CO-NM-AZ Trip ~ May 5, 2009

We awoke to find this Cactus Wren singing outside our motel room in Tuscon, Arizona.

We began the day by visiting the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum located outside Tucson. Despite several trips to southeast Arizona, we never took the time to go there, but this time we did and the exhibits were well worth it. There, I was able to photograph this Anna's Hummingbird.

One look at this male Broad-billed Hummingbird and you can understand why it is one of my favorite hummingbirds. The colors on the male are eye-opening.

After leaving the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, I made several quick stops to photograph the Saguaro Cactus along Kinney Road.

Tucson Mountain Park holds a high density of Saguaro Cacti.

This Saguaro Cactus has several long arms, making it a very old plant. It normally takes 50-70 years for a Saguaro to grow arms. The one pictured here is likely to be well over 100 years old! An adult saguaro may weigh 6 tons or more and be as tall as 50 feet. The average life span of a saguaro is probably 150 - 175 years of age! Note the flowers blossoming atop each of its arms.

Here, Prickly Pear cactus stands in the forefront with saguaros growing behind on the hillside.

We drove from Tucson to Patagonia by way of Sonoita and stopped at the Patons' residence.
The Patons' is one of the best places in the country to see the Violet-crowned Hummingbird.

Although not the best photo, I managed to capture this Violet-crowned Hummingbird in flight.

This Gila Woodpecker was just one of the many birds seen feeding there.

Numbers of Lazuli Buntings dropped in to feed at the Patons'.

This Lark Sparrow also stopped to feed there.

Other birds spotted from there included Gambel’s Quail, Black Vulture, Cooper’s Hawk, Gray Hawk, Inca Dove, Broad-billed, Black-chinned, and Anna’s Hummingbird, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Bewick’s Wren, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Abert’s Towhee, White-crowned Sparrow, Black-headed Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Pine Siskin, and Lesser Goldfinch.

We continued over to the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Sanctuary where we saw this Vermilion Flycatcher.

I was able to get a nice photo of this Gray Hawk perched in one of the large cottonwoods found in the sanctuary.

Thanks to a tip from some other birders, we were able to see this Zone-tailed Hawk on its nest.

Additional birds seen at the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Sanctuary were Great Blue Herons on a nest, Black Phoebe, and Cassin’s Kingbird.

We spent the next two nights at the Motel 6 in Sierra Vista.

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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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CO-NM-AZ Trip ~ May 7, 2009

Back at Patagonia, despite hearing the Sinaloa Wren sing and call most of the early morning hours, we eventually left without an identifiable look at this 1st U.S. record. It was extremely frustrating to hear the bird so close at times and still not being able to see it through the thick vegetation. Common Yellowthroat, Canyon Towhee, and Javelinas with young were new sightings for the area.

We visited the Patagonia roadside rest stop and spotted White-throated Swift and heard Canyon Wren.
Regrettably leaving Patagonia, we headed back into New Mexico by way of I-10. A group of Lark Buntings were found along Highway 26, halfway between Deming and Hatch.

North of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, I-25 goes through Monticello Canyon.

Our next stop was Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. This Greater Roadrunner perched along one of the impoundment roads.

White-faced Ibis were seen in a few of the impoundments.

Besides the obvious white line around the eye, the overall coloration of this White-faced Ibis is a lot different than the Glossy Ibis that we see in the East.

This male and female Cinnamon Teal swam along the edge of one of the impoundments.

In just a couple hours, this great spot also produced Gadwall, American Wigeon, Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, Ring-necked Pheasant, Gambel’s Quail, Great and Snowy Egret, Common Moorhen, American Coot, American Avocet, Western Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson’s Phalarope, Black and Say’s Phoebe, Bank, Cliff, and Barn Swallow, and White-crowned Sparrow.

At sunset, hundreds of Lesser Nighthawks darted around over the impoundments.

Note the buffy spots near the trailing edge on this Lesser Nighthawk.

We spent the last night of the trip at the Motel 6 in Socorro.

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CO-NM-AZ Trip ~ May 8, 2009

We drove back from Socorro to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and flew back to Philadelphia through Denver, Colorado. We were both happy to get four ‘life birds’ among the 166 species seen during the trip. The list follows.

Additional photos can be found in my Colorado Photos Album, New Mexico Photos Album, and Arizona Photos Album.

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CO-NM-AZ Trip (May 1-8, 2009)

1) Canada Goose
2) Gadwall
3) American Wigeon
4) Mallard
5) Blue-winged Teal
6) Cinnamon Teal
7) Northern Shoveler
8) Northern Pintail
9) Green-winged Teal
10) Lesser Scaup
11) Common Merganser
12) Ruddy Duck
13) Ring-necked Pheasant
14) Gunnison Sage Grouse *
15) Wild Turkey
16) Gambel's Quail
17) Pied-billed Grebe
18) Eared Grebe
19) Double-crested Cormorant
20) Great Blue Heron
21) Great Egret
22) Snowy Egret
23) White-faced Ibis
24) Black Vulture
25) Turkey Vulture
26) Northern Harrier
27) Sharp-shinned Hawk
28) Cooper's Hawk
29) Gray Hawk
30) Harris's Hawk
31) Swainson's Hawk
32) Zone-tailed Hawk
33) Red-tailed Hawk
34) Ferruginous Hawk
35) American Kestrel
36) Common Moorhen
37) American Coot
38) Black-bellied Plover
39) Killdeer
40) Black-necked Stilt
41) American Avocet
42) Willet
43) Spotted Sandpiper
44) Western Sandpiper
45) Least Sandpiper
46) Long-billed Dowitcher
47) Wilson's Snipe
48) Wilson's Phalarope
49) Rock Pigeon
50) Eurasian Collared-Dove
51) White-winged Dove
52) Mourning Dove
53) Inca Dove
54) Greater Roadrunner
55) Flammulated Owl
56) Western Screech-Owl
57) Whiskered Screech-Owl
58) Great Horned Owl
59) Northern Pygmy-Owl *
60) Lesser Nighthawk
61) Common Poorwill
62) Whip-poor-will
63) White-throated Swift
64) Broad-billed Hummingbird
65) White-eared Hummingbird
66) Violet-crowned Hummingbird
67) Magnificent Hummingbird
68) Black-chinned Hummingbird
69) Anna's Hummingbird
70) Broad-tailed Hummingbird
71) Acorn Woodpecker
72) Gila Woodpecker
73) Hairy Woodpecker
74) Arizona Woodpecker
75) Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker
76) Olive-sided Flycatcher
77) Western Wood-Pewee
78) Cordilleran Flycatcher
79) Black Phoebe
80) Say's Phoebe
81) Vermilion Flycatcher
82) Dusky-capped Flycatcher
83) Cassin's Kingbird
84) Western Kingbird
85) Loggerhead Shrike
86) Bell's Vireo
87) Plumbeous Vireo
88) Warbling Vireo
89) Steller's Jay
90) Mexican Jay
91) Black-billed Magpie
92) American Crow
93) Chihuahuan Raven
94) Common Raven
95) Horned Lark
96) Tree Swallow
97) Violet-green Swallow
98) Bank Swallow
99) Cliff Swallow
100) Barn Swallow
101) Mountain Chickadee
102) Bridled Titmouse
103) Verdin
104) Red-breasted Nuthatch
105) White-breasted Nuthatch
106) Cactus Wren
107) Canyon Wren
108) Bewick's Wren
109) House Wren
110) Winter Wren
111) Sinaloa Wren * (Heard Only!)
112) Ruby-crowned Kinglet
113) Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
114) Mountain Bluebird
115) Swainson's Thrush
116) Hermit Thrush
117) American Robin
118) Northern Mockingbird
119) Sage Thrasher
120) Curve-billed Thrasher
121) European Starling
122) Phainopepla
123) Orange-crowned Warbler
124) Yellow Warbler
125) Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler
126) Townsend's Warbler
127) MacGillivray's Warbler
128) Common Yellowthroat
129) Wilson's Warbler
130) Red-faced Warbler
131) Painted Redstart
132) Yellow-breasted Chat
133) Flame-colored Tanager *
134) Hepatic Tanager
135) Summer Tanager
136) Western Tanager
137) Green-tailed Towhee
138) Canyon Towhee
139) Abert's Towhee
140) Lark Sparrow
141) Lark Bunting
142) Savannah Sparrow
143) Song Sparrow
144) Lincoln's Sparrow
145) White-crowned Sparrow
146) Dark-eyed (Red-backed) Junco
147) Yellow-eyed Junco
148) Northern Cardinal
149) Black-headed Grosbeak
150) Lazuli Bunting
151) Indigo Bunting
152) Red-winged Blackbird
153) Eastern Meadowlark
154) Western Meadowlark
155) Yellow-headed Blackbird
156) Brewer's Blackbird
157) Common Grackle
158) Great-tailed Grackle
159) Brown-headed Cowbird
160) Hooded Oriole
161) Bullock's Oriole
162) Scott's Oriole
163) House Finch
164) Pine Siskin
165) Lesser Goldfinch
166) House Sparrow

