Arizona

Arizona - February 2007

by Mike King

This was to be a winter holiday with Bridgette and Michael and his girlfriend, Claire. As usual I would be birding, mostly in the early mornings with one or two full days out and a day with Martin Blick and Carol Williams from Durham who I met up with on the 11th. The weather remained sunny and warm throughout both weeks but with one or two overnight frosts. The weather varied from Phoenix at about 24°C, Sedona, where we stayed at about 18°C, a bit like an English summer without the rain and Flagstaff up to the Grand Canyon at about 12°C, often with snow. It did rain on the 10th for half a day, which made the news headlines. I had set myself seven lifers to find on this trip - Greater Roadrunner and Coyote, California Condor, Vermillion Flycatcher, American Dipper, Burrowing Owl and any hummingbird. How did I do? Read on. Life ticks are in CAPITALS.

Day 1 - Sat 3rd Feb 2007 Car, Coach, Train, Plane, Bus and Car but no birds

We got up very early and started the long journey to Sedona in Arizona, first with a lift to Cheltenham with Bridgette's mum then a coach to Heathrow. It was a fairly uneventful journey brightened by my first Red Kite of the year near Junction 14 of the M4 and also a couple of Buzzards. On arrival at Heathrow we took the train to Terminal 4 and caught a British Airways flight on a Boeing 747-400. It was due to leave at about 1pm but was nearly an hour late leaving. The 5264 mile flight took about ten hours and the lost time all bar 15 minutes was made up. It was daylight all the way and was interesting to see the frozen wastes of Greenland, then the Gulf of St Lawrence, Saskatchewan, the Rockies and eventually Grand Canyon before landing at Sky Harbor International.

We landed at about 4pm Eastern time and got a bus to the car rental centre. We had a wrangle with Dollar car rental, first getting a car with a SatNav that didn't work, then this was replaced with another vehicle, which although brand new about the only thing that did work was the SatNav. We travelled all the way to Sedona at about 6000 revs, not being able to get it to go over 55mph. It had become dark during the wait for the car so we had not seen a single bird yet, not even a pigeon. We slumped into bed at about 10pm even though our body clocks were seven hours behind.

Day 2 - Sun 4th Feb 2007 Blankety-Blank and Beep! Beep!

I came out of the apartment at first light at about 7:15pm and was met with a very cold frost and an out of body feeling. I had had a 24 hour bug of some sort and my body clock was still at midnight. The first bird I saw was completely anonymous to look at and I just went blank, the second bird was vaguely familiar but I couldn't place that either. Concentrate I thought!, the first bird looked like a Corn Bunting to some extent, the arrival of three red males made everything clearer, HOUSE FINCH. The other bird was still chipping quietly but then turned and showed it's lemon rump, Yellow-rumped Warbler, but not a well-marked one. I decided to walk south towards the village of Oak Creek. The next bird up was an easy one, an American Robin, although the first one I'd seen in the USA. Then came two more lifers, a dozen CHIPPING SPARROWS and a HAIRY WOODPECKER. Around the Sheriff's Office I had some American Crows, House Sparrows, 17 Cedar Waxwings, also a USA first, having seen the Nottingham bird in 1996 and then ten GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES, about eight pairs of Mourning Doves and a JUNIPER TITMOUSE. I arrived at a supermarket and bought some supplies. In the car park were five WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, and on the return trip I had a lone Starling and a male and three female LESSER GOLDFINCHES. Outside the apartments heard an unusual song and immediately, to my delight, located a male ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD.

I went back in with the breakfast supplies and we asked the nice people at Dollar to remove the death trap that they had given us and bring out a new car. They were obliging but couldn't get us a new car until about 4pm. So we were resigned to a local day which suited all of us after yesterday's long journey. I wandered around the grounds and added a couple of WESTERN SCRUB JAYS, three DARK-EYED JUNCOS and a Northern Flicker. I also saw a Cloudless Sulphur butterfly and a new mammal - two DESERT COTTONTAILS, small rabbits (pic left).

I decided to wander further afield and I headed off north, within half a mile I arrived at Bell Rock Vista and Pathway, a reserve in the shadow of Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte (see pics below).

In the car park I found a SAY'S PHOEBE, flycatching from a post. As I walked onto the reserve a party of 10+ tits flitted through making contact calls, they were BUSHTITS, a lot like Blue Tits but all blue-grey. Just after this I heard a wren mobbing something and as with anywhere in the world I went to investigate. Wrens are fierce little creatures and I could be up for two ticks. I found the wren first, it was long-tailed and proved to be a BEWICK'S WREN. I wonder how he got a wren and a swan named after especially with such a wide geographical gap? I peered into the bush to see what it was mobbing, at first I saw nothing but then part of the bush raised a crest, in shock I took just one photo, it was a GREATER ROADRUNNER (see pic below left). I thought shouldn't you be running, it took one look at me and it was, tearing off through the undergrowth like an Olympic sprinter. I was elated to get my major target on the first morning. As you can see from the pic it was amazingly camouflaged and without the wren's help I would have probably missed it.

