Bruce Labar and I are making a 5 day blitz of SE Arizona. We left SEATAC on a 5:15 AM flight to Tucson Sunday, got to Tucson in time to get a car and dash off birding. We copped a Vermillion Flycatcher from the shuttle-stop at the airport waiting for a ride to to Payless rental cars. Once we had a car our First stop (after getting photo-IDs made at the gate) was at the Fort Huachuca Canyon Lower Picnic area where we got great looks at the longstanding specialty Sinaloa Wren across the stream from the swingset, just as e-Birds had noted. We also loved our intro to SE AZ with nice looks at Pyrrhuloxia and Gila Woodpeckers. With lifer #1 behind us we struck off for Hunter Canyon to look for two rare warblers, Rufous-capped warbler, and Slate-throated Redstart. No luck at all on the redstart, but after nothing at the first lookout spot, on the left just before entering the woods, getting caught in a thunderstorm that we weathered under a big tree (lightening far away, rain very near) at the end of the woods we heard a RCWA calling repeatedly and singing occasionally across the stream. Despite playbacks and extensive looking no visual ID though.
The hike out was uneventful and we got to dinner at Taco Mira ?? in Sierra Vista after a fatigue induced southern foray to almost Bisbee before we managed to figure directions out and get turned around. Slept well at the Comfort inn (free breakfast starts at 5:30 AM).
Today we slept in until 6 AM, got breakfast, and headed for Ramsey Canyon for our #1 target bird of the trip, Tufted Flycatcher. We birded the areas on the Ramsey Canyon Rd waiting for the reserve to open at 8 AM. Had a nice variety of birds, including Curve-billed thrasher and Greater Roadrunner. At the reserve we hiked in to the stakeout at 2 miles on Hamburg Trail. After finding the location we spent about 1 1/4 hours looking in vain until Bruce checked just downhill where Jordan Roderick, a Seattle birder, waved us down to get great close-up looks at the pair of birds. We drank in great looks at the bird on a snag while the photographers grumbled about poor lighting. Then a quick snack for lunch, back to more great looks at the birds (one at a time seen, but the other heard while we watched the other, so two confirmed) and then back down the hill. Very few birds really overall. A few Townsend’s warblers. A great look at a male Magnificent Hummingbird on the way up the hill at the feeders. Of interest the feeders are nearly empty there in large part due to the county wildlife management insisting they be >10 feet high at all times to avoid attracting bears.
From there we left for the Ash Canyon B&B hummingbird feeders. There we quickly got great looks at two (? more) Lucifer’s hummingbirds, an adult female and a juvenile, along with a nice list of local birds. Anna’s dominated. Two Magnificent, one Broad-billed male, and lots of passerines at feeders. A sharp-shinned hawk quieted things down just before we left.
We caught an early dinner at Subway, with Brewer’s blackbirds, Great-tailed grackles, and House Sparrows padding our trip list, before we went back to Ramsey Canyon to listen for Whiskered Screech-owl. I managed to hear one calling from great distance, Bruce could not hear it. We tried again at Miller Canyon Rd near the B&B, but wind drove us home early.
Tomorrow back to Hunter Canyon then east to Patagonia for Plain-capped Starthroat. A great 33 hour start with 5 lifers for me, 3 for Bruce (ABA lifers for him- the birds all seen prior in Mexico and Central America).