The Pima County Birding Challenge

From the birdy office of Las Aventuras, I bring you all the latest in Pima County birding.  Pima county is located in beautiful southeastern Arizona and this year has been an exceptional year for crazy birds.  Pima County has improved a lot of habitat over the past two years at parks and water reclamation plants. With covid ever present in all of our lives, many are forced, or have chosen, to stay home. 

With every major wildlife trek cancelled, I had to find myself a new challenge for the year.  In fact, I think a lot of people have done the same in their own way.  I chose to add new "life" birds to my Pima County list this year.  Every time, I reach a mile marker, I post about it.  For the world life list, it's every new hundred birds.  With my Pima County list, it's every 10 birds. The start of those new ten birds began on October 2019.  On Wednesday, I completed that "10" marker milestone. 

 

There is something very rewarding about staying within your own county and birding.  It makes you a better birder. And a better detective. It's also fun.  It can also be tedious. One of the birds, I hadn't had on my Pima Life List was the Painted Bunting.  It was a lot of fun to chase and easy! It was also a bird that required a better observation.  This year in Pima, Painted Bunting, the western subspecies, have been everywhere and in good numbers.  They will disappear with the warmer weather come October. 

The Arctic Tern was one that wasn't on anyone's list.  It was a mega rarity that showed up at Canoa Ranch.  There were very few documented cases of this tern in Arizona.  That was until now. 

Birders from all over the state came to see this bird as it was a very good state bird for many people. 

This has been the year of rare Mexican migrants. A first Pima record, Clay-colored Thrush, showed up in Arivaca along a muddy watering hole full of worms. There it sang its beautiful song.

Again, this was a bird that has only one other record in the state.  But it stuck around and people from all over the state came to Pima County to chase this rare bird.  I remember the several sightings to be quite beautiful and memorable. 

This next Pima "lifer" was not my favorite chase.  I like vireos and the hike was gorgeous on Mt. Lemmon, but the terrain made it difficult to get good views of this somewhat rare breeder on Mt. Lemmon. 

  

While looking for the bird, I almost stepped on the Sonoran Gophersnake below.  The hike itself was new for me.  I will admit in years past, I was quite lazy to chase this bird.  It's a cool bird but it didn't inspire me to look for it in Pima when they are quite numerous in Maricopa County.  So this bird was work. 

On that day, I got to meet the Bowens.  They are doing a big year in Arizona and doing quite well.  If these rarities keep showing up like they are, they could break the year record!  

Another chase that didn't really excite me but needed to happen was for the rare Sanderling.  It was at a sewage pond far away.  Pima County is quite large.  In fact, it's larger than some states!

The consolation prize for not only finding this bird was from all the incredible blooming wildflowers along the road.  It was also a more innocent time before covid took hold of everything. It would be the beginning of the end to all new promises of 2020.  Trips and festivals were starting to be cancelled. I remember feeling melancholy on this day. It was a long drive with much time to think. 

Then came the Sagebrush Sparrow.  It was a cold winter day and I was in the mood to play detective.  So I did.  That's when I found my Pima lifer Sagebrush Sparrow.  Again, I had been lazy with this one.  These sparrows are much easier in other counties of Arizona. I remember sitting in my vehicle speaking with Park Ranger Chip Littlefield about putting together a special field trip to Saguaro National Park with my students. Again, this was a time full of hope and excitement.  

An enjoyable chase for a Ruddy Ground Dove in December 2019 brought me to the rose garden of Reid Park. 

There I watched this somewhat rare dove forage around the garden for bugs. 

The next bird is a curiosity and probably the most unknown random species in Pima County.  Unlike most places in this country, the American Crow is super rare here.  I've lived in midtown now for years.  With covid happening and work at home, I leave my doors and windows open to hear all the wonderful birds on our property.  I don't have pics or a sound recording but I believe we are on some sort of migration route for these birds. I've checked records on ebird and there seems to be specific time periods with a "line" showing a route over the Rincon mountains into areas like Willcox, etc.  Their unmistakable "CAW CAW CAW!" was heard in March as I was gardening outside. I looked up and they zipped over our El Presidio grounds....again.  In October, I got a visual of them as they were making a lot of noise flying over our house. I don't have digital evidence for ebird and their evaluation crew, but I am hoping to get some documentation on this bird next month.  It's always in the afternoon when I'm in the middle of something.  Had I not been working from home, I would have missed them!  

