55 hours in da ZONA'

Good morning . . welcome to the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport!!!  The local time is 9:10am, west coast time. Well, we're here . . . in Arizona, first time birding here since 1985. I was with my grandparents back then, at an ABA convention I think. I was 8. I remember the vendor booths and seeing 11 life hummingbirds, including the rare Code 4 Plain-capped Starthroat. We visited Cave Creek, Mile High and White Wing Canyons.
Now to 2016. This trip was about making the run with friends, several first of years(FOYs), and targeting LIFE birds.  I was only going to be there for 2 1/2 days, so I had to make it count, and I did just that with 6 lifers (previous post). This post I wanted to share other birds I saw, places visited, and how we did it!

Out of the 115 species that I saw, 18 where Code 2. That's 15.6%!! So one out of 15 birds were a birding highlight reel. Here's some good ones . . .

After we got the rent-a-van and breakfast at Jack in the Box, yumm!!! All day breakfast. We where off to the first place

12noon Friday:  Encanto Park--11 miles from airport

Rosy-faced Lovebird
Gila Woodpecker
Wilson warbler
Yellow warbler

1pm:  Glendale Recharge ponds--the only place with water in the dessert, good place to bird

Redhead duck, N Shoveler, Ruddy duck
Eared grebe
Wilson's Phalarope
Sora
Western Wood Pe-wee

WIPH Breeding plumage

3pm: Thrasher spot, outside Buckeye--met Christian, BigYear2016 birder. http://www.thebirdingproject.com/

Crissal Thrasher
Abert's Towhee

6pm: Chipotle's, University of Arizona--chicken bowls to go, bring your own food into the canyon

7pm: Drive into Madera Canyon, at sunset

7:30pm: Check-in to Kubo

8pm:  Santa Rita Lodge

Elf owl

Bam!! Nesting pair

Draws a crowd

9pm: Mt. Wrightson Picnic area--bring a flashlight, it's dark

Northern Pygmy-Owl, heard
Mexican Whip-poor-will, heard 15ft away

Bedtime

5am Saturday: daylight steep hike up Carrie Nation trail, & parking area

Elegant Trogon, heard
Painted-redstart
Bridled-Titmouse
Mexican-Jay
Cassin's Vireo
Black-headed Grosbeak 

Mexican Jay

Painted-redstart

 









10am: back at Kubo for check-out, birding on front porch

Broad-billed Hummingbird
Magnificent hummer
Cassin's Finch
Hepatic Tanager
Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Madera Kubo B&B

Quaint and Quite

#Bramblon

Cottage #2

Broad-billed hummer

3pm: drove to Sierra Vista mtns, to Fort Huchaura army base

looked for Sinola Wren, but no luck
Townsend Warbler
Black-throated Gray warbler
Spotted Towhee

Ran a background check

7pm: check into the Ramada Inn at Tucson, dinner at Denny's next door. Great hamburgers

Sunday, 6am: Sibino Canyon

Gilded Flicker
Curve-billed Thrasher
 Lucy's Warbler

Curved-billed Thrasher

8am: Mount Lemmon, Molino Campground, mm 3

Hooded Oriole

10am: Mount Lemmon, Incinerator Ridge, mm 19 1/2

Red-faced Warbler
Olive Warbler
Grace Warbler
Yellow-eyed Junco
Stellar's Jay
Hermit Thrush
Pygmy Nuthatch 

Here we are MM 19 1/2

8500 ft elevation

Top of Ridge, looking over backside of mountain

 

12noon: Pull off way back down Mt. Lemmon, at Windy Point

Zone-tailed Hawk

4pm: Phoenix south mountain park, near airport

Hermit warbler
Brewer's sparrow

Where's Sam??

