Southeast Arizona in Winter

January 16 to 24, 2008

Scenic photos by Scott Barnes and Patrick Scheuer; Bird photos by Linda Mack

(To download the species list from this trip in PDF format, click here)

Wednesday, January 16 
Arrival day.  Participants arrived in Tuscon, and we checked into our hotel.  Group meeting to discuss trip schedule and expectations of each participant. 

Thursday, January 17
Our first day in the field started with a visit to Saguaro National Park West near Tucson. We marveled at the towering Saguaros; older specimens grow as tall as 50 feet and weigh up to 8 tons. Among the huge cacti, including other species like prickly pear, fish hook barrel cactus, and several varieties of cholla, there were other desert plants including palo verde (Spanish for green stick) and creosote bush. Some of the desert birds we encountered here were Gilded Flicker, Curve-billed Thrasher, Cactus Wren, and several Black-tailed Gnatcatchers. Our next stop was the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum with its marvelous outdoor and indoor displays, live animals, botanical gardens, and hummingbird aviary. After lunch we went to Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson, where Karla quickly spotted a Harris’s Hawk sporting a very full crop. A family of these beautiful raptors has lived for years in the area and often dines on the local cotton rat population. Several Soras called from the reed-lined ponds, and dozens of male Yellow-headed Blackbirds flew in squadrons overhead. We were losing daylight and left to reach Reid Park before dark. There we had great looks at two Lewis’s Woodpeckers hawking insects and caching nuts. Also present was a wonderful side-by-side study of four subspecies of Dark-eyed Juncos—what a teaching moment!

Friday, January 18
Heading north from Tucson our first stop was Catalina State Park, where the grassy margins of the parking lot held feeding Pyrrhuloxias, Oregon Juncos, the ubiquitous White-crowned Sparrow, Canyon Towhees, and six(!) Rufous-winged Sparrows. Closer to the wash, we found our staked-out Rufous-backed Robin, which cooperatively sat still in a thicket, even changing positions so we could see both dorsal and ventral sides through spotting scopes. On to the town of Casa Grande and a local golf course where a Northern Jacana had been present since November. Despite scanning the two main ponds, we didn’t see the bird. Linda found it basking in the sun on a protected corner of the pond. Excellent scope views followed, including looks at the bird’s incredibly long toes.

After securing lunch, we dropped south through the Santa Cruz flats, a large and dusty area of farms and ranches. We located a flock of Mountain Plovers and shared looks at the birds with a curious and interested farm worker who stopped to chat. Shortly after, a Crested Caracara was spotted overhead, followed by a “white-bellied” Bald Eagle. To complete the raptor trifecta, a Burrowing Owl was detected along one of the many irrigation canals. Patrick found our first Vesper Sparrow of the trip, and there were quite a few Lark Sparrows in the area as well. Our last stop was the Red Rock feedlot, brimming with thousands of cattle and a famous little yard known as the only consistently reliable place in the United States for Ruddy Ground-Dove. We were lucky to find the male (there’s usually a pair) tucked deep within a palo verde tree among a dozen or so Inca Doves. Meanwhile, our first Prairie Falcon of the trip buzzed overhead and thousands of blackbirds flew off to roost.