I returned to our apartment to share my good news. We took a stroll along a dry stream bed which ran adjacent to the grounds and I found a covey of 10+ delightful GAMBEL'S QUAIL. They were quite brightly coloured and the males were adorned with a question-mark shaped feather atop their heads. Next we found a CANYON TOWHEE, identified by it's plain face and it's double-scratch technique of searching through the leaf litter. A couple of Ravens flew over, which were a U.S.tick and by far more common than crows. A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was flitting around the tree outside our apartment and a series of holes with sap streaming indicated the presence of a woodpecker. I sat down with a cup of tea and didn't have too long to wait before the culprit appeared. It was a RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER (see pic below right). I watched it making another hole to take the sap. Our resident Yellow-rumped Warbler was also taking advantage of the streaming sap provided by the woodpecker and regularly flew up into the tree to partake. Not a bad start so far 17 lifers and three U.S. ticks as well. I decided that I was going to like Arizona a lot. The frost had now gone and the sun was very warm in blue skies. We decided to take to the pool during the afternoon. We were very lucky with the weather and found that probably only Arizona, California and Hawaii were not suffering from extremes of weather as were all the rest of the States.

In the evening Bridgette and I walked back up to Bell Rock Vista and watched the red rocks change colour with the setting sun. The only new trip bird was a Cooper's Hawk which flew through at dusk. 12 Western Bluebirds were notable, showing brilliant blue in the evening light. Also a small bat was probably a WESTERN PIPISTRELLE.

Day 3 - Mon 5th Feb 2007 Going up, 6000 feet and Snow

I walked up to Bell Rock Vista at first light and found last night's Cooper's Hawk roosting in a tree by the car park. This morning I had decided to walk the trail all the way around Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock. At birding pace it took me three hours. There was plenty to see and my first lifers were three WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS near the park entrance with a Chipping Sparrow. To be honest every bird was a highlight as it was only my second day here, but on the walk out two male Anna's Hummingbirds were particularly enjoyable (see pic left). I even managed a few record shots. As it quickly became hot I didn't carry my scope and tripod so a lot of my photos were just handheld record shots, some better than others. Hummingbirds were very difficult to photograph but I did have better luck later in the holiday.

I put up a BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBIT and saw two more Desert Cottontails. The high point of the morning came as I was walking along the base of Courthouse Butte, I rounded a large bush and came face to face with a COYOTE just 20 feet away. I thought "Wow, this is brilliant!", then a second appeared and then a third, and I thought "Maybe this isn't brilliant after all". I tried to reach for my camera, but in an instant they all turned and high-tailed it off through the brush. I met a dog-walker later and she said that Coyotes never threaten humans but will surround and harass small dogs. After passing the halfway point I stopped for a drink and to eat an apple, I just sat quietly and a CRISSAL THRASHER appeared in the undergrowth together with a SPOTTED TOWHEE, two lifers together. Also both Hairy Woodpecker and Northern Flicker were in nearby bushes. To be honest the second half of the walk was mostly unproductive as the sun was still behind the rock, which made it a good deal colder especially with some lingering ice and snow on the ground. As I returned for breakfast the Roadrunner was lurking along the back of some gardens along the edge of the reserve with three Gambel's Quail.

Before we went in Sedona for the day I checked the gardens by the apartments and found a pair of Northern Cardinals which were new for the holiday.

We had a Mexican meal for lunch in Sedona and after a couple of hours sight-seeing and shopping we decided to take a drive up Oak Creek Canyon to take in the scenery. We drove up the canyon until at 6419 feet we arrived at Oak Creek Vista, which had an Indian Market and was above the snow-line. Dark-eyed Juncos (pic left) were much in evidence with 10+ birds in a variety of plumages including two black-faced birds of the Slate-coloured variety and several of the Oregon type. A variety of unusual chacking noises were traced to an American Robin and a Raven fed on scraps in the car park. The best bird though was a dainty PYGMY NUTHATCH, a much-wanted lifer, very like our Nuthatch but much smaller.

So today was quieter with four new birds and two new mammals with the Coyotes as the highlight.

