High Lonesome BirdTours

Navigation

---

Arizona Hummingbirds 2009

High Lonesome Bird Tours: Report on "Hummingbirds of Arizona" tour 2009

August 15-22, 2009

 

Leader: Wezil Walraven, Swannanoa, NC

 

Saturday August 15th: After picking up clients on time from the Tucson International Airport, we returned for an early dinner at the Casa de San Pedro where we had a scrumptious Mexican meal provided by El Via Via. The Hummingbird feeders were full of migrating Hummingbirds before dinner for our viewing pleasure. There was also a cooperative Great Horned Owl right outside the Inn.

We checked in at Ramsey Canyon Inn after dinner. It was immediately obvious that the monsoons had been a no-show for much of the summer. It was unseasonably hot, and the creek running down through the canyon past the inn was bone-dry. Heat and dry conditions definitely presented a significant challenge for much our birding, although not our hummingbird search. Every feeding station in SE Arizona was reporting record numbers of hummingbirds at their feeders, an obvious consequence of low rainfall failing to produce very many flowers for the birds to feed on. On the other hand, many of the birds we expected to find in their usual haunts were not there. Many of them apparently retreated south into Mexico early to find more favorable conditions. Some moved to higher elevations where it was at least cooler and seeps could be found for water.

After dinner we sat down in the Ramsey Canyon Inn B&B living room and discussed hummingbird identification including field marks, confusing females and sub-adults, and strategies for separating species. Our study was aided by studying enlarged pictures of all the possible hummingbirds we might see. The task was made much more pleasant by the presence and consumption of Shirlene’s fresh pies!

Sunday Aug. 16th: After an early morning breakfast at the Inn and some excellent hummingbird viewing at the prolific feeders around the Inn, we made the short drive over to Beatty’s Orchard, the Mecca for hummingbird viewing. Within minutes of our arrival we had 11 species of Hummingbirds within 10 feet of our binoculars including: Broad-billed, White-eared, Berylline’s, Violet-crowned, Blue-throated, Magnificent, Black-chinned, Anna’s, Calliope, Broad-tailed, and Rufous Hummingbirds.

Before lunch we ascended Miller Canyon in pursuit of the Mexican Spotted Owl, which we later found out had gone much farther up the trail, an experience that was repeated several times with other species. We did have views excellent views of Red-faced Warbler, Painted Redstart, Hutton’s Vireo, and Canyon Wren.

We lunched at Beatty’s picnic table and headed to Mary Jo Ballator’s Ash Canyon B&B for fine views of Lucifer Hummingbird and Mexican Jay.

After dining at a local restaurant we returned to Ramsey to fill out the checklist of the birds seen that day.

Monday Aug. 17th: We had received Word of a Plain-capped Starthroat — the rarest of hummingbird vagrants in SE Arizona — visiting the Spirit Tree Inn in Patagonia. The bird was apparently coming to feeders there on an unpredictable schedule. While anticipating the hummer arrival, we were treated to a family of Thick-billed Kingbirds and a Zone-tailed Hawk flyover complete with a Kingbird attached.

With a no show of the hummer, we left for Ms. Patton’s feeding station for excellent views of Violet-crowned Hummingbirds, Abert’s Towhee, Inca Dove and more. Our next stop was Kino Spring’s Golf Course, previously owned by Stewart Granger, a well-known Hollywood actor from the 50s.

The first pond provided the group with a Willow Flycatcher, Lazuli and Indigo Buntings, and a singing Rufous-winged Sparrow nearby.

Determined to get the Starthroat, a Mexican occasional vagrant, we retraced our route to the Spirit Tree Inn for another attempt until nightfall, with no luck. We departed for dinner in Sierra Vista. The Outside Inn there has gradually improved in quality over the years, and we had an exceptional meal there.

Tuesday Aug. 18th: We departed early after breakfast to San Pedro River Conservation Area where we had great looks at our first and only Tropical Kingbird along the Kingfisher Pond. There were no migration sightings yet, but we did view lots of Cassin’s and Western Kingbirds, Lark & Botteri’s Sparrows and Vermilion Flycatcher. We made a short stop at the gift store for a few purchases. We looked long and hard for the Green Kingfisher at Kingfisher Pond and along the weather, but no luck for us. We had lunch at Casa de San Pedro in hopes of spotting some other riparian species, but it was very hot and very quiet. The remainder of the afternoon was non-productive, but everyone kicked back and enjoyed watching the feeders at Ramsey in the afternoon.

