebes, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, a few Chestnut-collared Longspurs, Lark Bunting, and Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah, Brewer's and Vesper Sparrows.

Wednesday, November 14, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
The summer like weather finally broke yesterday with a cool (60s), blustery and wet day. Last night was cold and clear (in the mid 30s in Sierra Vista) and the forecast is for similar weather over the next few days. 

I would much rather have birded somewhere like Patagonia Lake or Kino Springs this morning but I needed to go to Carr Canyon -- I can't gather data if I don't go! It was very chilly as I began around 7:00am (probably around freezing or below overnight) and deathly silent at almost every location that I checked. The mountains are not the best place for species diversity in winter and I really struggled to eke out birds.

The highlight of the morning was a decent sized BLACK BEAR, jet black in fact. I came across it, roadside, near the stone retaining wall about 4.5 miles from highway 92. I immediately stopped and got out and we eyeballed each other from about 40 feet. The bear just ignored me and ambled away after 30 seconds. Also worth the price of admission this morning was the spectacular view from the overlook just before Reef. The entire San Pedro river from well into Mexico to a little north of highway 90 was blanketed in low fog. However, the air was generally crystal clear and I could see a long way!

Apart from numerous and vocal CACTUS WRENS and CURVE-BILLED THRASHERS, and a few cold looking WHITE-WINGED DOVES, even the normally birdy lower canyon residential area was quiet. 

I spent 1 1/2 hours around Reef and vicinity looking in vain for Williamson's Sapsucker, the first time that I've missed it in the last 4 visits. The only woodpeckers that I saw here were a lone (and very quiet) RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER and a few N. FLICKERS. Other than that I found a couple of calling OLIVE WARBLERS and a handful of common residents, although none came easily.

I birded at several spots along the road to Ramsey Vista and struck out again on Williamson's. I heard several MONTEZUMA QUAIL calling back and forth to each other, more calling OLIVE WARBLERS, and a few EASTERN BLUEBIRDS. 

Not a great day bird-wise but the views and the Black Bear were certainly memorable. I recorded the following list of 35 species in 4 hours (most were in the lower canyon):

Montezuma Quail, Mourning Dove, White-winged Dove, Acorn Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Cactus, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Olive & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, White-crowned & Chipping Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees and Pyrrhuloxia.

Friday, November 16, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Craig Taylor from La Grange, IL. For the next couple of days we'll be working on a few target birds. Today we birded in the Sulphur Springs Valley and in the Chiricahuas. The cold weather that arrived earlier in the week has moderated somewhat and after a chilly start it was a very pleasant day. 

We began shortly after 7:00am on Coffman Road where we managed a few target birds while enjoying the flight of 1000s of SANDHILL CRANES leaving Whitewater Draw. A pair of BENDIRE'S THRASHERS were very cooperative as were SCALED QUAIL. Initially, the quail proved quite elusive but eventually a couple of them perched up as they called. Other species here included GREATER ROADRUNNER, LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, CACTUS WREN, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, AM. PIPIT, CANYON TOWHEE and one! LARK BUNTING. On nearby Lee Road we saw a perched PRAIRIE FALCON, another BENDIRE'S THRASHER and lots more LARK BUNTINGS.  

Driving north on Central highway we added a male columbarius MERLIN and a rufous morph RED-TAILED HAWK. I don't recall seeing Rufous morph Red-tails in SE AZ during summer but they are fairly common in migration and uncommon in winter. Next came a fruitless search for Mountain Plover in the fields on Rucker Canyon Road (still a little early for them here). As is usual for this location, several FERRUGINOUS HAWKS were present (and more were further  north on Hwy 191). SAVANNAH SPARROWS and HORNED LARKS were both plentiful. I heard a few CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS but they fell silent and we were unable to track them down.

