Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - December, 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 Sunday, December 30, 2001.

Sunday, December 2, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
On an absolutely beautiful late fall day, I made my first trip of the month to Patagonia Lake State Park. Despite the clear blue sky it wasn't even particularly cold when I started, and by noon the temperature was in the low 70s. Quite a contrast from the windy and frozen conditions here just 5 days ago.

I spent much of my time sloshing up and down Sonoita Creek looking for Hammond's Flycatcher, a species that I'm often asked to find in winter. They are certainly less common than the other wintering empids but along the creek is one of the best places to find one. I haven't seen one here yet this season and I failed to find one today. My records indicate that they linger a little later in mountain locations (compared to Dusky Flycatcher) before moving to lower elevation riparian areas. 

Getting to the creek and walking up and down it is not an easy task right now with the muddy and wet conditions, so my wellies really paid off today. Walking in the creek itself was the best way to make progress and that's what I did. I had that sinking feeling several times.

Although I missed Hammond's, I did fairly well on other flycatchers with 4-GRAY FLYCATCHERS (mesquites and willows along the marsh trail), at least 8-DUSKY FLYCATCHERS (willows along the creek trail) and 2 ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS. I also relocated the EASTERN PHOEBE reported yesterday for an extremely rare in AZ three phoebe day. The bird was calling strongly near where the creek forks (about 1/2 mile from the lake) and was easy to track down. I didn't really look for the Louisiana Waterthrush (also found yesterday) and I didn't stumble in to it. However, since I've seen the Waterthrush here before and the Phoebe was new for me at the state park, I definitely saw the right bird!  It was species #231 for me here -- species list; bar graph.

While walking along the creek, I came across a few MONTEZUMA QUAIL at the base of the hillside (north side of the creek), perhaps coming in to drink. A few seconds later I nearly had to break out the brown corduroys -- I was so intent on tracking the quail that I literally walked into a roosting GREAT HORNED OWL. The bird stayed put until the last second and scared the you know what out of me as it finally flushed. A disconcerting moment to say the least. 

Activity on the lake was minimal today, perhaps due to the weekend boat traffic. An immature DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT was present in addition to the more regular NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS. I saw a handful of duck species and 4-WESTERN GREBES.  

A couple of regular winter species that I hadn't seen yet this season were 2-COMMON MERGANSERS and 2-COMMON SNIPES. Other wintering species included SORA, VIRGINIA RAIL, HERMIT THRUSH, 2-AMERICAN PIPITS, at least 10-ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and several SWAMP SPARROWS.

I recorded 67 species from 7:50am-12:00pm.
Pied-billed, Eared & 4-Western Grebes, 2-Neotropic & 1-Double-crested Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, 2-Cinnamon Teal, Ring-necked Duck, 2-Lesser Scaup, 2-Common Mergansers Great Blue Heron, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Gambel's & Montezuma Quail, Virginia Rail, 2-Sora, Am. Coot, 2-Common Snipe, Mourning & Inca Doves, Great Horned Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Red-naped Sapsucker, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, 4-Gray, 8-Dusky & 2-Ash-throated Flycatchers, Eastern, Say's & Black Phoebes, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Phainopepla, Hermit Thrush, N. Mockingbird, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rock, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, 2-Am. Pipits, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, 10-Orange-crowned & many Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned, Chipping, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Green-tailed & Canyon Towhees, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark and Great-tailed Grackle.

Monday, December 3, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
On a yet another great weather day, I made my first visit of the month to Whitewater Draw where I was hoping to find some of the birds reported there yesterday by local birder, Rob Hunt. Specifically, Snowy Egret, Short-billed Dowitcher, Western Sandpiper and California Gull. All of them are excellent birds for Cochise County in December. Other than one December Snowy Egret record, I haven't seen any of them in the county in December. Unfortunately, I struck out on all four species.

On the way to Whitewater Draw I checked the fields on Davis road (between Coffman and Central). They are in excellent condition for MOUNTAIN PLOVERS and I found 7 of them still roosting (hunkered down in the grass) at 7:20am, not too long after sunrise. Several FERRUGINOUS HAWKS were already active.

The ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK that's been present for about a week was on a pole on Coffman Road (probably where it roosted). The bird quickly flew off to the east and I never saw it again for the rest of my time here.

When I arrived at Whitewater Draw, a flock of 10 egrets were the closest birds to the parking lot. One bird was a little smaller than the rest and didn't yet have a bright yellow bill so I was hopeful. No luck though, I eventually saw the birds move and they all turned out to be GREAT EGRETS. 

Next, I located the small flock of peeps that have been around for some time. Last year the Westerns lingered here as late as November 26 but this year I haven't seen any since November 12. With yesterday's report I was hopeful but in the end, despite much scanning, all I could find were 20-LEAST SANDPIPERS.

I moved on to the small group of LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS that were calling the entire time that I was working on peeps. Long-billed are a regular wintering species in SE AZ but as far as I'm aware there isn't a single Short-billed record after mid October. Once again, I came up empty.

