Cleaning Up Arizona

I had made sure to plan enough time for my Arizona trip so I wouldn't have to come back for the remainder of the year unless something rare shows up. I ended up spending a full ten days in the state. 

May 21

I spent a bit of time at the Paton's Center for Hummingbirds, hoping to find the Rufous-winged Sparrow that had been sporadically showing there. After a few hours of watching the feeders and brushy areas in the front yard, as directed by staff, still no luck.

Next, I headed over to Patagonia Lake State Park to look for the Common Black Hawk reported there. After a few hours, I had a flyover Zone-tailed Hawk and a rare for the area Elegant Tern (they've been showing up in random places this year), but dipped on Common Black Hawk (for the second time now). 

I spent some evening time by the feeding area looking for Rufous-winged Sparrow. I'm 95% certain I saw a few at this very spot when I was there in February, but forgot to eBird them. One teed up eye level in a bush, offering great looks. 

I spent a quiet night tent camping amongst a bunch of RV'ers, including one seemingly unstable father yelling at his kids around the campfire over and over again as I was trying to fall asleep. 

Year List: 608

May 22

Back to San Pedro House, this time with Gilded Flicker on the mind. An easy target, one was point blank at one of the suet feeders - but better yet, it was right next to a Northern Flicker! The gray cap extended past the eye and to the back of the nape was obvious. Easy to tell apart in flight, the northerns in the west have red feather shafts, and the Gilded Flickers have yellow feather shafts, they are a bit trickier when perched. 

I headed off to camp at Mount Lemmon for the night. My friend Alex had a Flammulated Owl calling from the General Hancock Campground earlier in the week, so I  figured staying there would give me my best chance at hearing it throughout the night. I arrived about two hours before sunset, set up my tent, and then headed to Rose Lake, where there had been recent sightings of Common Black Hawk. I spent more than an hour at the tiny lake, scanning the skies and all the trees, but once again, no luck. Another Zone-tailed Hawk flew over, as if taunting me. 

I went back to camp, where my campsite neighbors had invited me to come on by for a drink. They were a blast - all neighbors living in a community in Tucson. They were full of questions about birding, and my big year, and were fascinated when about half a dozen Mexican Whip-poor-wills started singing as the last of the day's light waned. I chatted with the group of eight for a few hours. They started to make s'mores, and I offered the cinnamon graham crackers I'd been traveling with - an epic and life changing twist on standard s'mores - they agreed. Not birders, but avid hikers - as much as I'd bonded with them, I gifted each of the fours women in the group Birdie alarms, we chatted some more, and headed to bed. The stillness of the mountains, void of any wind, was welcome contrast with my noisy neighbors from the prior night. I set my alarm to wake a few times in the night and listen for Flammulated Owl, but all I  heard was Elf Owl and a Great Horned. Flammulated will have to wait until the Snowcock trip in July. 

Year List: 609

May 23

Birding Mount Lemmon at various spots from Mile 12 up to the top produced new for the year Virginia's Warbler, and after birding Mount Lemmon, I headed over northeast of Phoenix, where Alex had several cooperative Gray Vireos right from the parking lot a few days ago. On the way, a Common Black Hawk flew over a hillside close to the highway. Three separate high-effort attempts and dips, and this is the way I finally see this bird?!?! Navigating to the Gray Vireo was a single traveling women's worst nightmare...down, down, down the mountainsides, with no cell reception...straight to a dead end. For a moment, I considered not turning the car off, for the slim chance it may not start again for whatever odd reason. 

I did indeed turn the car off, and two Gray Vireos were singing their hearts out even though it was mid-afternoon. I spent some time enjoying them - it was a life bird for me! I took a little audio clip and was on my way. I  realized I could probably make it to the Thrasher Spot west of Phoenix with a bit of daylight left. 

Arriving at the Thrasher Spot near Buckeye, Arizona, I knew it would be a very slim chance I could find Le Conte's Thrasher in the last 30 minutes of the day, but I had to try. I  had already premeditated my plan of attack - this bird loves to just run along the ground like a mouse. I'd get there, and try to quickly and quietly weave through as much habitat as I could. About 15 minutes into my stealth walk, I flushed a covey of Gambel's Quail. Almost simultaneously, a pair of Black-tailed Gnatcatchers started screaming at me - perhaps I was near their nest? The quail and the gnatcatchers were on opposite sides of me. I turned my gaze from the gnatcatchers, back to the quail, and between them, a Le Conte's Thrasher came running in the direction towards the gnatcatchers and away from the quail. Holy crap! 

Exhausted, I made my way east, and then south to Tucson for the night, treating myself to a hotel after camping with no shower or running water for three days. Sleeping in a real bed felt incredible. 

