The Nogales Loop

On Saturday, David and I did the Nogales Loop - Paton's, Roadside Rest, Patagonia Lake and Kino Springs on the way south, Pena Blanca Lake, Rio Rico and Continental on the way back. We set off  with a long list of target birds and spent a long day in the field with mixed success.

There are three Arizona birds that I consider my Holy Grail - Five-striped Sparrow, Buff-breasted Flycatcher and Northern Beardless Tyrannulet. With California Gulch requiring a high clearance vehicle and the list serve's only posting of Buff-breasted Flycatcher having similar requirements, I went after the tyrannulet at Patagonia Lake (Nutting's Wash) to no avail.The wash was very interesting with Wild Tobacco growing everywhere. In fact I managed a lifer! I had never added Dusky-capped Flycatcher to my list because of its similarity to two other Myarchus flycatchers but I had been listening to calls on my iPod for a couple of days and I recognized the call. In a effort to convince David, I played the call while in the field and the bird landed on a perch just a few feet away. Technology! This was my 10th lifer (and 10th state bird) of 2011.

After getting some easy birds at Paton's and dipping on Thick-billed Kingbird at Roadside Rest, we went to Kino Springs and had Black Vulture, Black-bellied Whistling Duck and Gilded Flicker within a few minutes of arrival. The next stop was to add Least Grebe to my state list (number 11 of the year) before driving to Rio Rico to see many whistling ducks and ibis in the flooded fields and then Continental to find Rufous-winged Sparrow.

I ended with 9 new birds for the year to reach 278 for 2011.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks