Birding Hard in SEAZ (Day 3)

Hoot...hoo hoo...hoo! Walker woke me up from a dream I had where a Spotted Owl was calling. A few seconds after being awakened I noticed what I heard wasn't a dream but a real Spotted Owl! What a way to start the day! Light started to brighten the morning sky as stars faded in the Chiricahua Mountains. Cordilleran Flycatchers and Great Horned Owls started calling both near and far. It was time to pack up camp. We had stuff to be done, like seeing Slate-throated Redstarts! As soon as we set up camp we drove a little ways up the road to where the redstart had been seen. We birded the drainage for about a half hour before it hit us that it was strange that we hadn't run into any birders. So when a car drove by and stopped we asked what was up and found that we were searching the wrong drainage! Walker had suspected this but the drainage that we were in seemed fitting for the description in past listserve reports. Embarrassingly, we ran back to our car and then drove over to where they had just seen the bird. Upon arriving, no one had seen the bird since 5:15 in the morning, while we were checking the false drainage. Now it didn't take much to see that Walker and Dalton were a bit disappointed in my major failure, so I knew I had to pay them back! After waiting around the Slate-throated Redstart's nest for over three hours our hopes of getting this bird started falling quickly. I decided that since there were quite a few birders watching the nesting area they likely wouldn't miss it without me, so I thought I'd check the surrounding area in hopes of finding it. Hiking up the drainage, I started pishing and doing my "Mountain" Northern Pygmy-Owl imitation whistle in hopes of bringing in a mixed feeding flock of birds. The first birds to come in were a pair of Mexican Chickadees!

Mexican Chickadee

Once the chickadees started scolding me a lot of other birds started coming in. First a pair of Painted Redstarts, then some Yellow-eyed Juncos, a Spotted Towhee, a Hammond's Flycatcher, a Townsend's Warbler, a Red-faced Warbler, and then WHAT?!?!?!?! THE SLATE-THROATED REDSTART!!!!!!!

Slate-throated Redstart

Once I spotted our bird I immediately started yelling "WALKER!!!". I had to hike a ways down the canyon to get to a point where anyone could hear me. A man came hiking up the drainage and right when I got him on the bird I sprinted down the steep hill jumping over dead logs, and sliding down the hillside until I got to Walker and Dalton. I yelled that I had the bird and once they came running I returned to the man who was still watching the bird!

Slate-throated Redstart

Walker and Dalton along with another nice birder came up the hill shortly behind me and I quickly got them on the bird. We were ecstatic about this find, adding to the sickening amount of icing on our birding cake! However, there were a few other birders down the hill coming up so I ran back down to them in an attempt to get them on the bird. Unfortunately, when I returned the bird was gone never to be seen again. We didn't stick around for long after we lost the bird, because, we had other spots to hit before the day ended. Our next spot we hit was the Southwestern Research Center where we had plans to watch the feeders. On our way to the research center we were stopped by the birders who we ran into earlier and they told us that  they just had an American Redstart at the Southwestern Research Center!!! The three of us were pumped at the thought of having a triple redstart day!!! With even more determination, we zoomed on over to the research center where we were greeted by a few Blue-throated Hummingbirds!

Blue-throated Hummingbird

While we were watching the hummingbirds Walker spotted out third redstart of the day, an adult female American Redstart, bringing us up to a triple redstart hour!!!

American Redstart

The American Redstart was a lifer for Dalton so that was very cool! We decided to photograph a nearby Painted Redstart just to show you three redstart species in a single post.

Painted Redstart

A super tame Western Wood-Pewee was quite cool to see as well!

Western Wood-Pewee

From the Chiricahuas we drove on over to the Santa Ritas where we'd stay the night near Madera Canyon. The Plain-capped Starthroat was still being seen from time to time at the Santa Rita Lodge and I really wanted that bird! So our first and only stop in Madera Canyon for the day was, of course, the Santa Rita Lodge. We scanned the feeders for a good two and a half hours before darkness fell. Although we didn't see any rare hummingbirds I did get my photo-lifer Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher which was nice.

Suphur-bellied Flycatcher

Once darkness fell we were excited for another great night of owling! The first nocturnal birds to start calling were the Mexican Whip-poor-wills and Whiskered Screech-Owls.

Whiskered Screech-Owl

Owls were less vocal in the upper portion of the canyon then our previous owling trip so we decided to hit the lower elevations where the trees were shorter and the owls were plenty! Seeing a Whiskered Screech-Owl calling from a telephone wire was something I never thought I'd see!

Whiskered Screech-Owl

While I was following the Whiskered Screech-Owls around I heard an Elf Owl calling from fairly close so I put my flashlight on where the sound was coming from and was surprised to spot an Elf on a perfect perch!

