Our goal was to enjoy a lot of neat birds, and to have a good time, two goals we were able to accomplish with alacrity. We did have a few specific target birds - Rufous-winged Sparrow, Cassin's Sparrow and Botteri's Sparrows in the dry grasslands and desert below Madera Canyon; Red-faced Warbler, Grace's Warbler and Olive Warbler (this last not really being a warbler at all) in the upper reaches of the canyon; and Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Berylline Hummingbird, Elf Owl and Sinaloa Wren to round everything off. We got most, but not all of our targets. However, the ones we were most interested in seeing, we did find. You'll have to read the whole post to find out which!
Anyway, we started the morning in the lower grasslands of Madera Canyon with a Rufous-winged Sparrow (tick!) directly across from the Continental School. We checked the very same school back in December for Rufous-winged Sparrows without any luck, but today it was the only species of sparrow we saw there.
A Rufous-winged Sparrow checking us out.After we got our fill of the sparrow and a Black-tailed Gnatcatcher that also came in to Libby's pishing, we jumped back in the car and headed uphill to find some more open mesquite grassland to examine for Botteri's and Cassin's Sparrows. After a short detour to check out a dark morph Swainson's Hawk on a telephone pole, we pulled into a little turn between Florida Wash and Proctor Road to look for the sparrows.
We heard some sparrows singing in the distance a short way, but while scanning the other side of the road, a Meadowlark flew by. The form of Eastern Meadowlark resident in this part of Arizona is of the subspecies lilianae, which may be a full species. It's not exactly obviously different, but the amount of white in the tail is noticably more extensive and the yellow on the breast is noticably less extensive. Unfortunately, it was too far away to photograph.
As we were watching the bird, Libby's old roommate Bethany and her husband Wade drove up. We knew they were in the area, and had planned on crossing paths with them on Sunday before heading home, and so were pleasantly surprised to see them. We chatted a bit about what they had seen in Madera Canyon so far, how the weather had been (wet for them!), and then we went over and found a Botteri's Sparrow (lifer #2) with them where our cars were parked. Unfortunately, we couldn't hear or see any Cassin's Sparrows at this spot, so we parted ways with Bethany and Wade and headed uphill while they headed back down to make their way to Patagonia.
The next parking lot up is Proctor Road, where we pulled over to apply sunscreen, pay our fee, and check the mesquite around the parking area for a sometimes seen family of Black-capped Gnatcatchers. We didn't have any luck, but wandering further into the riparian area, we found a beautiful male Varied Bunting illuminated exquisitely by the sun, a charming little Verdin, a couple of male Northern Cardinals, and a whole bunch of Bell's Vireos. None of them cooperated for the camera, but we did capture some images of the charming little waterfall there.
We heard some sparrows singing in the distance a short way, but while scanning the other side of the road, a Meadowlark flew by. The form of Eastern Meadowlark resident in this part of Arizona is of the subspecies lilianae, which may be a full species. It's not exactly obviously different, but the amount of white in the tail is noticably more extensive and the yellow on the breast is noticably less extensive. Unfortunately, it was too far away to photograph.
As we were watching the bird, Libby's old roommate Bethany and her husband Wade drove up. We knew they were in the area, and had planned on crossing paths with them on Sunday before heading home, and so were pleasantly surprised to see them. We chatted a bit about what they had seen in Madera Canyon so far, how the weather had been (wet for them!), and then we went over and found a Botteri's Sparrow (lifer #2) with them where our cars were parked. Unfortunately, we couldn't hear or see any Cassin's Sparrows at this spot, so we parted ways with Bethany and Wade and headed uphill while they headed back down to make their way to Patagonia.
The next parking lot up is Proctor Road, where we pulled over to apply sunscreen, pay our fee, and check the mesquite around the parking area for a sometimes seen family of Black-capped Gnatcatchers. We didn't have any luck, but wandering further into the riparian area, we found a beautiful male Varied Bunting illuminated exquisitely by the sun, a charming little Verdin, a couple of male Northern Cardinals, and a whole bunch of Bell's Vireos. None of them cooperated for the camera, but we did capture some images of the charming little waterfall there.
