“That Old Second Wind Comes Around”

“That Old Second Wind Comes Around”

After picking up a few last minute supplies at Bay Leaf Market (THE best business in Crawfordville) we headed west at last!  There are not enough bird list “needs” between home and S.E. Arizona (other than S. Texas- no fun this time of year) so we drove directly to Arizona.  Straight through.  1785 miles, 33 hours of driving time, all in 39 hours.  And with no cast- I helped (a little)!  We arrived at our campground with enough time to fix a rice cooker meal, shower, and hit the bed.  Before leaving I decided to get crafty (channeling my daughter Danielle) and devised a screen for the van’s sliding side door, which allowed us to drop the screen, leave the door open, and enjoy a cool 67 degree Arizona desert night.  We slept like the dead and woke to watch the sunrise in advance of a full day of birding; a great start.  We were excited to get out and bird again- that old second wind did kick in!

To start this round of birding, we chose the Ramsey Canyon Preserve.  We were here earlier in the year and loved it, but the great options of new birds for our list was the compelling reason to return. While loading ourselves like pack mules in the parking lot, we watched one of our target birds, the Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, hawking for insects from tree tops above our heads.  A pair of Tufted Flycatchers (ABA Code 5 rare bird) was being seen 2+ miles up from the Visitor Center, so up we went. It turned out to be quite a day for new warblers and flycatchers. On our way up, we added the Greater Pewee, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Olive Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Red-faced Warbler and… the Tufted Flycatchers!  The Tufted Flycatchers were in the area exactly where they were reported to hang out, and were very easy to see.  We enjoyed watching just one for a while, and were thrilled when it was joined by the second.  As you can see here they are quite photogenic little flirts.
On the way back down, we caught this Red Faced Warbler taking a bath- Chuck took great pictures of him both wet and dry.  Traveling down a rocky trail always seems easier, but is actually riskier for a weak ankle, yet we got down safely. The second wind may have been back, but after 8 weeks of little exercise, too much eating, and living at sea level, we certainly were ‘winded’ by the end of our 4+++ mile rocky mountain trail hike.

That same evening we made a second try for the Lucifer Hummingbird, knowing that we would be sitting at the Ash Canyon B&B hummingbird feeder viewing area, expending very little energy.  Unlike our spring visit here, we were able to watch several of these beautiful magenta gorgeted hummers with long curved bills.  Thankfully hummingbirds were much more plentiful this fall than they were in the spring.

The next day, we decided on a fourth try for the Sinaloa Wren, another rare ABA Code 5 bird.  We had tried three times for this species in the spring, at two different sites, but missed each time.  The Fort Huachuca Army base, where it was being seen again, was a bit more complicated than earlier in the year since it now requires a background check to get on base.  Thankfully we both passed.  Joined by a pair of excellent birders, one of which was Ron Beck who originally discovered this rare bird at this location, was very fortunate for us; he brought good luck and confirmation that what we heard and saw was the Sinaloa and not the Bewick’s which could be somewhat easy to mistake. The bird called intermittently several times and we got a glimpse as he went for cover along the creek, but just a few minutes later we were able to see him climb up the side of a tree, sing (as opposed to just call), and watched until he was chased into the woods by a hummingbird. Leaving that site, we headed to a site suggested by Ron where he had seen both the Rufous-capped Warbler and the Slate-throated Redstart.  Another successful ascent and descent of very rocky terrain, but like the other birders there before us that day, we didn’t see either bird.  HOWEVER- we did see 3 juvenile Elegant Trogons!  Usually a difficult bird to find, and here three were hanging out with us for hours! From there to the Beatty’s Guest Ranch, another bird feeder site (this one with grandstands!), in hopes of finding the White-Eared Hummingbird (ABA Code 3 rare bird).  Success! With these great birds under our belt, we headed to the Patagonia Lake State Park to camp for the night.

We hiked the Patagonia Lake trails the following morning hoping for a Black-capped Gnat Catcher, but we were only able to add the fairly common Botteri’s Sparrow. This Patagonia trail is very birdy but yukky, since birders have to share the trails with cattle, making dodging the cow patties while looking up for birds quite challenging.

Our route to the last planned stop in Arizona, the Santa Rita Lodge, was strategically designed to catch both the Thick-billed Kingbird and Varied Bunting. After stopping a few times only to be teased by Western Kingbirds, we became apprehensive about telling the difference between the two, but the size of his bill and black-ish cap turned out easy to differentiate once we caught up to this Thick-billed Kingbird.  The Varied Buntings we found were uniquely colored and beautiful, but Chuck was disappointed that he didn’t get descent pictures. After locating our campsite in Madera Canyon we had to sit through a downpour, delaying our look for the Plain-capped Starthroat, (ABA Code 4 hummingbird).  Twenty minutes after it stopped raining, we risked the quickly flowing wash-out areas to get to the Santa Rita Lodge.  After a 15 minutes of sitting in wet chairs, watching the birds return to the feeders, we spied the bird we were hoping for; a good tradeoff for wet bottoms.

Arizona turned out to be a very successful stop bird-wise on our way to California, and it reinforced our earlier positive impressions of the Sierra Vista area.  At this point, of all the places that we have visited, we think this would be the one we would consider moving to for year round living.  A summer only home (if we could afford it)?  I think the Ingle’s have the right idea- Newfoundland would be my choice too!