Opening the Floodgates

Before I begin this report, I need to let you all know that I have been waiting to get one particular shot for this post today.  It only took me 3 attempts to do so! I apologize for the late posting. Now on with the show.....

An Arctic Tern shows up.  Historical records say that this would be the 7th sighting for the state and a first photo documented bird!

This year has been quite slow in the "crazy rarities" chase.  That was until April happened.  Strange reports have been coming from homeowners across Southeastern Arizona about odd bird sounds around their patches and also about rare birds being seen around their feeders! In fact, a birder reported that she thought she heard a different trogon around her patch. Elegant Trogons are "common" and expected down here.  Many of us who bird here are very familiar with their calls. Her thought was that the call being made was that of a Mountain Trogon. The bird was never confirmed.  But it is one of the next expected birds to show up in Southeastern Arizona. 

Will a Mountain Trogon be a first record for the state?

Over the years, there have been secret sightings of breeding Blue Mockingbirds. These rarities have shown up in Arizona before and are definitely considered by birders to be gems.  But it's the first state report of a species that gets birders into a frenzy! And then all birders from the 1st Age to the present come together as they look at each other in great mystery.  "Are you the great Gandalf we see on ancient ebird reports?", asks the young birder who spends all their time researching historical data from the 1900's.  Some wear an invisible cloak like that of the Black Rail, rarely seen but always heard.

Blue Mockingbirds have been seen and banded in Arizona

Other rare gems include the Yellow Grosbeak, Eared Quetzal, or Aztec Thrush. A birder in Arizona has the potential for a real exciting time here.  Others claim, there's a secret population of Thick-billed Parrots hiding in the mystical Chiricahua Mountains! But these are stories for another time. 

Fan-tailed Warbler

Often I believe that I'll never see such crazy things happen.  Never in my life would I have expected to see a Fan-tailed Warbler, Pine Flycatcher or 3 species of storm petrels in the desert, but it happens.  And usually, it's not all at once. 

Berylline Hummingbird

As I shoot forward into the present, I am confounded by a great mystery in my mind.  For the past 3 weeks, several amazing discoveries have happened here in Arizona.  Normally a Berylline Hummingbird has been a rare yet regular late spring/summer visitor. About 2 years ago, they became easier to see again. Before my time, White-eared and Berylline Hummingbirds seemed a bit more regular until we had the massive fires on the Huachuca Mountains during that first decade of 2000. From that time, they've been one day wonders. Last year there was a late staying Berylline Hummingbird in Portal at the Southwestern Research Station. The current Berylline Hummingbird has been at the Santa Rita Lodge feeders for a few weeks now. White-eared Hummingbirds are also beginning to nest again in small yet stable populations. 

One night recently, I escaped the heat with a friend into the world renowned Madera Canyon and was floored to see a Berylline at the feeders!  I don't keep up with the rarities outside of Pima County unless I haven't seen the bird in Pima or the state of Arizona so this was a fun surprise!

Plain-capped Starthroat

Another fun hummingbird that can show up this time of year is the Plain-capped Starthroat.  What a thrill!

Crescent-chested Warbler

Then something even crazier happened.  In the magical, mystical mountains of the Chiricahuas, a birder discovered a pair of breeding Crescent-chested Warblers!  And even more than that, there were more than 2 warblers in this remote canyon! Never in my life had I expected to see these birds in the US.  

But then again, Tufted Flycatchers, Flame-colored Tanagers and Slate-throated Redstarts have also bred here. In fact, the Flame-colored Tanagers are back again near Ramsey Canyon!

Birders, during this pandemic, went crazy and broke quarantine as only birders can and will do.  Hundreds from all across the US drove(or flew!) and camped in this beautiful canyon to see these very visible warblers.  They are still present today. This will be a first record for the US if these birds successfully nest. 

But it gets better.  I thought, "Ok, this will be the bird of the year or summer."  But I was wrong again.  On Friday of last week, a Clay-colored Thrush was reported!!! And in Pima County!  This is yet ANOTHER Mexican bird.  One was seen last year in Portal but the record wasn't accepted.  However that may now change with this very public bird!  It will be the first record for Pima County.