We headed into the mountains along a very quiet Pinery Canyon road. Much of the road was in shadow and quite cold, but it was nonetheless disappointing since its normally quite birdy here. The hoped for Northern Pygmy-Owl didn't happen and we didn't come across a single Mexican Chickadee. Birds seen (in order from grassland to Onion Saddle) were EASTERN MEADOWLARK, VESPER SPARROW, N. FLICKER, MEXICAN JAY (quite scarce!), CHIPPING SPARROW, OREGON and GRAY-HEADED JUNCOS, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, abundant RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, PHAINOPEPLA, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO, a small flock of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, HUTTON'S VIREO, RED-BREASTED and WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, BROWN CREEPER and HAIRY WOODPECKER.

We had some success along Rustler Park Road and at Rustler itself with lots of PYGMY NUTHATCHES and MEXICAN CHICKADEES. We then spent a fair amount of time looking for Williamson's Sapsucker and Olive Warbler without success. A few of the already seen species were present but we only added STELLER'S JAY and PINE SISKIN. Not a single Am. Robin seen or heard.

Back at lower elevation on the Paradise Road I was prepared for a long battle with the often elusive JUNIPER TITMOUSE. Fortunately, however, we heard one as we drove along and managed to track it down. The bird flew in and perched up momentarily in response to a screech-owl whistle. As we drove on, Craig spotted a woodpecker. We stopped to check, hoping for Arizona Woodpecker but the bird turned out to be a RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER. Then, in a moment of pure irony, further tapping materialized into a somewhat out-of-habitat female WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER. Further along the Paradise Road we found a couple of cooperative BLACK-CHINNED SPARROWS and enjoyed a good close up view. Other species included 2-CRISSAL THRASHERS, BUSHTIT, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and BLACK-THROATED SPARROW.

A stop at the Spofford's Yard produced 3-JAVELINA but not a hoped for hummingbird or Painted Redstart. Among  the 20+ species visiting the feeders and water were WHITE-WINGED DOVE, the usual scads of ACORN WOODPECKERS, GREEN-TAILED, CANYON and SPOTTED TOWHEES and LESSER GOLDFINCH. 

We ended the day with 12 targets seen and recorded a total of 70 species:
Great Blue Heron, N. Harrier, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Merlin., Prairie Falcon, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Sandhill Crane, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Acorn, Ladder-backed & Hairy Woodpeckers,  Red-naped & Williamson's Sapsuckers, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Bendire's, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, European Starling, Pygmy, Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Cactus, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mexican Chickadee, Bridled & Juniper Titmice, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Lark Bunting, Dark-eyed Junco, Yellow-eyed Junco, White-crowned, Savannah, Chipping, Black-chinned, Vesper & Black-throated Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Northern Cardinal, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks and Brewer's Blackbird.

Saturday, November 17, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Craig Taylor from La Grange, IL. A mild start turned into a beautiful warm day and I was back in shorts. We birded first at Patagonia Lake, then into the Santa Rita Mountains, and finished up in the Paton's yard.

GRAY FLYCATCHER was our main target bird at Patagonia Lake so by my normal standards it was a short visit and only produced 40 species from 7:20-9:00am. However, since we easily saw a few Gray Flycatchers and heard several more, it was mission accomplished. Birds of note included the continuing AMERICAN BITTERN "freezing" at the edge of the marsh, but easy to see, and 3-SWAMP SPARROWS. Among the other species recorded were NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, calling VIRGINIA RAIL and SORA, BELTED KINGFISHER, AM. PIPIT and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.

In the Santa Rita foothills we were quickly successful with RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW at a regular spot in a neighborhood not far from Chino Canyon. This is a species that can often be elusive and time consuming. Today, however, we heard one calling as we drove along and soon found it perched atop a Cholla and enjoyed a 'scope view.

To balance out this success and keep me humble, in Madera Canyon we struck out completely on Arizona Woodpecker, a bird that seems to have been easy to find here recently. A couple of them found me on my last visit and I note that others have found them routinely, but not for us today! However, we did have good success with other targets. Although we never saw it visit the feeders, a male MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD was perched in a tree near Santa Rita Lodge. In the canyon below the cabins, it didn't take long for us to track down a calling PAINTED REDSTART for some great looks as the bird foraged nearby. 

