CO-NM-AZ Trip ~ May 6, 2009

We awoke early enough to get ourselves to the Sinaloa Wren site near Patagonia by dawn. Thanks to Melody Kehl, we were able to hear the bird a few hundred yards east of the ‘cut bank’, but we were never able to get a look at it. Birds that we did see there included Gambel’s Quail, Broad-billed and Black-chinned Hummingbird, Bell’s Vireo, Bewick’s Wren, Wilson’s and Yellow-rumped (Audubon’s) Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Western Tanager, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Bullock’s Oriole, and Lesser Goldfinch. A drive down along the rest of the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Sanctuary produced Gray and Zone-tailed Hawk, Vermilion Flycatcher, and Abert’s Towhee.

We headed for the Slaughter Ranch outside of Douglas to hopefully find Blue Mockingbird or Ruddy-Ground Dove for Babe. Despite spending the late morning and afternoon there, we weren’t able to find either one. We would later hear that the mockingbird was last seen on the 4th.

This Yellow-breasted Chat was hiding among the leaves.

This Say's Phoebe was also found at the Slaughter Ranch.

Other birds found there included Lesser Scaup, Gambel’s Quail, Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot, Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cassin’s and Western Kingbird, Bell’s and Warbling Vireo, Northern Mockingbird, Phainopepla, Western Tanager, Canyon Towhee, Lark Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Black-headed Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Hooded Oriole, Pine Siskin, and warblers that included Wilson’s, Yellow, Yellow-rumped (Audubon’s), Orange-crowned, and MacGillivray’s.

We drove back to Sierra Vista and set our alarm clocks for another visit to Patagonia.

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