Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - October, 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 Friday, October 31, 2003.

Wednesday, October 1, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
This morning I made another visit to that birding crap shoot known as Willcox. During migration (especially in fall), every day can be different and you never quite know what you're going to get. Still, if you don't buy a ticket you won't win the raffle. Most often it's the booby prize but one day it might just be a booby. Today was somewhere in between the extremes. Another warm day to start the new month.

As I left I-10 at exit 336, more than 300 CHIHUAHUAN RAVENS streamed across the interstate heading southeast. Ironically, I only saw one within my measurement area at Willcox. Incidentally, that area begins when I leave highway 186 and turn onto Rex Allen Drive -- anything that I see until I return to this point counts on my "Willcox Ponds" list (as well as the nearby sewage ponds). 

A few more signs of the season near the club house early this morning were AMERICAN KESTREL (present here in small numbers all year but much more common in October and November), some newly arrived BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS and an increase in WESTERN MEADOWLARKS.

I arrived before sunrise and decided to give the main pond a quick once over before birding the golf course pond. That turned out to be a good move because I found 2 juvenile SABINE'S GULLS and an adult (non breeding plumaged) HERRING GULL sitting together on a small sandbar. All three had departed by 6:30am. 

In terms of the number of individuals, migrants were much less in evidence in the willows and marsh at the golf course pond. However, there were still a few migrant species present including ORANGE-CROWNED, YELLOW & WILSON'S WARBLERS and a WARBLING VIREO. Among the other species here were lots of calling SORAS, a couple of VIRGINIA RAILS, BELTED KINGFISHER and lots of LINCOLN'S SPARROWS.

The water level on the pond has been raised and the loafing area towards the west end is now mostly submerged. I missed the Greater Scaup and saw just a male LESSER SCAUP along with the common stuff.

After birding at the golf course pond, I returned to the main pond and found that 9 RING-BILLED GULLS had arrived in the last hour or so. Around 9:30am a juvenile SABINE'S GULL flew in -- whether or not it was one of the birds seen earlier I don't know. The lone SANDERLING continues -- today it was on the small spit at the east end of the pond. Although the light was good, I had great difficulty getting a decent photograph -- these suckers just won't sit still. A fly-by PRAIRIE FALCON certainly didn't help in that regard!

About 40 or so LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were again the most common shorebird. Others species included a couple of CATTLE EGRETS and 7 WILSON'S PHALAROPES getting very close to the end of their time here.

65 species recorded at Willcox from 6:00-10:00am.
1 Pied-billed & 4 Eared Grebes, Ruddy Duck, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, 1 male Lesser Scaup, Great Blue Heron, 2 Cattle Egrets, Turkey Vulture, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Scaled Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, 1-Sandhill Crane, 1-Long-billed Curlew, 1-Greater Yellowlegs, 40+ Long-billed Dowitchers, 1-Sanderling, 2-Spotted, 15+Western, 20+Least & 30+Baird's Sandpipers, 7-Wilson's Phalaropes, many Am. Avocets, Killdeer, 9-Ring-billed, 1-Herring & 2-Sabine's Gulls, Belted Kingfisher, Say's & Black Phoebes, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Chihuahuan Raven, Warbling Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Curve-billed Thrasher, Cactus & Marsh Wrens, Barn Swallow, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, Orange-crowned, Yellow, Yellow-rumped & Wilson's Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah, Vesper & Lark Sparrows, Pyrrhuloxia, many 100s (>1000?) Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern & ~10-Western Meadowlarks, Great-tailed Grackle and Brewer's Blackbird.

On the way home I stopped at a very warm Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David. Not much was stirring and I saw very little of note among 20 species. The male WOOD DUCK with a damaged wing continues (it's not going anywhere). 

Thursday, October 2, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I made a routine check of Sawmill Canyon, a place where not many birders go at this time of year. This is hardly surprising since species diversity is quite low. I wanted to check if any sapsuckers had arrived and whether Buff-breasted Flycatchers were still lingering. This is the "grunt work" of my job.

The journey through the grassland in Garden Canyon was pretty quiet. However, I did record a lingering BOTTERI'S SPARROW (my first October record here) and my season first SHARP-SHINNED HAWK.

In Sawmill, it didn't take me long to confirm that RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS were back at their winter haunts. I saw three, possibly four of them. It's a bit too early to expect Williamson's Sapsuckers -- they usually show up in Sawmill a little later (in early November), although I have recorded them once in September and once in October. 

Despite the fact that I was hoping to find BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER still present, I was very surprised to find one. In fact, there may have been two but I could never see them both at the same time. I've only been record keeping here for 10 years which is hardly a long time in the grand scheme of things. However, my second October record means that the first wasn't a fluke. 

I recorded only 20 species in the canyon including a few ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, good sized flock of AMERICAN ROBINS, a single BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, several HEPATIC TANAGERS and tons of JUNCOS (mostly YELLOW-EYED, a few DARK-EYED).

Friday, October 3, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day 
Just a late afternoon visit to Sierra Vista EOP today with nothing of note seen.  

Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Red-tailed Hawk, Sora, 30+Least Sandpipers, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Say's & Black Phoebes, 20+Western Kingbirds, Loggerhead Shrike, European Starling, Marsh Wren, Verdin, Tree & Barn Swallows, House Finch, White-crowned & Savannah Sparrows, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds.

Saturday, October 4, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
Out today with Carl and Nancy Juris from Harrisburg, PA. They have just completed a birding Elder Hostel in Sedona and we'll be spending the next three days together. We spent today birding in Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons in the Huachuca Mountains. Although we didn't see a tremendous number of species, we did find some decent birds for this time of year. 

In Sawmill, I was again delighted to find that a BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER is still hanging in there. Today the bird was near the rickety footbridge and was very cooperative -- we had super looks at eye level. We also had super looks at what was presumably the same NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL that I was able to photograph on September 28.

Other species in the canyon included migrant VAUX'S SWIFT and TOWNSEND'S WARBLER; my latest record for DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER in Sawmill, several HEPATIC TANAGERS and many YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS. We chased a calling ARIZONA WOODPECKER but were unable to track it down. 

The birding in Scheelite started out slow but we had excellent success in the end. I also had to work long and hard to find a SPOTTED OWL. After a thorough search of the lower roosting area we trudged higher to where the canyon forks at 0.75 mile. Of course, there's always a dilemma at this point and today I incorrectly chose to check the left fork where I last saw a bird. I left Carl & Nancy at the split and proceeded to exhaust myself in vain. I then headed up the right fork and eventually found a completely indifferent bird well tucked away about 1 mile into the canyon. It didn't even bother to open its eyes.