Day 4 - Tue 6th Feb 2007 Avian fireworks and Tlaquepaque

This morning Bridgette joined me for a walk around Red Rock Vista. No new species here but nevertheless a good selection was seen, including a flock of five American Robins and 12 Western Bluebirds. The highlight of the morning came as we arrived at a dry riverbed at the east end of Courthouse Butte. We hear a loud ping call and couldn’t at first place what it was. On looking around we saw one of the most amazing bird sights we had ever seen. It was a male Anna’s Hummingbird displaying to a female. It first made the loud call, too loud for such a tiny bird, it then went straight up to about forty feet, hovered briefly then dropped like a stone to near the female at the top of the bush, then it gave another loud ping and repeated the performance. It did this at least ten times. It was completely entrancing and almost as if the hummer was on a bungee rope. It was like an avian firework display.

As we returned to Bell Rock Inn a loud honking drew our attention skywards – a gaggle of geese were approaching in V-formation. There were twenty GREATER CANADA GEESE and two SNOW GEESE. Both species lifers, even though I had obviously seen introduced Canada’s and spurious Snow Geese in Britain.

After breakfast we all went to the Tlaquepaque complex in Sedona; this was a collection of very nice shops and art galleries. We were particularly taken by the work of Chris Navarro www.chrisnavarro.com, which comprised of many very accurate wildlife sculptures, some life-sized (see pic below of an Elk - $54000.00 if you want one for the garden). From one of the galleries overlooking the creek I saw the first Mallards of the holiday and taking a short wander upstream I found a BLACK PHOEBE. After an hour or so we ate lunch and I saw the only lizard of the holiday, an ORNATE TREE LIZARD (Urosaurus ornatus) (pic below), on the wall of the restaurant.

At the adjacent resort of Los Abrigados they have a small bird reserve called Mia’s Place. Bridgette and I sat and watched 30+ Lesser Goldfinches coming to feeders together with a couple of Grey Squirrels (pic below) and a Hairy Woodpecker. A small flock of six American Robins sat in a nearby tree. We saw a pair of Gadwall, a male Goosander, a Pied-billed Grebe and a Redhead which all were added to the trip list, the three species of duck were all USA ticks. A Great Blue Heron, which flew over, was also a trip tick.

Day 5 - Wed 7th Feb 2007 Montezuma's Well and Castle

This morning I took a different route and walk around the top of Oak Creek Village. I saw a lot of what were probably commoner birds for the area. Notable amongst these were a covey of ten Gambel's Quail, three Anna's Hummingbirds, ten Cedar Waxwings and a skein of 12 Greater Canada Geese flew over. I also managed two lifers, the first set me digging in my rucksack for a field guide but the second was unmistakable. The first bird was a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, which although a member of the Thrush family didn't look like one. An attractive grey bird about the size of our Song Thrush but looking a bit like a cross between a Jay and a flycatcher. The second bird I instantly recognised but had not expected to see one this far north so early in the year. It was a PHAINOPEPLA (see pic below). It looked like a black cardinal.

I decided that there was nothing else for me around the village so I headed off towards Red Rock Vista, but this morning I walked the area on the other side of the road from the park. There were good numbers of birds here too, noticeably another covey of 10+ Gambel's Quail, 10+ Western Scrub Jays, two Bewick's Wrens and four Bushtits. I also managed two more lifers here. The first was a ROCK WREN, which stayed on the ground for much of the time feeding under scrubby bushes and cacti. Eventually it perched and sang its buzzy little song and bounced like a Dipper.

The other new bird seemed completely misplaced in this area. It was a WESTERN MEADOWLARK. It perched on top a bush and gave a short burst of song before flying off in the direction of Bell Rock. It was unmistakable with its lemon-yellow breast with prominent black V marking. To be honest it looked exactly the same as Eastern Meadowlarks that I had seen previously in Florida. Pleased with the morning so far I went home for breakfast. Today we had decided to visit Montezuma’s Well and Castle, the first not really a well and the second not really a castle. On the short ride there we saw the first American Kestrel of the holiday, a male, was on wires at McGuireville. However the well did have a good selection of waterbirds. There were 27 American Wigeon (U.S. tick), 17 males and ten females, five Shovelers (U.S. tick), four American Coot, a pair of Mallards and two female Ring-necked Ducks (U.S. tick). Around the fringes was a Rock Wren and a Black Phoebe. As we moved away from the well down a footpath I found a VERDIN, an attractive warbler-like bird with a bright yellow face, a lifer for me. There was also a good selection of sparrows including two more lifers. There were six Chipping Sparrows, a LINCOLN’S SPARROW, two White-crowned Sparrows and most attractive of all a singing male BLACK-THROATED SPARROW (see pic below). In the well itself were also four SONORAN MUD TURTLES, not sure how they got down there, an underground passage presumably.