As we searched for Arizona Woodpecker, I stumbled into a female TOWNSEND'S WARBLER near Madera picnic area (Craig later found a male). As we looked at the Townsend's, the nearby "phew" call of an OLIVE WARBLER turned out to be a very pale colored first year bird, but hey, beggars can't be choosers, we'll take it.

We had intended to spend some time at the Paton's looking for Ruddy-Ground Dove and then try again for Arizona Woodpecker in Harshaw Canyon. It didn't work out that way and we ended up finishing up the day here from 2:10-4:40pm.

We found the sizeable INCA DOVE flock resting in several trees in the corral as soon as we arrived. Careful scrutiny revealed only a single male COMMON GROUND-DOVE in with them. The doves only visited (under) the feeders when other species spilled seed and for long periods there was very little movement. Lots of tedious checking finally paid off at 3:50pm when I spotted the male RUDDY-GROUND DOVE sitting on a sunlit branch, and a few minutes later a female appeared next to it. We had an excellent view of both birds in good light -- patience is indeed a virtue, just as well because I don't have many. We stayed around hoping they would come to the feeders -- they didn't! Among the 26 species that kept us entertained throughout the afternoon were a flock of circa 20 CEDAR WAXWINGS and a few LAZULI BUNTINGS. A calling GRAY FLYCATCHER made a brief visit, only my third record here.

We ended the day with 8 targets seen and recorded a total of 70 species:
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Great Blue Heron, Am. Bittern, Black & Turkey Vultures, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Rock, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Common & Ruddy Ground-Doves, Magnificent & Anna's Hummingbirds, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Cactus, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, House Finch, Olive, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped & Townsend's Warblers, Painted Redstart, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed & Oregon) Junco, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned, Chipping, Rufous-winged & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, N. Cardinal, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackle.

Wednesday, November 21, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Yet another beautiful fall day on which I visited French Joe Canyon. A somewhat chilly start at 7:00am although still warm enough for shorts, and warm enough to shed my sweater by 8:30am. My main objective was to fill a hole in my data and I didn't specifically look for Rufous-capped Warbler. Nevertheless, I spent a considerable amount of time in areas where a bird might be expected if present, but I neither saw nor heard one. As winter progresses, it will be interesting to find out if the birds overwinter again. Although I only ever saw one fledged young (on several occasions), up to 3 were reported so there could be 5 birds in the canyon.

Highlight of the trip was a small group of MONTEZUMA QUAIL at the base of a rocky hillside on the north side of the canyon, about 100 yards above the Texas gate. I first heard them giving their soft contact calls and tracked down 1 male and 2 females fairly close to the trail. I heard another male giving its quavering whistle call from the hillside. This was only my third sighting in the canyon and, interestingly, the first in "normal" habitat, i.e. a grassy hillside area among rocks and oaks. My previous sightings here have been very low in the canyon in desert scrub. On my way out of the canyon I heard more of them calling from the oak hillside about .5m above the National Forest boundary.

Another interesting bird was a single EASTERN BLUEBIRD, my first sighting here bringing my total species seen in French Joe Canyon to 134. Eastern Bluebirds are regular breeders in the nearby Huachucas and certainly not unexpected here. Western Bluebirds are uncommon in the canyon in winter.

Other than perhaps a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK that I've only seen here a few times, it was pretty standard fare. Several RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS were active in the lower canyon oaks.

Species seen:
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Montezuma Quail, Red-naped Sapsucker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Hutton's Vireo, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Crissal Thrasher, Cactus, Rock, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed) Junco, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's, Black-chinned, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted & Canyon Towhees and Northern Cardinal.

