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South-eastern Arizona

24th July - 7th August 2001

24th July

After delays, cancelled flights and a re-routing via Los Angeles, we finally arrived in Phoenix at close to midnight, and walked out of the terminal into suffocating heat - still 95°C+! We were shuttled quickly to our Motel, and we tried to sleep - with only some success.

25th July

The traditional 'first look from the hotel balcony' turned up Northern Mockingbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Gila Woodpecker and White-winged Dove - not bad for three minutes in a concrete blast furnace! After our rep. arrived with our VW camper van and showed us how to make all the gadgets work, we were off (via a supermarket), and heading (A/C on full blast) for our first stop, Dudleyville, on the lower San Pedro river. We resisted the temptation to stop and look at every bird on the way, judging they'd almost all be common ones that we'd pick up later. Dudleyville was very quiet and rather warm by the time we got there, but produced the goods, in the form of 1 or maybe 2 Mississippi Kites soaring over the cottonwoods. Dudleyville and the surrounding area is just about the only half-reliable location in the state for the species, and we were lucky to connect relatively easily. We also saw our first Lesser Goldfinches, Hooded Oriole, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Western Kingbirds (even a pair at the nest - which we didn't see again!), Vermilion Flycatchers, House Finches and Northern Rough-winged Swallows. Also, a major target bird got nailed - Roadrunner!

We headed swiftly south after lunch to Aravaipa Canyon, where Common Black-hawk was a possibility. Sadly, we found none, but made up for it with a Zone-tailed Hawk perched up, American Kestrel, and our first Cactus Wrens, Curve-billed Thrashers and Purple Martins, and what turned out to be our only two Gilded Flickers of the trip. Heading south again, we had a ringtail Northern (=Hen) Harrier by the road. We arrived late afternoon at the Catalina State Park campsite just north of Tucson, and swiftly found such goodies as Phainopepla, Lesser Nighthawk, Lark Sparrow, Abert's Towhee, and the very local Rufous-winged Sparrow. The night brought two vast Sonoran Toads out a-hunting, and Julia surprised a Tarantula in the toilet block!

26th July

We birded the campsite first thing, turning up new species such as a singing Plumbeous Vireo, several Pyrrhuloxias, Bewick's Wren, Black-headed Grosbeak, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Bullock's Oriole, Cooper's Hawk, a pair of Broad-billed Hummingbirds using a feeder set up outside someone's RV, and brief views of what I suspected was, and later, in retrospect, turned out to be, a Black-chinned Sparrow.

En route to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, we had our first Gambel's Quails, plus another Roadrunner, and very brief views of Black-necked Stilt from the busy Ina Road bridge over a dry river bed. Once at the Museum, we saw plenty of wild birds in and around the excellent landscaped desert ecology exhibits, including Purple Martin, Verdin (one at the nest) and Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. All three of these turned out to be very elusive subsequently. We also had what turned out to be among our best views of Canyon Wren. This species was a surprise contender for 'bird of the trip' - gorgeous looking and with an absolutely lovely song, seemingly designed to resonate off rocks and cliffs. The Museum was also really excellent for butterflies, notably Gulf Fritillary, Pipevine Swallowtail, Queen, Viceroy, and the brilliantly gothically-named Funereal Mourning Cloak. That puts 'Meadow Brown' in the shade! Not seen here, but much in evidence elsewhere in the mountains of Arizona, was the huge and quite fantastic Two-tailed Swallowtail.

It was now getting hot (well, even hotter!), and we took the standard advice of heading uphill. We ploughed across Tucson as fast as we could, and found the Catalina Highway without difficulty. Molino Basin seemed good for a break, and duly turned up Summer and Western Tanagers, Canyon Towhee, Bell's Vireo and our first Cassin's Kingbirds. Above this point, the road was undergoing major construction, and so we were rather constrained in terms of where we could stop and when we could ascend, travelling as we had to in pacecar-led convoys for two long stretches. So we decided to head for the top and come down slowly tomorrow. We camped at the Spencer campsite, which was very quiet (birdwise), although it did produce Yellow-eyed Junco and Steller's Jay.

