This was a long-awaited trip for my longtime friend and birding mentor Ken Brown and me. Although I’ve had more opportunity for travel than Ken, and therefore have a few more ABA life list birds, I make no pretense at being at Ken’s level as a birder. Still we always seem to bring out the best in each other when we get out together.

AZ Day 1:

Ken and I arrived in Phoenix and had our Hertz rental by 11 AM on Thursday August 4, and were at the Santa Rita Lodge at Madera Canyon at the hummingbird feeders by about 1:40. Hummingbirds were wonderful but unfortunately the target Plain-capped star throat was not to be found. The fellow who maintains the feeders at the lodge thought the heavy rains the last few days may have been keeping it away. Anyway we studied lots of Broad-billed and Black-chinned, hummingbirds,

a few Magnificent, one Blue-throated, one Anna’s and a lifer Arizona woodpecker (male and female)

for Ken. I’d had just one AZWO last fall with Bruce so I too was pretty happy to see this AZ specialty again too.

On the drive into Madera we heard many Cassin’s sparrows singing, and on the ride back across the dirt Hwy 82 we had great looks at the trip’s first lifer for both of us, singing Botteri’s sparrows. It was fun to see the habitat preferences for these two look-alike sparrows. Botteri’s seems to prefer drier, brushier areas, and Cassin’s seems to be abundant in the open tall-grass fields with less bushes. We continued on to dinner in Sierra Vista, a little shopping for food and a cooler, and on to the Beatty’s Lodge in Miller Canyon. We decided to pay a bit more to stay there because when we made that decision Beryline Hummingbird was being seen there daily, but unfortunately by the time we came they were no longer showing. It is a cool place, with cabins in the canyon mouth, gardens, lots of hummingbird feeders with bleachers and a gazebo to sit and watch. We stayed in Cabin A with 110 volt electricity, a bed and a futon.

AZ Day 2

We got up early, had some toast and headed for Hunter Canyon in hopes of finding an early AM Montezuma Quail near the road, near the old homestead oak and sycamore grove, or anywhere. It was not to be, so we birded a bit, had cereal and OJ, and got to the Ramsey Canyon Preserve HQ just before 8AM when it opened. We hiked into the area where Flame-colored tanager had been being seen, and shortly after the overlook I heard a tanager (western like) calling it’s Pid-er-ik call, so we all quickly zeroed in on the call, most of the way down to the first stream crossing where there is a break in the vegetation allowing some visibility across the creek bed. It called every so often, and then one of the birders saw it fly in. After that we all worked to locate it and eventually everyone got great looks at the male. I have many photos of various parts of the bird, none of the head and face I don’t think. After that we spent several hours looking for the Tufted Flycatchers, with help from a local woman who birds the canyon weekly as her hike of choice, several other birders including near the end of the time Dorian Anderson (of Biking for Birds fame) and his new bride Sonja. No luck and we eventually trudged out by 3 PM. We did see many Red-faced warblers, a Red-eyed vireo (still not accepted on the AZ eBird list), and a good variety of birds.

From there off to the Ash Canyon B&B feeders where we got Ken looks at a male and female Lucifer’s hummingbird, lifer for him, and a moderate number of other hummers and birds.

Dinner was subway to bring back to Beatty’s where we ate at the feeder bleachers and saw our first Calliope hummingbird of the trip, and maybe an Allen’s. Photos may or may not confirm this.
Up next: Hunter Canyon to hike for Rufous-capped warbler, and hope for Montezuma quail.

AZ Day 3

This was our longest day. Up early to cruise White Lily Road looking again for Montezuma Quail. No luck with that, but we did get a nice singing Rufous-winged Sparrow and our only Cactus wren of the trip. Off to Hunter Canyon to look for Rufous-capped warbler. We hiked in the trail, maybe a mile, moderately uphill but a piece of cake compared to chasing the Tufted flycatcher at upper Ramsey Canyon yesterday. We got to the woods by the burned trees, turned up canyon about 75 yards, had a seat and watched. After about 10 minutes another birder joined us, and as we walked up the trail a bit he located the RCWA. We dashed back and located the warbler in a dead tree just off the trail. We had nice looks though no photo opportunities. Sulfur-bellied flycatchers, Painted redstart, and Blue-throated hummingbird female were other nice finds there.