Another treat was a beautiful hike back in December last year to the Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge.  It was a cool winter day full of birds.  I was excited to chase this rare warbler for Pima County.  He was sneaky too!  The Prairie Warbler was like the cherry on top of an amazing day of birding. Plus I like hanging out with the volunteers there listening to them speak about the Northern Bobwhite reintroduction efforts happening. 

The detective work in Pima County is far from done.  I still have a LeConte's Thrasher to chase which is not really a fun idea for me because it's far and lives in some of my most unlikable bird habitat....the Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome habitat.  Desolate, remote and hot. 

There is truly only one man in Pima right now "in charge" of all the birds.  Brian Nicholas, since he has retired, has really done an amazing job connecting other birders to some rarities.  He specifically monitors Canoa Ranch where a very rare national, state and Pima County bird showed up.....the Northern Jacana.  Like the Eared Quetzal, everyone is flying or driving from all over the country to see this bird and get it on their lists. 

It's a pretty common bird in Mexico and I've seen them close to the AZ border in Sonora, Mexico.  But this one crossed over into the ABA area.

And finally I got another Pima lifer, the Black Tern. Normally they migrate this time of year through parts of Pima County but they never stay.  I've been too lazy to chase them over the years.  I had tried initially and then just took the approach...."If I'm in the area one day..."  And that was the case with the Northern Jacana.  Birders were saying, "Have you heard?  They have 4 species of tern down there at the Amado pond."  This past week with that Black Tern, I added number 381 to my life list in Pima County.  Now that is something!

We can give up or we can create our own challenges during these challenging times.  I'd rather try my best even if I'm not exploring strange new worlds and civilizations.  There is still adventure nearby.  But instead of us traveling to all those exotic places to find them; we wait for them to visit us. Until next time.....

The Devil Is In The Details

Birding friend, Scott Olmstead, had the weekend off. We planned a specific study on sparrows that most birders try to avoid.  Enter the Sage Sparrow.

Ferruginous Hawk-one of my favorite hawks

I would say that this is one of THE most difficult groups of sparrows in the state to ID.

A Sage Sparrow is difficult to ID in bad lighting or where the field marks cannot be seen

Scott wanted a good study session.  The Bell's Sparrow would be a lifer for him.  And I love sparrows. So the challenge was on!

So we got in the car and headed to the best place in the state for Bell's Sparrows, Robbin's Butte. And there we did our detailed study.  Scott is analytical and very good about observation.  We scoured the property and found two nice loose flocks of "Sage Sparrows".  It was SUPER enjoyable.  This is not a birding trek for a lot of people, but sparrows are my favorites.....even more so than owls!  GASP!  It was fun being with someone who also found them fascinating. 

A Bell's Sparrow-a dark malar and fairly non-streaky mantle is good for Bell's

The differences are so minute with this group of Sage Sparrows that it requires extreme patience and observation.  Several years ago, they were split and a birder's nightmare began. You can compare both species above and below.  Can you see the differences?:)  If you can't, don't stress.  Most birders have to work for this tick.  The Bell's Sparrow above has a darker malar than its head. While the more common Sagebrush Sparrow is uniformly gray in malar and head.  But there's more!

Sagebrush Sparrow-uniformly gray in malar and head-streaky back mantle

The two birds have different "mantles" (the triangular patch behind the head that connects the neck and back:)  Lighting can be an issue here in AZ so it's important to confirm the 2nd field mark, the mantle.  The Sagebrush Sparrow has heavy streaking on the mantle, but the Bell's Sparrow has very light to no streaking on the back.  Anyhow, I'm proud of the "work" we did here.  It was absolutely thrilling. Here is our list from that day. Scott added a lifer, and we were on to our next locations.  These were all new for him and it was exciting to show him around the Buckeye/Glendale area......which is not really my territory.  So kudos to my friends Gordon and Magill who have shown me their preferred routes to this great birding destination. 