Elf Owl

Although I should have been able to get way better crushes than what I got this was my first time crushing ELOW so I was content with what I got. We then drove down even lower in elevation to Proctor road where we spent the night. While we were setting up our tent we heard a Western Screech-Owl calling in the distance. Walker and I knew it wasn't only mid-night but it was crush-night!!! After tracking down where the owl was calling from we spotted our 10th owl of our trip, a beautiful female Western Screech-Owl!

Western Screech-Owl

This Western Screech-Owl was the most cooperative owl I have ever encountered in the wild! It was fearless and allowed us to get within less than four feet away from her as she stood less than four feet above the ground!

Western Screech-Owl

A question I commonly get asked his how to identify Western and Whiskered Screech-Owls apart. Here are a few different ways for telling them apart.

1. Common calls: Western gives a bouncing-ball song of fairly deep hoots. Another call which Western frequently gives (mostly in response to its own call) is a trill of hoots Here is a recording with both the bouncing-ball call and the trill WESO call. Whiskered, on the other hand, gives a descending serous of hoots lowering in pitch (listen here) along with a mores-code-like song of fairly high-pitched hoots (listen here). Whiskered also gives a barking contact call which is sometime mistaken for the barking call of the Spotted Owl (listen here)

2. Identification by sight: In my experience, Western has a black, or at least, mostly black bill as where Whiskered has a greenish bill. Western also seems to have large while Whiskered has small feet. The streaking pattern on the front of both birds is different too. I have also noticed that Whiskered seems to have a lighter gray belly than Western. I have noticed some difference in the eyes but I'm not sure if that is, at all, reliable. Whiskered seems to have a smaller body in proportion to its head than Western does too. Here are a couple photos bellow to help you see the differences between these two similar species.

Whiskered Screech-Owl (left) and Western Screech-Owl (right)

 

 I ended the day with one lifer which was more than enough, considering it was a code 4! We still had one more half-day left and it would be spent sitting at the Santa Rita Lodge waiting for the starthroat to come in. Stay tuned to read how my last day in SEAZ ended!

Birding Hard in SEAZ!!! (Day 2)

After a hardcore day of birding in Madera Canyon (see my previous post here) Walker, Dalton, and I stayed the night at a hotel in Green Valley so we could get some rest before a nice day of birding in the Huachuca Mountains. Once the sun rose over the horizon we woke up to eat a peaceful breakfast before driving out to our first stop of the day, Ramsey Canyon. I was very anxious for Ramsey as it has recently had a pair of Flame-colored Tanagers and nesting Tufted Flycatcher! I had been waiting to go to Ramsey Canyon ever since those Tufted Flycatchers were first found last summer. Finally, we arrived at Ramsey Canyon and I immediately heard my first lifer of the day, a Buff-breasted Flycatcher!

Buff-breasted Flycatcher

First, I checked out the loop that the tanagers had been seen on but despite a good search the only tanagers I saw were Westerns. I then hit the Hamburg Trail and hiked the 2 miles up to the Tufted Flycatchers! I had never been so determined to hike such a trail in my life! Approaching the flycatchers' territory I heard a strange double-buzz that sounded like an interaction call from a flycatcher and sure enough there they were, my lifer Tufted Flycatchers!

Tufted Flycatcher

This pair of Tufted Flycatchers have built a nest and are now waiting to lay the eggs.

Tufted Flycatcher's nest

Throughout my observation of this unique and rare species for the ABA, I got fairly close and great views! Unfortunately, my camera was acting strange and not focusing right so what would have been awesome photos turned out to be 'okay'.

Tufted Flycatcher

It was amazing to finally be watching the Tufted Flycatchers after having to wait a whole year to see them. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay all day as we still had to hit two more spots, Miller Canyon and Ash Canyon B and B. So after watching the flycatchers for a little under an hour we slowly worked our way back. On the way back we saw many awesome birds such as Elegant Trogons, Red-faced Warblers, and Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers!

Red-faced Warbler

At Miller Canyon we had one target and that was the Spotted Owl. Although we heard a pair earlier in the trip, seeing one is a totally different experience! So even though we had just hiked six rough miles up to the TUFLs we were ready to hike another three to and from the Spotty! Stopping at the Beatty's Guest Ranch they told us that they hadn't seen any Spotted Owls yet that day but Walker, Dalton, and I, nonetheless, still hiked up! A beautiful Western Tanager was a nice bird to see on our way up the canyon!

Western Tanager

Working our way up the canyon we ran into Mr. Tom Beatty who kindly walked us up to where he had just found a Spotty. Before we even stopped I scanned beyond us and spotted the Spotted!

