Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - May, 2002 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, May 31, 2002.

Wednesday, May 1, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day   
Third and last day with Steve and Dave. After a couple of days of target birding, today was a day of casual birding in several Sulphur Springs Valley locations and at Willcox Ponds and St. David. The weather conditions were favorable for a change -- mostly cloudy and relatively cool for the time of year; best of all the wind was mercifully calm in the morning, becoming a little blustery later. 

The day began well at Whitewater Draw where we found BURROWING OWLS back on territory, a couple of BENDIRE'S THRASHERS carrying food to the nest, and a perched up CRISSAL THRASHER. Near the entrance was this SWAINSON'S HAWK with prey.

Despite the low water level we found a few waders among a variety of waterbirds including GREAT & SNOWY EGRETS, 4-BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, 40-WHITE-FACED IBIS (showing white faces), a couple of LONG-BILLED CURLEWS, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, a few WILSON'S PHALAROPES and AMERICAN AVOCET. Other species among 40+ recorded here were GREATER ROADRUNNER, GAMBEL'S & SCALED QUAIL (very common), VERMILION FLYCATCHER, many VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS, ORANGE-CROWNED & WILSON'S WARBLERS, LARK BUNTING in breeding plumage, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE and a small flock of YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

On highway 191 north of Elfrida, I passed off distant immature GOLDEN EAGLE perched by the road as a Red-Tail then compounded my mistake when I quickly pulled off the road too close to the bird. The bird didn't stick around long and was harassed by a SWAINSON'S HAWK when it left. Further north in the valley we struck out at a couple of Great Horned Owl spots but picked up a BARN OWL.

A late morning visit to Willcox was fairly productive and we recorded 35 species in about 1 1/2 hours. CINNAMON TEAL were very numerous with about 30 males counted; and probably as many females. A male BLUE-WINGED TEAL proved very elusive to keep track of as did a female LESSER SCAUP. Other ducks included a few AMERICAN WIGEON, REDHEAD and a female BUFFLEHEAD. Shorebirds were few and far between -- 40 or so WHITE-FACED IBIS and a few SPOTTED SANDPIPERS. Impressive was a large flock (150-200) of WILSON'S PHALAROPES in breeding plumage. Several scans didn't turn up a Red-necked. At one point a very darkly streaked immature pealei PEREGRINE FALCON flew by and spooked everything on the pond. VESPER and a few SAVANNAH SPARROWS are still around and we saw several migrant swallows including BANK SWALLOW. 

Pleasant surprises at St. David Monastery were the continuing LEWIS'S WOODPECKER, that I really expected to be gone; and a migrating SOLITARY SANDPIPER at the main pond (a new species for me at the Monastery). Also at the main pond was the continuing male WOOD DUCK. The only migrants noted during a brief visit were a few WESTERN TANAGERS.

Day list (89 species recorded): 
Eared Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Wood Duck, Am. Wigeon, Mallard, Blue-winged & Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White-faced Ibis, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Cooper's, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Golden Eagle, Am. Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Long-billed Curlew, Solitary & Spotted Sandpipers, Wilson's Phalarope, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Rock, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Barn Owl, Burrowing Owl, Lewis's, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Say's Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Chihuahuan Raven, Bell's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, N. Mockingbird, Bendire's, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, European Starling, Cactus & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Tree, Violet-green, N. Rough-winged, Bank & Barn Swallows, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Lark Bunting, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah, Vesper & Lark Sparrows, Green-tailed & Canyon Towhees, Summer & Western Tanagers, Bullock's Oriole, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird

Thursday, May 2, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day   
First of two days with Rob and Lisa Pavey from Menlo Park, CA. We spent our day in the Huachucas visiting Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons. The day started cool (sweater required) and calm but, yet again, the wind kicked in and was a major factor in Sawmill and Scheelite. Amazingly (and quite welcome), we didn't see a single other person birding in any location that we visited.

A very noteworthy bird in lower Garden Canyon grassland shortly after 6:00am was a WHITE-TAILED KITE, although I didn't decide on the identification until later in the day. The bird was some distance away, alternately hovering and flying, then eventually drifted away to the north. A clear white tail was visible when the bird hovered and I could see what I now realize were the black shoulders when the bird was flying. White-tailed Kites are scarce but regular at the southern end of the Huachucas, particularly in the grasslands near Coronado National Monument and Palominas. However, this is the first one that I've seen in Garden Canyon grassland.

A calling male ELEGANT TROGON was fairly easy to track down this morning. I've now seen a number of males in several different locations in the canyon but not a single female yet. This is normally the case (i.e. females arrive later after the males have sorted out territories).  We recorded 45 species in Garden Canyon with most being seen around the upper picnic area. Less commonly seen birds here were WILD TURKEY, LAZULI BUNTING and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE (the latter two are scarce but regular migrants at this location). Other species included HAMMOND'S, DUSKY, ASH-THROATED, DUSKY-CAPPED & BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS, TOWNSEND'S & HERMIT WARBLERS, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, HEPATIC TANAGER and SCOTT'S & BULLOCK'S ORIOLES.

It was very windy in Sawmill Canyon and we had to work hard to scratch out birds. After two hours we had managed to find a few targets including GREATER PEWEE, PLUMBEOUS VIREO and GRACE'S & RED-FACED WARBLERS. Among the canyon regulars and seasonal migrants were WILD TURKEY, ARIZONA WOODPECKER, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER, HERMIT THRUSH (common everywhere today), BLACK-THROATED GRAY, TOWNSEND'S & HERMIT WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO.

Scheelite Canyon was a bit of an adventure today and I had to work long and hard to find an owl. After missing the bird on a recent visit (despite checking all areas) and the knowledge that one bird has been consistently roosting in the lower area, I was reluctant to accept that the bird wasn't in the lower roosting area today. I checked and double checked every roost location that I know before finally deciding that the owl wasn't here. We moved on to the middle roosting area where I repeated the exercise without success, battling the wind and growing more weary with every step. I left Rob and Lisa at the split and continued on to the upper area. Finally, after two hours of searching, I found a fairly well concealed SPOTTED OWL in a regular tree (20 sightings) but one in which I haven't seen an owl since October 2000.  Check out the picture and see if you can spot it!

Birds were hard to come by in the wind. On the way up the canyon I flushed a MONTEZUMA QUAIL that rocketed away at great speed. Others from 20 recorded included ARIZONA WOODPECKER, a singing GREATER PEWEE (scarce in Scheelite, occurs here as a spring and fall migrant), numerous HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS and HERMIT THRUSHES, PAINTED REDSTART and HEPATIC TANAGER.

Friday, May 3, 2002     Previous Day     Next Day
Out again today with Rob and Lisa. We visited Patagonia Lake, Kino Springs, Patagonia Roadside Rest and  the Paton's Yard. Finally, a day without wind that began quite chilly at the lake and warmed up nicely under mostly cloudy skies.

Patagonia Lake was quite birdy and we recorded almost 60 species in a little under 3 1/2 hours. Water birds have dwindled to almost nothing now that the wintering species have departed. We noted several DOUBLE-CRESTED and NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, a BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK, 4-WHITE-FACED IBIS, 8-RING-BILLED GULLS and a few PIED-BILLED GREBES & COOTS. 

Surprisingly, after not seeing any for a while, VIRGINIA RAILS were quite common along the edge of the marsh and I assume that these birds are migrants, not wintering birds. LEAST BITTERNS were calling in multiple locations and we finally saw one sitting in the open, catching some rays. At one point I heard a calling GRAY HAWK and later we inadvertently flushed a perched bird with immature plumage that flew across the lake.

Except for abundant WILSON'S WARBLERS, migrants were few and far between with only PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER and a few TREE SWALLOWS that could truly be classified as migrants. Summer birds are now well established and SUMMER TANAGERS, VERMILION FLYCATCHERS and YELLOW WARBLERS are very common. Others included NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, BELL'S VIREO, LUCY'S WARBLER and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. A singing SCOTT'S ORIOLE was only my 8th record at the lake.

At Kino Springs, there hasn't been any water released into either pond for some time and they are now starting to look depressingly dry. GRAY HAWKS were easy to find at the club house pond and we found my season first TROPICAL KINGBIRD (silent) at the first pond. Lisa really wanted to see a GREATER ROADRUNNER and we found one at the club house pond at a regular location. Also here was my season first BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER and a latish BREWER'S SPARROW (although I have seen them in SE AZ through May week 3). Other species included GREEN HERON, COOPER'S HAWK, several SPOTTED SANDPIPERS at both ponds, COMMON GROUND-DOVE and a singing and fairly cooperative NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET. 