By now it was getting warm low in the canyon, and, our goal including a long hike in the upper reaches of these Santa Rita Mountains, we re-entered our car and headed straight for the trailhead parking area. We found that easily enough, having visited it previously, but we did have a little trouble finding the head of our specific trail. While we wandered frustrated and confused, Dusky-capped Flycatchers chased each other from tree to tree, Bridled Titmouse and Black-throated Gray Warblers chortled and chipped, beautiful Painted Redstarts fluttered from tree to tree, and Sulfur-bellied Flycatchers squeaked.
Anyway, someone lent us a trail map, we found a few signs, and we got started up the hill. The trail we took is known as the Old Baldy Trail, and it leads up to Mount Wrightson via Josephine Saddle. Our goal was to hike a 6 mile loop around the head of Madera Canyon in the 7,000' elevation range and come down to the same parking lot via another trail. In the upper elevation pine forest, we were hoping to see those warblers I mentioned earlier.
The hike was warm, though tolerable, as much of it was spent in trees and an occasional growing thunderhead would block the sun for a blissful minutes. We wound our way up through through oaks and junipers, passing occasional Ponderosa Pines while enjoying the wonders of nature - both small and large: the majestic edifice of Mount Wrightson pushing itself up to our left, and dozens of iridescent Yarrow's Spiny Lizards scurrying by underfoot.
Yarrow's Spiny LizardOnce, a big mixed flock passed by foraging in the middle canopy next to the trail. We found Brown Creepers, White-breasted Nuthatches, a snappy Plumbeous Vireo, and some Hutton's Vireos there. Later, we found good numbers of Yellow-eyed Juncos filling the hillside with their songs, and sometimes hopping along in front of us on the trail. I got some decent pictures of one such bird.
Yellow-eyed Junco
Yellow-eyed JuncoThere are a lot of varieties of Juncos in the United States, many of them well marked and easily distinguishable, others a little less marked, and areas where many forms interbreed. For some reason, when all of those groups of Juncos were lumped together as a single variable species known as the Dark-eyed Junco, this single form of Junco with the staring yellow eyes - at the very northern edge of its range in Southeastern Arizona - was kept as a separate species by the official taxonomists in the AOU. While this bird is very distinct from Oregon or Slate-colored forms of the Dark-eyed Junco, it's actually quite similar to the Red-backed and Gray-headed forms of Dark-eyed Juncos that breed in the southwestern United States.
Anyway, we travelled slowly with all the bird watching, and it was 11:15 by the time we arrived at Josephine Saddle, where we had a snack and a rest before pushing on up the Agua Caliente Trail. That didn't go super smoothly, as one washed out switchback turn with a well marked unofficial train coming off of it got us side-tracked. We had to turn around and come back the way we had come before we able to continue on our way. Up in this higher elevation woodland, we were hearing (and seeing) Greater Pewees regularly, seeing occasional Hepatic Tanagers, and the more familiar but still welcome sight of Steller's Jays hopping around in the trees.
But the best part came a little before we had gone half-way along the trail. In one pine growing off the trail below us and to our right, some small birds were foraging among the needles. Stopping to examine the first we could get our binoculars on, we were delighted to see it was an adult male Grace's Warbler (lifer # three!). We were able to enjoy its bright yellow breast and eyebrow at our leisure, before taking our binoculars away to realize the tree was full of small birds. Four or five of were a family of Painted Redstarts, including juveniles lacking their red-bellies, and further examination of most of the others found that we were watching a pair of Grace's Warblers with at least two fledglings, as well. Then a flash of orange in the further branches alerted us to the presence of a single Olive Warbler! (four!)
Invigorated, we continued on our hike, stopping again only briefly in a grove of aspen. This little grove was populated by a vigorous population of "Brown-throated" House Wrens, a distinctive popuulation of the widespread and familiar birds in backyards everywhere. They really are a more uniform dark brown, and their song is more musical and beautiful than our local wrens. They reminded me a bit of short-winded, long-tailed Winter Wrens as well as of our local House Wrens.
After the grove, we moved out onto a dryer north-facing slope toward the Vault Mine Trail. We got half-lucky at one point when I started a single male Montezuma Quail running down the hillside. I got half-looks at the fleeing bird, but Libby only saw its back for an instant, so we're not counting it until we both have decent views of the bird. Montezuma Quail are infamously hard to see, and people we talked to over the weekend generally expressed the opinion that it takes dumb luck to find one, so we'll just have to spend more time in their habitat.