Spotted Owl

This was the first Spotted Owl I had seen in almost a whole year and only the third I've ever seen! 

Spotted Owl

The Spotted Owl is one of my favorite birds, and every experience with this species has been amazing! The first time I saw a Spotty was back in 2014 at this very spot, Miller Canyon! After hiking nearly a mile up Miller Canyon back in 2014 I didn't see any Spotties. So I hiked a bit further when my family said it was time to head back. I asked them if we climb over one more ridge and they agreed to my plan. So once I reached the top of the hill I saw a group of birders talking. I approached them and asked if they had seen the Spotty when they told me to look up. Sure enough I looked straight above my head and there he was!

Spotted Owl--Miller Canyon 2014 (my lifer)

The second Spotty I saw was at Slate Creek Divide in Maricopa County. Now finding a Spotted Owl on its day roost in Maricopa County was almost unheard of and it just so happened that it was one of my lifetime goals! So while I was hiking through one of Slate Creek's many drainages with Mr. Troy Corman, and saw a Spotted Owl sitting up on the hillside I was ecstatic!!!

Spotted Owl--Slate Creek Divide 2015

Other than these three Spotties I've seen, I've also heard four others. A pair dueting in the Maricopa portion of the Superstition Mountains and another pair at Madera Canyon (from the night before). Although Spotted Owls are awesome with their large black eyes, stocky size, and chunky and laid back appearance the Flammulated Owl still takes the cake with its dark eyes and small size!

After watching Mr. Spotty sleep for a half hour we said our goodbyes and let him off with his day. Mr. Spotty winked at us as we worked our way down the canyon.

Spotty wink

Our next and last birding spot for the day was the Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast at Marry Joe's place. We arrived on spot at around five o' clock in the evening, the Lucifer Hummingbird's (our target) usual feeding time. As we sat down and watched the feeders for a while we found that a male Anna's Hummingbird was the boss of the feeders. Every hummingbird that would come in for a drink would immediately get chased off by this territorial hummer! Our hopes sank as the male Anna's continued to chase off the hummers. However, after a half hour of waiting my lifer Lucifer Hummingbird came in for about five seconds before being chased off by that ferocious Anna's!

Lucifer Hummingbird--Note the long tail, slightly down curved bill, throat pattern, etc

We waited about an hour for the Lucifer to come back before we called it a day. After Ash Canyon we slowly worked our way to Pinery Canyon in the Chiricahuas where we'd stay the night. On our way we spotted a Common Poorwill sitting on the side of the road!

Common Poorwill

We had gone to the Chiricahuas for one bird, and that was the Slate-throated Redstart! It sounded like this bird was being seen primarily in the early morning which is why we'd be spending the night in the Chiris. It sounded like our chances were good since we could go to the redstarts nest before it were to wake up. At the moment, the only thing that felt like it could stop us from getting our bird was if we were to be searching the wrong canyon/drainage which seemed like a joke. However, that might or might have not have happened...

Birding Hard in SEAZ!!! (Day 1)

 After my Bird Hard Bros, Walker and Dalton, moved to Idaho birding has still been awesome in many way but it's been missing a key factor and that is bird hardness! Don't get me wrong, I still bird hard and do insane things for birds but it's much easier and more fun to bird hard with other people with the same mindset of bird hardness! When I found out that Walker and Dalton were visiting Arizona we knew what we had to do! A bird hard trip to Southeastern Arizona!!! This would be a four day long birding trip across three of SEAZ's best mountain ranges, the Santa Rita, Huachuca, and Chiricahua Mountains!

After birding hard across Southcentral AZ (to be posted later on) and cleaning house on nearly every one of our targets we had a good feeling for this trip. We woke up fairly early in the morning and shot out to Madera Canyon, our first stop for our trip. Upon driving to the Santa Rita Lodge we spotted a White-tailed Kite and Eastern Meadowlark at the base of the mountains. Arriving at the Santa Rita Lodge, there were many birders watching the feeders. Among the many birders were awesome people such as Ms. Susan Fishburn, Ms. Barb Meding, Mr. Moe Bertrand, and Mr. Louis Hoeniger! They let us know that one of our targets, the Berylline Hummingbird, had just been seen a few minutes ago! I wasn't fazed though as many of the hummingbirds come back on a normal pace and sure enough after 10 minutes of waiting my first lifer of the trip, a female Berylline Hummingbird, came in to the hummingbird feeders for a few minutes!

Berylline Hummingbird

I was surprised how much the Berylline's rufous-colored wings stood out even from a distance!