27th July

It was distinctly COLD this morning, especially at the very top of the road by the ski area. I suppose we were at 7,500 ft. Bird diversity was quite low in the pine woods, but we did get some good quality, with Cordilleran Flycatcher, American Robin, Hermit Thrush, House Wren, Yellow-rumped Warbler (our only ones of the trip), Pygmy Nuthatch, 'Red-shafted' Northern Flicker, Brown Creeper and Spotted Towhee. The feeders at the (closed) restaurant were good for hummers, with a pair of Magnificent and at least one Black-chinned to add to another 10 or so Broad-tailed.

Heading downhill, we passed though the first convoy area for a quick stop at Rose Canyon. It was so good that we ended up staying almost three hours! The best area was the trail along the stream flowing down to the (artificial) fishing lake - both diversity and turnover were high. The best bird was undoubtedly a cracking Red-faced Warbler, one of our premier target species for the trip, but it was ably supported by such good birds as Hepatic Tanager, Grace's, Black-throated Grey and Hermit Warblers, and many White-breasted Nuthatches, plus Western Bluebird, Chipping Sparrow, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Plumbeous and Bell's Vireos and a Pine Siskin.

We rechecked Molino Basin on the descent, picking up Mexican Jay and another Roadrunner, and then headed on down into the scorching plains to head south.

En route, we had our first Chihuahuan Ravens, a small flock of White-throated Swifts, and a superb Coyote right by the road. The campsite at Bog Springs, on the western flank of the Santa Ritas, produced our first Bridled Titmice before dusk.

28th July

It was up early and into the famous Madera Canyon, our first possible site for three major target species - Elegant Trogon, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher and Painted Redstart. We kicked off with several Acorn Woodpeckers, and were soon scoring with Western Wood-pewee, Hermit Thrush and two more Red-faced Warblers, but it became clear that woodland birding here was going to be more tropical than temperate in style - wait for ages, then it all comes at once! We soon had our first (of at least 4) Painted Redstarts - just as good as expected! We found Dusky-capped Flycatchers high up in the light pine woods above the switchback on the Hopkins Fork trail. Plumbeous Vireos appeared common, and we also turned up a Hutton's Vireo - like a Goldcrest on steroids! A Cooper's Hawk slipped off into the woods, and Julia picked up a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher perched quietly on a treetop branch - a cracker indeed.

We were about to give up on our third species as we returned (tired) to the foot of the trail - we were at least 200m below the reputed start of the 'trogon territory'. But a flash of red lit up the trees, and there was a stunning female Elegant Trogon. We were ecstatic, but imagine how much more so when she flew to a big old Arizona Sycamore tree and entered an apparent nest-hole! Five minutes later, in came the male, and we spent a good half hour watching these near mythical birds coming and going, quite unconcerned, right by the trail! A supporting cast of Black-throated Grey Warbler, Yellow-eyed Junco, White-breasted Nuthatch and Magnificent Hummingbird made this a morning to remember.

The heat of the day is definitely not the time to bird Florida Wash, but we had no real option - so in I went! It was appallingly hot and very birdless. The only species I could pin down was Botteri's Sparrow, although a singing male Varied Bunting brightened up lunch back at the road.

It was time to travel, and we were soon heading fast south to Nogales. In fact, we overshot our turn and almost ended up in Mexico! But eventually we found the right road, and, in humid and thundery conditions, had our first (of three) visits to Kino Springs, an excellent wetland site set in a grassy golf course. At the first pond, we quickly saw Green Heron, a cracking (and calling) adult Gray Hawk, a male Common Yellowthroat, 2 Lucy's Warblers, at least 3 male Western Tanagers, Red-winged Blackbird, Black Phoebe, 2 male Blue Grosbeaks, Pied-billed Grebe, and a family of American Coots. The second pond held fewer birds, but the quality was high, with 4 Tropical Kingbirds at their most reliable US site, a group of Vermilion Flycatchers, a juvenile Great Blue Heron and a pair of Hooded Orioles.

