Southeast Arizona Trip ~ July 24, 2005

On the 24th, we drove into the little town of Continental where we found a Rufous-winged Sparrow for Babe.

Rufous-winged Sparrow at Continental, Arizona. Note the split rufous crown, the line behind the eye, the two dark 'whisker' stripes, the plain gray breast, and the light-colored bill. This bird was photographed in the mesquite across the road from the Continental Feed Lot Cafe.

At Patagonia Lake State Park, we spent four hours looking for a Black-capped Gnatcatcher for her. Although we heard a few gnatcatcher calls, we never were able to see one. Some of the birds we did manage to see included Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Gila and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Bridled Titmouse, Verdin, Curve-billed Thrasher, Phainopepla, Lucy's Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, a nice male Varied Bunting, and lots of Bell's Vireos.

Our stop at the famous Patagonia Roadside Rest was cut short by a thunderstorm that hit just as I found the male Rose-throated Becard at its nest, so we drove on to Beatty's Guest Ranch, our base for the next two days. We were amazed by the sheer numbers of hummingbirds buzzing around the feeders at the 'Controlled Access Site'. We saw nine species, which included Broad-billed, Blue-throated, Magnificent, Black-chinned, Anna's, Broad-tailed, Rufous, a male Calliope, and several White-eared Hummingbirds, which were 'lifers' for both of us.

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