My World: Birding at Breakneck Speed part 2

My World is a world of birding, and this month I am Birding at Breakneck Speed in a contest with other bloggers for a Big January Bird Count. We are each going out in our own states and counting how many species of birds we can see in the first 31 days of 2009. The month is nearing an end now and soon we will know who has won. It's all in good fun with no other prize than bragging rights and a good excuse to be outdoors watching birds. So, when I received an email from fellow blogger Denapple telling me she was coming to Arizona for the Wings Over Wilcox Birding Festival last week, we made arrangements to meet each other and get in some Arizona Birding to boot! Denapple's real name is Kathy and I met up with her and her husband, Dick in Green Valley. Together we rode up to Madera Canyon, which is where she wanted to go birding after reading about it in another Blogpost from a couple of week's ago.

We started our day together at the Proctor Parking lot and trail. Before we even park the car a Say's Phoebe greets us from a nearby fencepost. We load up with birding gear and head down the trail with the profile of Elephant's Head bathed in long violet shadows before us. As we walk through the sun spangled and charred remains of mesquite and ocatillo left from a previous fire not a sound is heard but the soft rustle of the healing grasses and the scruffy sound of our own feet on pavement. We soon leave the sunlight and enter into patchy shadows as the path enters a tunnel created by the trees that grow along the creek. I am looking everywhere and listening intently for birds, but we are seeing and hearing nothing. We wander past the chattering creek across Proctor Road and up along the loop trail. Giant sycamore trees loom over granite boulders as the trail wanders up and down through a mixed forest of oak, juniper, sycamore, mesquite, willow, and cottonwood. I am starting to think that this birding trip is going to be a bust. We meet other travellers on the path, but still no birds and then, finally, they start to sing. First we find some goldfinches, then a raucous flock of Mexican jays flies through. We spot Chipping Sparrows and a Verdin, the first time Kathy has seen one. Then the woodpeckers show up and we see a Gila, Ladder-backed, and an Arizona woodpecker. Under a bush I find a Green-tailed Towhee hiding and Kathy gets her bins on it just in time before it flies away.

As we head back towards the parking lot we find a Hammond's flycatcher high in a live oak tree and up there with him I find these pink puff balls and I start to wonder if cotton candy grows on trees. I have no idea what they are, and I am intrigued.

Down by the creek once again we find a female cardinal hiding in the brush. As I maneuver to get her photo I take care to look for the cone-shaped red beak with the bit of black around it. Out here it can be easy to mistake the female cardinal for the similarly colored Pyrrhuloxia, but the Pyrrhuloxia has a stubby, parrot-like yellow beak with no black mask.

We leave the Proctor Parking lot with 16 species under our belt and head on up to the Madera Picnic area, a place that is usually ripe with birds. It is a reliable place to see Acorn Woodpeckers as well as Bridled Titmice. We head up the creek side trail searching the trees for these species. Imagine my surprise when we find this female Townsend's Warbler instead! Her yellow throat distinguishes her from the male Townsend's.

We cross the creek and emerge from the woods near the Santa Rita Lodge and Cabins. Here the owner's have set up bird feeders and birders are welcome to sit and watch the birds as long as they don't disturb the birds or the guests. Hanging from a thistle seed sock I spot my first Pine Siskins of the year. Last year they came to my backyard feeders, but they have not put in an appearance so far this year. Beneath the platform feeders the sparrows and junco hide in the shadows and gobble up seed spilled by greedy Mexican jays. Once in awhile they hop out into the sunlight and I see that there are at least three varieties of Dark-eyed Juncos here.

This little pink-sided juno is distinguished by its black lores, gray-blue head, pink sides, and dull brown back.

This Oregon Junco sports the typical black hood, brown back and sides. Note the pink beak and dark eyes.

The gray-headed junco also has dark eyes and a pink beak, but it has a red mantle on its back. The similarly colored Red-backed variety has a bi-colored bill that is dark gray or black on top. All of these used to be considered separate species but were lumped together with the slate-colored junco into one group renamed "Dark-eyed Junco". The slate-colored variety is the one most often seen in the east and there is also a white-winged variety seen in the midwest. The Yellow-eyed Junco is considered a separate species and is only found in the mountains of Southeast Arizona. According to Sibley's guide this bird is slightly larger and walks instead of hops. I have yet to see one myself and there are none here today.