It was time to find a campsite - Patagonia Lake State Park was full up with fishermen and boaters in RVs - yuk. We were better off out of it, and found a nice quiet roadside spot in the hills above Patagonia for the night. It was a wet one, but at least there were no flash floods!

29th July

We picked up Rufous-crowned Sparrow on the drive down to Patagonia, and then headed straight for the famous Patagonia roadside rest stop, in search of Rose-throated Becards. Unfortunately, just as we arrived, so did an Arizona State Probation Service chain gang, intent on strimming the verges for 1/2 a mile north and south of the parking area! Not ideal for birding. There was absolutely no sign of the Becards, nor of their supposedly conspicuous nests (no-one else had seen them either), but we did find a Summer Tanager, White-throated Swift, 2 Ladder-backed Woodpeckers and a brief Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

We cut our losses and headed for the Paton's yard in central Patagonia (which is not a big town).

Unfortunately, the heavy overnight rain had caused the Sonoita Creek to rise somewhat, and we didn't trust our van to make it. The bed is very treacherous (gravel and sand), and if you can't see where the rocky/concrete bits are, you could be in trouble. We decided against it, and headed down to the more southerly crossing to see if it was any better there. It wasn't - and there was a car stuck in the middle! We gave the two guys trying to extricate it a lift back to Patagonia, though not before watching a smart juvenile Thick-billed Kingbird on the wires, and seeing our first Black-bellied Whistling-duck flying by.

By now, we felt like we were wasting the day a bit, and headed back to Patagonia Lake for some guaranteed good birds. The lake and the trail from the east end of the car park didn't disappoint - Neotropical Cormorant, a superb singing Yellow-breasted Chat, Warbling Vireo, Northern Beardless-tyrannulet, Bridled Titmouse, several Yellowthroats, and, best of all, rather distant but good views of a Least Bittern in the reeds. A Great White Egret was an extra bonus.

Next it was back to Kino Springs - it had just been so good yesterday! Waiting for us was another Great White Egret - a small arrival overnight? Other new birds were 2 juvenile Gray Hawks, 8 Black-bellied Whistling-ducks, Cliff Swallow, Yellow Warbler, Song Sparrow, Killdeer, an American Black Vulture, a surprise female Yellow-headed Blackbird, and a pair of Lazuli Buntings.

And onwards towards the Huachucas. A brief lunch stop near Sonoita turned up singing Grasshopper Sparrows, and we picked up Swainson's Hawk closer to Sierra Vista. We saw our only rattlesnake en route - but sadly could not avoid killing it as it raced out of the roadside grass. Bump-bump - a dreadful feeling.

We headed straight for Carr Canyon, and made our way (slowly) up the rough road to the Reef Townsite campground. This is a lovely spot, set among pine woods and open areas recovering from forest fires some years ago, and covered with aromatic Manzanita bushes. A brief evening walk before dinner was well worth the effort - the crippler was undoubtedly a Prairie Falcon soaring with Turkey Vultures, but we also had a juvenile Eastern Bluebird (of the distinctive Mexican form), Northern Flicker, many Western Wood-pewees, American Robin, lots of Yellow-eyed Juncos and at least one Spotted Towhee.

30th July

It was a cold night, and when we set out at 6'ish it was still distinctly chilly - we were at 9,500 ft, after all! The birds soon started flowing - several singing Greater Pewees, 2+ Virginia's Warblers in scrub, a flyover Band-tailed Pigeon, and two birds we didn't see again - a single Strickland's Woodpecker, and a highly distinctive Buff-breasted Flycatcher. In addition, we had a Painted Redstart, several Steller's Jays, Grace's Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Hutton's Vireo, Broad-billed Hummingbird and the same species as yesterday evening. It was a lovely place, and hard to leave, but Miller Canyon beckoned.