Maybe a Cackling Goose but the neck was really long!  I'm still stuck on the ID of this bird.

We weren't done though.  We had more difficult birds to ID.  Scott just didn't know it yet:)  We stopped in Avondale, at a location known for its wintering Cackling Geese.  It was fun watching Scott sort through these much smaller Canada looking geese. To be honest, it was hard for me. In Arizona, we don't just get one subspecies of Cackling Goose, we can get two or three! In AZ, it's tricky business.

The Cackling Goose is a smaller bird with a thicker neck.  On one subspecies, the bill is small and triangular.  But not all subspecies are the same.  This Cackler looks to be of the Richardson's subspecies. Birders have to be very careful separating Cackling Geese from the smaller subspecies of Canada Geese.

Not all birds are tricky to identify though.  Most were a welcome reprieve from our difficult ID challenges. But how does a birder ID these tricky birds successfully?  Lots of study from bird guides, online sources, conferences and observations in the field with experts can help greatly. It's a combination from all of them that ultimately make you a better birder in general.

American White Pelican

Currently, Tucson and Phoenix are home to many wintering Snow Geese.  But we always have to carefully look and make sure we don't have a Ross's Goose in the bunch.

Snow Goose at Lakeside Park

Greater Scaups are rare to Arizona.  More common are the Lesser Scaups.  But it isn't uncommon to find a rare Greater Scaup in our local watering areas during the winter months. Does that make sense?:) It just takes a little patience and recognition of the field marks. 

A mystery scaup at Kennedy Lake

A Redhead eyes me warily as if to say, What are you up to Mister?

Redhead at Reid Park

In my searches, I find more Snow Geese.

The Blue Molt Snow Goose of Columbus Park

A Pied-billed Grebe surfaces for a second before disappearing into the water in search of food.

Pied-billed Grebe

Then I spot a juvenile Snow Goose!  This winter, they seem to be everywhere in Tucson.

It has been a good month so far in that it has been full of amazing finds for the state. We both finally saw the Black-throated Green Warbler in Phoenix.  Later, we chased a rare Lapland Longspur.  And then with friend Magill, we conquered the Short-eared Owl.

My first state record of the Black-throated Green Warbler in AZ

 I currently am working on the details for more journeys into the unknown.  Some of it is scary as I retrace my past and discover (or rediscover) new birds. 

Black-throated Gray Warbler

The journey ahead will be interesting.  That much is certain.  Until next time.....

Waiting to Exhale

Anna's Hummingbird with Pyracantha in the background

When you've seen all there is to see, you begin to study better what you already know.

It's that deeper understanding of habitats and bird behaviors that can be quite satisfying.

Such was the case during a trek out to the Santa Cruz flats.  Instead of chasing new birds, we just observed the ones present.

American Kestrel

 The scope comes out and we begin to scan. 

Magill scans the sod farm for Mountain Plovers

Of course, we try and search for that special rare bird or two. But on the Flats, it's always the wintering Mountain Plovers that steal the show.

First decent photo documentation of a Mountain Plover

 Rare or not, I'm never disappointed because I love birds. And it's so relaxing and fun trying to find as many birds as we can while we're out in the field.

Juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron

I especially love birding with good friends.   Add to the experience cold rainy weather and you've got a great day outdoors.  For a desert dweller recovering from the sweltering hot summer temps, it's nearly perfection:)

Male Vermilion Flycatcher

Subtle visitors come back to visit us during the winter like the Sagebrush Sparrow.  You won't see them unless you take the time to stop and smell the sage.  They aren't shy birds, but they do blend in well with their surroundings. And if you don't know they are out there, you'd never know they existed:)

Sagebrush Sparrow

A Greater Pewee migrates down to the lower elevations and hangs out at a local watering hole.