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Varied Thrush in Lehigh County! ~ February 28, 2009

I made another trip over to Salisbury Township to attempt to get more looks, and maybe some photos, of a Varied Thrush that had been favoring the backyard of Denise Reinhart since January 30th. I was lucky to be able to get these poor, long-distance photos through some brush.

Varied Thrush in Salisbury Township, Lehigh County. This first-year male represents the 1st record for Lehigh County.

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Western Grebe in PA! ~ February 14, 2009

The word got out about a Western Grebe that was found near Huston's Mill in Cumberland County. This new state bird was being enjoyed by many when I got there. It was in the company of a Red-necked Grebe, which afforded a great comparison between the two species.

Western Grebe near Hustons Mill, Cumberland County. A Red-necked Grebe is preening itself while swimming alongside. This long-distance photo was taken through a backyard while standing on East Willow Terrace. Because of the great distance, the bird's head pattern appears to match that of a Clark's Grebe, but the photo is deceiving. Closer views confirmed the identification. This bird represents the 1st record for Pennsylvania!

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Released Rough-legged Hawk, "Audubon's" Warbler, Long-tailed Duck, field birds, and White-winged Crossbills! ~ February 1, 2009

I started the morning off with a visit to Arlene Koch's property. She had informed me that a rehabilitated Rough-legged Hawk was going to be released on her farm. It was neat seeing the bird up close for a few moments before it was successfully let go.

Kathy Uhler of Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation, holding a light morph, immature male Rough-legged Hawk just prior to its release on the Koch property in Northampton County. The bird was in 'rehab' for about five weeks after being found in a field near Center Valley below Allentown. Its exact problem was never confirmed.

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Around noon, I headed for the Dorney Pond in Allentown where I saw the "Audubon's" Warbler that Cameron Rutt and Tom Johnson found back on January 16th. The warbler's call note gave it away. I found it in the lone, large willow along the pond's edge near the green shed before it flew up into the trees on the hillside behind the house numbered "3801".
The continuing Long-tailed Duck swam around the east end of the pond, allowing me to get some nice photos of it.

Long-tailed Duck at Dorney Pond in Lehigh County.
Several Lesser Black-backed Gulls, some Common Mergansers, Ring-necked Ducks, and a Coot were also there.

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I then went to Arrowhead Road near Bath and saw at least 5 Lapland Longspurs among the fairly large numbers of Snow Buntings and Horned Larks.

Lapland Longspur near Bath in Northampton County. Note the long 'spur' (hind toe) for which the bird is named.

Snow Bunting near Bath in Northampton County.

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Next, I decided to drive up to Graver Arboretum in Moore Township where, back on January 13th, Dustin Welch found a group of White-winged Crossbills. On the 14th, I refound the group in the same general area, which were my first ones for the county, but they flew off within a minute. This time, when I got there, I found Jim Wilson already watching about 8 White-winged Crossbills at the top of one of the tall Norway Spruces by the pond next to the entrance kiosk. They worked the same tree for almost an hour, never coming down any lower, hence the long-range, 'so-so' photos.

White-winged Crossbill at Graver Arboretum in Northampton County.
But they were a fine sight through bins with the sun shining on them. Needless to say, it was a very productive day.

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