We easily found the Beatty's house in Miller Canyon, and settled down by their red hummingbird feeders to see what turned up. Hummingbird numbers were very low at feeders everywhere in SE Arizona this year - locals were attributing this not to some catastrophe for the hummers, but to the fact that there was plenty of 'wild' food this year, so the birds were much more dispersed and less reliant on artificial feeders. Nevertheless, we soon had Black-chinned and Anna's feeding. For variety, we were advised to walk up to the 'photo station' feeders, much more attractively placed on the hillside. Here, the numbers were higher too, and the diversity was amazing - many Black-chinned, 2+ Broad-tailed (the males wings make a distinctive whirring sound as they fly), another Anna's, 2 Rufous (both very aggressive), 2 Magnificent, a massive Blue-throated, a Broad-billed, and best of all a female Violet-crowned. 8 species in less than half and hour! Also around the Beatty's were good stocking fillers like Black-headed Grosbeak, Black-throated Gray Warbler and Western Tanager.

Ramsey Canyon is just a short drive from Miller Canyon, and we were soon parked up at the Nature Conservancy visitor centre. Inside, we were faced with the somewhat surreal sight of two nuns with binoculars, reporting a sighting of a Mountain Lion chasing Wild Turkeys just up the Canyon! We didn't hang about - but then nor did the Mountain Lion (or the Turkeys). I have to confess to not being a huge fan of the Canyon - it just seemed not a patch on Madera or Carr Canyons to me. Nevertheless, we did see the endemic Ramsey Canyon Leopard Frog, Acorn Woodpecker, 3 Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers and (best of all) the female Berylline Hummingbird close to her nest high above the visitor centre. There seem to have been fewer than 10 previous breeding records in the USA, so we felt privileged - later reports suggested that at least one young Berylline fledged successfully.

We headed back up to Carr Canyon for the night - hummered out. Unfortunately, a group of obnoxious teenagers had decided to wreck the atmosphere of the campsite with much beer, a boogie box and various shouts of 'woooo!', 'yeah!' and possibly 'alright!'. Quite how 'people' like these derive pleasure from listening to Britney Spears at volume 11 is beyond me. Heavy rock, yes; Britney, no. Luckily, we had the option of driving up to the second campsite - we took it.

31st July

The campsite produced similar birds to the day before, and we quickly headed down the hill and north to Fort Huachuca where, after signing the necessary forms for the entirely humourless sentry at the gate, we were on the army base and birding the extensive, bird-rich grasslands. We were delighted to find Loggerhead Shrike, Eastern Meadowlark, Botteri's Sparrow, several Blue Grosbeaks, 100+ Violet-green Swallows, Lark Sparrow, 'Mexican' Mallards and both Canyon and Abert's Towhees.

Up at Scheelite Canyon, we rapidly found another calling male Elegant Trogon right by the access road, as well as more Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers. The canyon itself was wonderfully evocative - narrow, densely vegetated and humid. Sadly, we could not find any Spotted Owls (although the tour group that followed us up the canyon did find them). Compensation came in the form of 2 more Red-faced Warblers, Canyon & Bewick's Wrens, Plumbeous and Hutton's Vireos and further Western Tanagers and White-throated Swifts.

We headed east for the afternoon, spending some time doing the touristy bit at Tombstone. It was rather bird free, although we did have a Hooded Oriole in Boot Hill cemetery (favourite epitaph : "Here lies Lester Moore / Four slugs from a .44 / No Les / No more". Brilliant.)

We spent the last part of the afternoon at the San Pedro house, by the San Pedro river - much too hot for many birds (apart from Say's Phoebe and a few Black-chinned Hummingbirds), but it was good to do a recce for tomorrow. Luxury tonight - showers, washing and A/C at the Thunder Mountain Motel.

1st August

Back at the San Pedro House for dawn, we had the best morning's birding of the trip so far. We had three new species (Common Ground-dove, Scaled Quail and Black-throated Sparrow), but the key was the diversity and quality of birds. Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Loggerhead Shrike, 12 Lesser Nighthawks feeding in broad daylight, Chipping Sparrow, Say's Phoebe, many Vermilion Flycatchers, Ladder-backed and Gila Woodpeckers, American Kestrel, Swainson's Hawk, Lazuli Bunting, Lucy's and Yellow Warblers, Yellow-breasted Chat and Brown-crested Flycatcher made this a day to remember, in a lovely, tropical-feeling spot. Sadly, no Green Kingfishers had been seen since at least February - never mind!

