Day 14 (ish)

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Today would be my last day in Arizona.  From my campground, I headed up to Incinerator Ridge on Mount Lemmon.  I wasn’t expecting to add much up here, but a few more looks at Arizona mountain birds would be nice.  I saw a few good birds here like Grace’s Warbler and loads more Yellow-Eyed Juncos, but I was able to add a Violet-Green Swallow to my list.

#400 Violet-Green Swallow

It was time to head down the mountain and leave Arizona.  I think, at this point, I’m done birding Arizona for a while.  I’ve gotten pretty much all the needed species with a few exceptions (Gilded Flicker being the biggest need).  I think birding another state will now give me better outcomes.

On to California.

Before I left, I did pick up one new mammal, the Harris Antelope Squirrel.  They were running back and forth across the highway for a good park of the trip.

First stop in California was the Salton Sea.  It’s a good birding spot – when it’s not 109 degrees outside.  Holy shit.  This sucked.  First off, the GPS, when you try to go to the Sonny Bono NWR, leads you to a field with no trespassing signs all around it.  Good job!  I finally got to the NWR after nearly an hour of wandering around and backtracking my paths.  Goal here was one stupid bird, the Yellow-Footed Gull.  It was about a half-a-mile hike to get to the gulls.  I was drenched with sweat when I got there.  My eyes were burning from the salt.  It took some looking, but I finally found them as well as a few California Gulls.

#401 Yellow-Footed Gull

#402 California Gull

Time to get out of Dodge.

From here, I headed on in to San Diego.  Good birds here.  Last year on my trip here I went to La Jolla Cove, where I promptly has a panic attack from how crowded it was.  Also, it was a punch in my humility button how unattractive I felt among the SoCal beautiful people.  This year. I went again.  No panic attack this time thankfully.  Did pick up a few birds though.

#403 – Brandt’s Cormorant

#404 – Heerman’s Gull

#405 – Western Gull

I also pick up California Sea Lion and Harbor Seal as well as California Ground Squirrel.

No panic attack here.  I’m good.  On to the campsite.

I intended to camp at San Onofre State Beach.  It’s a little farther north than I would have liked, but campsites in California are hard to come by.  Plus this site has showers.  I stunk by this point.

I got in just before the last light faded from the sky.  I was able to pick up a few more birds.

#406 – California Towhee

#407 – Wrentit

Not too bad of a day to pick up 8 bird species and four mammal species.

Day 13(ish)

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Today would be an easier day.  The previous day was a whirlwind.  There would’t be another like it.

I really had only one bird goal today.  It had been two, but one of those got taken care of the previous day (Elegant Trogon).  Today’s goal was Sulphur-Bellied Flycatcher.

Since I had slept in my car that night, I didn’t get the full effect of the dawn chorus, nor did I get any night birds.  Shame.  I really could have used a Flammulated Owl.

I was active by about 6:30 and headed down to the feeders at the Santa Rita Lodge.  I’ve birded these feeders numerous times, so I didn’t expect anything new.  I didn’t get any new birds, but i did get a new lifer mammal, a Yellow-Nosed Cotton Rat.  They were all over the bushes.

After about 30 minutes or so, I decided to head up the canyon to get my flycatchers.  I knew from my friend Steve that they would be all over the trail where the trogons were usually found.  It was another uphill hike.  I was really getting tired of these.  My calves won’t forgive me for a while.  Surprisingly, I heard Trogons barking before I found the flycatchers, but find them nonetheless I did.

#399 – Sulphur-Bellied Flycatcher (lifer #488)

It was time to leave Madera Canyon.  It was time to go the the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.  I love this place.  Granted, I don’t love the weather.  Middle of the day Sonoran Desert hot in late June = no bueno.  I pick up no new birds here, but am able to walk the grounds for about three hours drinking prickly pear iced tea and thinking about zoo design.

From here, I head to a place I had some reservations about: the International Wildlife Museum.  It’s run by the Safari Club, so it can be thought of as a shrine to big game hunting.  Only, it really isn’t.  It’s no different than the taxidermy displays at a natural history museum.  Except that these are better.  The diversity if enormous.  There are even a few mounts of extinct species (Passenger Pigeon and Pyrenees Ibex).  I’m more than a little interested in comparative ungulate taxonomy and have followed the proposed massive revision in ungulate taxonomy over the past few years with great interest.  A visit hear, to my mind, only confirms some of these splits in my mind.  For instance, wildebeest have been expanded from two species to 5 or 6.  This display shows the huge variation among populations.  If these were birds, birders would have split these years ago.