The three species gull flock that was present on my last visit a few days ago had dwindled down to a single bird and it didn't take long for me to realize that it was a RING-BILLED GULL. So that was that, 0 for 4. Now for some birding.

Working the flats and scaring up the KILLDEERS, HORNED LARKS and SAVANNAH SPARROWS were a PRAIRIE FALCON and a MERLIN. The flock of 20ish GREATER YELLOWLEGS is still present and at least one SWAMP SPARROW continues in the marsh where the  north levee bends to the west. A perched up CRISSAL THRASHER was near the headquarters building (Bendire's is more regular there). The only bird I noted that I haven't seen here of late was a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON. Prize for the best bird goes to a late TREE SWALLOW (my latest SE AZ record is December 8, 1993 at Sierra Vista WWTP). 

I checked the scrub at Central and Lee for Sage Sparrow and came up empty again (this is a reasonable spot for them but this private property is posted which means birding from the road only). Heading north on Central a low flying GOLDEN EAGLE near Davis road looked like a giant Northern Harrier.

Further north in the valley I checked the traditional Mountain Plover spot on Rucker Canyon Road. The grass in most of the fields here is too long so it wasn't surprising that the best short grass field had the only MOUNTAIN PLOVERS that I found, 4 of them. The location was on the south side of Rucker Canyon Road, 1.2 miles from highway 191. I didn't check any of the interior fields on Essary Hay property. FERRUGINOUS HAWKS were common here.

Wednesday, December 5, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
About two weeks ahead of the calendar, we had our first taste of winter yesterday with some valley rain and mountain snow. The rather weak storm passed through quickly and left clear, sunny and cold conditions this morning after an overnight low temperature in the 20s. Snow level in the Huachucas looked to be around 7000 feet, probably lower in some of the canyons. 

I let the sun melt the layer off ice of my vehicle before heading down to to the San Pedro for a late start. Even at 8:15am, there wasn't much activity around the San Pedro House feeders. When I moved close to the feeders almost all the birds flew off, but they returned quickly as I became part of the furniture. So much so, in fact, that one bird landed on my head! I had to wait until it left to identify it -- HOUSE FINCH. Other feeder moochers included GAMBEL'S QUAIL, CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, LESSER GOLDFINCH, GREEN-TAILED, ABERT'S & CANYON TOWHEES, a few VESPER and many WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS.

I started to walk the del Valle road but I figured not much would be stirring and decided to skip it. However, I did see a perched up and calling CRISSAL THRASHER here.

I worked the mesquite areas and washes before finally birding along the river. I saw very little of note save for 2-DUSKY and 2-HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS. The only less common species I noted was SPOTTED TOWHEE, regular but uncommon here in winter.

The best moment came when I was walking along the deeply incised section of the river where the trail from the San Pedro house meets the river. In this area the trail runs along a bank about 20 feet above the water. I watched a raptor gliding towards me just above water level looking nothing at all like the accipter that it turned out to be. As the bird drew level with me it turned sharply upwards and perched in a bare cottonwood. For several minutes I enjoyed a wonderful close up and eye level view of an immature COOPER'S HAWK.

I recorded the following 42 species from 8:15-10:30am.
Mallard, Great Blue Heron, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Hammond's & Dusky Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Chihuahuan Raven, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's & Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Pyrrhuloxia and Red-winged Blackbird. 

Thursday, December 6, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
First of two days with Ted Vawter from Kensington, MD. We spent most of the day in the Sulphur Springs Valley and finished up with late afternoon visits to Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David, the San Pedro House feeders and Sierra Vista WWTP.

We started by checking the fields on Davis Road  just east of Coffman. Although the temperature was still well below freezing, at least 9-MOUNTAIN PLOVERS were already busy feeding. We stopped by later in the afternoon when the number of birds was closer to 30. It was also quite warm at this time, certainly warm enough for me to have lost the sweater and put on shorts.

Whitewater Draw had almost the same birds that I found there on Monday. The goose flock has increased to around 60 birds -- mostly SNOW GEESE with at least 1-ROSS'S GOOSE and 1-GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. The small flocks of GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LEAST SANDPIPERS and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS continue as do 10-GREAT EGRETS and a RING-BILLED GULL. Other species included CINNAMON TEAL, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, 3-GREATER ROADRUNNERS, LARK BUNTINGS and BLACK-THROATED SPARROW (scarce here). Oh, and just the odd one or two (thousand!) SANDHILL CRANES.

On Coffman Road we found cooperative BENDIRE'S and CRISSAL THRASHERS and very uncooperative SCALED QUAIL. 

On Central Highway we saw the first FERRUGINOUS HAWK of the day and had a wonderful close up look of a low flying immature GOLDEN EAGLE (.5m N of Davis).

Mormon Road yielded our first GREAT HORNED OWL of the day, a female VERMILION FLYCATCHER, AMERICAN PIPIT and a handful of common species.