Year List: 613

May 24

I spent some time in Tucson, trying to scrounge up a Costa's Hummingbird mid-day. I'd had a phone commitment at 9 am, and regrettably chose to sleep in, complete the task, and then go birding after, as opposed to getting up early and trying for the bird before the phone call. I spent about an hour in the hot sun at Tucson Mountain Park before turning back and deciding to try the smaller, Feliz Paseos Park just down the road. I walked yet another hour (or so it seemed - apparently the eBird checklist states 25 minutes!) in the sun at Feliz Paseos before circling back to the parking lot and finding a very active pair in the shrubs literally bordering the parking lot. After about 20 minutes of trying to get a good digibinned photo, I gave in to this documentation-only one. 

And so I'd gotten all the targets I'd set out for - aside from a few wishfuls that I  had already assigned new locations and dates to finding at alternate areas around the country. I won't need to return to Arizona this year unless (hopefully, until) something rare shows up! I headed down to Portal to hang out with Raymond for the rest of the day. 

Portal would be my launch point for a 1,003 mile drive the following day. I could break it into two days, but wanted to be sure I can handle a 1000 mile one-day chase trip in the future if necessary.  

Year List: 614 

Arizona - From Social to Solo

May 17 

Up before the sun. We packed up camp and walked around in search of Red-faced Warbler - we were on a huge time crunch as Charlie had a flight out of Tucson he needed to make before noon. We had about an hour to bird in addition to making our way down off the mountain and back to Portal. After about 30 minutes of looking, we started piling into the SUV, having run out of time. Literally as most of us were in the vehicle, one lone Red-faced Warbler perched in the tree above us. No way! Epic timing at its finest. We piled out, spent a few minutes with the bird, and then moved on. 

Further down the mountain, a squeaky Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher was perched on a branch at eye level on the side of the road. Another quick five minute stop, and Charlie and I had bagged another year bird, with just minutes of extra time to spare for he and Alex to make sure to get on the road to Tucson in time to make the flight. 

Back in Portal, after Charlie and Alex left for the airport, a Blue-throated Mountain-gem was coming to a feeder. I relaxed for the afternoon, completed some Swarovski paperwork, and slept soundly that night. 

Year List: 603 

May 18

After a laid back morning, Raymond and I went birding in the Chiricahuas in search of Mexican Chickadee. I'd basically only heard this bird previously, with incredibly distant views, so it was a real treat when one came down out of the treetops and landed in a bush nearby. 

And then there was one. In the afternoon, I parted ways with Raymond and started on my own solo adventures to cleanup birds still missing from my year list. Back to the Huachucas I went! First stop was for Montezuma Quail at a private residence near the base of Miller Canyon Road. I  waited in the car for about 45 minutes until a pair of tiny quail wandered across the road and into the yard. They buried themselves deeply in the long grass, but I  was able to get an identifiable digiscope shot of the male. Chris, the homeowner, walked around through his neighbor's yard to meet me to ensure I'd seen the bird. 
Later, I  found both an email and an Instagram message from Mari, who I had met the day before and spoken with and given my card to. They had both been trying desperately to make sure I was seeing the bird that was in their yard! Big Years really do take a village, and I'm feeling the love of the dozens and dozens of people who have reached out to try to help me find birds throughout these last few months! 

Having just spent more time with other humans than I had since prior to covid, the loneliness of solo traveling and birding felt overwhelming. I cried as I left Portal, and cried throughout my two hour drive to the Huachucas. It was so difficult to leave after so many amazing experiences the last few days. My social needs have definitely not been met over the last year. 

I camped nearby in the Miller Canyon parking lot. Soup for dinner, along with the last bit of wine from the California Gulch trip. I crawled into my sleeping bag shortly after sunset and slept for a solid nine hours. 

Year List: 605 

May 19

Having gotten my intended target for the morning - Montezuma Quail - last night instead, I headed to look for the Common Black Hawk that had been seen near Casa de San Pedro. I walked the trail along the creek at San Pedro House and just up the river a ways as well. Then, I tried for Rufous-winged Sparrow at San Pedro House. There was road construction with a fifteen minute wait in either direction on the way to and from. Ugh. It was a morning of dips. Streaks of luck followed by streaks of dips. Par for the course I  suppose. 

I then made the drive over to Florida Canyon, in the Santa Ritas, to try for Black-capped Gnatcatcher. It was hot as heck, I was tired, and Black-capped Gnatcatchers are hard, on a good year. This year, the drought has seemed to have been very difficult for the many species that just barely make it into the United States, including the gnatcatcher. 

I first went the wrong direction on the trail - heading up and up the left side of the creek, and thinking I   didn't remember it being this long of a walk to the water tanks. Finally realizing my mistake, I  backtracked and found my way across the dry creek bed, to the narrow trail on the other side. I walked the short distance to the tanks, and spent a good amount of time around them, finding a few Blue-gray Gnatcatchers but not much else. I wandered down the trail towards the parking lot, past the iron trail gate, having mostly given up. To my surprise, the wooded area not far from the trailhead was pretty birdy! I  near instantly realized the quiet chips of the Black-capped Gnatcatcher, which gave me good but fleeting looks before disappearing into a more distant part of the canopy. It was a good enough look to tell it was female, and that the tail feathers were very obviously graduated. 

