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Advice for birding in SE AZ... in winter (1 Viewer)

chiccadee

Active member
I know AZ isn't very spectacular in the winter, but that might be the only time I can go there this year unfortunately. It's the first time I'm going to AZ so all the more common birds will be lifers.

The trip isn't set so anything mentioned here wil be used directly to make trip plans. Anywhere in SE Arizona is fine, there's no particular cities or anything. The trip will be in early Jan.

1. Which spots are the best to go in winter?

2. According to my guides, there are little spots where birds that normally come only in summer are found year-round. For example, Elegant Trogon, Painted Redstart, Beonzed Cowbird, Magnificent Hummingbird. It would be great if I could get some info on where to go/my chances on getting those birds there

Here are birds that my guides (NatGeo and Kaufmann) show to be in range in winter and would enjoy seeing:


Gambel's Quail
Montezuma Quail (seen in AZ before I was a birder)
Scaled Quail
Black Vulture
Harris's Hawk
Crested CaraCara
Ruddy Ground-dove
Inca Dove
White-winged Dove
Whiskered Screech-owl
Ferruginous Pygmy owl
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Magnificent Hummingbird
Elegant Trogon
Green Kingfisher
Gila Woodpecker
Gilded Flicker
Arizona Woodpecker
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Mexican Jay
Chihuahuas RVen
Juniper Titmouse
Mexican Chickadee
Bridled Titmouse
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Le Conte's Thrasher
Crissal Thrasher
Bendire's Thrasher
Sage Thrasher
Curve-billed Thrasher
Sprague's Pipit
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Painted Redstart
Olive Warbler
Hepatic Tanager
Canyon Towhee
Abert's Towhee
Cassin's Sparrow
Rufous-winged Sparrow
Baird's Sparrow
Lark Bunting
Yellow-eyed Junvo
McCown's Longspur
Chestnut-collared Longspur
Pyrrhuloxia
Bronzed Cowbird
Scott's Oriole
Rufous-capped Warbler



Just off the top of my head.

I know my chances for getting a lot of these birds are relatively low, for example Baird's Sparrow, but I'd like to give it a shot anyway so please no one say something like, "HA! You're never going to get Baird's Sparrow during winter!"

I'll be doing plenty of my own research as well! Advice from birders on this forum is usually much more helpful though.

Thanks a ton!!!!
Chiccadee
 
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OK, one more question: eBird data reports show that a lot of other specialty birds my field guides say aren't in range for winter are consistently there during January, with the same commodity as a lot of birds I out on the above list. I'm wondering if these are just a couple stray birds that stay a long time, common winter vagrants, or a small population of overwintering individuals. If the last one, where can you find them? Thanks!

I'll list them here:
Broad-tailed Hummer
Blue-throated Hummer
Greater Pewee
Nutting's Flycatcher (I thought there was only 3 confirmed reports in AZ?)
Dusky-capped Flycacther
Rose-throated Becard
Louisiana Waterthrush
Orchard Oriole
Harris' Sparrow
 
My only experience in AZ was a stay at the American Museum of Natural History's South West Research Station in the Chiricahua Mountains south east of Tucson.
The facilities are excellent and inexpensive and the birding is wonderful.

http://research.amnh.org/swrs/visitor/birding-paradise

Do note they have limited space for non researchers and that a car of your own is an essential unless you are part of a tour. I had an excellent guide,
P D Hulce , email: [email protected] 866 900-1146
 
There are 2 sight finding guides to the area and i would recommend getting 1 if you can before you visit. I have the ABA/lane book, and found it very usefull for my only trip(albeit in may!). Cant remember off the top of my head who the other book is by but also looked good when i had a quick flick through it! Also the arizona and new mexico listserv is very good for current locations of unusual species/vagrants that are present, aswell as ebird of course.