We moved on to Montezuma’s Castle, which was only a short distance away. It was very quiet here birdwise (just two birds) but it was around midday when we arrived. The two birds seen were a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a Lincoln's Sparrow (see pic below). What I thought was another bird, which called constantly from the cliff face turned out to be a CLIFF CHIPMUNK. A very attractive, hyperactive little mammal, which was enjoyed by all. I also had a new butterfly, a MOURNING CLOAK, a slightly larger version of our Camberwell Beauty and a Sleepy Orange (see pic below), which I had previously seen in Florida.

The rest of the day was a lazy one but I did see another Western Pipistrelle around the car park in the evening.

Montezuma's Castle and Well below.

Day 6 - Thu 8th Feb 2007 Grand Canyon - Awesome!

Today we had booked a 50 minute flight around Grand Canyon with Papillon Helicopters so we had an early start for the two hour journey north. Just south of Oak Creek the only Loggerhead Shrike of the holiday was perched up on a roadside bush. It was a fairly quiet journey north birdwise but there were three new species for the holiday list on the way - Feral Pigeons (Rock Doves) in Flagstaff, a Northern Harrier beside the I180 at Mile 261 and an adult Golden Eagle (U.S. tick) perched on top of a pine at Mile 230. We stopped for the eagle and had excellent close views.

Soon after we arrived at the airport for our mid-morning flight. We were weighed on check-in in order to assign seats in the 7-seater chopper (including the pilot). The flight was brilliant first going out over the Kaibab National Forest, the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the U.S.A. and then skirting the Painted Desert and on into the Grand Canyon itself. The word awesome is used a lot, about the state of Welsh Rugby for example, but trust the Grand Canyon is the only thing I have ever seen that really is Awesome! It is huge, multi-coloured and absolutely spectacular. We could see that many of the roads through the forest were closed due to snow. The flight was over too soon and as we flew back towards the airport a huge flock of 500+ Ravens rose out of the trees.

After the flight we drove towards Grand Canyon Village, where we had lunch at Pizza Hut next to the Visitor Centre and we bought a weekly pass to enter the park, $25 for 7 days for a car with four people. Two Great-tailed Grackles scavenged for scraps under the tables here. The Ranger advised me the best point to try for California Condor would be at Hermit's Rest where two pairs were prospecting for nest sites.

We drove to Hermit's Rest, the furthest point west, 16 miles from the park entrance. A ROCK SQUIRREL was sat on rocks appropriately outside the little shop there. We spent quite a bit of time here but did not find Condors, only seeing a Western Scrub Jay, two Dark-eyed Juncos and two Spotted Towhees and many Ravens, a large Buzzard-type raptor flew through chased by Ravens but I couldn't i/d it. I spoke to another Ranger and he suggested we try Hopi Point where the Condors were monitored daily.

We left and drove back east, a Peregrine flew over at Mojave Point. We arrived at Hopi Point at 3:30pm but couldn't see any Condors, just as we were about to leave I spotted two birders about 100m east from the car park. We walked up to them and asked what they were doing. "Just watching Condors" was the reply. A real stroke of luck as we were about to give up. Over the next half an hour we managed to see a pair of CALIFORNIA CONDORS together and another three flying around. One of the guy's name was Roger who had tracking gear and said he was employed by the park to monitor the Condors. What a great job! He said there were currently at least twelve near us, not all in view. They were unfortunately a long way down, at this time of year the lack of thermals means they stay in the bottom of the canyon. However the pair were fairly close and gave reasonable perched scoped views. The male becoming quite frisky at one point and started displaying.

We drove back to Market Plaza in the centre of the park to by some food. On the way five MULE DEER were beside the road in the trees. Whilst the others went shopping I disappeared into the woods. I heard a few contact calls so I tried pishing. This produced five Pygmy Nuthatches, a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, two Juniper Titmice and a MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE. A very profitable twenty minutes.

The final bird of the day just before dusk was a FERRUGINOUS HAWK atop a telegraph pole at Valle. Below are a few views of the canyon and one of the Ravens.

Day 7 - Fri 9th Feb 2007 Colourful Day - Vermillion and Cinnamon

Today I took an early walk around Red Rock Vista but on the left hand side of the road. I saw all the usual species the most notable being three Rock Wrens and a Bewick's Wren. I also found a small colony of 6+ Cliff Chipmunks and invested a good bit of time in trying to photograph them but they were just too quick and small.