Dodge Caravan

Just broke the 7's

 Trip Stats:
55 hours in Arizona
703 miles driven in a van down by the river
23.5 MPG
115 total species
47  FOYs--Notables above
  6 LIFERS, now at ABA#585


 Next up:  Biggest week in American Birding . . . home state OHIO

I HEART Arizona +6 Lifers

Holy crap, we made!! There and back in one piece. Lots seen, lots driven and not an hour to waste. It was a chance to bird some really special places with friends, add some specialties to my year list and hopefully add some much needed #LifeBirds. And guess what? I did just that, with +6 lifers,

This first blog is a recap of my Arizona hit list birds needed to add to my ABA area life list. The next entry will be more about places birded, FOY's, and a stop at Chipotle at the University of Arizona for take out.


Lifers seen: Arizona

• Rosy-faced Lovebird, code 2

ABA #580

It’s official. The iconic Rosy-faced Lovebird has been admitted to the ABA Checklist. The lovebird counts! You can put it on your ABA Checklist as of 2012. Several spots over Phoenix has lovebird colonies. We stopped at Encanto park and saw & heard several in this tree.

Blue morph

Rosy-faced Lovebird

Lovebirds sleep by sitting next to their mate with their faces turned in towards each other.

• Gila Woodpecker, code 1, common

ABA #581

 A conspicuous resident in the deserts of the Southwest and Mexico, the Gila Woodpecker is a characteristic bird of the saguaro cactus forests.
Back barred black-and-white. Male with red cap.
We saw several of these birds during the trip. Pretty common. This picture was at Sabino Canyon park in NE Tuscon.

• Mexican Whip-poorwill, code 1

ABA #582

The Mexican whip-poor-will, is a nightjar from the southwestern United States and Mexico. The whip-poor-will is more often heard within its range, but less often seen. It is named onomatopoeically after its song. This bird used to be lumped with the eastern whip-poor-will. Each type has a different range and vocalizaton, the eggs have different coloration, and DNA sequencing shows enough differentiation, so it was determined enough evidence was available to separate the two types into different species.

This picture is from when we heard the Whip-poor-will. It was 8-9pm in Madera Canyon, at the Mt. Wrightson Picnic Area. We also heard Northern Pgymy-owl calling up the canyon. Wow!! What a neat place, even at night.

• Cassin's Vireo, code 1, Madera Canyon and Mt. Lemmon

ABA# 583

A common bird of the far western forests, the Cassin's Vireo is conspicuous for its constant singing. Formerly lumped as a "Solitary Vireo" with the Plumbeous and Blue-headed vireos, it is now considered a separate species. Two whitish wingbars. Belly white, flanks yellowish.

• Gilded Flicker, code 2, ABA #584

 Saw this guy at Sabino Canyon Park on Sunday morning. I was having real camera problems by now. Sorry no pics.

• Red-faced Warbler, code 2, Mt. Lemmon park

ABA #585

The Red-faced Warbler is a colorful bird of the Mexican mountains. In the United States it is found only in the high elevation forests of Arizona and New Mexico. Face and upper breast bright red. Body gray. Black patch on top of head and down face. Ya, so we had to get high to see this bird . . . . like 8000 ft elevation high, then bam. Several singing up in large pines at Incinerator ridge rd.

Lifers missed:

• Bendire's Thrasher, code 2, got to the thrasher spot at 2pm Friday. Too windy and middle of the day. Did see a Crissal Thrasher, and big year Birder Christian
• LeConte's Thrasher, code 2,ditto
• Rufous-winged Sparrow , code 2, thought I saw some sparrows, turned out to be Brewer's.
• Black-capped Gnatcatcher, code 3, got to Florida lower canyon at 10am Saturday. Bird was on nest, but no one could find it.
• Sinola Wren, code 5, had to go on an Army base, what?? but no wren seen, still an adventure
• Whiskered Screech-Owl, code 2, Madera canyon, didn't hear any
• Western Screech-Owl, code 1, 
• Montezuma Quail, code 2, Sierra Vista Mtns., skipped Ramsey Canyon for Mt. Lemmon in Tuscon
• other rarities or common new ones + + +

Next up:  Birding in Southeastern Arizona . . . .  !!!