On Rucker Canyon Road we watched a PRAIRIE FALCON sitting in a field and then flying around scaring up the dickey birds before finally perching. As usual, FERRUGINOUS HAWKS were common here and we had a good look at one individual sitting on the ground at close range.

Further north we added BARN OWL, two more GREAT HORNED OWLS and another PRAIRIE FALCON.

We arrived at a very quiet St. David in mid afternoon to look for LEWIS'S WOODPECKER. Ted spotted the bird flying in and we watched it grab a pecan and then retire to a cottonwood to work on it. Other species from 23 seen during our brief visit included WOOD DUCK, BELTED KINGFISHER and WHITE-WINGED & INCA DOVES.

A late afternoon session at the feeders near the San Pedro House produced the usual common sparrows plus ABERT'S, GREEN-TAILED and CANYON TOWHEES. A calling GRAY FLYCATCHER was working the mesquites here and we were able to track it down and see the characteristic tail dipping.

We finished the day at the (still closed) Sierra Vista WWTP where we viewed from the west fenceline. It seemed like we were going to get skunked but just as we decided to give up the YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS started to fly in. Unfortunately, they dropped like a stone out of the sky and into the marsh which was obscured due to our distant vantage point. [The WWTP has been closed since July 2000 and was scheduled to reopen after 18 months. From what I can tell, the work doesn't seem complete enough for the place to reopen within the next couple of months.]

Day list (81 species recorded):
1-Greater White-fronted Goose, 60-Snow Geese, 1-Ross's Goose, Wood Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Great Blue Heron, 10-Great Egrets, N. Harrier, Red-tailed, Ferruginous & Rough-legged Hawks, 1-Golden Eagle (imm.), Am. Kestrel, 2-Prairie Falcons, Scaled Quail, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, 1000s Sandhill Cranes, 20-Greater Yellowlegs, 5-Long-billed Dowitchers, Least Sandpiper, Killdeer,  c30 Mountain Plovers, 1-Ring-billed Gull, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Barn Owl, 3-Great Horned Owls, Belted Kingfisher, Lewis's, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N, Flicker, Gray Flycatcher, Say's & Black Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Bendire's, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, European Starling, Marsh Wren & Wrens, Verdin, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Lark Bunting, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper & Black-throated Sparrows, Green-tailed, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Great-tailed Grackle and Brewer's Blackbird.

Friday, December 7, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
On an another excellent weather day I was out again with Ted Vawter from Kensington, MD. A slightly warmer start to the morning (about 30 degrees at 7:00am) and very sunny and pleasant in the afternoon. We birded at Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs, Patagonia Roadside Rest, Paton's yard and the Huachucas.

We began at the west end of Patagonia Lake where a scan of the deeper water produced the hoped for WESTERN and EARED GREBES. Other species here included a pair of CINNAMON TEAL, numerous GADWALL and a male BUFFLEHEAD.

While scoping from the "arched bridge" near the boat launch, I heard a SPOTTED TOWHEE calling from the scrubby area at the west end of the bridge. Although we didn't locate this bird, our decision to track it down turned out to be very fortuitous because we did see a FOX SPARROW perched up in a willow for about 15-20 seconds (Patagonia Lake bird #232 for me). The bird was extremely dark overall, heavily streaked underneath and lacking any significant gray on the head. Even from such a brief look, I determined that it was of the "sooty" Pacific Northwest race.

On the water at the west end of the lake were 1 immature DOUBLE-CRESTED and 2-NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, 3-COMMON MERGANSERS, RING-NECKED DUCK, LESSER SCAUP and 3-BELTED KINGFISHERS.

We spent the rest of our time here looking unsuccessfully for Lincoln's Sparrow and successfully for SORA -- our patience eventually resulted in a view of a bird in the open. Among the other species in the east marsh area were several calling VIRGINIA RAILS, 2-GRAY and 1-ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, 3-SWAMP SPARROWS and several ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS.

We continued on to Kino Springs where Lincoln's Sparrow eluded us once again. However, at the east end of the first pond was a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW (my second sighting here). Birding never ceases to amaze - rare Fox and White-throated but no common Lincoln's! An hour at Kino produced 32 species including GREEN HERON, GRAY FLYCATCHER, an adult male VERMILION FLYCATCHER, 8-PHAINOPEPLAS, a small flock of AMERICAN PIPITS and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE. 

Back in Patagonia, a little effort at the Roadside Rest gave us a brief look at CANYON WREN and a heard only ROCK WREN.

At a fairly quiet Paton's yard (18 species, 0 hummers) we found lots of ACORN WOODPECKERS, a few MEXICAN JAYS and a male LAZULI BUNTING. Along the creek were GREAT BLUE HERON, BELTED KINGFISHER and BUSHTIT. Earlier in the morning another birder had seen LEWIS'S WOODPECKER (wintered here last year).