Lower in the canyon we had good looks at a male ELEGANT TROGON as another NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL called its head off -- we didn't pursue it! In the same area we had a nice mixed flock that included OLIVE, NASHVILLE, BLACK-THROATED GRAY & TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS. Nearby were the usual common oak species plus HERMIT THRUSH (they winter in the canyon, usually arriving in mid September), male and female HEPATIC TANAGERS and a BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. 

As we wearily walked back down canyon, a cooperative ARIZONA WOODPECKER made up for the one we missed earlier. A good end to a good day.

44 species recorded in Garden, Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons from 6:30am-2:30pm:
Turkey Vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Mourning Dove, Spotted Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Vaux's Swift, Elegant Trogon, Gila & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Buff-breasted & Dusky-capped Flycatchers, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Western Scrub-Jay, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Hermit Thrush, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Olive, Nashville, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray & Townsend's Warblers, Yellow-eyed Junco, Chipping & Vesper Sparrows, Hepatic Tanager and Black-headed Grosbeak.

Sunday, October 5, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Carl and Nancy. On a slightly cooler day (high 80s) we birded at Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs and in the Paton's Yard.

Patagonia Lake was quite birdy this morning with plenty of individuals, although not quite as many species as I expected. The campground was completely full and there were lots of boats on the lake and fisherman dotted around the shore. Consequently, there wasn't much of note out on the water and for the first time in a while I didn't even see a Neotropic Cormorant, just a few DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS. 

The highlight of the morning (for me, at least) was a couple of COMMON TERNS working the east end of the lake. This was a new species for me at this location bringing my lake list to 245 in 290 visits over 10 years. Also working the lake was an OSPREY, a regular migrant here from mid September to mid November.

Another decent bird was a male BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER pointed out to me by another birder as I was looking at a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER (of which several were present). Even though Black-and-White is perhaps the most common "eastern warbler" that occurs in Arizona, it was only my second sighting at the lake. The bird was in the dense section where the trail parallels the creek about 0.75 mile from the trailhead (the same location that I saw a Tennessee Warbler recently).

Other warblers today included a few ORANGE-CROWNED, a single NASHVILLE and good numbers of LUCY'S. Flycatchers (not particularly common today) were represented by several GRAY and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS in the mesquite bosque and DUSKY & DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS in the willows along the creek. BLUE GROSBEAKS and LAZULI BUNTINGS were common in the marsh.

57 species recorded at Patagonia Lake State Park from 6:30-11:00am:
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Double-crested Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Am. Coot, Killdeer, Common Tern, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Gray, Dusky, Dusky-capped and Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cassin's Kingbird, Common Raven, Bell's & Warbling Vireos, Loggerhead Shrike, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Barn Swallow, Bridled Titmouse, House Finch, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Lucy's, Black-throated Gray & Black-and-white Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, Chipping & Lark Sparrows, Green-tailed & Canyon Towhees, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackle.

Next, we made a short visit to Kino Springs where we quickly saw a couple of GRAY HAWKS at the first "pond". I'm happy to report that water is being pumped in and it will soon be a pond again. The weedy area here was loaded with LAZULI BUNTINGS.

There wasn't much activity at the Paton's in the heat of the day, however, we did see six species of hummingbirds -- quite a few BROAD-BILLED (males and females), two or three VIOLET-CROWNED, a couple of female BLACK-CHINNED, many ANNA'S in various plumages, one female BROAD-TAILED and several immature and female RUFOUS (no adult males). Broad-tailed is fairly uncommon as a migrant at this low elevation location  -- I have ten records from five of the ten years that I've birded here regularly. 

Other species included a fair number of ACORN WOODPECKERS, a couple of RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS and a GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

Monday, October 6, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Third and final day with Carl and Nancy. Today we birded in the Sulphur Springs from Whitewater Draw to Willcox and finished up with a brief visit to St. David in mid afternoon. After a cool start the day warmed quickly then cooled down nicely in late afternoon with a thunderstorm and some decent rainfall back in Sierra Vista. 

We didn't turn up anything unusual at Whitewater Draw from 7:00-9:00am this morning but the birding was still fairly productive with 55 species recorded. Not surprisingly, Willcox was much warmer and far less active from 10:30am to noon and produced only 30+ species. 

Selected sightings:
GREATER SCAUP - a female continues on the golf course pond at Willcox
FERRUGINOUS HAWK - my season first on highway 80 between Benson and St. David
PRAIRIE FALCON - working over the main pond at Willcox
PEREGRINE FALCON - Central highway south of Elfrida
GREATER & LESSER YELLOWLEGS - side by side at Whitewater Draw
STILT SANDPIPER - 3 at Willcox
EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE - 2 on Jefferson Road, Elfrida; 1 at St. David Monastery (my first here).
BANK SWALLOW - 1 at Whitewater Draw, my latest SE AZ record. 
TREE SWALLOW - 1000s at Whitewater Draw
CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR - 10 at Willcox, my season first birds.

Day list (94 species recorded):
Eared Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Wood Duck, Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Swainson's, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Prairie & Peregrine Falcons, Gambel's Quail, Sora, Am. Coot, Sandhill Crane, Long-billed Curlew, Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher, Western, Least, Baird's & Stilt Sandpipers, Wilson's Phalarope, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Dove, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, N. Mockingbird, Bendire's & Curve-billed Thrashers, European Starling, Cactus, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Tree, Violet-green, Bank & Barn Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, Lesser Goldfinch. House Finch, Orange-crowned, Yellow & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Lark Bunting, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah, Brewer's & Vesper Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Great-tailed Grackle and Brewer's Blackbird. 

Tuesday, October 7, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
A very cloudy, cool and wet day in Sierra Vista. It was a good day to stay home and I only made a brief visit to Sierra Vista EOP around midday.

Shorebirds were quite numerous on the pond south of the viewing platform -- the most common species was LEAST SANDPIPER and I also saw a few WESTERN and one PECTORAL. Lots of grounded TURKEY VULTURES were sitting on the berm. A good looking PEREGRINE FALCON worked the east fields and eventually perched on a pole. 

31 species recorded at Sierra Vista EOP from 11:40am-12:30pm:
Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, White-faced Ibis, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Western, Least & Pectoral Sandpipers, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Say's & Black Phoebes, Western Kingbird, European Starling, Marsh Wren, Barn Swallow, Horned Lark, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Vesper Sparrow and Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds.

Wednesday, October 8, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
After the inclement weather yesterday, I planned to visit Willcox today to see what might have taken refuge there. I almost changed my mind when I heard about the first state record Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow found in Tucson yesterday (this would be a life bird for me). However, I stuck to my plan and dragged my ass out of bed at 4:30am for the trip to Willcox. It was cloudy and quite cool shortly after sunrise and the birding was much slower than recent visits. By 9:00am the skies were clear and the temperature was in the 70s when I left at 10:30am. I checked back and forth several times between the main and golf course ponds and eventually turned up close to 60 species and a state bird to boot!