Wednesday Aug. 19th: After a very early breakfast, we departed for Portal, stopping at the water source in Rodeo New Mexico where we find our first and only Crissal Thrasher, along with Bullock’s Orioles and Lazuli Buntings (very common most everywhere this year) and then proceeded to Portal. We easily found Bell’s Vireo, Black-throated Sparrow and Cactus Wren around town. We spent an hour or so Cave Creek Ranch feeders for great views of Calliope, Blue-throated, Magnificent, Broad-billed and Anna’s Hummingbirds. We also had some great views of Woodpeckers: Acorn, Arizona, and Ladder-backed. The highlight was a single Juniper Titmouse that came into the feeders for a short time, giving everyone excellent looks. We then drove by the Southwest Research Station in the hopes of finding the nesting Flame-colored Tanager. It had fledged young, and it was nowhere to be found, probably dispersing with it’s young away from it’s nesting area. We continued driving up the mountain road to Barfoot Park for lunch. This is one of more beautiful locations in SE Arizona with a lush meadow, a spring, and towering conifers to provide shade. After lunch, we walked up the trail a bit higher where we were able locate several Mexican Chickadee and Pygmy Nuthatches. Noticeably absent and not heard at all were Olive Warblers. Although there certainly had to be a few around, we were unable to locate them and, most likely, the bulk of them had already retreated southwards. This is the first time we have every missed Olive Warbler in our trips to SE Arizona over the past 15 years.

We headed down the west side of the Chiricahuas keeping our eye out for Montezuma Quail, but no luck. We made a short stop at Twin Lakes in Willcox for migrating shorebirds where we encountered Semipalmated Plovers, Long-billed Dowitchers, Wilson’s Phalarope, Long-billed Curlew, Willet, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Baird’s Sandpiper, and Least Sandpiper. If we had stayed longer, we might have found other birds but, much to our ultimate regret, we made the very long drive back to Spirit Tree in Patagonia for one last shot at the Plain-capped Starthroat. There had been birdchat reports that the bird was seen at 7:30 PM the past two nights in a row. We arrived just before 5:00 PM, and we waited patiently for the bird to put in appearance. In the meantime, we had good looks at the Zone-tailed and Gray Hawks from our perches. I think we were all certain that the bird would make appearance since it had typically been doing so every evening sometime after 5 PM. Alas, we were skunked! The bird never showed, nor was it reported again. We were a bit surprised that it was almost pitch black by 7:15 PM making us wonder whether the two previous night’s reports were accurate. Indeed, the only one in the log was at 6:45 PM the night before, more feasible for sure. Oh well.

Thursday Aug. 20th: After one of Shirlene’s fine breakfasts, we departed for Fort Huachuca and Huachuca Canyon for Hutton’s, Plumbeous Vireo’s, Painted Redstart, vocalizing Montezuma Quail. Three of us had the opportunity to spot a female Elegant Trogon before she flew off. We then headed for Sawmill Canyon and encountered Grace’s Warbler, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Steller’s Jay, Yellow-eyed Junco and a vocalizing Scrub Jay. We stop along side the Native American pictograph site for lunch before heading up Scheelite Canyon for an attempt to find the Mexican Spotted Owl. We dipped on the owl again, no surprise since we were pretty certain it had moved way up canyon to escape the heat. We did search up to ship rock, but no success.

We returned to Ramsey to clean up before a wonderful nouveau Italian dinner at a just opened restaurant in Sierra Vista. It will be a welcome addition, and we hope it succeeds.

Friday Aug. 21st: We had a wonderful, late breakfast and we returned to Ft. Huachuca top finally get some great looks at the male Elegant Trogon. Otherwise, it was very quiet up -anyon. In attempt to pick up some of the birds we had missed earlier, we drove over to Box Canyon and Madera. We kicked up a Rock Wren in the Box, but we also kicked up a wicked rainstorm. That quickly ended our birding for about two hours. It finally slowed down later in the afternoon. Hummingbirds were very active at Santa Rita Lodge, but nothing new. The rain, desperately needed, came when we wanted to be birding. That’s the way it goes sometimes. Nevertheless, I think our clients had an enjoyable and relaxing week. We all wished for more typical monsoon weather that would have moderated the temperatures everywhere and contributed to much better birding.

We ended our trip the way we always do, with a memorable dinner at CafÈ Roka in Bisbee. The food is exceptional there, and the old mining town and artist haven of Bisbee is charming and a nice way for people to remember their trip.

Birds Seen

Ducks, Geese, and Swans (Anatidae)

• Mexican Mallard Duck
• Northern Shoveler
• Ruddy Duck

Partridges, Grouse & Turkeys (Phasianidae)

• Wild Turkey

Quail (Odontophoridae)

• Scaled Quail
• Gambel's Quail
• Montezuma Quail (hb)

Grebes (Podicipedidae)

• Pied-billed Grebe
• Eared Grebe

Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)

• Double-crested Cormorant

Bitterns, Herons, and Allies (Ardeidae)

• Great Blue Heron
• Green Heron
• Black-crowned Night-Heron

New World Vultures (Cathartidae)

• Black Vulture
• Turkey Vulture

Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies (Accipitridae)

• Northern Harrier
• Cooper's Hawk
• Gray Hawk
• Swainson's Hawk
• Zone-tailed Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk

Caracaras and Falcons (Falconidae)

• American Kestrel

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots (Rallidae)

 

• American Coot

Lapwings and Plovers (Charadriidae)

• Semipalmated Plover
• Killdeer

Stilts and Avocets (Recurvirostridae)