We headed back east to the Huachucas where our day came to a disappointing end. Despite a 3 hour search, I failed to find a Spotted Owl in Scheelite Canyon. Obviously, missing the owl was a major disappointment in itself, however, it turned out to be a triple whammy because the time spent prevented us from going to Sawmill Canyon and a small group of MONTEZUMA QUAIL eluded us as we trudged back down canyon. Interestingly, my overall success rate of 93% on Spotted Owl drops to 80% from mid December through mid February (see bar graph). I guess there's a reason why statistics don't lie! I attribute this to winter weather effects for two reasons 1) the owls are more erratic and perhaps wander more as they search for food; 2) I am often unable to thoroughly search the upper canyon because of ice and snow. However, no such reasons today (just a trace of snow in the upper area). The owls won the battle fair and square, ensuring that I stay humble.

A beautiful WESTERN BLUEBIRD was a minor redemption as we drove back down Garden Canyon. The bird was perched next to the road and stayed put allowing close study. Sometimes we have to be thankful for small mercies.

Day list (78 species recorded):
Pied-billed, Eared and Western Grebes, Neotropic & Double-crested Cormorants, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, N. Harrier, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Montezuma Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Rock, Mourning & Inca Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn, Gila  & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray, Vermilion & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Western Bluebird, N. Mockingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rock, Canyon, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Fox, Song, Swamp, White-crowned, White-throated, Chipping & Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark and Great-tailed Grackle.

Wednesday, December 12, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
I certainly picked the right time to stay home and get some paperwork done. We've had 3 very windy days followed by a decent amount of snowfall in the mountains, almost down to street level (4600 feet) in Sierra Vista. This morning I had to hunt for my ice scraper for the first time this season. 

Although Brown Thrasher seems to show up regularly in Arizona every winter, it remains a state nemesis bird for me. I had to make a trip to Tucson this morning so I made my annual token effort for the bird currently present in Agua Caliente park. I only gave it an hour of my time but even that was too much -- life's way too short. Needless to say, I didn't see the bird. Visiting the fruiting palms where the thrasher is being seen were half the world's population of GILA WOODPECKERS and enough CURVE-BILLED THRASHERS and HERMIT THRUSHES to sink a battleship. It was quite cold, cloudy and damp and I recorded only 23 species including a half dozen species of ducks, ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, BELTED KINGFISHER, many PHAINOPEPLAS and a few and ABERT'S TOWHEES.

Thursday, December 13, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
First of two days with John and Judy Day  from New York, NY. There was a beautiful, wintry scene around Sierra Vista this morning -- a cold, blue sky with snow capped peaks rising above the low fog on most of the mountains, notably the Huachucas. Although we started late, the temperature was still below freezing as we left town at 9:00am. The Sonoita grasslands were blanketed in snow and the always pleasant and scenic drive over to Patagonia was quite beautiful today.

By the time we reached the lower elevation Patagonia Lake, most of the snow had disappeared and we spent a very pleasant 3 hours birding here. The trails were a little wet and muddy and we didn't try to bird along the creek, just the east marsh trail. Nevertheless, we still managed to record 55 species. Perhaps the biggest surprise were a couple of TREE SWALLOWS trying to make a living by working low over the lake. They represented by latest "fall" sighting in SE AZ (previous was December 8, 1993 at Sierra Vista WWTP). The cold snap probably drove them south from wherever they were hanging in. A couple of (rare in SE AZ) GREATER SCAUP were present among the more plentiful than usual waterfowl -- species #233 for me at the lake. Presumably because of boat traffic, waterfowl are never really common here so a large group of REDHEADS and a couple of CANVASBACKS were noteworthy.

Flycatchers weren't plentiful but we did see a few GRAY FLYCATCHERS and a couple of ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS. We heard DUSKY FLYCATCHER but couldn't track it down. Someone else saw the EASTERN PHOEBE, first seen almost two weeks ago. SWAMP SPARROWS were easy to see at the marsh edge, but not so a very elusive SORA. 

Birding at Kino Springs in the early afternoon was less than spectacular and the continuing male VERMILION FLYCATCHER, at the sewage pond near the first tee, was the best bird here. At least one GRAY FLYCATCHER was working the club house area. When I checked my records later, I was surprised to find that a roosting GREAT HORNED OWL at the club house pond (close to the road) was my first at Kino. We recorded 38 common species here.

During a brief stop at the Roadside Rest, we heard but failed to see CANYON WREN.

We finished the day in the Paton's yard where, for the first 30 minutes of the hour that we spent here, not a single bird visited the feeders. I'm sure that the immature SHARP-SHINNED HAWK that was present during this time was the culprit. Eventually, the CHIPPING and HOUSE SPARROWS drifted back and, as the seed spilled onto the ground, the dove flock came in to feed -- the number of birds in the dove flock seems to have risen considerably. Lots of individuals of five species were present today -- MOURNING, WHITE-WINGED & INCA DOVES and 4+COMMON & 2-RUDDY GROUND-DOVES. A couple of ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS, a small GAMBEL'S QUAIL flock and a male LAZULI BUNTING also visited the feeders.