Saturday, January 19
We started the day by making a quick stop in Green Valley for White-winged Doves and displaying Anna’s Hummingbirds. The rest of our morning was spent hiking the lower portion of beautiful Madera Canyon: a lush riparian area filled with Arizona Sycamores, Fremont Cottonwoods, Arizona Blue Oaks, Alligator Juniper, and Pinyon Pine in the Santa Rita Mountains. We eventually crossed paths with a roving mixed-species flock, the highlights of which were 3 Townsend’s Warblers and a very cooperative Painted Redstart (a first-class designer bird if there ever was one!). Other interesting birds included Red-naped Sapsucker, Hammond’s Flycatcher, Hutton’s Vireo, and a quick look at an Olive Warbler. After lunch at the Santa Rita Lodge where we watched Acorn Woodpeckers actively caching nuts, we embarked on our big hike of the trip. We headed up the old baldy trail, ascending a mile and half and more than 1500 feet through a beautiful landscape of pinyon-oak-juniper woodland with manzanita and madrone in search of a very rare visitor from Mexico: Aztec Thrush. During the hike most of the group had good looks at Yellow-eyed Junco and Arizona Woodpecker that Dona found on the ascent, and some folks got to enjoy close-up looks at Cassin’s Finches feeding on the fruits of madrone trees. Just about the time when the lead portion of our group began to descend, word went down the line of birders spread out over a quarter mile or so of trail that the Aztec Thrush was visible! Scrambling and running ensued, and when all was said and done everyone had good looks at this beautiful Mexican thrush, with its intricate tail and wing pattern of mixed browns, white spots, and white feather edgings. The thrush certainly made the tough descent down to the vehicles a little easier to bear! Leaving the Santa Ritas, we made a brief stop at Amado for waterfowl, drove through the scenic Patagonia Mountains, and made a brief late-day visit to Kino Springs. Patrick gleaned one of only two Green-tailed Towhees of the trip here, and a drake Cinnamon Teal swam in the small pond. Just before dusk a Gray Hawk posed across the road from the Patagonia High School—a great bird to close out a long but very productive day!

Sunday, January 20
We awoke to a very chilly morning at the Sonoita Inn and headed back towards Patagonia. The temperature readout on Pat’s van was 19 degrees in some of the shaded canyons! Our first stop was a return to Kino Springs where we found Lawrence’s Goldfinch: an attractive, somewhat scarce, and erratic winter visitor to the southwest. A Greater Roadrunner was visible sunbathing by exposing its black skin to the sun for warmth. Louise detected a Great Horned Owl (one of the dusty-colored southwestern variety) taking a nap in the sun. Next, we visited Patagonia Lake State Park where two birders alerted us to the presence of a gorgeous male Red-breasted Sapsucker feeding next to their campsite. White-throated Swifts and three species of swallow were hawking insects over the lake, and the cattail wetlands offered views of Common Moorhen, Sora, and Marsh Wrens. An initially enigmatic Empidonax flycatcher eventually revealed itself (by sound) to be our only Dusky Flycatcher of the trip. The lake had many Common Mergansers and a few Eared Grebes. After picking up lunch in Patagonia—some of us from “The Velvet Elvis”—we went to the famous Patagonia Roadside Rest Area. Towering red cliffs bordered the rest stop and several Black Vultures were practicing “touch-and-go” routines. We were able to dig up a trio of Black-chinned Sparrows and a small group of Bridled Titmice included a Hutton’s Vireo and a Cassin’s Vireo. Just up the road near a small shrine we got brief views at the American Dipper who was making this stretch of Sonoita Creek its winter home; unfortunately the bird vanished before we could enjoy longer looks. Next it was on to Harshaw Road, where we drove through the beautiful Patagonia Mountains, studded with oaks and junipers and covered with lush yellow grass. We crested the top of a hill and witnessed one of the best vistas Southeast Arizona has to offer: the San Rafael Grasslands. Undulating treeless hills covered with lush grasses extended to the horizon in all directions, and the late day sunlight made it glow. In the distance the Huachuca Mountains bore witness and slightly more distant ranges were visible in Mexico, creating spectacular vistas. While the view alone made this stop, we also saw an unusually cooperative flock of Chestnut-collared Longspurs and our only White-tailed Kite—thanks to Suzanne—of the tour.