At the Roadside Rest we only needed 30 minutes worth of patience to wait out a calling but hidden THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD that eventually flew into a prominent location. Also here was my season first migrant SWAINSON'S THRUSH.

Despite our early afternoon visit time, the Paton's yard was quite active and productive. Hummingbirds were not particularly abundant but we did record 5 species -- BROAD-BILLED, VIOLET-CROWNED, BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S and COSTA'S. The seed feeders had plenty of customers including GAMBEL'S QUAIL, INCA and COMMON GROUND-DOVES, numerous BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, a female LAZULI BUNTING, lots of WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and even more BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS. A splash of color was provided by SUMMER TANAGER and BULLOCK'S & HOODED ORIOLES. 

Day list (89 species recorded):
Pied-billed Grebe, Neotropic & Double-crested Cormorants, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Ruddy Duck, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Least Bittern, White-faced Ibis, Black & Turkey Vultures, Cooper's, Gray & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Am. Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Rock, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Broad-billed, Violet-crowned, Black-chinned, Anna's & Costa's Hummingbirds, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Western Wood-Pewee, Say's & Black Phoebes, Pacific-slope, Vermilion, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Tropical, Cassin's, Thick-billed & Western Kingbirds, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Bell's Vireo, Phainopepla, Swainson's Thrush, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Tree, Violet-green, N. Rough-winged & Barn Swallows, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Lucy's, Yellow & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's & Lark Sparrows, Green-tailed & Abert's Towhees, Summer Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, N. Cardinal, Lazuli Bunting, Hooded, Bullock's & Scott's Orioles, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Saturday, May 4, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day
First of two days with Joe Fuhrman from Los Angeles, CA. Our main objectives for the morning were to photograph Elegant Trogon and Spotted Owl. Early morning conditions were very conducive to birding and photography -- cool and zero wind. Unfortunately, this didn't translate into 100% success.

We spent almost 3 hours in Garden Canyon working on getting some decent trogon shots. The upper picnic area was a bit of a circus with trogon seekers so we stayed away from there. At one point we had two male ELEGANT TROGONS sitting just 3 feet apart in the same tree. In fact, they were calling so softly to each other as we approached that I thought it was a male trying to induce a female to a nest site, since I've heard the soft call used for that very purpose. I was extremely surprised at the degree of tolerance the two males showed to each other. Based on breast coloration, I think one of them was a 2nd year bird (born last year) so perhaps that had something to do with it. One bird eventually left and over a period of time Joe managed some good shots.

However, our success was short lived because, for the second time in recent days, I failed to find a Spotted Owl in Scheelite Canyon. After a long search of the lower area I walked myself silly trying to find a bird in the middle and upper areas. This just brings home the fact that, over time, statistics don't lie. If I am only able to find the bird 93% of the time, the other 7% has to come from somewhere! I felt really bad for Joe who had to lug 35lbs of equipment up the canyon. It was a personal blow for me but the world will keep on turning and, as always, tomorrow is another day.  

On a very mild and windless evening we headed out hoping to photograph WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL. About 30 minutes after sunset we had at least 4 and perhaps 6 of them flying around and calling and two of them stayed with us for some time. Over the next hour Joe managed to get many shots of a very cooperative bird. A good end to a day with mixed success. 

Sunday, May 5, 2002    Previous Day   Next Day   
Out again today with Joe working on photographing a few species. A slightly warmer start to another mostly cloudy day that reached into the low 80s. The morning was extremely calm, gusty winds in the afternoon were a minor inconvenience.

While Joe worked on improving yesterday's ELEGANT TROGON shots (vocalizing birds are easy to find at this time of year), I headed up Scheelite to locate an owl. Ironically, after searching high and low without success yesterday, today I found a bird in the easiest to see location and most often used tree (I suspect that many folk's lifer has come in this very tree, right by the trail). It wasn't hard to imagine the bird mocking me (na na na na na), although it hardly bothered to open its eyes. I went back down canyon to get Joe, who was having success with the trogon, and then we headed back up the canyon (I'm getting too old for this!). Here's a picture of him taking a picture of a relaxed SPOTTED OWL.  

Next, we headed over to the Sulphur Springs Valley where we had no trouble locating BENDIRE'S THRASHER still feeding young at the nest.

Now came a long east to west drive over to Patagonia Lake State Park to work on NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, also feeding young at the nest.

Tuesday, May 7, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day   
Out today with Bob Landry from Brandon, FL for three target sparrows -- Five-striped, Rufous-winged and Botteri's. Today was also the start of a short trip to the White Mountains so I was hoping to be both successful and fast so I could get there before dark. As it turned out, we could not have scripted the day better.

I met Bob in town and we were on the road at 2:30 am for my first trip of the season to California Gulch. Along the Ruby Road we flushed two COMMON POORWILLS and it was still dark enough for ELF OWLS to be calling as we turned down California Gulch Road. We parked at the south end of a very chilly gulch at 5:30am; and after getting organized and briefly chatting with one of the residents, we started walking at 5:40am. We never made it into the gulch proper because after only a few hundred yards I heard the subdued calls of two FIVE-STRIPED SPARROWS and moments later they flew up off the ground and perched in a tree. We were underway again at 6:00am -- although this was good from one standpoint, it was a shame to leave because the area was very birdy this morning. Some of the birds recorded during our brief stay were COOPER'S & GRAY HAWKS, ACORN & LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS, NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, VERMILION FLYCATCHER, CANYON WREN, BELL'S VIREO, LUCY'S & YELLOW WARBLERS, SUMMER TANAGER and HOODED ORIOLE. 

We returned to I-19 via Arivaca and Amado and headed into a residential area in the foothills of the Santa Ritas. Some slow driving eventually resulted in my hearing a singing RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW and we were able to see the bird perched in a mesquite in no time at all. So far so good.

After a drive of less than an hour we started looking for BOTTERI'S SPARROW near Patagonia Lake State Park and soon heard a couple of birds, one chipping the other singing. One was kind enough to perch up on a fence wire. This was too good to be true, three target sparrows seen and it wasn't even 9:00am yet (mind you, I did get up at 1:30am!) . We made a brief stop at the Roadside Rest area and quickly found a bonus THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD perched in a Sycamore. One of those days when everything went right and I was home by 10:00am.

I was on the road again shortly after 11:00am and as I drove along I-10 I debated with myself about birding at Willcox. Since it was still early, I decided to make a stop which turned out to be a good move. At the west end of the main pond I found a SNOWY PLOVER, a bird that is always scarce in SE AZ. This was my third record at Willcox, the others were from September 1994 and May 1996. Other species included a few EARED GREBES, good numbers of AMERICAN AVOCETS & WILSON'S PHALAROPES, a few WHITE-FACED IBIS & BLACK-NECKED STILTS; GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, SPOTTED, LEAST & WESTERN SANDPIPERS and SCALED QUAIL.

Approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes after leaving Willcox, I arrived at a very windy Luna Lake in the White Mountains. After checking the BALD EAGLE nest that contains two youngsters about a month old, I started scanning the lake. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a BROWN PELICAN -- what a place to find one at 8000 feet. However, the amazing thing is that I've seen one here before, in May 1995. I believe that particular individual was transported back to the coast. If this is the same geographically challenged individual, it's a very persistent bird. I spent most of my time trying to get some digiscoped shots of the pelican and didn't pay much attention to other birds on the lake and just about made it to Springerville by dusk. Over the nest few days I'm hoping to confirm the arrival of some breeding birds as well as checking on resident specialties. 

Wednesday, May 8, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day
My first full day in the White Mountains was marred by high winds and was somewhat disappointing. I left Springerville at 6:00am with the temperature at 38 degrees under clear skies (low 70s in the afternoon). As soon as I climbed above 9000 feet the wind kicked in and at 10,000 feet on Green's Peak it was blowing a gale. The water in the birdbath was frozen and the wind chill was significant. I felt a little underdressed in shorts (gee, you think?). 

Along FR117 I picked up some regulars including MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and VESPER SPARROW. I shouldn't really have bothered with Green's Peak at all, and it didn't take me long to abandon the search for Blue Grouse. Among the handful of species on the peak were HAIRY WOODPECKER, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE,  YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, PINE SISKIN and GRAY-HEADED JUNCO. 

A brief check of nearby Carnero Lake was generally unproductive except for 4-BUFFLEHEADS (I only have two later records). WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER breeds here and I found one along FR117A.

I decided to drop down in elevation to escape the wind and headed over to Greer. My plan failed because it was just as windy at 8500 feet. Before breakfast I checked an almost birdless Benny Creek where only RED CROSSBILL was of note among 12 species.