The water level on the golf course pond has dropped somewhat and some mud was exposed in places. The loafing area used by ducks at the west end is exposed again and two female GREATER SCAUPS were present. A single female has been present for much of the summer and I first saw two of them on September 7 -- but only one on several subsequent visits until today. Also present here was a single WILSON'S SNIPE and a SORA on the exposed mud. The water level at the east end of the main pond is rising and a few more ducks were present today included newly arrived 40 RING-NECKED DUCKS and 2 REDHEADS.

I'd been birding over two hours when I decided to take a shot at photographing a STILT SANDPIPER working the inlet channel to the main pond. I was just about ready to start shooting when a falcon streaked by and scattered everything. Drat, or words to that effect. I watched the bird head for a nearby power pole and determined that it was an immature PRAIRIE FALCON. I tried a distant photo then walked closer to the bird and tried again, repeating this several times. Although I was standing directly in the middle of the road, another birder driving in apparently didn't see me and flushed the bird. Double Drat! However, all was not lost because I did manage a fairly decent shot of the PRAIRIE FALCON.

After this episode I drove back towards the golf course pond. As I made the turn west after the cattle guard I braked sharply when I saw three birds perched on a small mesquite -- although I'd never seen them in this plumage before I knew right away that they were winter plumaged BOBOLINKS and a state bird for me. [Bobolink is only casual in Arizona but this year has seen unprecedented numbers (still low) in various locations in the state.] I backed away from them and slowly got out of the car to try for a photograph. Unfortunately, just as I was ready to shoot the birds dropped into the grass. Triple Drat! They eventually flew south across the main pond where I later tried unsuccessfully to relocate them.

I turned my attention to a calling EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE perched on a wire near the electrical building east of the golf course pond. The bird preened for a long time and had trouble keeping its balance in the breeze. I persevered and ended up with a good photograph.

Before leaving I returned to the main pond and discovered a FORSTER'S TERN that had snuck in while I was gone. The bird was on south side of the island and could only be seen from the south shore of the pond.

All in all, a pretty good morning.

57 species recorded at Willcox from 6:30-10:30am:
Pied-billed Grebe, Ruddy Duck. Am. Wigeon. Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Redhead, 40-Ring-necked Ducks, 2-Greater Scaup, Great Blue Heron, 3-Black-crowned Night-Herons, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Sora, Am. Coot, 23-Sandhill Cranes, 1-Wilson's Snipe, 1-Greater Yellowlegs, many Long-billed Dowitchers, 1-Spotted, 10+Western, 40+Least, 20+Baird's & 1-Stilt Sandpipers, 4-Wilson's Phalaropes, Am. Avocet, 1-Ring-billed Gull, 1-Forster's Tern, 1-Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Say's & Black Phoebes, Cassin's & Western Kingbirds, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Marsh Wren, Tree, Violet-green & Barn Swallows, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, 3-Am, Pipits, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah & Vesper Sparrows, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Great-tailed Grackle, Brewer's Blackbird and 3-Bobolinks.

Thursday, October 9, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
This morning I did some routine birding in the Huachucas where I checked Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons. It was a cloudy and pleasantly cool start to the day. A few early sprinkles turned to light drizzle as the morning wore on. Perhaps not a good day to be in the mountains but the only way to maintain "average data" is to take whatever comes along.

Despite the gloomy and wet conditions, the birding in Sawmill was very good for October thanks to two mixed flocks. The first was active near the cabin from 7:30-8:00am and the other was about 1 mile from the trailhead in the secondary (left) fork of the canyon, active from about 8:45-9:30am. Of course, common birds made up the bulk of both flocks -- the most common of which (in decreasing order of abundance) were YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, BUSHTIT, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, HUTTON'S VIREO, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH & BROWN CREEPER. Loosely associated species included HOUSE WREN, CHIPPING SPARROW and DARK-EYED & YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS.

By ignoring the calling Yellow-rumps and wading through the rest (and following a few chips), I was able to weed out the good stuff. There was a pretty good warbler showing with multiple individuals of each species present. Listed in order of least expected they were 2-GRACE'S WARBLERS  -- my first October record in Sawmill (I have two November records; one each from Sawmill and Carr Canyons), 2-HERMIT, 2-BLACK-THROATED GRAY, 3-TOWNSEND'S and 4+OLIVE (a pristine adult male and some sub-adult males/females). A couple of singing CASSIN'S VIREOS were with the second flock  -- I tracked them down to make sure I wasn't misinterpreting their song (for the more common Plumbeous).

Other species in the canyon making up the total of 26 that I recorded were calling MONTEZUMA QUAIL, 4-6 RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS, NORTHERN FLICKER, STELLER'S & MEXICAN JAYS, AMERICAN ROBIN, HERMIT THRUSH, LESSER GOLDFINCH and 6+ HEPATIC TANAGERS.

It was raining steadily as I started up Scheelite Canyon a little after 10:00am. Bird sound was minimal save for a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL calling from high up on the west slope. I also recorded NORTHERN FLICKER, 2 silent HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS, all three regular jays, a few BEWICK'S & CANYON WRENS, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and HEPATIC TANAGER.

I didn't have to work very hard to find a SPOTTED OWL tucked away on a side trail. The conditions were very gloomy (almost dark) and the bird didn't even bother to look at me. However, I don't usually let that deter me from trying to get a photograph to document an owl in a particular location -- and today was no exception! The shot was almost black until Photoshop came to the rescue. 

Sunday, October 12, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I spent several hours on the San Pedro (highway 90 area). Conditions were excellent for birding -- clear blue sky, pleasant temperature (early on) and zero wind. Too bad the birds didn't feel the same way! Having said that, after a slow start I tallied over 50 species. 

I wasn't able to come up with anything unusual like the Magnolia Warbler seen on my last visit on September 27. Interestingly, for a bird that is quite rare in Arizona, there have been three more Magnolia Warbler sightings recently (one in Tucson and two in the Phoenix area). It's worth noting that all of these sightings are ahead of published data for this species (the few fall records start in the third week of October). This reminds me of something that Smitty was fond of saying "study nature not books -- there's a new page every day".

The highlight for me (if you can call it that) was a COMMON MOORHEN at the big pond. This is a species that was formally a year round resident at this location. However, until today, I had not seen one here since January 2000, almost four years ago. I also enjoyed seeing all four regular towhees -- GREEN-TAILED (common), SPOTTED, CANYON & ABERT'S. Spotted Towhee is scarce (at best uncommon) on the river in winter and today's sighting was one week earlier than my previous early date for this location. Also of note was a BLUE-WINGED TEAL, a bird that I don't see much in fall in Cochise County.