Saturday, November 24, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Alan and Beryl Turner from Ashton-under-Lyne, England. We were originally scheduled for yesterday and actually made it into the field for a while. Target birds dictated that we visit Carr Canyon where the clouds were heavy and the wind was howling, impossible conditions for birding. We abandoned after a couple of hours and rescheduled for today.

What a difference a day makes! The high winds of yesterday abated and left clear skies and pristine views. Along with the favorable conditions came perhaps the lowest overnight low of the season to date. At 7:15am the temperature was only 25 degrees as we headed up Carr Canyon where it had obviously been much colder overnight. Bird activity was initially quite high as the need to feed motivated them. 

A short distance below Reef we stopped at an area of activity bathed in sunshine, a location that turned out to be loaded with fruiting Madrone -- and with birds! Most of them were AMERICAN ROBINS but CEDAR WAXWINGS were also in good numbers. Other common species included BUSHTIT, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BEWICK'S WREN and HERMIT THRUSH. I heard one of our target birds, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, that promptly disappeared without a trace. Next, another target bird called, in fact two of them. Frustratingly, the "phew" calls of a couple of OLIVE WARBLERS grew fainter almost immediately as they moved up canyon. We jumped into the car and followed them to an area of pines catching the morning sun. Fortunately, they were still calling and we soon tracked them down and had excellent close up looks at a beautiful adult male.

We then spent a considerable time at several locations looking unsuccessfully for Williamson's Sapsucker, a bird that I've seen here fairly regularly in recent visits. We also looked for Townsend's Solitaire and came up empty again. Among the species seen or heard during the search were several RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS, HAIRY WOODPECKER, N. FLICKER, STELLER'S JAY, BROWN CREEPER and SPOTTED TOWHEE.

Eventually, I had to admit defeat and we headed down canyon. Not far below Reef we happened upon a group of 4-MONTEZUMA QUAIL that crossed the road in front of us. Of course, had it been a target bird, this probably would not have happened. I  mentioned to Alan and Beryl that lifer Montezuma Quail sightings for the vast majority of people had probably come this way, i.e. serendipitously. No sooner had I said that when Beryl  said "what's this bird on the side of that tree?" -- and just yards away from us was a male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER at eye level! The bird quickly took flight so it was definitely a BVD job, but better than getting skunked completely as we had up to that moment. The good news for me was that the tree in question was a sapwell tree, glistening with freshly running sap, that will hopefully be a regular location for the bird throughout the winter.

We stopped again at the area that had been so active earlier and it was still loaded with Robins and Waxwings. A few minutes here produced RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, ARIZONA WOODPECKER, HUTTON'S VIREO and a calling but unseen EASTERN BLUEBIRD.  

The Mule Mountains in Bisbee (the town was packed on this holiday weekend) were our next port of call. It didn't take long to find our target BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW, a fairly reticent individual that nevertheless obliged us with some decent views. Other birds here included AM. KESTREL, LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, VERDIN, ROCK & HOUSE WRENS, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW and CANYON TOWHEE.

Heading back west on Hwy 92 we saw a ratty looking GOLDEN EAGLE, soaring near mile marker 347. 

On the return journey we stopped at Palominas Pond, a place I sometimes check in winter when my route passes nearby since it's a good spot for wintering Vermilion Flycatcher. Unfortunately, the pond is completely dry as were the nearby fields that are often wet and lush. The disappointing stop was redeemed somewhat by a perched PRAIRIE FALCON and a BENDIRE'S THRASHER that I initially thought might be a Sage Thrasher until I got the scope on it. I was a little surprised to see Bendire's here, they are not common near the San Pedro. Other species included N. HARRIER, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, SAY'S PHOEBE, SAVANNAH, BREWER'S, and VESPER SPARROWS and EASTERN (LILIAN'S) MEADOWLARK. 

The fields along Palominas Road yielded a couple of FERRUGINOUS HAWKS sitting on the ground in typical fashion.