After breakfast I spent 1 1/2 hours in Butler Canyon along the east fork of the Little Colorado. The birding here was a little better (20 species) and I was able to determine that a few of the breeding birds have arrived -- namely DUSKY FLYCATCHER, RED-FACED WARBLER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE. 

Driving through Greer, I heard the unmistakable raucous sound of CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS and found a good sized group in the yard of one of the resorts. They were feeding on the ground and coming to a bird bath, just too far away for a good photo without trespassing. Drat.

I had somewhat better luck along the west fork of the Little Colorado where I found AMERICAN DIPPER at a nest.

I finished up in mid afternoon at a very windy Becker Lake that held nothing of note. A poor end to a mediocre day. 

Thursday, May 9, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day   
Today was a much better weather day in the White Mountains -- a little warmer after a 40 degree start; calm winds in the morning and breezy in the afternoon. Today was the day I should have been on Green's Peak but I didn't want to commit the time to check on a bird that's always present. On such a short visit, I don't have time to check all the locations once, certainly no time for second tries. Today I visited Sipe Wildlife Area, Sunrise Campground and Lake, and South Fork.

I spent three hours at a birdy Sipe Wildlife Area starting at 6:30am. When I arrived at the visitor center I couldn't believe I was hearing a Scott's Oriole so I tried to track it down. I followed the bird for some time without ever seeing it. Unfortunately, later on I saw a MOCKINGBIRD in the same location so I decided to forget about the Scott's which would have been a major surprise here.

The highlight was finding a MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD nest -- this photo shows both birds at the nest cavity. Here's a couple more shots of male and female carrying food. Blackbirds are back in numbers and I saw YELLOW-HEADED, RED-WINGED and BREWER'S all singing and gathering nesting material. In the marshy stuff along Rudd Creek I was unable to track down a calling VIRGINIA RAIL. In the open areas, VESPER SPARROWS were plentiful and singing their hearts out. Other birds from 40 recorded included PINYON JAY, GRAY FLYCATCHER, LARK SPARROW and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.   

Sunrise Campground was completely deserted and I had the place to myself. Birds were few and far between and almost 4 hours of wandering around the campground and the trails leading up the mountain produced only 17 species. Highlights were GRAY JAY, CLARK'S NUTCRACKER and WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER.

Sunrise Lake looks a little forlorn now that most of the ducks have departed. CINNAMON TEAL are still plentiful and I saw a few SHOVELERS and one COMMON MERGANSER.

In the evening I made a brief visit to the riparian section at South Fork where I was able to confirm that MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS are back on territory. I saw several males as well as lots of WILSON'S and a few ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS. Numerous BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS were singing as dusk approached and a lone WESTERN SCRUB-JAY perched atop a dead tree and surveyed the scene. HORNED LARKS were common along the entrance road and a CANYON WREN was in the rocky section. 

Day list (66 species recorded):
Pied-billed Grebe, Gadwall, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Common Merganser, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Virginia Rail, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Rock & Mourning Doves, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Williamson's Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Gray Flycatcher, Say's & Black Phoebes, Pinyon, Steller's & Gray Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, Am. Crow, Common Raven, Warbling Vireo, Western & Mountain Bluebirds, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, European Starling, Brown Creeper, Canyon & House Wrens, Bushtit, Violet-green, N. Rough-winged & Cliff Swallows, Ruby-crowned & Golden-crowned Kinglets, Mountain Chickadee, Horned Lark, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped, MacGillivray's & Wilson's Warblers, Dark-eyed Junco, Song, Chipping, Vesper & Lark Sparrows, Green-tailed Towhee, Black-headed Grosbeak, Yellow-headed, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Friday, May 10, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day   
A cloudy and colder start to the day with that infernal wind to deal with again. I wanted to get an early start this morning so I could get a significant amount of White Mountain birding done before heading home. Last night around 10:30am as I was loading up the car I discovered a flat tire, so instead of an early night I was struggling in the dark changing a tire. This morning I was dismayed to find that the spare also had a slow flat! I put some air in the tire and left town on a wing and a prayer hoping it would hold up for a couple of hours.

Last week, local birder Dick Palmer had mentioned Big lake Lookout as a location to look for Blue Grouse and I decided to check it out this morning. I arrived at the lookout area at 5:40am and very quickly found a male BLUE GROUSE displaying in a tree as another bird (probable female?) was flapping around some distance away.

This location is better than Green's Peak in almost all respects except one -- there's too much habitat! The limited habitat at the top of Green's Peak tends to concentrate the birds making them a little easier to find. Although I was very successful today, I can see how it might require lots of time to find the birds. Of course, it may be that they prefer the area around the fire tower lookout, only time will tell. 

It's hard to believe that I've never been here before, although the reason is actually quite simple. Big Lake is the center of most of the recreational activity in the White Mountains and, for the most part, my desire to avoid the crowds keeps me away from the area. However, Big Lake Lookout road offers good birding along the entire 2 mile length so I'm sure that I'll be birding here frequently in the future. Also, you can never have too many places to look for the grouse. Typical high elevation species included PYGMY & RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, BROWN CREEPER, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE (very common along the upper section of the road), HERMIT THRUSH and PINE SISKIN.

Although Big Lake usually has too much boat traffic for productive birding, it was still early (6:30am) so I decided to check the water. I saw plenty of fisherman but my scanning only turned up two species: 14-COMMON MERGANSERS and 8-RING-BILLED GULLS. 

Nearby Crescent Lake is smaller, has shallower shoreline areas, less boat traffic and more birds. The highlight here was a lone CATTLE EGRET, a new White Mountain species for me and one that has to be pretty rare here at 9000+ feet. The bird was approaching full breeding plumage (the bill looks orange and is somewhat intermediate between the basic yellow and alternate red; and the leg color will eventually become deeper red). Although you can't tell from the photo, the wind was howling and my eyes were tearing up as I tried some digiscoping. The wind chill factor made it seem well below freezing so perhaps the bird was standing here contemplating a new migration route for next year. Other species from 17 seen were 2-CANADA GEESE, several CINNAMON & GREEN-WINGED TEAL, lots of REDHEADS, 30-BUFFLEHEADS and 6-WHITE-FACED IBIS.

I headed back into Springerville to get my two flat tires fixed (both tires had nails, what else is new). The temperature in town was a balmy 60 degrees with zero wind as I walked down the street from the tire place to get breakfast. Around 9:00am I reluctantly started my southerly swing towards southeast Arizona, already thinking about June when I'll be able to spend more time here.

A brief stop at Nelson Reservoir produced 20 species. At least 3-BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were "hiding" in the marsh, perhaps there were more that went unseen. This is one of the few locations in the White Mountains where I see this species regularly. A small flock of PINYON JAYS were flying around and calling on the east slope -- I saw five of them although, again, perhaps there were many more.

Next stop was Nutrioso where I spent an interesting 20 minutes around the Post Office area. This is always a good spot for LEWIS'S WOODPECKER and at least 4 birds have returned (I didn't see any here last month). Among the other species from 20 seen were WESTERN and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS, WILSON'S & MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.

My final stop in the White Mountains was at Luna Lake where I picked up a couple of trip species in PLUMBEOUS VIREO and WESTERN TANAGER, both regular here. I was also hoping for a couple more regular breeders in Western Wood-Pewee and Grace's Warbler but perhaps the high wind didn't help. I expected the warbler to be present by now, but maybe it's still a little early for the Wood-Pewee. Although I didn't see an adult BALD EAGLE, the youngsters were easy to see in the nest. No sign of the Brown Pelican.

Back in southeast Arizona, my mid afternoon stop at Willcox was an exercise in frustration. The wind was a major problem and the main task was to keep the blowing dust out of my eyes, birding was secondary. A group of 30-AMERICAN AVOCETS kept out of the wind close to the shore along with a dozen or so WHITE-FACED IBIS. As many as 50-WILSON'S PHALAROPES continue and were spinning incessantly, apparently not bothered by the wind. Breeding plumaged SPOTTED SANDPIPERS are still common and they were the only shorebirds that I saw. A lone NORTHERN PINTAIL, one of the less common "common" ducks, was the first that I've seen in SE AZ since early April. 

In two full and two partial days from May 7-10, I recorded 98 species in the White Mountains (see trip list). Highlights were a BROWN PELICAN at Luna Lake and a CATTLE EGRET at Crescent Lake. I saw several of the resident and summer "specialties" such as BLUE GROUSE, LEWIS'S WOODPECKER, WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER, DUSKY FLYCATCHER,  PINYON & GRAY JAYS, CLARK'S NUTCRACKER, AMERICAN DIPPER, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, RED-FACED & MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE and RED CROSSBILL. 