The warm January sun is beating down on us and our stomachs are starting to growl. We walk back to the picnic area to eat our lunches which is a combined effort on our parts. Dick and Kathy graciously bought sandwiches and cookies for all of us. I brought along some chips, fruit and extra water. We sit in the shade of the towering trees and I am amazed at how comfortable we all are with each other. We chat pleasantly or are silent, with no one feeling awkward. Kathy so wants to get a good photo of a bridled titmouse and she tries to lure one in, but she is stalking an Acorn woodpecker when this little one lands nearby on the ground.

Then, to our utter delight a Hermit Thrush pops by. How amusing it is to me to find other people who eat lunch with their binoculars and cameras at the ready! When a bird comes by we all jump up and focus in for a better look, then sit back down to munch away as if nothing unusual has happened. This is normal behavior for birders.

And suddenly the trees are full of Acorn woodpeckers with clownish faces watching us with wary white eyes.

With lunch finished we drive up to the top of Madera Canyon. I tell Kathy and Dick they at least have to see the view from the top, but once there we decide to get out and hike a short distance up the trail. I have never birded the upper canyon as I rarely have anyone to go with me. We decide to try the Carrie Nation Trail and stroll along at a comfortable pace.

It isn't long before we are seeing birds. Many are the same species we have already seen down below, but then I spot a flash of red and am delighted to have found a Painted Redstart. These brightly colored warblers are busy little birds that people come from all over to see. I saw my first one in Ramsey Canyon shortly after moving here, then didn't see one again until last December with Gus. Now the little black, red, and white bird flashes in the tall trees above us. We all strain our neck trying to get a good view and a good angle for a photo, but the redstart keeps flitting higher and higher above us in the thick tangle of twigs. Still, I manage to get a couple of distant shots and you can see its bright red breast, black head, and the white wing bars and tail feathers.

Gus took this photo on December 29, 2008, so it didn't count for my Big January count, but the bird I saw today does. In this photo you can see the colors better and the comical white comma underneath the bird's eye. I suppose this white marking helps the bird to see better in the dark forest in which it lives.

With shadows growing longer we head back down the trail and as we do we freeze as a male Townsend's Warbler flashes into view. It is so close to us in the nearby juniper tree. It flits about busily on the branches searching for a meal. We both try to stop trembling long enough to get a shot or two, but there is no worry. The little bird doesn't mind us a bit. It is a perfect way to end a nearly perfect day. After all my worries about seeing enough birds we had a rich and varied trip with a total of 27 species after all and 10 additions to my Big January count. Kathy and Dick feel like old friends already and it is hard to say good-bye.

Kathiesbirds and Kathy Denapple in Madera Canyon 1-24-09

Big January Count Update:

95. Arizona woodpecker

96. Northern Cardinal

97. Rufous-crowned sparrow

98. Hutton's Vireo

99. Hammond's flycatcher

100. townsend's Warbler

101. Pine siskin

102. Brown Creeper

103. Painted Redstart

104. Black-throated Gray

Male Townsend's Warbler on the Carrie Nation Trail 1-24-09

Madera Canyon Bird List 1-24-09

1. Arizona woodpecker
2. Gila woodpecker
3. Acorn woodpecker
4. Ladder-backed woodpecker
5. Red-naped Sapsucker
6. Mexican jay
7. Say’s Phoebe
8. Hammond’s flycatcher
9. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
10. Hutton’s vireo
11. Verdin
12. Hermit thrush
13. White-breasted Nuthatch
14. Brown Creeper
15. Bridled titmouse
16. Yellow-rumped warbler
17. Townsend’s Warbler
18. Black-throated Gray Warbler
19. Painted Redstart
20. Dark-eyed junco
21. Green-tailed Towhee
22. Chipping sparrow
23. Rufous-crowned sparrow
24. Northern Cardinal
25. Lesser goldfinch
26. House finch
27. Pine siskin

Read Kathy's Account of this day on her blog: Life, Birding, Photos and Everything

