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Tucson Audubon Society
Tucson Audubon Afield: January 2007
Recent Field Trips and Sightings in
Southeast Arizona
by Keith
Kamper See also Tucson Audubon Afield home page
(This article first appeared in the March 2007 Vermilion Flycatcher, the newsletter of the Tucson Audubon Society. To receive the Vermilion Flycatcher in the mail, become a Friend of Tucson Audubon.)
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While Tucson received a dusting of snow(!) in January, and winter residents—avian and human—remained, signs of spring were becoming evident. Northern Mockingbirds and Curve-billed Thrashers were in full song. Harris’s Hawks began to lay eggs, while neighborhood Great Horned Owls were calling nightly. Tucson Audubon fieldtrip leaders provided the always interesting mix of trips to scattered birding hotspots, both close to home and more distant. In addition to our already impressive variety of avian residents and visitors, a few surprises were discovered.
Darlene Smyth led 25 birders, including an avid 11-year-old Canadian, along the David Yetman Trail on a frosty late- December morning.While birds were somewhat subdued by the cold, everyone enjoyed the cooperative Green-tailed Towhee bathing in a puddle. Denis Wright led an early January trip to the rugged French Joe Canyon. The ten intrepid birders braved the cold, the snow, and the incredibly rough and rocky road into the canyon. An interesting mix of species was found including a female Williamson’s Sapsucker, a Golden Eagle and Hammond’s and Dusky Flycatchers.
Raptors were the stars of the show on the trips to Sulphur Springs Valley on the 13th and the Santa Cruz Flats on the 27th. Ned Harris’s trip to the former site tallied 56 Red-tailed Hawks of all flavors, 16 Ferruginous Hawks, Cooper’s and Harris’s Hawks, and two falcon species: Merlin and American Kestrels. Philip Kline’s trip to the Santa Cruz Flats afforded participants with many ‘lifers’ (as many as 12 for one participant!). Raptor highpoints were five Crested Caracaras, 25 Black Vultures and 4 Prairie Falcons. Mountain Plovers, a Sage Thrasher and Sage Sparrows were also observed.
Patagonia Lake State Park—a very popular spot for birders and nonbirders alike—was the location for Clait Braun’s January 16 trip.When the group arrived at the lake, the temperature was a chilly 22 degrees; ice had formed around the edges of the lake in shallow water areas. The birders were treated to a ‘three phoebe day’ and had ample opportunity to sort out the mix of wintering empids. Several fortunate observers caught a glimpse of an Elegant Trogon flying through the trees. Blackchinned Sparrow was voted ‘bird of the day,’ followed closely by Common Ground-Dove.
Another immensely popular birding hotspot—Madera Canyon—was the site for Bev Postmus’s January 30 outing. Twenty-four people, some local and some visiting from Montana and Georgia, turned out on this cloudy, sometimes rainy, and cold-in-the-canyon day. Avian highpoints in the canyon included Hammond’s Flycatcher, several Arizona Woodpeckers and a Townsend’s Warbler. The sighting of a coati was by far the most exciting find on the trip. A stop at the Green Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant (you knew we had to have at least one stop at a local sewage lagoon!) produced 21 species, including the long-staying Ross’s Goose, which was a lifer for some.
John Higgins led 28 birders on his annual trek out to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. The intrepid group endured wind, dust, rain, snow and icy roads in their pursuit of the avian treats the refuge affords. Sightings include seven Bald Eagles, thousands of cranes, and twenty thousand Snow Geese including a fair number of blue morphs. A great noisy Snow Geese fly-off Saturday morning was a real treat. Some or all of the group saw Mountain Bluebirds, Ross’s Geese, Harris’s Sparrow, Slate-colored Junco, Canada Geese,White-fronted Geese, Whitetailed Kite,Merlin, Peregrine, and Whitethroated Sparrow. Great scope-looks of a Bald Eagle eating a duck and ducks flying side-ways in the wind were among the more unusual sights. Some birders went up toWater Canyon for a snowball fight. The ride back afforded the group the spectacle of 200 pronghorn near Magdalena.
The most unusual find in January was that of a Long-billed Thrasher in East Whitetail Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains. This is the first record for this species in Arizona. AWorm-eating Warbler in Tubac was observed by many—quite a feat considering it moved around considerably, both to the south of and as far as 3/4 of a mile north of the bridge over the Santa Cruz River. It was often with a mixed-species flock that contained two additional unusual species: a Black-and-whiteWarbler and a lingering Greater Pewee. Common Grackle was recorded in Bisbee; a Pine Warbler was discovered in the underbirded Patagonia Mountains. Patagonia Lake State Park held Rose-throated Becard, Louisiana Waterthrush and the persisting Black-capped Gnatcatchers. Red Phalaropes were found at the Green Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant and at Whitewater Draw. Two Horned Grebes were cooperative at Kennedy Park in Tucson. Less cooperative was the Tundra Swan that made sporadic appearances in Benson.
During March we bid farewell to some species and welcome back Swainson’s Hawks, Bell’s Vireos and Lucy’s Warblers. Desert species are busy launching new broods, while sparrow numbers noticeably drop.With all this activity, it is truly a great time to be out in the field. Perhaps I’ll see you there!
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This page was updated on 01/30/07