For le conte's and sage thrashers you may need to visit 'the thrasher spot', west of phoenix, near buckeye, at the junction of baseline road and the salome highway, bendire's and crissal thrasher also occur there.
For mexican chickadee you will need to visit the chiricahua mountains near portal.
Nutting's Flycatcher are just SE of lake havasu at bill williams refuge
Ferruginous Pygmy-owl are at organ pipe cactus monument
(I didn't visit any of these areas so cant say what they're like!)
Otherwise i would have thought a good proportion of those species could be found on a tucson-nogales-patagonia-sierra vista route with a lot of planning and good luck!
Think at least the becard and green kingfisher no longer occur in AZ except as vagrants
Rufous-capped warblers were in florida and hunter canyons this year although they gave me the slip!
 
Hi chiccadee,

SE Arizona is pretty great in the winter- there are a number of montane specialties that are not present at that time, but it's a beautiful time of the year and it can be easy to find many of the year-round or winter residents. For many of the rarer species, including all the species listed in your second post, you will need to check the listserv (aznmbirds- subscribe at https://list.arizona.edu/sympa/info/aznmbirds or view at http://birding.aba.org/maillist/AZ) or eBird for up-to-date information, because they are unpredictable and/or not present every winter. Below are a few suggestions for the other species on your list:

Any lowland desert site should get you Abert's Towhee, Curve-billed Thrasher, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, and many others on your list.- consider Agua Caliente park in Tucson (I almost always see Harris' Hawk in the surrounding neighborhoods), or Catalina State Park, or Saguaro National Park. Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson also has many of these birds, and tends to attract vagrant warblers such as Louisiana Waterthrush.

Madera Canyon: with patience you can usually see Broad-billed and Magnificent Hummingbirds, and sometimes Olive Warbler, at the lodge feeders, and there's often an Elegant Trogon or Painted Redstart along the trails- check for up-to-date information. Bridled Titmouse is found year-round here and Mexican Jay is impossible to miss. Check the grasslands at the base of the canyon for Rufous-winged Sparrow- usually easy to find at Florida Wash.

Nutting's Flycatcher has spent the last several winters near Lake Havasu- I haven't personally gone to see it, but you can find updated info on eBird or the listserv.

The San Rafael grasslands is the best place for Baird's Sparrow and Chestnut-collared Longspur in the winter, but be aware that both are hard to find, and it's difficult to bird the area because much of it is on private land and thus you are confined to the road. Chihuahuan Raven is common here.

Mexican Chickadee is found only in the Chiricahuas- the South Fork of Cave Creek area is the most reliable spot in the winter, but that area is currently closed due to flood damage. Check the listserv for updates, or check eBird for alternative locations with mid-winter sightings- their high-elevation breeding areas are likely to be snowed in and closed in January. If you choose to include the Chiricahuas, you can also get many of the same species that are possible at Madera Canyon. The Portal-Paradise road passes through habitat that is good for Crissal Thrasher and Canyon Towhee, and possibly Juniper Titmouse.

The best place for Le Conte's Thrasher is the "thrasher spot" located west of Phoenix- google "thrasher spot" for directions. This spot is also good for Bendire's and Sage Thrashers.

Just a few ideas, I'd be happy to provide additional information.
 
Thanks for the ideas guys, they're all really helpful. I heard that the Green Kingfishers are being sighted still as much as they were before but the becards have stopped coming regularly for a couple years now. Also, do the pair of Least Grebes on the lake (forgot the name) stay all year? If they do then I'll give it a shot. Will Ramsey Canyon or Kino Springs be worth my time or will it just be a waste of time in winter ( and I hate using eBird for finding this kind of stuff out, it can give such an inaccurate representation) Also, Sprague's Pipit is a big WANT of mine...I know they're hard to get... any particular places?
Thanks again,
Chiccadee

Edit: apparently the Least Grebes do stay the winter, yay.
 
