Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - April, 2003 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Wednesday, April 30, 2003.

Wednesday, April 2, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
After a couple of days off following my trip to California, I spent a little time doing some close-to-home birding this morning. Under partly cloudy skies I visited the San Pedro river where it was extremely windy and Sierra Vista EOP where it was even windier. In retrospect, I should have stayed at home.

Even though the cottonwoods and willows along the river have greened up nicely, the birds don't seemed to have noticed yet. YELLOW WARBLERS are now abundant, of course; LUCY'S WARBLERS and VERMILION FLYCATCHERS were present but not highly visible. Given the windy conditions, the trees could have been loaded with migrants and I wouldn't have seen them any of them. 

Bird activity was greatest at the feeders around the San Pedro House. BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS were buzzing around everywhere and at least one AMERICAN GOLDFINCH continues in with the many LESSER GOLDFINCHES.

Even allowing for the effects of the wind, I was surprised by the lack of species -- I recorded only 23. This has generally been a poor winter for birds on the San Pedro, however, they should be far more abundant at this time and there's perhaps some reason for concern. I checked my records for the past 10 years and found that the average number of species seen on a visit to the Highway 90 area of the San Pedro during the first week in April is 43, with a low of 35 and a high of 50. The big pond continues to disappoint and the only bird that I saw there today was a lone COOT.

It was literally blowing a gale at SVEOP and I almost failed to see a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD (hell must be freezing over at the edges). CINNAMON TEAL continue to increase in numbers and I saw my first BARN SWALLOWS for this location, a little later than their normal mid March arrival date (although I have seem them elsewhere).

Friday, April 4, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
The weather improved today after yet another windy day yesterday. Did I mention that I hate wind? The day began mild and calm, becoming quite warm and a little breezy around lunchtime.

I spent the morning at Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast -- thanks again to Mary Jo Ballator for her hospitality. It's been a couple of weeks since I was here and the changes were quite noticeable -- lots more birds and lots more birders! LESSER GOLDFINCH numbers are way down but many PINE SISKINS continue along with at least 3 male and 3 female CASSIN'S FINCHES.

The most significant change was in hummingbirds, both in terms of number of species (9 seen) and number of individuals. ANNA'S are perhaps still the most common species, although many aggressive RUFOUS were almost as numerous. BROAD-BILLED,  BLACK-CHINNED and BROAD-TAILED were present in small numbers along with at least one pair of MAGNIFICENT, a zinging male COSTA'S, a couple of brief appearances from a male LUCIFER and 2 female CALLIOPE (or the same one seen twice!).

I exercised a little patience watching and waiting as a female ARIZONA WOODPECKER spent time inside and outside of a cavity that she was excavating. As you can see, my patience was rewarded with a good photograph, my first of this species in my budding career as a digiscoper. Nearby COOPER'S HAWKS didn't seem to faze the woodpecker one iota. 

I didn't fare so well trying to photograph a beautiful male SCOTT'S ORIOLE, my first of the season. The bird would insist on visiting a can of grape jelly instead of the oranges that I was focused on. By the time I reacted, the bird was gone. You snooze you lose.

32 species at (or nearby) the feeders from 8:00-11:40am.
Cooper's Hawk, White-winged & Inca Doves, Broad-billed, Magnificent, Lucifer, Black-chinned, Anna's, Costa's, Calliope, Broad-tailed & Rufous Hummingbirds, Acorn, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, Say's Phoebe, Mexican Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Bushtit, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Cassin's Finch, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Pyrrhuloxia and Scott's Oriole.

A lunchtime visit to Sierra Vista EOP was surprisingly wind free. Highlights were a lone SNOW GOOSE and a MERLIN, presumably the same individuals that have been around for a while. The Snow Goose sighting is close to my latest record at the sewage ponds of April 6, 1994. The Merlin is my latest record for the ponds, although my latest SE AZ sighting is April 9, 1999 on the San Pedro and I have a late date of April 20, 2002 in Maricopa County.

26 species at Sierra Vista EOP from 12:00-1:00pm
Snow Goose, Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Am. Coot, Say's Phoebe, Chihuahuan Raven, Verdin, Tree, N. Rough-winged, Barn & Cliff Swallows, House Finch, Song & Vesper Sparrows, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Meadowlark and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Sunday, April 6, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Yesterday was yet another windy day and after a clear night it was quite cool when I headed out this morning for a routine jaunt into the Huachucas. It may be spring but there was still some ice in the puddles along upper Garden Canyon road and frost on the grass in the shady spots of Sawmill Canyon.

After being scarce all winter in Garden Canyon mesquite-grassland, VESPER SPARROWS were very common today and I assume they were migrants, not wintering birds. LUCY'S WARBLER'S were singing here.

As I drove by the upper picnic area, a little flurry of activity produced ARIZONA WOODPECKER, CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, PAINTED REDSTART, HEPATIC TANAGER and SCOTT'S ORIOLE. A small group of WILD TURKEYS were near the pictograph site.

My primary objective in Sawmill was to confirm the arrival of Greater Pewee. They usually become regular here during the first week in April (and I have some March records). However, despite a careful check of the first 1.5 miles of the canyon where they breed, I did not see or hear one. I was also hoping too find Dusky-capped Flycatcher and Cassin's Kingbird, both of which usually move into the canyon from lower elevation around this time.

I walked slowly and stopped to listen often along the first 1.5 mile stretch of the canyon. I detected 16 BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS (up from 2 on my last visit on March 24) and 10 GRACE'S WARBLERS. Other species present included at least 4 ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, many singing BROWN CREEPERS, at least 6 HUTTON'S VIREOS, 2 PAINTED REDSTARTS and a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER. 

33 species in Sawmill and the drive through Garden:
Wild Turkey, Mourning Dove, Arizona Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Cassin's Kingbird, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Lucy's, Black-throated Gray & Grace's Warblers, Painted Redstart, Chipping & Vesper Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, Hepatic Tanager, Scott's Oriole and Eastern Meadowlark.

An hour or so during late morning at Sierra Vista EOP was more notable for the occasion than the birds -- it was my 800th visit. I was hoping for a couple of season firsts here and I was 50% successful. A soaring SWAINSON'S HAWK worked the area for a while but I failed to find a Western Kingbird. The Swainson's is about on time for this location (I've seen them on 10% of visits during the last week in March and 40% of visits during the first week of April).  I have a few Western Kingbird records for the same periods but it's normally the second week of April before they return in numbers.

The lone SNOW GOOSE continues and now ties my late date (will it stay another day? I can't stand the tension). GADWALL and CLIFF SWALLOWS were both very common.

I patrolled the fence line along Moson Road looking for a Western but found only CASSIN'S KINGBIRD. By standing on my vehicle to see the ponds in this area (the only significant open water "visible"), I was able to add REDHEAD and LESSER SCAUP to the handful of ducks seen from the observation platform.

25 species at Sierra Vista EOP:
Snow Goose, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, N. Harrier, Swainson's Hawk, Am. Coot, Mourning Dove, Say's Phoebe, Cassin's Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Verdin, Tree, Barn & Cliff Swallows, House Finch, Song & Savannah Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbird and Eastern Meadowlark.

Monday, April 7, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
Finally, a day without wind and one that was considerably warmer than recent days. In Sierra Vista, the temperature was 37 degrees at 5:00am, 70 degrees by noon and in the high 70s in mid afternoon. I spent the morning in Patagonia and made a mid afternoon visit to Sierra Vista EOP.

