Arizona Dreaming Part 3 (07Aug2021)

I woke early on the 7th and decided I needed to look for a Botteri's Sparrow as this was our last day in the Canyon and I wasn't sure if I could get them in the next spot.  While Melissa attended to her ablutions I headed down into the wash at the entrance to the canyon and quickly heard my quarry.

Botteri's Sparrow - quite reminiscent to our Bachman's Sparrow albeit with a smaller schnoz.

That only took about 15 minutes after first light and so I made it back to pick up Melissa with time to spare.  We headed up to the same trailhead and this time we took the main trail towards Mount Baldy which is over 11k feet in elevation.  However we only made it to Josephine Saddle which is about a 5 mile hike but reaches 7100 feet which is already higher than our tallest mountain east of the Mississippi. 

Arizona Woodpecker - the climb up to the saddle was relatively quiet but I did have one little flock.

Hutton's Vireo - like our Ruby-crowned Kinglet but with a bigger bill.

Once up to the saddle proper, the Yellow-eyed Juncos had me captivated.  One even jumped on my shoe.

As I rested up for the walk back down a nice flock moved in all around me at the saddle.  Sometimes its better to just let the birds come to you.

Red-faced Warbler - what a stunner!

Grace's Warbler - similar to our Yellow-throated.

Bridled Titmouse

Plumbeous Vireo!

I practically floated down the mountain after that bird orgy.

After checking out of Santa Rita, we headed down the canyon and back around to Tubac for lunch before heading to the famous (infamous?) Patagonia Picnic Tables.  It was super hot and Melissa was not too pleased while I searched for the resident Rose-throated Becards.  It was super frustrating because apparently the nesting birds had just fledged the day prior so they were no longer visiting the huge hanging nest.   I did have a consolation Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet but I will spare you the horrible pics.  My time there ran out quickly and I decided I would have to get my ABA area ticks another day.  I had already seen them in Mexico so it wasn't a big deal.

The next stop was the famous Paton Center for Hummingbirds where the Violet-crowned Hummingbird is the specialty.

Violet-crowned Hummingbird - It didn't take long to see one.

Broad-billed Hummingbird

Our next stop for the day was the Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary before spending the night in downtown Sierra Vista.  

Lucifer Hummingbird 

Actually we drove some of the canyons around there before turning in so I could listen for nightjars but didn't put too much effort into it.

Cassin's Kingbird in the waning light.

Next up on Part 4 is the famous Miller Canyon!

Arizona Dreaming Part 2 (06Aug2021)

Knowing it was going to get hot fast, we woke early and began a hike up the canyon road from the hotel basically at first light.  In hindsight we should have drove to the top and started the hike there.  I was already sweating like crazy by the time we made it to the trailhead for the Carrie Nation Trail, but the good news was that the trogons were calling right from the parking lot.

Elegant Trogon - these were actually calling all over the canyon so it seemed strange that anyone would not find them.

Like many of my target birds for the trip, they are a species that are only found in the very southwest part of Arizona but are quite common in Mexico.  It seems silly to spend so much time finding birds that are tricky to find in the USA but easy to find if you just cross the border.  I do plan to eventually explore Mexico more as the waves and birding are excellent.

Likewise for the Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, they were loud and quite plentiful and only found outside Mexico in SE Arizona.

Greater Pewees apparently do have a bigger range in Arizona and New Mexico but I had only ever seen one previously in Texas of all places.

White-winged Doves are nothing special but if one perches right in front of your face, you have no other recourse but to photograph them.

Mexican Jays are boisterous and raucous much like their Jay cousins.

For lunch we visited Tubac but it was super hot and most shops were closed I guess for siesta.  I continued my strategy of assessing the restaurant by it's Chile Relleno and was pleasantly surprised by the variability of this dish between all the restaurants we visited.  Some had meat, some didn't. Some were smothered in sauces and some were deep fried.  Some light on the cheese and some swimming in it.  Some day I will research this phenomena and write a book on it.

Tubac is famous in the birding world for the De Anza Trail, a really long trail that has a section in SE Arizona.

If your interests include history, you can read up on it here: https://www.nps.gov/juba/planyourvisit/maps.htm

I always think these histories glorifying European accomplishments are a little ridiculous as Native Americans had been living and traveling in these places long before and most times the Europeans only survived because the Native Americans allowed them to and in some cases helped them.

However, the reason birders love the trail is probably the same reason De Anza did, the river passing through the desert is an oasis with trees. We didn't have long as it was hot and Melissa doesn't tolerate my birding for more than 45 minutes but I was able to find a few good birds.

Lucy's Warbler - this little nondescript warbler jumping through the mesquite branches was easily identified when it showed its cinnamon rump.  Apparently it was named after Baird's daughter, so not only do ornithologists get birds named after them but also their family members too.  Cinnamon-rumped Warbler would have been a better name for sure.

One of my targets for this walk was the Thick-billed Kingbird and thankfully a pair showed before my time was up.

