Species List

Stuart Healy Journal - December, 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, December 31, 2003.

Monday, December 1, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
A delightful day to get the final month of 2003 underway. I spent a couple of hours on the San Pedro this morning where the day began crisp and sunny and completely calm. Even better, in contrast to recent visits, there was a fair amount of bird activity. Although I didn't see anything spectacular, I did see a couple of interesting species for this time of year and there was always something to look at.

The two best species came right as I got started. First off, a couple of WHITE-WINGED DOVES in the cottonwoods near the San Pedro House took me completely by surprise. Even though they can be routinely found in the neighborhoods of Sierra Vista in winter, this was my first December record on the river. They normally leave here in mid September (I have a couple of early October records) and don't start to drift back until mid-late January, becoming regular again in February (see bar graph).   

As I was watching the doves, I heard a familiar call and turned around just in time to see a female BLUE GROSBEAK before it flew away. This is a very common species on the river from mid May through September; becoming uncommon in October and normally gone by early November. This was only my second December record on the San Pedro.

Also of note was a COMMON MOORHEN on the big pond that I assume is the same bird that I first saw on October 12. Formerly, through fall of 1997, this species was very reliable at the pond. Then, for the next 5 years I had exactly 3 sightings until the current bird showed up a couple of months ago. A small flock of WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were my season first on the river (they are uncommon and regular here in winter).

Several flavors of sparrows and all four towhees were easy to see. GAMBEL'S QUAIL were abundant near the San Pedro House feeders. I didn't see much along the river trail and only a (singing) DUSKY FLYCATCHER was of note. I had to cut short my normal route (I needed to get a couple of  new tires) and managed just shy of 40 species:

Pied-billed Grebe, N. Shoveler, Gambel's Quail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpecker, N. Flicker, Dusky Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, White-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah, Chipping, Brewer's & Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Pyrrhuloxia, Blue Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird and Western Meadowlark.

Wednesday, December 3, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
Today I checked what was going on at Whitewater Draw and Willcox. Despite calm, cloudy and mild conditions when I left Sierra Vista this morning, it was pretty damn cold at Whitewater Draw at 7:30am and I had to bundle up. It finally warmed up around 9:30am and by the time I left shortly before 11:00am I was able to change into shorts.. Willcox at noon was unseasonably warm under cloudy skies. 

Many 1000s of SANDHILL CRANES were still present when I got started at Whitewater Draw and they gradually drifted away over the next couple of hours. The various ponds had a fair selection of waterfowl, although none of the species present were in high numbers. GADWALL was the most common species. 

Highlights for me were two male BUFFLEHEADS (a tie with Wood Duck for my favorite duck), a flock of over 70 white geese -- most were SNOW GEESE and I was able to pick out at least two ROSS'S GEESE; a couple of AMERICAN AVOCETS (usually scarce in SE AZ in winter, sporadic at best), at least 4 VERMILION FLYCATCHERS, a continuing LAZULI BUNTING and at least two ABERT'S TOWHEES. This is only the second time that I've seen Abert's here (both this year); perhaps they are expanding their range. Other species included immature and adult SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, an even dozen LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS (the only waders that I saw), a lone RING-BILLED GULL and several flavors of sparrows (I missed Swamp).

I spent far more time here than I had intended, mostly due to the fact that I got sucked into photography with a fair measure of success. This adult SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. was extremely tolerant and I was able to take oodles of shots. Unfortunately, vegetation blocked the bird from almost every location and I had to settle for a less than ideal angle. Here's a close up shot that shows the skinny legs of this species compared to Cooper's Hawk. Other photographs that I managed today were a brave RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET harassing the Sharpie (never thought I'd ever be able to digiscope one of these fidgety little suckers) and adult and immature WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS feeding in the weedy stuff and enjoying the sun's warmth.

48 species recorded at Whitewater Draw from 7:30-11:00am:
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Ruddy Duck, Snow & Ross's Geese, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Sora, Am. Coot, Sandhill Crane, Long-billed Dowitcher, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Mourning Dove, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Say's & Black Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, Marsh & House Wrens, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Am. Pipit, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon & possibly, Pink-sided), Lincoln's, White-crowned, Savannah, Brewer's & Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird and Western Meadowlark.