Birding at Patagonia Lake State Park was rather slow and somewhat disappointing in terms of migrants and returning species, although I did turn up over 60 species. The best bird for me was the continuing male COMMON GOLDENEYE, a new April species for me in southeast Arizona. Activity on the water has declined now that the ducks are departing (no Mergansers today). Many NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS and a couple of DOUBLE-CRESTED were present along with a few EARED GREBES, CINNAMON TEAL, REDHEAD and some roosting BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS. [I thought the ducks that I photographed were too far away but a couple of shots turned out reasonably well.] 

In terms of flycatchers, the boys of summer were represented by at least 6 NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS, BLACK PHOEBE, numerous VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, 2 calling DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS and several CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS. The only winter empid that I found was DUSKY FLYCATCHER.

Summer resident LUCY'S & YELLOW WARBLERS and BELL'S VIREOS were very common and singing throughout. Migrants included OSPREY, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, TREE SWALLOW and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.

A singing RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW was only my second record here. I suspect they are uncommon residents here but they frequent areas where few people (including me) spend time birding. GREATER ROADRUNNERS were singing from the dry slopes.

The male BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER was near the nest around 9:00am.

A stop at the Roadside Rest produced some of the same species as at the lake, including DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER and numerous LUCY'S WARBLERS, and I added GRAY HAWK, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT and a migrant male BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD.

Birding in the Paton's yard also seemed slow despite the presence of 30+ species. Five species of hummers were regular at the feeders -- many BROAD-BILLED (I chose this shot of a female because it certainly lives up to the name), several stunning VIOLET-CROWNED, a few each of BLACK-CHINNED & ANNA'S, and a male RUFOUS. 

Several noisy GRAY HAWKS were in the area and occasionally visible. An unseen NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET was present along with female BULLOCK'S and a male SCOTT'S ORIOLE. A few CASSIN'S FINCHES and PINE SISKINS continue.

The SNOW GOOSE continues at Sierra Vista EOP -- will it stay into week 2? Other species here today from 30 seen included CINNAMON TEAL, LESSER SCAUP, WHITE-FACED IBIS, LEAST SANDPIPER (reward for more standing-on-car), SORA, and lots of CLIFF SWALLOWS & YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

Day list (100 species recorded):
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Neotropic & Double-crested Cormorants, Ruddy Duck, Snow Goose, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White-faced Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, N. Harrier, Gray, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Least Sandpiper, Rock, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Greater Roadrunner, White-throated Swift, Broad-billed, Violet-crowned, Black-chinned, Anna's, Broad-tailed & Rufous Hummingbirds, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Say's & Black Phoebes, Dusky, Vermilion & Dusky-capped Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Bell's & Plumbeous Vireos, Phainopepla, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Cactus, Canyon, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, Tree, Barn & Cliff Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Cassin's & House Finches, Orange-crowned, Lucy's, Yellow & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping, Vesper & Rufous-winged Sparrows, Abert's Towhee, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Bullock's & Scott's Orioles, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackle.

Tuesday, April 8, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
This morning I visited French Joe Canyon to check on the warblers and Sierra Vista EOP to check on the goose. It was another calm day, warmer than yesterday with a rather yucky haze hanging in the San Pedro Valley.

I entered French Joe Canyon at 5:40am, a little later than I would have liked, and started hiking just before sunrise at 6:00am when it was surprisingly cold. Consequently, a brisk hike wasn't much of a chore and I arrived in the upper area at 6:40am. to find both RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLERS singing fairly high up on the south slope. I considered my options of going to look for the birds or waiting for them to come to me. Although I've been burned a few times by choosing the latter, I decided to stay put since I wasn't with a client and it didn't really matter if I saw the birds or not.

My strategy paid off handsomely at 7:00am when both warblers suddenly appeared at my location. They were close enough to touch and way too close for a photograph. After about 5 minutes of orgasmic views the birds fell silent and soon disappeared and I didn't see them again in the next 30 minutes. In retrospect, my timing was perfect! I actually took one rather poor photograph of a skulking bird. Nothing like the shot I managed on my last visit on March 17, but certainly good enough to document the occasion. 

There was a fair amount of migrant activity in the canyon today and I noted 3 HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS (a common April migrant here), 6+ TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS, 4 BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS and one PAINTED REDSTART. A couple of STELLER'S JAYS were in the lower oaks which I thought was somewhat surprising this late in the season. Equally as surprising was the fact that I didn't see or hear a single hummingbird. RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS were abundant and singing their hearts out, perhaps gathering for departure.

Other species from a total of 35 that I recorded in the canyon included a mix of residents and summer breeders such as ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, BUSHTIT, CRISSAL THRASHER, HUTTON'S VIREO, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, BLACK-CHINNED, BLACK-THROATED & RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS, SPOTTED TOWHEE and HOODED & SCOTT'S ORIOLES.

I arrived at Sierra Vista EOP at 9:00am when it was already quite warm and long range visibility was poor. I had to wait about 50 minutes until the SNOW GOOSE flew into the marsh from an out-of-sight pond (all ponds are out of sight). The next milestone will be to see if the bird will stay into week 3! Other species today among 30 recorded were PIED-BILLED GREBE (now scarce here), REDHEAD, 1 female LESSER SCAUP, several SWAINSON'S HAWKS and CASSIN'S KINGBIRD (still no Western noted).

Day list: (65 species recorded):
Pied-billed Grebe, Snow Goose, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, Hammond's & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Western Scrub-Jay, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan Raven, Hutton's Vireo, N. Mockingbird, Crissal Thrasher, Cactus, Canyon, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Tree, Violet-green, N. Rough-winged & Barn Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's & Rufous-capped Warblers, Painted Redstart, Dark-eyed Junco, Song, Savannah, Black-chinned, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, N. Cardinal, Hooded & Scott's Orioles, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark and Great-tailed Grackle.

Wednesday, April 9, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
Have you ever had one of those days? I think I experienced several of them all rolled into one today. I had scheduled a few days in the White Mountains starting today, but due to a combination of circumstances I was ready to cancel at one point this morning. As I look back on the events of the day, maybe I should have done just that. I had planned a 5:00am getaway for an early morning check of Willcox and still be in the White Mountains by late morning. The day didn't quite go according to plan.

While in French Joe Canyon yesterday, the contents of my backpack spilled out and scattered every which way, and when I got home I discovered that I had lost a camera battery. I decided not to make a special trip back for a $30 item, figuring that someone might find it or that I would find it on my trip early next week. However, last night when I went to get cash for my trip, I discovered that I had lost my ATM card. Now it was more serious. This morning I headed back to French Joe and started hiking while it was still pitch black (kinda scary) in order to reach the right spot by first light. Unfortunately, I failed to find anything. Now it was back to town to report the lost card and get some cash the old fashioned way -- at a bank! What a complete bummer to make a trip to the canyon and not look for the warbler. A consolation was 3 COMMON POORWILLS sitting in the road and at least as many more calling from the slopes. A nocturnal PAINTED REDSTART was also calling.