Clay-colored Thrush

And how quickly we forget about last year's surprise first record, the White-throated Thrush! These birds are adding up to something bigger.  Evidence that Mexican birds are moving up into Southeastern Arizona and beginning to breed. 

White-throated Thrush

We are often chided as idiots here in the US by savage mongrels.  "Climate change is a hoax." Is it?  While Arizona has always had Mexican vagrants show up here in the state, we are noticing trends.  

Green Kingfisher

Ten years ago, it was tough finding Black-capped Gnatcatchers, Rufous-capped Warblers, Rose-throated Becards, Green Kingfishers and even Elegant Trogons. I remember a birder once saying that Elegant Trogons could never be found in Pima County.  And if the world wasn't changing, he would be correct.  But we are finding Elegant Trogons expanding their ranges as are all these other species. Today, Trogons are almost a given. I say almost because I still hear stories from birders about how they chased these birds for 40 days and 40 nights:)  With the right patience and timing, you can find all these gems here in Southeastern Arizona.

Birders have had a fun time watching incredible birds out in the field

Of course, the mysteries still continue.  We await the report of a Rusty Sparrow or White-tipped Dove which are only miles south of our Arizona/Mexico border.  There are many more species on that list, but over the past 5 years, we have been observing an increasing trend of Mexican vagrants.  It certainly makes Arizona birding fun but it is also an alarm that change is happening.  

I expect the first tern I'd see this year in AZ would be a Forster's.  Turns out I was wrong.  It would be a state and Pima County first Arctic Tern

Why are these birds here? Has habitat been lost in Mexico that's affecting these birds? An air flow change? Or are the birds increasing in population and expanding their range like our Elegant Trogons and Black-capped Gnatcatchers?  Did the quarantine of human kind affect migration habits of the birds this year?  Are waterways affecting bird habitat in the state of Sonora and Arizona?

Cheroot shares a bit of cheese during a lunch break while observing the nesting Crescent-chested Warblers

One thing is certain.  Change is happening. I know in Pima County, there have been some great changes happening here.  We've created better birding hotspots.  Or we're improving the quality of known birding hotspots.  It has been exciting for many of us who live in this area as we are seeing a real change happening around us. Much of this thanks in part to Tucson Audubon and Pima County with thousands of hours put in by workers and volunteers! Water is the key to everything here in the desert.  And the birds are gravitating towards  these places.  As I've said before, Arizona birding attracts a lot of people from all over the world and the quality of birder has also gotten better, thanks in part to the dedication of ebird reviewers and bird leaders.  

As for the lady who reported a possible Mountain Trogon.  I believe you heard something different and I won't be shocked if someone reports one at some point. Will Military Macaws show up next? There had been a report and pics of them in Patagonia many many years ago before the time of ebird and digital documentation.  What about a Black-throated Magpie-Jay? Elegant Quail? We are watching the world unwind.  It is both exciting and sad at the same time.  People can deny all they want.  But we, the birders, see it happening in front of our very eyes.  I've posted some very terrible videos of two great thrushes below.  Both times I had these birds alone in the wild.  Very special observations indeed!

Birders wait and wait and wait.....for the superstar, the Clay-colored Thrush

Until next time.......

We spend the evening listening to the beautiful song of the Clay-colored Thrush at the Arivaca Cienega creek

A Birder's Pilgrimage

I'm going to tell you a story about a little gray flycatcher that made history.  

The journey was rough, but it was an important one for many birders.  For some time, birders across the US have been waiting for the arrival(or discovery) of the Pine Flycatcher in the United States. 

 This bird looks like every other empid and so it took time for the confirmation to happen.  The Pine Flycatcher lives in the montane forests of Mexico and Central America.  When Dave Stejskal and his wife went camping in a remote part of Arizona's Santa Rita mountains, they discovered a different sounding flycatcher in this little shaded oasis. 

Dave spent a couple days with the experts and went over the calls making sure it was really truly the first ever US record of a Pine Flycatcher. 

