Arizona - California Trip ~ February 27, 2018

Since Mike had never seen Montezuma Quail, we headed to Madera Canyon to search the area along Madera Creek between the Mount Wrightson trailhead and Proctor Road and also along the Bog Springs trail. While back at the Bog Springs trailhead parking area, Mike walked over to the Madera Canyon picnic area and met some birders who told him that the Elegant Trogon was being seen just downstream from the Whitehouse picnic area. We headed down there and found several birders watching the extremely cooperative trogon feeding along the trail.

Here, you can see why this bird was formerly called the Coppery-tailed Trogon.

At one point, it flew within ten feet of us. I had to back up to keep the bird in the frame.

We decided to check out the feeders at the Santa Rita Lodge. As usual, it was loaded with birds. In winter, this is a good spot to see the different subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco. "Pink-sided", "Gray-headed", and "Oregon" Juncos were all present.

Dark-eyed "Pink-sided" Junco

Dark-eyed "Gray-headed" Junco

Dark-eyed "Oregon" Junco

A Yellow-eyed Junco was also in and out of one of the brush piles.

One of the two Rufous-winged Sparrows there posed as it fed among the Juncos.

A pair of Hepatic Tanagers flew in a couple times. The male put on a nice show.

Both male and female Arizona Woodpeckers put in appearances, too.

While watching the feeders, a White-nosed Coatimundi slowly walked into the feeding area.

The next stop was Florida Canyon, hoping for Rufous-capped Warbler. Along the way up the trail, White-throated Swifts zoomed overhead.

Several Violet-green Swallows were also zipping around.

Otherwise, it was very quiet birdwise, probably because it was late in the day.

From there, we spent the last hour of the day driving Box Canyon Road all the way to Route 83, hoping to see Montezuma Quail. We struck out on the quail but did find a pair of Golden Eagles, Say's Phoebe, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Bridled Titmouse, Cactus Wren, Hermit Thrush, Phainopepla, Loggerhead Shrike, and Chipping, Vesper, and Rufous-winged Sparrow.

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Arizona - California Trip ~ February 28, 2018

After having four days of cloudless weather, a storm system moved through during the night bringing some rain in the lower evelations and snow in the mountains above 4500 feet. Mount Lemmon received six inches of snow. When we reached Madera Canyon, the roads were just wet, but the trails had about an inch of snow in sections. Once again, we hiked the Bog Springs Trail and the trail along Madera Creek looking for Montezuma Quail and couldn't find any.

At the Whitehouse picnic area, we found Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Townsend's Warbler, and Red-naped Sapsucker.

Townsend's Warbler

Red-naped Sapsucker

We drove back down to the De Anza Trail to give it another try for the Sinaloa Wren. At the parking area, we waited in the car for a little while until the last band of rain and snow pushed through the area. Inside the fence at 12 Santa Gertrudis Lane, Mike picked out a Ruddy Ground-Dove on the ground among the Inca Doves. An American Kestrel was also there as was this striking Vermilion Flycatcher.

There were plenty of House and Bewick's Wrens, but we didn't find 'the' wren. A Cassin's Vireo and a Hammond's Flycatcher allowed me to get some photos.

Cassin's Vireo

Hammond's Flycatcher

On the way back up I-19, we stopped to take photos of the storm clouds over the Santa Rita Mountains.

At the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, we got excellent looks at a male Allen's Hummingbird, unusual for Arizona, that was protecting his flower patch.

It would periodically dive-bomb a male Costa's Hummingbird when it got too close to its territory.

Anna's Hummingbird, Verdin, and Curve-billed Thrasher were also on the museum's grounds as was this Cactus Wren that was near the aviary.

At the Red Rock feedlot, we got photos of two Ruddy Ground-Doves near the house at the northwest corner of the triangle.

We drove through a section of the Santa Cruz Flats where we had in-flight looks at a dark Ferruginous Hawk and a Prairie Falcon. A large number of American Pipits were seen along one of the roads, and I was unable to resist taking more photos of another Vermilion Flycatcher near sunset.

We spent our last night in Chandler, Arizona.

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Arizona - California Trip ~ March 1, 2018

We had about three hours of birding time before we had to be at the airport, so we visited the Gilbert Water Ranch. The large impoundment held American White Pelican, Neotropic Cormorant, Great and Snowy Egret, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, and Least Sandpiper.

American White Pelicans

Black-necked Stilt

The ponds held several species of waterfowl including Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, and Ring-necked and Ruddy Duck.

Green-winged Teal

Cinnamon Teal

Northern Shoveler

Ring-necked Duck

With directions from the 'locals', we were able to see the young Calliope Hummingbird that had been reported there.

On the way back out to the car, a Curve-billed Thrasher and a Verdin gave me chances at more photos.

Curve-billed Thrasher

Verdin

Other birds seen there included Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue and Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Gambel's Quail, Inca Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Tree, Cliff, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Cactus Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Orange-crowned and "Audubon's" Warbler, Abert's Towhee, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, and a Harris's Hawk that dove through a group of dowitchers.