I'd intended to stay in Florida Canyon that night (disperse camping at the spot I felt too vulnerable to camp at in February), but earlier in the day, a report of a Rufous-capped Warbler in the Huachucas came in, so back to camping in the Miller Canyon parking lot I went. 

Awful. I don't even have words beyond that. The wind was silent as I was erecting my tent in exactly the same place I'd slept the night before. As the sun set, the wind picked up a bit, and by 10 pm, the wind was howling down the mountainside, across the parking lot, and straight under the three inch gap under my wind fly. I  felt some fine debris fall from the ceiling, figuring the wind had probably knocked off whatever dirt I'd accidentally packed in my tent the My tent was near-collapsing on occasion. I'm not sure how I slept, but eventually became so tired that I was able to do so. I awoke before dawn with a horrendous sore throat, my sleeping bag and my tent covered in a fine layer of parking lot dust. 

Year List: 606 

May 20  

I got up before sunrise and began the two mile one way trek up the mountain to the spot where a Rufous-capped Warbler had been seen the day before, reported as "continuing" (though I couldn't find information on earlier reports, and a request on the Arizona Birding page turned up no additional information, either). The location seemed pretty clear: Hike 3.2 km up the Miller Canyon Trail to where it intersects with the Holenstein Mine Trail. I hiked the 3.2 km (finding a male Hermit Warbler along the way!), and came to a trail intersection - one marked and one unmarked. There was nothing about a mine trail. No cell reception to be able to check, either. wandered up about 1/4 mile, back down, and spent more more than three hours in that area. As I descended the mountain a bit, I  received cell reception, and had a message from Arizona birder Steve, that they are often around the "split rock" area, a bit downslope from where I was. Hours later, it was confirmed that I had indeed been in the right place, and that the Holenstein Mine Trail was unmarked. Despite spending a good bit more time in the area, I was unable to locate a Rufous-capped Warbler. 

On the way down, I ran into a birding couple I had met in High Island last month. Bettina and Bob were making their way up the trail as I was heading down. They'd been following my year and we were shocked to happen upon one another! We chatted a bit, and they invited me to spend a night in the guest bedroom at their place. I thanked them but declined, as it wasn't going to work out with my travel logistics, but told them a shower would certainly be amazing. I headed to a nearby coffee shop, did some computer work, and waited for them to finish their birding before heading over to their place just at the base of Hunter Canyon. 

I walked in their house with a pile of dirty clothes (they'd also invited me to do laundry, which I graciously accepted), and heard Bob say excitedly "I found an extinction!" These folk are my people. They were getting started on a 1000 piece evolution puzzle. We talked birds until my laundry was finished, and I hugged them goodbye, heading towards Madera for the night. 

Year List: 607 

SE AZ Day 2: West to East to 600!

May 16 

Up before dawn as planned, we were all still very tired from the craziness of the last few days, combined with little sleep. We packed up camp, snacked on a few breakfast foods, and started hiking. 

Raymond took us on a short walk down a wash at California Gulch, producing for us a Five-striped Sparrow teed up on a hillside, singing near the top of a bush. Another lifer for me! Once everyone had their fill of the looks they desired, we got back into the car and headed out of the gulch. I think everyone was a bit on edge over the driving - we would be in a bit of a situation if we popped another tire on the way out. 

Out of the area and over east to the Huachucas we went - Carr Canyon was simply filled with new year birds (almost all lifers for me, too)...Grace's Warbler, Olive Warbler, Plumbeous Vireo, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Hammond's Flycatcher....don't make fun of me too much...Western Wood-Pewee was also a life bird for me! I'd simply never been in the west during the time of year that the birds are present in the US. 

After Carr Canyon, we jumped over to the nearby Miller Canyon, where our first target was the White-eared Hummingbird coming to feeders at Beatty's Guest Ranch. We brought a small cooler up the hill to the feeding station, spreading out the remains of last night's appetizers on the bench in front of us, and sipping on cold sparkling water. Little did we know, Raymond had also packed the remaining wine so we could celebrate after seeing the hummingbird! 

Man, we have been birding in serious style these last few days! It will be in stark contrast when I go back to solo camping and living and eating out of my tiny Chevy Spark. Not a lot of time passed before the bird showed up, perching briefly in a nearby shrub, and then coming to the feeders for several long swigs of sugar water. I got identifiable photos, and we packed up our snacks and prepared to hit the Miller Canyon Trail. 

We barely made it inside the gate (literally, I was standing with the coded lock in my hands while looking at the bird), when Raymond spotted a Greater Pewee on the top of a dead snag a ways away. There were a few Cordilleran Flycatchers giving their unique call throughout our hike. We were hoping to happen upon the Spotted Owls that are sometimes seen roosting on this trail, but after checking in with the owners of the guest ranch, we heard that nobody had seen them in the last few days, and guides had been in the area, so we decided not to spend the time looking. We would instead plan to camp at Pinery Canyon in the evening and hopefully get them there. 