Berylline Hummingbird

Observing this tropical hummer was awesome but we had to hit a few other spots in the day so after a good hour of waiting and watching we drove up towards the top of Madera Canyon to search for trogons. We were joined by Mr. Moe and Mr. Louis for this adventure too which was fun! Upon hiking shortly up the Carrie Nation Mine Trail we located a male trogon at its nest!

Elegant Trogon--Male in nesting cavity

After sitting and waiting for a couple minutes the trogon flew out of the cavity and gave everyone a great show!

Elegant Trogon

The trogon family is Dalton's all-time favorite family of birds and he was very happy to be back in trogon country! After talking to Moe and Louis we decided to chase a nearby Red-headed Woodpecker together (an 8th state record). So we all jumped in our cars and zoomed off toward the woodpecker. After being stopped in traffic from a crash for nearly an hour we finally reached Garden Canyon Road where we would drive on for a few more miles. Finally, we arrived at the described campground and started our search. Unfortunately by the time we arrived at the campground the bird activity was terrible and there were no woodpeckers other than a couple of Acorn Woodpeckers and a Northern Flicker. After searching for nearly an hour we were becoming quite frustrated but continued looking anyways. While we were all off searching different areas in the campground Moe yelled "Guys I have the bird!" Here's Moe pointing out the bird to Louis, Dalton, and Walker (right-left).

Moe was good at giving directions and before I knew it I was looking at my second lifer of the day!

Red-headed Woodpecker

Throughout most of our observation the bird kept its distance and was quite skittish, however, we still had great looks of this awesome eastern woodpecker!

Red-headed Woodpecker

The woodpecker even came down low a couple times!

Observing such a beautiful species was great! However, we had to keep things moving as we had some more ground to cover. So we next went to Patagonia to search for what could be my third lifer of the day, the Thick-billed Kingbird! On our way to Patagonia we read that someone had just had a Plain-capped Starthroat at the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon! I almost wanted to skip the kingbirds and go strait back to Madera but we decided to give the kingbirds an effort.After I searched the area once I started to lose hope. However, I heard Walker distantly call my name from the other side of the Patagonia Roadside Rest stop and I immediately started running to him at full speed! I then saw Walker looking up into the canopy and there it was, my lifer Thick-billed Kingbird perched on a snag!

Thick-billed Kingbird

I was relieved to see this bird as it had almost become a nemesis for me! Thanks Walker for the great spotting! We then zoomed back over to Madera Canyon and hit the feeders at the Santa Rita Lodge. Minutes of watching the feeders turned into hours and before long it was dark and there was no sign of the Plain-capped Starthroat, agh! However, the Berylline Hummingbird continued to show off for the crowd.

Berylline Hummingbird

Now, the fun part! Darkness had fallen, so we drove up towards the top of Madera Canyon for some owling (YAY!!!). As soon as I got out of the car I heard my fourth lifer of the day, a Mexican Whip-poor-will! Working our way up the mountain I found that Mexican Whips were very abundant along with Whiskered Screech-Owls (the first time I've seen one)! One of Walker's most wanted birds to photogaph on the trip was the Flammulated Owl, my favorite bird. So once he told me that Flams were in Madera we hiked up the trail and boom, there you go Walker, Flammulated Owl!!!

Flammulated Owl

When the Flam flew in neither Walker or Dalton were prepared for the awesomeness of this bird! It stood on that branch singing for a good three or so minutes before it continued on with its night of feeding. Here's a photo I took while it was in the middle of giving its deep "poot" call.

Fredrick The Flam!

Usually when I see Flammulated Owls they are sitting up high in a tree where the branch meets the trunk. However, this was one of the more lucky observations where the bird stayed fairly low and out in the open! As many of you now know, the Flammulated Owl is my favorite bird and finding one in SEAZ was awesome! Before long Fredrick the Flam had left and we continued on with our owling. At one point in the night we were hearing Flammulated, Spotted, and Whiskered Screech-Owls along with Mexican Whip-poor-will all at once! Once the owls quieted down a bit we drove down to Bog Springs Campground to crush some Whiskered Screech-Owls! It didn't take much effort to get on a few!

Whiskered Screech-Owl

Whiskered Screech-Owls give many different calls. There typical song is a mores-code style of hoots while their call is a descending pitch of "too"s. They also give some barks that sound kinda like a Spotted Owl's! Here are some vocalizations on xeno-canto.org

Whiskered Screech-Owls

 

An Elf Owl was also present, the last owl we saw that night!

Elf Owl

 I ended the day with four lifers and six owls (Burrowing near my house, Whiskered Screech, Flammulated, Spotted, Elf, and Great Horned) Walker, Dalton, and I were shocked at how awesome our first day of birding was! Could it get any better? Stay tuned to find out...