Our final stop of the day was in the lower section of Miller Canyon to look again for Townsend's Solitaire. An hour of searching produced a few common oak species but it was only when the sun dipped behind the Huachucas that we started to see fruit eating species. In short order we saw PHAINOPEPLA, EASTERN BLUEBIRD (and possibly Western, too dark too see) and N. MOCKINGBIRD. Unfortunately, the MOCKINGBIRD appeared in the same tree and at the same time as a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE. I got on the Solitaire that we couldn't relocate but Alan and Beryl saw only the Mockingbird. Not a great ending to a day on which we located all four of the species that we looked for yet only two of them were seen well by Alan and Beryl. 

N. Harrier, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Montezuma Quail, Mourning Dove, Red-naped & Williamson's Sapsuckers, Acorn, Ladder-backed, Arizona & Hairy Woodpeckers, N, Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, N, Mockingbird, Bendire's & Curve-billed Thrashers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Rock, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Pine Siskin, House Finch, Olive & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, Savannah, Chipping , Brewer's, Black-chinned, Vesper & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle and Brewer's Blackbird.

Monday, November 26, 2001    Previous Day    Nest Day
A heavy, gray sky and a cold start to the morning gave a very wintry impression as I left home at 7:00am for a trip to St. David and Willcox. By the time I left St. David at 10:15am the weak sunshine was enough for me to shed my sweater and don shorts. 

Birding at the Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David is always very pleasant, rarely spectacular, and usually "average". I try to visit whenever I'm making a non working trip to Willcox and today was such an occasion. Activity was very low when I began but things steadily improved and it turned out to be a pretty good few hours of birding. 

I was most pleased to see LEWIS'S WOODPECKER, definitely a bird that I was hoping to find. Several of them spent the winter here last year and first showed up about this time. Today I saw only one in the southwestern section of the property where there are some large cottonwoods, a favored type of habitat for them, especially in winter. I watched the bird make several sorties to the ground to pick up bugs (they normally feed by flycatching but it was too cold for much insect activity), only to be harassed when it returned to the trees by a GILA WOODPECKER and a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE.

A bird that I definitely didn't expect to see was PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER. A very bright looking individual responded to my screech-owl whistle and was kind enough to call. Interestingly, I saw one here last year almost to the day, on 11/29/00. The bird was on the edge of the woodlot to the west of the main pond.

Another species of note was a male WILSON'S WARBLER -- I saw what was probably the same individual last month on October 22. I've seen this species at the Monastery almost every October and November since 1995. 

Most of the other species that I saw were regulars for the time of year including a beautiful male WOOD DUCK, a small flock of WHITE-WINGED DOVES, 10 INCA DOVES, at least 2 COMMON GROUND-DOVES, 3-5 GRAY FLYCATCHERS and large flock of LARK SPARROWS and WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. 

Less common species for the location were ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, a few AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES ( I've seen them only a handful of times here in November and December) and a couple of SPOTTED TOWHEES.

I recorded a total of 51 species at the Monastery from 7:40-10:15am.
Wood Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Lewis's, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray & Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, House Sparrow, American & Lesser Goldfinches, House Finch, Yellow-rumped & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping, Vesper & Lark Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted & Abert's Towhees, N. Cardinal, Western Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle and Brewer's Blackbird.

To say that my birding experience at Willcox was mediocre would be doing an injustice to the word mediocre. Admittedly, I skimped a little and only spent an hour, but spending longer would probably not have turned up much more. There's absolutely zero shorebird habitat and, guess what, I didn't see a single shorebird!

The best bird was a hybrid EURASIAN x AMERICAN WIGEON, present on the golf course pond among tons of AMERICAN WIGEON. Although lacking the solid chestnut head of a true Eurasian, the bird stood out well enough to be picked up with a casual scan of the naked eye. In addition to the lack of solid chestnut, the flanks of the bird were pinkish and not the expected gray. The lower illustration at the bottom of page 85 in Sibley is a fairly good representation, but the Willcox bird has a little more chestnut on the head. There's probably a good chance that this is the same individual that's been present here for the past couple of winters.