I drove north through the valley without stopping to do much birding along the way. Among the roadside birds were several FERRUGINOUS HAWKS and a few LARK BUNTINGS here and there.

My noon arrival at Willcox ensured that I saw very little in the way of landbirds. Highlights on the main pond were a single WESTERN GREBE, and 11 COMMON MERGANSERS (4 males & 7 females) and 6 RING-BILLED GULLS. Both SORA and VIRGINIA RAIL called out in response to a hand clap at the golf course pond. This (presumed) continuing PRAIRIE FALCON was on a pole along the road north of the golf course. The bird was doing a Robert De Niro impression (are you looking at me?)

23 species at Willcox ponds from 12:00-1:00pm:
Western Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, N. Shoveler, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Prairie Falcon, Virginia Rail, Sora, Am. Coot, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Black Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Marsh Wren, Horned Lark, House Finch and Song & White-crowned Sparrows.

Thursday, December 4, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
This morning I made another routine visit to Sawmill Canyon. It was a great morning to be in the mountains -- clear blue sky and zero wind. The canyon had a very crisp feel as I got started and was almost too warm by late morning. This is December, right?

After some excellent success with sapsuckers throughout November, I struck out on my last visit a few days ago and today I wanted to get back on track. It was a good morning for such endeavors (i.e. not windy) and I was eventually able to track down a good looking male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER. The only down side was the fact that it took way too much time since almost all the tapping that I checked out turned out to be an ARIZONA WOODPECKER. Just like on Sunday, they were very common today.

As is typical for this time of year, species diversity in Sawmill was quite low and vocalizations were few and far between. However, since I covered so much ground looking for the sapsucker, I stumbled into most of the canyon regulars. Best of the bunch was a beautiful male OLIVE WARBLER -- I heard a couple of distant "phew" calls and managed to track one to where it was foraging at the top of a pine tree. I'm pretty sure that I heard the chip note of a Townsend's Warbler but was unable to locate it. Since other species sound similar (including Black-throated Gray, possible albeit unlikely here in December), I wasn't able to record it. The only other warbler was a fly over YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, a species definitely at the end of its stay at this elevation. They trickle into Sawmill in mid August, become abundant in October, then peter out as November progresses. This was only my second December record  in the canyon.

A small group of AMERICAN ROBINS and HERMIT THRUSHES were hanging out together about a mile into the canyon. I figured there had to be some fruit nearby but I wasn't able to find any. Dickey birds made up the bulk of the rest of what I saw and included WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BROWN CREEPER, BUSHTIT, HUTTON'S VIREO, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and DARK-EYED & YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS.

Back at lower elevation in Garden Canyon, I saw two uncommon species. Although EASTERN BLUEBIRDS are a fairly common resident in various locations in the Huachucas, I rarely see them in the mesquite-grassland of Garden Canyon. Consequently,  a couple of them perched on a wire near the Aerostat turn off were certainly not expected. I have an average of three records per year for this species in Garden Canyon.

In a similar vein, a lone WESTERN SCRUB-JAY at the (currently dry) fishing ponds was also quite unexpected. The comments for the bluebirds are also true for the jay, although I average only a couple of records per year in Garden Canyon.

Saturday, December 6, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
First of two days with Martin Hunnybun from Croydon, England. Today we birded a loop through Santa Cruz and Pima counties visiting San Rafael Valley, Paton's, Patagonia Lake State Park, Amado sewage pond, the Santa Rita Mountains and Box Canyon road. A mild start to the day turned into a very warm afternoon  -- probably about 10 degrees above average for this time of year. We had a fairly successful outing, particularly with woodpeckers and sparrows.

San Rafael valley birding was a little weird this morning -- HORNED LARKS and SAVANNAH & VESPER SPARROWS were in surprisingly short supply and we struck out completely on Grasshopper Sparrow despite lots of effort. However, we easily found two BAIRD'S SPARROWS perched in low vegetation and had excellent scope looks. Go figure! We also saw two perched WHITE-TAILED KITES, a perched PRAIRIE FALCON and a fair sized flock of CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS.