Before leaving home I decided to check my tire pressures and then headed to a gas station to get some air. While on the way, I got a flat tire which turned out to be not repairable!  I spent 30 minutes putting on the spare and another hour waiting to get a new tire fitted. With the places that I go, I long ago discovered that tire hazard warranties are a good thing for me and a brand new tire cost only $30. But wait.. to add insult to injury, the guys doing the work broke the handle off my hood release. Bear with me, I'm almost done, but this nightmare day wasn't quite over yet  Driving on I-10 a truck whizzed by me and sent a rock into my windshield creating a chip. It hasn't cracked any further yet but knowing my luck, it surely will. Does shit happen or what? What a day! (In 2001, I replaced my windshield 3 times!)

I finally started birding at Willcox at 11:00am. Some thin cloud cover kept the temperature down but the late morning wind was a serious problem. I was shocked when a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE battling the wind decided to perch so close that I had to back up to photograph it. The bird was so intent on keeping its balance that it didn't seem to bother about me and I managed a pretty good photograph as the bird glared at me for 5 minutes. The first good thing so far today. I wanted to get under way again so my birding here was pretty skimpy. I managed 30 species in about an hour. In addition to the regular wintering duck species, I noted 2 ROSS'S GEESE, 2 FRANKLIN'S GULLS, lots of AMERICAN AVOCETS, a couple of BLACK-NECKED STILTS, and a handful of LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS and WILSON'S PHALAROPES. The least common species here was a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT (I've don't see them here every year). 

I left Willcox at 12:15pm and rolled into Luna Lake at 3:35pm, not bad since I had to deal with continuing construction north of Safford. I gave the lake a quick once-over seeing an adult BALD EAGLE perched near the nest (that already has at least one eaglet), an OSPREY working over the lake and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS back on territory.

In Nutrioso I picked up LEWIS'S WOODPECKER (easy to spot in the still bare cottonwoods) and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD. The reservoir here had a good selection including over 50 BUFFLEHEADS. Next, I checked Nelson Reservoir that also had lots of Buffleheads. The habitat here is excellent for shorebirds but none were present.

After checking into my motel in Springerville (77 degrees at 5:30pm), I finished the day at Becker Lake where only a couple of WESTERN GREBES and an OSPREY were of note. My White Mountain birding was quite limited today due to the 5 hours that I pissed away this morning. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day. 

Day list (73 species recorded):
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes, Double-crested Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Ross's Goose, Canada Goose, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Long-billed Dowitcher, Least Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, Black-necked Stilt, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Franklin's Gull, Rock, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Common Poorwill, Lewis's Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, Steller's Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Mountain Bluebird, Am. Robin, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, Canyon Wren, Bewick's Wren, Barn Swallow, Mountain Chickadee, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, House Finch, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Painted Redstart, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper & Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhee, Scott's Oriole, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks and Great-tailed Grackle.

Thursday, April 10, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Today I birded a number of White Mountain locations without spending too much time at any of them. In order, I visited Sipe Wildlife Area, Nelson Reservoir, Becker Lake, South Fork, Greer Lakes, West Fork in Greer, White Mountain Reservoir, Sunrise Lake, Wenima Wildlife Area and Becker Lake again.

Compared to last year at this time, there's much more snow at higher elevations, lots of running water in all the creeks, high water levels in all the lakes and reservoirs -- and far less birds! This really is too early to be in the mountains, especially this year, but I'm unable to come later in the month and I'd rather be here at a less than ideal time than not at all. I don't know of any other way to gather data except to go out and do it. If negative data is valuable, I sure collected a lot of it today. Riparian habitats are barely starting to leaf out and migrant landbirds are essentially non-existent. The road from Sunrise to Big Lake is still closed and Sunrise Lake is mostly ice.

I gave pride of place this morning to Sipe Wildlife Area, a place that I always enjoy birding. It was here that I got my first indication that I won't be finding much in the way of migrants on this trip. Far more of a disappointment, however, was discovering that many of the deciduous trees around the headquarters area have been severely trimmed. Sipe is a good place for RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS and I usually see multiple birds here. Today I had to work hard to find just one. I'm not sure what management practices are being employed here but they are certainly not designed to encourage birds. Another, more general, problem is that the area is too well manicured with grasses and weeds cut back. I'm sure they have their reasons for this. I normally talk to the area manager when I'm here but I didn't see him today. I birded for a couple of hours and recorded about 30 species, but surprisingly I didn't see or hear the normally common Pinyon Jays. MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were quite common and any day with this bird can't be all bad.

My second disappointment of the day came at West Fork in Greer. The Little Colorado river here is a great spot for Dipper and one of the best areas is centered around the Red Setter Inn. The area of the river immediately upstream from the Inn is now fenced, posted, and inaccessible. Although I was still able to walk down the  private road just downstream from the Inn to reach the bridge (a dipper nesting spot), there is now a "no trespassing" sign at the bridge so even standing on the bridge would be illegal. The next bridge downstream (also on a private road) is still accessible and I did find AMERICAN DIPPER there. I then enjoyed a walk upstream and found HAIRY WOODPECKER, CLARK'S NUTCRACKER, AMERICAN DIPPER, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, "Red-backed" DARK-EYED JUNCO and a few other common species.

After an excellent lunch at the Rendezvous Diner in Greer (give it a try and tell the owner that the bird guy from Sierra Vista sent you), I took the back road above Greer to White Mountain Reservoir. I had some hairy moments in the snow on FR 87F but I made it through. The water level in the reservoir was very high but there wasn't much in the way of birds so I continued on to Sunrise only to find that highway 273 is still closed. I decided to cut through on FR 112 to highway 260 but failed about 1 mile from 260. I got stuck in the snow about 20 yards from clear road (the snow was too deep and forced my wheels off the ground). Four wheel drive and zero traction. I walked a mile then flagged down a Forest Service vehicle who called a tow truck. They guy only had to tow me about 10 feet and I was able to drive again (but that was a very significant 10 feet!). I ended up $80 poorer and perhaps not any wiser A little adventure for the day, not quite as bad as yesterday though. Oh yes, and the quick release plate for my scope busted. You can't make this stuff up. What will tomorrow bring?

Day list (59 species recorded):
Pied-billed & Western Grebes, Double-crested Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Mallard, Green-winged, Blue-winged & Cinnamon Teal, N Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Red-naped Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Say's & Black Phoebes, Steller's Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, Am. Crow, Common Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Am. Dipper, Western & Mountain Bluebirds, Am. Robin, European Starling, Pygmy Nuthatch, Rock & Canyon Wrens, Tree & Violet-green Swallows, Ruby-crowned & Golden-crowned Kinglets, Mountain Chickadee, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Pine Siskin, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned, Savannah, Chipping & Vesper Sparrows, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds and Eastern & Western Meadowlarks. 

Friday, April 11, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
Before heading home today I visited Lyman Lake State Park, just north of the mountains, then checked Nelson Reservoir, several locations around Nutrioso, and finally, Luna Lake. Back in southeast Arizona I checked Willcox. After a cold start (32 degrees in Springerville at 5:45am) it was a clear and warm day.

The water level at Lyman Lake is high and plenty of waterfowl were present. Habitat for shorebirds is excellent at the south end of the lake but I wasn't able to find any shorebirds. Among the 25 species that I recorded were several WESTERN GREBES, lots of CINNAMON TEAL, SNOWY EGRET, couple of  BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, 2 RING-BILLED GULLS and 5 FRANKLIN'S GULLS. 

At Nelson Reservoir, a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT was singing in the marsh and I finally recorded a warbler other than Yellow-rumped (and even they were scarce). Species on the water included REDHEAD, many continuing BUFFLEHEADS and a couple of COMMON GOLDENEYES.

