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Tucson Audubon Society (This article first appeared in the February 2005 Vermilion Flycatcher, newsletter of the Tucson Audubon Society. To receive the newsletter, become a member of the Friends of Tucson Audubon.) The ancients thought that all matter was composed of four elementary substances. Modern physics sees things differently; but for the birder, winter in southeast Arizona unites all the elements: ducks on the water, hawks in the air, sparrows on the earth, and Vermilion Flycatchers showering fire across the fields. Visitors are often surprised by the variety of waterfowl seen here, and this season lived up to expectations, with Tucson Audubon excursions producing excellent numbers—including more than a few rarities. Geese, always noteworthy in this part of the state, have provided both excitement and controversy. A juvenile white goose at Avra Valley, seen on Norma Miller’s well-attended trip November 2, and first identified as a Ross’s Goose, showed bill characteristics suggestive of a hybrid between that species and Snow Goose. Fortunately, an adult bird that appeared there later in the month, in the convenient company of an adult Snow Goose, was as unobjectionable as a Ross’s Goose can be without DNA analysis! A third goose was also present; though well seen and thoroughly photographed, it has still not been definitively identified. Much as we all want this tiny bird to be a Cackling Goose, there appears to be no reliable way yet to distinguish some individuals of this newly ‘split’ species from Canada Goose. Other noteworthy waterfowl on Tucson Audubon trips included female Wood Ducks at Avra Valley throughout November (on trips led by Norma Miller, John Higgins, and Rick Wright); up to seven Hooded Mergansers at the same location; and Greater Scaup, a pair seen on the Avra Valley trip November 21, another pair at Patagonia Lake December 7 (on a trip led by Diane Touret), and a female discovered by Darlene Smyth at Whitewater on December 11. Is this species increasing here, or are birders simply more confident in making this identification? One that ‘got away’ from all but a fortunate few was a female Long-tailed Duck discovered at Patagonia Lake in early December. Not all fowl seen at the water are waterfowl, of course. A Least Grebe appeared (or re-appeared) at Sweetwater Wetlands, with another, wholly unexpected individual at Kearny, Pinal County (where it overlapped for a day with a Common Redpoll!). And one of the best shows in Arizona returned with the Sandhill Cranes at Whitewater Draw, with thousands thrilling the participants in Helen Tucker’s November 13 trip. All these nice big, slow, fat birds are irresistible to predators, and Tucson Audubon trips enjoyed a veritable embarrassment of raptorial riches. The November 13 group found no fewer than eight Ferruginous Hawks and multiple Merlins between Willcox and Whitewater, and Brian Nicholas was able to share scope views of a perched Peregrine in Tucson November 20. Ned and Linda Harris’s December 11 trip to the Sulphur Springs Valley started off with a Merlin of the pale race richardsoni, and ended at Rucker Road with a screaming Ferruginous Hawk stooping at a Golden Eagle overhead. A visit to Arivaca Cienega, led by Karen McBride, provided some great behavior-watching as well, with dueling Northern Harriers vying for territory and a Red-tailed Hawk trying desperately to ‘lose’ two importunate juveniles. Less dramatic, perhaps, but no less exciting for most birders is the variety of native sparrows found in southeast Arizona in the winter. By far the bird of the season was a Le Conte’s Sparrow discovered by Keith Kamper and Peter Salomon on the Tucson Christmas Count, only the second Arizona record for this orange-faced beauty. Our more expected emberizids performed well, too, as on Doug Jenness’s November 6 trip to Catalina State Park, where skulkers like Rufous-winged, Chipping, Lark, and Brewer’s Sparrows, and Green-tailed, Spotted, and Abert’s Towhees all gave good views—to the special delight of a participant from Alaska, who added five birds to his life list that day. "Eastern" warblers also provided a good show. A first-winter Chestnut-sided Warbler lingered at Sweetwater throughout late November, and the same site hosted a first-winter male American Redstart, a life bird for several participants on Darlene Smyth’s rainy December 8 trip. Rarities, of course, are just the icing on the field-trip cake. The chance to look closely and critically at common birds is just as valuable for most of us. The Arivaca Cienega trip November 7 had excellent comparative studies of a Hutton’s Vireo and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in the same bush. And Diane Touret’s December 7 excursion to Patagonia Lake enjoyed good views of Hammond’s, Dusky, and Gray Flycatchers. Many of these birds will continue through February, and you can see them on your own or by participating in a Tucson Audubon field trip. Owls will become more vocal as the month wears on, and our several thrasher species will leave their thickets to sing from exposed perches. Sparrows should increase in numbers and diversity at such sites as the San Rafael grasslands. And rarities? What they will be we cannot say, but February is historically an excellent month for strays from all directions, so keep birding! Note: Rick Wright, a Department Editor at Birding magazine, owns and operates Aimophila Adventures, a guiding service for birders in southeast Arizona, and leads trips for Naturetreks and Tucson Audubon. Contact him at birding@birdaz.com or at (520) 544-8643.
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