Marion Paton's yard was fairly inactive -- about a dozen species including WHITE-WINGED DOVE and ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD.

The best bird (for me!) at Patagonia Lake was a lone STELLER'S JAY, a first for me here bringing my state park list to 247 species. The bird was in the willow forest at the mouth of the (dry) north fork of Sonoita Creek. We arrived fairly late and struck out on the gnatcatchers and trogon, however, we did find the RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN along the creek trail. GRAY and DUSKY FLYCATCHERS were easy too see. A lone RING-BILLED GULL was on the lake along with a smattering of ducks including CINNAMON TEAL, REDHEAD, LESSER SCAUP and BUFFLEHEAD.

Amado sewage pond held a couple of CANVASBACKS, a small group of male and female COMMON GOLDENEYES (scarce in SE AZ in winter), a few other common ducks and LEAST SANDPIPER.

In lower Chino Canyon we quickly found our target RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW (many of them, in fact) along with several common species including CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, CACTUS WREN,  BREWER'S & BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS, PHAINOPEPLA, PYRRHULOXIA and GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE.

In Continental, we had to put in some effort in the heat of the afternoon but we eventually found the wintering LEWIS'S WOODPECKER.

By the time that we reached the upper section of Madera Canyon the sun had already set and bird activity was low. However, we managed to dig out several ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, CANYON WREN and PAINTED REDSTART plus the common species.

Box Canyon road yielded a few hoped for species including WESTERN BLUEBIRD, ROCK WREN and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW. 

Day list (89 species recorded):
Pied-billed & Eared Grebes, Neotropic & Double-crested Cormorants, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Turkey Vulture, White-tailed Kite, Cooper's & Red-tailed Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Common Moorhen, Am. Coot, Wilson's Snipe, Least Sandpiper, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning, White-winged & Inca Doves, Anna's Hummingbird, Red-naped Sapsucker, Lewis's, Acorn, Gila, Ladder-backed & Arizona Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Gray & Dusky Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Common Raven, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Rufous-backed Robin, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Cactus, Rock, Canyon, Bewick's & House Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Orange-crowned &Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Painted Redstart, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Dark-eyed Junco, Song, White-crowned, Savannah, Baird's, Chipping, Brewer's, Vesper, Black-throated, Rufous-winged & Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Green-tailed & Spotted Towhees, N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark and Great-tailed Grackle.

Sunday, December 7, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Martin. On a short and somewhat rushed day forced by Martin's travel schedule, we visited Sulphur Springs Valley and the Chiricahuas. The weather was very similar to yesterday, albeit a little breezy at times -- very mild in the morning with an afternoon temperature much higher than normal. 

We began at the southern end of the valley where we enjoyed the spectacle of thousands of SANDHILL CRANES streaming north from Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area shortly after sunrise. Next, we concentrated on thrashers and had good success in short order as both BENDIRE'S THRASHER (on Coffman Road) and CRISSAL THRASHER (on Lee Road) afforded us excellent scope looks. As their breeding season approaches, they become much easier to find (in fact, the Crissal was singing). 

During the search for thrashers we stumbled into my bird of the day -- SAGE SPARROW (maybe two) on Lee Road, a traditional spot for them. However, they are certainly not annual here (and never better than rare-uncommon) and finding them is difficult because the area is fenced and posted. Some years ago, when I had access to walk the scrub here, I could find them with regularity. Working from the roadside significantly reduces the chances of seeing them, hence my delight  with our stroke of good fortune. We saw one bird on the ground and another (or the same bird) perched up on a mesquite.  

We moved on to Whitewater Draw where we had to limit our time to only 90 minutes. Nevertheless, we managed 45 species including a lone WESTERN GREBE, 5 CANVASBACKS, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, continuing LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER (10+) and AMERICAN AVOCET (2), a calling GREATER YELLOWLEGS, VERMILION FLYCATCHER and a calling SWAMP SPARROW that eventually revealed itself.. We didn't see any sign of the Snow/Ross's Goose flock during our time here or elsewhere in the valley.