We quickly checked the more southerly river crossing, at Hereford Bridge - it was well worth it. A cracking male Indigo Bunting headed the list, along with Swainson's Hawk, Summer Tanager and Yellow Warbler.

It was time to head east to the Chiricahuas, but en route we did an outright twitch to a supposedly reliable site at 10th Street Park in Douglas for Inca Dove, which we had so far missed. The gen. was spot on, and we had four without getting out of the van!

It was a fair old drive to Portal, and we hardly stopped en route - it was hot, and we only saw a few Chihuahuan Ravens from the car. Once we'd got to Portal and found a campsite in Cave Creek, we enjoyed some late afternoon birding along the canyon, turning up our fourth Elegant Trogon (another male), Black Phoebe, Acorn Woodpecker, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (heard only - it's the squeaky rubber ducky again) and best of all a perched Golden Eagle low down on the rocks above the road.

2nd August

Another excellent morning in the field. We did the 'desert loop' as detailed in the Lane guide, and scored heavily. We were clearly on the same route as the tour group we'd met yesterday at Scheelite Canyon - their leader was most generous in letting us join his group for some good birds. Almost the first birds in the valley were five White-tailed Kites (an adult and four youngsters) - this is a scarce bird in Arizona, and a very rare breeder indeed. Mind you, we actually saw the birds in New Mexico - although the adult kindly crossed the road to get on our AZ list!

We were surprised to see about 12 Lark Buntings - early August is distinctly early for this non-breeding visitor. Scott's Oriole and Cassin's Sparrow finally fell, but we had only brief views of our main target bird, Bendire's Thrasher. As we were to discover, all thrashers are really hard at this time of year - they're much easier in February-March, when they're singing. Other birds along State Line Road included Cactus Wren, Swainson's Hawk, Loggerhead Shrike, Eastern Meadowlark, Lark Sparrow, Curve-billed Thrasher, a ringtail Northern (=Hen) Harrier, Say's Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Roadrunner and American Kestrel. The Willow Tank by the dump at the southern end of the road looked good, and produced Red-winged Blackbird, Green Heron and American Coot.

We decided to get to Big Thicket before it got too hot - this was our final chance for Crissal Thrasher. We settled down at the feeders at Dave's house on Crissal Lane (with the tour group again!), and quietly waited. We heard Crissals calling, but would they show? No. The feeders were bedecked with birds, though - our first Western Scrub-jay, Curve-billed Thrasher, Black-throated Sparrow, several Cardinals and Pyrrhuloxias, House Finch, no fewer than 40 Gambel's Quails at once, Black-chinned Hummingbird, and very brief views of a Violet-crowned Hummingbird.

The Spofford's yard in Portal was extremely disappointing, given the write-ups it widely receives - no hummers at all, and just a Canyon Wren, a House Wren and Black-headed Grosbeak by way of back-up.

It was time to head uphill for the afternoon, and we took the Silver Creek Road to Paradise. The dry hillsides along here, so well-known for Black-chinned Sparrow and Juniper Titmouse, were very, very quiet. Only a flock of Chipping Sparrows and a second Western Scrub-jay at the cemetery enlivened the heavy heat. We spent an hour watching the feeders at the George Walker House, and despite plenty of common passerines, Black Phoebe, Magnificent, Broad-tailed and Rufous Hummingbirds, we saw no Juniper Titmice. Apparently the young had yet to fledge, and the adults were only visiting the feeders two or three times a day. We returned down the hill for the night back in Cave Creek Canyon, where we saw a Grey fox hunting a Cottontail Rabbit.

3rd August

We decided to give the Silver Creek Road another hour before heading for the high mountains - it was worth it! We managed to find several Black-chinned Sparrows quite quickly - confirming our earlier, untickable views at Catalina State Park - including at least two singing males. Once more, we were thinking the same way as the tour group, and it was nice to be able to find a bird they needed for a change! Together, we turned up our only Rock Wren of the trip, an early migrant Nashville Warbler, a Virginia's Warbler, Say's Phoebe, Rufous-crowned and Black-throated Sparrows, a female Bullock's Oriole and another Crissal Thrasher - but heard only!