It was a beautiful morning by the time that I reached Nutrioso and there was a significant amount of activity around town. The most interesting bird was ACORN WOODPECKER. Almost all of my Acorn sightings in the White Mountains (away from the south White Mountains) have been in the Nutrioso area, but this is the first one that I have seen right in town. Also in town were a couple of EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES that have been in residence here for several years now. The birds were sitting on a wire until they realized I was interested in them, at which point they flew into a tree. However, they didn't cheat me out of a photograph! This second shot highlights the undertail and shows the contrasting dark/light area and dark outer webs that differentiate this species from Ringed Turtle-Dove (not that there was any doubt here). 

I then checked another neighborhood looking hard for Pinyon Jays without success, seeing only STELLER'S JAY and the first WESTERN SCRUB-JAY of my trip. Over the past several days I've birded at 4 good locations for Pinyon Jay (including Sipe WA, South Fork and Nelson Reservoir three times) without even hearing one. They irrupted to SE AZ this year and perhaps they are still scarce in the White Mountains.  

I finished up my White Mountain birding at Luna Lake where an adult BALD EAGLE was again near the nest. Among the species present there today that I didn't see on Wednesday were 9 RING-BILLED GULLS, my only BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD of the trip, PYGMY NUTHATCH, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW and VESPER SPARROW. Conditions here were excellent with zero wind, glassy water, a clear blue sky, and a pleasantly warm temperature; and it was with some reluctance that I headed south.

Compared to my trip at this time last year, I recorded significantly fewer species in the White Mountains (76 versus 93 in 2002) and noted fewer migrants and returning summer residents (for example, I didn't see Brewer's Blackbird, an abundant summer bird here). However, my trip was valuable to me because it confirmed that April week 2 is simply too early for landbird migration. I didn't add any species to my overall White Mountain list on this trip, however, I did pickup a few new species for specific areas that I track within the mountains.

After a 3.5 hour journey I arrived at Willcox where, surprisingly, the wind was calm. On the downside, the temperature here was definitely on the toasty side (high 90s) and it felt more like June than April. The two continuing ROSS'S GEESE definitely seemed out of place. The main pond was teeming with waterfowl with many of the same species present on Wednesday still around. Highlights were three gull species -- 1 RING-BILLED, 1 BONAPARTE'S and 3 FRANKLIN'S. 

Someone threw the WESTERN KINGBIRD switch while I was gone -- I saw my first of season near Safford and they were quite numerous at Willcox.

Day list (75 species recorded):
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes, Double-crested Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Ross's Goose, Canada Goose, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White-faced Ibis, Bald Eagle, N. Harrier, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Phalarope, Black-necked Stilt, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Ring-billed, Bonaparte's & Franklin's Gulls, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Rock, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Say's & Black Phoebes, Western Kingbird, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Am. Crow, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Loggerhead Shrike, Western & Mountain Bluebirds, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, European Starling, Pygmy & White-breasted Nuthatches, Cactus Wren, Violet-green Swallow, House Sparrow, Pine Siskin, House Finch, Common Yellowthroat, Dark-eyed Junco, Savannah, Chipping & Vesper Sparrows, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern & Western Meadowlark and Great-tailed Grackle.

Monday, April 14, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
First of two days with Peter and Mary Landry from Montreal, Quebec. We have three possible target birds -- Ruddy Ground-Dove, Black-capped Gnatcatcher and Rufous-capped warbler, the first two of which I didn't even expect to be around when we scheduled this trip back in late February.

We started birding in Tubac where we poked around looking for the pair of Ruddy Ground-Doves seen here exactly one week ago. I was never hopeful of relocating the birds so late in the season (essentially a winter bird in SE AZ) and that's the way it panned out. Since the bird wasn't reported from here during the winter months, I guessed (and it's only a guess) that they were probably in transit when sighted last week. The lack of Inca Doves and/or Common Ground-Doves in the area tended to reinforce that theory. It would have been a needle in a haystack job even if the birds were definitely present and the experience certainly makes me appreciate the convenience and reliability of finding them in the Paton's yard this winter. [I later found out that the birds were still present as of April 15, so much for my theory!] 

A number of common species typical to mesquite, willow and cottonwood riparian habitat were present and I picked up my season first YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.

The challenge associated with finding BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER at Patagonia Lake during the winter months has long gone and it's now just a matter of going to the nest site (at least until the young fledge!). We witnessed one nest exchange during our time there with the female leaving and the male taking over. Although not a challenge to find, it was certainly a challenge to photograph the bird due to the distance, very narrow viewing window through vegetation, poor light and a strong breeze. I did manage this usable photo of the male at the nest. (total power on this shot was 88X, 22X scope lens and 4X on the camera). For an uncropped version showing more context, click here. Compared to how the bird looked during winter, its black cap is now obvious and the previously bold eye ring has become a rather weak crescent confined to the area underneath the eye, even weaker and darker above the eye. Also note how the black cap extends well below the eye (unlike Black-tailed). The long bill is also apparent. 

We didn't do much other birding here, consequently the list of species seen was minimal. However,  I did pick up another season first in SUMMER TANAGER. Several NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS were singing as was LEAST BITTERN. 

Day list (44 species recorded):
Pied-billed Grebe, Neotropic & Double-crested Cormorants, Least Bittern, Black & Turkey Vultures, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Broad-billed & Anna's Hummingbirds, Gila Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Vermilion & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Common Raven, Bell's Vireo, Phainopepla, Cactus, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Barn Swallow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Lucy's, Yellow & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Chipping, Lark & Rufous-winged Sparrows, Abert's Towhee, Summer Tanager, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Tuesday, April 15, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Peter Landry on a day that definitely qualifies as a bad day at the office. What an absolutely diabolical morning to visit French Joe Canyon. We entered the canyon at 5:00am thinking that the high wind was going to be our biggest enemy. By the time that we left around noon we had seen rain, hail, sleet and heavy snow! 

We reached the upper spring around 7:00am where it was very cold and windy. The mountain ridges were socked in with heavy clouds but that didn't prevent a couple of screaming and soaring PEREGRINE FALCONS from entertaining us as we settled down to wait and listen. About 7:30am, I heard a distant RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER singing but the bird never materialized or sang again over the next two hours. Activity was low with just my season first HERMIT WARBLER and a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER seen; and a singing SCOTT'S ORIOLE heard. The weather steadily worsened, first with some light rain and hail that eventually turned to sleet and finally, heavy snow. We took cover (not that there was much) and waited -- despite the conditions I was reluctant to leave because I had heard the warbler. However, as the snow became heavier, common sense prevailed and we decided to throw in the towel.

Had any other fools been around to see us, we would have looked two very forlorn and dejected characters as we trudged back down canyon in the snow. It was a challenge just to maintain our footing on the slick rocks and, at this point, the thought of seeing a warbler was the furthest thing from my mind. We had essentially written off any chance of that. Amazingly, however, as we reached "snow line", two RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLERS burst into song very close to the trail. Soon afterwards they crossed the trail and disappeared, never to be seen or heard again. However, given the conditions, we considered this fortuitous encounter to be a major success. What surprised me most of all was the sighting location -- a good 1/2 mile below their "normal" winter range. The birds had obviously headed down canyon to a point where the snow wasn't falling.  