MY World: Madera Canyon

Wild turkeys in Madera Canyon 1-9-09 by Kathie Brown

Madera Canyon is a world class birding destination just east of Green Valley in the Santa Rita Mountains. People come from all over to see the numerous species of birds that make this canyon their home. At every season you can find birds in Madera Canyon. For some species this is one of the only location in the United States to see those birds. The Canyon is also a migrant trap and many unusual bird species have been spotted here. I first saw Madera Canyon when Gus and I came here on his job interview 2 years ago. At that time when we were looking at houses in Green Valley and when people found out that I was an avid birder they all asked me, "Have you been to Madera Canyon yet?" At that time I had never heard of it, but before we left the area we drove the 13 miles out of Green Valley up the long desert bajada on Whitehouse Canyon Road and into the tree covered cleft of Madera Canyon. We didn't get out of our car that day, but only drove to the top and came back down. It was January 28th and there was snow on the ground at the top parking lot. But today as I drive through the Sonoran Desert the sun is bright and the air is warm. I came to Green Valley to return some books to the library, but I brought along my birding gear, just in case!

Acorn Woodpecker by Kathie Brown 1-9-09

I bought a sandwich at Subway before leaving town and I ate my lunch at the Whitehouse Picnic area. Though I heard a few birds in the forest, none came close enough for me to photograph or identify, so as soon as I am done, I head up the road a short distance to the Madera Picnic area, which is the most reliable place to see Acorn Woodpeckers. It isn't long before I am rewarded with a view of this clown faced bird. I hear a rustle in the underbrush and find a Hermit Thrush, it's soft brown plumage blending perfectly with the dried brown leaves on the woodland floor. A twittering in the nearby juniper tree reveals a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and overhead the Mexican Jays raise a ruckus as they fly through the tree tops on wings of blue sky.

Wild Turkey eyes in Madera Canyon 1-9-09 by Kathie Brown

Though it is late afternoon the sun is still slanting down into the deep canyon. Madera Creek bubbles merrily down the rocky slopes. I head on up the trail across the creek where I usually see Bridled titmice, but this time all is quiet as the sun sinks lower and the shadows deepen. I cross the creek again to climb the bank behind the Madera Cabins. Here the Cabin owners maintain bird feeders for their guests and I can sometimes find nuthatches. Imagine my surprise when instead of nuthatches at the feeders I see a flock of Wild Turkeys! I stand silent in the tree line as other people up on the road stop to watch the birds. The Wild Turkeys are wary and start to slip back into the forest away from the gathering crowd. With their concentration focused behind them they don't see me standing there. A few of the bronze beauties come straight towards me. When one large bird is within a foot or two of me it stops, takes inventory and decides to melt into the forest in the opposite direction. I stand still and all is quiet except for the clicking of my camera. While I have seen Wild Turkeys before in other states, this is my first time seeing them in Arizona. This bumps my Arizona Life List up to 200 species of birds. Though I have only lived in Arizona for just under two years, this is no great feat. Arizona is a birdwatchers dreamland and Madera Canyon is one of the many reasons why. Arizona's unique location and terrain provide one with so many diverse habitats, and diverse habitats draw diverse species of birds.

Bridled titmouse 1-9-09 by Kathie Brown

I follow the wild turkeys across the creek and watch as they pick their way up the mountainside before disappearing into the shadows. This side of the road seems to have gotten quiet, so I decide to try the other side of the road where I have seen Painted Redstarts and Arizona woodpeckers before. The Mexican Jays follow me across the pavement and squawk away from the tops of Live Oaks, Junipers and Sycamores. Sometimes they land on the picnic tables or even on the ground, searching for acorns in the forest detritus. At the far end of the parking lot I finally find my Bridled Titmice moving busily about amongst the leaves. These little acrobats are never still as they climb up and down and all around on the leaves and twigs searching for food. And there on the tree trunks I also find the White-breasted nuthatches I've been searching for. Then, to my surprise, I find a small flock of dark-eyes juncos hiding in the brush.