From here, I headed back in to Tucson.  I needed a rest, so I found a Starbucks.  Good thing I did too.  The monsoon season had started early.  There was a huge thunderstorm that rolled through.  For those keeping score, it has now rained on me every single day in the desert (both Chihuahuan and Sonoran).

I stay here a few hours and let the storms pass.

From here, I head up to Mount Lemmon.  Mount Lemmon is one of the tallest mountains in Arizona.  Some years, you can actually ski here.  I went up the mountain, only to realize that I was about out of gas, so I headed down the mountain.  I got gas and headed back up the mountain.  I found a camp ground, set up camp, then watched more storms roll in.  What gives Arizona?  Really?

I stayed in my car for a bit and waited for the storms to pass.  Luckily, these weren’t too bad.  I slept to the sound of Mexican Whip-poor-wills and Whiskered Screech Owls.

Day 12(ish)

Friday, June 26, 2015

The sun rises early in the mountains in Arizona.  I saw the sun, but it wasn’t.  I was awakened at 4:00 by some odd hooting calls.  Turns out, three birds were calling.  The Mexican Whip-poor-will, which I had gotten in Big Bend and in the Chiricahuas, so nothing new. But the best way I can think of to be rudely awoken is by the sound of a Spotted Owl, a bird of almost mythic proportions.  Also there were Whiskered Screech Owls.

#383 – Spotted Owl (lifer 482)

#384 – Whiskered Screech-Owl

I lay awake listening in my tent for some time before I actually got up.  The sun wasn’t quite up yet when I ventured out of my tent.  I decided to go out and try and decipher the dawn chorus.  I walked around the campsite for about an hour before I returned.  And I returned with:

#385 – Arizona Woodpecker

#386 – Western Wood-Pewee

#387 – Cordilleran Flycatcher

#388 – Grace’s Warbler

Not a bad haul.  I wanted to head next to Ramsey Canyon, but the preserve doesn’t open until 8.  This is, so far, my biggest complaint of the trip.  Opening at 8 in Arizona is a rarity – especially for a nature-centered destination.  Most places open at 7 or earlier.  The sun has been up for 3.5 hours at 8, people are settling down to mid-morning.

Addendum:

In reviewing the species I saw here, I’m now convinced that I saw a Buff-Bellied Flycatcher.  It’s the expected Empid up here, with Cordillerans being more scarce.  The bird was rather rusty in color with a yellow bill.  My initial call on the day was Buff-Bellied, but I second guessed myself.

#389 – Buff-Bellied Flycatcher (lifer #483)

Instead of going straight there, I went to Beatty’s Guest Ranch, home to hummingbirds.  I was trying to get the White-Eared Hummingbird, but it was being elusive.  Lately, it’s only been seen in the late evening.  Oh well.  For a place famed for its hummer diversity (12 or 13 species in one day is their record) it was surprisingly lackluster.

On to Ramsey.

There were two very rare reported birds here.  I wants them precious.

I got there, the helpful volunteer told me how to find the birds, and I was off.  2 mile hike, I can handle that.

Oh, crap.

I’m a flatlander.

That’s 2 miles, up a mountain.  I suck at mountains.  At least my ass is getting toned.

On the walk up I collect:

#390 – Dusky-Capped Flycatcher

#391 – Painted Redstart

#392 – Red-Faced Warbler

These are good birds.  The Red-Faced is a great bird in fact.  But they are incidental.

Bark, bark, bark.

(Or in French)

Barque, barque, barque.

I hear it calling.  I know what it is.  But dammit, I want to see it.  It’s not even the bird I want.

There it is again.  Another one.  They’re all over.  My nemesis bird is calling to me, but I can’t see it.

I keep trekking up the mountain.  Two miles up is a rarity.  Well, to be specific, two rarities.  A pair of Tufted Flycatchers.  To the best of my knowledge, I believe these are the 9^th and 10^th birds ever reported in the US.  And boy, do they put on a show.  They’re completely caffeinated and won’t sit still.  A real delight to see.

#393 – Tufted Flycatcher (Lifer #484)

“Hey, there’s a pair of Elegant Trogons nesting up the path about 50 yards.”

“Can I see them?”