My season first BUFFLEHEADS, always a delightful bird to see, gave me much more satisfaction than the weirdo wigeon. I saw 1 male and 7 females on the main pond, and 1 male and 1 female on the golf course pond. Other than that it was pretty standard fare with 4 LESSER SCAUP (2 males, 2 females) being the pick of the rest.

25 species seen at Willcox from 11:00am-12:00pm.
40+Eared Grebes, 100+Ruddy Ducks, 1-Eurasian x Am. Wigeon, 200+Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, 20+N. Pintails, 100+N. Shovelers, 4-Lesser Scaup, 10-Buffleheads, Great Blue Heron, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Coot, 100+Sandhill Cranes, 50+Chihuahuan Ravens, Loggerhead Shrike, Horned Lark, Lark Bunting, White-crowned, Savannah, Brewer's & Vesper Sparrows and Eastern & Western Meadowlarks.

Wednesday, November 28, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
The colder weather seems to be here to stay now, so yesterday I decided to winterize my swamp coolers. As is the case with many things in life, I was a day late and a dollar short. As I climbed up on the roof I could hear and see water running, the result of a burst pipe from an overnight freeze. Last night was much the same and I had some frost on my windshield for the first time this season. Although very cold, it was actually quite a nice morning with a clear blue sky and great visibility. However, a biting wind ruined the day from a birding standpoint.

I deliberately started late to give the day a chance to warm up but, even so, my 8:15am start at Patagonia Lake wasn't late enough. It was still very cold, made worse by the wind, and there were plenty of frozen puddles along the east marsh trail. I started by checking the lake before boats became active. Common Mergansers normally start to show up here at the end of November but a thorough scoping at both ends of the lake didn't produce any. Waterfowl were far more numerous than usual with most winter ducks represented in good numbers, including 4 male and 9 female BUFFLEHEADS. It's a rare day when I don't see NEOTROPIC CORMORANT here, but today I had to work hard to find just two of them. 

As might be expected, flycatchers were not very active and I struggled  to find any at all for quite a while. In the end I only turned up 2-GRAY and 1-ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER plus the usual two phoebes. The most interesting sighting was a group of 6-NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS sitting in a willow at the edge of the marsh. I don't think that I've ever seen a "flock" of mockingbirds before.  In what might be termed a "Ripley event", I saw WHITE-WINGED and INCA DOVES and COMMON GROUND-DOVES but not a single Mourning Dove.

I cut short my visit because I didn't want to get my feet wet on such a cold morning. If you plan to bird here in the near future and want to get to the far northeast corner and Sonoita Creek, then "bring yer wellies". Any rain that we get will only worsen the situation.

I recorded 53 species from 8:15-10:20am. (* = many)
20+Pied-billed & 6-Eared Grebes, 2-Neotropic Cormorants, *Ruddy Duck, *American Wigeon, 20+ Gadwall, 20+Green-winged Teal, Mallard, 20+N. Pintails, 10+N. Shovelers, 10-Ring-necked Ducks, 20-Lesser Scaup, 13-Buffleheads, Great Blue Heron, N. Harrier, 2-Virginia Rails, 4-Sora, *Am. Coot, 6-Killdeer, 2-White-winged Doves, 8-Inca Doves, 2-Common Ground-Doves, Red-naped Sapsucker, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N, Flicker, Say's & Black Phoebes, 2-Gray & 1-Ash-throated Flycatcher, Common Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, 6+N. Mockingbirds, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rock, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned, Chipping & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, N. Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackle.

It was a little warmer by the time I reached Kino Springs but the wind was still a problem. I spent most of my time here scanning the many AMERICAN WIGEON looking unsuccessfully for Eurasian. There were perhaps 250-300 split between the first pond, club house pond and sewage pond.

The Hackberry trees near the first pond are still mostly devoid of fruit and I didn't see any fruit eating birds at all. A beautiful male VERMILION FLYCATCHER was in a regular spot near the first tee.