Day list (79 species recorded):
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Common Merganser, Great Blue & Green Herons, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Rock, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Common & Ruddy Ground-Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Great Horned Owl, Anna's Hummingbird, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Say's & Black Phoebes, Gray, Dusky, Vermilion & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Hermit Thrush, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Canyon, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Tree Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's & Myrtle), Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned & Chipping Sparrows, Green-tailed & Canyon Towhee, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark and Great-tailed Grackle.

Friday, December 14, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with John and Judy Day  from New York, NY. Another beautiful blue sky day, around freezing early but much warmer than recent days with an afternoon high of 60 degrees in Sierra Vista.

We again started late and arrived in the Sulphur Springs Valley at 10:15am. A thorough scan of the fields on Davis near Coffman didn't turn up a single Plover. The fields here are no longer being grazed so the grass is a little longer now and perhaps less desirable to them.. Present were FERRUGINOUS HAWK, HORNED LARK and AMERICAN PIPIT. 

Next, we birded our away down Coffman Road. Our main targets were thrashers, not the most likely of birds around midday, and we found only two very cooperative BENDIRE'S THRASHERS. One was kind enough to pose on a fence at close range, the other worked its way along the edge of the road in front of us. Other birds on Coffman included GAMBEL'S & SCALED QUAIL, a very rare here ROCK DOVE and my season first SAGE SPARROW (scarce but annual here).

We spent only a sacrilegious 25 minutes at Whitewater Draw, long enough to confirm the continued presence of  ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (that I first mistook for Harlan's), the small group of GREAT EGRETS and flocks of GREATER YELLOWLEGS and LEAST SANDPIPERS. Out on the flats, a MERLIN put on a spectacular aerial display as it attacked some unidentified LBJ. Around noon, SANDHILL CRANES were abundant.

We headed north to the traditional Mountain Plover spot but we didn't have to go that far to find them. A field on Central Highway about 1/2m north of Davis Road was being grazed by goats and was in excellent condition. We saw at least 20 MOUNTAIN PLOVERS here, probably a lot more were present but the heat shimmer made it impossible to tell for sure.

We still needed a close look at FERRUGINOUS HAWK so we continued on to Rucker canyon Road. Here we found a very cooperative individual, at first sitting on the ground and then soaring gracefully quite low over our heads for a couple of minutes. What a spectacular sight! LARK BUNTINGS were common here.

We headed back to west to the Huachucas and began our trudge up a cold and dark Scheelite Canyon at 3:00pm, in search of Spotted Owl.. Snow and ice were present starting at the canyon entrance with trees bowed over the trail from the weight of the snow. We checked the lower and middle areas without success and proceeded to the upper area. The snow gradually became deeper the further we went and eventually, with the snow depth over 6 inches and sheet ice covering the bedrock, we decided it was sensible to abandon the search. Gee, you think? 

Disappointedly, we headed back down canyon which was certainly more difficult a task than the upward journey had been. We had seen very few birds but at the last minute we managed to salvage something from the trip -- as we tried to entice a CANYON WREN into view, a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL started to call and eventually flew in and perched at the top of a snag in plain view. We had an excellent view, albeit in poor light, for a minute or so. Other species from only 10 recorded included ARIZONA WOODPECKER, BROWN CREEPER and HERMIT THRUSH.

Thursday, January 20, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Over the past few days I've been at home slaving over a hot computer, during which time the weather conditions have improved and the daytime temperature has steadily risen. Meanwhile, the price of gas is slowly but surely going in the other direction and has dropped another couple of cents to $0.979. Although only around the freezing mark when I left home at daybreak this morning, the afternoon high in Sierra Vista was in the mid 60s; and probably around 70 at Patagonia Lake by late morning. A considerable amount of snow remains on the Huachucas making for some great scenery.

Conditions at Patagonia Lake were windless and very pleasant, but definitely wet and muddy! I spent most of my time along Sonoita Creek and managed to find most of the recent rarities except Elegant Trogon, and recorded 60 species in the process. If you want to bird here thoroughly, be sure to wear wellies or hip waders. 

Before walking the trails I scoped both ends of the lake hoping for something good. However, other than at least one continuing female GREATER SCAUP in with a few LESSER SCAUP, I found only regular species including several EARED GREBES, a single NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, GREAT EGRET, 4-REDHEADS, 4-CANVASBACKS and 3-COMMON MERGANSERS.

Apart from sparrows, which seem very scarce almost everywhere this season, almost all the usual suspects were present along the east marsh trail including VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA, 3+GRAY and 2-ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, AMERICAN PIPIT, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and SWAMP SPARROW.

My first success came as I reached Sonoita Creek main channel where it meets the lake (this is the northernmost creek, not the wide and shallow wet area first encountered). I heard a DUSKY FLYCATCHER calling and as I looked up at the bird, sitting right next to it was a DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER. I was particularly pleased to see this bird since I heard it twice last month without being able to track it down. The bird was mostly silent except for a rather aberrant "scratchy" version of their normally pure whistle, given in response to my feeble imitation. I checked various records to which I have immediate access and as far as I can tell, December 20 is without precedent for this species. Old records show October 7 but I have one from October 20 and the Tucson Audubon Birdfinding Guide shows one late October record. At any rate, this is a late bird and since it's here so late and has stayed through two cold snaps, it may try to overwinter.