As might be imagined, birds were generally hard to come by today (although the lower area was fairly active around 11:30am as the weather improved). I recorded the following 30 species:

Cooper's Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Hammond's, Dusky & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Hutton's & Plumbeous Vireos, Hermit Thrush, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Finch, Black-throated Gray, Hermit & Rufous-capped Warblers, Black-chinned & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Northern Cardinal and Scott's Oriole.

Wednesday, April 16, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
I wasn't feeling very well today but I wanted to check Sierra Vista EOP to see if the Snow Goose was still around -- if it is I didn't see it! Apart from resident MALLARDS, duck numbers were way down with only GREEN-WINGED TEAL still around in numbers. WESTERN KINGBIRDS are now common. The highlight was a beautiful SWAINSON'S HAWK, soaring in good light.

20 species recorded at Sierra Vista EOP:
Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Turkey Vulture, Swainson's Hawk, Am. Coot, Least Sandpiper, Mourning Dove, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, N. Mockingbird, Barn & Cliff Swallows, House Finch, Common Yellowthroat, Song Sparrow and Red-winged Blackbird.

Friday, April 18, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
I've been under the weather since Wednesday and finally ventured out for an hour or so today. I was scheduled to work but had to cancel since I knew I wouldn't be fit enough for a full day afield. I visited Garden Canyon during the late morning hours.

I was cheered up somewhat by my first of season sightings of RED-FACED WARBLER and ELEGANT TROGON. Although I only saw a male trogon, others saw a female and, judging from the behavior they described, it would appear that the male was trying to induce the female to check out a cavity (in a regularly used sycamore at the upper picnic area). This surprised me a little because the females usually arrive a week or so after the males have duked it out to establish territories.

From my own sighting database, the average return date of trogons in Garden Canyon is April 17, with extremes of March 31 and April 25. If my single early record of March 31 in 2002 is ignored, the average becomes April 19. In fact, in most years my first sighting has come on April 18 or 19 -- although sample interval is obviously a factor. [Note: I've seen trogons in the canyon in every month of the year so it can be a little tricky to differentiate wintering birds from returning birds. However, I have a high degree of confidence that the above data reflects real return dates.]

The upper picnic area was alive with birds and crawling with trogon seekers. HUTTON'S VIREOS and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS were common and singing in multiple locations. DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS and PAINTED REDSTARTS were fairly common. Among the other species here included BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER, CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, VIRGINIA'S WARBLER and HEPATIC TANAGER in the "Magic Willow". I once saw 20 species in the big willow at the upper picnic area and dubbed it magic (kinda like that hedge in Chicago). 

A couple of BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were also present (first noted here a couple of weeks ago) and it would appear that they will nest at the upper picnic area again for the fourth consecutive year. The habitat here seems a little marginal, although it's clear that the birds don't agree!

In the mesquite grassland of the lower canyon I stopped to check a tiny hummer that turned out to be a male COSTA'S, the first one that I've seen in Garden Canyon (they are uncommon at best anywhere in the Huachucas). Other birds here included ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, several WESTERN KINGBIRDS, singing LUCY'S WARBLERS and a small flock of LARK SPARROWS.

34 species recorded in Garden Canyon:
Turkey Vulture, Costa's & Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Acorn Woodpecker, Hammond's,  Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Mexican Jay, Common Raven, Hutton's & Plumbeous Vireos, Phainopepla, Hermit Thrush, N. Mockingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, Virginia's, Lucy's, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray & Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstart, Lark Sparrow, Hepatic Tanager and Eastern Meadowlark.

Saturday, April 19, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
An uninspiring visit to Sierra Vista EOP yielded my season first BANK SWALLOW and very little else. Even after checking the Moson Road ponds, the only duck I could find was MALLARD and not a single shorebird was present. 

15 species recorded:
Mallard, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Coot, Mourning Dove, Western Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, N. Rough-winged, Bank, Barn & Cliff Swallows, House Finch, Lucy's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat and Red-winged Blackbird.

Sunday, April 20, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Janice Smith from Bristol, VA and Ruth Martin from Kingsport, TN. We birded at Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs, Patagonia Roadside Rest and in the Paton's yard. After a calm and mild start it was quite warm and a little breezy by midday.

Patagonia Lake was teeming with people today and the campground was full. Thankfully, however, not many of them made it to the trails shortly after sunrise when we began  Activity on the water was minimal but landbird activity was high.

Both male and female BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS were feeding young -- they won't be at the nest for too much longer. Viewing with a scope from a distance (outside the "safety zone"), I could only see two young birds. However, I talked with ranger Rob Van Zandt who had initially seen three eggs in the nest and four young birds earlier this week.

Among the 57 species seen here in three hours (only walking as far as the gnatcatcher nest) were NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, a couple of REDHEADS, calling LEAST BITTERN, OSPREY, numerous N. BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS, a lone DUSKY FLYCATCHER, several (vocalizing) PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS, the usual conspicuous VERMILION FLYCATCHERS; calling DUSKY-CAPPED & ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS both fairly easy to see, lots of elusive BELL'S VIREOS singing their where did the little shit go, what did the little shit do song (we eventually tracked one down), a lone AMERICAN ROBIN and several RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS & MARSH WRENS, both of which typically leave the lake at the end of April. Warblers were represented by a few ORANGE-CROWNED, numerous LUCY'S, YELLOW & YELLOW-RUMPED, a few WILSON'S and plenty of COMMON YELLOWTHROATS. 

Next we visited Kino Springs to ensure a good look at GRAY HAWK -- easily seen at the second "pond" (we later had a fly-by at the Roadside Rest and a heard only at Paton's, so coming here paid off). The water is rapidly disappearing at the second pond which held two SPOTTED and one LEAST SANDPIPER and zero ducks, not even a Coot (the first pond is completely dry). 

A check of the Roadside Rest didn't produce Brown-crested Flycatcher or Thick-billed Kingbird. A small flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS were in the hackberry trees. WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were abundant and noisy.

The Paton's Yard was initially quite active but by 11:30am activity had all but ceased. Highlights from 20+ species noted were a COOPER'S HAWK nailing a WHITE-WINGED DOVE, five hummingbird species including VIOLET-CROWNED and RUFOUS, a fair number of brightly colored male LAZULI BUNTINGS, one female CASSIN'S FINCH and female HOODED & BULLOCK'S ORIOLES. A White-throated Sparrow was present (presumably one of the wintering birds) but we didn't see it.

Day list (78 species recorded):
Pied-billed Grebe, Neotropic Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Mallard, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Great Blue Heron, Least Bittern, Black & Turkey Vultures, Osprey, Sharp-shinned, Cooper's & Gray Hawks, Am. Coot, Spotted & Least Sandpipers, Killdeer, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, White-throated Swift, Broad-billed, Violet-crowned, Black-chinned, Anna's & Rufous Hummingbirds, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Dusky, Pacific-slope, Vermilion, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Common Raven, Bell's Vireo, Phainopepla, Cedar Waxwing, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Canyon, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Barn & Cliff Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, Cassin's & House Finches, Orange-crowned, Lucy's, Yellow, Yellow-rumped & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping & Lark Sparrows, Summer Tanager, N. Cardinal, Lazuli Bunting, Hooded & Bullock's Orioles, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Tuesday, April 22, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
First of two days with Linda Felker from Eagan, MN. The weather guys were right for a change (in a bad way) and it was a very windy day today. Nevertheless, we had an excellent day in the field and managed to find all six target birds for the day.