I recorded 45 species from 10:30am-12:15pm.
Pied-billed Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Say's & Black Phoebes ,2-Gray & 1-Vermilion Flycatcher, Common Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping and Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed, Canyon & Abert's Towhees and Pyrrhuloxia.

Thursday, November 29, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
A red letter day. Last night I received a message from a local birder, Deke Descoteaux, that Fort Huachuca was open. My initial joy was tempered a little by the fact that the Fort Huachuca web site didn't reflect this. However, I did receive confirmation when I contacted the post public affairs office. Better yet, I was able to bird on post today!

The procedure to gain entry is the same as it has always been when main gate security is in effect. As you drive on post from Fry Blvd., go to the visitor center on the right to obtain a day pass for which you'll need your drivers license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance (or rental contract in lieu of the latter two). There was a bit of a line this morning but I didn't have any problems. Security is still tight and there's a 100% i.d. check after you leave the visitor center. You may be also be "selected" for a vehicle spot check. 

After the long closure of upper Garden Canyon due to bad road conditions, and the recent closure of the post to civilians due to increased security, it seems like an eternity since I've been able to bird regularly in Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons. These are the areas that I bird more than anywhere else so I've really felt the pinch. Definitely a case of you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. It was a distinct pleasure to be able to bird here again today.

I could have picked a better day though, clouds covered the mountains and the temperature was barely 32 degrees as I started up Garden Canyon at 8:00am this morning. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed myself despite the fact that the birding was generally slow and I didn't see many species. Fall colors are excellent, particularly the maples that have turned red (although many are still yellow). The road up to Sawmill Canyon is still in very good condition. All the upper stream crossings have running water. The small amount of standing water on the road was completely frozen and made a nice crunching sound as I drove over it.

As I drove by the middle picnic area I was surprised to come across a few STELLER'S JAYS, a low elevation location for this species. A little below the upper picnic area I came across ARIZONA WOODPECKER. About 100 yards above the upper picnic area a male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER zipped across the road and almost hit me! 

Apart from a single visit on August 20 of this year, I hadn't been able to bird in Sawmill since October 19, 2000. I missed a complete wintering and  breeding season. I wasn't expecting much today because of the time of year and the cold conditions plus the fact that it was quite windy. My main quarry here in winter is WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER so I decided to concentrate on finding one. I spent a hour moving slowly up canyon, checking regular hangouts and listening whenever the wind dropped. After an hour I was finally successful when I found very cooperative male, eye level and at close range. Isn't it amazing how birds are almost always in the last place that you look (grin). Other species from 14 seen included 3-RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS and at least 3 calling TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES.

As I headed up Scheelite Canyon I had some mixed feelings. Usually when I'm looking for the owls I have some gut feeling for where they might be based on recent roosting habits and other factors. Sometimes though, those gut feelings end up burning me! I hadn't visited the canyon since August 20, so I decided to work slowly and check every potential roost site. After 40 minutes I was absolutely delighted to find 2-SPOTTED OWLS snuggled up against each other in a regular roost tree. Until this year when the birds successfully fledged two youngsters, a single owl had been the norm for several years. Finding them both together means the pair are still intact, good news indeed. Other species of note from 12 seen were 2-RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES at relatively low elevation (about 3/8 mile into the canyon) and 2-HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS.

I recorded the following 32 species:
Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Mourning Dove, 2-Spotted Owls, 3-Red-naped & 2-Williamson's Sapsuckers, Acorn, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, 2-Hammond's Flycatchers, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, 3-Townsend's Solitaires, Hermit Thrush, 2-Red-breasted & numerous White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, abundant Bushtits and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Bridled Titmouse, Dark-eyed (Oregon & Gray-headed) and Yellow-eyed Juncos, Chipping Sparrow, Spotted Towhee and Eastern (Lilian's) Meadowlark.

