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