After wrapping around the canyon, there's a junction that takes you straight back down into it. The Vault Mine Trail (Very Steep Trail) lives up to its appelation. At one point, you descend more than 1,000' in .6 miles! Needless to say, our knees and feet were a little sore by the time we reached the canyon bottom. So, at the car, we had wonderfully refreshing ice cold Pepsis from our cooler and a snack of Goldfish Crackers before heading down canyon to go feeder watching.
We enjoyed seeing Nuthatches, Lesser Goldfinches, bright House Finches, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Broad-billed Hummingbirds, and Scott's Orioles at the various feeders. At one, an Arizona Woodpecker family was coming into the suet. At Madera Kubo, we waited in vain to see if a Berylline Hummingbird or the local Flame-colored Tanager would come and visit. We heard the Flame-colored Tanager that evening, but were unable to discover it in its dense retreats among the tree tops. It moved around a lot, too, and only sang sparingly, so we didn't have too good of a shot, anyway. Ah well, you win some and you lose some.
The last thing we did that day, as the light fell in the canyon, was to stand and watch for an Elf Owl to leave its daytime roost in a telephone pole next to the Santa Rita Lodge office. We waited and waited, and the light dimmed and dimmed. Bats fluttered over the assembled crowd of expectant birders and lodgers, but the owl never showed. Later Bethany and Wade told us that the front office explained the birds were finished nesting and were no longer using that pole for the year.
We spent that night in Nogales, about a mile from the Mexican border. In the morning, we were up early and on the road to Patagonia. Our first stop was the road to Kino Springs. We've visited that golf course before, where Tropical Kingbirds are quite easy to find, but this year we were more interested in another shot at Cassin's Sparrows and maybe at the Gray Hawks we had seen nesting in trees there two years ago. Once again, we had a Botteri's Sparrow right by the road, but we weren't able to find a Cassin's. The Gray Hawks weren't there, either, though there still were some big stick nests.
Our next stop was the Patagonia Roadside Rest, famous in birding circles because of the "Roadside Rest" effect named after it. Once upon a time, one rare bird found there led to a slew of other rare birds found by other visitors looking for the first bird. We didn't find anything rare, but we did hear a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (this is where we once saw our first), Thick-billed Kingbirds, and a first-spring Summer Tanager singing in a tree. We walked up and down the creek a little, and it was nice to see and hear Yellow Warblers and Yellow-breasted Chats.
Anyway, we got back in the road pretty quickly and pulled into Patagonia well before 8:00. Our plan was to spend a half hour or so looking for the Sinaloa Wren that's been reported there and then head over to the Paton's so that we could enjoy the regular Violet-crowned Hummingbirds that visit there.
The Sinaloa Wren we were looking for is the first documented record of that species north of the Mexican border. The bird has been building nests in the dense riparian vegetation along Sonoita Creek since this spring, and sings incessently and loudly, making it easy to hear. However, because of the dense brush, it can be very hard to see. We weren't very optimimstic about our chances of seeing it, but we felt like it was worth a short, anyway.
When we arrived at the spot, we found a tour group waiting there. They had seen it a couple of times, already, and we could hear it singing as we walked up. One of the guides pointed out where to find the actual nest, which was a big shaggy ball of grasses, and then there was nothing to do but to wait. And, so we did. As we waited, scanning the dense growth from time to time, listening to hear if the Sinaloa Wren song was getting louder, the other guide of the outfit struck up a conversation with us. It turns out it was Jon Dunn, a prominent North American birder - the lead editor of the National Geographic Field Guide, and author of numerous other guides and books. He lives in Bishop, so I asked him how to find Black-backed Woodpeckers in the Eastern Sierra and got a good tip for a location near June Lake. Pretty cool!
Even cooler, though, was that Libby found the Sinaloa Wren (lifer five!) while we were talking. And, thankfully, I got a short look at it, also. Libby saw it fairly well, but my looks were of it silhouetted in the shadows. I was able to see a little of the tail's color, and the proportions and size looked different than a Bewick's Wren, but I'd like to see it again some day. That's quite possible, as Sinaloa Wrens appear to be spreading northward through Sinaloa and it is not unlikely that they will one day be an established species in southeastern Arizona.
After seeing the bird, we pulled up stakes and drove over to the Paton's, where the Violet-crowneds put on a good show. By then, it was getting hot, so we appreciated the opportunity to sit in the shade and enjoy some birds for awhile. Broad-billed Hummingbirds were common, as were Black-chinned. Meanwhile, Inca Doves were singing in the background, Gray Hawks called in the distance, and Blue Grosbeaks were visiting the seed feeders behind us. It was pretty awesome.
