Help for possible trip to SE AZ end of Aug :) (1 Viewer)

[tyrannulet]

My dad and I are going down to SE Arizona and would like a little help with locating some birds and possibly a hotel in Portal. We will be getting in late on the 25th and leaving late on the 1st of September and plan to do some hard core birding as we always do . We have been down to this area 4 times before, though we have never been over to the chiricahuas. A couple of the birds we have missed, well quite a few of them. Weevil failed on the Buff-breasted Flycatcher he promised over and over again, and I told him I would always remind him :king:

We will be staying in Green Valley, at a house of someone that my dad knows and will be spending one night in Portal so we can bird the Chiricahuas =)

So here are the lists (do not require to see them all, but would like to see as many as possible):

Montezuma Quail
Northern Bobwhite
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Flammulated Owl
Whiskered Screech-Owl
Buff-collared Nightjar
Whip-poor-will
Lesser Nighthawk
Berylline Hummingbird
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Greater Pewee
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Thick-billed Kingbird
Juniper Titmouse
Mexican Chickadee
Sinaloa Wren (if still there)
Black-capped Gnatcatcher (if still there)
Brown-backed Solitaire (if still there)
Aztec Thrush (again, if still there)
Red-faced Warbler
Olive Warbler
Varied Bunting
Five-striped Sparrow


My dad added a few to the list:
Three-toed Woodpecker
American Black-backed Woodpecker
Le Conte's Thrasher
Brown Thrasher
Sage Thrasher
Virginia's Warbler
Flame-colored Tanager
Lawrence's Goldfinch
Allen's Hummingbird
Black Swift

... I think he just went down his list of what he has not seen... and added them at random xD (The two woodpeckers are not there, the LC thrasher I think is too far north and west. The other thrashers are not there either.... Black Swift is not there and I think the Tanager has not been reported for a a while. The goldfinch is there later... so of those I think only the warbler and the hummingbird are even present though the hummer is a MAJOR longshot and near impossible to ID... Just my thoughts =P)


I realize that this would require a lot of typing, but any help would be greatly appreciated. I have the "A Birder's Guide to Southeastern Arizona" by Richard Cachor Taylor, but also want other peoples help. Much appreciated, thank you! =)

 

[prattw]

Tyrannulet,

I just passed through that area, so I can perhaps be of some help. First, the monsoon rains this summer have been disappointing and population levels seem to be down in many areas of the Chiricahuas. Warblers in particular were disapointing. I spoke with one experienced Chiricahua birder who had camped a week at Rustler Park and saw a single juvenile Olive Warbler. In my 24 hours there I had a brief glimpse of a couple of Grace's Warblers. On the way down, though, we both encountered Short-tailed Hawks, in Upper Cave Creek Cayon, so we can't complain, that was a great bit of luck.

In S Fork Cave Creek I saw Painted Redstart, Black-throated Gray Warbler (1 each of the warblers), otherwise fairly good birding along flowing parts of the creek. Along Herb Martyr Rd, S of the SW Research Station, I missed the Buff-bellied Flycatcher but saw several Montezuma Quail. The Station itself is a good birding area, and there is a list of recent sightings posted on the Administrative Office door. There've been a couple of first US sightings in the Chiricahuas this year. A female Flame-colored Tanager nested on the Station this year. On 4 August the young had fledged, but I got a brief glimpse of the female, and others saw it well enough to list. I also saw Dusky-capped Flycatcher on the Station. Some other birders saw Mexican Chickadee and Juniper Titmouse along the Paradise Road while we were in the area.

The Chiricahuas aren't a very good locality to see Thick-billed Kingbird, for that try the rest area south of Patagonia. I saw half a dozen there on 5 and 6 August, as well as a number of Varied Bunting. You're going to be right at the end of their summer presence, though. (The Kingbird, the Buntings linger well into September.)

I believe that the Sinalaoa Wren report was from the Nature Conservancy's Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, at least one was reported from there and I understand was still about around 6 August, though I was unable to get to the refuge.

Hope this is of some help,

Will

 

[tyrannulet]

Thank you very much Will, that will help a lot

I don't know if I made it clear enough it seems, I will be over in the madera canyon area for most of the time. We plan to visit california gulch, patagonia, madera canyon, ramsey canyon and other areas of the huachucas, along with the chiricahua mountains


another question for whoever sees it, how far of a walk would it be if we were going to california gulch with a rental vehicle. We are more than willing to walk a couple miles if that is what it takes

 

[prattw]

another question for whoever sees it, how far of a walk would it be if we were going to california gulch with a rental vehicle. We are more than willing to walk a couple miles if that is what it takes

Assuming that your rental vehicle is not high-clearance, and preferably 4-wheel drive, it's a 3 1/2 mile walk in along FR-217. If you do have a 4wd vehicle, there is a parking area at each end of the old road in California Gulch.

Will

 

[cassowary]

Chiricahua area:

Buff-breasted Flycatcher -- very reliable - nr Rangers Station (responds to calls)

Montezuma Quail same place as BB fly (gravel road) is one of the best spots for this species (early morning). Greater Pewee & Dusky-capped Flycatcher same place v-reliable

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher dry river gulleys around portal - reliable

Mexican Chickadee rustlers Park / road to barfoot park -reliable

Olive Warbler - near junction where road divides to go to barfoot bark /rustler park - reliable.

Whiskered Screech-Owl - v reliable apr - aug- probably dispersed now/ not calling eg outside stewarts campground

Pygmy-Owl -South Fork (not allowed to use calls here) also Onion saddle on the way to rustlers park

Flammulated owl - doubtful it will be calling now.

whip-poor will everywhere eg: stewarts campground

The locals should be able to help. V. friendly place.

about 1/3 of the species you mentioned are not all that reliable in the area

Feel free to PM me

 

[njlarsen]

Sorry for not seeing this earlier: I had Blue-throated hummer as late as oct. 17 2005, on an early walk in the village, probably at some of the feeders.

Niels