Sedona

On Saturday January 24th my wife spent the morning in Sedona in an effort to boost my year list. We stopped by Cave Springs very briefly on the way down in the hope of seeing the dipper, but we had no luck and did not see or hear a single bird of any species in our short stop!

We then spent an hour in the Brewer Road neighborhood, which is in Coconino County, looking for some new birds for 2015. We found a Juniper Titmouse, a bird that has eluded me until late December last year, as well as a Ladder-backed Woodpecker, but had no luck with Canyon Towhee or Northern Cardinal. Our next stop was to walk the loop next to Poco Diablo, but that yielded nothing special. Driving back along Highway 179 from there into Sedona we did find a couple of Javelina in someone's front year!

Collared Peccary

Reid park, Sweetwater, the Santa Cruz Flats and Dos Lagos

On Sunday January 18th my wife and I headed back to Flagstaff making a few stops along the way. We began with another failure to find the Burrowing Owls in the parking lot of the autoglass company near the airport, and then drove to Reid Park.

I had been expecting Redhead and both Neotropic and Double-crested Cormorants, but had forgotten that Black-crowned Night Herons are often by the ponds too, while a Snowy Egret was a bonus for my year list. I had not been thinking about non-water birds at all and was pleased to find a male Summer Tanager and a male Vermillion Flycatcher by the ball fields.

Male Redhead

Vermillion Flycatcher

We made a short stop at Sweetwater hoping for Blue-winged Teal and Common Gallinule, but found neither, but we saw several Gadwall and Pied-billed Grebe, and heard many Sora. We saw good numbers of Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warblers and Verdin.

Male Gadwall

We made a very short detour onto the Santa Cruz Flats finding two Harris's Hawks just past the Red Rock feedlot and a single Crested Caracara in the usual area before rejoining I-10 and heading north, soon seeing my first Turkey Vulture of the year.

We stopped to buy lunch and enjoyed this as Dos Lagos Park in Glendale where we easily found the Eurasian Wigeon among the American Wigeon.

Male Eurasian Wigeon

Male American Wigeon

Female American Wigeon

Florida and Madera Canyons and down to Tubac

On Saturday January 17th my wife and I met up with Ed and Sandy on Madera Canyon Road and spent the day along I-19. Our first stop was at Florida Canyon where we hiked a way up the trail but did not locate Rufous-capped Warblers. It was easy to add year birds due to the new habitat and Pyrrhuloxia and Mexican Jays were among the highlights. But the best sighting for me was a Black-throated Gray Warbler - a bird that had eluded me in 2014. I also added Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and House Wren along the trail. We hoped to see Elegant Trogon on the way back but had no luck, although my wife heard one - something unknown to her until we were in the hotel at the end of the day!

We then spent time at the feeder areas in Madera Canyon, and finding Anna's, Magnificent and Broad-billed Hummingbirds, Hepatic Tanager, Inca Dove and Wild Turkey at Santa Rita Lodge, and Townsend's and Olive Warblers at the Kubo, as well as Lesser Goldfinch and Bridled Titmouse. I also saw a couple of Yellow-eyed Juncos at the Kubo, another bird that I missed last year.

Anna's Hummingbird

Our next stop was at the Amado Water Treatment Plant where a Pacific Loon had been resident for over a week, and which was very cooperative. A couple of Lesser Scaup among many Ring-necked Ducks were new for the year.

Pacific Loon

Male Ring-necked Duck

Female Ring-necked Duck

Our last stop for the day was on the DeAnza Trail in Tubac where we visited the Sinaloa Wren nest site, but heard and saw nothing of the bird itself. The best bird we had during our short stop in Tubac was a Black Vulture flying over.

We ended the day just after dusk at the Burrowing Owl stakeout near the airport, but a noisy group of people in the car park put paid to any idea that we might see these birds!

Willow Bend

On Sunday January 11th my wife and I went to ponds under the freeway near Sam's Club. I was hoping to add a couple of birds to get me to 80 species for the year before semester starts tomorrow. There was a large group of Canvasbacks and a sprinkling of other ducks including Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Ducks and my first Green-winged Teal of the year. I used iBird on my new gadget to locate a couple of Song Sparrows, also new for the year!