The Range map for this bird

When the news came across the internet, birders were a buzz.  For me, I was thrown off.  A Pine Flycatcher?  I pride myself in knowing most of my Mexican birds but somehow this one slipped past my radar! A birder we've met on Las Aventuras, Bruce Berman, asked me "the" question. "Chris, you've birded in Mexico quite a bit.  Had you ever heard about this bird?"  I know it sounds strange, but I hadn't!  Bruce felt relieved that he wasn't the only one who was shocked by a new bird.  It's like saying there are actually unicorns in this world. So like I do with all my new birds, I studied this particular flycatcher and the call!

After the relentless heat, this shaded oasis with a breeze made me want to hang out the entire day! But I knew the heat would continue to rise and we  had to get out of there before it would become intolerable.  Heat stroke is real. 

At first, I didn't know if I would be able to make the trek alone because the conditions were too rough, but near the 11 PM hour that night I received a text from a birder by the name of Jeremy Medina.  And the next thing I knew, we were on the road bright and early 4 hours later!  During the night, I tossed and turned.  Was this a safe decision?  The roads were rough and in remote areas. What if we didn't have cell service?  Water?  Etc etc.  But in the morning, we played it safe and drove carefully on the road. We brought extra water just in case we got stranded.  At one point, we parked and hiked the remainder of the rough road into the wooded glen.  The message here?  Team work.  When we work together, we can achieve anything. 

The 10 foot water tank told us that we had reached our marker.

We were greeted by a male Elegant Trogon calling along the creek. 

A small group of birders met together in almost a religious style ceremony. It struck me that we all made this sacred pilgrimage for a historic bird. There is something very special about the treks we do.  And it cannot be put into words. We watched this amazing flycatcher hop and spin around the trees as if it were a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. 

It was a wonderful group of people who were all very respectful of the bird's space.  Together we observed it collect nesting material. 

A Gila Woodpecker tells everyone to keep it down out there!  The babies were trying to sleep!

Other birds wondered what all the commotion was about:)

There were other gray birds there like the very vocal Plumbeous Vireo below. 

We collected data on the bird and made careful observations for ebird and the ABA Bird Record's Committee.  I need to get an app to record audio.  Instead I've been using my video part on the camera.  I felt like a real tool asking everyone to stay still and quiet while I took a 20 second snippet of the bird calling.  It was important because these birds can only be ID'd by their calls sometimes.  However, I can say that the behavior on this flycatcher was rather distinct from the other similar looking flycatchers that I have observed.  If approved, this flycatcher will be an exciting addition for those who list with ABA as it will become "legit". For me, it was an amazing life bird. 

Pine Flycatcher

What an exhausting and wonderful day out in the field discovering a new bird for the United States! It has been projected that with Global Warming, the state of Arizona will see more Mexican vagrants enter into our state over the next several years.  We are seeing once rare birds like Rufous-capped Warblers, Black-capped Gnatcatchers and Elegant Trogons expand their range northward.  It was just a matter of time before the Pine and Tufted Flycatchers made their way into Arizona. Blue Mockingbirds and Aztec Thrushes have also been reported.  Yes, things are going to get interesting.  Birders have seen this global warming  trend happen for some time now with our bird populations. 

The Flycatcher group is not an easy one, but with practice and study, they are a snap to ID.  For beginning birders, I recommend meeting up with an experienced birder and learn how to distinguish the various behaviors by observation since most of these empids look similar. For example, Gray Flycatcher pumps the tail downward.  The Dusky Flycatcher pumps the tail up.  The Hammond's Flycatcher has ADD as it constantly flicks and ticks:) 

And yes, the life bird list keeps slowly inching up. The Pine Flycatcher makes life bird 716.  Will I make it to 800 by the end of the year?  Who knows?  But I will tell you that the work behind each bird has increased.  Every new addition has a cost both personal and financial. I'm just glad most of us have spouses who understand our addiction to this lifetime of ours.  The desert is getting too hot and that means it's time to cool down elsewhere.  Las Aventuras: Home continues.