“Sit on that rock and wait.”

Not 30 seconds later, I see the male Elegant Trogon fly out and display.  I finally see the bird I’ve chased after 5 times now.

#394 – Elegant Trogon (Lifer #485)

Going back down is far easier than going up.  I follow a local birder and his friend who really knows his birds.  He spots a small gray rattlesnake – my first ever wild rattler.  It’s almost cute.  I want to pick it up.

I don’t.

I’m not stupid.

The other goal is the Flame-Colored Tanager.  There’s a breeding pair back down on something closer to level ground.  I tried to spot it before I headed up, but to no avail.  It’d be there when I got back from the Tufted Flycatcher.  The local birder told me to listen for a Western Tanager call without and buzz to it.  I’ve got a pretty good ear.  Hell, I’ve got a damn good ear from being trained as a classical musician.  In music, my specialty is being able to listen for odd tone colors.  This should be a cinch.

I listen.

There’re lots of Westerns calling.  All have a faint buzz to them.  The local birder said to listen for a call that is sweeter than the others.

Then I hear a pure phrase.  No trill.  No warble.  No buzz.  It calls just once, but I’m sure it’s different.  It’s in the right spot.  It’s the right tone color.

#395 – Flame-Colored Tanager (Lifer #486)

The reason I can safely say this is a Flame-Colored and not a hybrid, which are seen more often, is that these specific birds are a mated pair, confirmed by many expert birders.  Anywhere else but at Ramsey Canyon, had I heard that specific call, I couldn’t have been sure to my ID.  Here, I can be.

Three lifers and another three year birds? I think I like Ramsey Canyon.  Well except for the four hours of hiking it took to reach the Tufted Flycatcher and to see the Trogons.  It was almost like a mini death march.

I forgive it.

From here, I decide to head on to Paton’s place in Patagonia.  Nothing I need here, but a nice spot for restful birding.  I do manage to pick up a Gambel’s Quail here, which I had missed on all my trips to Arizona so far this year.

#396 – Gambel’s Quail

There are two other birders there.  I briefly remember meeting them earlier at Beatty’s.  They’re chasers too.  Well, at least one of them is.  The other is just along for the ride.  I tell them about a spot two miles west of town that’s good for Thick-Billed Kingbird.  They tell me about a spot that’s just west of Nogales that’s good for Five-Striped Sparrow.  We decide to hook up.

First we head to the rest stop just outside of Patagonia.  I’d read that it’s almost a certainty for the Thick-Billed Kingbird, and within a few minutes, we had it.

#397 – Thick-Billed Kingbird (lifer #487)

From here, I follow the other guys.  They have a book that gives “exact” directions to the sparrows.

Evidently, by just west of Nogales, they meant 40 miles outside of Nogales.  And by 40 miles, they mean 40 miles of unpaved road.

This was a nightmare. I should never have tried something without thoroughly researching it.  It was 4 hours of bumpy roads and getting lost.  I gave up.  I felt sick to my stomach from the tossing.  The other guys thought I was a quitter.  But, night was falling and a thunderstorm was setting in.  There were going to set up camp in the middle of nowhere a mile from the Mexican border in mining country.  I wanted to be somewhere safe.

Oh, I did at least pick up a Northern Goshawk out there.  So that was good.

#398 – Northern Goshawk (lifer #488)

Me following them lost me my chance at the Buff-Collared Nightjar at Madera Canyon.

C’est la via.

Oh, and to top it all off, there was no available campground at Madera.  I was pissed.

Time to sleep in the car.

My car needs Fabreeze.

The post in which I resume my trip. Day 11(ish)

Thursday, June 25, 2015

I got up and flipped a coin.  Heads I’d go back out, tails, I’d wait a few days.

Heads.

I got a late start.  I left by around 7 in the morning.  Luckily, most of my bags were still packed.  With returning so quickly, then leaving to my parents for my grandmother’s funeral, I didn’t have a lot of time to unload and reload.

This day was supposed to be one long day of driving.  The goal was to have one birding stop, and then drive straight to Arizona.  In total, 13 hours of straight driving if I had no stops.  Luckily, there would be two time zone changes, so my arrival time would be two hours before I was supposed to get there.  This will suck on the way back.

First stop was gas (I needed to tank up 3 times that day).

I then drove straight to Odessa and the UT Permian Basin campus, where I’d had a report that Burrowing Owls would be easy to find.  They were, and a few minutes later, I was back on the road.