Greater Pewee

And a hesitant Broad-tailed Hummingbird sticks around longer than normal.

A late Broad-tailed Hummingbird

The holidays are coming and my work is not done. For now, I have a house to clean and final exams to prepare. I am one bird shy of my 700 life bird goal and I wonder which bird species it will be. But for now, during the "in between", I relax and revisit my favorite spots in Southern Arizona when I can squeeze in the time. Until next time.....

Cryptic Mysteries

The "Western" Flycatchers
Top-Cordilleran Flycatcher Bottom-Pacific-Slope Flycatcher

When I first began this birding quest, I had NO idea what kind of game would unfold!  Over the past several years, I've had so many wonderful hours of frustration and study!  Welcome to Birding 201 as we explore similar looking birds!  Take, for example, the pic above. When I first met these individuals, I had wanted to pull my hair out but since I'm already losing it I didn't think that was such a good idea.  These birds were once lumped together as Western Flycatchers.  Then some birdbrains in 1989 decided to split them. Today, birders still have issues sorting through these two birds.  If the bird doesn't make a sound, we usually mark it as a Western Flycatcher because these two birds look virtually identical! They are known as a CRYPTIC species.  {Cryptic species- one of two or more morphologically indistinguishable biological groups that are incapable of interbreeding} Or in plain English, they are different birds who happen to look the same!  Some birders still hate that the Western Flycatchers were split into Pacific-slope and Cordilleran Flycatchers. After having observed these birds often in the wild, I can understand why they were split.  It turns out, I was the bird brain:)

The Yellow Kingbirds

Then came the Kingbirds. I've only spotted 4 of these similar looking birds with a couple more to go! Ugh!  During the first days of bird, the gods must have said let's mess with birders a bit.  Over time, field marks played an important role.  An ancient Jedi taught me to look carefully.  Cassin's=white throat and a call that sounds like, "Come here!"; Western=white feathers on the outside of the tail; Tropical=notched tail; Thick-billed=whiter and bigger.  I haven't even gotten to the Couch's Kingbird yet! That should be fun!

Mallards, right? Wrong.

Then I find out that not all ducks are Mallards!  What??!!!  Yep, it's true.  While they may look like Mallards, they're not.  American Black Ducks, Mottled Ducks and the Mallard(including a subspecies known as the  Mexican Mallard) made me scratch my head!  The American Black Duck is on top left, Mallard bottom left and Mottled Duck right side. Even worse is when they hybridize and make matters worse! 

Tyrants in their own way!  L-R; T-B
Great Crested Flycatcher; Brown-crested Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher; Dusky-capped Flycatcher

 Then came the Tyrant Flycatchers! WHY????!!!!  Birders still have problems today distinguishing between the Ash-throated and Brown-crested Flycatchers in Arizona. They do look quite different once you've observed them for awhile. The Dusky-capped is the easiest because it makes a sad sound when it calls.  And it's smaller. I still have to find the similar looking Nutting's Flycatcher.  They are part of a genus known as the Myiarchus group. Or as I like to say, the Mariachi group:) Their secret to ID is memorizing their calls. 

Social Flycatcher; Lesser Kiskadee
Boat-billed Flycatcher; Great Kiskadee

I discovered the tropics had their own group of Tyrants. But these Tyrants I loved to ID because of their comic calls and acrobatic prowess. Or maybe it's the black mask around the eyes? Anyway, at that point, I realized this life bird hunt around the world wasn't going to be easy.  I remember hating it all.  However, to count a life bird, a birder has to know what they are doing.  I was forced to learn and pay attention to the details. And without realizing it, it made me a better observer!

Ibis Madness! Top-Glossy Ibis in Florida Bottom-White-faced Ibis in Arizona
And that white face every new birder asks about?  Around the eyes.  Can you see it? I thought so:)

 Time of year. Migration patterns.  Tiny field marks.  Calls.  Behaviors.  Habitat differences. Size.  It can determine the difference between a Ross's Goose or Snow Goose.  A Cackling Goose vs. Canada Goose.  Or a Bicknell's Thrush over a Gray-cheeked Thrush.  