After breakfast Bridgette and I set out on our own for Page Springs armed with info from Roger Radd regarding the whereabouts of a wintering Vermillion Flycatcher. As we drove past Page Springs Hatchery, a place we would return to later, I spotted an adult Bald Eagle, first of the week, on top of a dead tree. We arrived at the ranch in question and on seeing the owner we asked if he’d mind if we looked for the flycatcher along his fence line. He was very friendly and didn’t mind at all. However there was no sign and we just managed to add two Hermit Thrushes to the trip list (see pic left). Then as we were talking about eagles and the fact he hardly ever sees them the Hatchery (presumably) Bald Eagle flew over being chased by a Red-tailed Hawk, another trip tick. Also here 11 Greater Canada Geese flew over. We thanked him and drove back towards the hatchery. As we drew level with the horse paddocks Bridgette suggested we just give them a quick check. The first bird to pop into my bins was a vividly red male VERMILLION FLYCATCHER. Absolutely stunning, if a little distant and I managed a couple of record shots (see pics below). I called Bridgette to come over and she was suitably impressed. Also here were 6+ Western Bluebirds and a Northern Flicker.

Arriving back at the Hatchery nine male Ring-necked Ducks were sat on a tiny pond by the car park but flew off when we got out of the car. Initially the reserve seemed fairly quiet with only a few common species. However once we reached the track beside the river things improved markedly. A male Green-winged Teal on the river was a U.S. tick. Beyond the stile several species were feeding along the path. Two ABERT'S TOWHEES were feeding on the ground with three Canyon Towhees and a Spotted Towhee, 6+ Western Bluebirds were busy flycatching along with a Yellow-rumped Warbler and an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, which was so bright I initially thought it was Yellow Warbler until I noticed the broken eye-ring. A BROWN CREEPER crept up a riverside tree looking like a greyed-out version of our Treecreeper. There were also several White-crowned and Chipping Sparrows feeding amongst riverside vegetation, together with a SONG SPARROW and a Bewick's Wren. We actually met four American birders here, the first I had seen all trip. We could easily have spent another hour there but hunger was kicking in so we drove back to West Sedona for lunch. An AMERICAN PAINTED LADY flew in front of the car as we approached the main road.

After lunch we decided to head for Dead Horse Ranch (charming name), but as it was getting late when we arrived we went straight through to Tavasci March. We saw a few common species on the walk down to the lake including another Red-tailed Hawk, three Yellow-rumped Warblers and a Lincoln’s Sparrow. The lake was productive with two pairs of CINNAMON TEAL (pic 1 below), four Canvasbacks (U.S. tick) (pic 2 below), a male Green-winged Teal, 14 Ring-necked Ducks (8m, 6f) (pic 3 below), a Pied-billed Grebe and two American Coots.

Day 8 - Sat 10^thFebruary 2007 Quiet Day - Slide Rock

Today was a quiet day. An early check around the grounds was only notable for there now being two Anna’s Hummingbirds. After breakfast we went to Slide Rock State Park. In the small orchard there was a mixed flock of 50+ Dark-eyed Juncos and 10+ Western Bluebirds. Along the creek there was another Brown Creeper and a CANYON WREN was a welcome tick. The only other bird here was a male Goosander although a Mourning Cloak butterfly and a White-tailed Deer adult and fawn were notable. A flock of eight American Robins and a Cooper’s Hawk were in West Sedona. In the afternoon Bridgette and I took a drive around on our own and saw a Coyote along Red Rock loop road. At Crescent Moon Ranch two noisy GILA WOODPECKERS were a tick and a Hermit Thrush was also notable.

Day 9 - Sun 11^thFebruary 2007 Feels like home!

Today I was going birding with Martin Blick and Carol Williams from Durham in England. After breakfast I showed them around my patch at Bell Rock Vista. They managed to glimpse the Roadrunner but this time I missed it. A Rock Squirrel there was the first I had seen at that site. Other notables included a Verdin, a Crissal Thrasher, two Anna's Hummingbirds, two Bewick's Wrens and two Hermit Thrushes as well as all of the usual species.

Next I suggested that we went to Page Springs, as they were keen to see the Vermillion Flycatcher too. It wasn’t a problem and was again the first bird we saw. The terrain had changed somewhat since two days ago due to an irrigation overflow. This had attracted a nice flock of 15 AMERICAN PIPITS. Also notable here was three Killdeers, four Western Bluebirds (pic below), a Say’s Phoebe and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (pic below), which soon cleared the area of other species. A thunderstorm was rolling in the distance and gave warning of impending rain.

We drove back to the Hatchery where we had good views of two Gila Woodpeckers and a male American Kestrel was also notable.