After a pit stop at Raymond's place in Portal to regroup and prepare for another night of camping, we headed the direction of Pinery Canyon in the Chiricahuas. Some listening stops along the way in the dark included heard-only Mexican Whip-poor-wills (SUCH a cool sound!). We were running ourselves ragged, and it was obvious to the other three of us that Alex was suddenly feeling pretty exhausted, when, on the short walk back to the car from the Whip-poor-will spot, he had suddenly transitioned from a normal walk to what I would call a heavy shuffle, just one step before sleepwalking. I had to, of course, call him out on it, and we all had a good laugh. 

Soon after, we got to Pinery Canyon, and walked around looking and listening for Spotted Owl. We had no success for a while, and then one suddenly called nearby! We looked for it a bit longer and then decided to settle for heard-only with this bird, at least for now. We would be camping directly under the trees it was calling in, and if it called again in the middle of the night, we could pop out and try again to see it. We set up camp, and the wind started to pick up a bit. None of us heard the Spotted Owl call again - but that could have been a product of the wind muffling the sound, or simply our tiredness keeping us from waking to the sound. We'll never know. 

Spotted Owl was both my 600th year bird and the very last of the North American owls for my life list. I find closing out families of birds on my life list to be simultaneously exciting and saddening (though closing out families of year birds is infinitely only exciting). It's exciting to have seen them all, but saddening that there are no new species to be pursuing in the future. In the case of the owls, I do still need to see Spotted Owl and Northern Saw-whet Owl, so there are "lifer experiences" still to be had (to quote Alex). These last few days had been infinitely amazing and incredible, but I think we were all ready for a break. 

Year List: 600 

Southeast Arizona Round #2, Day 1: East to West

I'd been in Arizona in February, when I first decided to do a Big Year, while flushing Scaled Quail while driving out of the Franklin Mountains State Park, on my way to Southeast Arizona, intending to see five life birds, and drive back home to Texas. I've been in Arizona five or so times for birding, but always in the dead of winter - the December - February time frame. I  was super excited to get back to Arizona when the summer birds are around! Lots of life birds in store for me on this trip. 

May 15 

After spending the night in Las Cruces, we caravanned our way to the Portal, Arizona area, where a Plain-capped Starthroat had conveniently appeared a few days prior. The original plan was for me to hop in the SUV with Charlie and Alex at the highway exit, but after I found out they were 30 minutes behind me,  I decided to brave the rough roads with my Chevy Spark. I  figured if I  got to a place that was impassable, I could just wait there for them to pick me up. My car made it all the way out, and I had some great conversations with Barbara, who said the bird had come in about 30 minutes before my arrival that morning. We chatted some more, and Charlie and Alex arrived. We waited about another 30 minutes or so, and the bird arrived at one of the many feeders in her yard. It fed very briefly, for probably less than 20 seconds, then disappeared. We waited another 15 minutes in case it would come for seconds, and it didn't, so we left. This is one of my least favorite things about Big Year birding - the rushedness of it all. We thanked Barbara for her hospitality - I  likened it to "sorry to eat and run" - "sorry to see your bird and run" - but we had more birds to see! I  bumped on down the gravel road back to the highway, sure to be behind Charlie and Alex for the next stop, given I had to take the gravel roads so much slower. 

We blazed over to Madera Canyon, for the Berylline Hummingbird which also had showed up in the few days prior. I met Charlie and Alex near the base of the mountain, jumped in, and we headed to Santa Rita Lodge. Also a quick pickup, we waited less than 30 minutes for the bird to come to a feeder near the edge of the parking lot. Big-ish Year birders Dave and Tammy were there as well, and I got to see (and hug) my friend Raymond for the first time in a very long time. We'd crossed paths at the Spotted Rail last year, but our time there overlapped by only 15 minutes or so. The Berylline was another quick seen and gone bird. 

New for the year for me at this same spot was Broad-billed Hummingbird. 

Now we had three vehicles - Raymond was joining us for a few days of birding. We all headed to the De Anza Trail near Tubac, where Lucy's Warbler was not only a year bird, but a life bird. They were everywhere! I watched them for a while, bringing caterpillars to a nest cavity, while most of the rest of the group looked for the Rose-throated Becard that's been nest building in the area. 

From the De Anza Trail, we consolidated vehicles, dropping mine and Raymond's at a nearby grocery store, piling all the camping gear into the SUV, and we made the lengthy drive to California Gulch. The drive to the Gulch is long, windy, rocky, and bumpy. We learned just how bumpy it was, as one of our tires was nearly slashed completely on a sharp rock. The tire lost all of its air in just a handful of minutes. Luckily, we had wound up right next to a primitive campsite were a man was RV camping. We had issues getting the tire high enough with the jack that came in the vehicle, and the man offered a 2 x 4 block for us to put the jack on top of. There were a series of technical issues with the changing of the tire (how do we get the spare down, etc) but I'll spare those boring details. Forty-five minutes later, we were bouncing down the road, slashed tire underneath, full-size spare on the vehicle, and no wiggle room for any more broken tires. 