As we worked north through the valley, we checked the fields on Davis Road, Central Highway and Rucker Canyon Road looking for Mountain Plover without success. FERRUGINOUS HAWKS were seen in all of the above locations, most common as usual on Rucker Canyon Road where a dark phase bird was present. Dark phase birds make up a very low percentage of this species' population. LARK BUNTINGS were quite numerous on Central Highway and a MERLIN was at the S-curve (they seem to like this spot). Thousands of blackbirds were congregated on the wires and irrigation rigs at Essary Hay -- most were BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS, although YELLOW-HEADED, RED-WINGED and BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS were mixed in.  

In the Chiricahuas we went just high enough to find PYGMY NUTHATCH, a species that never seems to descend to low elevation in southeastern Arizona even in extremely harsh conditions, let alone current conditions. We saw lots of them along with RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, MEXICAN CHICKADEE, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO. 

We didn't cross the mountain and backtracked down Pinery Canyon Road to Willcox (without stopping to check the ponds) and on to Tucson, where we arrived just too late for Martin to catch the 3:00pm shuttle to Phoenix. We were four minutes late but the van had already left ahead of schedule anyway! Had we known he would have to wait for the 4:00pm, we could have stopped at Willcox -- así es la vida. Over the two days we recorded 125 species and Martin went home with a good number of new birds to ease the pain.

Day list (74 species recorded):
Pied-billed, Eared & Western Grebes, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Red-tailed & Ferruginous Hawks, Am. Kestrel, Merlin, Prairie Falcon, Gambel's Quail, Sora, Am. Coot, Sandhill Crane, Greater Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher, American Avocet, Killdeer, Mourning & Inca Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Say's & Black Phoebes, Vermilion Flycatcher, Steller's & Mexican Jays, Loggerhead Shrike, Bendire's, Curve-billed & Crissal Thrashers, Pygmy, Red-breasted & White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Cactus & Marsh Wrens, Verdin, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned & Golden-crowned Kinglets, Mexican Chickadee, Horned Lark, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Lark Bunting, Dark-eyed & Yellow-eyed Juncos, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned, Savannah, Brewer's, Vesper, Black-throated & Sage Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, Pyrrhuloxia, Yellow-headed, Red-winged & Brewer's Blackbirds, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Tuesday, December 9, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Following an extended period of unseasonably warm weather, yesterday was cold, cloudy, wet and windy. The nasty weather passed through overnight leaving clear and cold conditions in its wake. It was a beautiful morning on the San Pedro where I made a routine, uninspiring and generally unproductive visit. I had a pleasant walk but our avian friends were not very numerous.  

All the highlights came in the form of continuing birds -- two WHITE-WINGED DOVES at the SP House feeders, a doubling of the COMMON MOORHEN population at the big pond (now two!) walking around the marsh with a SORA, a very vocal and active SWAMP SPARROW on the east side of the big pond, and a vocal LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH on the river where the SP House trail meets the river.

36 species recorded on the San Pedro (highway 90 area):
Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, N. Shoveler, Gambel's Quail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Mourning &, White-winged Doves, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Say's &, Black Phoebes, Chihuahuan Raven, White-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh & Bewick's Wrens, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, House Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Louisiana Waterthrush, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's & Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Pyrrhuloxia and Red-winged Blackbird.

On the way home I stopped at Sierra Vista EOP to check on the effects of the recent controlled burn. The vegetation in both "ponds" close to the viewing platform has been swealed away and that coupled with lack of water means that it will be a while before the birds recover. Today I missed both Marsh Wren and Yellow-headed Blackbird -- call the cops its daylight robbery. Only YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS seemed to find the burned areas of interest. The only birds of note were a couple of PEREGRINE FALCONS sitting on adjacent poles.

Thursday, December 11, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day  
Today I had to run an errand in Tucson and I took advantage of the opportunity to visit Avra Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant, a location that I wish I could visit more often. However, since it's roughly a 180 mile round trip, regular visits are hardly practical (let alone economical!). Despite continuing warm days, it was very cold there when I started birding at 8:00am this morning. The sun poked through after a while and it was quite pleasant by the time that I left at 9:40am.