Male Canvasback

Female Canvasback

Female Northern Shoveler

Male Green-winged Teal

Arizona Winter Bald Eagle Count

MOn Saturday January 10th the Arizona Winter Bald Eagle Count gave me the excuse to revisit the lakes in Country Club trying to add a few more species to my 2015 list. I had added Bald Eagle near the bridge across Forest Avenue, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk on the NAU Campus during the week taking me to 29 species in town. While I was out counting eagles a pair of Evening Grosbeaks came to our feeders giving us yard bird number 18 for the year.

I met Eric at his house and we drove the usual route around Country Club. Lake Elaine had its usual quantity of Mallards but also many Ruddy Duck and a dozen Northern Pintail - both new for me in 2015. A pair of Common Goldeneye and several Canada Geese, Common Mergansers and Bufflehead rounded out the list of waterfowl at that location

Male Mallard

Female Mallard

Lake Humphreys delivered two mature Bald Eagles for our count and also my first Canvasback of the year. Mallards and Northern Shoveler were the most common ducks at that site. At the duck pond at Continental and Edgewater I added my fourth and final new duck for the day - Ring-necked Duck - and we saw lots of American Wigeon at double ponds. The American Coot at the Walnut Canyon Ponds seemed much happier than they did a week ago, and we saw our third and final Bald Eagle - another mature bird - near the ponds.

Male Bufflehead

Female Bufflehead

The drive out to Walnut Canyon National Monument was mostly bird-free, excepting a few ravens, one Red-tail Hawk and a couple of Townsend's Solitaires.

Lake Pleasant and Buckeye

On Friday January 9th I met Rich, Nanette and Sam in Camp Verde and we headed to Lake Pleasant to chase a few birds that had been recently seen. Our first  stop was at the boat ramp in Maricopa county where a friendly Rock Wren kept close watch. We found a White-winged Scoter and Black Scoter there and had good views of these birds before they flew off never to be seen again! We also saw two, perhaps three, Horned Grebes at this site.

Rock Wren

Driving from there but staying in Maricopa county we saw lots of Ring-billed Gulls, American Coot and Common Goldeneye but failed to find other taget birds such as Red-necked Grebe, Brown Pelican, American White Pelican, Red-breasted Merganser and Common Loon.

Female Common Goldeneye

Male Common Goldeneye

We saw similar species on the water at the Yavapai county end of the lake, but Sam took us to a known site to see unusual Yavapai county birds in Gilded Flicker and Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. We also had Pied-billed Grebe and a Spotted Sandpiper at that end of the lake.

We then drove to a location off Jackrabbit Road in Buckeye to chase McCown's longspurs. We found the place but the field was being ploughed restricting us to the edge if the field and leaving birds lots of places to hide. We saw many Horned Larks and American Pipits, a few Killdeer and Great Egrets, several Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels and a single Savannah Sparrow. We ended the day looking, and dipping, on Burrowing Owl but ended the day with a Northern Harrier, Peregrine and Osprey.

Camp Verde CBC

On Sunday January 4th I joined Tom, Anne, Dr. John and a few others to do Tom's usual route on the Camp Verde CBC.

January 2nd - adding to my list

With my wife at work I decided to go on a short morning's drive around town to add to my 2015 list. However just before I left I had my 17th yard bird of the year, my second ever record of Downy Woodpecker:

Downy Woodpecker

I began my drive by dipping on Great-tailed Grackles in the Asda car park - we had 18 on December 27th! I then drove around the golf course hoping to add the duck and geese species seen on the CBC. Alas the snow had covered the fairways so that Canada Geese numbers were well down and the Ross's Goose nowhere to be seen. Deep snow did not allow access to some spots and open water was much reduced by ice so I did not find all the duck species I'd been hoping for.

At Walnut Canyon ponds NorthernShoveler were working hard to keep some of the water ice free, and Mallards had joined them in a small, densely populated gap in the ice. American Coot clearly were not welcome and these birds appeared to have been planted in the snow!

American Coot

I finished my drive with a stop at the Purina plant to add Eurasian Starling, and at the AcornWoodpecker spot on Lugano Way in Flagstaff. I ended the day with 27 species having missed out on Great-tailed Grackle, Pinyon Jay, Ross's Goose, Canvasback, Hooded Merganser and Ruddy Duck seen less than a week eaelier.

January 1st - in my backyard

I had stayed on top of the foot of snow that fell in Flagstaff on New Year's Eve and had my feeders well stocked so I could get my first birds of 2015 from inside the house. According to eBird I had recorded just 24 species in 2014 and removing summer birds only 19 were possible at the start of the year. I managed to see 16 of these on January 1st including a Brown Creeper and a small flock of Cassin's Finches.

