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My Month in Arizona (1 Viewer)

Steve Gross

Well-known member
I had the wonderful opportunity this summer of volunteering at the Southwestern Research Station, operated by the American Museum of Natural History. In exchange for room and board, I did housekeeping work, helped with some of the research, and had a lot of opportunity to commune with the local avifauna.

I wound up with 25 lifers over the month. This included a trip to Big Bend National Park in Texas before getting to Arizona and a trip to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Four of the new birds were found in Texas, including:

Hutton's Vireo (in San Antonio, a rarity there)
Scaled Quail
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (ABA Bird #500 for me!!!!!)
Gray Flycatcher

I had been to Arizona briefly two years ago, so I didn't need some of the specialty birds of the region. Lifers found in Arizona were:

Montezuma Quail
Band-tailed Pigeon
Plain-capped Starthroat
Costa's Hummingbird
Lucifer Hummingbird
White-eared Hummingbird
Gila Woodpecker
Lesser Nighthawk (amazingly, not a bird I had in TX)
Whip-poor-will
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Thick-billed Kingbird
Mexican Chickadee
Olive Warbler
Grace's Warbler
Red-faced Warbler
Lucy's Warbler
Abert's Towhee
Botteri's Sparrow
Rufous-winged Sparrow
Bendire's Thrasher

It was quite a month. Since I was staying in the Cave Creek Canyon area of the Chiricahua Mountains, it was a short jaunt down the hill to show off to the visiting researchers the local population of Elegant Trogons.

I'm very pleased with my list, but I did dip out on several highly-desired species, including Rufous-capped Warbler and Flame-colored Tanager. I did not go for the Five-striped Sparrow or Buff-collared Nightjar, all the more reason to go back to this tremendous birding area. The entire list, consisting of 190 species, follows:

GREBES
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
CORMORANTS
Double-crested Cormorant
HERONS, EGRETS AND BITTERNS
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
IBIS AND SPOONBILLS
White-faced Ibis
DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS
Mallard
NEW WORLD VULTURES
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
OSPREY
Osprey
HAWKS, EAGLES AND KITES
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Common Black-Hawk
Harris's Hawk
Gray Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle
FALCONS AND CARACARAS
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Prairie Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
TURKEYS
Wild Turkey
NEW WORLD QUAIL
Scaled Quail
Gambel's Quail
Montezuma Quail
RAILS, GALLINULES AND COOTS
American Coot
PLOVERS AND LAPWINGS
Killdeer
TERNS
Black Tern
PIGEONS AND DOVES
Rock Dove
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
White-winged Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Inca Dove
CUCKOOS
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Greater Roadrunner
OWLS
Western Screech-Owl
Whiskered Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Elf Owl
Burrowing Owl
NIGHTJARS
Lesser Nighthawk
Common Poorwill
Whip-poor-will
SWIFTS
Chimney Swift
White-throated Swift
HUMMINGBIRDS
Broad-billed Hummingbird
White-eared Hummingbird
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Magnificent Hummingbird
Plain-capped Starthroat
Lucifer Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Costa's Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
TROGONS AND QUETZALS
Elegant Trogon
WOODPECKERS
Acorn Woodpecker
Gila Woodpecker
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Arizona Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Greater Pewee
Western Wood-Pewee
Gray Flycatcher
Cordilleran Flycatcher
Buff-breasted Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Cassin's Kingbird
Thick-billed Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Rose-throated Becard
LARKS
Horned Lark
SWALLOWS
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow
Barn Swallow
SILKY-FLYCATCHERS
Phainopepla
WRENS
Cactus Wren
Rock Wren
Canyon Wren
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
MOCKINGBIRDS AND THRASHERS
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Bendire's Thrasher
Curve-billed Thrasher
Crissal Thrasher
THRUSHES
Western Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
GNATCATCHERS
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
LONG-TAILED TITS
Bushtit
CHICKADEES AND TITS
Black-crested Titmouse
Mountain Chickadee
Mexican Chickadee
Bridled Titmouse
NUTHATCHES
Pygmy Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
CREEPERS
Brown Creeper
PENDULINE TITS
Verdin
SHRIKES
Loggerhead Shrike
CROWS AND JAYS
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Mexican Jay
American Crow
Chihuahuan Raven
Common Raven
STARLINGS
European Starling
VIREOS AND ALLIES
White-eyed Vireo
Bell's Vireo
Plumbeous Vireo
Hutton's Vireo
Warbling Vireo
OLIVE WARBLER
Olive Warbler
WOOD WARBLERS
Colima Warbler
Lucy's Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Golden-cheeked Warbler
Grace's Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Red-faced Warbler
Painted Redstart
Yellow-breasted Chat
TANAGERS AND ALLIES
Hepatic Tanager
Summer Tanager
Western Tanager
SPARROWS, TOWHEES, JUNCOS
Spotted Towhee
Canyon Towhee
Abert's Towhee
Botteri's Sparrow
Cassin's Sparrow
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Rufous-winged Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Black-chinned Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Yellow-eyed Junco
SALTATORS, CARDINALS AND ALLIES
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting
Varied Bunting
Painted Bunting
BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, GRACKLES, ETC.
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Western Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Hooded Oriole
Bullock's Oriole
Orchard Oriole
Scott's Oriole
FINCHES, SISKINS, CROSSBILLS
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
OLD WORLD SPARROWS
House Sparrow

I highly recommend that anyone who has the time and willingness volunteer at the SWRS. You do the Museum a service, and get to spend time in an outstanding birding area.