We arrived, set up camp, set out along the tailgate, a fun spread of appetizers along with wine for dinner, and waited for the sun to set. Dave and Tammy had joined us as well, but would not be staying the night. To our surprise, a Buff-collared Nightjar started calling when it was still plenty light out, on the hill just adjacent to our campsite. Common Poorwills were calling, too, new for the year. 

The next few hours are a blur to me - they included walking all over thorny hillsides, sliding carefully under and tediously climbing over barbed wire national forest fences (we were not trespassing - there are various divisions of land in a lot of areas as they lease the land to ranchers for cattle). Time spent staring in awe at the moon and the stars; adventures into lots of crazy larvae in a water tank, the discovery that fishhook barrel cacti can double as nature banjos, and finishing in amazing looks at a perched Buff-collared Nightjar. I may or may not have teared up at how amazing of an experience the whole evening was, and I may or may not be tearing up again while writing this. Nature is incredible. Life is wonderful. I didn't even realize until the following day how scratched up I was all over from the thorny brush we were walking through. 

We got back to the campsite, toasted to an amazing evening with some whiskey, and crawled into our tents for a short six hour sleep. Las Cruces, NM, to California Gulch. What a day. We'd be up before dawn. 

Year List: 587 

Colima Quest

May 12

I drove up to South Llano State Park in Junction, Texas, in search of Golden-cheeked Warbler for the year. I arrived to the campsite shortly before sunset, driving in to a chorus of Bell's Vireos and pitta-tuck Summer Tanagers all over the place. Despite walking around and looking for Golden-cheeks, I would have to wait until morning. I set up camp and waited for my friends Alex and Charlie to arrive - Charlie needed Black-capped Vireo for the year, and the three of us would caravan to West Texas to tackle the Colima Warbler hike in two days. After a few hours around the campfire, cooking my childhood favorite - pizza "pudgy pies" in the fire - we crawled into our tents on a perfect 60 degree night. The woods were silent, aside from the occasional rustling of the plentiful nine-banded armadillos in the park. 

May 13 

Walking for a few miles around the Agarita Trail produced a reasonably cooperative Golden-cheeked Warbler.

  

On the walk back to the cars, I was treated to a displaying Yellow-breasted Chat and OH MY GOSH IT MIGHT BE MY NEW FAVORITE BIRD BEHAVIOR EVER. I'm not sure how I've gone this long without ever witnessing it, but this bird acts like a giant butterfly in a Disney movie - I'm not sure how it manages to stay in the air while flapping so little! I headed to the nearby Junction water treatment plant to swing by for the White-rumped Sandpipers that had been seen several days previously. The birds were close and cooperative - giving the best looks I've ever gotten at this species. I then got on the road to caravan behind Charlie and Alex en route to the Christmas Mountains Oasis. 

A brief visit to Christmas Mountains Oasis provided great looks at (but awful digiscoped photos of) Lucifer Hummingbird. 

As the first stop in Big Bend, we tried with no luck at Blue Spring Trail for Gray Vireo - it was the middle of the day and not the best time to be looking, but we did find new-for-the-year Scott's Oriole and Dusky Flycatcher. 

Despite having researched it, the restaurant at the Chisos Mountain Lodge, unaligned with the web search results, was not open! After a full day of birding and driving, we would have to either go hungry (our car snacks were waning), or drive out to Terlingua (45 minutes each direction) for dinner. By none other than luck, we just so happened to be checking into the lodge when a restaurant worker was returning from some to-go orders. We asked him if he might possibly have anything leftover from the day that he might be able to sell us - and we were in luck! He scrounged up some dinner salads, hummus wraps, and even peach cobbler. Happy hikers we were! 

May 14 

Getting up before the sun, we started along on the Laguna Meadows Trail at 6:30 am. It was 30 minutes later than our intended departure time, but we were incredibly lucky in that the forecast called for the high of the day to be a temperate 85 degrees. Usually, the "traditional" spot for Colima Warbler was at Boot Springs Trail, but Big Bend National Park had a fairly sizable fire a few weeks previously, and they had not yet reopened their mountaintop trails to hikers. The Laguna Meadows Trail was nice in that it was a more gradual climb, but the flat areas continue for longer, so it takes longer to get into the higher elevation habitat where the Colimas are found. Armed with a few GPS pins from where my friend Ian had them the previous week, we speed hiked the 2.7 miles up the mountain to the first point, then slowed our pace as we looked for the three or more individuals that had been reported there recently. Despite hearing one or two birds very briefly on the way up, we still hadn't gotten a solid recording or any look at all by the time we got to the end of the trail at mile 3.5. Slowly down we would go; spending extra time at each of the locations we were given was our mode of attack. 