• Black-necked Stilt
• American Avocet

Sandpipers, Phalaropes, and Allies (Scolopacidae)

• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Willet
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Long-billed Curlew
• Least Sandpiper
• Baird's Sandpiper
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Wilson's Phalarope

Skuas, Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers (Laridae)

• Ring-billed Gull

Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae)

• Rock Pigeon (int)
• Band-tailed Pigeon
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• White-winged Dove
• Mourning Dove
• Inca Dove
• Common Ground-Dove

Cuckoos, Roadrunners, and Anis (Cuculidae)

• Yellow-billed Cuckoo
• Greater Roadrunner

Typical Owls (Strigidae)

• Whiskered Screech-Owl
• Great Horned Owl

Nighthawks & Nightjars (Caprimulgidae)

• Lesser Nighthawk

Swifts (Apodidae)

• White-throated Swift

Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)

• Broad-billed Hummingbird

• White-eared Hummingbird

• Berylline Hummingbird

• Violet-crowned Hummingbird

• Blue-throated Hummingbird

• Magnificent Hummingbird

• Lucifer Hummingbird

• Black-chinned Hummingbird

• Anna's Hummingbird

• Costa's Hummingbird

• Calliope Hummingbird

• Broad-tailed Hummingbird

• Rufous Hummingbird

• Rufous-Allen's Hummingbird (?)

Trogons (Trogonidae)

• Elegant Trogon

Woodpeckers and Allies (Picidae)

• Acorn Woodpecker
• Gila Woodpecker
• Ladder-backed Woodpecker
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Arizona Woodpecker
• Northern "red-shafted" Flicker

Tyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

• Western Wood-Pewee
• Willow Flycatcher
• Cordilleran Flycatcher
• Buff-breasted Flycatcher
• Black Phoebe
• Say's Phoebe
• Vermilion Flycatcher
• Dusky-capped Flycatcher
• Brown-crested Flycatcher
• Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
• Tropical Kingbird
• Cassin's Kingbird
• Thick-billed Kingbird
• Western Kingbird

Shrikes (Laniidae)

• Loggerhead Shrike

Vireos (Vireonidae)

• Bell's Vireo
• Plumbeous Vireo
• Hutton's Vireo
• Warbling Vireo

Jays and Crows (Corvidae)

• Steller's Jay
• Mexican Jay
• Chihuahuan Raven
• Common Raven

Swallows (Hirundinidae)

• Tree Swallow
• Violet-green Swallow
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow
• Barn Swallow

Chickadees and Titmice (Paridae)

• Mexican Chickadee
• Bridled Titmouse
• Juniper Titmouse

Verdin (Remizidae)

• Verdin

Bushtits (Aegithalidae)

• Bushtit

Nuthatches (Sittidae)

• White-breasted Nuthatch
• Pygmy Nuthatch

Creepers (Certhiidae)

• Brown Creeper

Wrens (Troglodytidae)

• Cactus Wren
• Rock Wren
• Canyon Wren
• Bewicks' Wren
• House Wren

Kinglets (Regulidae)

• Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Old World Warblers and Gnatcatchers (Sylviidae)

• Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

Thrushes (Turdidae)

• Eastern Bluebird
• American Robin

Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)

• Northern Mockingbird
• Curve-billed Thrasher
• Crissal Thrasher

Starlings (Sturnidae)

• European Starling

Silky-flycatchers (Ptilogonatidae)

• Phainopepla

Wood-Warblers (Parulidae)

• Yellow Warbler
• Black-throated Gray Warbler
• Townsend's Warbler
• Hermit Warbler
• Grace's Warbler
• Common Yellowthroat
• Wilson's Warbler
• Red-faced Warbler
• Painted Redstart
• Yellow-breasted Chat

Tanagers (Thraupidae)

• Hepatic Tanager
• Summer Tanager
• Western Tanager

Emberizids (Emberizidae)

• Spotted Towhee
• Canyon Towhee
• Abert's Towhee
• Rufous-winged Sparrow
• Botteri's Sparrow
• Cassin's Sparrow
• Rufous-crowned Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow
• Lark Sparrow
• Black-throated Sparrow
• Lark Bunting
• Song Sparrow
• Yellow-eyed Junco

Cardinals, Saltators, and Allies (Cardinalidae)

• Northern Cardinal
• Black-headed Grosbeak
• Blue Grosbeak
• Lazuli Bunting
• Indigo Bunting
• Varied Bunting (leader only)

Blackbirds (Icteridae)

• Eastern Meadowlark (lilianae)
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Hooded Oriole
• Bullock's Oriole
• Scott's Oriole (leader only)

Fringilline and Cardueline Finches and Allies (Fringillidae)

• House Finch
• Lesser Goldfinch

Old World Sparrows (Passeridae)

• House Sparrow

Mammals

• Bobcat (with Rabbit)
• Coati (Dead)
• Pronghorn Antelope
• Striped Skunk
• Coues Whitetailed Deer (with fawn)
• Mule Deer
• Opossum

Key:

• (v) Review species, rare or accidental
• (rm) Rare migrant
• (int) Introduced

 

---