Sycamore Canyon Spring Birds

Lincoln’s sparrow in Sycamore Canyon 3-24-10

 

Spring migration is already beginning here in Southeast Arizona. This Lincoln’s sparrow was hanging around Sycamore Canyon for about 2 weeks but I have not seen it for the past few days.  I have seen one down on Sienna Bluff Trails near the park and one here in my own yard. The Lincoln’s sparrow is distinguished by the buffy wash across a streaked breast with a central breast spot and the buffy eye ring and buffy malar stripe. I have noticed that it tends to have a perky little crest at times and it also cocks its tail up like a wren.

Gila woodpecker (female) 3-23-10

Scott’s Oriole (male) 3-23-10

Scott’s oriole (female) 4-2-10

  Scott’s oriole 4-2-10

The orioles were visiting my nectar feeders on an almost daily basis but their visits have tapered off over the past few days. The males showed up first and then I finally saw the females. Note how the female Scott’s Oriole looks like a duller version of the male.

Hooded Oriole 4-2-10

Hooded Oriole female 4-2-10

However, the female Hooded Oriole is more delicate looking and uniform in her coloring than the female Scott’s oriole.  However, the female Hooded and the female Bullocks are very similar in coloring and can be difficult to tell apart especially when you are first trying to learn this species. The female Bullock’s is gray to white on the belly with a thicker and straighter beak than the Hooded. you can also see a bit of the eyeline that is distinctive of the Bullock’s

 

Rock Wren 3-23-10

I came home from my trip just in time to see the last Rock Wren of the winter season.  This was the last day I saw one here at my house.

Rufus or broad-tailed female 3-26-10

Various Hummingbirds have been passing through. I captured this photo of what I think is a female rufous hummingbird but I have also seen broad-tailed hummingbirds as well as broad-billed hummingbirds, black-chinned hummingbirds and Costa's. I have not seen any Anna's hummingbirds yet.  In spite of all of this, the visits to my hummingbird feeders have really dropped off with one or two sightings a day.  as a result I have cut back my nectar feeding and only fill my feeders about 1/2 full. At this time of year the nectar can go bad rapidly and develop mold which is deadly to the birds.  I dump any unused nectar every 3 days and clean, rinse and refill the feeders. Hummingbird nectar can be made at home by bringing 4 cups of water and 1 cup of table sugar to a boil.  Cool and fill feeders storing any leftover in the refrigerator. Do not use honey or artificial sweetener as this could kill the hummingbirds.  right now we have so many wildflowers in bloom that the birds are having no trouble finding nectar to eat.

Black-chinned sparrow 4-2-10

This black-chinned sparrow first showed up on March 30 in my backyard making it species number 77 for my backyard and species number 87 for Sycamore Canyon!  I have only seen this species one time before at the Javalina Picnic area in Saguaro National Park’s Rincon Unit.  It was here on March 30, 31 and April 2nd but I have not seen it since.

Black-chinned Sparrow 4-2-10

Notice how it looks very much like someone took a junco and a sparrow and crammed them together.  the black-chinned has the pink beak and gray body and shape of a junco but its wings and back are sparrow like in color.

Right now I have my friend and birding buddy Kathryn visiting me from Utah. On her first day here we saw our first Ash-throated gray flycatcher of the year up in Ocotillo Preserve on S. Houghton Road. Then yesterday we drove to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in western Pima County. We were gone for 12 hours and on our way there saw 2 Crested Caracaras near Kitt Peak. We saw the birds as we drove past and looked desperately for a place to pull off and photograph them but alas, there was none!  The road was built up with only a 6" shoulder that dropped off steeply to the desert floor below filled with spiny cacti!  By the time we did find a pull-off we were too far way from the birds.  Rt. 86 is the only road between Tucson and Ajo and the traffic speeds by at 65 mph, so there was nothing to do but go on. Still, we both got a decent view of the white wingtips, white tail and white face with a black cap.  One eagle was flying and the other was perched on top of a large saguaro about a mile or two from the first.

Today we went to Tubac and walked around the art galleries and shops after dining at Shelby’s Bistro. We took a quick stroll down St. Gertrudis lane where we found a Townsend's Solitaire perched in the trees along the roadside.  This is Life Bird number 376 for me and we are not done yet!  More birding adventures to come before Kathryn leaves next Tuesday.

GBBC: Monday's Finale

I slept late Monday still trying to recuperate from this darn cold. I wore myself out yesterday but I don’t want today to slip away. I have high ambitions but time, distance and health will probably limit the extent of my birding today. I count the birds in my yard and at my feeders while I wake up and fix my breakfast. Then, I check the bird counts and results on the GBBC web site. I notice that no one has counted birds in Saguaro National Park yet, so I make up my mind to make that my destination for the day. But first, I decide to check out two of the other sites I birded at yesterday.