To our excitement, on the return trip, two of the birds were nearly in the exact trees they had been seen in a few days prior. The third bird was a bit off course but the most cooperative! It perched immediately above the trail right out in the open and gave us brief but great looks! Along the walk back, we also came across a displaying male Broad-tailed Hummingbird. 

Visiting Sam Nail Ranch on our way out of the park, a male and female Varied Bunting were visiting the wetland area where we were warned an adult black bear had been twenty minutes earlier. A couple visiting from the Dallas area were there, and I realized I'd forgotten the alarms in the car, so I left one on the dash of their vehicle when we left. 

Down off the mountain we went, leaving the Chisos and beelining it for El Paso, where a Yellow-billed Loon was found a few days later at a small fishing lake near downtown. It was a "drive-up" bird - I  parked my car, stepped out, and it was the first bird I looked at. Yellow-billed Loon was extra exciting for me, as I had accidentally passed an opportunity to see one north of San Francisco earlier in the year, and had passed it off as most likely a miss for the year. The locals were excited to be hosting a bird that so many people were coming to see - several fishermen had asked me if I was there to see the "Alaskan loon". While there, I ran into Nancy from Albuquerque. I gifted her an alarm, we chatted a bit about my big year project, and then headed off to Las Cruces for the evening. 

Year List: 581

Rio Grande Valley: MacGillivray's!

May 11

I was at the mechanic in McAllen, getting my car checked over after having a transmission leak fixed last week (it is, indeed, still leaking, but in a different spot, and not fixed), when a message came through from local kid birder Ryan that he had found a MacGillivray's Warbler at Quinta Mazatlan. I was ten minutes away! I messaged him, asking him to keep an eye on it, and I'd be there shortly. It's been so fun to be interacting with so many birders this year, all invested as well, in helping me reach my goal. Thanks, Ryan! It took about 30 minutes of searching once I arrived, and I refound the bird bathing in a water feature a few dozen yards from where it had been found initially. 

MacGillivray’s Warbler at Quinta Mazatlan 

May 12 

Off to Hill Country I go in search of Golden-cheeked Warbler, then to Big Bend for Colima Warbler, and westward toward Arizona for the summering birds there! 

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

May 6

I flew in to Norfolk, Virginia. I think it wins as my favorite airport ever! Artistic, clean, and an easy layout. I made my way down the coast to Cape Hatteras. 

May 7

East coast pelagic trip #1! I was on a boat out of San Diego in February, but this was my first time on the Atlantic this year, and also my first time north of Florida along the east coast for the year. Lots of new birds were possible! 

It was a choppy ride out, and despite having taken Dramamine, I became seasick about four hours into the ten hour trip. I had forgotten how horrible it feels - anyone who has experienced seasickness can relate! A flock of distant Red-necked Phalaropes were low over the water on our way out. We had great looks at Black-capped Petrels and Wilson's Storm-Petrels periodically through much of the day. Audubon's and Cory's Shearwaters both paid a visit to the chum behind the boat, and Parasitic and Pomarine Jaegers also swung by for a bit, making several passes.  A few of us had fleeting looks at a Leach's Storm-Petrel about halfway through the day. I had gotten sick somewhere between 8 and 10 times, and by the time we made it to land around 4 pm, I was very thankful to be stationary. Two hours after returning to land, it began pouring buckets and raining nearly sideways. Talk about timing! 

May 8 

The boat trip was cancelled today. I  had originally signed up for Friday and Sunday, anticipating that I  would need Saturday as a recovery day. It was hard to not be almost thankful the trip didn't go out: There would be no regretting anything I might have missed, since nobody was seeing anything. I was still not feeling well from yesterday, and I went for a short walk on the beach and then lazied around until noon. A Great Black-backed Gull was new for the year, flying over the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. 

May 9 

Trip #2 - I preemptively tried Bonine this time - taken once the night before and again shortly before leaving for the dock in the morning. It was difficult to get the courage to get on the boat again, knowing there was well a chance that Bonine wouldn't work either. 

We had more great looks at Black-capped Petrel, incredible views of a Pomarine Jaeger who graced us with its obvious presence for many passes. In the afternoon, a Fea's Petrel was found by Ed, one of the spotters, confidently calling the ID at a fair distance. It came in closer to the boat, checking out the chum slick, but not entirely interested, though giving everyone a chance to get decent looks before it disappeared into the vast oceanic horizon. Adding a bird for the year is never a bad thing -- but Code 3 birds are very important for Big Years -- and some Code 3s, like the Fea's Petrel, are birds you sort of just have to happen upon. Happy to have this one in the bag! We began motoring our way back to shore - about a two hour trip as we were 30 miles offshore. Figuring we were finished accumulating new birds for the day, it was extra exciting to come upon a flock of 7 or 8 Red Phalaropes that had been on the water near the boat. 