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The Nutting's can be tough to get, depending on how well the County repairs the only road into the area (the road is currently in bad shape due to monsoon rains), and where the bird(s) are showing. The last few years one was showing regularly next to Planet Ranch Road; you could just park and hang out along the road listening. More recently, it has been a tougher tick. The area, although beautiful, is a tangle of trees, brush, and trails that would be easy for one to get lost. There was a Nutting's sighting on the AZ/NM listserve today at Bill Williams River NWR. FYI, the Christmas bird counts are Dec. 30 and 31 for Bill Williams River NWR and Havasu NWR, respectively.
 
Some very good info in this thread. I can add a bit...

Much of the best winter birding here is in the lowlands, with two of the most productive sites being the Santa Cruz Flats and Sulphur Springs Valley. Canyons can be very quiet in winter, but you'll have to visit one or two to try for Painted Redstart, Elegant Trogon, etc. My recommendations would be Huachuca Canyon in Huachucas and Madera Canyon in the Santa Ritas, both well ahead of Ramsey Canyon. Kino Springs is worth a visit anytime, but it's not a big site so won't take long and can be combined with anywhere else in Santa Cruz County, such as Tubac, Rio Rico, and Patagonia.

Not many trogons overwinter, but it seems like there are more each year (still only a handful though). They often winter at different sites to their breeding grounds, although there are occasional winter reports from Madera Canyon (often hard to find) and they've wintered in Huachuca Canyon the past couple of years. Strictly wintering sites include Patagonia Lake and Florida Canyon.

Green Kingfisher has become a genuine rarity over the past ten years and they are no longer seen reliably. There are perhaps one or two casual records per year, usually on the San Pedro or Santa Cruz rivers. Far from guaranteed, a long shot sadly.

Likewise Rose-throated Becard. There were a couple of oddball winter records in 2009 and 2010, but the breeding birds have not been back since 2007.

There is only one record of Nutting's Flycatcher from SE Arizona, the famous one at Patagonia Lake in winter 1996/7. All recent records have come from western Arizona.

Sprague's Pipit is extremely difficult to find. I've been here for 12 years, and birded full-time as a guide and tour leader for the last five, and I've still never seen one. If you spend multiple days walking the accessible parts of the San Rafael Valley, you might hit the jackpot, but it's a big long shot. I don't think they're even reported every year.

Baird's Sparrow is at the same site. The best way to see those is at first light, as the sparrows tend to pop out of the grass and perch on roadside fences if there's been overnight dew or frost.

The long-staying Rufous-capped Warblers, Sinaloa Wrens, Black-capped Gnatcatchers, etc., are still all around.

Rick Taylor's excellent ABA/Lane guide (2005) is now way out of date. The Tucson Audubon equivalent, Finding Birds in SE Arizona (2011, new edition due in 2015), is a much better bet these days.

It should be noted that SE Arizona is a big place, and some of the sites mentioned are in other parts of the state, several hours drive from the SE corner. Lake Havasu is in Western Arizona, the thrasher spot is in central Arizona, Organ Pipe in southern central Arizona but a long way from anywhere. The Chiricahuas, while in SE Arizona, are 3+ hours from Tucson.

Finally, if you need a birding guide while you're here.... ;)
 
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Oh, Least Grebes - they have been at Pena Blanca Lake, peaking at 27 birds a few years ago. Unfortunately, our wonderful Game & Fish dept. introduced aggressive, non-native, predatory large-mouth bass (despite knowing the consequences for the grebes) and subsequently they were down to one bird last year, which hasn't been seen lately. There may be one still at Pena Blanca, but it's difficult to access much of the lake so it's a bit of an unknown as to whether there's still one around.