We hiked out hearing and seeing a Black-chinned sparrow on the hillside, and decided to not try for Mexican chickadee in the Chirachauas, in favor of heading across to California gulch for the end of the day, and try for the Buff-collared nightjar. First we spent about 2 hours at the Beatty’s hummingbird feeders in the gazebo hoping a White-eared hummingbird reported the prior day would show. It did not but this was about as great a place to sit for a long lunch as you could find. The drive across from the east side of the Santa Rita’s to the west side was really long, especially after crossing Hwy 19 and taking Ruby Road into California Gulch. The drive was rewarded by good birds though, highlighted by Montezuma quail, not once but twice. The first time was funny, as Ken was driving, his binos in the back seat and he scrambled for a look as a male and female walked on the L side of the road and wandered into the brush. We stopped, tried for more looks, but got just a few more peaks at the birds as they quickly walked through the brush. About a half mile later another male MOQU was on the side of the road, and I managed a quick distorted photo thru the windshield.

Scott’s oriole was seen a little later, and we managed to get over the 5 mile road down from the fairly good dirt Ruby Road. There were ominous warnings, by other birders, the guides, and nearly everyone about the road. Weather was good, i.e. hot and dry, and we had fortunately had no troubles.

In California Gulch we very quickly found the Five-Striped sparrow for the third lifer of the day for each of us. I learned I need to figure out how to get photos of backlit birds better as I primarily have silouhettes. Varied buntings, a lesser nighthawk, Rufous-winged and Rufous-crowned sparrows, Crissal thrasher, Black-throated sparrow, and summer tanager were nice birds, but as dusk came and went, no nightjar to be had. We did hear from a group that they had heard the bird just down the gulch road toward the campground from the junction with the Warsaw Canyon Road. A GHOW flew by at dusk. The long dark drive home was uneventful. Using Priceline we lucked into a good cheap hotel, Vagabond Executive Inn in Green Valley for the night.

AZ Day 4

Monday we set seeing the Plain-capped star throat at the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon as our primary goal. We missed it on the first afternoon, and it had been seen over the last couple of days for very brief sips at the feeders usually in the morning, again about midday and again at about 4-5 PM. We decide (I was already itching with a few bites on both ankles), with waist high grass everywhere, so we birded from the road. The most amazing thing was that everywhere we turned in the big grassy fields just on the canyon side of the wash Cassin’s sparrows were singing from visible perches, and doing their aerial singing displays. In the drier areas Botteri’s were singing, and Rufous-winged sparrows seemed everywhere. We got great looks at a female Lark Bunting, heard lots of Bell’s vireos, saw a couple, heard a Yellow-billed cuckoo and called it in for nice looks, and generally enjoyed the morning. About 10 AM we stopped at the Proctor Picnic area to use the facilities and had breakfast at a shady picnic table. As we ate yet one more Montezuma quail walked out of a small oasis of grass and bushes in between the circular round-about in the parking lot right beside our table. It was a brief look, and though it called several times and we felt like it could not have been 10 feet away at times we never relocated it. It even flushed once when I got close from maybe 5 feet away and I never saw it fly, just hurt the wing flurry.

From here we headed to the feeders, and sat from about 10:30 until about 2:10. Ken watched one end feeder and I watched the other. About 2PM I looked at the feeder and the PCST was at the feeder. I saw it for about 2-3 seconds, called for Ken to look and as he turned a Broad-billed male hummer dived on the PCST and it flew off. Ken saw it in flight, but got no ID type look. It did not return over the next few minutes. We took a break for a good lunch at an Italian place in Green Valley, and headed back, arriving just before 4 PM. We waited and chatted with two top TX birders until they left about 4:30 PM. They are Swarovski optics reps here for a festival and really wanted this for their list. At 4:43 the hummer tried to land at the far left feeder, but was challenged by other birds, and veered towards the far R feeder. The woman sitting on the porch called it out and Ken was on it as it flew to the tree over the L feeder where I’d seen it earlier. This time Ken got great looks as it perched in the tree. I could not see it in the tree, but it dropped down to the feeder where I also got much better looks this time, and where all present saw it. No photos as it was only there for a few seconds, and I drank in the binocular views.