Male Cassin's Finch

Female Cassin's Finch

The Year Ahead

I have learned that 150 county birds and 250 state birds are good targets for me, and I will use these as my goals for 2015. My ABA goal is more difficult but a hoped for San Diego pelagic on April 25th and a business trip to El Paso, TX the weekend before plus trips to see my sons mean that 350 should be attainable. A trip to Europe in June and July means that my world goal for 2015 is 450 species.

My top goal is to reach 400 species for Arizona. I am hoping to spend Martin Luther King Weekend in S.E. Arizona where Sinaloa Wren will be my main target. Once again I will say that I need to make an effort to get Black-billed Magpie, Gray Jay and Chukar on my Arizona list! Someday I will find Swamp Sparrow or Rose-breasted Grosbeak too.

In the ABA area I hope to find Red-billed Tropicbird on the San Diego pelagic, if I can make that trip work, and I will have time on May and early June for a trip which could include chasing game birds in Colorado.I might be able to get into the 570s for my life ABA list.

My current plans are to go on a bird tour in Spain in June and if so I might be able to add 50 lifers for the year.

My 2014 Birding Year

I ended the year with 425 species, 75 less than my target due to less travel than expected. My ABA total ended on 321 which was less than my totals from 2011, 2012 or 2013. Out of state strips were in the winter months to Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, short trips to Mississippi, Arkansas and Washington which did not allow for much birding and a weekend in New Mexico which was very disappointing. .

I had some embarrassing omissions from my list. I did not catch up with Olive, Townsend’s and Black-throated Gray Warblers, Yellow-breasted Chat, Cordilleran or Gray Flycatchers before my summer travel, did not run into American Goldfinch in Arizona and could not find Red Crossbill in the fall when they had been reported everywhere! Somehow White-throated Swift and Crissal Thrsher, Cassin's Kingbird and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher eluded me. I did not get Juniper Titmouse until December 22nd! I had no luck with Harris Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk or Great Horned Owl and could not find Brown Pelican when I stopped by Tempe Town Lake where they were supposed to be guaranteed! But the biggest miss was of Yelloe-eyed Junco. My son took a photo of this bird in Madera Canyon in August when I was standing next him!

With some chasing over Thanksgiving weekend I reached my target of 250 species in Arizona, ending with 254. Of these 6 were new state birds – Eastern Bluebird and Black Tern weren't much to shout about but the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper that Jason found at Rimmy Jim was a great state bird chased by many of the state's best birders. Early in the year I got to go to Florida Canyon, and with Ed's help had great views of a Rufous-capped Warbler. A trip to Madera Canyon in the summer yielded the other two state birds - Mexican Whip-poor-will and another star bird, Buff-collared Nightjar.  My Coconino county total of 158 was an improvement on last year and some of these birds were new for me in the county. Calliope Hummingbird and Downy Woodpeckers were new to my yar.

I had 14 lifers in 2013, much fewer than I had been hoping for and insufficient for my longer term goals. But I saw some great ones! At the Sax-Zim Bog festival I completed the set of North American woodpeckers with a Black-backed Woodpecker, added Pine Grosbeak. Ruffed Grouse and Boreal Chickadee to my list. But owls were my reason for going and I saw both Snowy Owl and Northern Hawk Owl at the festival. I missed my main target on that trip but returning with my wife in December saw my bird-of-the-year: Great Grey Owl.  I saw several Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in Arkansas and finally caught up with Wood Sandpiper and Little Gull in England but my best bird there was the heavily twitched Short-toed Eagle.

My year end totals are as follows:
 

Life List
ABA List	563
Arizona List	395
Coconino County List	269
Yard List	96

2014 Bird List

January 1st
Mountain Chickadee
Dark-eyed Junco
House Finch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Northern Flicker
House Sparrow
Hairy Woodpecker
Eurasian Collared Dove
Pygmy Nuthatch
American Crow
Western Bluebird
Common Raven
Steller's Jay
(Feral) Rock Pigeon

January 2nd
Bald Eagle
Canada Goose
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
Common Merganser
Great Blue Heron
Ruddy Duck
Bufflehead
American Coot
Great-tailed Grackle

January 3rd
Ring-necked Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Canvasback
Red-tailed Hawk
European Starling