I was hoping to get some decent photographs of the HORNED GREBE that has been present for a week or so. Unfortunately, the bird remained in the middle of the first (southeast) pond and was always too far away for a quality shot. Distribution of this species in Arizona is very interesting (at least to me!). They are extremely scarce in southeast Arizona; probably even less than the "abundance" shown in the birdfinding guides. Today's bird was only my second record in SE AZ (my only other sighting was at Nogales WWTP in December 1994). They are listed as "rare or casual" in Maricopa County and there are perhaps more records for this area. By the time western Arizona is reached, you can perhaps expect to see them regularly each winter (albeit still rare-very uncommon) along the Colorado river. Each year there are a number of reports of Horned Grebes in southeast Arizona that rarely pan out and turn out to be Eared Grebes. I certainly haven't been able to confirm any sightings of those that I have checked in the past ten years. 

It's about time that we had a "real" Horned Grebe like the bird at Avra Valley WWTP. The photos that I managed (while quite fuzzy) serve to document the bird. Photo #1 shows the clean white face, well delineated from the black head, as well as head and bill shape. Photo #2 clearly shows the white lore, a real clinching mark. Although not all winter Horned Grebes show this, it's usually present to varying degrees. I have never seen it at all on a winter Eared Grebe.

Other birds of note included a female GREATER SCAUP and a female HOODED MERGANSER. A good selection of expected wintering waterfowl were present on the southeast pond and provided plenty to look at. BUFFLEHEADS were quite numerous. I didn't spend much time looking for landbirds and probably missed a bunch. BARN SWALLOW was the only bird of note since they are decidedly uncommon in winter.

I recorded the following 35 species:
Pied-billed, Horned & Eared Grebes, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, N. Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, N. Shoveler, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, N. Harrier, Am. Coot, Least Sandpiper, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, N. Mockingbird, Barn Swallow, House Sparrow, Am. Pipit, Yellow-rumped Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow, Western Meadowlark and Great-tailed Grackle.

Saturday, December 13, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Yesterday morning as I was working at the computer, I was surprised to hear the sound of water dripping and couldn't imagine what could be leaking. I went outside and was amazed to see snow on the ground -- the dripping noise was snow melting off the roof!. This morning there was barely a remnant of the first snowfall of the season still visible in the Huachucas.

I headed out to do some binocular shopping for my granddaughter's Christmas gift. It was quite a shock to hold and look through several dinky glasses after constantly using Swarovski 10x42. I rejected a couple of Eagle Optics models (4x Shockwave and  8X Energy) before settling on their 8x25 Triumph model. This is probably more binocular than needed at the moment but hopefully she can "grow into it" -- if it holds up physically.

While out and about I stopped at Sierra Vista EOP where it was deathly quiet around midday. It's a crying shame how the city has transformed this once excellent birding spot into a virtual bird graveyard. Once again, I missed Yellow-headed Blackbird. Very depressing. The only bird of note was a perched PEREGRINE FALCON.

Thursday, December 18, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
The past few days have been wonderful weather-wise -- clear skies, chilly mornings and pleasant afternoons with above average temperatures. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get outside to enjoy them. Today I ventured out down to the San Pedro where I enjoyed the great weather and a refreshing walk after being cooped up, but not much in the way of exciting birds. 

The San Pedro House feeders had plenty of customers including lots of GAMBEL'S QUAIL, HOUSE FINCHES, LESSER GOLDFINCHES and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS as well as a couple of continuing WHITE-WINGED DOVES.

I started out by walking south along the Del Valle Road as far as Garden wash. The best bird (of very few seen) was a perched up CRISSAL THRASHER singing its whisper song. They are not very common close to the river, however, this road (and westward up Garden wash) is in the scrub and, consequently, is a good location to look for this species (especially from now through March, as is borne out by my bar graph). The only other moment of moderate excitement came when I confronted a JAVELINA. A staring contest ensued and I eventually moved on and left it staring at me. 