Our next stop was Bubbling Ponds where the threatened rain started. A Great Egret was a surprise here, especially as it wasn’t on the species list for the reserve. A flock of twenty Red-winged Blackbirds, new for the trip, ten Starlings and a Great-tailed Grackle clamoured noisily from the top of a large tree and two Red-tailed Hawks circled distantly. We decided to head back to West Sedona and get some lunch.

After lunch we took a drive out into the country looking for Juniper Tank off FR525 but were not really able to find the place and Martin's car was not really mad for that terrain. It was still spitting with rain and the cloud was very low. However we found six Bushtits, which were a tick for Martin, a male Northern Cardinal stood out in the poor light, and a Peregrine flew through overhead. Another likely stop produced another Sharp-shinned Hawk but that was it so we gave up for the day. Martin and Carol dropped me in Sedona and headed off towards Grand Canyon, the next stop on their trip. I scanned the creek from Oak Creek Bridge but could only find a Black Phoebe, whilst I waited for Bridgette to pick me up. We drove up Schnebly Hill Road to take some photographs but the road was closed and the only bird was a Western Scrub Jay. We saw a flock of eleven American Robins on the outskirts of Sedona as we drove back home.

The day’s rain made the State news that evening, as it is a rare occurrence.

Day 10 - Mon 12^thFebruary 2007 Shopping!

Today I was out early again but because it was soggy underfoot I decided to walk around the village to start with. A female American Kestrel flew over as I set out and a little further on I found a Gila Woodpecker in a garden. Eventually after talking to a dog-walker who showed me another pathway into Bell Rock Vista I took his suggested route. The ground had drained quite well and was not too muddy. I immediately found a small flock of five Bushtits. A different call alerted me to a woodpecker in a low bush – it was a male LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, a few bushes away I found its mate. Also notable this morning was a good count of 21 Mourning Doves, a Cooper’s Hawk, two Crissal Thrashers and an adult male Ruby-crowned Kinglet with the ruby crown; the first one I had seen with the ruby crown which made it look like a different bird.

Today we spent the day in Flagstaff, mainly shopping. A Coyote played chicken running across the I17 at Mile 307 and on the return a Mule Deer was at Mile 314. I did try to find the wintering Eurasian Wigeon in Flagstaff but failed and we went to the Arboretum after shopping getting there a 4:55pm only to find it closed at 5pm. We had excellent views of a Ferruginous Hawk at Mile 312 on the way back whilst we stopped to watch the sun set.

Day 11 - Tue 13^thFebruary 2007 Birdfest

Today was probably the best day’s birding of the holiday. Michael and Claire wanted to see Scottsdale, a suburb of Phoenix, so Bridgette and I dropped them off and went instead to Gilbert Water Ranch, which is a reserve in the south of Phoenix.

Three Red-tailed Hawks and five Ferruginous Hawks were seen on the two-hour journey south. As we drove through Scottsdale a roadside lake held a Great Egret, a Great Blue Heron and fifty American Wigeon together with commoner species. A lake in Gilbert had two BLACK-NECKED STILTS, two Greater Canada Geese and another Great Egret. Great-tailed Grackles were being seen more regularly in these suburban areas than where we were staying to the north.

Martin had put me onto the fact that GWR had Burrowing Owls, a much-desired species for me. When we arrived there we picked up a free map and then it was non-stop birds all afternoon. Around the car park were several Anna’s Hummingbirds (pic of a female below) zipping around at high speed between the bushes.

The first large pond we came to was packed with birds including five Great Egrets, a Green Heron, a Snowy Egret, 17 Long-billed Dowitchers (U.S. tick), 16 Black-necked Stilts, 100+ Pintail (U.S. tick), a pair of Cinnamon Teal, c20 Green-winged Teal and a pair of stunning AMERICAN AVOCETS (pic below). Then in a dryer area to the right of the pond were three Wilson’s Snipe and two Killdeers. The first of four Turkey Vultures were overhead and a couple of Northern Mockingbirds called from the bushes. The next pond had 100 Least Sandpipers and a Northern Harrier quartered the fields beyond.

Then came another wader packed pond with 160 Long-billed Dowitchers, 100 Least Sandpipers, a Greater Yellowlegs and 20 Black-necked Stilts. The first of four Double-crested Cormorants flew over, a trip tick. Then we came to a gravelly area with pipes sunk into the ground, surrounded by a ring of stone about 20 feet in diameter and a sign asking people to keep out, and there sat by the pipe was my first BURROWING OWL (pics below). It was so close I had to move away to focus the camera and it seemed completely unconcerned by all the attention from birders and walkers.

A little later we saw another Burrowing Owl within one of these man-made nest sites. A local told us that they were having big problems with feral cats and earlier in the week one had killed an owl. Later we chased a cat off that was stalking through the bushes towards an owl site.