I walked east along the creek and heard LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH calling very loudly about 20yds downstream from where the creek forks. I started looking low but eventually found it perched high (30 feet) in a willow where it called continually for 5 minutes. I continued on to a point about 50yds east of where Sonoita creek divides. Here I located the continuing EASTERN PHOEBE that obliged me by calling and then said nothing for the next hour.

I spent a couple of  hours along the creek searching in vain for the recently seen Elegant Trogon, perhaps back for a 3rd winter season here. Birds were surprisingly scarce along the creek, although at least 7-DUSKY and 1-HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER were of note. I saw either 10 COMMON SNIPE or the same two birds five times! 

I made a brief stop at the Paton's yard where I found 22-INCA and 1-MOURNING DOVE; my midday timing was obviously lousy for either the Common or Ruddy Ground-Doves. A couple of LAZULI BUNTINGS visited the feeders several times. The highlight from 20 species seen was a BELTED KINGFISHER, a new species for me in the Paton's yard..

65 species recorded:
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, N. Harrier, Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Common Snipe, Killdeer, Mourning & Inca Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Eastern & Black Phoebes, Hammond's, Gray, Dusky,  Dusky-capped &Ash-throated Flycatchers, Common Raven, White-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, House Finch, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Swamp, White-crowned, Chipping & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackle.

Monday, December 24, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
The Huachucas looked spectacular this morning as I drove south on highway 92 to Miller Canyon. Snow capped  Miller and Carr peaks glistened in the morning sun against a clear blue sky. The temperature in town was a little above freezing at sunrise, up to around 45 degrees by late morning.

I have to find Northern Pygmy-Owl in the coming week and even though I found one recently in Scheelite Canyon, I wanted to check  Miller because you can never have too many options on a bird like this! I managed to check about 1 1/4 miles of trail above Beatty's place before I came to my senses and turned around. The upper trail was covered with solidly frozen snow and ice and the going was quite treacherous, especially walking back down canyon! Northern Pygmy-Owl is quite regular here but, unfortunately, the better habitat was above my turnaround point and I didn't have any success. 

The canyon was gloomy and cold early on and I saw and heard very little (except a barking dog, audible for almost a mile).  I would perhaps have been better off starting a little later in the day. Given the conditions, season and location, I was somewhat surprised to find a very vocal and active PAINTED REDSTART near the Hunter Canyon trail turnoff. Although they regularly overwinter in SE AZ in low numbers, it's usually in more open and warmer canyons than this or near feeders, e.g. places such as Madera Canyon and the Spoffords yard in Portal. 

Birds were generally very hard to come by and I managed a total of only 21 species including a couple of RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS, a fairly low elevation RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, a couple of calling EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, plentiful HERMIT THRUSHES (the most common species), just one AMERICAN ROBIN, several small groups of DARK-EYED (Oregon) and  YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS, and a  RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW calling from a snowy hillside. 

Tuesday, December 25, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
The weather was absolutely perfect this Christmas morning -- 40 degrees, crystal clear blue sky and zero wind. I eased back into the old routine by visiting several canyons in the Huachucas. Not so much for birding, more to check on road conditions. Although upper Garden Canyon road was very icy in the shady areas, I didn't have any real problems reaching Sawmill Canyon. However, I chose caution over machismo and used 4 wheel drive to traverse a particularly nasty 200 yard stretch of sheet ice, from just below the pictographs to just above the rappel cliffs. A regular vehicle with front wheel drive would probably make it ok. My birding was confined to the drive up and down Garden Canyon, brief visits to Scheelite and Sawmill Canyons, and the lower Garden fishing ponds.

Since I found SPOTTED OWL in the lower part of Scheelite Canyon, I was in and out in only 45 minutes. The bird was in a regularly used roost tree, about as low in the canyon as they normally come in winter (3/8 mile). I have 16 records of an owl using this tree, mostly in November, December and January. The sun was just catching the canyon and birds were becoming active as I looked for the owl. Of note was a vocalizing and animated HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER -- although my records indicate they are regular here in winter, I must confess my surprise that they choose to stay in this habitat in such cold conditions, rather than move to lower elevation. A raucous ARIZONA WOODPECKER was among the 17 species I noted.

Sawmill Canyon appears to have received 4-6 inches of snow, much of it still present and frozen in the colder spots. I stayed just long enough to count a flock of 12 WILD TURKEYS as a couple of PINE SISKINS flew in and a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE perched up nearby.  

Not much action at the ponds, except for some aggressive interaction between a NORTHERN HARRIER and a RED-TAILED HAWK. The birds seemed to take it in turns to be the aggressor and dive bomb each other. I didn't see any contact made. The only other bird of note was SORA, I detected at least 3 of them.

