When Everyone Gets A Lifer

This most recent Friday, March 9th, 2018, I teamed up with my friends Caleb Strand, Mark Brogie, and Ellen Brogie for a birding trip down to several locations in the always anticipated southeastern Arizona.  The primary goal we set for the trip was for Mark and Ellen to find their Rufous-capped Warbler and Black-capped Gnatcatcher lifers.  If we would succeed at finding those two species, doors could possibly open to look for a few other key species in the famous Arizona region.  I don't go to southeastern Arizona very often, but I love it when I do.

Mark and Ellen Brogie are a snowbird couple from Nebraska who have spent the last few months here in Arizona.  They are well known birders in Nebraska.  Mark is Nebraska's top lister and has achieved many great things in Nebraska birding.  Caleb and I were excited to show Mark and Ellen some new birds for their life list, some that they wouldn't ever see in Nebraska.  And if you have read my blog, you all know who Caleb "The Boy" Strand is, he's pretty cool too ;)

The four of us met up very early and left the Phoenix area at 5 A.M. for the bird pursuit.  Our first stop of the day was at the birder tromped Florida Canyon.  Thousands of birders make the climb up this canyon annually to see the coveted Rufous-capped Warbler.  Besides the warbler itself, the flowing stream through Florida Canyon brings a worthwhile experience.  Florida is a narrow canyon and is surrounded by desert and shrubby vegetation.  Groves of riparian trees and Madrean oak fill the canyon in places.  Mark, Ellen, Caleb, and I found ourselves walking up and down the canyon for over an hour without much in the way of bird life to start the day.  Once the sun really hit the canyon, more and more birds would become active.  It took awhile, but after some time, the energetic sounding song of the Rufous-capped Warbler echoed across a side of the canyon.  The four of us pursued the warbler through thick and thin.  Most of it was thick.  We listened to the warbler for a long time while trying to get visuals.  Listening to it was even fun.  After a lot of work and pursuit, the Rufous-capped Warbler eventually sat at eye level and close to Mark, Ellen, and I, giving us great views.  Caleb watched it and listened to it as he scoured a cliff above the location.  It was great to catch up with this bird again, and seeing Mark and Ellen get a lifer the way they did was even better.  After a lot of climbing and bushwhacking only to see the warbler vanish the first few times as we tried to lay eyes on it, resulted in an ending that rewarded us for our efforts.

Rufous-capped Warbler in Florida Canyon.  Pima County, Arizona.  3/9/2018

This Rufous-capped Warbler sang constantly for us once it started singing.  Listening to it before we could finally see it was fun too.

Rufous-capped Warbler is very distinctive among North American warblers.  Its rufous crown and ariculars, striking white supercilum, yellow throat and breast, and long and slender tail easily separate it from others where it has shown up in Arizona and Texas.

Caleb Strand navigating the steep terrain.

Ellen and Mark Brogie enjoying the Rufous-capped Warbler!

After Florida Canyon, we went to Proctor Road near the entrance to Madera Canyon.  Our main target here was Black-capped Gnatcatcher.  It didn't take us long to find a pair of the Gnatcatchers and note their key vocalizations and field marks.  They were moving fast, and it was difficult to photograph them.  

It was awesome that we got Rufous-capped Warbler and Black-capped Gnatcatcher as quickly as we did.  It meant that we could move on to other locations and try for more southeastern Arizona rarities.  The next bird that we opted for was a Sinaloa Wren.  This Sinaloa Wren was found adjacent to the Santa Cruz River along the De Anza Trail stretch just south of Santa Gertrudis Lane.  If we could find it, this would be a third lifer of the day for the Brogies.  Caleb and I had both seen Sinaloa Wren, but only once.  My previous observation, which took place in 2013, contained good audio experience but a horrible view.  Birders have been seeing this wren near a toy children's bicycle left out on the trail.  It took us a few minutes, but we found the bicycle, and ironically, the wren perched right above the bicycle as we were walking up!  The wren quickly went into denser cover.  We would see it on and off after twenty minutes or so of watching.  During that time, I had a few great views of this Mexican rarity, and finally, a diagnostic photograph I have always wanted of it.

Sinaloa Wren!  My first decent photograph.  Santa Cruz River, south of Santa Gertrudis Lane.  Santa Cruz County, Arizona 3/9/2018.

Visually, what makes a Sinaloa Wren?  You can see it in this photo.  The tail is a rufous color, and it contrasts with the bird's brownish back.  Another good indicator are the black-and-white streaks on the cheeks and sides of the neck.  

We also looked for a hoped for one out of five Rufous-backed Robins that were being seen along the trail.  After so much success, we dipped on the robins, which would have been a lifer for Ellen.  We left the Santa Cruz River shortly after to head to Patagonia Lake State Park to chase a mega Arizona rarity that had shown up a few days prior, a Carolina Wren.

Carolina Wren is a colorful wren on the eastern United States.  While Mark and Ellen have seen this bird, they liked how rare it was for Arizona.  Caleb and I were stoked to chase Carolina, as it would be a life bird for both of us if we could land it.  We arrived at the famous Patagonia Lake State Park around 3:45 P.M., and headed over to the vicinity of the Visitor Center and the eye-catching and high arching pedestrian bridge.  An inlet of the lake flows into this section of the park, and the bridge goes over the inlet.  Tall reeds surround both sides of the inlet.  We walked over the tall and high arching bridge.  Once reaching the west side of the bridge after officially crossing, we heard some noise in the reeds immediately.  While we knew there were plenty of Marsh Wrens and Common Yellowthroats around, we waited to find out what this noise might me.  It was crazy, because it turned out to be that Carolina Wren.  Just like that!  We were in disbelief.  Carolina popped out into the open and gave us great views.  It was a great lifer for me to get, and it has completed my Wren list for the United States and Canada.  A Carolina and Sinaloa Wren both in the same day was truly a lot of fun!