Violet-crowned Hummingbird at the Paton's
Anyway, we travelled slowly with all the bird watching, and it was 11:15 by the time we arrived at Josephine Saddle, where we had a snack and a rest before pushing on up the Agua Caliente Trail. That didn't go super smoothly, as one washed out switchback turn with a well marked unofficial train coming off of it got us side-tracked. We had to turn around and come back the way we had come before we able to continue on our way. Up in this higher elevation woodland, we were hearing (and seeing) Greater Pewees regularly, seeing occasional Hepatic Tanagers, and the more familiar but still welcome sight of Steller's Jays hopping around in the trees.
But the best part came a little before we had gone half-way along the trail. In one pine growing off the trail below us and to our right, some small birds were foraging among the needles. Stopping to examine the first we could get our binoculars on, we were delighted to see it was an adult male Grace's Warbler (lifer # three!). We were able to enjoy its bright yellow breast and eyebrow at our leisure, before taking our binoculars away to realize the tree was full of small birds. Four or five of were a family of Painted Redstarts, including juveniles lacking their red-bellies, and further examination of most of the others found that we were watching a pair of Grace's Warblers with at least two fledglings, as well. Then a flash of orange in the further branches alerted us to the presence of a single Olive Warbler! (four!)
Invigorated, we continued on our hike, stopping again only briefly in a grove of aspen. This little grove was populated by a vigorous population of "Brown-throated" House Wrens, a distinctive popuulation of the widespread and familiar birds in backyards everywhere. They really are a more uniform dark brown, and their song is more musical and beautiful than our local wrens. They reminded me a bit of short-winded, long-tailed Winter Wrens as well as of our local House Wrens.
After the grove, we moved out onto a dryer north-facing slope toward the Vault Mine Trail. We got half-lucky at one point when I started a single male Montezuma Quail running down the hillside. I got half-looks at the fleeing bird, but Libby only saw its back for an instant, so we're not counting it until we both have decent views of the bird. Montezuma Quail are infamously hard to see, and people we talked to over the weekend generally expressed the opinion that it takes dumb luck to find one, so we'll just have to spend more time in their habitat.
After wrapping around the canyon, there's a junction that takes you straight back down into it. The Vault Mine Trail (Very Steep Trail) lives up to its appelation. At one point, you descend more than 1,000' in .6 miles! Needless to say, our knees and feet were a little sore by the time we reached the canyon bottom. So, at the car, we had wonderfully refreshing ice cold Pepsis from our cooler and a snack of Goldfish Crackers before heading down canyon to go feeder watching.
We enjoyed seeing Nuthatches, Lesser Goldfinches, bright House Finches, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Broad-billed Hummingbirds, and Scott's Orioles at the various feeders. At one, an Arizona Woodpecker family was coming into the suet. At Madera Kubo, we waited in vain to see if a Berylline Hummingbird or the local Flame-colored Tanager would come and visit. We heard the Flame-colored Tanager that evening, but were unable to discover it in its dense retreats among the tree tops. It moved around a lot, too, and only sang sparingly, so we didn't have too good of a shot, anyway. Ah well, you win some and you lose some.
The last thing we did that day, as the light fell in the canyon, was to stand and watch for an Elf Owl to leave its daytime roost in a telephone pole next to the Santa Rita Lodge office. We waited and waited, and the light dimmed and dimmed. Bats fluttered over the assembled crowd of expectant birders and lodgers, but the owl never showed. Later Bethany and Wade told us that the front office explained the birds were finished nesting and were no longer using that pole for the year.
We spent that night in Nogales, about a mile from the Mexican border. In the morning, we were up early and on the road to Patagonia. Our first stop was the road to Kino Springs. We've visited that golf course before, where Tropical Kingbirds are quite easy to find, but this year we were more interested in another shot at Cassin's Sparrows and maybe at the Gray Hawks we had seen nesting in trees there two years ago. Once again, we had a Botteri's Sparrow right by the road, but we weren't able to find a Cassin's. The Gray Hawks weren't there, either, though there still were some big stick nests.