Next, I walked east down Garden Wash which was loaded with WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, as were the weedy areas to the south towards the small pond. Initial reports throughout southeast Arizona this winter indicate that this species is very "spotty" to date -- common in some locations and either absent or present in low numbers in other regularly used locations. Apart from White-crowned, wintering sparrows on the river remain fairly scarce, although the population of BREWER'S SPARROWS has increased significantly since my last visit on December 9. While checking the weeds for sparrows I was surprised to find several LAZULI BUNTINGS (I detected at least six of them), only my second December record on the river. ABERT'S TOWHEES were common as usual; GREEN-TAILED and SPOTTED TOWHEES were fairly common (the latter more than "normal"); CANYON TOWHEE was the least common. 

Birding along the river proper was pretty well ruined by a couple of people using chain saws, presumably to clear debris. I struck out on the Louisiana Waterthrush (likely still around) but I did manage to pick up a silent HAMMOND'S and a calling DUSKY FLYCATCHER. 

38 species recorded on the San Pedro (highway 90 area):
Am. Wigeon, N. Shoveler, Am. Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Am. Coot, Mourning & White-winged Doves, Belted Kingfisher, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, N. Flicker, Hammond's &, Dusky Flycatchers, Say's & Black Phoebes, Loggerhead Shrike, Crissal Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh &  Bewick's Wrens, Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Chipping, Brewer's & Vesper Sparrows, Green-tailed, Spotted, Canyon & Abert's Towhees, Pyrrhuloxia, Lazuli Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird and Western Meadowlark.

Friday, December 26, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
After I had driven to Sonoita to meet a client this morning, we decided to cancel due to the very windy conditions ahead of an approaching weather front. Such a shame really because apart from the wind it was a reasonable morning. Rain and mountain snow is expected later in the day. It was so ironic that after spending a week of fairly decent weather days in front of the computer, my first day back at work was impacted by the weather.

By 8:00am I was back in Sorry Vista where ROCK PIGEONS, CHIHUAHUAN RAVENS and GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES went about their business at extremely high velocity. Rather foolishly, perhaps, I headed down to Sierra Vista EOP.

I lasted only about 15 minutes there which was enough time for me to realize that canceling the day was the correct decision. NORTHERN HARRIERS have the advantage when it's windy because they hunt low. However, the couple of birds that I saw didn't seem to have much control over their own destiny as they tried to make a living over what's left of the marsh after the recent burn The (continuing) PEREGRINE FALCON was perched on "its" pole, head on into the wind, just toughing it out. I hope it can find more ducks than I did -- just MALLARD and GADWALL.

SAY'S PHOEBES were very common (I saw at least 6) and they along with a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE were working very close to the ground. Not faring quite as well were a handful of LEAST SANDPIPERS and many YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS being blown all over the place.

Oh well, back to the computer. Hopefully, tomorrow won't be as windy even though it will likely be cold.

Saturday, December 27, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
First of two days with Steve and Lorelei Metildi from Tustin, CA. A rare treat for me since Steve will be working on photography and we won't be looking for specific birds. When we left Sierra Vista at 7:00am this morning the temperature was a chilly 20 degrees (although it didn't feel too bad because of low humidity).  The temperature at Patagonia Lake was the same 20 degrees when we began birding an hour later. However, it felt much colder here because of the higher humidity. 

We birded slowly along the east marsh trail, worked the northeastern edge of the lake, then ventured only a short distance up stream (not an easy feat carrying heavy camera equipment as Steve was). By its own usually high standards, birding at the lake was a little slow. However, I must admit that we didn't focus on digging out species and I'm sure the very cold conditions also had an effect. In 4 1/2 hours I recorded just 44 species. Yesterday, a Red Phalarope was seen at the lake -- we didn't see it during the time we spent looking at the water. Later, as I was updating my records, I realized that today was my 300th visit to the lake. Had I realized that at the time, I would perhaps have looked harder for the phalarope as a way to highlight this milestone! My records show that I saw one here in December, 1997. 

Highlights on the water were a WESTERN GREBE and a pristine male GREATER SCAUP amongst many LESSER SCAUPS (both at the east end of the lake); and an adult BALD EAGLE on the north shore (opposite the bench) just as we were leaving. Highlights elsewhere were a NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET at the head of Nutting's wash, EASTERN PHOEBE and SWAMP SPARROW along the east marsh trail and a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH in a backwater of Sonoita Creek where the north/south forks of the creek diverge.