In the heat of the afternoon we hunkered down in the hotel for a nice nap.  Luckily some monsoon clouds moved in before sunset and before unleashing a torrent allowed us some time to further explore Box Canyon in relatively cool weather.  It was a little nerve-wracking as we could see that some sudden downpours would have the potential to strand us in our little red Mustang as there were multiple washes across the dirt road that indicated impromptu rivers.  When we arrived at the Five-striped Sparrow stakeout there was already a couple people there looking for it.  So as a group of 4 we looked long and hard through the canyon hoping it would perch on the cholla cactuses which were everywhere. 

These Varied Bunting were a brief consolation.  The light was horrible due to the late hour and increasing clouds.

Eventually the other two birders left and I was able to go behind a bush to relieve myself.  Now most birders know that rare birds tend to show up around public bathrooms or really anytime someone chooses to go to the bathroom.  I don't know if there is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon but it does seem to work for me which is why I always hydrate before a birding expedition.  As I did the deed, I heard the rich song of the Five-Striped Sparrow not 20 feet away and voila, there he was.

Five-striped Sparrow - even with the poor light I was able to get some good pics due to the close proximity and how cooperative the bird was.

Count the white lines on his face and you will eventually get to five.

What a beautiful bird!

Back at the feeders at the Santa Rita Lodge, this Hepatic Tanager came in just before dark.  Unfortunately the Berylline Hummingbird was a no show.  The skies opened up that night and rained down to cool the canyon for our next days adventures. Tune in for Day 3 soon.

Arizona Dreaming (05Aug2021)

I have been to Arizona many times over the years but logically always during the winter to avoid the extreme heat.  However, if you want to get the good birds in AZ you have to go in the summer.  August is typically the best time to go because the monsoon rains give some respite from the extreme heat and seems to get birds moving.  This year AZ has had tons of rain which has turned the usually brown hued desert into a green oasis.  My sweet mother agreed to come house sit and make sure the boys and Paco didn't get into trouble and Melissa and I jumped on a plan and was over to Tucson before lunch time.  I guess they ran out of economy cars at Avis so they gave us a cherry red Mustang which Melissa wasn't happy about considering all the dirt roads we would be driving on but I had fun with.

We started out visiting an amazing restaurant called Tumerico in Tucson in an unassuming strip mall. https://www.tumerico.com.  I highly recommend the Mole Latte (latte with chocolate sauce in it) and Chile Relleno.  Most of the meat type dishes are made with Jack Fruit made to look like carnitas.

From Tucson it didn't take long to make it to the Madera Canyon area, our base of operations for a couple days.

Every time I take the approach road into Madera Canyon, I feel compelled to stop for the Ravens on the poles.  So far I have not been able to definitively identify a Chihuahuan Raven.  They are supposed to have smaller bills and the base of their neck feathers are white when blowing in the wind.  I made some recordings of the calls and moved on.

It was still relatively early so I convinced Melissa to take a short detour to Box Canyon which is one of the  nearby canyons as you take the approach road into Madera.  The target was a Five-striped Sparrow but I didn't know precisely where it was and we ended up stopping a half mile before the spot. It was probably in the high 90s and there was not much activity.

I think this is a Golden Eagle with a beheaded snake.  If you zoom in you can just make out the lighter nape and vent and see the white feathers on the rump.

Hooded Oriole

Green hillsides near Box Canyon.

We checked into the Santa Rita Lodge and while Melissa rested up a bit I made my way over to the feeder set up.

Black-chinned Hummingbird is a species I have not had a good opportunity to hang out with until now.  Most of my previous looks were quick and dirty.

Acorn Woodpeckers are probably the one species along with Mexican Jay that can always be seen and heard in Madera Canyon no matter where you are.

Female Rivoli's Hummingbird (previously Magnificent) - it's funny that there seems to be a move away from patronymic naming yet when they split this species they named it after an obscure duke that happened to have a large collection of bird specimens.  Apparently he gave his collection to Wilson another ornithologist with many birds named for him.  Personally I thought Magnificent was better and they had a good name for the split of Talamanca. 

Broad-billed Hummingbirds are the most numerous and yet probably best looking of all the AZ hummingbirds.

The Coatis were struggling with the heat and humidity but making their rounds none the less.

Black-headed Grosbeaks are numerous as well.  

Black-chinned barely showing the purple gorget.

Male Rivoli's

Broad-billed

Lesser Goldfinch

That evening before bed I headed out and joined up with some people listening for owls and nightjars in the canyon.  Pam and Craig from South Carolina were part of the group and it was nice meeting them in person after being facebook friends for a while.  We heard Whiskered Screech Owls and perhaps Western although I kept the Western off the list.  For me the highlight was this Mexican Whip-poor-will we were able to spotlight.

It was pretty high and far away in a tree so it was difficult to get a decent pic especially with my manual focus not working, but I was happy enough with this record shot.

I slept like a baby despite the butterflies of possibility fluttering in my stomach.  Next installment will come much more quickly this time as I have curated all the pics. Thanks for your patience.