The leaf out in riparian habitat at lower elevations (e.g.: South Fork) is well advanced, although higher elevation riparian vegetation (e.g.: Greer) is still quite bare. Consequently, as might be expected, a number of the breeding passerines (e.g.: Willow Flycatcher & Gray Catbird) have not yet arrived on territory. Similarly, Aspens at low elevation (especially the smaller trees)  have significant leaf out whereas the high elevation Aspens are only in bud. A good illustration of why June, July and August are the best times for general birding in the White Mountains (of course, target specialties can be found at most other times except the depths of winter).

Monday, May 13, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day
First of three days with Nigel Peace from Alton, England. We spent a little over 8 hours on Fort Huachuca visiting Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons. It was a mild, calm morning; breezy by midday; and by 2:30pm when we got back into Sierra Vista the temperature was 90 degrees and the mountains were almost obscured by an ugly haze, presumably smoke from yet another fire. We need an early monsoon season!

Nigel had birded previously in Mexico so we only "needed" a subset of the typical wish list of SE AZ mountain birds. ELEGANT TROGON wasn't on the menu so we were able to bypass the circus of trogon seekers at the upper picnic area and drive directly to Sawmill. However, we did hear a male trogon calling territorially near Scheelite. Earlier, I heard a BOTTERI'S SPARROW singing as we drove through the grassland and we were able to get good 'scope looks at a bird perched in the clear on a dead Agave.

A three hour session in Sawmill produced good looks at almost all the birds that we looked for, an exception was that Nigel didn't see an elusive ARIZONA WOODPECKER that we had tracked for quite some time -- the bird flew off at the critical moment. A probable Hermit Warbler also got away from us. We recorded 30 species here including GREATER PEWEE, BUFF-BREASTED & DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, YELLOW-RUMPED, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, GRACE'S, WILSON'S & RED-FACED WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and WESTERN TANAGER. The Yellow-rumped Warbler was my latest spring sighting in Sawmill by almost a week (May 7, 1999). The Red-Faced Warbler was singing regularly but moved around constantly and was initially very hard to locate. Western Tanagers are suddenly common and singing throughout.

For the third time in recent weeks I was unable to find a Spotted Owl in Scheelite Canyon. If, as I suspect, the birds bred this year, it could be that there are now youngsters so both birds may be near the nest. It's also worth noting that I have twice as many misses on Monday than on any other day -- too much of a difference to be random. I attribute that to hikers, families, dogs, etc., on weekends.  Regardless of the reason, 3 hours worth of searching and slogging to the upper area did not produce a bird. Some days the owl is still ridiculously easy to find -- how about some middle ground here instead of feast or famine! Among the birds of note were my season first SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER (scarce in Scheelite, 10 records total from May and August), my season first female ELEGANT TROGON, a migrant SWAINSON'S THRUSH and an AMERICAN ROBIN (I only have a dozen records total for the canyon). Other birds included BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT and a pair of HEPATIC TANAGERS.

Back at the now deserted upper picnic area we had good looks at BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER, PAINTED REDSTART and beautiful male SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

50 species recorded in Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite:
Red-tailed Hawk, Mourning Dove, White-throated Swift, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Elegant Trogon, Acorn & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Hutton's & Plumbeous Vireos, Swainson's Thrush, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, House Finch, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated, Grace's, Wilson's & Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstart, Yellow-eyed Junco, Botteri's & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, Scott's Oriole, Eastern Meadowlark and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Tuesday, May 14, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Nigel on a very long, very warm and mostly successful day of target birding.

We left Sierra Vista at 2:45am for my second visit of the season to California Gulch. The start time was designed to put us in the right place at the right time for COMMON POORWILL. Over a 3 mile stretch of the Ruby Road we saw 8-10 birds with good looks at 4 of them sitting on the ground.

In the gulch it didn't take long to find a couple of very cooperative FIVE-STRIPED SPARROWS that alternately perched on Ocotillos and foraged on the dirt road at close range. If I only had three hands I would have been able to get some stunning photographs. I simply couldn't aim the scope, adjust the height and focus, and fiddle with the camera fast enough. We found a total of 5 Five-striped Sparrows, 2 apparent pairs and another singing bird. 

Next, we turned our attention to VARIED BUNTING, a bird I thought might not have returned (I usually see them in the gulch starting around May 13-15). We had covered a fair amount of ground without hearing or seeing a bird, however, just as we had pretty much given up a male began singing while perched in an Ocotillo. As a bonus, a FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW was in the same binocular view! We also found two other target birds in the gulch -- BELL'S VIREO (abundant, as usual, but atypically cooperative) and several noisy but elusive BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS. 

We recorded 40 species in the gulch included GREATER ROADRUNNER, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT (I don't see them much here), NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, ASH-THROATED, DUSKY-CAPPED and VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD, HOODED ORIOLE and BRONZED COWBIRD.

We returned via Arivaca and headed into the Santa Rita foothills to do battle with RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW, a bird that I sometimes get in seconds, or sometimes it takes an hour to get good looks. With the temperature in the 90s, guess which was the case today. Actually, we found a bird very quickly but it left before we managed a decent look and we then spent an hour chasing a couple of birds around in the heat. Fortunately, they eventually capitulated before we did. Of note in mesquite habitat were TOWNSEND'S WARBLER and an AMERICAN REDSTART (possibly a first spring male but more likely a female). I've averaged a little less than one record per year for American Redstart in southeast Arizona.

It was very hot at the Roadside Rest in Patagonia in the early afternoon and we waited around in vain for Thick-billed Kingbird to call or put in an appearance. Next stop was the creek crossing on Salero Road where we again failed to find one. However, some slow cruising and keeping a careful eye open along Blue Heaven Road finally paid dividends with we found a very cooperative THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD. I mentioned to Nigel that after having done the work we would likely find one at the Paton's Yard, and sure enough one was present there.

Ironically, in the Paton's yard, we failed to find what should have been our easiest target bird of the day -- Violet-crowned Hummingbird was a no show during the hour that we spent there. However, we were in the right place at the right time as a ZONE-TAILED HAWK cruised by giving us the 8 target birds I had expected for on the day. The yard was crowded with people and BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS. Hummers were few and far between with the highlight being a male COSTA'S.

Wednesday, May 15, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day
Third and final day with Nigel Peace from Alton, England. In contrast to yesterday, today was a really long and really warm day on which we managed to see 5 out of 6 primary target birds. We left Sierra Vista at 1:45am and returned at 5:45pm to take a short break before doing a little night birding. We traveled 650 miles looking for 6 species in 100+ temperatures -- these English birders are pretty crazy -- oh, wait, I'm English too.

We arrived at the Baseline/Salome thrasher spot west of Buckeye before dawn and spent from 5:10am until 7:15am looking unsuccessfully for Le Conte's Thrasher. This was the first time that I had tried for the thrasher in May and I had cautioned Nigel that the odds were against us. Unfortunately, my fears were justified. Compared to birding here in winter and early spring, the area was akin to a graveyard this morning and very few birds were stirring. We recorded only 13 species including LESSER NIGHTHAWK, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER, WILSON'S WARBLER and BLACK-THROATED SPARROW. 

After battling some construction traffic delays through Phoenix on loop 101, we began birding at Slate Creek Divide at 9:30am. We soon made up for some of the lost time because it didn't take long to pick up both our target species -- GRAY VIREO and BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW. Both birds were singing and relatively easy to locate. However, the vireo was flitting around as elusive as ever and it took a little while to get a decent look.

Next stop was Sunflower where COMMON BLACK-HAWK was easy to see at the nest site. Other species noted here included WARBLING VIREO, BLUE GROSBEAK and WESTERN TANAGER. 

At Roosevelt Lake we indulged in a little casual bird before picking up our target HARRIS'S HAWK along Hwy 188 near Grapevine. At Bermuda Flat I was pleased to see an adult BALD EAGLE and three immatures. Other birds on the lake were tough to pick out in the heat haze of 100 degrees. Among those we identified were WESTERN & CLARK'S GREBES, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, WHITE-FACED IBIS, WILLET, RING-BILLED & FRANKLIN'S GULLS and FORSTER'S TERN.