Paradise Cemetery was rather livelier today, and within minutes we had found the required species - a pair of Juniper Titmice. This meant we could skip Paradise proper, and head straight up to the high Chiricahuas, via Onion Saddle. Our first proper stop was at Barfoot Junction, and it turned out to be a good choice. Almost immediately, we had 4+ Red Crossbills overhead, and it then became apparent that a decent-sized mixed feeding flock was using the pines by the junction. Mexican Chickadee is the major target species in the Chiricahuas - it is the only truly accessible site for the species in the USA. We quickly and easily found 3 birds, along with our first two Olive Warblers, at least 6 migrant Hermit Warblers, a couple of Grace's Warblers, Pygmy and White-breasted Nuthatches (plus Red-breasted, heard only), Brown Creeper and Steller's Jay. An excellent spot!

Barfoot Park was quiet, with no sign of Zone-tailed Hawk, or any other raptors - just a couple more Grace's Warblers. Rustler Park, however, was rather better. We hiked up the hill from the end of the road, and were soon seeing more good birds. Another 2 Olive Warblers, 4+ Mexican Chickadees, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Broad-tailed and Magnificent Hummingbirds and many butterflies, including Painted Ladies and Camberwell Beauty (known in North America as Mourning Cloak - more goth lepidoptery!).

The best bit was yet to come, however, just above the car-park. I heard some branches cracking among the bracken in the burn area downhill, and stopped to look, expecting a deer. A black deer? BLACK BEAR! Julia came hurrying down just in time to see the animal lumbering noisily off downhill - it was about half grown, so our first thought (after WOW!) was, where's Mum? We checked all around, rather nervously, but with no result. So we did what you're supposed to do - make yourself obvious, be noisy and make sure she doesn't mistake you for something edible. What a great animal.

By now we were well into the afternoon, and it was heating up, so we drove down the far side of the mountains, and spent the rest of the afternoon in the Chiricahua National Monument, with its fantastic rock formations. Birds were quite thin on the ground, but did include a Zone-tailed Hawk in the foothills.

4th August

We failed to find any Montezuma Quails around the meadow by the campsite at Chiricahua NM, although we did see a Plumbeous Vireo and another Black-throated Grey Warbler. It was now time to leave the hills behind, and head down to the town of Willcox in the plain.

Willcox is not an attractive place, unless you happen to be a wader. We checked two roadside pools to the east of town before heading in to the main 'golf course' ponds, and scored well, with 250+ Wilson's Phalaropes, 4 Black-necked Stilts, 5 American Avocets, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Western, Least and Spotted Sandpipers, Killdeer, a flyover wader that called like a Pectoral Sandpiper, but might just have been a Baird's, 3 Eared (=Black-necked) Grebes, Pied-billed Grebe, Cinnamon Teal, Ruddy Duck, Swainson's Hawk, Northern (=Hen) Harrier, a single Tree Swallow among other hirundines, a group of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Meadowlark and 2 Scaled Quails, which showed very well.

It was time to head back west, via Patagonia, where, as hoped, the river had dropped (a bit!) and was eminently crossable. The Paton's yard was excellent - 2 Violet-crowned, Black-chinned, Broad-billed and an Anna's Hummingbird, plus 4 Inca Doves (see, we needn't have gone to Douglas Park!), Yellow Warbler and our only Bronzed Cowbirds. The Sonoita Creek Reserve was a bit hot and humid, but we did see Cooper's Hawk, Phainopepla, Vermilion Flycatcher and Warbling Vireo.

We couldn't resist another look at Kino Springs, and it again turned up trumps. Within seconds of arriving, Julia pinned down a female Green Kingfisher on the reeds by the clubhouse pond - another major target nailed! We saw much the same birds as before, plus extra Lazuli Buntings, a Ruddy Duck, and at least 2 Ash-throated Flycatchers in the dry area between the ponds.