Our first stop was the upper picnic area in Garden Canyon where we easily found and had great looks at male and female ELEGANT TROGONS. By 7:15am the birds had stopped calling and we moved on. Also in the area were ARIZONA WOODPECKER and BUFF-BREASTED, HAMMOND'S & DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS. We continued on up canyon to Sawmill seeing WILD TURKEY and TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE along the way.

Although we had to work quite hard for our birds in an initially quiet Sawmill Canyon, we eventually had good views of both targets here -- BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER and OLIVE WARBLER. Birds seen during the search included STELLER'S JAY, HUTTON'S & PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, HERMIT & GRACE'S WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, HEPATIC TANAGER and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO. I heard only some very brief calls (no song) from GREATER PEWEE.

We had to do some major work in Scheelite Canyon and the round trip took almost 3 1/2 hours. It's not the walking up and down the canyon that takes all the time, it's stopping to check all the damn trees! I had a sneaky feeling where an owl might be today in the windy conditions and the bird turned out to be in the exact tree that I thought it would be in. However, I long ago learned not to cut corners and after a thorough search of the lower and middle roosting areas I eventually found this sleepy SPOTTED OWL in the upper area. We had great looks at the bird but from a photography standpoint it was horribly backlit. At least I was able to document the bird in this particular (regularly used) tree. 

Our other target here was VIRGINIA'S WARBLER -- fairly common and singing in the lower part of the canyon shortly after we started up at 9:00am. After some initial fleeting views we had satisfying looks at a bird foraging in the open (par for the course with this often nasty little bugger). Other warblers in the canyon were BLACK-THROATED GRAY, TOWNSEND'S, HERMIT and WILSON'S. Of note were a singing GREATER PEWEE and a CASSIN'S VIREO, both scarce migrants in Scheelite.

We spent the middle of the afternoon on the San Pedro (Hwy 90 area) where it was extremely windy. I wasn't hopeful of finding our target GRAY FLYCATCHER but it turned out to be almost the last bird that we saw at the end of a two hour walk. As they pass through during April and early May, I see them regularly in a little patch of mesquite southwest of the big pond. We checked it on the way out without success but Linda spotted one there when we returned.

Given the high wind I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that we saw 40 species here, especially since it was mid afternoon. Less common species were BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER and SCOTT'S ORIOLE, uncommon and scarce respectively here as migrants. Other stuff included COOPER'S HAWK, a spectacular low soaring SWAINSON'S HAWK directly over the river, GREEN HERON, scads of VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, my first of season BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, BELL'S VIREO (has declined on the San Pedro), LUCY'S WARBLER, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE and SUMMER TANAGER.   

Day list (78 species recorded):
Mallard, Green Heron, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's & Swainson's Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Wild Turkey, Am. Coot, Rock, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Spotted Owl, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Elegant Trogon, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Hammond's, Gray, Buff-breasted, Vermilion, Dusky-capped, Ash-throated & Brown-crested Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Bell's, Hutton's, Cassin's & Plumbeous Vireos, Phainopepla, Townsend's Solitaire, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, Brown Creeper, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Bushtit, Barn Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Olive, Virginia's, Lucy's, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's, Hermit, Grace's & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Painted Redstart, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, Song & Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted & Abert's Towhees, Hepatic & Summer Tanagers, Bullock's & Scott's Orioles, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark and Great-tailed Grackle.

Wednesday, April 23, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Linda. After a cool start (31 degrees when I left home a little before 5:00am) it was a sunny and relatively cool day (mid 60s) and the wind was not a factor.

Our primary goal for the day was the warbler in French Joe Canyon. We entered the canyon at 5:25am and reached the upper area at 6:40am. Although I first heard the RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLERS at 6:50am, it wasn't until a little after 9:00am that we had wonderful looks at a bird perched in the open in a leafless bush as the other warbler sang nearby. In between those times, we tracked the birds up and down canyon over a considerable distance hearing them on multiple occasions without seeing them. Twice we risked life and limb by traversing a cow trail littered with loose rocks -- with shin-dagger only a brief slip away. Even so, I'd only rate the experience as a 5 on the death scramble scale, and the views we ended up with were well worth the effort.

The canyon was very birdy this morning and even though we didn't look for anything other than Rufous-capped, we noted 8 warbler species including a couple of RED-FACED WARBLERS. The highlight for me was a small flock of  RED CROSSBILLS (perhaps 8 birds) that were a first for me in French Joe. They made a couple of passes over the canyon near the spring. For the second day in a row we saw migrating CASSIN'S VIREO.

44 species recorded in French Joe Canyon (heard only in italics):
Cooper's Hawk, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Hammond's & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Hutton's, Cassin's & Plumbeous Vireos, Hermit Thrush, Crissal Thrasher, Cactus, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Bushtit, Violet-green Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Finch, Red Crossbill, Orange-crowned, Lucy's, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's, Wilson's, Red-faced & Rufous-capped Warblers, Lincoln's, Black-chinned, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhee, Hepatic & Summer Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, N. Cardinal and Scott's Oriole.

After leaving the canyon we headed east to Sulphur Springs Valley to try for thrashers. We gave it the old college try but, as I expected, came up empty despite visiting six locations where Bendire's nest. SWAINSON'S HAWK, WESTERN KINGBIRD and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE were all easy too see. Lee Road was birdy despite the time of day and SCALED QUAIL was very common here. Wintering species noted were WHITE-CROWNED, BREWER'S & VESPER SPARROWS and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

Friday, April 25, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
First of three days with Bill Hollweg, Hugh McQuillan and Sam Jannazzo, all from Long Island, NY. It was also the start of almost three continuous weeks for me in the field. We spent the day in the Patagonia area where it was quite chilly at the lake early on but warmed to the mid 80s in the afternoon.

Patagonia Lake State Park was its usual birdy self this morning and several hours of leisurely paced birding produced over 60 species. Best of all, the BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS have not fledged yet (3 youngsters noted) and, although the adults were absent for long periods, it was just a matter of time and patience to see both male and female. 

Other species here included the usual NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, a couple of BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS, COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD, several singing NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULETS that we couldn't track down, singing PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER that we did track down, lots of singing BELL'S VIREOS, a small flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS in the hackberry trees along the creek, several (singing) GREEN-TAILED TOWHEES and my season first WESTERN TANAGER. A search of the grassland for Botteri's Sparrow didn't produce a bird -- it's still a little early but I have seen them earlier than this date.

A short trip to Kino Springs yielded great looks at flying and perched GRAY HAWKS. The second pond was fairly quiet during our late morning visit -- among the 25 species noted were SPOTTED SANDPIPER, lots of NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS and a couple of BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS.

A little effort at the Roadside Rest area produced good looks at ROCK WREN while CANYON WREN sang but did not reveal itself. Ditto for NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET. As usual, WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS swirled over the cliffs. CEDAR WAXWINGS continue in the hackberry trees.

The Paton's yard was very productive with 35 species seen in about an hour and we finally caught up with a NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET. Several VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRDS were regular at the feeders. The seed feeders were busy with a number of colorful species including a lone breeding plumaged male AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, two spiffy looking male WESTERN TANAGERS, at least six BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, many brightly colored male LAZULI BUNTINGS and a male BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. Quite a sight! In the "okay but relatively drab department" were PINE SISKIN, female CASSIN'S FINCH, LUCY'S WARBLER, scads of LARK SPARROWS and a GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE. 