The Hackberry tree frequented earlier by the Rufous-backed Robin is now depleted. However, the Hackberry trees at the head of Nutting's Wash in the mesquite bosque have lots of fruit. Sooner or later, something good will show up here. We briefly saw a Robin sized bird in this area but never relocated it.

GRAY FLYCATCHERS were very common so, by attrition, Steve ended up with a good photo.

44 species recorded at Patagonia Lake from 8:00am-12:30pm.
Pied-billed & Western Grebes, Neotropic & Double-crested Cormorants, Ruddy Duck, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Greater & Lesser Scaups, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Bald Eagle, Am. Coot, Wilson's Snipe, Anna's Hummingbird, Gila & Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Gray & Dusky Flycatchers, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Eastern & Black Phoebes, Hermit Thrush, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rock, Bewick's & House Wrens, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bridled Titmouse, Am. Pipit, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp & Chipping Sparrows, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackle.

A stop in Marion Paton's yard in the early afternoon was generally unproductive except for LAZULI BUNTING. About 20 species here including ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD (Broad-billed seen earlier in the day),  many GILA and a few ACORN WOODPECKERS and lots of GAMBEL'S QUAIL.

Sunday, December 28, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Steve and Lorelei. Although it was a gorgeous blue sky day, the pristine conditions didn't come without a price. As we headed out from Sierra Vista this morning the temperature was a little colder than yesterday at 16 degrees, dropping down to 7 degrees as we crossed the San Pedro river at the Charleston Road bridge, and only 13 degrees as we started birding on Coffman Road in the Sulphur Springs Valley at 8:00am. By comparison, the mid afternoon temperature in Scheelite Canyon was a balmy 35 degrees.

Despite the cold, we didn't have any trouble finding BENDIRE'S THRASHER on Coffman Road. In one respect, the bird was very cooperative since it perched up and sang several times. However, it was just a little too far away for Steve to get a decent photo. BLACK-THROATED SPARROW was a little more cooperative. SANDHILL CRANES were plentiful and noisy. At least 20 SNOW and 1 ROSS'S GOOSE flew by heading north -- a few hours later a flock of 60 white geese flew back south towards Whitewater Draw. 

Not surprisingly, the water at Whitewater Draw was frozen around the edges and it was still only 32 degrees when we left at 10:15am. We recorded about 30 species here including a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, CINNAMON TEAL, WILSON'S SNIPE, a handful of LEAST SANDPIPERS and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, several male VERMILION FLYCATCHERS (immatures and adults) and AMERICAN PIPIT.

As we headed up Scheelite Canyon around 12:30pm, I had two particular trees in mind where I thought an owl might be using today (roost sites that provide access to sunshine and some warmth on such a cold day). However, little did I know that I would find two SPOTTED OWLS roosting separately in those very trees!  The first bird was a little up canyon from the 1/2 mile mark in a very obvious location -- easy to see but not a great photo opportunity for Steve. I continued on up canyon and found another owl sitting very high in an oak around the 5/8 mile mark. Although I could maneuver into a fairly close, eye level position, the view was very much obscured by leaves. Despite the less than ideal viewing conditions, Steve concentrated on the first owl since it was the lesser of the two evils.

I didn't expect much activity in the canyon so I was pleased with a total of 11 species including a good looking CASSIN'S VIREO, not the first time that I've seen this bird in Scheelite in December. Others recorded here were more expected such as ARIZONA WOODPECKER, CANYON WREN, BUSHTIT, lots of HERMIT THRUSHES, YELLOW-EYED JUNCO and SPOTTED TOWHEE.

Tuesday, December 30, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
First of two days with Kenneth Petersen from Santa Cruz, CA who I've birded with on one previous occasion. Thankfully, the record breaking low temperatures are no longer with us and today was a more typical southeastern Arizona winter day -- a mild 30 degrees when we started in San Rafael Valley around 7:30am and in the low 60s at Patagonia Lake in mid afternoon.