I recorded the following species:
6-Pied-billed Grebes, 1-N Shoveler, N Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, 4-Am Kestrels, 12-Wild Turkeys, 3-Soras, Am Coot, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Spotted Owl, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Hammond's Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, N. Mockingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, White-crowned, Chipping & Vesper Sparrows, Spotted Towhee and Pyrrhuloxia..

Wednesday, December 26, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Dena Gawey from Tulsa, OK. Another wonderful day to be out birding, quite chilly in the morning and unseasonably warm in the afternoon. We visited Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs, Harshaw Canyon and the Paton's yard.

At Patagonia Lake we confined our activities to getting just slightly "mucked up" and didn't walk along Sonoita Creek. Consequently, we didn't see any of the current rarities that are along the creek. Nevertheless, we spent a very pleasant  3 1/2 hours here and recorded 53 species in the bargain. Best bird on the lake was the continuing female GREATER SCAUP hanging out with a small group of male LESSER SCAUP. Among the other birds on the water from a good selection were many EARED and 2-WESTERN GREBES,  1-NEOTROPIC CORMORANT and 1 male each of CINNAMON TEAL and COMMON MERGANSER.

Our persistence and a willingness to get muddy paid off along the east marsh trail with good views of VIRGINIA RAIL and SORA. Here too were several SWAMP SPARROWS, very common this year, none last. A couple of COMMON SNIPE were less than cooperative. As is usually the case, GRAY FLYCATCHERS were easy to see but we had to cross the creek and get muddy to find just one DUSKY FLYCATCHER. Also present were at least 2-ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, one of which was sitting in a mesquite at eye level, catching some rays.  

Activity at Kino Springs in the heat of the day was very low and our time here was generally unproductive. By far the best bird was my season first CASSIN'S FINCH near the club house; a lone male sitting at the top a tree with one HOUSE FINCH and a few LESSER GOLDFINCHES. For the first time in a while, the normally reliable male Vermilion Flycatcher was AWOL, perhaps on Christmas vacation. Other species from 30 recorded here included a soaring SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, a GREAT HORNED OWL roosting in the hackberry grove at the first pond, and a GRAY FLYCATCHER on the club house lawn (regular here).

A brief visit to the lower residential section of Harshaw Canyon produced AMERICAN GOLDFINCH (always vastly outnumbered by LESSER GOLDFINCH in SE AZ in winter) and LARK SPARROW among the more usual oak birds such as MEXICAN JAY, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH and BRIDLED TITMOUSE. After seeing fly-by PYRRHULOXIAS all day, we finally had a good view of a perched bird.

The HARLAN'S HAWK was on its regular perch along Sonoita Creek near the Paton's. Our short visit to the feeders didn't produce Ruddy-Ground Dove, just MOURNING, WHITE-WINGED and INCA DOVES and COMMON GROUND-DOVES. Other yard birds included GRAY FLYCATCHER and LAZULI BUNTING.

Day list (80 species recorded):
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Common Snipe, Killdeer, Rock, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Great Horned Owl, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Say's & Black Phoebes, Gray, Dusky Flycatcher & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Hermit Thrush, Northern Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, Am. & Lesser Goldfinches, Cassin's &, House Finches, Orange-crowned &Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned, Chipping & Lark Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle and Brewer's Blackbird.

Thursday, December 27, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day
First of two scheduled days with Pierre Howard from Atlanta, GA who I've birded with on two previous occasions. Today was one of those rare days when I visit Scheelite Canyon looking for something other than Spotted Owl -- instead  our target was Northern Pygmy-Owl. The weather conditions were again perfect, not too cold to start (warm around noon), blue sky and zero wind. I have many records for NPO in Scheelite, including a good number in December over multiple years, so I felt that we had a decent chance.

I was hoping to find the same bird that I saw earlier in the month, which was only 1/4 mile into the canyon; unfortunately, no such luck! We worked slowly and methodically up canyon and after about 1 mile of work we got our reward. A cooperative NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL flew into a gnarly old juniper and glared down at us. The bird stayed around for about 5 minutes. I spent very little time looking for SPOTTED OWL since it wasn't a target bird today, however, as we walked slowly back down canyon trying to avoid slipping on the ice and snow, a noisy group of MEXICAN and STELLER'S JAYS actually flushed one and we saw it fly by!

Although Scheelite Canyon was a little chilly to start and the upper area still has snow, there was a decent amount of bird activity and bird song. This and the bright sunshine reminded me more of an early spring day rather than early winter.  Apart from the success with our target owl, perhaps the highlight of the morning was a PAINTED REDSTART, only my fourth record here in December. Also of note were a couple of low elevation RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and a flock of over 30 PINE SISKINS. We recorded a total of 22 species in the canyon, a pretty good number considering my cumulative December total over the past 9 years is only 35. Pierre also saw a probable Cassin's Finch but we didn't include it because the sighting was very fleeting. 

21 species recorded in Scheelite Canyon:
Spotted Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Arizona Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Hutton's Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Red-breasted  & White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Painted Redstart, Yellow-eyed Junco, Rufous-crowned Sparrow and Spotted Towhee.