January 4th
Western Scrub Jay
Canyon Towhee 
American Robin
Spotted Towhee
Gila Woodpecker
White-crowned Sparrow
Phainopepla
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Siskin
Northern Cardinal
Anna's Hummingbird
Bushtit
Bridled Titmouse
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Lesser Goldfinch
Townsend's Solitaire
Brown Creeper
Red-naped Sapsucker
Say's Phoebe
American Wigeon
Black Phoebe

January 5th
Acorn Woodpecker

January 7th
Rough-legged Hawk

January 11th
American Kestrel
Rufous-backed Robin
Loggerhead Shrike

January 16th
Mourning Dove
Rosy-faced Lovebird
Brown-headed Cowbird

January 17th
Greater Yellowlegs
Long-billed Curlew
Greater Roadrunner
Merlin
Horned Lark
American Pipit
Vesper Sparrow
Sagebrush Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Gambels' Quail
Costa's Hummingbird
Cactus Wren
Abert's Towhee
Gadwall
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Eared Grebe
Cooper's Hawk
Sora
Black-necked Stilt
Marsh Wren
Orange-crowned Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Lincoln's Sparrow
Burrowing Owl
Verdin

January 18th
Northern Mockingbird
Bewick's Wren
White-winged Dove
Green-tailed Towhee
Pyrrhuloxia
Lazuli Bunting
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Plumbeous Vireo
Hermit Thrush
Rufous-capped Warbler
Mexican Jay
Wild Turkey
Hepatic Tanager
Arizona Woodpecker
Chipping Sparrow
Magnificent Hummingbird
Great Egret
Summer Tanager

January 19th
Northern Harrier
Chihuahan Raven
Eastern Meadowlark
Grasshopper Sparrow
Baurd's Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Chestnut-collared Longspur
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night Heron
Redhead
Vermillion Flycatcher

January 20th
Greater White-fronted Goose
Killdeer
Neotropic Cormorant
Belted Kingfisher
Least Sandpiper
Snowy Egret
Long-billed Dowitcher
Curve-billed Thrasher
Cattle Egret
American Avocet
Green Kingfisher
Wilson's Snipe
Western Grebe
Eurasian Wigeon

January 26th
Golden Eagle
Lesser Scaup
Mountain Bluebird

January 30th
Pinyon Jay
Ferruginous Hawk

January 31st
Song Sparrow

February 1st
Eastern Bluebird
Snow Goose
Brewer's Sparrow
Canyon Wren
Tundra Swan
White-tailed Kite
Hooded Merganser

February 2nd
Cassin's Finch

February 8th
Sage Thrasher
Black-throated Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow

February 13th
Black-billed Magpie

February 14th
Pine Grosbeak
Snowy Owl
Black-capped Chickadee
Boreal Chickadee
Downy Woodpecker
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Northern Hawk-Owl
Pileated WoodpeckerEvening Grosbeak
American Goldfinch
Gray Jay
Black-backed Woodpecker

February 15th
Bohemian Waxwing
Ruffed Grouse

February 16th
Common Goldeneye
Herring Gull
Great Back-backed Gll
Glaucous Gull
Northern Shrike

February 20th
Inca Dove
Ring-billed Gull
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Lesser Yellow-legs

February 21st
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
LeConte's Thrasher

February 22nd
Barn Swallow

February 26th
Common Goldeneye

March 7th
Violet-green Swallow

March 8th
Wood Duck
Common Black-hawk

March 20th
Ross's Goose

March 25th
Blue Jay

March 26th
Laughing Gull
Fish Crow
Black Vulture
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Cedar Waxwing
Tree Swallow

March 27th
American White Pelican
Sanderling
Willet
Black-bellied Plover
Ruddy Turnstone
Semipalmated Plover
Blue-winged Teal
Dunlin
Caspian Tern
Forster's Tern
Black Skimmer
American Oystercatcher
Horned Grebe
Common Loon
Brown Pelican
Carolina Chickadee
Northern Parula
Brown Thrasher
Carolina Wren
White-eyed Vireo
Tricolored Heron
Spotted SandpiperBonaparte's Gull
Marbled Godwit

April 4th
Cliff Swallow

April 18th
Broad-tailed Hummingbird

April 19th
Hermit Warbler
Grace's Warbler
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Virginia's Warbler
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Virginia Rail

April 22nd
Bullock's Oriole

April 26th
Brewer's Blackburd

April 27th
White-faced Ibis
Common Yellowthroat
May 1st
Lewis's Woodpecker

May 2nd
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Warbling Vireo
House Wren
Yellow Warbler
Painted Warbler