We quickly found two BAIRD'S SPARROWS at the west end of the valley, however, I was unable to get the scope on them fast enough. Fortunately, this turned out not to be a problem because it only took us 30 minutes to find another and this time we had a wonderful scope look at the bird. We then spent considerable time near Bog Hole trying unsuccessfully to relocate the Sprague's Pipit that I saw here in October. Next, we staked out the Meadow Valley Flat stock pond and scanned the many CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS (some in good plumage) without a sniff of McCown's. The birds were feeding out on the ice and seemed to be finding plenty of food. I was surprised and somewhat amused to see a BAIRD'S SPARROW ice skating here. We also checked the Vaca Ranch stock pond for McCown's, again without success, just many Chestnut-collared. Other birds in the valley included WHITE-TAILED KITE, PEREGRINE FALCON (uncommon here) and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.

Although our visit to Patagonia Lake turned out to be a very frustrating affair, we ended up seeing one of two target birds so it wasn't entirely fruitless. Lots of families and dogs on the trails today but it was the countless clueless birders that really pissed me off. We headed out to the "hackberry with the rag" to look for Rufous-backed Robin using the strategy of  crossing the creek and staying well away from the tree. Group after group of birders came by along the trail only to stop and hang around under the tree and on the hillside above it, talking loudly. Don't they realize that there's no f....g way the bird is going to fly into the tree with all that activity. This is common sense stuff. What a circus! After 30 minutes of this bullshit we headed back to look for the gnatcatcher. We returned later in the afternoon around 3:00pm when all the activity had died down and had wonderful looks at the RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN feeding on the trail, presumably on fallen hackberries (we were viewing from across the creek).

Our search for the Black-capped Gnatcatcher was long and fruitless. We found the BRIDLED TITMOUSE flock with the hanger on HUTTON'S VIREO and scads of VERDINS, RUBY CROWNED KINGLETS and BEWICK'S WRENS. The strategy of working the flock turned out to be completely wrong today -- later we met a couple who saw the male gnatcatcher on the hillside above the bench. Aaargh!. Mañana es otro día.

Wednesday, December 31, 2003    Previous Day    Next Day
Out again today with Kenneth. Our plan for the day was to quickly pick up a couple of thrashers in Sulphur Springs Valley (ha!) then head over to Patagonia to do battle with the gnatcatcher again. A cloudier and cooler day (mid 50s) with light rain late in the day. 

We started on a chilly (27 degrees) Coffman Road just after dawn where we quickly found a BENDIRE'S THRASHER. Unfortunately, the bird sat with its back to us and we had to return a little later to get a satisfying look. Between those looks at the Bendire's we looked high and low for Crissal Thrasher without any success at all. The only bird of note was a MERLIN on Central Highway around milepost 11. We moved on to Frontier Road where we finally found a CRISSAL THRASHER perched up -- for about 5 seconds!

With the clock ticking away, I decided to head to the San Pedro to try again for Crissal rather than head to more productive spots in the Sulphur Springs Valley (since that would take us further away from Patagonia). Fortunately, this move paid off because we quickly found and had good looks at a CRISSAL THRASHER on the Del Valle Road, about 1/2 mile from the San Pedro House.

We arrived at Patagonia Lake State Park around 11:45am to learn bad news, first from Chris Benesh leading a Field Guides Tour then local birder Jerry Bock (who were both leaving) that neither of them had seen the gnatcatcher. Boo Hoo. We proceeded to work our way through the various washes and the mesquite bosque until we heard Chris and Jerry calling us -- the BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER had just been seen at the head of the first wash (bottom of the steps). Thanks guys! We  hurried over there and arrived just as the gnatcatcher and titmouse flock were moving on and managed to see the bird for just a few seconds.

We worked on the assumption that the gnatcatcher had stayed with the flock and followed them for a while without sighting the gnatcatcher again. We then searched elsewhere for the bird before deciding to relocate the flock which we worked for a while, again without success. In the end we had to settle for the earlier brief look.

We finished the day with a short visit to the San Rafael Valley to look for McCown's Longspur. Conditions here were cloudy, windy and a little chilly. Hardly a bird was stirring and we soon left. The rain began shortly afterwards. Not a great end to the day but over the two days we enjoyed fairly good success for which we had to work much harder than usual.

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

Species List

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

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