Mexican Jay 1-9-09 by Kathie Brown

The whole mixed flock of birds is moving down the mountain trough the treetops. I find a couple of Ruby-crowned Kinglets in the mix and then, a different bird with a white-breast, black chest and throat and a yellow head. I know it is a warbler and at first I think of Townsend's, but this is not a Townsend's, the face is too yellow and their is no striping. I try to get a picture but the birds are moving so fast and I am torn between looking through my binoculars and trying to get a photograph. Before I know it, they are gone and I am left with the impression of this white, black and yellow warbler. I only saw it from below and after consulting my bird guides I am at a loss. Part of bird watching is knowing field marks, but it is also knowing bird ranges and knowing what a bird is not. I know this bird is not a Townsend's. I have seen them before and I am familiar with them. This one is different and from the information in the bird guides it is either a Hermit Warbler, or a Black-throated Green Warbler-all of which should not be here at this time of year. Kaufman's Guide and the National Geographic don't put the Black-throated Green here at all. Sibleys says they can be here during migration. Well, this bird hasn't read the field guides and just seems to go where it wants! I only know I saw a clean white breast, black throat and bright yellow head. That seems to suggest the Hermit Warbler except the black seemed to wrap around the sides more like the Black-throated Green. What I don't remember is if I saw an eyeline and I never saw the bird's back. Drats! If I could positively identify this bird, I would have a new species for my Life List, never mind Big January! (Note: after consulting all the links I've put into this post I now feel confident that what I saw was a Black-throated Green Warbler.)

For now, the shadows are deepening and the temperature is dropping. As I head back towards my vehicle a little brown birds flies past me and disappears into a yucca at the edge of the parking lot. I don't know if I will ever get over this blending of forest and desert. It surprises me every time.

House Wren 1-9-09 by Kathie Brown

I stop and wait by the yucca and finally the tiny bird hops out cautiously where I can see it. Well, I may not get to add the warbler to my list, but this little house wren is the first I've seen this year. So, with a smile and a warm heart I climb back into my car with the cold shadows of the snow-covered peaks of Madera Canyon falling dark and silent around me.

Snow on the Santa Ritas 1-9-09 by Kathie Brown

As I emerge from the violet shadows I am blinded by the brightness of the sunlight in the open desert once again. As I drive down Whitehouse Canyon road I keep glancing at the utility wires overhead. After almost two years of living here, I know what I am looking for and soon I am rewarded. I pull off onto the shoulder to photograph a Loggerhead Shrike. He is backlit by the setting sun and so the photo isn't very good, but I add him to my Big January count and head on down the road.

Big January Update: My visit to Madera Canyon added 11 more species to the list.

59. Wild Turkey-Arizona Life List

60. Hermit Trush

61. Dark-eyed Junco

62. Ruby-crowned Kinglet

63. Acorn Woodpecker

64. Bridled Titmouse

65. White-breasted Nuthatch

66. House Wren

67. Mexican Jay

68. Black-throated Green Warbler-Lifer!

69. Loggerhead shrike-Seen on Whitehouse Canyon Rd.

Madera Canyon Birding

The past few weeks have been busy with many birding adventures. On November 6th I awoke early to go on my first birding trip with Tucson Audubon. Since it was chilly, I drank a second cup of tea on my half-hour drive to meet everyone else at the McDonald’s in Green Valley. Our first stop would be the Green Valley Wastewater Treatment Facility. I thought I had planned enough time to get there and use the restroom before we went out into the field, but I failed to calculate that The McDonald’s was at the south end of Green Valley, a full 10 minutes farther than my usual trips to the north-end grocery stores. As a result everyone was just packing up to head out. Since I didn’t know anyone there and I didn’t know our destination, I just followed along, a decision I would regret later.

We drove out Continental Road to Old Nogales Highway. Our caravan of 5 or 6 cars turned left onto the gravel road that led to the Wastewater Treatment Facility. As we pulled into the parking lot and got out of our cars a Wilson’s snipe gave flight. After signing in we set up scopes and watched the birds in the retention and filtration ponds. Though the sun had risen it was quite chilly and I grabbed my jacket from the back seat of my car. We spotted American Widgeons, buffleheads, ruddy ducks on the first pond. Ring-necked ducks, northern shovelers, northern pintails and mallards were scattered there and across the other ponds. Coots were in abundance. A few eared grebes dived in the water. Along the shores we watched spotted sandpipers and black phoebes. In a nearby tree we were delighted with the appearance of a vermilion flycatcher. Overhead a bird sang out "toot, toot, toot". A "greater yellowlegs" someone called, and all binoculars followed the bird’s flight.