Most of the action was away from the river in Garden Wash. BLUE GROSBEAKS and LAZULI BUNTINGS are still present in numbers in in the weedy areas (the latter was also common in the weeds on the east side of the big pond). Lingering birds seen in the wash were WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE and LUCY'S WARBLER. Migrants noted were HAMMOND'S & DUSKY FLYCATCHERS (both along river); CASSIN'S VIREO and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER (both in Garden Wash).

In addition to the Blue-winged Teal, I saw a few more species that are uncommon here -- NORTHERN PINTAIL (3 records total), SCALED QUAIL (less than 20 records total) and RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER (average of less than one record per year)

54 species recorded on the San Pedro (highway 90 area) from 7:00-10:00am.
Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Blue-winged Teal, N. Shoveler, Great Blue Heron, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Mourning Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-naped Sapsucker, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Hammond's & Dusky Flycatchers, Say's Phoebe, Black Phoebe, Cassin's Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Cassin's Vireo, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Lucy's, Yellow-rumped & Black-throated Gray Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping & Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Pyrrhuloxia, Blue Grosbeak and Lazuli Bunting.

After a brief break, I birded at Sierra Vista EOP from 10:45am-12:15pm. Thanks to Jim Hays for letting me know about a PROTHONATORY WARBLER that had been seen a little earlier and for pointing out the location when I arrived (almost due east of the viewing platform but over 100 yards away). With a little time and patience I managed a couple of brief looks at the bird with a scope at 11:30am. I then turned my attention to shorebirds. I returned later in the afternoon hoping to photograph the warbler. I was able to see the bird a couple of times very briefly in the same location but there was zero chance of a photograph. Even if it had sat still, the combination of distance and size of the bird were beyond the capabilities of my equipment. 

Shorebirds were still quite plentiful on the pond south of the viewing platform. You can get a decent look at this area from the entrance road -- if you stand on top of a vehicle! Ever since the city "improved" the facilities, this is what I've had to do in order to continue my surveys here. Highlight was a lone MARBLED GODWIT -- I have four records at SVEOP; 2 in spring, 2 in fall, and all in different years. Other waders that I could see were one AMERICAN AVOCET, one GREATER YELLOWLEGS, perhaps a couple of dozen LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, many LEAST, a couple of BAIRD'S and one STILT SANDPIPER. 

At least six SORAS and two VIRGINIA RAILS were calling from the marsh when I returned after 4:00pm. A couple of LESSER NIGHTHAWKS were active over the marsh as I was leaving a little before sunset.

42 species recorded at Sierra Vista EOP:
Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Marbled Godwit, Greater Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher, Least, Baird's & Stilt Sandpipers, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Lesser Nighthawk, Say's & Black Phoebes, Western Kingbird, European Starling, Marsh Wren, Verdin, Barn Swallow, House Finch, Yellow-rumped & Prothonotary Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned & Savannah Sparrows, Yellow-headed, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Tuesday, October 14, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
On this warm mid October day, I made a late afternoon visit to Sierra Vista EOP after a few clouds built up to provide some relief. The best bird was a PRAIRIE FALCON. There was a noticeable increase in RED-TAILED HAWKS (about 6 seen) including one dead bird hanging from a power cable (tangled in wire?  electrocuted?)

37 species recorded at Sierra Vista EOP from 4:00-5:30pm:
Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Great Blue Heron, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Scaled Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, 35-Long-billed Dowitchers, 80+Least & 1-Pectoral Sandpiper, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Say's & Black Phoebes, Western Kingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, European Starling, Marsh Wren, Barn Swallow, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's & Savannah Sparrows, Yellow-headed, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds, Eastern Meadowlark and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Wednesday, October 15, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
This morning I checked the ponds at Willcox again. Although migration is all but over for passerines and shorebirds, there's always a chance for surprises here. This is also the time when the large grebes, diving ducks and mergansers start to show up (and possibly a jaeger or loon); as well as the late arriving gulls, such as Bonaparte's. Unfortunately, the water level is low and may not entice such species to stay very long. 

This time last year I saw Hudsonian Godwit (my only fall AZ record) and in November one year my only Red-throated Loon in AZ showed up here. One can always hope. Today was much more routine, although I did start the day with a new species for my Willcox list -- a humble CANYON TOWHEE in the mesquite along the entrance road.

At least one female GREATER SCAUP continues. Perhaps the best bird was an AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN on the main pond (they are rare but regular in SE AZ). Apart from 100+ LEAST SANDPIPERS, 40 or so LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS and plentiful AM. AVOCETS, shorebird numbers and diversity continue to diminish. I noted a few WESTERN SANDPIPERS and one each WILSON'S SNIPE, GREATER YELLOWLEGS and BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS. I heard LONG-BILLED CURLEWS. The only gulls that I saw were 9-RING-BILLED GULLS, no sign of the three California Gulls seen yesterday.

Although I saw most of the expected sparrows except Brewer's, the number of individuals seemed rather low. A small group of CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS were fly-bys only and never settled. The seed crop is excellent right now and hundreds of HOUSE FINCHES were taking advantage. A few LESSER GOLDFINCHES represented only my second sighting here.

59 species recorded at Willcox: Ponds from 6:30-10:15am:
2-Eared Grebes, 1-Am. White Pelican, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, 1-Greater Scaup, Great Blue Heron, 3-Black-crowned Night-Herons, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, 3-Sandhill Cranes, 1-Wilson's Snipe, Long-billed Curlew, 1-Greater Yellowlegs, 40+Long-billed Dowitchers, 2 or 3-Western, 100+Least & 1-Baird's Sandpiper, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, 9-Ring-billed Gulls, Mourning Dove, Say's & Black Phoebes, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Curve-billed Thrasher, Marsh Wren, Tree & Barn Swallows, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah & Vesper Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, Yellow-headed, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackle, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Friday, October 17, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
This is normally the time of year when the temperature starts to drop significantly. This year, however, there's certainly no indication that it's about to happen. On the contrary -- although the mornings are much cooler (56 degrees when I left Sierra Vista at 5:45am this morning), daytime highs are running about 10 degrees above normal. The dates of the latest 100 degree days in Tucson and Phoenix are October 16 and 20 respectively. As things are, those records might be broken in the next few days. 

I would much rather have visited Willcox again this morning but a sense of duty took me to Patagonia. I checked Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs, the Roadside Rest area and Paton's yard. The birding was generally slow at all locations. Wintering sparrows were almost non-existent.

Activity was very low at Patagonia Lake when I began birding 15 minutes after sunrise (6:45am) and by 10:00am when I left hardly anything at all was stirring. The day began pleasantly cool with a slight breeze then became uncomfortably warm by 9:00am. I began at the west end by scanning the deeper water (nada except for fishermen and boaters) then walked the marsh and creek trails. I can't remember not breaking 50 species here with a few hours of birding but that was the case today. For the second consecutive visit I didn't see a Neotropic Cormorant -- hell must be freezing over at the edges.