Our next stop was the Patagonia Roadside Rest, famous in birding circles because of the "Roadside Rest" effect named after it. Once upon a time, one rare bird found there led to a slew of other rare birds found by other visitors looking for the first bird. We didn't find anything rare, but we did hear a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (this is where we once saw our first), Thick-billed Kingbirds, and a first-spring Summer Tanager singing in a tree. We walked up and down the creek a little, and it was nice to see and hear Yellow Warblers and Yellow-breasted Chats.
Anyway, we got back in the road pretty quickly and pulled into Patagonia well before 8:00. Our plan was to spend a half hour or so looking for the Sinaloa Wren that's been reported there and then head over to the Paton's so that we could enjoy the regular Violet-crowned Hummingbirds that visit there.
The Sinaloa Wren we were looking for is the first documented record of that species north of the Mexican border. The bird has been building nests in the dense riparian vegetation along Sonoita Creek since this spring, and sings incessently and loudly, making it easy to hear. However, because of the dense brush, it can be very hard to see. We weren't very optimimstic about our chances of seeing it, but we felt like it was worth a short, anyway.
When we arrived at the spot, we found a tour group waiting there. They had seen it a couple of times, already, and we could hear it singing as we walked up. One of the guides pointed out where to find the actual nest, which was a big shaggy ball of grasses, and then there was nothing to do but to wait. And, so we did. As we waited, scanning the dense growth from time to time, listening to hear if the Sinaloa Wren song was getting louder, the other guide of the outfit struck up a conversation with us. It turns out it was Jon Dunn, a prominent North American birder - the lead editor of the National Geographic Field Guide, and author of numerous other guides and books. He lives in Bishop, so I asked him how to find Black-backed Woodpeckers in the Eastern Sierra and got a good tip for a location near June Lake. Pretty cool!
Even cooler, though, was that Libby found the Sinaloa Wren (lifer five!) while we were talking. And, thankfully, I got a short look at it, also. Libby saw it fairly well, but my looks were of it silhouetted in the shadows. I was able to see a little of the tail's color, and the proportions and size looked different than a Bewick's Wren, but I'd like to see it again some day. That's quite possible, as Sinaloa Wrens appear to be spreading northward through Sinaloa and it is not unlikely that they will one day be an established species in southeastern Arizona.
After seeing the bird, we pulled up stakes and drove over to the Paton's, where the Violet-crowneds put on a good show. By then, it was getting hot, so we appreciated the opportunity to sit in the shade and enjoy some birds for awhile. Broad-billed Hummingbirds were common, as were Black-chinned. Meanwhile, Inca Doves were singing in the background, Gray Hawks called in the distance, and Blue Grosbeaks were visiting the seed feeders behind us. It was pretty awesome.
Violet-crowned Hummingbird at the Paton'sNevertheless, we needed to get a move on. We were planning on meeting up with Wade and Bethany at the Beatty's Bed and Breakfast feeders in the Huachuca Mountains, a not-insignificant drive from where we were, and if we got there early enough, we had an opportunity to go for a hike up the hills to look for Red-faced Warblers.
We got there before 11:00, so we elected to head up the trail. The first bit is a dry route around the private property of the Beatty's, but then the trail gently trends uphill through shadowy forest that's a mixture of oak, juniper, sycamore, elder and pine. It's quite lovely.
Upper Miller canyon riparian forest
We got there before 11:00, so we elected to head up the trail. The first bit is a dry route around the private property of the Beatty's, but then the trail gently trends uphill through shadowy forest that's a mixture of oak, juniper, sycamore, elder and pine. It's quite lovely.
Upper Miller canyon riparian forestAnyway, we traveled a good distance, and had used up a good portion of our allotted time, when we started hearing a Red-faced Warbler off the trail. Imitations didn't draw the bird in, though it appeared to be responsive, and so we had to consider whether or not to go off trail to find it. We headed a little bit uphill and ran into some birders coming down. We asked if they had had Red-faced Warblers, and they pointed out the bird were were listening to, and let us know it was quite a distance up the hill before they had run into any more. Furthermore, it turned out there was another trail paralleling ours in the direction of that bird.
We decided to look for the bird we were hearing, and come back down the parallel trail, so we stepped off and into the trees. Only a minute or two later, we found a beautiful Red-faced Warbler (lifer six!) quietly singing and foraging in some trees right above our heads. We were able to wait and watch it for many minutes while it roamed around above us. Even without binoculars, we could see the brilliant scarlet of its head glowing in the canopy.