Top-Allen's Hummingbird Bottom-Rufous Hummingbird

 Listening to birders argue over such details brings a smile to my face.  "That's an Allen's!"  "Are you sure?  You can't always go by those field marks!" etc etc etc.  But you can bet it will come down to those rectrices! If the bird stays around long enough:) 

American Crow, Fish Crow, Common Raven and Chihuahuan Raven

 But crows and ravens! They require 2 seconds of your time. Stop, listen and go. All of them are smart and intelligent birds! Dare I say, smarter than some humans?  Distance can play tricks on determining size. When I'm out in the field, it's hard to tell because they are flying so fast.  BUT, their calls and behavior will help with their ID right away!

Elegant Trogon top and Slaty-tailed Trogon bottom-they say the bottom bird is greener!  But in the dark rainforest, I had a hard time seeing it.

So I'm in the rain forest and find a trogon, and it looks like the Elegant Trogon from Southern Arizona?? Impossible! Last year, Pat tried to secretly put together a photography book as a holiday gift using my photos.  Quickly, Pat realizes it's not so easy.  "What??!!!!  They look the same!!!!"  Holiday gift exposed.  

The Sage Sparrows
Top-Sagebrush Sparrow
Bottom-Bell's Sparrow

So now to present day. When it came time to find the Bell's Sparrow, I groaned. It's crunch time now.  If I am to add new birds to the national 2014 list, I have to go after these tricky birds.  There I was this weekend in the middle of gunshots going off around me searching for these birds alone.  Hunting season is in full swing and I had to be careful. All I needed to do was find a bird with a darker malar.  It sounds easy, but I assure you it's not.  This is still a new bird for many people here in Arizona and the ID can be very difficult.  The Sage Sparrow was split into two species....the Bell's Sparrow and the Sagebrush Sparrow only last year. But we knew it was only a matter of time before this split would happen. The Sagebrush is common here but the Bell's will mingle within the Sagebrush populations during the winter months.  We had gone to a conference on these birds over a month ago which had studied the "Sage" sparrows in several areas around Arizona during the 2013-14 year.  I hit the jackpot on my trip to Robbins Butte Wildlife Area.  

Bell's Sparrows

The Bell's prefers high density vegetation and can be trickier to photograph.  Some good field marks for the Bell's here(Mojave subspecies) are little to no streaking on the back and a darker malar than the head.  I sat for hours studying my pictures on several of these birds and then emailed Mr. Tommy D for help. He has put in hours and hours of work out in the field with both the Bell's and Sagebrush sparrows. I am thankful for my birder friends.  Sometimes you have to call on help and have a second opinion on some things. So thank you Tommy!  New year bird and life bird added!  Now when I go out into the field again, I'll have a stronger understanding about this newly split bird. I still have a lot to learn!

Top-Clay-colored Sparrow
Bottom-Brewer's Sparrow

Nearly two years ago from this date, I had a similar challenge with my friend Kathie Brown. We had found "different" acting sparrows hanging out with the Brewer's Sparrows. They were brighter than their duller counterparts. This weekend, I went in search of the not-so-common Clay-colored Sparrow and found it!  Two years ago I wouldn't have been able to call this bird out in the field alone, but this weekend, I did. Thanks to our study and observations from the past, I was able to look for key field marks.  Experience and study make the ID on difficult birds a cinch! And it was a thrill. Plus it was the second new bird for the year in one weekend! Truth be told, it's these kinds of cryptic species that make birding exciting.  While similar looking sandpipers, sparrows, hawks, etc can be frustrating, they also offer us insight into just how really complex our world is.  In the beginning, I didn't understand it.  Today I appreciate that subtlety and challenge.  Here's another Tommy D video on Birding Stereotypes....about ID! Enjoy!

For more from around the world, check out Wild Bird Wednesday!