Our final stop before a long return drive was at the birding hotspot of Winkleman where it was 102 degrees on the footbridge over the Gila River. Our target bird here was MISSISSIPPI KITE and one was soaring as we arrived, albeit only briefly. We stood around in the heat waiting for another appearance and latched on to a VAUX'S SWIFT that made a couple of passes under and over the bridge (a rare but regular migrant through AZ and one that you definitely have to be standing in the right place at the right time in order to see!). As we watched the swift, a kite drifted serendipitously through my binocular view and for the next 5 minutes we got to watch two of them soaring gracefully and making several high speed stoops. A couple of TROPICAL KINGBIRDS were twittering away at the same time.

It was a windy evening and we almost decided not to do any owling. As it turned out we did OK with good views of WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL and a fly-by calling WHIP-POOR-WILL. We fared less fortunately with a sadistic ELF OWL -- a very nasty individual that chattered just enough to entice us but led us in circles around its territory. Nevertheless, a good end to a tiring but mostly successful day.

Thursday, May 16, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day   
I could have used some extra sleep this morning but I rose early and entered Scheelite Canyon at 6:15am. After missing the owl several times recently, I wanted to locate the bird so that Nigel (who's still in the area) would be able to see it later in the day. After a careful and somewhat paranoid search, I located a single SPOTTED OWL roosting in a little used tree about 20 yards off the main trail. As you'll see from the photograph (not great because of poor light), the bird will sometimes choose a small tree without vegetation and sit very close to the ground. For obvious reasons, this tree is known as the "L" tree and I've seen a Spotted Owl roosting here on 10 previous occasions.

I enjoyed the cool of the canyon so early in the morning and was rewarded with good views of a male MONTEZUMA QUAIL very close to the trail. Although it didn't bolt or fly away, the bird waddled up the slope before I could get my camera into operation. Other species from 20 that I recorded included ARIZONA WOODPECKER, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, PAINTED REDSTART and HEPATIC TANAGER.

Saturday, May 18, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Rob Stone from State College, PA, Scott Lewis also from PA and Andy from FL. After a cool start it was another warm day in SE AZ, although slightly cooler than in recent days. 

We left Sierra Vista at 2:45am for my third trip of the season to California Gulch. Although COMMON POORWILLS along the Ruby Road were a little harder to come by today, we encountered about 6 of them with several sitting on the road providing good viewing opportunities. One bird in particular didn't want to move and our vehicle must have been within inches before it took flight.

When we arrived in California Gulch I discovered that the rear door of the vehicle had slammed down on my tripod and completely busted apart the fluid head and bent the quick release plate, meaning that my scope was out of action for the day. Fortunately, when I got home I was able to repair the fluid head and I had a spare quick release plate so I'm back in business without any further downtime.

The gulch was quite cool and bird activity was very subdued when we began birding (activity picked up later when the sun hit the area). It didn't take long to find a pair of silently foraging FIVE-STRIPED SPARROWS close to the road. The two birds remained mostly silent over the fifteen minutes that we watched them. In contrast to my most recent visit on May 14 when I noted 5 sparrows, this pair were the only birds seen or heard today (although admittedly, I didn't cover as much ground). Among the other species from 30+ recorded in the gulch were GRAY HAWK, COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD, N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, BLUE GROSBEAK, VARIED BUNTING and HOODED ORIOLE.

The entire Ruby Road and most of California Gulch is extremely dry and, apart from representing a fire hazard, this will probably affect the breeding activities of some species -- most notably perhaps might be Montezuma Quail. I normally see this species on about 60% of my visits here but my 3 visits so far this season have not yielded a single sighting. It's early days yet but I'm not optimistic.

Our next stop was Kino Springs which is also extremely dry for a different reason. Water is not being supplied to either of the two main birding ponds and even though both still have areas with water, they are starting dry up quickly now that the warm weather is here. Hell, we didn't even see a Coot! We spent about 90 minutes searching unsuccessfully around both ponds for Tropical Kingbird. I found a bird here May 3 but it could be that this species has found the conditions unacceptable and they might not nest at this traditional spot this year. This is the time of year that they should be very vocal and visible so perhaps not finding them is an indication they have moved on. On the other hand, I may simply have missed them, only time will tell. A few of the 32 species that we recorded here included GRAY HAWK, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, VERMILION, DUSKY-CAPPED & BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, WESTERN TANAGER and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. It's getting late for WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW but a few were present (my latest date at Kino Springs is May 28; and in Southeast Arizona, May 30).

A short stop near Patagonia Lake soon produced good looks at BOTTERI'S SPARROW. We followed that by a visit to the Patagonia Roadside Rest area (a Rose-throated Becard was reported here yesterday) where we found a mostly silent THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD posing nicely and a handful of other species. WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were soaring over the cliffs. 

At the Paton's, a THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD was perched on a snag in the front yard and WHITE-WINGED DOVES and BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS dominated the feeders in the back yard. Violet-crowned Hummingbird didn't put in an appearance during our stay of 40 minutes, just a few BROAD-BILLED and BLACK-CHINNED and one visit from a male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD. A normally reticent YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT abandoned its policy of secrecy to feed on an apple half. 

Monday, May 20, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day   
First day with Dan Hudson and Holly Weston from Pittsboro, NC. Over the next three days we'll be target birding for the typical southeast Arizona specialties. It was a pleasant start to the day with the temperature in the mid 50s and calm winds; rising to around 90 degrees with gusty winds by early afternoon. We visited the Huachucas and the San Pedro River.

A stop in lower Garden Canyon grassland a little before 6:00am was very productive because our stop for a singing BOTTERI'S SPARROW also turned up a singing and skylarking CASSIN'S SPARROW, my first of the year. We had good scope looks at both species -- I'm sure glad that I was able to repair the fluid head after Saturday's accident. Botteri's were quite numerous and have been singing for a couple of weeks. Cassin's often don't sing until July although I have heard them sing in May in several previous years. With the extremely dry conditions, perhaps today's bird was doing a rain dance. Also in the grassland were calling SCALED QUAIL, ROADRUNNER, BLUE GROSBEAK and LARK & RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS.

Our good fortune continued at the middle picnic area stream crossing where we flushed an ELEGANT TROGON from the roadside ditch of all places! The bird flew up into a Sycamore where it called for a while and we enjoyed good views of the bird perched in the clear. While we watched the trogon, an often times elusive ARIZONA WOODPECKER. called behind us and we were able to track it down and again get a good look. The morning was going well. We moved on to the upper picnic area and added WILD TURKEY, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, PAINTED REDSTART, HEPATIC TANAGER and a handful of common species.

We had to work for our birds in Sawmill Canyon but a 2 1/2 hour session eventually turned up all that we looked for except Red-faced Warbler, which was AWOL at a regular spot. We didn't hear any song at all from GREATER PEWEE -- fortunately, a few brief "peek peek" calls finally gave one way. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were very numerous and vocal after initially being hard to see. Among the 30+ species seen were WILD TURKEY, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, GRACE'S, TOWNSEND'S & WILSON'S WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO and WESTERN & HEPATIC TANAGERS. My first ELEGANT TROGON in Sawmill this season was calling as we were leaving the canyon.

On the way back down Garden Canyon we picked up an elusive and uncharacteristically silent SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER near the pictograph site.

Next stop was Scheelite Canyon where I began the trail with some apprehension caused by several recent misses and the fact that it was Monday, a day with twice as many misses as any other day. Furthermore, my success rate was in danger of slipping below 93%. I spent some time checking the regular locations in the lower area and was getting to the point of thinking about heading to the upper area with an "oh no, here we go again" feeling. Then, with a great sense of relief, I found a sleepy looking SPOTTED OWL in a tree that I've never seen an owl roosting in before (henceforth known as the "Weston Oak"). The bird was perched completely in the open on a side trail about 20 yards off the main trail and we enjoyed killer eye level views. The owl hardly bothered to open its eyes to check us out.   

We finished the day with a couple of hours on the San Pedro River (Hwy 90 area). Our target here was TROPICAL KINGBIRD, a bird that I thought we wouldn't get at the normally reliable Kino Springs tomorrow (see notes for May 18). Despite the problematical gusty winds, we found one along the river midway between Kingfisher Pond and the San Pedro House trail. Both CASSIN'S and WESTERN KINGBIRDS were in the same location, atypically deep in the trees, no doubt trying to avoid the wind.

At one point I along the river thought I saw a female Ruddy Ground-Dove which would have been a major surprise at this time of year. Consequently, I persisted with the bird and eventually saw the red basal portion on the bill of a COMMON GROUND-DOVE.

Among the migrants noted were PACIFIC-SLOPE and WILLOW FLYCATCHERS and SWAINSON'S THRUSH, a bird that I've only seen on the river on three previous occasions. Other species recorded included a calling GRAY HAWK, BELL'S VIREO, VERMILION & ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, ABERT'S TOWHEE, WESTERN & SUMMER TANAGERS and BLUE GROSBEAK. 