The next pond we came to had four NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS flying over it, a local birder said that they were the first of the spring, a further six were seen later. Also on this pond was a female HOODED MERGANSER, although I was pleased with the tick it was a shame it wasn’t a male. We searched for a Harris’s Sparrow that had been around earlier in the week but apparently it had now gone. I was also told a Streak-backed Oriole was on site, but I just missed it by fifteen minutes.

Returning along the track to the car park we found a CURVE-BILLED THRASHER under a bush. A nearby a flock of about 30 Red-winged Blackbirds had with them ten Peach-faced Lovebirds. We learnt that there was feral population in the area but they were not tickable but nevertheless they were very attractive little parrots. The final new bird of the trip was a Common Yellowthroat seen as I left the Oriole site and a covey of ten Gambel’s Quail were notable on the return to the car park.

Day 12 - Wed 14^thFebruary 2007 My final target and at last a Gull!

Today was Valentine’s Day and Bridgette and I decided to take off on our own and head for Grand Canyon again. We headed off up Oak Creek Canyon with me intent on finding my final target bird – American Dipper. We stopped at a couple of places on the way up. At Garland’s Crossing the creek looked perfect but there was only a Great Blue Heron, three pairs of Goosanders and two Ruby-crowned Kinglets. However we pulled in just before Forest Houses Resort and as I looked over the bank down to the creek I could see an AMERICAN DIPPER showing really well. I called Bridgette from the car and we enjoyed nice views of this difficult to find bird.

At Mile 395 near a snowbound Oak Creek Vista eight ELK (see pic below) were feeding in the trees. At Mile 398 there was a Red-tailed Hawk. We then took a drive along Lake Mary Road outside of Flagstaff but saw little. 40+ Ravens were seen as we passed through Flagstaff itself. We approached the canyon from a different route this time, stopping at the ruins of Nalakihu for lunch where there was only a Rock Wren and a Raven but it was very bleak here.

We stopped again at an Indian market at Little Colorado where Bridgette bought a few gifts and I photographed an obliging Rock Squirrel (see pic below). We drove on to the Grand Canyon skirting the Painted Desert but seeing little in the way of wildlife. The snow deepened as we approached Grand Canyon but the roads were clear. It looked very different in the snow. We went to Desert View first and took more photos (see below).

We stopped at Moran Point where unbelievably I could hear a gull calling. I picked up a small white dot which came closer and closer until I could recognise it. I was hoping it would be California Gull but it was a Ring-billed Gull (pic below). It didn't only come close it landed in the car park near enough to share our biscuits. Still it was a nice bird and I was beginning to suffer from Gull Deprivation.

That was about it for Valentine's Day, the only notable bird as we drove home into the sunset was a Ferruginous Hawk near Grand Canyon Airport. An Elk loomed large in the headlights on the verge as we drove back through the Kaibab National Forest. I did have a quick listen for owls at a rest stop where we changed over driving but it was all quiet.

Day 13 - Thu 15^thFebruary 2007 Cruising for Cacti

This morning I took an early walk around Bell Rock Vista and saw all the common species and of the less common here a Verdin and a Say's Phoebe in the village were notable. As were up too four Black-tailed Jack Rabbits, which I had spent a lot of time stalking during the holiday trying to get a photograph, but they were generally too quick. However this morning I walked right into one sat in the shade and instead of bolting as I would expect it just froze, so I gratefully took the shot at last (see pic below).

It was another day when Michael and Claire preferred lounging around the pool so Bridgette and I pushed off south on our own. We wanted to see some of the really big Saguaro Cacti (see pic left) and knew that they started growing in earnest an hour south of Oak Creek. We left after breakfast and the only notable bird of the journey was a Bald Eagle soaring near Exit 262B Cordes Lakes Road. We arrive an exit signed for the attractively named village of Bumble Bee. We pulled up in a lay-by and I had a quick look around. The first birds I saw were lifers, a pair of BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHERS, and I had no trouble identifying them as I had seen Blue-Gray in Florida and these were very similar. A pair of Red-tailed Hawks circled overhead in a cloudless sky and Saguaros were everywhere. Also here I was pleased to find a small party of six Black-throated Sparrows, which are one of the most attractive of American sparrows. Also a little further along was a WESTERN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL.

We stopped in Black Canyon City to make a phone call and an early Turkey Vulture was overhead. We drove under the motorway and came out the other side in Coldwater Canyon. We drove along a dirt road out of the village and though not the most attractive surroundings there were some good birds. The best of these was another lifer, a huge CACTUS WREN, too big to be thought of as a Wren really at 8½ inches long with an 11 inch wingspan! Also here was 4+ Phainopeplas, two Curve-billed Thrashers, four Northern Mockingbirds, a Ladder-backed Woodpecker and a Western Meadowlark. Butterflies included a COMMON DOGFACE and three American Painted Ladies.