Steve Gross
Houston, TX, USA
 
Steve could you email me volunteer information. I think it would be a great experience.
Thanks.
By the way what does it mean when someone says a bird is a lifer for them. I'm new to birding and haven't been able to figure that one out.
YOur trip sounds fantastic it is great you got to see so many birds.
shannon
 
Shannon:

The terms "lifer" and "life bird" refer to a species you are identifying (or hope to identify) for the first time. I often refer to a bird I've not yet seen as a lifer, but I also refer to the bird I first identified (once it's happened) as my lifer. Confusing enough?

Once you've seen your "lifer," you add that bird to your life list. You'll hear birders say, "I got my life Elegant Trogon along the South Fork of Cave Creek in Arizona." This is just one of the many slang terms birders use - they're fun to learn, especially the British ones (e.g. dipping, gripping off, Bonxie, etc.). The Brits can explain those to you in due course.

I direct you to two locations where you can go for Southwestern Research Station information. Remember, the Station volunteers are usually natural history students, graduate or undergraduate, who are looking for field experience. I consider myself lucky to have had my application accepted, since I am a teacher by trade, not a scientist, and I do not aspire to be a scientist.

Here are the URLs for the volunteer information:

http://research.amnh.org/swrs/

http://www.americanbirding.org/opps/voldiaa.htm#AZ

The second URL lists volunteer opportunities from all over the world. This and the rest of the American Birding Association website are well worth a look. I've been able to do survey work on two different endangered species in central TX through volunteering, and I've gained great satisfaction from that work.

Good luck with your birding. Continue to ask questions of birders whenever you have them. It's important to know when I've left someone behind due to over-ambitious use of bird slang. Thanks for chiming in.

Steve in Houston
 
Thanks Steve for all the information. That's what I love about this place everyone's willingness to help. I'll definetly check out the volunteer information.
Shannon
 
Steve, sounds like you had a wonderful time. How was the weather at this time of year. Better or worse than Houston?
 
Helen,

I was born in Chicago, and am not a fan of Houston's heat+humidity onslaught for months on end. Each year when school ends, I'm off to the mountains (I chronicled my Yellowstone trip in "Western Swing," a post I made in June).

I had read that Arizona experiences a 'second spring' once the monsoon rains begin in July. In fact, all the tour companies go to Arizona during July and August. A cynic by nature, I didn't believe the hype about the weather changing so markedly from the 110 degrees you hear about in June. I'm now a believer, however.

First of all, one of the factors that makes SE Arizona birding so fruitful is the ability of the birder to change elevation in order to reach cool weather or different habitat (or both). Due to the low humidity, the desert flats near Portal were quite pleasant in the early a.m. I would go down there to find sparrows and thrashers around 5, and bird until breakfast which was served at the Station at 7:30. Throughout the day, I could climb up the hill and stay in perfectly wonderful temperatures if it got too warm at the Station (the Station is at 5400 ft. elevation). Just ten miles up the road was Rustler Park, one of my favorite places to bird, at 8400 ft. elevation. Stellar's Jays cruised through the campground on cool mountain breezes. See what I mean?

Once it finally started raining (late July this year), it cooled off no matter what the elevation. Also, shade actually means something when there is a low humidity level (unlike Houston when shade helps your eyes but you still feel like you need four showers a day), so stepping under a mesquite gave significant relief from the heat. In fact, I was usually outdoors the entire day at the Station, with the exception of meals, and was hardly ever so uncomfortable that I sought refuge in the air-conditioned computer room or Main House.

I am not a fan of sweating all day, but I found that the old chestnut about "it's not the heat, it's the humidity" is as true as anything else I know. Everyone should go to Arizona at some point in their birding career.

Steve in Houston
 
Sounds like there wa s agood variety of habitats considering your list of birds. It is no wonder Arizona is a place many birders wish to go to.
 
Thanks, Steve.
SE Arizona is on our list of birding hotspots to do when my husband retires, so maybe next year we'll get there with our new Winnebago! Certianly want to see those hummingbirds. When we lived in S. California in the late 80's, the heat did not bother me as much as it does here - its definitely the combination with the humidity.
 
Hey, Steve!

I'm glad you had a rewarding summer at SWRS. I've yet to bird that area of the state. I can well imagine that the combination of unpredictable monsoon weather and different elevations would produce a terrific variety of birds. Congrats on so many lifers!

Maybe the best reward was, being able to refer to the Elegant Trogon as a *yawn* local neighbor. :king:

roadrunner
 
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