Tuesday, May 21, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Dan and Holly for my fourth trip of the season to California Gulch and the Nogales/Patagonia area for another bout of target birding. It was a relatively cool day, quite chilly in the gulch early on and pleasant in Patagonia in the early afternoon, albeit with gusty high winds. We had 11 potential daytime target birds of which I expected to see 8; we ended up seeing 9 of them (Gray Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Thick-billed Kingbird, Lucy's Warbler, Five-striped & Rufous-winged Sparrows, Varied Bunting & Scott's Oriole) and missed Montezuma Quail and Violet-crowned Hummingbird.

COMMON POORWILL wasn't a target bird this morning but we still saw 11 of them along the Ruby Road including some apparently suicidal individuals that simply didn't want to get out of our way.

After an early start from Sierra Vista (2:45am, what else is new), we arrived at the south end of a very chilly California Gulch at 6:00am. As has been the case so far this season, it didn't take long to locate a pair of FIVE-STRIPED SPARROWS foraging on the hillside and on the road at close range -- scope not required. VARIED BUNTINGS are now common and they were singing at various locations throughout. We recorded 40 species in the gulch including BARN SWALLOW (a new bird for me here), ROADRUNNER, ACORN WOODPECKER (common here this year, even in the gulch proper), N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, SWAINSON'S THRUSH (a widespread migrant this year), lots of elusive LUCY'S WARBLERS, BLUE GROSBEAK, plentiful HOODED & a few SCOTT'S ORIOLES and BRONZED COWBIRD.

It appears that the dry conditions may make it a poor year for seeing Montezuma Quail along the Ruby Road and in California Gulch, both traditionally good spots. Over the years, my records show that I've seen the quail here on 60% of all visits. To date, my four visits this year have yielded zero sightings.

We returned via Arivaca and quickly picked up a singing RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW not far from I-19, none of the chasing around in the mesquite nonsense that is sometimes required.

Next stop was at the now pathetic looking club house pond at Kino Springs. Nevertheless, we soon had excellent looks at GRAY HAWK and NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET.

A quick stop at the Patagonia Roadside Rest for THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD was really unnecessary because they are nesting near the Paton's yard, and two birds were perched up as we arrived.  Disappointingly, for the third consecutive trip, Violet-crowned Hummingbird was a no-show. The bird is a regular and reliable visitor in the morning and evening but heat of the day visits are scarce. Our timing was much better for ZONE-TAILED HAWK and we had a couple of fly-bys. A dozen or so BAND-TAILED PIGEONS were sitting in the nearby cottonwoods until a fly-by GRAY HAWK caused them to scatter. A male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD made a couple of appearances in the hour that we spent there.

Even though it had been very windy all afternoon and was still windy in town near sunset, we decided to take a chance and head out owling anyway for one target owl -- a good decision as it turned out. WHIP-POOR-WILLS began calling at 7:40pm followed a few minutes later by COMMON POORWILLS and finally WHISKERED SCREECH-OWLS. A few whistles brought in the birds close to the road where we saw them well. A good end to a mostly successful day. 

Day list (69 species recorded):
Great Blue Heron, Black & Turkey Vultures, Gray, Swainson's, Zone-tailed & Red-tailed Hawks, Gambel's Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Rock, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Whiskered Screech-Owl, Common Poorwill, Whip-poor-will, Broad-billed, Black-chinned & Costa's Hummingbirds, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Vermilion, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Cassin's & Thick-billed Kingbirds, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Bell's Vireo, Phainopepla, Swainson's Thrush, N. Mockingbird, European Starling, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Violet-green Swallow, N. Rough-winged & Barn Swallows, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Lucy's & Yellow Warblers, Yellow-breasted Chat, Song, Black-throated, Five-striped, Rufous-winged & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, Summer Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, N. Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak, Varied Bunting, Hooded & Scott's Orioles, Red-winged Blackbird and Bronzed & Brown-headed Cowbirds.

Wednesday, May 22, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day
Third and last day with Dan and Holly. We visited French Joe Canyon where I fully expected to see a Rufous-capped Warbler. However, after seeing a couple of them on three consecutive visits since "rediscovering" the bird in early April, today I failed to track one down.

We left Sierra Vista at 4:15am and arrived at the upper spring 5:50am. From then until almost 11:00am when we had to leave, I detected a RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER three times, yet each time the bird failed to materialize. The bird sang at 7:00am, 50 yards above the spring in the bottom of the canyon; at 7:10am, 20 yards below the spring on the south slope; and again at 9:30am, 50 yards above the canyon on the south slope. Vocalizations were extremely brief and at no time did we see even the slightest movement. The birds are definitely in stealth mode. Similar behavior occurred last year when the birds were nesting (i.e. very little singing). If they are nesting again, incubation should be well advanced by now.

Even though it was quite cold when we began birding near the spring, hummingbirds were swarming all over the place (mostly BROAD-TAILED). The area near the spring was initially quite birdy but the activity of most species had died down by the time we left (after the canyon had warmed up considerably). We recorded the following 39 species, all regularly occurring:

White-winged Dove, Lesser Nighthawk, White-throated Swift, Black-chinned & Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Western Wood-Pewee, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western Scrub-Jay, Common Raven, Hutton's & Plumbeous Vireos, N. Mockingbird, Crissal Thrasher, Cactus, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Bushtit, Violet-green Swallow, Bridled Titmouse, House Finch, Lucy's, Black-throated Gray & Rufous-capped Warblers, Black-chinned, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Hepatic, Summer & Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, N. Cardinal, Hooded & Scott's Orioles and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Thursday, May 23, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Jamie Massey from Tucson, AZ on a rare day when I didn't have to find any target species. In fact, we weren't even out to look at birds since the objective was to work on birding by ear (but hey, we looked at a few!). We visited Garden & Carr Canyons in the Huachucas and the San Pedro River.

The grassland in lower Garden Canyon once again proved to be a productive spot and we got to see four species of sparrows, all singing -- LARK, BOTTERI'S, CASSIN'S and RUFOUS-CROWNED.

In Carr Canyon we heard or saw the regular breeding mountain warblers all singing or calling: OLIVE (one only, they have been much scarcer than normal this year), VIRGINIA'S (2 singing), BLACK-THROATED GRAY (fairly numerous), GRACE'S (common) , RED-FACED (one only, singing) and PAINTED REDSTART.

The most interesting birds of the day were -- a BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER checking out cavities at the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon, which wasn't to the liking of the ACORN WOODPECKERS (only my third record of BCFL in Garden); and a distant OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER on the snags between Reef and Ramsey Vista campgrounds in Carr Canyon (most of my OSFL migrant records in SE AZ are from this location).

We recorded the following species from 6:00am to 2:00pm.
Mallard, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's & Swainson's Hawks, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning & White-winged Doves, White-throated Swift, Black-chinned & Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Olive-sided, Buff-breasted, Vermilion, Dusky-capped & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Bell's, Hutton's & Plumbeous Vireos, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Verdin, Bushtit, Violet-green, N. Rough-winged & Barn Swallows, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Olive, Virginia's, Yellow, Black-throated Gray, Grace's & Red-faced Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Painted Redstart, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow-eyed Junco, Song, Lark, Botteri's, Cassin's & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Hepatic, Summer & Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, Pyrrhuloxia, Blue Grosbeak, Bullock's Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Saturday, May 25, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Chris and Shannon Sloane and Kinny Cosner, all from Nashville, TN. My fifth trip of the season  to California Gulch was followed by visits to several more locations, including a trek up Miller Canyon, making for a very long day. We looked for a number of target birds and had a mostly successful day. This is a very abbreviated report (only so many hours in a day!).

We left Sierra Vista at 2:30am and had a little more trouble than of late finding COMMON POORWILL along the Ruby Road. However, we ended up with perhaps as many as 5 of them after a little effort.

Only about 15 minutes were needed to find a mostly silent FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW in California Gulch around 6:00am. We also picked up VARIED BUNTING (several singing) among 36 species.

Next stop was Kino Springs where I was again unable to find Tropical Kingbird (see my notes for May 18). Target birds seen here from a total of 30 species were BROWN-CRESTED & DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS and BRONZED COWBIRD.

A brief stop near Patagonia Lake State Park soon produced BOTTERI'S SPARROW.

A stop at the Roadside Rest area was generally unproductive (no Thick-billed Kingbirds seen or heard) but THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD was easy to find at the Paton's along with VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD. 

