My next target was just north of the motel in Tucson. A Streak-backed Oriole had been reported at the corner of E. 2nd Street and N. Anderson Boulevard for about a month, but there hadn't been any reports of it since way back on the 15th. I figured the bird was still there but spending most of its time in the off-limits monastery. We arrived at around 7:30 and just after I got out of the car, I spotted an oriole flying into the tallest tree in the monastery. We got some brief looks at it before it moved farther back into the tree and out of sight. Four Red Crossbills were perched at the top of that same tree. This photo shows three of them.
We spent the next two hours watching the feeder on Anderson Boulevard and the trees in the monastery until it surprised us by popping up and landing in full view on a wire over the street! Although I was on the wrong side of the sun, I was lucky to get some good photos of my 'life'
Streak-backed Oriole.
Other birds seen there while watching for the oriole included Sharp-shinned Hawk, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Gila Woodpecker, Verdin, Curve-billed Thrasher, Phainopepla, "Audubon's" Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Abert's Towhee, and White-crowned Sparrow.
Our next stop was the Santa Gertrudis Lane section of the De Anza Trail. A Sinaloa Wren, a Rose-throated Becard, and several Rufous-backed Robins were being seen there. We headed down the trail in the late morning, obviously not the best time to try for these birds. As we neared the junk cars along the trail, we saw both Plumbeous and Hutton's Vireo.
Plumbeous Vireo
Hutton's Vireo
One of the other birders present spotted the Rose-throated Becard, which flew around in the canopy of the cottonwoods. I was only able to get one documentation photo of it as it flipped its head around to look for food.
Another good find for the area was a Black-and-white Warbler that worked the trunks and larger branches of the trees.
Some of the other birds found there were Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Hammond's Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Bridled Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's and House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Phainopepla, Pyrrhuloxia, Abert's Towhee, Lincoln's, Chipping, and White-crowned Sparrow, and warblers that included "Audubon's", Orange-crowned, and Black-throated Gray.
We spent the middle of the day at "The Paton Center for Hummingbirds" in Patagonia, which had changed a lot since the last time I was there a few years ago. Tucson Audubon has done a nice job with the property. The feeders that have been added to the front yard attracted a few Cassin's Finches.
The front yard also produced White-winged Dove, Gila and Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Bewick's Wren, Pyrrhuloxia, Pine Siskin, and Lesser Goldfinch.
White-winged Dove
Bewick's Wren
If you want to see Violet-crowned Hummingbird, this is the place to go. One of the feeders in the backyard was its favorite.
Anna's Hummingbird was also present.
Other birds seen in the backyard included "Red-shafted" Flicker, Abert's, Canyon, and Green-tailed Towhee, and Song, Lincoln's, and the ever-present White-crowned Sparrow.
Green-tailed Towhee
We looked for the Red-breasted Sapsucker that was reported just west of there but instead turned up a Zone-tailed Hawk and a Black Phoebe. Black Vultures were seen flying over the town of Patagonia.
Our plan to be back at the De Anza Trail late in the day to look for the Rufous-backed Robins worked better than expected. Near sunset at the area with the junk cars, we got super looks at four(!) Rufous-backed Robins scratching on the ground and flipping over leaves well within 20 feet of us! The tough part was trying to get photos of the birds in the failing light. Most of the photos were blurred due to the slow shutter speeds, but I managed to get a few that I was happy with.
We returned to our Studio 6 motel in Tucson where we would spend the next two nights.