Saturday, December 29, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Finding the Pygmy-Owl on Thursday gave me a welcome day off yesterday; today I was back at it with Pam & Doug Wong from Palo Alto, CA. We had excellent conditions for birding with unseasonably warm weather and clear skies until the clouds rolled in late afternoon. We birded at Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs and the Paton's Yard.

Boats were out in force on Patagonia Lake and waterfowl numbers were noticeably down. Those still present included 2-WESTERN GREBES, 2-NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, a female and a probable male GREATER SCAUP along with 3 male LESSER SCAUP, and 2-GREAT EGRETS. 

While scoping the lake from the marina bridge we noted a FOX SPARROW, presumably the same one that I saw here recently.

Along the east marsh trail we had an excellent look at VIRGINIA RAIL and heard many SORAS. As has regularly been the case this season, SWAMP SPARROWS were easy to see at the edge of the marsh. In the same area I saw my first COMMON MOORHEN at the lake this season, about 6 weeks later than typical and 10 weeks later than my earliest date.

Around noon we met Rick Taylor on the trail, shortly after he had found a NUTTING'S FLYCATCHER. He and I briefly tried to relocate it but, unfortunately, I only had a brief glimpse of a relatively short billed Myiarchus that responded to my screech-owl whistle. Bow hunters were in the area so I quickly lost interest. Rick also had to move on. Earlier, however, Rick and his Borderland Tours group has seen the bird well and noted key features such as tail pattern, bright yellow belly, relatively short bill and, best of all, heard the bird give its "wheek" call. The location was along the east marsh trail, roughly 100 yards south of Nutting's Wash (of Dec 97-March 98 fame). The bird was first seen over the trail adjacent to the thick mesquite, working near the ground as well as perching higher. It's tempting to assume that it's the same bird that was here previously.

Other flycatchers today included several GRAY, 1-DUSKY, at least 3-ASH-THROATED and the continuing DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER.

Compared to Patagonia Lake, our birding at Kino Springs was very quiet and unproductive. Waterfowl were plentiful on the two ponds but landbirds were scarce. I again failed to find the formerly reliable male Vermilion Flycatcher, perhaps it has moved on although I doubt it.

We had some success in the Paton's yard where our patience was rewarded with good looks at a female RUDDY GROUND-DOVE, perched in a tree in the corral with INCA DOVES and COMMON GROUND-DOVES, and a LAZULI BUNTING visiting one of the feeders. Other birds from 29 seen included RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD and WESTERN MEADOWLARK (the latter two species are relatively scarce here). The only hummer we saw was a fly-by and went unidentified.

Day list (78 species recorded):
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, N. Harrier, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Am, Coot, Killdeer, Mourning & Inca Doves, Common & Ruddy Ground-Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn, Gila Woodpecker & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Red-naped Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Black Phoebe, Gray, Dusky Flycatcher, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Hermit Thrush, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Fox, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned, Chipping Sparrow & Brewer's Sparrows, Green-tailed & Spotted Towhees, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Great-tailed Grackle and Brewer's Blackbird.

Sunday, December 30, 2001    Previous Day    Next Day
Today I participated in the Portal Christmas Bird Count. It was a glorious weather day throughout SE AZ and those working the lower area of the Chiricahuas enjoyed good conditions. As always, my route was in the high country (nobody else is dumb enough to do it) where, for the most part, it was cloudy, cold and a little breezy; with just a few brief snow flakes. Rustler Park road was covered in patchy ice and snow from the Paradise cutoff to Onion Saddle, and almost entirely covered in ice and snow from the saddle to Rustler Park. The park itself was blanketed in snow and I was trudging through over 12 inches in places.

This route never produces a significant number of individuals or species, but this year was particularly poor. The only highlights were a couple of NORTHERN PYGMY-OWLS, one seen extremely well the other extremely briefly. Other than that it was a day best forgotten. I recorded the following 24 species:

I took the long route home in order to check Willcox ponds. Conditions here were relatively warm with a light breeze and visibility was such that the distant Pinaleņo Mountains looked quite close. Sad to say, there was very little of note bird-wise. The main pond was loaded with many hundreds of NORTHERN SHOVELERS and, in order of decreasing abundance, AMERICAN WIGEON, AMERICAN COOT, RUDDY DUCK, CANVAS BACK, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN PINTAIL and EARED GREBE. I also noted one male REDHEAD and one female BUFFLEHEAD. Several hundred SANDHILL CRANES milled around near the golf course. In the grassy and sandy areas I saw RED-TAILED HAWK, GREAT BLUE HERON, MOURNING DOVE, CHIHUAHUAN RAVEN, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, HORNED  LARK, and SAVANNAH & VESPER SPARROWS. Some of the same waterfowl were at the golf course pond along with KILLDEER, BLACK PHOEBE, MARSH WREN and SONG & LINCOLN'S SPARROWS 

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

Species List

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

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