Although I wasn't looking forward to hiking up Miller Canyon in the heat of the afternoon, the clouds and a slight breeze combined to make the trip quite cool and a very pleasant experience. We reached the old mine shaft area around 3:45pm after recording a fair number of species along the way (for the time of day) including BAND-TAILED PIGEON, BROWN CREEPER, WARBLING VIREO, GRACE'S and RED-FACED WARBLERS, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and HEPATIC & WESTERN TANAGERS.

After about 10 minutes of listening, I heard the FLAME-COLORED TANAGER calling about 150 yards above the mine shaft. Earlier we had bumped into Kevin and Debbie Krogh, clients from a few years ago; and they along with Chris and Shannon joined me to wait and watch for the tanager. We had pointed out a GREATER PEWEE to Kevin and Debbie and I jokingly said, ok now you locate the tanager. No sooner said than done as Debbie spotted it. Ironically, I was the last one to see the bird as it put on a pretty good show, perching in the open. Later, my clients for tomorrow showed up and they got to see the bird. 

It's interesting to note that Sibley states of the Flame-colored: "all calls apparently similar to Western". I find the pit-i-tic calls of the Western to be higher in pitch and relatively thin whereas the same phrase issued by Flame-colored is slightly slower, lower in pitch and "thicker", more akin to the quality of a Summer Tanager, enabling the bird to be picked out from the many calling Westerns. 

Sunday, May 26, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Tom Liston from Stow, OH and Dan Fisher from Peculiar, MO for my 6th trip of the season to California Gulch, back to back with yesterday. (One year I made 5 visits in the same week with 3 back to back trips, happy days!) Another abbreviated report for obvious reasons.

We left Sierra Vista at 2:45am and arrived at the south end of California Gulch at 5:40am after seeing 5 COMMON POORWILLS along the Ruby Road (not a target today). FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW was a little harder to find this morning -- we first heard a couple of birds at 6:00am but it wasn't until 6:25am that we had 'scope views of another bird in a different location. VARIED BUNTINGS were singing in multiple locations and we had good looks at a perched bird in full sunlight (they can look almost black in poor light). For the first time this season in the gulch, I stumbled into (almost literally) three MONTEZUMA QUAIL drinking from one of the few puddles in the area (about 1 foot deep). The birds immediately rocketed up to mid slope and we only had a brief glimpse. We recorded 36 species.

After a return trip via Arivaca, RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW played a little hard to get in the Santa Rita foothills where it was already quite warm at 9:30am.

Clouds built up as we headed south and by the time we reached the Patagonia Lake area it was quite cool and, drum roll, ta-da -- raining! Just a sprinkle or two but very welcome. As yesterday, a brief stop near the lake produced BOTTERI'S SPARROW with just a modicum of effort as the wind that accompanied the rain started to become quite gusty.

BAND-TAILED PIGEONS continue at the Paton's yard where we soon picked up THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD and VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD, then decided not to stick around waiting for Zone-tailed Hawk. 

We should have quit while we where ahead, instead we headed to Scheelite Canyon where I was unable to find a Spotted Owl despite a search of the upper reaches of the canyon. Definitely not what I needed working on so little sleep. Fortunately, it was cool.

Our evening owling session for Whiskered and Western Screech-Owls was a mixed bag despite near perfect conditions. Nightbirds became active following a typical sequence with WHIP-POOR-WILLS calling first followed by COMMON POORWILLS and then WHISKERED SCREECH-OWLS; and I was able to whistle in a male and female owl without too much effort. We then tried several spots for WESTERN SCREECH-OWL before finding a spontaneously calling bird at what has been my most reliable spot over the years. Unfortunately, the bird went silent very quickly and no amount of whistled enticement had any effect. ELF OWLS began chattering shortly after moonrise. 

Monday, May 27, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day   
First of two days with Kip Whitefield from Chicago, IL, the second day will be later in the week. We spent our time entirely in the Huachucas. Yesterdays clouds disappeared overnight and it was a much warmer day. 

[Note :Because of extreme fire danger, all units of the Coronado National Forest will be closed starting tomorrow, May 28. Unless the monsoon season begins early, it's my guess that the closure will last until at least mid July. Fortunately, my special use permit (a U.S.F.S. requirement to guide for profit on Forest Service land) allows me to access the forest until at least until June 3, and possibly beyond that. However, since I rarely work in SE AZ in June (and this year is no exception), I won't be personally affected as much as many residents and traveling birders.]

Many BOTTERI'S SPARROWS continue to sing in lower Garden Canyon grassland but I only heard one CASSIN'S SPARROW. Also singing and continuing very common and conspicuous are LARK SPARROWS. Among the other birds in the grassland were SCALED QUAIL, BLUE GROSBEAK, CANYON TOWHEE and EASTERN (LILIAN'S) MEADOWLARK.

Our session centered around the upper picnic area was very productive starting with a male ELEGANT TROGON calling from the very top of a sycamore. At least one male and female were active and calling during the hour that we spent here. Lots of birds were singing and one by one we worked to see them -- highlights were several BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS chasing around, a couple of noisy "rubber ducky" SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS, an always delightful PAINTED REDSTART and a beautiful male SCOTT'S ORIOLE singing as it foraged.

Sawmill Canyon was also very active and 2 hours and 20 minutes of birding produced 30 regular species. An ELEGANT TROGON called from its sycamore territory. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were common but not particularly vocal. GRACE'S WARBLERS were common throughout and they sang incessantly. However, we looked for many in the tops of the pines before we finally got to see one. Of course, after that we saw them lower in the trees saying "hey, look at me". Ditto for BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK that was surprisingly hard to see! We heard a distant ARIZONA WOODPECKER and were able to track down a female that tolerated close approach. RED-FACED WARBLER is often tough to find in Sawmill but a singing bird was easy to track down today. We watched a BRONZED COWBIRD working the pines, looking for nests. GREATER PEWEE is very common here but can be difficult to locate when not calling or singing. We eventually got great looks at a silent individual hawking insects next to the trail.

Around 10:00am we started up an already very warm Scheelite Canyon. I was dreading not finding an owl in the lower area and having to slog higher in the heat, especially after missing the bird yesterday and the fact that it was Monday (twice as many misses as any other day). However, a slow and methodical search turned up this SPOTTED OWL roosting in a Douglas Fir tree, notable for two reasons -- 1) Firs make up only 22% of my sightings (down to 10% if you take away one particular favorite tree); 2) I haven't seen an owl roosting in this formerly regularly used tree since April 2001. 

I keep a separate AviSys database for my Spotted Owl sightings in Scheelite, including details such as the individual trees used for roosting and their locations within the three main roosting areas. From this data I can see how the owls move up and down the canyon with the seasons and how tree types are selected by season (probably has to do with where the sun is, shady spots in summer, sunny spots in winter). My records show the following breakdown of roost tree types: Oak 70%, Fir 22% and Maple 5% (generally only used when they have leaves). The remaining 3% is made up of Juniper, Pinyon Pine and "holes in the cliffs", with the latter being the highest usage.  

Other species in the canyon included BAND-TAILED PIGEON, a male ARIZONA WOODPECKER, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, BUSHTIT, CANYON WREN, HEPATIC TANAGER and SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

53 species recorded in Garden, Sawmill & Scheelite Canyons:
Wild Turkey, Scaled Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Spotted Owl, White-throated Swift, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Elegant Trogon, Acorn & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Western Scrub-Jay, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Hutton's & Plumbeous Vireos, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Black-throated Gray, Grace's & Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstart, Yellow-eyed Junco, Lark, Botteri's & Cassin's Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Black-headed & Blue Grosbeaks, Scott's Oriole, Eastern Meadowlark and Bronzed & Brown-headed Cowbirds.

Wednesday, May 29, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day   
First of two days with Gavin & Sheila Malloch and Kevin & Lizzie Stracey all from England. We spent our time entirely in the Huachucas looking for a number of target birds. Although it was a warm day, somewhere in the high 90s in the afternoon, our 5:15am start allowed us to get things done and finish by early afternoon.

We began in lower Garden Canyon grassland where good numbers of BOTTERI'S SPARROWS were singing and easy to find. Cassin's Sparrows have been singing for the past week but that show may be over and we didn't hear any this morning.

We had to work a little harder than usual to find ELEGANT TROGON this morning. After birds pair up and nest sites are claimed, trogons become much less vocal. However, we did find several calling birds and saw both male and female at a regular nest location between the middle and upper picnic areas. In the same location we had good looks at a couple of ARIZONA WOODPECKERS. At the upper picnic area, SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS perched up and announced themselves.