Friday, November 30, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I decided to get another November visit in at Whitewater Draw before the month slips away. The weather cooperated and it was much warmer than yesterday with partly cloudy skies and a very light wind. Although conditions at Whitewater remain very good, the water is now quite shallow and separated into numerous small pools and channels, with much of it some distance from where you can (legally) view.

The number of species continues to dwindle and the number of individuals of "common" sparrows remains very low. I didn't see even a single Brewer's Sparrow which is quite remarkable when you consider that it's normally the most abundant winter sparrow in this area. (I did see a few elsewhere.) Shorebird habitat is still excellent and a few birds are still around.

Perhaps the highlight of my morning was a flock of "white geese" that flew in. I heard them honking as they approached and decided that I needed to get on them right away if I was to have a chance of finding a Ross's (they were headed for the distant northwest corner of the area). As they flew closer, I focused my scope on a the smallest individual and as it hit the ground I was immediately able to tell that it was a ROSS'S GOOSE. As the others came in and milled around, it became impossible to pick out the bird again, so my strategy worked. I counted at least 45 birds and most were obviously SNOW GEESE.

Shortly after I arrived, I briefly caught sight of the previously reported ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK but decided to work on it later. In this case, my strategy failed miserably because the bird was absent for the rest of my time here. Rough-legs are always rare in SE AZ and they don't show up every year. Today's sighting was only my 11th record for the southeast part of the state, the last one being at Sierra Vista WWTP in January of this year. In other words, not even an Arizona year bird! Bummer. 

Gulls were well represented today but a combination of viewing distance and heat shimmer made identification somewhat of a challenge. I was able to definitely pick out 2-RING-BILLED GULLS, 2-CALIFORNIA GULLS and 3-BONAPARTES GULLS. I had to leave perhaps as many as 6 other gulls unidentified.

The most visible shorebirds were a flock of 18-GREATER YELLOWLEGS. They were very close and I decided to study them. The first thing that I noticed was a tremendous variation in bill length, so much so that I wanted to cheat and call some of them Lesser Yellowlegs. However, the smaller billed birds had a definite two-tone bill, typical of Greater. The basal portion of the bill was yellowish so I deemed them sub-adult birds. A couple of  additional clues that made me give up trying to cheat -- all the birds were the same size and some of the smaller billed birds called and spoke Greater Yellowlegs. Oh well.

Other shorebirds were more distant and scattered around. I noted 8-LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 16-LEAST SANDPIPERS and 1-COMMON SNIPE. I didn't find any of the recently present Western Sandpipers or Dunlin. 

Best birds were a couple of SWAMP SPARROWS in the marsh at the end of the north levee. I only have three previous Swamp Sparrow records at Whitewater Draw, two from February 1999 and one from November 1999.

I recorded the following 42 species from about 8:45-11:15am
45+Snow & 1-Ross's Goose, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Great Blue Heron, 9-Great Egrets, 1-Green Heron, 5-N. Harriers, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, 1000s-Sandhill Crane, 1-Common Snipe, 18-Greater Yellowlegs, 8-Long-billed Dowitchers, 16-Least Sandpipers, Killdeer, 2-Ring-billed, 2-California & 3-Bonaparte's Gulls, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Say's & Black Phoebes, 1-Vermilion Flycatcher, Chihuahuan Raven, 1-Bendire's Thrasher, Marsh Wren, Horned Lark, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, 2-Swamp, White-crowned, Savannah & Vesper Sparrows, Canyon Towhee and Eastern Meadowlark.

On the way back home I stopped at the Charleston Bridge on the San Pedro. However, my 1 hour round trip stroll northwards produced only 20 species. The most common species was PYRRHULOXIA and I must have seen over 15. The least common species for the river was a CANYON WREN, although the Charleston Bridge area is where I've recorded all (4) of my SPRNCA sightings. I tried hard to make a distant BELTED KINGFISHER into a Green.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Friday, November 30, 2001.

Species List

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

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