With rain threatening, we headed beyond Nogales to Pena Blanca lake and the campsite, where we had Common Ground Dove, and heard a Common Poorwill before dark.

5th August

The big target today was Five-striped Sparrow, in one of its very few accessible US haunts - the famous California Gulch. Be warned - just the drive to the final 'road' turn-off west of Pena Blanca takes at least 3/4 of an hour, and the road from there on is painfully rocky and slow. We were somewhat nervous of going too far in, without being sure if anyone else would turn up all day, so we parked up and hiked. By 7.30, it was already hot - by 8.30, it was really hot! But we reached the gulch OK, and walked down the final steep hill into a lovely, lush little valley. And within seconds, there was a singing Five-striped Sparrow on the hillside! Excellent stuff, backed up by a singing Indigo Bunting, 4 Varied Buntings, a male Hooded Oriole, and Canyon Wren, and on the way to and from the car, 2 Yellow-billed Cuckoos, 3 Ash-throated Flycatchers, 2 Nashville Warblers, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (only our second), Lucy's Warbler and Ladder-backed Woodpecker. Now it was REALLY hot, and we were relieved to reach the van and drive back east to Nogales.

We checked the sewage ponds from the fence, although they remained technically closed - a small flock of Black-bellied Whistling-ducks, large numbers of Red-winged Blackbirds, and a flock of distant flyover White-faced Ibis were the highlights.

We headed back up to Tucson for a rather longer look at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - it really is an excellent place. Wild birds were few (still no Costa's Hummingbird) - although we had several Cactus Wrens and 2 Verdins.

We camped once more at Catalina State Park. Before dusk, at least 8 Lesser Nighthawks were hawking overhead, and we had Rufous-winged Sparrow in song, Bewick's Wren and Abert's Towhee. After dark, we could hear a Great Horned Owl calling from some impenetrable thicket!

6th August

The hottest day yet - appalling from about 8.30 onwards! Much the 'usual' birds around the campsite, plus Verdin, 2 Black-tailed Gnatcatchers and Lark Sparrow.

In Tucson, we checked various urban wetland sites - Roger Road ponds turned up 2 juvenile Night Herons, Song Sparrow and another Inca Dove. Sweetwater Ponds held a male Wilson's Warbler, plus Yellow Warbler, Killdeer, Cinnamon Teal and our only Common Moorhens of the trip. The Ina Road bridge was rather good - a White-faced Ibis, 30+ Black-necked Stilts, Western Sandpiper and more Killdeers, and there was a single Wilson's Phalarope at the I-10 gravel pits. Now stinking hot. We drove north towards Phoenix, stopping only at the Western Sod turf farm (a turf farm, in a desert - think about it) - many Killdeers, a few Western Sandpipers and a Roadrunner - and Arizona City Lake. Arizona City is a 'plastic' 'active adult' 'community' in the middle of nowhere, with an artificial boating lake. Amazingly, it hosted Black-necked Stilt, and, desperately sheltering from the sun under a boating pier, a Neotropical Cormorant and a very out of place female American Wigeon!

By now, the heat was just unbelievable, and we headed for Phoenix and A/C. The temperature reportedly reached 114°F in Phoenix today - insane. Why do people choose to live in such an infernal cauldron of searing heat?

Significant dips? Not many! Of species we didn't later see in California, we might have seen Common Black Hawk, Harris's Hawk (Sweetwater and Roger Road ponds are supposed to be a good stake-out), Wild Turkey, Montezuma Quail, perhaps an owl or two, Burrowing Owl (though we had negative gen. from more than one site), perhaps a White-eared, Lucifer or other Mexican hummer species, Rose-throated Becard, Crissal Thrasher (grrrr), MacGillivray's Warbler, maybe Evening Grosbeak, and..er..that's about it! Not quite a clear-up - but not far off.

So, for Arizona, that was that, birdwise at least. Fantastic, in a word! Easy to follow gen, great birds and exciting landscapes made for a cracking first part of our trip. Next day, we caught the morning flight to San Francisco - California, here we come.

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