#382 – Burrowing Owl

Rest of the day was driving, and stopping to eat, pee, and gas up.  Oh, and Border Patrol checks.  Oh, and I got pulled over by a nice New Mexico State Trooper who saw I was a birder and let me go.

My destination tonight was Ramsey Canyon.  Well, it turned out to be Carr Canyon next door to Ramsey.  Ramsey has no campgrounds, so Carr would do.

The campground was about 8,000 feet in elevation, so it was a good schlep up there.  It was all but empty when I got there around 9:00.  I set up quickly and went to sleep.

Planning my epic road trip – the Arizona leg

From Balmorhea, I head west to Arizona (completely skipping over the barren nothingness of south New Mexico)

Day 7 (Wednesday June 17) – Chiricahua

• I have birded the Chiricahuas 3 times.  Twice on my road trip last summer and once this spring break.  The first two times, I only birded the National Monument area and didn’t know how to get to Rustler Park where the good stuff is.  I wanted the Mexican Chickadee.  In spring, I finally made it to the top of the mountain only to find that it was covered in snow, cold, and camping was forbidden at that time of year.  I got there just as the sun was setting, so birds were very limited.  I’m not getting this wrong this time.
• Target Birds
  1. Gambel’s Quail
  2. Montezuma Quail*
  3. Zone-Tailed Hawk
  4. Band-Tailed Pigeon
  5. Flammulated Owl*
  6. Whiskered Screech Owl*
  7. Northern Pygmy Owl*
  8. Elf Owl
  9. Spotted Owl*
  10. Mexican Whip-poor-will*
  11. White-Throated Swift
  12. Blue-Throated hummingbird*
  13. Broad-Tailed Hummingbird*
  14. Arizona Woodpecker
  15. Greater Wood-Pewee
  16. Cordilleran Flycatcher
  17. Dusky-Capped Flycatcher
  18. Brown-Crested Flycatcher
  19. Cassin’s Kingbird
  20. Plumbeous Vireo
  21. Hutton’s Vireo
  22. Violet-Green Swallow
  23. Mexican Chickadee*
  24. Juniper Titmouse*
  25. Bushtit
  26. Olive Warbler*
  27. Grace’s Warbler*
  28. Black-Throated Gray Warbler
  29. Red-Faced Warbler
  30. Painted Redstart
  31. Hepatic Tanager
  32. Western Tanager
  33. Black-Headed Grosbeak
  34. Bronzed Cowbird
  35. Scott’s Oriole
  36. Red Crossbill*
• Camp at Rustler Park

Day 8 (Thursday June 18) – Patagonia and Miller Canyon

• Leave Rustler Park and drive to Miller Canyon, AZ.
• Miller Canyon is a late addition to the trip.  After doing some research, I’ve decided that this is a must spot place.  It is the only reliable spot for the White-Eared Hummingbird in the US as well as a few other hummingbirds species that I need.
• Target Birds
  1. Gambel’s Quail
  2. Montezuma Quail*
  3. Spotted Owl*
  4. Mexican Whip-poor-will*
  5. Blue-Throated Hummingbird*
  6. Broad-Tailed Hummingbird*
  7. White-Eared Hummingbird*
  8. Arizona Woodpecker
  9. Greater Pewee
  10. Western Wood-Pewee
  11. Cordilleran Flycatcher
  12. Buff-Breasted Flycatcher*
  13. Dusky-Capped Flycatcher
  14. Brown-Crested Flycatcher
  15. Sulphur-Bellied Flycatcher*
  16. Cassin’s Kingbird
  17. Plumbeous Vireo
  18. Hutton’s Vireo
  19. Bushtit
  20. Virginia’s Warbler*
  21. Grace’s Warbler
  22. Black-Throated Gray Warbler
  23. Red-Faced Warbler
  24. Painted Redstart
  25. Hepatic Tanager
  26. Western Tanager
  27. Black-Headed Grosbeak
  28. Blue Grosbeak
  29. Scott’s Oriole
• Patagonia has two places that I need to visit, Paton’s Hummingbird Sanctuary and Patagonia Lake State Park.
• Paton’s will probably be a short trip, 30 minutes to an hour just to see what shows up to the feeders.  No real targets.  Most of the expected birds should have been seen earlier in the trip.
• The rest of the day will be at Patagonia Lake State Park.  I’ve birded PLSP twice.  Never had huge numbers here.  Never birded it in the summer either.  The real target here will be the Thick-Billed Kingbird.  Looks like this bird is better at a nearby rest area.  If I can get the Kingbird there I might skip PLSP as all the other birds will be gettable other places easier.
• Target Birds
  1. Gambel’s Quail
  2. Gray Hawk
  3. Zone-Tailed Hawk
  4. Common Ground Dove
  5. White-Throated Swift
  6. Broad-Tailed Hummingbird*
  7. Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
  8. Western Wood-Pewee
  9. Dusky-Capped Flycatcher
  10. Brown-Crested Flycatcher
  11. Cassin’s Kingbird
  12. Thick-Billed Kingbird*
  13. Hutton’s Vireo
  14. Bushtit
  15. Lucy’s Warbler
  16. Botteri’s Sparrow*
  17. Western Tanager
  18. Black-Headed Grosbeak
  19. Blue Grosbeak
  20. Bronzed Cowbird
  21. Scott’s Oriole
• Head to Madera Canyon/camp at Madera