We finished the day on Blue Heaven Road looking for ZONE-TAILED HAWK -- we found one perched in the clear but the bird headed for cover as soon as it realized we were interested. Somewhat of a surprise here at this date was a noisy group of MEXICAN JAYS. A calling YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and a couple of RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS rounded out the birds here (now very warm in mid afternoon).

Day list (95 species recorded, heard only in italics):
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Neotropic Cormorant, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mallard, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Least Bittern, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's, Gray, Zone-tailed & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer, Rock, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, White-throated Swift, Broad-billed, Violet-crowned, Black-chinned, Anna's & Costa's Hummingbirds, Acorn, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Hammond's, Dusky, Pacific-slope, Vermilion, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Say's Phoebe, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Bell's Vireo, Phainopepla, Cedar Waxwing, Am. Robin, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rock, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Bushtit, N. Rough-winged & Barn Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Pine Siskin, American & Lesser Goldfinches, Cassin's & House Finches, Lucy's, Yellow, Yellow-rumped & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping, Vesper, Lark, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Green-tailed, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Summer & Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, N. Cardinal, Lazuli Bunting, Bullock's Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Saturday, April 26, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out again today with Bill, Hugh and Sam. After a mild and pleasant start it was a warm (mid 80s) and mostly windless day. We spent our time in the Huachucas where we enjoyed much success.

The ELEGANT TROGON show took a little time to get going in Garden Canyon this morning. Initially, only a female was calling but after 45 minutes or so around the upper picnic area we had great looks at both male and female. The male was perched in the open at the top a sycamore next to an AMERICAN ROBIN. The situation drew blasé remarks like "what's that bird next to the Robin?". A couple of birders informed me that a Gray Hawk was on a nest here -- I informed them that it would be completely out of habitat and they went off, seemingly in a huff. I have zero records of Gray Hawk in the Huachucas and a Cooper's Hawk nests in this spot every year.

Other birds around the picnic area included my season first CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER (singing but not tracked down), several HAMMOND'S & BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS, VIRGINIA'S, TOWNSEND'S and HERMIT WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, HEPATIC TANAGER and SCOTT'S ORIOLE. Vireos seemed particularly elusive until we eventually saw three species in the same tree -- HUTTON'S, CASSIN'S and PLUMBEOUS.

We spent so much time down below that Sawmill Canyon was fairly quiet by the time that we reached there at 8:30am. Consequently, we had to work for our birds, particularly GREATER PEWEE. On the plus side we flushed a couple of WHIP-POOR-WILLS while working on the Pewee and ended up with a nice view of one of them on the ground. GRACE'S WARBLERS were easy to find but we only came across a couple of OLIVE WARBLERS and they soon moved on. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS were calling but we paid them no mind. YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS were easy to see, foraging on the ground near the canyon entrance.

It was quite warm when we started up Scheelite Canyon and, after talking to a party who had not found an owl, I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to slog up to the upper area to find one like last Tuesday. As things turned out, I needn't have worried -- as I approached the first tree that the owls use on a regular basis at this time of year (just above 1/2 mile), I raised my glasses and there sat a SPOTTED OWL. The photograph shows the owl holding a non-rodent prey item (rabbit?) -- something that I don't see too often.

Our final stop (of day birding) was further south in the mountains at Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast -- thanks to Mary Jo Ballator for her hospitality. The feeders were a little slow when we started at noon but by the time we left we had seen 30 species including 6 species of hummingbirds highlighted by male CALLIOPE and RUFOUS, a male ARIZONA WOODPECKER visiting a suet feeder, several brightly plumaged male LAZULI BUNTINGS, male and female CASSIN'S FINCHES side by side with HOUSE FINCH for comparison, and a beautiful SCOTT'S ORIOLE. Among the other species present were LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, VIRGINIA'S WARBLER, lots of PINE SISKINS and CANYON & SPOTTED TOWHEES.

During an afternoon break the guys visited feeders in Miller Canyon and added WHITE-EARED, BLUE-THROATED and BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS.

Our evening session was very successful starting with several LESSER NIGHTHAWKS easily seen at SVEOP. In the mountains we had excellent looks at WESTERN SCREECH-OWL, WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL and ELF OWL. Only Elf was calling spontaneously and was kind enough to sit in the open for a minute or so. The Whiskered Screech responded to a few of my whistles and sat in the open for quite some time. Western Screech, while extremely cooperative in that it sat in one place and called for almost 30 minutes, was in a very difficult location and it took half an hour to figure out how to see it! A good end to a day with two nightjars and four owls, all seen well.

Day list (72 species recorded, heard only in italics):
Turkey Vulture, Swainson's Hawk, Wild Turkey, Rock, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Western & Whiskered Screech-Owls, Spotted & Elf Owls, Lesser Nighthawk, Whip-poor-will, Broad-billed, Magnificent, Black-chinned, Anna's, Calliope & Rufous Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Acorn, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Hammond's, Cordilleran, Buff-breasted, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens, Hutton's, Cassin's & Plumbeous Vireos, Phainopepla, Am. Robin, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Cassin's & House Finches, Olive, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's, Hermit & Grace's Warblers, Painted Redstart, Yellow-eyed Junco, Lincoln's, Chipping & Lark Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Scott's Oriole and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Sunday, April 27, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Third and final day with Bill, Hugh and Sam. We started in the Sulphur Springs Valley, crossed over the Chiricahuas via the Pinery Canyon road and finished up at Willcox. The day started cloudy but that had little impact on the afternoon temperature that climbed to the high 80s. It seemed like a scrappy day of birding and I was surprised to find that we had recorded almost 100 species by the time we returned to Sierra Vista around 3:00pm.

Whitewater Draw had a pitifully small amount of water and, not surprisingly, birds are sadly lacking. We noted a couple of WILSON'S PHALAROPES, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER and LEAST SANDPIPER. On the plus side, we did find a cooperative BENDIRE'S THRASHER (in the same spot that produced none last Tuesday!) and numerous SCALED QUAIL. 

A couple of migrating TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS on Lee Road were a first for me on the valley floor. Continuing north to the mountains we saw lots of YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS and a good sized flock of LARK BUNTINGS almost in full breeding plumage.    

Pinery Canyon road was quite birdy and we easily found MEXICAN CHICKADEE at fairly low elevation (as well as several higher locations) and a few RED-FACED WARBLERS. Not needing to go higher, we dropped down over Onion Saddle to Paradise.

A stop at the George Walker House (thanks to Jackie Lewis for her hospitality) easily yielded JUNIPER TITMOUSE and half the world's population of SCOTT'S ORIOLES. Also present were several species of hummers, a few LAZULI BUNTINGS, CASSIN'S FINCH and HOODED ORIOLE among 20 species seen during a short visit.

It was very hot birding along the Paradise Road and we stuck out on Black-chinned Sparrow (although I may have briefly heard one bird singing and we had a possible sighting). Birds here included WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, ROCK WREN and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

After striking out on Franklin's Gull at Willcox we gave the place short shrift and headed back to Sierra Vista. Best birds were BLUE-WINGED TEAL and WILLET.