I head to the park first, which is really close by. I decide I can walk the dog and count birds at the same time, killing two birds with one stone so to speak, but when I get to the park there are few birds in sight. The workers are driving their bulldozers through the desert ripping open a brown wound on the surface of the earth. Construction of the Community Center has begun. I hear a few birds off on the opposite side of the park, but all I count are 2 mourning doves, a Gila woodpecker and a couple of house finches. All the little sparrows I saw yesterday are gone for now. I will have to wait to see if they ever come back.

I bring the dog home and head to the Vacant Lot again. This time it is so quiet when I get here. It’s only 15 minutes later in the day than when I was here yesterday, but still, there should be some birds. Then, I see the red-tail soaring across the gold course with nesting material in its beak. I watch as it flies into a tall pine on the golf course. Perhaps I will get to see Red-tail chicks this spring. (Are they called chicks? I will have to look this up!) Then the smaller birds start to emerge. First I see an Anna’s Hummingbird, and then the sparrows start to move about. After awhile I see the Lark bunting again, and in the tall trees at the edge of the field I find Yellow-rumped warblers, a Ruby-crowned kinglet, an Orange- crowned warbler and a Hutton’s vireo! The warmth of the sun is making me very thirsty with this cold, so I finally pack it in and head down the mountain to town. I stop at a local park where I count a vermillion flycatcher along with 50 Brewer’s Blackbirds and 50 American Widgeons in the manmade lake, but I don’t stay here long. I soon head out for Saguaro National Park, east.

Saguaro National park is divided into two sections, one on the west side of Tucson and this other on the east near the Rincon Mountains. The western side has a larger visitor center and more easily accessible trails, but the east side is much closer to me and has a nice 8 mile loop drive. However, today I head to the Javalina Picnic area to eat the fast food I bought in desperation. Plus, I have found that by sitting quietly that often the wildlife will come to me. Not long after I sit down a little ground squirrel comes out looking at me with inquiring eyes. I know it wants me to drop it a tidbit, but I resist the urge. Human food is not good for these creatures and I do not want to contribute to the delinquency of a ground squirrel. Instead, I raise my camera to take a picture, but the squirrel scampers off. Soon however, the birds start to show up.

I’ve been listening to thrashers sing since I got here. Now I hear a covey of Gambel's quail calling to each other across the desert. Then, a little black-throated sparrow lands on a twig right near the picnic table. This time I am able to snap off quite a few pictures before it leaves. Then, I see a flash of feathers cross the road. I leave my belongings on the table and follow. Looking through my binoculars I see a bird that looks like a cross between a junco and a sparrow. While it has a gray head and a junco-like beak, it’s back has the coloring of a chipping sparrow. I know I’ve seen its picture before, but I can’t think of the name. I try to take a picture of it myself but this little guy is secretive and elusive. Every time I think I have clear shot it drops back into the brush again. It always manages to keep a flower, or stick between us. Finally it flies off into even deeper cover, but I’m sure of what I saw and when I get to consult my bird guides afterwards I discover it is a black-chinned sparrow, a life bird for me!

I put away the remnants from lunch and climb around on the hillside. The Javalina Picnic Area is in a bit of a hollow with rocky outcroppings and cactus covered hillside all around. Beyond this natural bowl the Rincon mountains rise in the east and with the recent rains and snow I can hear water trickling down the cliffs in a gentle cascade. Walking up the hillside I come upon the covey of Quail. They are rather tame here and don’t dart for cover as quickly as the ones in my neighborhood, so I am able to take a decent picture of some of them before they dash for cover again. I estimate their number at about 14, which is the most I have seen at one time.

While I am standing there photographing quail, a little rock wren hops up on a picnic table as if to inquire about what I am finding so interesting. Well, you of course, I think as I snap off some pictures of it. The sun is beating down on my feverish body but I don’t want o give up yet. I climb even farther up and start to circle the picnic area, but it seems all the birds like the bottom of the bowl better, for there are few up here, save for a red-tail lazily circling the sky.

I continue on my way and climb one final outcropping. The effort and the heat make me dizzy and I sit down. It’s then I realize I’d better cash it in and go home. If I passed out up here no one would see me and I’d lie here in the sun and fry to a red crisp! I’m so thirsty but my water is down in the car. I have to at least make it that far, so, I slowly make my way down trying to avoid other people’s picnic tables. I don’t want to intrude on their privacy. Back at the car I gulp what is left of my water and decide I should head home, even though it is only about 3 pm. If I was feeling better I would go do a couple of other counts before the day ended, but I must go home. As I drive south on Houghton Rd I briefly pull off to head to another park, but then reprimand myself and get back on track. I make one final count of the evening birds in my yard and call it a day. The GBBC has ended until next year.