The pair of BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS were the only real highlight. I didn't look for them on my last two visits but today I made an effort to find them. Both birds were foraging together at the base of the hillside east of the first nest site (to reach this spot, walk roughly 100 yards down the trail in the 4th wash then hang a right through the mesquite to the hillside). I heard what turned out to be the female give a single call at 7:50am and this was enough to get me to the right spot. I stayed with them for about 15 minutes (they were very obliging) and they only called back and forth to each other one time during this period. Thus, the key to finding them is to be patient and listen carefully. Or, simply be lucky!

The male is now in winter garb (sans black cap) -- just about how he looked this time last year when the birds were first discovered here. If they follow the same pattern as last winter, it won't be too long before they hook up with a wintering flock of titmice, etc. It will be interesting to see if they stick around -- I see no reason for them not to do so.

Gnatcatchers apart, the best birds were a couple of female (or first year male) INDIGO BUNTINGS in a weedy area near where Sonoita Creek forks. My only other sighting at the lake was of a couple of birds in October, 2000.

Apart from several noisy CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS (present everywhere that I went today), flycatchers were hard to come by and I found only two GRAY FLYCATCHERS. 

In terms of seasonal dates at the lake, 3-AMERICAN PIPITS were 9 days earlier than I'd previously seen them; a female SUMMER TANAGER was my latest sighting by 12 days.

48 species recorded at Patagonia Lake from 6:45-10:00am.
Pied-billed & 2-Eared Grebes, 3-Double-crested Cormorants, 2-Ruddy Ducks, Mallard, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Mourning & Inca Doves, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, 2-Gray Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Cassin's Kingbird, Common Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Hermit Thrush, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rock, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, 2-Black-capped Gnatcatchers, 100s of Barn Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, House Sparrow, 3-American Pipits, House Finch, 10+Orange-crowned Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Song & Chipping Sparrows, Green-tailed Towhee, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak, 2-Indigo Buntings, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird.

A check of the first "pond' at Kino Springs was generally unproductive in the heat of mid morning (a few BLUE GROSBEAKS, LESSER GOLDFINCHES and LAZULI BUNTINGS). Water is no longer being pumped into the pond and all the water from previous pumping has been absorbed -- the pond is bone dry again. The only bird of note here was a calling CRISSAL THRASHER in the mesquite immediately west of the pond (across the road). 

WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were plentiful at the Roadside Rest.

A single GRAY HAWK was at the Salero Road stream crossing being harassed by CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS.

The Paton's Yard was almost devoid of birds as midday approached. The only hummers noted where BROAD-BILLED and ANNA'S. 

Sunday, October 19, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
I made a routine visit to Sawmill Canyon this morning to check on arriving winter species, primarily Williamson's Sapsucker. When I reached the cabin shortly before 8:00am, I was dismayed to find tents pitched around the cabin, half a dozen trucks and about 20 people -- I almost turned around immediately. Usually, this area (especially near the water just below the cabin) is productive first thing in the morning but I knew that wouldn't be the case this morning with all the noise and human activity. I decided not to waste my investment in time and gas and headed directly up the main trail.

The highlight of the trip didn't occur until a couple of hours later when I arrived back at the cabin. Instead of the mass of humanity (they had all left), I was rewarded with a male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER clinging to the trunk of a tree in plain view. My first-of-season bird was pristinely plumaged and very accommodating. This may have been a passage migrant rather than a bird that will winter here -- although I have a few October records, it's normally November before they become reliable.

Sapsucker apart, I found no sign yet of the "good" winter species (such as Townsend's Solitaire & Cassin's Finch). The more common wintering stuff including RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, HERMIT THRUSH & DARK-EYED JUNCOS were all present in fair numbers. The Gray-headed form of Dark-eyed Junco arrived early this year -- they are now quite numerous and have been joined by a few Oregon Juncos.

The days may continue warm (almost 90 degrees at 11:00am in Sierra Vista) but it was certainly a little fresh when I started up the trail this morning. All was quiet for a while until I found a mixed flock (about 1 mile from the trailhead) containing almost the same mix of species that I saw in a similar flock on October 9.  Of course, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were by far the biggest component but a little patience and persistence produced several OLIVE (including a beautiful adult male), 2-TOWNSEND'S & 1-HERMIT WARBLER; and at least 2-CASSIN'S VIREOS that were very vocal. The Hermit was my latest sighting in Sawmill (October 23 is my latest SE AZ record).

On a year round basis, Sawmill is one of the most reliable places to find ARIZONA WOODPECKER. Even so, on my last visit I didn't see a single bird -- today I saw at least 8, perhaps as many as 12. They were very conspicuous, tapping and calling throughout the canyon. Go figure! That's birding. 

HEPATIC TANAGERS normally continue into November and I detected a few today.

I recorded 24 species in Sawmill Canyon from 7:50-10:00am:
Red-naped & Williamson's Sapsuckers, Arizona Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Hutton's & Cassin's Vireos, Hermit Thrush, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, Olive, Yellow-rumped, Townsend's & Hermit Warblers, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed & Oregon) & Yellow-eyed Juncos, Chipping Sparrow and Hepatic Tanager

I decided that I didn't want to hike up Scheelite Canyon on what was now a warm morning. However, I did pause to photograph a recently installed commemorative plaque in honor of Smitty (Robert T. Smith). I made many enjoyable visits to the canyon with Smitty and I learned a lot from him about finding the Spotted Owls. I'm sure that many of you reading this will have seen your first Spotted Owl with Smitty (or me, perhaps!).

Monday, October 20, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
I made another trip to Willcox this morning. Although some good stuff can still show up in the coming months, the law of diminishing returns is now in effect and I didn't see anything exciting. The weather continues depressingly warm -- after a not-too-chilly start the sun was baking me by 9:30am.

Highlights in terms of scarceness (either seasonal or in absolute terms) were a continuing AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, 2 female BLUE-WINGED TEAL, a couple of juvenile BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS, 1-DUNLIN, and 1-WILSON'S PHALAROPE. This was my latest record for Wilson's Phalarope at Willcox -- my latest SE AZ record is October 29, 1997 at Green Valley (they have wintered elsewhere in AZ). 

61 species recorded at Willcox Ponds from 6:45-10:00am:
1-Eared Grebe, Am. 1-White Pelican, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, 2-Blue-winged Teal, N. Shoveler, 1-Lesser Scaup, Great Blue Heron, 1-Black-crowned Night-Heron, Am. Kestrel, Scaled & Gambel's Quail, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, 12-Sandhill Cranes, 1-Long-billed Curlew, 1-Greater Yellowlegs, 40+Long-billed Dowitchers, ~20 Western, many Least & 2-Baird's Sandpipers, 1-Dunlin, 1-Wilson's Phalarope, 10+Am. Avocets, Killdeer, 2-Ring-billed Gulls, Mourning Dove, Say's & Black Phoebes, Cassin's Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Curve-billed Thrasher, Marsh Wren, Tree, Violet-green & Barn Swallows, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, House Finch, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, 8-Chestnut-collared Longspurs, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah & Vesper Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, Yellow-headed, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks and Great-tailed Grackle.