After this we relaxed, walking the trail at Proctor Picnic area where Ken soaked his feet, and I took a sit down (initially accidentally, then for a nice long cool-off) in the cool water, and we had a PB&J sandwich for dinner. As dark approached we walked out Proctor Road to an area where Buff-collared nightjar has been seen for the last few years, just not this year except for one June report with a recording. No nightjar once again, but we did see a Prothonatory warbler on the trail from the picnic area near the Proctor road junction. We both first saw it as it flitted through the bushes on the L side of the trail, and saw a yellow bird with bright white flashes as it flew away from us.

It landed and Ken called it as Prothonatory. It sat long enough for one out-of-focus photo, then flew across the trail and perched for great views and reasonably good photos. This is a big-time Arizona rarity. (finally confirmed on eBird a few days later) We headed for Green Valley where we liked the Vagabond Executive Inn.

AZ Day 5: We headed back to California Gulch, with a nice stop at Peno Blanco Lake on the way. We went in the same route we used two days ago hoping for more quail, but saw none. At the lake we had nice looks at Brown-crested flycatchers, Bell’s vireos, and spent the cooler morning there. On the drive to the gulch we made several stops, hearing Yellow-billed cuckoos near the Sycamore Canyon trailhead, and finally got to the gulch about 4 PM. Five-striped sparrow and Varied Buntings were easy to find again, along with several Blue grosbeaks, Rufous-winged, Rufous-capped, and Black-throated sparrows. At least 2 Yellow-breasted chats were nearby, and we heard a Common Ground-dove calling its steady single repeated note call, that sounds a bit like a Pygmy owl. At dusk we spread out with 3 other birders in the area where the nightjar had been heard many nights. As dark approached the two CA birders signaled to us that they had heard two partial songs and we started to listen. Shortly Carl, the Wisconsin birder whose path we kept crossing all week, came back and told us of two birds on the ground. We dashed down the trail in the dark, and easily located the eye-shine of two birds, one seeming to sally up from the ground to hawk insects, and another just sitting still on the ground. We slowly approached the bird on the ground, getting excellent looks, and many photos and came to the conclusion that we had Common Poorwill. Big-time disappointment.

No luck back at the initial site, and a long very rough ride out the back way on the Warsaw Canyon side of the dirt road to Ruby Road, then on back past Arivaca and on to Green Valley. That way out seemed to us much rougher than the route we took on the way in, though Carl recommended it as smoother. Another good night at the same hotel.

AZ Day 6;

Our head-home day was left to tick the Rosy-faced lovebird for Ken. We first tried birding the Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson where big-time monsoon rains threatened for an hour while we birded before letting loose about 8:45 and pouring rain. We had looks at Tropical kingbird as it trilled its call, Verdin, Am. Coots of the local red-shield race, and then left through several inch deep near flood waters before we got stuck there. We headed north just ahead of the rain storm and on the edge of a dust storm (Ken called them Haboobs, and here is a link to a video of the one we encountered.) and arrived at Kiwanis Park outside Phoenix just before the rain hit. We sat in the car for a half hour or so waiting out the rain, then walked around the park and located 8 Rosy-faced lovebirds. The rest of the day we visited a couple of local spots, had a nice late lunch, and got back to the airport on time for our Delta flight at 6:30 PM. Overall a great trip. 6 ABA lifers for me, 9 for Ken.

Ed & Ken:

Botteri’s Sparrow
Flame-colored Tanager
Rufous-capped Warbler
Montezuma Quail
Five-striped Sparrow
Plain-Capped Starthroat

Ken:

7. Arizona Woodpecker
8. Lucifer;s Hummingbird
9. Rosy-faced Lovebird.

Link to Flickr album of the trip