Day list (97 species recorded):
Eared Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Blue-winged & Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Great Blue Heron, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Willet, Long-billed Dowitcher, Western & Least Sandpipers, Wilson's Phalarope, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Rock, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Magnificent, Black-chinned, Broad-tailed & Rufous Hummingbirds, Acorn & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Greater Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Vermilion, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Western Kingbird, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Chihuahuan Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Plumbeous Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Am. Robin, N. Mockingbird, Bendire's & Curve-billed Thrashers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Cactus, Rock & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Barn Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mexican Chickadee, Bridled Titmouse, Juniper Titmouse, House Sparrow, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Cassin's & House Finches, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's, Grace's, Wilson's & Red-faced Warblers, Lark Bunting, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, White-crowned, Savannah, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Lark & Black-throated Sparrows, Green-tailed & Canyon Towhees, Hepatic & Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Hooded, Bullock's & Scott's Orioles, Yellow-headed &  Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Monday, April 28, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with David Waltman from Boulder, CO, the first of four days working on a short list of target birds. On a sunny but slightly cooler day we began in French Joe Canyon.

We left town early enough (4:45am) to see a COMMON POORWILL on the road during the drive into the canyon, and after a 45 minute hike we arrived at the upper spring at 6:30am. It wasn't until 7:25am that I heard some very brief song from RUFOUS-CAPPED WARBLER on the north slope immediately above the spring. Unfortunately, the bird immediately fell silent. Around 8:00am, I decided to head down canyon to a location where I had heard the bird on my last visit (where the dense vegetation ends). After 15 minutes I heard the faintest of "ticks" and was about to say to David "be ready" when he said "I see the bird!" A few seconds later we were treated to excellent views as the bird foraged a few yards away from us, and within minutes the bird burst into full song. Why couldn't it have done that earlier! 

Although the canyon was slightly less active today, there was always something to look at as we waited. HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS and BLACK-CHINNED SPARROWS were both common, calling and singing respectively. VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS were very active and I saw WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS for the first time in the last few trips. Migrant warbler activity has diminished considerably and only ORANGE-CROWNED and WILSON'S were at the spring. A singing WARBLING VIREO in the lower oaks was my SE AZ first of season.

39 species recorded in French Joe Canyon:
Cooper's Hawk, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Common Poorwill, White-throated Swift, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Hammond's & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Hutton's, Plumbeous & Warbling Vireos, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Violet-green Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Finch, Orange-crowned, Lucy's, Black-throated Gray, Wilson's & Rufous-capped Warblers, Lincoln's, Black-chinned, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Hepatic Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, N. Cardinal and Scott's Oriole.

We exited the canyon at 9:30am and headed to the west side of the Santa Ritas to work on RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW. This is a bird that is always findable in the heat of the day even if it is a little uncomfortable (the temperature there today at 11:00am was around 80 degrees). After a brief and unsuccessful encounter with a bird singing by the roadside, we had good looks at a couple of birds foraging in a mesquite.

Tuesday, April 29, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with David for what turned out to be a couple of slam-dunk birds -- Gray Vireo and Common Black-Hawk. All we had to do was drive for 7 1/2 hours and bird for 1 hour to get them (which is the norm at this time of year for these birds).

We left Sierra Vista at 2:00am and arrived at Slate Creek Divide at 5:40am, just as the sun was rising. It was interesting to listen to the various species start to sing, especially when our target GRAY VIREO began singing at 6:00am.

Among the other species in the area were a couple of chasing and singing GRAY FLYCATCHERS, a handful of singing BLACK-CHINNED SPARROWS, many singing BREWER'S SPARROWS, GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE and SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

I was a little apprehensive about visiting the traditional Black-Hawk nest site in Sunflower, located on the now isolated section of the old Beeline Highway a few miles south of Slate Creek Divide. On a visit here last year (see notes for April 20, 2002), I was told by a local that the road was to be gated for a residential community. Thankfully, however, this isn't the case (so far at least) and we were able to drive to the nest site where a COMMON BLACK-HAWK was perched in a sycamore that is still almost bare. Several raucous BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS were in the neighborhood.

Wednesday, April 30, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Day three with David Waltman -- today we had four target birds of which we ended up seeing three. It was chilly when we started in the mountains and quite warm on the San Pedro by late morning. 

We left town at 4:00am and by 4:25am we had seen our first target bird of the day -- WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL. While the bird cooperated well by sitting in the clear, it did so for only 30 seconds so we moved on and found another. Although the second bird was less interested than the first, we did manage a decent look before it flew off into the night that was rapidly becoming morning. By this time (4:45am) it was surprisingly light so we sure didn't start too early! The temperature during the time that we were owling was around 40 degrees. Other calling species that we did not pursue were WESTERN SCREECH-OWL, ELF OWL and COMMON POORWILL. 

We moved on to Miller Canyon where our next target was old "Flame Boy". I hadn't heard the call and song of the bird since my final visit last season and I wondered if I would still be able to quickly differentiate it from Western Tanager. After the slog up the trail, we arrived above the old mine at 6:05am to find the FLAME-COLORED TANAGER singing at the top of a fir tree Unfortunately, the bird flew away almost immediately and was gone for almost two hours. Just before 8:00am I heard its distinctly different call and tracked it to the top of a fir tree where it started singing and eventually revealed itself, looking very Flame-colored in the morning sunlight. A small crowd had gathered by this time and I think everyone was able to see it. The location in both cases was about 50 yards above the mine. For those interested in vocalizations, the song is similar to WESTERN TANAGER (several present) but consists of only three repeated notes, slower and more staccato than Western. Tonal quality of the notes is quite burry, like PLUMBEOUS VIREO (several present). The call is similar to the pi-ti-tic of Western but "thicker".

Our other target in the canyon, GREATER PEWEE, was very vocal and easy to see. Their José Maria song is initially very endearing but after an hour it begins to grate on you in a big way.  Warblers were well represented and we recorded VIRGINIA'S, YELLOW-RUMPED, BLACK-THROATED GRAY (fairly common),  TOWNSEND'S (a couple), HERMIT, GRACE'S (fairly common), WILSON'S, RED-FACED (very common) and PAINTED REDSTART. Other species included COOPER'S HAWK, ARIZONA WOODPECKER, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER (very common), TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, lots of WARBLING VIREOS, PINE SISKIN, HEPATIC TANAGER and SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

Even though we reached the San Pedro (Hwy 90 area) fairly early (9:20am), it was already quite warm and I wasn't hopeful of finding Pacific-Slope Flycatcher (targeting migrants is rarely easy). We didn't find one and, in fact, we found only two empids in two hours -- HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, and even that may have been the same bird twice! VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, WILSON'S WARBLERS and BULLOCK'S ORIOLES were all very common. SUMMER TANAGER was fairly common and represented our fourth tanager species of the day. YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS were vocal in multiple locations along the river.

Day list (77 species recorded):
Mallard, N. Shoveler, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Rock, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Western & Whiskered Screech-Owls, Elf Owl, Common Poorwill, Blue-throated & Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, Greater Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Hammond's, Vermilion, Dusky-capped & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Steller's & Mexican Jay, Chihuahuan Raven, Bell's, Hutton's, Plumbeous & Warbling Vireos, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, White-breasted Nuthatch, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Bushtit, N. Rough-winged & Barn Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Virginia's, Lucy's, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's, Hermit, Grace's, Wilson's & Red-faced Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Painted Redstart, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow-eyed Junco, Song, Chipping & Lark Sparrows, Spotted & Abert's Towhees, Flame-colored, Hepatic, Summer & Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeak, Bullock's & Scott's Orioles, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird and Great-tailed Grackle.  

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Wednesday, April 30, 2003.

Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - April, 2003 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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