The serpent
We decided to look for the bird we were hearing, and come back down the parallel trail, so we stepped off and into the trees. Only a minute or two later, we found a beautiful Red-faced Warbler (lifer six!) quietly singing and foraging in some trees right above our heads. We were able to wait and watch it for many minutes while it roamed around above us. Even without binoculars, we could see the brilliant scarlet of its head glowing in the canopy.
We felt pretty lucky at this point, so we headed back down the trail toward the parking lot. We got there, and rested our feet while we were waiting for Wade and Bethany. While we were waiting, I saw a branch fall out of a distant tree, writhing. I cocked my head. That's a snake, I thought. Sure enough, it was. It was what appears to be a Sonoran Whipsnake, and we were able to watch it slither its way through the trees a few feet above us. Libby commented that it had a bit of a sinister Edenic feel.
The serpentRight about then, Wade and Bethany pulled up. As they did, a mixed flock came into the trees near my head and I saw what appeared very much like a Mountain Chickadee, which would have been way out of range. Libby and Bethany checked our respective guides, and found that they may be unrecorded in the Huachucas in the summer, casting doubt on my identification. I wish I could have gotten a picture, but after I got the camera I couldn't find the bird again, and there were more interesting birds awaiting us up at the feeders, which is where we headed next.
The hummingbird feeders at Beatty's are my favorite in Arizona, which is saying quite a lot. They're always crowded with hummingbirds of a dazzling array of species. Last Sunday, we saw eight species of hummingbirds at the feeders: Broad-tailed, Broad-billed, Anna's, Magnificent, Blue-throated, Black-chinned, White-eared and Berylline (ding! that's # seven!).
The female Berryline Hummer feeding just feet away from me.
The hummingbird feeders at Beatty's are my favorite in Arizona, which is saying quite a lot. They're always crowded with hummingbirds of a dazzling array of species. Last Sunday, we saw eight species of hummingbirds at the feeders: Broad-tailed, Broad-billed, Anna's, Magnificent, Blue-throated, Black-chinned, White-eared and Berylline (ding! that's # seven!).
The Berylline was what I was most hoping to see, and it didn't disappoint, coming regularly the feeders, especially the one only about 6' feet to my left, and even gathering wool at a station set up for that purpose. It's apparently preparing a nest somewhere nearby, which is exciting, as this is really quite a rare bird in the U.S.
The female Berryline Hummer feeding just feet away from me.We stayed at the feeders a good period of time, watching the hummingbirds chase each other around the feeders as thunder growled in the distance. One of the White-eareds (also very rare) sang from a perch, which was fun to hear. But, time flowed on, and we had a long drive home ahead of us, so we said our goodbyes to the Williams and got in our car to head back home.
The drive home was very hot. When we passed through Phoenix, a roadside sign flashed the temperature as 121 - ridiculous - and the radio put it as tying the old record of 115. Not only that, but the 10 West was closed in Phoenix! With that and heavy road construction near Palm Spring reducing the freeway to only one lane, it took 10 hours to get home.
Lots of pictures, of more hummingbirds, mountains, flowers, bugs, and Libby, are at our Flickr account: Weekend Arizona trip. I recommend checking them out.