Walking down between the ponds we saw sparrows, horned larks, and pipits. Along the banks we saw northern harriers. To our amazement a herring gull flew in from the north, landed briefly on a pond, then continued its flight south. While I have seen many herring gulls in my life, I didn’t know until now that it was unusual to see one here. What would a gull do in the desert anyway? I suppose that is part of the fun of birding, finding something unexpected, something out of place. Of course, there are always the lists. Birders like to make lists; I am no exception.

I didn’t realize this until a few years ago. I had always written down where I had seen a particular bird, but somehow I discovered that people made "Life Lists" of each new species of bird that was seen with the date and location recorded. So, I started my Life List. Then, I learned about doing the "Great Backyard Bird Count" with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It happens every February over President’s Day weekend and it is a great way for new birders to get involved and contribute as citizen scientists. From there I learned of Project Feeder Watch where you keep track of the birds that come to your feeders over the winter. It helps scientists track winter migration and winter bird populations. That started me keeping lists of birds seen in my yard. From there it progressed to lists of birds seen in each state I’ve been in to lists of birds seen at my favorite birding sites and well, now I’m hopeless. I saw 34 species of birds at Green Valley Wastewater Treatment Facility last Tuesday. Just before we left someone spotted a wood duck at the far end of the near pond. Another bird out of place.

By the time we climbed into our vehicles my bladder was about to burst. We had been at the ponds for at least 2 hours. When the caravan pulled over to spot a northern shrike on the telephone lines I whinced in pain. It is a cruel fact of birding that restrooms are few and far between. Now, in the Northeast or even in the mountains of Utah one can usually find a tree or bush to serve as cover for the call of nature, but here in the desert at the wastewater treatment facility ironically there was no where to go and no bush or tree in site! However, I was assured there would be facilities at our next stop in Madera Canyon.

We drove the 15 miles into the canyon under sunny skies. Around me the desert fanned out in a slope from the Santa Rita Mountains. Along the roadsides mesquite and creosote bushes flourished with saguaros, chollas, and other desert vegetation. With each bump in the road I looked at the bushes with longing, each one a potential restroom stop, but I was in the middle of the car caravan, and I knew if I pulled over everyone else would also expecting to see some marvelous bird. I gritted my teeth and kept driving. By the time we pulled into the parking lot at the Proctor Trailhead, I no longer cared about birds. I was never so happy to see an outhouse in my life!

The mountainsides of the Santa Ritas folded in around us forming Madera Canyon. It was my first trip into the canyon since we visited last January for my husband’s job interview. We were out house hunting in Green Valley then and everyone we met kept telling us about Madera Canyon. That day we just drove to the top and out again. Now I was able to set foot on soil and experience the canyon first hand. We only saw a few birds at the Proctor Trailhead, so we headed farther up the canyon to the Madera Picnic area. It was here that I saw my best birds of the day.

Alligator junipers, with bark that looks like alligator hide, are interspersed with sycamores and live oak trees that shade the Madera Picnic area. Madera creek flows merrily by. Even as we headed down to the picnic tables we heard the acorn woodpeckers making a racket. It was my first time seeing these birds with their clownish faces. How can I describe them? They look at you from white eyes set in a black face with a yellow patch below their eyes and under their chins and a white band above their eyes across their foreheads. Their backs are black but atop their heads a bold red cap shines in the Arizona sun. When they fly their black wings flash with white patches. Acorn Woodpeckers live in communal groups and store acorns in holes drilled into a tree called a granary.

If Acorn woodpeckers weren’t amazing enough, I was thrilled to see bridled titmice. These tiny birds worked busily in the juniper trees gleaning insects off twigs. About the size of a chickadee and really the same color, they have a sporty little crest that pushes back off their heads like some punk hairdo. While their bodies are mostly gray, their faces are white with a black bridle stripe that starts from their dark liquid eye and rises back towards the crest, then turns sharply in a V down towards their throats. On top of their head their gray crest is also lined with black giving the bird a very distinguished appearance. I fell in love all over again. At the moment it is my favorite bird.

At the Madera picnic area we also saw mexican jays of exotic blue, a hepatic tanager, a Hutton’s verio and across the street, a rare Arizona woodpecker, which is the only brown woodpecker we have here in the United States. In all I recorded 18 species of birds in Madera Canyon. It was a productive birding day, though next time I'll leave a little earlier and forgo that second cup of tea!