[wisb] AZ trip report
- From: "Seegert, Greg" <gseegert@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:48:16 -0400
Wisbirders
Made my annual summer trip to SE AZ last week. Here's my report.
Saturday (15 Aug)---After arriving in Phoenix about 1100, I had time to
bird one spot near Tucson. I chose Mt Lemon. Overall things were slow
but I did find a couple of olive warblers just below the ski area. Also
saw several calliope hummers at the feeders at the Iron Door restaurant
in Ski Valley.
Sun---Along River Road between Nogales and Rt 82, I saw the first of
many blue grosbeaks. A varied bunting was on a telephone line. On
Aztec Court off the road into Patagonia L were both Botteri's and
Cassin's sparrows. At the Spirit Tree B&B outside of Patagonia, I got a
brief look at the plain-capped starthroat that had been there for a week
or so. At the Patagonia Preserve, I ran into Matt Brown (a local guide)
and Robin Baxter (caretaker at the Paton's). We were all looking for
the rufous-capped warblers. Amazingly, I was the first to spot one.
This was after missing this species about 4 times in FL CYN. We called
several others over who were looking for it. In Tubac, there were
tropical kingbirds at both the community park and the golf course. In
Madera CYN, I teamed with two guys from Ohio to find the family (5
birds) of black-capped gnatcatchers. Also saw a couple of varied
buntings. Above the uppermost trailhead in the CYN, I saw my only
sulfur-bellied flycatcher, a painted redstart, and an AZ woodpecker.
Along the road through Box CYN, I found a rock wren.
Mon---I went to the San Pedro House hoping to find the green kingfisher
that was been seen there occasionally. While walking out, I ran into
Stuart Healy, another of the guides (SE AZ has more guides than you can
shake a stick at) and two of his clients. I told Stuart about the
kingfisher. His clients were the two ladies I helped get on the RC
warbler the day before. They thanked me for finding them another great
bird. As I was leaving, one of them said "where are we going tomorrow"?
Along Moson Rd, I saw a Cassin's sparrow. At Beatty's just outside of
Sierra Vista, I saw 11 species of hummers including berylline's,
blue-throated, white-eared, calliope, magnificent, and many rufous. An
Aztec thrush had been seen in Ramsey CYN, but I dipped. At St David, I
found a pair of MS kites. At the Holy Trinity Monastery at the edge of
St David, I found both tropical and Cassin's kingbirds. At the pond
outside of Wilcox, there was a good assortment of shorebirds, with the
best being Bairds piper, LB curlew, both Wilson's and red-necked
phalaropes, tons of BN stilts and A avocets, as well as a CA gull, both
DC and Neotropical cormorants, and scaled quail. The rarest bird was a
juvenile dickcissel, the first of this species I've seen in AZ.
Tues---Wisbirder expatriate Chris West didn't have any clients today so
we met at Barfoot Jct in the Chiricahua's to bird for the morning. We
found multiple MX chickadees, had a brief look at a cordilleran
flycatcher, many YE juncos, and saw a few warblers....grace's, painted
redstart, Nashville, hermit, Townsends, and three olive warblers
including one male. Above Barfoot Peak, we saw two short-tailed hawks.
Chris had to leave around noon so I went back to Rustler Park where we
had seen the most activity. Earlier we had talked to a group of folks
from Houston who were waiting for their tour leader to show up. On my
way out they flagged me down and asked for some help identifying some
warblers that were coming into drink and bathe at a seep. The one that
was giving them the most trouble turned out to be female Grace's. We
also saw my only red-faced warbler of my trip. I drove back to the
Spirit Tree B & B near Patagonia hoping to get a better look at the
plaincapped starthroat. There were 4 of us there (compared to 24 on
Sun). Just before sunset, the two guys in the middle got a brief look,
but myself and the guy at the other end never saw it.
Wed---The Sinaloa wren that was discovered at the Patagonia Preserve a
year ago has built a nest on the edge of the Preserve just off Rt 82. I
decided to stake out the area. I got there at 0550 and for the first
hour plus was the only person there. I never could find the nest but at
about 0745, I heard a song that I could not ID. Actually there are many
songs for which I can't tell you which spp is doing the singing but I
usually know that it something I've heard before.....I just don't know
which species it is. But this song I didn't recognize at all. I
tracked it down and got an excellent one minute look at the Sinaloa
wren. It was kind of ratty looking because it was molting. This was my
first life bird in a year and a half. At the Patagonia Roadside Rest,
there were a couple of thick-billed kingbirds. After a nap, I made the
long drive to CA Gulch. Due to my poor hearing, I couldn't find any
5-striped sparrows. I stayed til about a half hour after sunset. I
heard a common poorwill but never heard the buff-collared nightjar.
Thurs---At Aqua Caliente park in Tucson, I saw N beardless tyrannulet
and my only W tanager of the trip. At Gilbert Water Ranch in Phoenix I
found the reported wood stork, my third AZ bird of the trip.
Ended up with 145 spp.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Greg Seegert
Deerfield, IL
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