However, I did find my own Least Grebes earlier this year, a breeding pair with three young on a pond on the way to California Gulch (called California Gulch Dam), past Pena Blanca Lake along Ruby Road. This is the first time they've been proved breeding in Arizona away from Pena Blanca Lake, and are probably the only ones in the state at the moment. It's not the easiest place to get to, but should be doable in winter in a high clearance vehicle (the puddles and running water shouldn't be an issue in winter unless there have been big, recent rains). Details here: http://www.arizonabirder.com/2014/08/california-gulch-least-grebes/
 
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Oh, Least Grebes - they have been at Pena Blanca Lake, peaking at 27 birds a few years ago. Unfortunately, our wonderful Game & Fish dept. introduced aggressive, non-native, predatory large-mouth bass (despite knowing the consequences for the grebes) and subsequently they were down to one bird last year, which hasn't been seen lately. There may be one still at Pena Blanca, but it's difficult to access much of the lake so it's a bit of an unknown as to whether there's still one around.

However, I did find my own Least Grebes earlier this year, a breeding pair with three young on a pond on the way to California Gulch (called California Gulch Dam), past Pena Blanca Lake along Ruby Road. This is the first time they've been proved breeding in Arizona away from Pena Blanca Lake, and are probably the only ones in the state at the moment. It's not the easiest place to get to, but should be doable in winter in a high clearance vehicle (the puddles and running water shouldn't be an issue in winter unless there have been big, recent rains). Details here: http://www.arizonabirder.com/2014/08/california-gulch-least-grebes/

OK, I read a friend's trip report who saw the pair this summer on Pena Blanca-that's a pity about the largemouth bass, there's the G&F department for you. |:|| I will definitely check out the pond. Thanks for a advice
 
The Sinaloa Wren at Tubac is presumably still there. I haven't heard any news of it for a few days, but all the locals have seen it and there aren't many visitors this time of year, so it doesn't get looked for/reported much.

It's usually a royal pain in the backside to see! They are very elusive, skulking birds, and at Tubac you're prevented from exploring its habitat by a barbed wire fence, so you have to wait patiently on the trail and hope that it pops into view. On the plus side, it's usually pretty close to the trail, and is often fairly vocal, allowing you to track its movements.

It really pays to know the vocalizations of this bird. It's not on any of the birding apps (that I'm aware of) so go to Xeno-Canto to hear recordings, some of which are of this specific bird: http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Thryophilus-sinaloa. I can't stress enough how useful it is to know these vocalizations, especially the 'ratchet' call and the more buzzy trill it does regularly. The song is stunning, unlike anything else around here, and will really stand out, but it doesn't do it that often.

My attempts to see the wren - probably more than 30 times now - have resulted in everything from seeing it easily within a minute (a couple of weeks ago) to waiting for hours on end with no sight or sound of it, so I'd say you'll want to plan for a bit of patience, and if you get it quickly, all the better.

The exact location has been mentioned on various listservs, eBird, etc., but it's basically where the power lines cross the river and there's a break in the big trees, along the Anza Trail, 0.8 miles south of the bridge on Bridge Rd in Tubac. The trail starts around the corner from the bridge on the west side of the river, just off Bridge Rd. You can also access the site from the south, Clark Crossing Rd, which is about the same distance. You have to park on the Frontage Rd here and walk along Clark Crossing Rd to the Anza Trail, as it's private property and birders only have permission to walk, and not drive/park on Clark Crossing Rd itself. There is another way to access the site from the Barrio de Tubac neighborhood, which involves parking in the neighborhood and possibly annoying the residents, so I don't tend to recommend that option (unless you have trouble walking or you're as lazy as I am!)

Good luck! And, as I always say, if you need a guide.... ;)
 
Back to the Green Kingfisher... there's one (a very smart male) being seen regularly on the San Pedro River at San Pedro House near Sierra Vista, for the last week or so. This is the first one for a while and, by the reports I'm reading, probably the most reliable one in Arizona in many years.

It's usually found around marker #6 and #7 along the river. You'll get the latest details from San Pedro House or the AZ/NM birding listserv.

I haven't been yet, but I'll get the chance to try for it in a week or so. I'm keeping my fingers crossed as it will be a new year bird for me, as well as a new Cochise County bird. But my luck with Green Kingfisher, especially at this site, is predictably terrible, so I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes. Wish me luck...
 
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