List:
1. Turkey Vulture (common everywhere)
2. Cooper's Hawk (Madera Canyon)
3. Gray Hawk (along Hwy 83 north of Patagonia Rest Stop)
4. Red-tailed Hawk (power lines below Madera Canyon)
5. Swainson's Hawk (power lines below Madera Canyon)
6. Wild Turkey (Madera Canyon)
7. Gambel's Quail (Patagonia)
8. Band-tailed Pigeon (heard in Madera Canyon)
9. Eurasian Collared-Dove (roadsides)
10. Rock Pigeon (roadside)
11. White-winged Dove (common)
12. Mourning Dove (common)
13. Inca Dove (Paton's)
14. Yellow-billed Cuckoo (heard at Patagonia Roadstop Rest)
15. Greater Roadrunner (Patagonia area)
16. Lesser Nighthawk (California, actually - I-10 near Blythe)
17. Violet-crowned Hummingbird (Paton's)
18. Berylline Hummingbird (Beatty's)
19. Broad-billed Hummingbird (Common)
20. White-eared Hummingbird (Beatty's)
21. Blue-throated Hummingbird (Beatty's)
22. Magnificent Hummingbird (Madera and Beatty's)
23. Black-chinned Hummingbird (Common)
24. Anna's Hummingbird (Madera and Beatty's)
25. Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Beatty's)
26. Elegant Trogon (Heard in Madera Canyon)
27. Acorn Woodpecker (Madera Canyon and Patagonia)
28. Gila Woodpecker (Common in lower elevations)
29. Northern Flicker (upper Madera)
30. Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Patagonia)
31. Arizona Woodpecker (Madera and Miller Canyons)
32. Greater Pewee (Upper Madera)
33. Western Wood-Pewee (Madera Canyon)
34. Cordilleran Flycatcher (Madera)
35. Vermilion Flycatcher (Patagonia)
36. Brown-crested Flycatcher (Lower Madera - Proctor Road area)
37. Ash-throated Flycatcher (Dry area in lower Miller Canyon)
38. Dusky-capped Flycatcher (Common)
39. Cassin's Kingbird (Patagonia)
40. Western Kingbird (Patagonia)
41. Thick-billed Kingbird (Patagonia)
42. Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (Madera)
43. Bell's Vireo (Madera and Kino Springs)
44. Hutton's Vireo (Madera and Miller Canyons)
45. Plumbeous Vireo (upper Madera Canyon)
46. Steller's Jay (upper Madera Canyon)
47. Mexican Jay (Madera and Miller Canyons)
48. Barn Swallow (Common)
49. Bridled Titmouse (Madera and Miller Canyons)
50. Mountain Chickadee? (Miller Canyon)
51. Verdin (Proctor Rd)
52. Bushtits (Madera and Miller Canyons)
53. Brown Creeper (Madera Canyon)
54. White-breasted Nuthatch (Madera Canyon)
55. House Wren (Brown Throated) (Madera Canyon)
56. Bewick's Wren (Patagonia)
57. Cactus Wren (Santa Rita experimental range)
58. Sinaloa Wren (Patagonia)
59. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (Continental School)
60. Hermit Thrush (Madera Canyon)
61. Northern Mockingbird (lower elevations)
62. Bendire's Thrasher (Kino Springs)
63. Phainopepla (Patagonia)
64. Lucy's Warbler (Patagonia)
65. Black-throated Gray Warbler (Madera and Miller Canyons)
66. Grace's Warbler (upper Madera)
67. Yellow Warbler (Patagonia)
68. Common Yellowthroat (Patagonia)
69. Yellow-breasted Chat (Patagonia)
70. Painted Redstart (Madera and Miller Canyons)
71. Red-faced Warbler (Miller Canyon)
72. Olive Warbler (upper Madera)
73. Summer Tanager (Patagonia)
74. Hepatic Tanager (upper Madera)
75. Flame-colored Tanager (heard at Madera Kubo)
76. Canyon Towhee (Patagonia)
77. Spotted Towhee (upper Madera)
78. Botteri's Sparrow (Kino and below Madera Canyon)
79. Rufous-winged Sparrow (Continental School)
80. Yellow-eyed Junco (upper Madera)
81. Black-headed Grosbeak (Madera)
82. Northern Cardinal (below Madera and Patagonia)
83. Blue Grosbeak (Patagonia and Madera)
84. Varied Bunting (Proctor Rd)
85. Eastern (Lilian's) Meadowlark (below Madera)
86. Great-tailed Grackle (common)
87. Bronzed Cowbird (Patagonia)
88. Hooded Oriole (Madera)
89. Scott's Oriole (Madera)
90. House Finch (Madera)
91. Lesser Goldfinch (common)
92. House Sparrow (hiss)
And that's that... 92 birds and 7 lifers.
The drive home was very hot. When we passed through Phoenix, a roadside sign flashed the temperature as 121 - ridiculous - and the radio put it as tying the old record of 115. Not only that, but the 10 West was closed in Phoenix! With that and heavy road construction near Palm Spring reducing the freeway to only one lane, it took 10 hours to get home.
Lots of pictures, of more hummingbirds, mountains, flowers, bugs, and Libby, are at our Flickr account: Weekend Arizona trip. I recommend checking them out.