May 3rd
Western Tanager
Red-faced Warbler
Williamson's Sapsucker
Wilson's Phalarope

May 8th
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

May 9th
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Clark's Nutcracker

May 10th
Scaled Quail
Franklin's Gull
Western Wood-Pewee
Hammond's Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Rock Wren

May 18th
Common Grackle
Mississippi Kite
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least FlycatcherEastern KingbirdScissor-tailed Flycatcher
American Redstart
Indigo Bunting
Nashville Warbler
Tennessee Warbler

May 23rd
Botteri's Sparrow
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Lesser Nighthawk
Elf Owl
Common Poorwill

May 24th
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Common Ground-dove
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Lucy's Warbler
Gray Hawk
Buff-collared Nightjar
Whiskered Screech-Owl
Mexican Whip-poor-will

May 25th
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Greater Pewee
Sulfur-bellied Flycatcher
Scott's Oriole
Common Gallinule

May 26th
Purple Martin

June 7th
Dusky Flycatcher
MacGillivray's Warbler

June 9th
Eurasian Coot
Carrion Crow
Common Wood-pigeon
Mute Swan
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Blackbird

June 10th
Eurasian Blue Tit
Common Chiffchaff
Song Thrush
Eurasian Jay
European Robin
Eurasian Moorhen

June 14th
European Goldfinch

June 15th
Common Shelduck
Common Redshank
Black-headed Gull
Rook
Greater Whitethroat
Western Yellow Wagtail
Corn Bunting
Common Chaffinch
European Greenfinch
European LinnetGreylag Goose
Egyptian Goose
Red-crested Pochard
Common Pochard
Tufted Duck
Great Crested Grebe
Great Cormorant
Grey Heron
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Common Tern
Common Swift
Blackcap
White Wagtail

June 18th
Eurasian Jackdaw

June 19th
Ring-necked Pheasant
Little Egret
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Northern Lapwing
Eurasian Curlew
Eurasian Wren
Dunnock
Little Grebe
Pied Avocet
Black-tailed Godwit
Green Woodpecker
Sky Lark
Meadow Pipit

June 23rd
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Garden Warbler

June 25th
Short-toed Eagle
Great-spotted Woodpecker
Coal Tit
Common Redstart
European Stonechat
Tree Pipit
Yellowhammer
Reed Bunting
Common Buzzard

June 29th
Eurasian Hobby
Common Sandpiper
Sedge Warbler
Eurasian Reed- Warbler

July 7th
Common House-Martin
Common Kingfisher

July 13th
Wood Sandpiper
Black-legged Kittiwake
Marsh Harrier
Mediterannean Gull
Red Knot
Green Sandpiper
Barn Owl
Turtle Dove
Eurasian Nightjar

July 14th
Sand Martin (Bank Swallow)
Barnacle Goose
Greenshank
Ringed Plover
Dunlin
Ruff
Spotted Redshank
Little Gull
Little Tern
Sandwich Tern
Eurasian Spoonbill
Bearded Reedling
Common Scoter
Dartford Warbler

July 16th
Peregrine

July 17th
Spotted Flycatcher
Goldcrest
Eurasian Treecreeper
Eurasian Siskin
Eurasian Stone-Curlew
Northern Fulmar
Little Ringed Plover

July 18th
Brent Goose
Common (Mew) Gull
Common Snipe

July 19thBar-tailed Godwit
Whimbrel
Red-legged Partridge

July 22nd
Rose-ringed Parakeet

August 2nd
Rufous Hummingbird

August 6th
Glaucous-winged Gull
Pigeon Guillemot
Marbled Murrelet
Varied Thrush
Black Oystercatcher
Pelagic Cormorant

August 7th
California Gull

August 9th
Northwestern Crow

August 10th
Brandt's Cormorant
Rhinoceros Aukley
Common Murre

August 12th
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Swainson's Thrush

August 31st
Calliope Hummingbird

September 7th
Baird's Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Black Tern

September 18th
Sabine's Gull

September 20th
White-cheeked Pintail (escaped?)
Stilt Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Red-necked Phalarope
Peregrine

November 15th
Surf Scoter

November 22nd
Red-breasted Merganser
American Dipper

November 27th
Greater Scaup
Clark's Grebe
Barrow's Goldeneye

November 28th
Sandhill Crane
Prairie Falcon

November 29th
Crested Caracara

December 16th
American Black Duck
Great Gray Owl
Common Redpoll

December 20th
American Tree Sparrow

December 22nd
Juniper Titmouse