As I was running an errand at sunset, a LESSER NIGHTHAWK on highway 90 near Fry Blvd. represented my latest sighting in southeast Arizona (by one day!)

Tuesday, October 21, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Today I checked French Joe Canyon for the first time in a while (my last trip was in early September and this was my 20th visit of 2003). I spent about two hours in the area of the spring and did not detect a Rufous-capped Warbler (I did not check above the upper waterfall). The fact that I neither saw nor heard a warbler is far from proof that they are not around. On the contrary, my gut feeling is that they are still present. The weather is certainly not a factor in driving them elsewhere!  The canyon warmed quickly today and it was very warm by 9:00am.

Although it was disappointing not to find a warbler, that wasn't the primary purpose of my visit. I wanted to fill a hole in my data for the third week in October and in that regard it was a successful trip. The best sighting was a tan-striped WHITE-THROATED SPARROW foraging in a trailside bush about 100 yards above the first parking area. I noted well streaked flanks so it was probably a first winter bird. This was a new location species for me bringing my canyon list to 146. Also of note were a group of 5 MONTEZUMA QUAIL resting in the shade about 150 yards above the Texas gate. This is a species that I don't see much here (seen on about 5% of visits). 

The canyon is extremely dry and the only water is in the trough (in the lower oaks) and at the upper spring. Even at the spring there's only a couple of spots with standing water and birds were noticeably concentrated here. Most common were lots of noisy WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS feeding in the oaks (present throughout, even down into the desert areas along the entrance road). Also present in numbers were RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, HERMIT THRUSH, SPOTTED TOWHEE and CHIPPING SPARROW. 

Other species in the area of the spring included a RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, 2-ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, several BLACK-CHINNED SPARROWS, LINCOLN'S SPARROW and HEPATIC TANAGER.

Elsewhere in the canyon I noted 3-BAND-TAILED PIGEONS and CRISSAL THRASHER.

32 species recorded in French Joe Canyon:
Montezuma Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Red-naped Sapsucker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Say's Phoebe, Western Scrub-Jay, Mexican Jay, Hermit Thrush, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Rock, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Orange-crowned Warbler, Lincoln's, White-throated, Chipping, Black-chinned, Black-throated & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted & Canyon Towhees, Hepatic Tanager and N. Cardinal.

Wednesday, October 22, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
I decided to check Sawmill Canyon again this morning (I wasn't happy with last Sunday's visit because of all the campers).  I didn't see a lot of species but the birding was excellent for late October. There was a definite nip in the air when I reached the cabin -- unfortunately, it didn't last long.

The drive through Garden Canyon grasslands was virtually birdless save for a fair number of CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS and a few PHAINOPELAS guarding mistletoe near the (dry) fishing ponds.

At Sawmill, the area just below the cabin was alive with birds for quite a while -- so much so that I never made it up the main trail! There was a large mixed flock centered on the water (although not actually drinking) and I wandered around looking at everything that moved. Many of the birds allowed very close approach and I missed lots of photo opportunities due to procrastination. My camera was only 200 yards away but I figured the birds would leave if I went to get it. After 90 minutes I finally decided to go get it and guess what, the birds left! 

In terms of season, the best bird was a lone GRACE'S WARBLER (see my comments about dates for this species in the October 9 journal entry). This is the most common warbler in Sawmill during the breeding season. Also of seasonal note was an adult male BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD. They are hard to find at high elevation after September (and most have passed through the lowlands by early to mid October). Although there are a few winter records, this was my latest sighting in southeast Arizona. 

Other species in the area included 2-RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS, 50-AMERICAN ROBINS, at least 4-OLIVE, too-many-to-count YELLOW-RUMPED, 1-BLACK-THROATED GRAY & 2-TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS and 6-HEPATIC TANAGERS.. 

24 species recorded in Sawmill Canyon:
Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Red-naped Sapsucker, N. Flicker, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Am. Robin, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, Olive, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Townsend's & Grace's Warblers, Dark-eyed (Oregon) & Yellow-eyed Juncos, Chipping Sparrow and Hepatic Tanager.

Thursday, October 23, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
'Tis the season for grassland birding in the San Rafael Valley, a location that I normally start visiting during the third week in October. From my data collection standpoint, today is the end of the third "week" so I just managed to squeeze in a trip. Apart from a few mishaps (a forgotten coffee thermos, a blown longspur photo opportunity and the fact that it was way too warm), my first visit of the season to the valley otherwise turned out to be excellent. Those of you who know me will realize how serious the coffee situation was (I'd rather forget my binoculars!). As for the missed photo, well, Chestnut-collared Longspur is the only longspur that I haven't photographed.

After driving through Fort Huachuca in the early morning gloom, I exited through West Gate and continued on through Canelo Hills. It was surprisingly cold when I entered the valley but just like yesterday that didn't last long. The grass throughout the entire area is very dry and the roads are extremely dusty. Most of the stock ponds have at least some water as do a few of the interior washes/ditches. However, everywhere that I found water it was very low.

My primary objective for the trip was to find active territories for BAIRD'S SPARROW and I was successful in doing that. I concentrated at the west end of the valley and in the northwestern section (in the area known as Meadow Valley Flat) and managed to find a total of five Baird's Sparrows in three different locations. I was also able to get a few decent shots of the sparrows -- the following photos show different aspects of plumage (note: not all shots are of the same individual):  BAIRD'S SPARROW portrait -- #2 throat & crown,  #3 nape and #4 breast necklace.

The first two sparrows came quickly and easily and I stayed with them from 7:30-8:00am. I didn't find the next bird until 8:30 and then I worked long and hard before finding two more at 10:00am. Following this I searched another hour without further success. However, that may have been time of day related because by now it was very warm and not much of anything was stirring .

Shortly after finding the final two sparrows, I almost stepped on a SPRAGUE'S PIPIT. The bird gave its squeak and then worked its way skyward and away from me before dropping like a stone in typical fashion. After walking around in the grass for several hours, I didn't have the energy (or inclination) to pursue it. To reach the location where the bird flushed, drive north on FR 765 about 1.5 miles from the intersection with FR 58. At this point (just before reaching the second gate), a draw heads off to the east (and eventually becomes a wash that leads to a lone cottonwood). Stay on the south side of the draw and walk east about 50 fence spans (use the fence that runs east from the gate as a guide).

There has been at least one report of McCown's Longspurs in the valley but I couldn't find any (I normally don't see them here until November). I did find several small groups (8-10 birds) of CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS and one larger flock with about 50 birds. Later, as I drove home on FR 58, I stopped to photograph a group of about 20 of them sitting on the fence west of the Vaca Ranch Corral. Unfortunately, just as I was ready, a group of birders drove by and flushed them (expletive deleted!). The birds moved closer to the corral and well within the "no birdwatching zone" so that was the end of that.

I saw the following additional valley regulars to make up a total of only 18 species recorded: 1-WHITE-TAILED KITE, 1- male N. HARRIER, numerous AM. KESTRELS, 2-PRAIRIE FALCONS, SAY'S PHOEBE, CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, COMMON RAVEN, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, scads of HORNED LARKS, only 2-GRASSHOPPER and plenty of SAVANNAH & VESPER SPARROWS; and EASTERN & WESTERN MEADOWLARKS.

Friday, October 24, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
I birded at both ends of the Sulphur Springs Valley today. It was quite nippy at Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area when I started birding shortly before 7:00am and uncomfortably hot by the main pond at Willcox when I quit around midday. I didn't see anything particularly noteworthy but it was an interesting morning nonetheless.

Whitewater Draw was alive with the sight and sound of SANDHILL CRANES as I got started. Although most were streaming northwards to feed in the valley, there were still plenty on the ground. Crane spectacle aside, the highlight was a male WOOD DUCK -- a first for me at this location bringing my Whitewater Draw list to 186. Other less common species (# records at this location in parentheses) were PIED-BILLED GREBE (7), INCA DOVE (2), HOUSE WREN (2) and CHIPPING SPARROW (4).

An increase in duck diversity (but not numbers) was quite noticeable today. At least 1000 TREE SWALLOWS continue. Adult male and first winter male VERMILION FLYCATCHERS were constantly harassing each other and provided some entertainment. BLUE GROSBEAKS and LAZULI BUNTINGS were still working the weedy areas. The only shorebirds that I noted were many LEAST SANDPIPERS (amazingly, the first that I've ever photographed) and 7-GREATER YELLOWLEGS.

53 species recorded at Whitewater Draw from 6:50-9:40am:
2-Pied-billed & 2-Eared Grebes, Ruddy Duck, Wood Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, 1-Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Great Blue Heron, 1-Great Egret, 3-N. Harriers, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Sora, Am. Coot, Sandhill Crane, 7-Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Killdeer, Mourning & Inca Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Great Horned Owl, Say's & Black Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Marsh & House Wrens, Tree & Barn Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Pipit, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah & Chipping Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, Pyrrhuloxia, Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Yellow-headed Blackbird and Western Meadowlark.

I didn't see many raptors during the drive north through Sulphur Springs Valley, just a handful of RED-TAILS and my second of season FERRUGINOUS HAWK on highway 191 near Essary Hay. I noted only a couple of WESTERN KINGBIRDS -- they are getting quite scarce now as October draws to a close.

The first bird to greet me at Willcox was a PRAIRIE FALCON sitting on a pole along the entrance road. Landbird activity around the golf course willows was far less than on a typical early morning visit and I quickly moved on to the main pond where the continuing lone WHITE PELICAN stood out. I couldn't stand the heat so I got out of the kitchen after an hour.

Larids were represented by 5-RING-BILLED & 2-CALIFORNIA GULLS. About 30 or so LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS are still present along with very small numbers of LEAST & WESTERN SANDPIPERS and about 10 AVOCETS. 

32 species recorded at Willcox Ponds from 10:50-11:50am:
Eared Grebe, Am. White Pelican, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, N. Shoveler, Great Blue Heron, Red-tailed Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Long-billed Dowitcher, Western & Least Sandpipers, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Ring-billed & California Gulls, Say's & Black Phoebes, Cassin's Kingbird, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Marsh Wren, Barn Swallow, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Song Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlark.

Monday, October 27, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
At last, some cooler weather! Both weekend days were quite windy at times and the temperature dropped significantly on Sunday. So much so in fact that I didn't need to use my cooler for the first time in a long time. This morning I headed over to Willcox and used my car heater for the first time in a long time. It was a definite treat to have to wear a sweater when I started birding and not to be roasting by mid morning.

The water level is slowly rising on the main pond and the long spit that extends southward from the north shore is about half gone.

Shorebirds have diminished significantly and the number of ducks are low once you take away all the SHOVELERS. Highlights were the continuing WHITE PELICAN, two female BLUE-WINGED TEAL (on the smaller of the two golf course ponds), PRAIRIE FALCON and two DUNLINS. 

Of seasonal note, I had two late sightings: a lone NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW was my latest sighting in southeast Arizona extending my previous late date of October 5 (they winter in low numbers in other parts of the state); two BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS were close to my latest date for southeast Arizona of November 2. A female VERMILION FLYCATCHER was right about on time for this location -- I see them here sporadically in winter. A few CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS are still around; they normally leave Willcox during the first week in November. 

55 species recorded at Willcox ponds from 7:10-9:50am:
1-Eared Grebe
1-Am White Pelican
many Ruddy Ducks, a few American Wigeon, many N. Shovelers, 1 female Lesser Scaup
1 male Green-winged, 2 female Blue-winged, 1 male & 3 female Cinnamon Teal
Great Blue Heron
Prairie Falcon
Scaled Quail
Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot
Sandhill Crane
7-Long-billed Dowitchers
1-Western, ~10-Least & 2-Baird's Sandpipers
2-Dunlin
2-Am Avocets
Killdeer
2-Ring-billed Gulls
Mourning Dove
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Say's & Black Phoebes
1 female Vermilion Flycatcher
Cassin's Kingbird
Chihuahuan Raven
Loggerhead Shrike
Curve-billed Thrasher
Marsh Wren
~10-Tree, 1-Northern Rough-winged & ~20-Barn Swallows
Horned Lark, American Pipit
House Finch, House Sparrow
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat
20-Chestnut-collared Longspurs
Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah & Vesper Sparrows
Canyon Towhee
Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds
Eastern & Western Meadowlarks, Great-tailed Grackle

On the way home I checked Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David to see if Lewis Woodpeckers have returned. I didn't see any. I noted the following 25 species:

Wood Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Am. Coot, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Chihuahuan Raven, European Starling, House Wren, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Song & Lincoln's Sparrows, Green-tailed & Abert's Towhees, N. Cardinal and Red-winged Blackbird.

Tuesday, October 28, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Today I visited Scheelite Canyon to check on Spotted Owl. It was a beautiful day to be out -- high, thin clouds and filtered sunshine gave a crisp feel to the upper part of the canyon. All that was missing was an owl! I spent 4 hours searching high and low (literally and figuratively) with only fresh owl doop to show for my efforts. Fortunately, I was alone so I didn't disappoint anyone except myself -- today was my first miss since May and dropped my batting average a little.