We drove back north after this, stopping at a garage to buy drinks and food, and seeing Ferruginous Hawks at Camp Verde and McGuireville. We found a place called Sycamore Park near McGuireville and a short walk produced several good birds including a lifer. The lifer was BRIDLED TITMOUSE, there were two of them feeding in the trees with an Orange-crowned Warbler and a Gila Woodpecker. Also here was a pair of Collared Doves, the first of the trip. The final birds of the day was a pair of Red-tailed Hawks at Mile 297.

Day 14 - Fri 16^thFebruary 2007 Freaky Friday

This morning I walked up to Bell Rock Vista and decided to work the left hand side of the road outside of the reserve. I had seven Western Scrub Jays, a Verdin and a Northern Flicker amongst others. After a quarter of an hour I realised a man was following me. He had no bins or camera and every time I stopped he stopped. It was a bit disconcerting, so I thought I'll go and say good morning. I started to walk back towards him and he ran off and hid in the bushes. I was a bit freaked by now so I went straight back to the road and after making sure he'd not followed I went into the reserve proper. Very weird! On the reserve I had all the usual sparrows and House Finches and also a Crissal Thrasher, a Rock Wren, a Bewick's Wren, an Anna's Hummingbird, a Say's Phoebe and a covey of eight Gambel's Quail.

After breakfast Bridgette and I drove out to Red Rock State Park stopping on the way at Calle Taza de Oro where gardens had 10+ Lesser Goldfinches and two Spotted Towhees as well as commoner species. On arriving at the Park I had a long chat with Paddy, the Park Ranger, who was interested to hear what we had seen and particularly the location of the Dipper. She also told us that there were Great Horned Owls there, but we didn't find them just some pellets. I think I'm probably not destined to see this species as I only heard one in Florida.

The Park itself was largely disappointing although we had a nice walk. On the grassland just beyond the Visitor Centre there was a mixed flock of 20+ Dark-eyed Juncos and 10+ Western Bluebirds. Also notable was an adult male Ruby-crowned Kinglet (complete with ruby crown), a Black Phoebe, a Lincoln's Sparrow and a Belted Kingfisher was a trip tick. Other wildlife included two Mourning Cloaks, a Gulf Fritillary, two American Painted Ladies (see pic below) and a Rock Squirrel.

Day 15 - Sat 17^thFebruary 2007 Homeward Bound

Today was the last day and we left at 9am for the journey south to Phoenix. A final look around the grounds revealed our resident male Anna's Hummingbird singing from his favourite perch. A stop at the local supermarket for a few snacks saw me watching nine Cedar Waxwings (see pic below) and a male American Robin in the car park. The journey was only notable for four Red-tailed Hawks. We went to the Airport first to sort out our tickets for the evening flight then I arranged to be dropped at Rio Salado for an hour, whilst the rest got lunch. It was a large reserve in the south of the city beside the river. There were a few notable species here including four Northern Rough-winged Swallows, five Black Phoebes, a male American Kestrel, a Black-tailed Gnatcatcher and 4+ Yellow-rumped Warblers. Also the first and only Monarch of the trip, a Mourning Cloak and five Sonoran Mud Turtles. There were also a pair of Mallards showing characteristics of Mexican Ducks, according to Sibley there are virtually no pure ones in the U.S.A. They were with a pair of "normal" Mallards for comparison. The male was very reminiscent of Mottled Duck, which I had seen in Florida and its behaviour determined it to be a male.

After the hour was up we left Michael and Claire at the Airport at their request and we went back to Gilbert Water Ranch, mainly to have one last try at the Oriole. The rains had seemed to have reduced the number of birds on site. We failed with the Oriole again but four dainty INCA DOVES were a life tick. Other notable species included 10+ Anna's Hummingbirds, now four American Avocets, a Northern Harrier, which gave good close views and six RUDDY DUCKS, which were really a lifer as all the British ones are introduced. Four House Finches were the final birds before we got into the Airport.

This time the flight took off on time at about 6pm and was fine until about two hours from home, when we had some very uncomfortable turbulence for at least an hour. We descended through the clouds into a grey British lunchtime with two Black-headed Gulls as we landed a welcoming familiar sight.

A brilliant trip with about 60 lifers, lovely weather and friendly people. I'd thoroughly recommend Arizona to everyone. If anyone wants further information or a full species list contact me at the usual address.