We turned in our car with an additional 1630 miles on it, flew back to Philadelphia, and got home late Thursday night.

I got to see two new birds among a total of 159 species.
All photos from the trip can be found in my Arizona Photo Album and my California Photo Album.

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Arizona - California Trip ~ February 24 - March 1, 2018
1) Canada Goose
2) Brant
3) Mallard
4) Green-winged Teal
5) American Wigeon
6) Northern Pintail
7) Northern Shoveler
8) Cinnamon Teal
9) Ring-necked Duck
10) Lesser Scaup
11) Surf Scoter
12) Bufflehead
13) Red-breasted Merganser
14) Ruddy Duck
15) Wild Turkey
16) Gambel's Quail
17) Pacific Loon
18) Common Loon
19) Pied-billed Grebe
20) Eared Grebe
21) Western Grebe
22) Nazca Booby***
23) American White Pelican
24) Brown Pelican
25) Neotropic Cormorant
26) Brandt's Cormorant
27) Double-crested Cormorant
28) Black-crowned Night-Heron
29) Green Heron
30) Reddish Egret
31) Snowy Egret
32) Great Egret
33) Great Blue Heron
34) American Flamingo (escapee)
35) Turkey Vulture
36) Black Vulture
37) Osprey
38) Northern Harrier
39) Golden Eagle
40) Sharp-shinned Hawk
41) Cooper's Hawk
42) Harris's Hawk
43) Zone-tailed Hawk
44) Red-tailed Hawk
45) Ferruginous Hawk
46) American Kestrel
47) Merlin
48) Prairie Falcon
49) American Coot
50) Black-bellied Plover
51) Killdeer
52) American Avocet
53) Black-necked Stilt
54) Willet
55) Spotted Sandpiper
56) Long-billed Curlew
57) Marbled Godwit
58) Black Turnstone
59) Surfbird
60) Red Knot
61) Dunlin
62) Western Sandpiper
63) Least Sandpiper
64) Dowitcher species
65) Heermann's Gull
66) California Gull
67) Western Gull
68) Royal Tern
69) Rock Pigeon
70) Mourning Dove
71) Eurasian Collared-Dove
72) White-winged Dove
73) Ruddy Ground-Dove
74) Inca Dove
75) Greater Roadrunner
76) White-throated Swift
77) Violet-crowned Hummingbird
78) Rivoli's Hummingbird
79) Costa's Hummingbird
80) Anna's Hummingbird
81) Calliope Hummingbird
82) Allen's Hummingbird
83) Elegant Trogon
84) Belted Kingfisher
85) Acorn Woodpecker
86) Gila Woodpecker
87) Northern "Red-shafted" Flicker
88) Red-naped Sapsucker
89) Ladder-backed Woodpecker
90) Arizona Woodpecker
91) Hammond's Flycatcher
92) Black Phoebe
93) Say's Phoebe
94) Vermilion Flycatcher
95) Ash-throated Flycatcher
96) Cassin's Kingbird
97) Rose-throated Becard
98) Loggerhead Shrike
99) Hutton's Vireo
100) Plumbeous Vireo
101) Cassin's Vireo
102) Mexican Jay
103) American Crow
104) Chihuahuan Raven
105) Common Raven
106) Horned Lark
107) Tree Swallow
108) Violet-green Swallow
109) Cliff Swallow
110) Northern Rough-winged Swallow
111) Bridled Titmouse
112) Verdin
113) Brown Creeper
114) White-breasted Nuthatch
115) House Wren
116) Bewick's Wren
117) Cactus Wren
118) Ruby-crowned Kinglet
119) Hermit Thrush
120) Rufous-backed Robin
121) Northern Mockingbird
122) Curve-billed Thrasher
123) European Starling
124) American Pipit
125) Phainopepla
126) Orange-crowned Warbler
127) Yellow-rumped "Audubon's" Warbler
128) Black-and-white Warbler
129) Black-throated Gray Warbler
130) Townsend's Warbler
131) Painted Restart
132) Hepatic Tanager
133) Green-tailed Towhee
134) Canyon Towhee
135) Abert's Towhee
136) Spotted Towhee
137) Rufous-winged Sparrow
138) Chipping Sparrow
139) Lark Sparrow
140) Lincoln's Sparrow
141) Song Sparrow
142) Vesper Sparrow
143) White-crowned Sparrow
144) Dark-eyed Junco
145) Yellow-eyed Junco
146) Northern Cardinal
147) Pyrrhuloxia
148) Western Meadowlark
149) Red-winged Blackbird
150) Great-tailed Grackle
151) Brewer's Blackbird
152) Brown-headed Cowbird
153) Streak-backed Oriole***
154) Cassin's Finch
155) House Finch
156) Red Crossbill
157) Pine Siskin
158) Lesser Goldfinch
159) House Sparrow

*** denotes life bird.

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