Nearly more exciting than the Fea's Petrel was NO SEASICKNESS! I  felt amazing all day! In truth, I  probably just felt "normal" but compared to the way I had anticipated feeling, it was amazing. I'd been meaning to get to Cape Hatteras for literally over a decade, and it was awesome to finally meet Kate! I  had anticipated I'd likely be the only woman on the boat aside from her, but was pleasantly surprised when there were seven lady participants on Friday's trip and five on Sunday. Trip capacity, I  believe, was 20 participants, so we made up just over 1/4, but we are getting there! Little by little we will work toward equal representation in the field of birding. 

I finished the North Carolina trip with nine new birds added and headed back to spend a few days at home in the Rio Grande Valley. 

Year List: 570  

Flame-colored Tanager & Yellow-green Vireo!

May 2 

After one get-my-life-and-house-back-together-post-Colorado day, I headed to South Padre Island to guide my monthly clients in search of some of the later season migrants, and was not disappointed by the additions to my year in the process! Philadelphia Vireo, Mourning Warbler, Western Tanager, "Traill's" Flycatchers, a few of which I was able to separate into Willow and Alder Flycatchers by calls, and a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher were all new for the year. 

May 3 

Beginning at Salineno at sunrise, I was in the process of completing a "dispersed flock" Texas statewide Big Day as part of the Texas Birding Classic. Having great success with so many of the "Valley Birds" - my main focus for contribution to our group of five located around the state - I was at Estero State Park working on adding some warblers for the day. I was looking at a Golden-winged Warbler when the text came through: Flame-colored Tanager at the South Padre Island Convention Center. But I'd have to wait! I spent the next few hours anxious, even though most birds that show up to South Padre Island remain there for the rest of the day. Photos had actually surfaced from May 2nd of the same bird being identified as a Western Tanager. Eventually, my Big Day route winded its way over to South Padre Island, and within five minutes of arrival, I got a close-up video of the bird (viewable on my Instagram account, tiff_k_13). While I was finishing birding the rest of the Convention Center area, teen birder Ryan Rodriguez spotted a Yellow-green Vireo. I spent a few minutes looking with some other folks, hoping it would reappear, but I didn't have time to spare. A Big Day within a Big Year is painful! 

May 4 

I guided Jan from Houston this morning. I'd met Jan in April during my time at High Island. Jan is a lung cancer survivor, and several years ago, when she was given only months to live, her goal was to see 500 species of birds. She has been to the RGV many times in the past, so there aren't many new birds for her to get here.  spent May 3 in the RGV on her own, and picked up Tamaulipas Crow as a life bird. She came to me with 497 on her ABA life list! We headed to South Padre Island to try again for the Yellow-green Vireo. The bird was incredibly active, giving only a glimpse at a time and then flitting to another tree. It was Jan's #498 for her life list, and my #559 for the year! 

Following the vireo, we headed over to try for Botteri's Sparrow on Old Port Isabel Road near Brownsville. By then it was 2:30 pm and almost 90 degrees, but it was on our way back to the mid-Valley, so we had to try! A very obliging individual teed up not far from us on an old fence post, in the very first promising looking large swath of grass, singing its heart out. 

Year List: 560 

Colorado and an ABA Milestone!

What an incredible week with SO MANY LIFERS! Having never been to Colorado, the Big Year "chicken trip" was definitely near the top of my list of anticipated trips! 

Endearingly called "chickens", this actually refers to Sage Grouse (Greater & Gunnison), Prairie Chickens (Greater and Lesser), Dusky Grouse, White-tailed Ptarmigan, and Chukar. Tour companies usually spend a week or more, traversing the entire state of Colorado, and often venturing into neighboring states, to get great looks at these birds, of which the Sage Grouse and Prairie Chickens have quite an elaborate mating ritual, at a somehow-determined-by-the-birds space on the ground, called a lek. 

Note I said people often spend "a week or more".  I had 4.5 days - the only window of time remaining in April between clients I had for bird guiding in the Rio Grande Valley. ABA Big Year birder Charlie and I    joined forces for this trip. Special thanks to friend and fellow bird guide Raymond for piecing together an itinerary to hopefully accomplish all. 

Denver Arrival: Sunday April 25, 1:00 pm 

After a quick side detour to get Charlie American Dipper for the year (I had seen mine in February in Arizona - the very first day I had decided to do a big year), my first target stop was for White-tailed Ptarmigan at Loveland Pass. It was very cold and insanely windy - the hillsides were covered in snow with only a few small rocky areas exposed. Finding a white bird on a white landscape was a little bit like Where's Waldo, but we managed it! It was a tag team effort: We had split up to search different hillsides, and Charlie had heard one. After a bit of scanning, I  found it, much closer than we had anticipated! We spent about a half hour enjoying the bird and watching it preen while nestled into the snow. I had searched for this bird in Alaska nearly a decade ago with no success. 

