Memorial Day Weekend, Southeast Arizona, 2014 116 species seen Click here for bird checklist It was a treat to see SUMMER & WESTERN TANAGERS, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, and VARIED BUNTING. This SUMMER TANAGER was in a tree along the trail from the Proctor Road parking lot. Up the canyon at the Santa Rita Lodge we photographed lots of beautiful birds. Among them were both BLUE & BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, MEXICAN JAY, and ARIZONA WOODPECKER. At Madera Kubo we added SULFUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, GRACE'S WARBLER, SCOTT'S ORIOLE, and a RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW. As always, the hummingbirds in both spots were spectacular, brilliant BROAD-BILLED, BLACK-CHINNED, and MAGNIFICENT. We camped that night at the west end of Gardner Canyon, and were treated to a symphony of night birds: several WHISKERED SCREECH-OWLS, an ELF OWL, two GREAT HORNED OWLS, a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL, and two COMMON POORWILLS. The NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL started calling at 0430; when it was bright enough, at 0530, we tracked it down and snapped a few pics. The dawn chorus included good numbers of DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHERS, HEPATIC TANAGERS, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTARTS, and BEWICK'S WRENS. We hiked along Cave Creek for a while, and then worked our way down Gardner Canyon in search of MONTEZUMA QUAIL to photograph. We flushed a female, but it was too fast for us--bird wins! At the Patagonia Roadside Rest, we had excellent views of a posing THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD. The hillside was alive with PHAINOPEPLA, LUCY'S WARBLER, and a couple of CANYON WRENS. Above us, WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS circled and twittered. A short run up Flux Canyon Road gave us great photo ops for both BLACK-THROATED SPARROW and VARIED BUNTING. Back in Gardner Canyon we spent our second night farther down the road, in the heart of quail country. A BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW, ROCK WREN, and CANYON WREN called from the mountainside across from our site. A WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL camped out with us, singing all night. Early the next morning we spotted two male MONTEZUMA QUAIL at a cattle watering hole, but they too disappeared before we could get any shots off. BOTTERI'S SPARROWS were singing in the grasslands, along with hordes of CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS. A quick trip over to Mt Lemmon put us there mid-morning. Along the Willow Canyon Canyon Road we found nesting PLUMBEOUS VIREOS and HOUSE WRENS. The vireo was in a beautiful cup nest in a low oak, the wren was in a cavity of a pine tree. Up at the Iron Door Restaurant we watched BROAD-TAILED and MAGNIFICENT HUMMERS as we ate a tasty lunch--and then it was back downhill and back to summer in Yuma. |