Day 9 (Friday June 20) – Madera Canyon

• I love birding Madera Canyon.  The feeder stations are some of the easiest birding there is.
• I’ve birded the canyon many times, but there is one target that has always eluded me – Elegant Trogon.  I’m not missing it this time.  I now know the exact trail where they’re found in the summer, plus that trail has another bonus – Sulfur-Bellied Flycatcher.
• Target Birds
  1. Gambel’s Quail
  2. Montezuma Quail*
  3. Gray Hawk
  4. Zone-Tailed Hawk
  5. Band-Tailed Pigeon
  6. Whiskered Screech-Owl
  7. Northern Pygmy Owl*
  8. Elf Owl
  9. Buff-Collared Nightjar
  10. Mexican Whip-poor-will*
  11. White-Throated Swift
  12. Blue-Throated Hummingbird*
  13. Broad-Tailed Hummingbird*
  14. Elegant Trogon*
  15. Arizona Woodpecker
  16. Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
  17. Greater Pewee
  18. Western Wood-Pewee
  19. Cordilleran Flycatcher
  20. Dusky-Capped Flycatcher
  21. Brown-Crested Flycatcher
  22. Sulfur-Bellied Flycatcher*
  23. Cassin’s Kingbird
  24. Plumbeous Vireo
  25. Hutton’s Vireo
  26. Bushtit
  27. Lucy’s Warbler*
  28. Grace’s Warbler
  29. Black-Throated Gray Warbler
  30. Painted Redstart
  31. Botteri’s Sparrow*
  32. Hepatic Tanager
  33. Western Tanager
  34. Black-Headed Grosbeak
  35. Blue Grosbeak
  36. Varied Bunting
  37. Bronzes Cowbird
  38. Scott’s Oriole
• Camp at Madera

Day 10 (Saturday June 21) – ASDM and Mount Lemmon

• I figure I’ll be fairly exhausted by this point in the trip.  This will be a light day.
• The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is my absolute favorite zoo.  Probably because it isn’t a zoo.  It’s a zoo cum museum cum botanical garden cum nature center.  There is no place else like it.  It’s also good for some desert birds.
• Target Species
  1. Gambel’s Quail
  2. Gilded Flicker*
  3. Brown-Crested Flycatcher
  4. Black-Headed Grosbeak
  5. Bronzed Cowbird
• I’m sure I’ll be done here by around 10 AM (ASDM opens at 7:00 or 7:30 due to the summer heat)  From hear, it’s across town to Mount Lemmon where the temperature is far cooler.  At about 8,000 feet, Incinerator Ridge is an easy place to find Arizona mountain specialties that would require serious hiking at Madera Canyon.
• Target Birds
  1. Zone-Tailed Hawk
  2. Broad-Tailed hummingbird*
  3. Greater Pewee
  4. Western Wood-Pewee
  5. Cordilleran Flycatcher
  6. Violet-Green Swallow
  7. Olive warbler*
  8. Virginia’s Warbler*
  9. Grace’s Warbler
  10. Black-Throated Gray Warbler
  11. Red-Faced Warbler
  12. Painted Redstart
  13. Western Tanager
• Camp at the Mount Lemmon campgrounds

Four days in Southern Arizona should score me some great birds.  These could be some of the best days of the trip!

On to California.