List:
1. Turkey Vulture (common everywhere)
2. Cooper's Hawk (Madera Canyon)
3. Gray Hawk (along Hwy 83 north of Patagonia Rest Stop)
4. Red-tailed Hawk (power lines below Madera Canyon)
5. Swainson's Hawk (power lines below Madera Canyon)
6. Wild Turkey (Madera Canyon)
7. Gambel's Quail (Patagonia)
8. Band-tailed Pigeon (heard in Madera Canyon)
9. Eurasian Collared-Dove (roadsides)
10. Rock Pigeon (roadside)
11. White-winged Dove (common)
12. Mourning Dove (common)
13. Inca Dove (Paton's)
14. Yellow-billed Cuckoo (heard at Patagonia Roadstop Rest)
15. Greater Roadrunner (Patagonia area)
16. Lesser Nighthawk (California, actually - I-10 near Blythe)
17. Violet-crowned Hummingbird (Paton's)
18. Berylline Hummingbird (Beatty's)
19. Broad-billed Hummingbird (Common)
20. White-eared Hummingbird (Beatty's)
21. Blue-throated Hummingbird (Beatty's)
22. Magnificent Hummingbird (Madera and Beatty's)
23. Black-chinned Hummingbird (Common)
24. Anna's Hummingbird (Madera and Beatty's)
25. Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Beatty's)
26. Elegant Trogon (Heard in Madera Canyon)
27. Acorn Woodpecker (Madera Canyon and Patagonia)
28. Gila Woodpecker (Common in lower elevations)
29. Northern Flicker (upper Madera)
30. Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Patagonia)
31. Arizona Woodpecker (Madera and Miller Canyons)
32. Greater Pewee (Upper Madera)
33. Western Wood-Pewee (Madera Canyon)
34. Cordilleran Flycatcher (Madera)
35. Vermilion Flycatcher (Patagonia)
36. Brown-crested Flycatcher (Lower Madera - Proctor Road area)
37. Ash-throated Flycatcher (Dry area in lower Miller Canyon)
38. Dusky-capped Flycatcher (Common)
39. Cassin's Kingbird (Patagonia)
40. Western Kingbird (Patagonia)
41. Thick-billed Kingbird (Patagonia)
42. Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (Madera)
43. Bell's Vireo (Madera and Kino Springs)
44. Hutton's Vireo (Madera and Miller Canyons)
45. Plumbeous Vireo (upper Madera Canyon)
46. Steller's Jay (upper Madera Canyon)
47. Mexican Jay (Madera and Miller Canyons)
48. Barn Swallow (Common)
49. Bridled Titmouse (Madera and Miller Canyons)
50. Mountain Chickadee? (Miller Canyon)
51. Verdin (Proctor Rd)
52. Bushtits (Madera and Miller Canyons)
53. Brown Creeper (Madera Canyon)
54. White-breasted Nuthatch (Madera Canyon)
55. House Wren (Brown Throated) (Madera Canyon)
56. Bewick's Wren (Patagonia)
57. Cactus Wren (Santa Rita experimental range)
58. Sinaloa Wren (Patagonia)
59. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (Continental School)
60. Hermit Thrush (Madera Canyon)
61. Northern Mockingbird (lower elevations)
62. Bendire's Thrasher (Kino Springs)
63. Phainopepla (Patagonia)
64. Lucy's Warbler (Patagonia)
65. Black-throated Gray Warbler (Madera and Miller Canyons)
66. Grace's Warbler (upper Madera)
67. Yellow Warbler (Patagonia)
68. Common Yellowthroat (Patagonia)
69. Yellow-breasted Chat (Patagonia)
70. Painted Redstart (Madera and Miller Canyons)
71. Red-faced Warbler (Miller Canyon)
72. Olive Warbler (upper Madera)
73. Summer Tanager (Patagonia)
74. Hepatic Tanager (upper Madera)
75. Flame-colored Tanager (heard at Madera Kubo)
76. Canyon Towhee (Patagonia)
77. Spotted Towhee (upper Madera)
78. Botteri's Sparrow (Kino and below Madera Canyon)
79. Rufous-winged Sparrow (Continental School)
80. Yellow-eyed Junco (upper Madera)
81. Black-headed Grosbeak (Madera)
82. Northern Cardinal (below Madera and Patagonia)
83. Blue Grosbeak (Patagonia and Madera)
84. Varied Bunting (Proctor Rd)
85. Eastern (Lilian's) Meadowlark (below Madera)
86. Great-tailed Grackle (common)
87. Bronzed Cowbird (Patagonia)
88. Hooded Oriole (Madera)
89. Scott's Oriole (Madera)
90. House Finch (Madera)
91. Lesser Goldfinch (common)
92. House Sparrow (hiss)
And that's that... 92 birds and 7 lifers.
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