Carolina Wren!  My 540th life bird.  Patagonia Lake State Park, Santa Cruz County, Arizona, 3/9/2018.  Bird was originally found by Matt Brown.

Key field marks for Carolina Wren include long supercillum, bright reddish-brown back, white chin, and all buffy on the front side of the bird.

We closed the day out by hiking along the Birding Trail within Patagonia Lake State Park.  Many birds were active.  We stumbled across a few more Black-capped Gnatcatchers and got to watch and study them further.  What I didn't know was how many different vocalizations they give.  I was impressed when Caleb pointed out those vocalizations to us: one of which sounded like a call that Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet gives, and the other sounded like call the Western Kingbird gives.

Black-capped Gnatcatcher.  Patagonia Lake State Park, Santa Cruz County, Arizona.  3/9/2018.  In this picture, key field marks for this species are the long bill length as well was the black in front of the eye was well as the black stripe above the eye.

The day was a huge success for us.  We had a long drive home and got back to Phoenix late, but it was sure worth the time and fun!  Thanks Mark, Ellen, and Caleb for the great time.

The Final Frontier of 2013

I woke up at 4:00 A.M. today on December 31st, 2013.  It was the last day of the year for everything, including adding any potential new species to my Arizona year list.  I had a full day ahead of me, and I was planning on seeing some cool birds.  One of them was found in Tucson a few days ago, and is a life bird for me.  This was a Harris's Sparrow, which was found by Scott Olmstead in Himmel Park.  My plan was to find this bird as well as searching out for several other cool birds for 2013's final expedition.  I called my friend Moe Bertrand and invited him to join me on my last trip of the year, and he came on the trip which made it extra fun.  By the end of the day, Moe and I had a handfull of highlights, and it was a great end to 2013.

Himmell Park was our first stop.  We left Phoenix at 5:00 A.M., and arrived at Tucson and the park before it really got light out.  After stopping at McDonald's to eat and kill time, we went back to the Himmel Park in search of the Harris's Sparrow.  Once parking, we walked a short distance across the park to where the Harris's Sparrow was being seen.  As we came upon the location, I heard a sparrow calling that sounding like a call of a Zonotricia sparrow.  When I looked up on the tree where the sound was coming from, it was none other than the Harris's Sparrow!

We found this continuing rarity within the snap-of-a-second, and it was a nice lifer for both of us!  The Harris's Sparrow is one of the largest sparrows in North America, and it is one that I have been wanting to see for awhile.  This sparrow is rare but usually annual in Arizona.  The other rarer members of the Zonotricia genus, the Golden-crowned and White-throated Sparrows, are found more often.  This Harris's Sparrow gave us great views for about 30 minutes before we moved onto our next stop.

After the Harris's excitement, we then headed to Florida Canyon in hopes of seeing Rufous-capped Warblers.  This beautiful canyon is always fun to visit.

On our way in, we were greeted by a Pyrrhuloxia!

Once above the dam, we started to search for the Rufous-capped Warblers in their usual haunts.  Having seen this species only once in my life before, I was dying to see another one.  Four of them were reported, and I felt like our stakes were high for seeing them.  These rare Mexican warblers have bred in this canyon, and are very reliable here in Florida.  Many travel to this location hoping to get lucky with this neat bird.  It didn't take Moe and I long, and as a turned a corner, the Rufous-capped Warbler was foraging in a bush only a few feet from me!

Moe was shortly behind me, and I quickly called him over to get looks at this spectacular bird.  This quickly turned into one of my very favorite highlights of 2013!

Fellow birder Chris McCreedy referred to the Rufous-capped Warbler as being, "beastly cute".  I think McCreedy has a strong point there.  As Moe and I continued to snap photos and watch the birds, the warbler continued to forage.  We didn't even need binoculars.

The Warbler then decided to move and forage directly underneath us..

When a Rufous-capped Warbler finds Arizona, it favors habitats similar to Florida Canyon, which are streamside vegetation in medium elevations between 4 and 5,000 feet.  What a neat bird to see on the last day of the year, or just anytime in general!

The Warbler started calling actively and we heard another singing nearby, which was the first time I have heard the song of this species live when in the field.  It was amazing!  I then spied a previously reported male Elegant Trogon in the canyon, who we were able to get brief looks at.  The Rufous-capped Warblers were amazing, clearly the main highlight of our day.  And here is Moe enjoying the canyon and celebrating his first ever Rufous-capped Warbler!

After Florida Canyon, we decided to head down to the Santa Cruz Flats after passing up on Tubac to look for Mountain Plovers and Crested Caracaras.  We saw a distant flock of Mountain Plovers, and had great looks at the Caracaras.  We counted at least 20 Crested Caracaras, which was a lifer for Moe and was only my 3rd time ever of seeing one.  It was very neat to observe them in numbers and have extended views.  Several tractors were plowing the fields and were being chased by eager and hungry Caracaras.

The Crested Caracaras and Santa Cruz Flats were my final birds and birding location of an epic 2013.  By the end of the day, I had one lifer and Moe had 7 lifers to conclude an excellent birding day.  Thank you Moe for the fun day and company!  

I ended my Arizona list with 377 species, my personal best list for a year in Arizona.  It was overall my best year of birding yet, stay tuned for an extensive recap of the year with summaries of birds, trips, lifers, and more!  What will 2014 bring?  What will be my first bird next year?  How about my first lifebird?  Will any new state records be discovered by a lucky birder?  Its going to be exciting.  But I will never forget my Arizona birding year of 2013.  

Happy New Years!  In 20 minutes and counting.............