It was then on to Greater Sage Grouse in an area near Walden. Bouncing down the gravel road at the location we were given, sure enough, there was one! And then two! Finally we ended up finding five birds; four females and one male. It was the final target for the day. Day .5: 100% success. As it turns out, my friend Alex happened to also be staying in Walden that night, with a tour group he was leading. The group was asleep, and he headed out to try for Boreal Owl with us at Cameron Pass. We spent about an hour at various locations along the pass for the bird, but the wind was about 20 mph and it was difficult to hear anything at all. A winnowing snipe above the Moose Visitor Center really threw us for a loop. Such different species, but if you look at Sibley's description of Boreal Owl call, he compares it to a Wilson's Snipe. So strange! 

Monday 

The following morning, we headed three hours to look for Chukar at Coal Canyon. After a bit of scanning in similar fashion to ptarmigan scanning, we found one pretty cooperative and seemingly unafraid. Chukar is an introduced species, native to the Middle East. I mostly despise exotic species, but when doing a big year, it is what it is, and Chukar was #545.

From there it was on to Lewis's Woodpecker, immediately found in a giant tree at the coordinates we were given. No photos, as it flew off to who-knows-where on short notice. 

Dusky Grouse was on our list for the following morning - with the entire day dedicated to its finding at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, as it can be a very finicky species. After walking for miles and miles, Charlie spotted a distant one across the other side of the canyon. It was visible for about 30 seconds and then disappeared forever. What a horrible look at a life bird! (Second, only, to the Streak-backed Oriole I only heard and did not see, in California back in February.) 

Tuesday 

Gunnison Sage Grouse, one hour before sunrise! I was forewarned that these birds would be distant...but that still didn't prepare me for how distant they were! It made Monday's Dusky Grouse views seem exquisite. 

American Three-toed Woodpecker was on Monarch Pass - finally, success! We had tried one spot at the beginning of the trip with no luck, had a lead from a park ranger at the Black Canyon when we were there which was a dead end attempt, and finally great looks at one teed up in a bare tree not far from the highway pull-off. 

Later that evening, we went back to that same area to try for Boreal Owl. This was an exceptionally special bird for me, as it was my 700th life ABA bird, a milestone sought after by many birders. It's crazy to think that my goal for 2021 is to see more species of birds in the lower 48 than I've seen in my entire 22 years of birding in all 50 states! 

Wednesday 

It wound up being a day of leisure hiking, as there were no more year birds to be found nearby! Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs was just as gorgeous as I'd always seen in photos. It was nice to get out hiking without the stress of needing to keenly watch for birds. The afternoon was spent driving to Kansas, where lekking prairie chickens awaited.

Thursday morning was a 4:45 alarm, similar to most of the week. Lesser Prairie Chicken would be the only bird I'd get good looks at lekking on this trip - some of the others we'd planned to watch lekking in the morning but in the interest of time, saw them instead in the evening, wandering near the lek areas and feeding. Our guide, Jim, was knowledgeable and entertaining, and he took us to an old horse trailer left out in the middle of the field that served as a blind. You could hear the birds even before there was any amount of daylight. One by one, they came walk and flying in. Suddenly, there was a tone difference. Jim explained that at this lek, there is one male Greater Prairie Chicken that comes in daily and shows off, even though there are no other Greaters present. He said that Greaters and Lessers hybridize. After about two hours of watching the birds, our time got cut short - Charlie noticed that the hourly ABA Rare Bird Report included a Fork-tailed Flycatcher 45 minutes from the Wichita Airport! We let Jim know the situation and he quietly escorted us away from the lek. 

Greater Prairie Chicken 

Lesser Prairie Chickens 

The drive to the flycatcher area included piecing puzzle pieces together - the eBird report looked okay, but there were no photos. Finally, a photo surfaced, and the one rather fuzzy photo showed a bird with a dark cap. Fork-tailed, no doubt! For some reason, people on the Kansas Birding page were still negotiating what it was, with some saying it could be a Scissor-tailed. Upon arrival, we scoured the area the bird had been seen, and started driving the nearby roads. About 45 minutes into the adventure, driving slowly down the road, I was pulled over by a county sheriff. Great. The last thing I need on a big year, with limited finances, between jobs and working on creating my own company - is a traffic ticket. I  certainly wasn't speeding! I was driving slow, but carefully. Bracing myself for a potential ticket, the officer's first question was, "Are you looking for the bird?" Yes! Yes we are! As it turns out, the officer is a beginning birder and the original finder of the bird! Once my anxiety about a traffic ticket wore off, we had a great conversation about birding and I congratulated him on his incredible find! Usually, not finding a bird doesn't result in a good story, but not the case here! 

The odometer tacked on a whopping 1,590 miles in 4.5 days. I  picked up nine new year birds, and aside from Lewis's Woodpecker, all of them were lifers! 

Year List: 551