Because of the mix of targets (Buff-breasted Flycatcher and Olive & Virginia's Warblers), I decided that a visit to Carr Canyon was in order. Olive has been scarce this year and Carr has always been a good location for this bird; the other two are fairly common here as well. I was very surprised not to find any obvious signs posted about the National Forest being closed, and at least four vehicles were in the canyon.

As usual, VIRGINIA'S WARBLERS were elusive and it took an hour of effort before we even located one, after which we managed good looks at a couple of birds. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were active and calling and easy to see. We spent a fair amount of time checking a couple of marginal locations before finding a stunning adult male OLIVE WARBLER in a regular and reliable spot.

Next, we backtracked to Fort Huachuca for a trip to Scheelite and started hiking up the canyon shortly after noon (I'd much rather look for Spotted Owl in the heat of the day than Virginia's and Olive Warblers!). It didn't take long to find a fairly obvious SPOTTED OWL in what was a new roosting tree only a week ago.

56 species recorded in Carr, Garden and Scheelite Canyons:
Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Spotted Owl, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Elegant Trogon, Acorn & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Western Wood-Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped & Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Hutton's, Plumbeous & Warbling Vireos. Eastern Bluebird, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Barn Swallow, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Olive, Virginia's, Black-throated Gray & Grace's Warblers, Painted Redstart, Yellow-eyed Junco, Lark & Botteri's Sparrows, Spotted Towhee, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, Pyrrhuloxia, Blue Grosbeak, Scott's Oriole, Eastern Meadowlark and Bronzed & Brown-headed Cowbirds.

Thursday, May 30, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day   
Out again today with Gavin, Kevin & Lizzie for what turned out to be a very interesting and successful trip to French Joe Canyon. In addition to seeing the warbler, I added two new species to my French Joe list that now stands at 136. We left Sierra Vista at 4:00am, entered the canyon at 4:30am and arrived at the upper spring at 5:45am. We stayed in the upper area until 8:45am then birded a little in the lower canyon. By 10:45am we were back in Sierra Vista where the temperature was already in the mid 90s. 

The sequence of calling out heard birds during our hike up the canyon in pre-dawn light was broken up when we walked into (literally) a SPOTTED OWL. The bird was in a section of the middle canyon without any suitable roosting trees so I assume that it was still hunting. (It wasn't in the tree where we last saw it when we left the canyon later on). I don't know who was more surprised, us or the owl. The bird changed locations a couple of times, each time making a bee line towards us and swerving away at the last moment. In between flights, it sat and watched us warily, very un-Spotted Owl like.

Continuing onward and upward, we reached a point where there was a strong smell of smoke; the view up canyon was quite hazy; and the temperature shot up 10-15 degrees. Very unpleasant. Shortly after arriving at the upper spring (that still has water and flowering Yellow Columbine), I heard a RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER singing in the bottom of the canyon about 50 yards above the spring. This began a sequence of scrambling, listening and looking for the birds that lasted almost three hours. 

We embarked upon two excursions from the spring to above the dry waterfall that ranked about an 8 on the death scramble scale. This is something that I've done (too) many times. I can joke about it now but it was actually quite dangerous at the time. On one return to the spring, chasing the warbler, I was surprised to hear the alarm call of an ELEGANT TROGON. A female flew up and perched for a minute or so immediately above one of the pools (where it was likely drinking). The warbler continued chipping nearby and one member of the party glimpsed it before it once again faded into obscurity.

I decided that a position above the waterfall was our best bet and this turned out to be a wise move. We climbed up there for the second time, to a location where we were able to track the birds movements by sound. Eventually, everybody managed several very good views of both adults and one juvenile being fed and foraging on its own. The juvenile doesn't have much of a rufous cap and is relatively short tailed. At one point, the adults sang continuously for about three minutes.

BLACK-CHINNED SPARROWS were very common and singing almost all of the time. SCOTT'S and HOODED ORIOLES were also very common. The only migrant noted was SWAINSON'S THRUSH (my latest spring migration record is June 3 -- published data shows them possible through the middle or end of June, depending on which book you read). Both the ELEGANT TROGON and SPOTTED OWL were new sightings for me in the canyon (although I know that the owl is regular here).

44 species recorded in the canyon:
Cooper's Hawk, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Spotted Owl, Lesser Nighthawk, White-throated Swift, Black-chinned & Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Hutton's, Plumbeous & Warbling Vireos, Swainson's Thrush, N. Mockingbird, Cactus, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, House Finch, Lucy's, Black-throated Gray & Rufous-capped Warblers, Black-chinned, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted  & Canyon Towhees, Hepatic, Summer & Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Hooded & Scott's Orioles and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Our evening owling session was mostly an exercise in frustration. To start with, despite the fact that the National Forest is closed and clearly posted, many people were still attempting to enter and the traffic seemed far worse than on a normal midweek night. We were also stopped by FS people who checked my permit -- a good thing. The 100 degree day and very warm evening apparently wasn't to the liking of the nightbirds. WHIP-POOR-WILLS started calling around the regular time and it didn't take long to locate and see WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL, but it was all downhill from there. It took well over an hour to locate and track a WESTERN SCREECH-OWL only to have it fly away as we made the final approach. A distant FLAMMULATED OWL was calling on and off for about 45 minutes. We only heard one ELF OWL the whole evening.

Friday, May 31, 2002    Previous Day    Next Day   
Second day with Kip Whitefield from Chicago, IL. A few things have changed since we went out on Monday -- the closure of all areas of Coronado National Forest has now been followed by the closure of all canyons on Fort Huachuca (ouch!). Although it hurts not to have access to all these locations, it's absolutely the right thing to do given the bone dry conditions that we have throughout Southeast Arizona. Today was another unseasonably warm day with a yucky haze of smoke obscuring all of the mountain ranges. We left town at 4:30am to visit Kino Springs and Patagonia. The temperature back in Sierra Vista at noon was 105 degrees, well above normal for this time of year. If this weather continues, it will be a miracle if we get through the next month (until the monsoons begin) without another major fire.

Kino Springs was very birdy and productive this morning. We found our first target, a singing VARIED BUNTING, before reaching the first pond. Despite the low water level, four BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS were at the first pond along with a GREAT BLUE HERON perched at the top of a tree catching the early morning sun. Among the summer residents were COMMON GROUND-DOVE,  a "zinging" male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD, all three Myiarchus flycatchers, a singing N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, BELL'S VIREO, lots of YELLOW and LUCY'S WARBLERS, several chatty and perched up YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS, SUMMER TANAGER and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. The only migrants noted were WILLOW FLYCATCHER and WILSON'S WARBLER.  

I'm happy to report that I was completely wrong about the status of TROPICAL KINGBIRD at Kino Springs this year. After seeing one here on May 3, I did not see nor hear any on three subsequent visits -- May 18, 21 and 25. I surmised that perhaps the condition of the very dry ponds was not to their liking and that they may not nest at this traditional spot this year. However, at least two birds were present at the second pond today to prove me wrong. They were typically very vocal and visible and it's hard for me to believe that they were present on the above mentioned dates. The bottom line is that they are certainly present now. Also at the second pond were the usual GRAY HAWKS

56 species recorded at Kino Springs from 5:30-8:00am.
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Great Blue Heron, Gray & Red-tailed Hawks, Gambel's Quail, Killdeer, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Common Ground-Dove, Broad-billed, Black-chinned & Costa's Hummingbirds, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Western Wood-Pewee, Say's & Black Phoebes, Willow, Vermilion, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Tropical & Cassin's Kingbirds, Common Raven, Bell's Vireo, Phainopepla, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, Bewick's Wren, Verdin, N. Rough-winged, Barn & Cliff Swallows, House Sparrow, House Finch, Lucy's, Yellow & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Song Sparrow, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Summer Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, N. Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak, Varied Bunting, Bullock's Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird. 

A stop at the Roadside Rest area produced a THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD -- we could hear them on arrival but it took a little while before one put in an appearance (just as well because we didn't hear or see the birds that are nesting at the Paton's). Also here was a very close and loud NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET.

The most interesting bird in the Paton's yard was a hybrid female GAMBEL'S x SCALED QUAIL. I didn't notice until I got home and browsed through my photos! The bird has the "jizz" and top knot of a Scaled otherwise it looks like a normal female Gambel's. Hummingbird activity was fairly high and several VIOLET-CROWNED were around along with many BROAD-BILLED and BLACK-CHINNED. Other birds in and around the yard included GRAY HAWK, BAND-TAILED PIGEON, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, ACORN WOODPECKER, SUMMER TANAGER and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. We waited around unsuccessfully for Zone-tailed Hawk to come by and then cruised Blue Heaven Road, also without success.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Friday, May 31, 2002.

Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - May, 2002 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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