Monday, January 21
We awoke to another very chilly morning of 21 degrees and enjoyed a hot breakfast at the Gathering Grounds in Patagonia, where a chat with some hunters revealed that we had a common quarry: Montezuma (or Mearne’s) Quail. We drove through the scenic Sonoita grasslands and stopped at the San Pedro House in the San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area. Huge cottonwoods bordered the house, and the adjacent brush and shrubs were alive with sparrows. A cooperative Green-tailed Towhee was visible, as were a few American Goldfinches among dozens of attractive Lesser Goldfinches. The bookstore here provided a shopping spree for all. Next it was on to the Sulphur Springs Valley where we spent most of the afternoon at Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area. There was a great owl show: a fearless Great Horned Owl roosting in the open barn, a Long-eared Owl, and 14 Barn Owls! Thousands of Sandhill Cranes were loafing and calling; a snoozing flock of “white geese” was composed of some 120 Snow Geese and 20 Ross’s Geese. A Black-necked Stilt foraged in the shallows on its ridiculously long and bubblegum-colored legs, a nearby male Ladder-backed Woodpecker allowed close study, and Say’s Phoebes hovered in their energetic hunting style. Later that afternoon we drove north through Elfrida and Kansas Settlement enjoying 12 Ferruginous Hawks, some of the 121 Red-tailed Hawks we tallied today, and great late day light on the Dos Cabezas Mountains.

Tuesday, January 22
A quick spin around Willcox’s Cochise Lake yielded a big flock of Common Mergansers, but little else. Along Kansas Settlement Rd we found the first of several Ferruginous Hawks and Joe spotted a tardy Barn Owl flying in to its roost. Scanning another field we noticed several Mountain Plovers—we totaled 32 in the field! After a bathroom stop & some miscellaneous shopping for leather goods, and coffee, we pressed on, finding two Bendire’s Thrashers. The second thrasher posed for extended scope views while our first Golden Eagle soared overhead and hundreds of Sandhill Cranes headed towards our mid-day destination: Whitewater Draw. A sudden explosion of cranes and geese into the sky alerted us to the presence of a predator, and Karla picked out a distant adult Bald Eagle looking for a meal. It was our second Bald Eagle of the day, the first being a third-year with its osprey-like head pattern that gave us pause as it perched on a pivot. Linda found a sub-adult Golden Eagle as well that cruised over the parking lot. Heading north, we continued roadside birding through the valley, finding flocks of Lark Buntings, Northern Harriers galore, and a brace of Long-billed Curlews. A stop at the Feria Farm pond found us sorting though an assortment of ducks including Canvasback, Redhead, and a Cackling Goose. Another quick look at Willcox’s Cochise Lake near dusk didn’t produce any new waterbirds, but did give us excellent looks at some 40+ Scaled Quail—or “cottontops” as they’re referred to locally.

Wednesday, January 23
Pulling up stakes from Willcox we headed to the Dragoon Mountains. We spent the morning at Cochise Stronghold, named for the famous Apache Chief who used the area in the late nineteenth century. Immediately after exiting our vehicles we heard the delightful sound of Canyon Wren emanating from the rocky cliffs. The oak-juniper-pinyon woodlands contained a mixed-species flock of Bridled Titmice, a pair of Juniper Titmice, Spotted Towhees, and an excellent look at our only Rufous-crowned Sparrow of the tour. A Western Scrub-Jay screeched from a hillside, probably lost and looking for the rest of its flock while the local gang of Mexican Jays patrolled the campground looking for handouts. A stop at the Benson wastewater ponds offered more looks at abundant Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, some Ruddy Ducks approaching breeding plumage, an Eared Grebe, and a few Barn Swallows. Our last stop of the tour was the Holy Trinity Monastery at Saint David where we walked through the San Pedro River floodplain among huge cottonwood trees and a small pond. A weedy field provided us our second opportunity to study a flock of 20 or so smartly-plumaged Lawrence’s Goldfinches. Other species we enjoyed here and had grown accustomed to included 2 Red-naped Sapsuckers, Curve-billed Thrashers, and Abert’s Towhees. Reluctantly, we piled back into the vans and headed to Tucson for our final dinner together and a night’s rest before heading home.

--Scott Barnes
 

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