However, I didn't leave completely empty handed in terms of owls. My walk up the canyon as far as the half mile mark was pretty uneventful and the only sound to that point had been my own footsteps. That changed dramatically when a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL starting calling spontaneously and moved from one side of the canyon to the other. Weird! 

Apart from noisy jays, HERMIT THRUSH was the most conspicuous species. 

I saw nothing unexpected among 21 species recorded in Scheelite Canyon:
N. Pygmy-Owl, Red-naped Sapsucker, Arizona Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Western Scrub-Jay, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Brown Creeper, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Lesser Goldfinch, Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco, Rufous-crowned Sparrow and Spotted Towhee.

Wednesday, October 29, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I checked Patagonia Lake State Park. I began by scanning the deep (west) end of the lake; then walked the east marsh trail; upstream along Sonoita Creek; back down the creek to the lake; around the periphery of the lake and back via the marsh trail. It was gorgeous morning to be out birding -- a not too chilly start warming to somewhere in the mid 70s. 

The highlight for me was a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH along the creek trail, a bird that I was actually hoping to find today. This species has overwintered along the creek during the past three winters 00/01, 01/02 and 02/03. Last year, the first date that I found one was exactly one year ago to the day, October 29!. Perhaps it's the same bird and perhaps it will spend the winter here again. Location was about 0.25 miles upstream (east) from the main north/south split of Sonoita Creek. More specifically, at a small island (80 feet by 20 feet) formed by a divergence and convergence of the creek. There was a large log (2 feet diameter by 12 feet long) in the water at this point. However, if past winters are anything to go by, the bird will wander up and down the creek quite a bit (assuming it stays, of course!) and this location will be of little value.

The BROWN PELICAN continues -- it was on the snags at the east end of the lake early this morning and plunge diving in the same area at 10:00am. As out of place as it might seem, I've seen one here in 4 of the last 10 years -- November 1995, March 1997 (stayed at least two weeks), June 1999 and today.

Wintering/migrant empids were numerous and I noted at least 10 GRAY FLYCATCHERS in the mesquite areas along the marsh trail and at least 4 DUSKY FLYCATCHERS along the creek trail. Both species normally become more common at the end of October/beginning of November (see bar graph). I looked and listened hard for Hammond's without success. Other flycatchers were the usual SAY'S & BLACK PHOEBE'S, a calling ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER and a few CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS.

NORTHERN FLICKERS and GILA WOODPECKERS (working the willows at the start of the creek trail) and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were perhaps the most conspicuous species today. Wintering waterfowl and sparrows were almost non-existent. 

Other species included OSPREY, a singing CASSIN'S VIREO, a few ORANGE-CROWNED and one BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER; and an uncommon at this location SPOTTED TOWHEE.

I recorded the following 55 species at the lake from 6:50-10:40am:
Pied-billed Grebe, Neotropic & Double-crested Cormorants, Brown Pelican, Ruddy Duck, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Am. Kestrel, Virginia Rail, Am. Coot, Mourning & Inca Doves, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray, Dusky & Ash-throated Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Cassin's Kingbird, Common Raven, Hutton's & Cassin's Vireos, Loggerhead Shrike, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rock, Marsh, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, House Finch, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped & Black-throated Gray Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, Chipping & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhee, N. Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackle.

On the way home, a spur of the moment stop at the Roadside Rest turned out to be a good move. WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were still plentiful, soaring over the cliffs. Less expected at this location were a few MEXICAN JAYS (on the north side of the creek) and a PAINTED REDSTART (in this year's "becard sycamore"). I've seen jays here about a dozen times before and the redstart just once (in December), although I must admit that I don't check this location much in winter. Other species included a location first RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER feeding on hackberries (there's not much of a crop yet), a fair sized group of BRIDLED TITMICE, HUTTON'S and another singing CASSIN'S VIREO.

Thursday, October 30, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I headed out all set to enjoy the fall colors in Carr Canyon (I've noted how the mountain peak has grown more yellow over the past week). However, when I saw how obscured the mountain was with smoke (from the California fires), I decided to give it a miss. Instead, I settled for a day of household chores, some computer work, and a brief early morning trip to Sierra Vista EOP.

Highlights were PEREGRINE FALCON and WILSON'S SNIPE.

26 species recorded at Sierra Vista EOP:
Am. Wigeon, Mallard, N. Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Sora, Am. Coot, Wilson's Snipe, Least Sandpiper, Killdeer, Rock Pigeon, Say's & Black Phoebes, Chihuahuan Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Marsh Wren, Verdin, Tree & Barn Swallows, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow, Yellow-headed & Red-winged Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackle.

Friday, October 31, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Out today with Rick & Starr Stevens from Billings, MT. We birded without looking for anything in particular at Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia Roadside Rest Area and Paton's yard. A couple of eastern warblers were discovered along the creek trail at the lake yesterday (Bay-breasted & Black-throated Green) so there were lots of people out looking for them today. Even though Bay-breasted is one of the two regular N.A. warblers that I haven't seen, we avoided this area.

We spent 4 1/2 hours at the lake and recorded only 50+ species. However, since we didn't bird along the creek, perhaps that wasn't bad. We started with some fruitless scanning at the deep end of the lake but did find a calling NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET that we were able to track down. 

Among the new species since my visit on Wednesday were a couple of returning winter birds -- SWAMP SPARROW (east marsh trail) and EASTERN PHOEBE (where the south fork of Sonoita Creek meets the open grassy area and feeds the lake). Both are generally quite rare in Arizona, although the sparrow is regular at the lake in winter and the phoebe has wintered here at least twice before, including last year.  I have one earlier SE AZ arrival date for the sparrow and 3 earlier records for the phoebe.

Other species of note included the continuing BROWN PELICAN and two WHITE-FACED IBIS (my latest record in SE AZ by 3 days).

52 species recorded at Patagonia Lake State Park from 7:10-11:40am:
Pied-billed Grebe, Neotropic & Double-crested Cormorants, Brown Pelican, Ruddy Duck, Mallard, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Great Blue Heron, White-faced Ibis, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Am. Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, Belted Kingfisher, Red-naped Sapsucker, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, N. Beardless-Tyrannulet, Gray & Dusky Flycatchers, Eastern, Say's & Black Phoebes, Cassin's Kingbird, Common Raven, N. Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, Cactus, Rock, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, House Finch, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned & Chipping Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackle.

A stop at the Roadside Rest area produced many WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER and the continuing PAINTED REDSTART. I heard CASSIN'S VIREO but couldn't locate it.

The Paton's yard was pretty quiet in the early afternoon, not helped I'm sure by the presence of an immature COOPER'S HAWK. The best bird was a singing PLUMBEOUS VIREO that we managed brief looks at. Feeder birds eventually drifted back but only a couple of LAZULI BUNTINGS were of note; along with ROCK WREN that I've only seen here a handful of times before.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Friday, October 31, 2003.

Species List

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

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