SOUTHEAST ARIZONA AUGUST 16-20, 2006
My plane landed in Tucson near midnight on August 15 and I only had time to check into a nasty Holiday Inn in Palo Verde. The air-conditioner was so loud that I eventually turned it off and sweat all night. The window was the non-opening type. In the morning I had some breakfast and coffee and after using the toilet discovered it wouldn’t flush. I notified the front desk and checked out. I drove to Sabino Canyon and was enjoying watching and videotaping some of the local birds, a Cactus Wren on her nest, a Roadrunner, and some Gambel Quail when it began to rain. The first hummingbird of the trip was an Anna’s. I put on my rain gear but was unable to videotape any more birds. As I walked along, a Cooper’s Hawk landed in a tree just ten feet away. It continued to rain for the next two hours so I decided to leave and get my grocery shopping out of the way. By the time I finished with the groceries the rain had stopped so I went to Saguaro National Park East. Almost everything is closed there except for the trails off of the end of Broadway so I drove there and took the Shantz/Pink Hill/Loma Verde/Mica Picnic Loop. It is a very scenic hike full of giant saguaro for which the park is named, other cacti, and many birds including Gila Woodpecker, Curve-billed Thrasher, Phainopepla, Purple Martin, Pyrrhuloxia, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Mourning Dove, White-winged Dove, and Rufous-crowned Sparrow. A Dusky Flycatcher landed very briefly in a bush and then flew away. After hiking the loop, I returned to my car, had my lunch, and then drove to Madera Canyon.
I stopped on the side of the road into Madera when I heard my first ever CASSIN’S SPARROWS singing and lo and behold Ken Archambault drove by. One of the sparrows sky larked but was too far away to videotape. Ken and I caravanned to the last parking lot in the canyon and then hiked up the Carrie Nation/Vault Mine Trail. Ken was panting after just a hundred yards. So he was glad when we stopped to videotape a male Hepatic Tanager preening in a tree. We went up the trail some more and saw a Western Tanager and Black-headed Grosbeak before Ken showed me the Berylline Hummingbird nest in a sycamore tree. Ken suggested that I point my video camera at the nest and leave it there waiting for the bird to sit on the nest. A photographer was just above where I had staked out a spot, ready to click off a photo. Ken struck up a conversation with the photographer who turned out to be Matt Orsey, whose photos were posted on one of Ken’s favorite internet spots. Ken set up his camera even closer. After a while Ken spotted the bird and pointed the BERYLLINE HUMMINGBIRD out to me perched on a branch. It would have made a great video but Ken said I should just leave my camera pointed at the nest. Unfortunately she never went to the nest. This fat fellow from West Virginia in a red shirt was talking loudly and trying to show somebody who didn’t even have binoculars where this tiny little nest was in the sycamore leaves. I overheard him say that the bird was probably not coming to the nest because Ken was too close to it. When I told Ken later he became enraged and when we ran into Matt the next day Ken completely snubbed him. He went from being best friend to persona non-grata and Ken started calling Matt’s fat friend, Yogi the Bear.
After Madera Canyon we stopped by the Paton’s house in Patagonia where we saw many Broad-billed Hummingbirds, one Violet-crowned Hummingbird, a Lucifer Hummingbird, Inca Dove, Common Ground Dove, and two juvenile Gray Hawks. When the light faded to its dying hour we left and had dinner at the Country House in Sierra Vista. The waitress said Ken could recharge his camera battery for 30 minutes only. After dinner we drove up Carr Canyon and camped at Reef Townsite Campground, which was devine because we were the only people there. After I set up my tent Ken started to play some owl tapes. During the night I started to hear several owl calls. It sounded like they were all around us. Ken was sleeping in his car and I couldn’t decide if I should wake him up and tell him it sounded like three Spotted Owls and one Western Screech Owl. There was no need as he soon called me over to his car where his camera was mounted on his window tripod. He said a Spotted Owl was perched in a tree near my car which was parallel to his. He asked me to hold the spotlight with both hands and point it at the owl while he videotaped. I wanted to videotape it too but my camera was in my car. When I opened the car door and got the camera out the owl swooped down and away. I left my tripod and camera inside my tent but they never returned.
August 17, we had some coffee and granola bars before heading over to the Carr Peak Trail to look for an Aztec Thrush that had been reported two days previously. I set up my camera pointing at a Choke Cherry Tree loaded with fruit. I could not understand why the battery was already low after just one day. It turned out to be the first of two huge mistakes on this birding trip. When I got home I found out that I had somehow left my camera running for 25 minutes taping an empty Berylline Hummingbird nest! The second mistake was staking out a choke cherry tree for three hours when it was obvious there was no Aztec Thrush around. No sooner had we set up than a horde of birders arrived. Ken told them they had to whisper if they wanted to talk and after an hour when this one guy tried to walk around to the back of the tree Ken told him he couldn’t because I was there first and I had first dibs. I was so embarrassed because the guy was obviously furious. I said to him to join me but he wouldn’t. So I walked in front of ten birders who all stared at my California Applicant’s Attorney T-shirt with Bob Hope Drive and Dinah Shore Drive printed in large print on the back. How embarrassing. I was able to sneak behind the tree and pee but other than that the most interesting thing was a Virginia’s Warbler and Spotted Towhee with a chick. It reminded me how much I hate chasing birds and I swore to myself I would never chase again. We checked around the campground and the townsite trail but only saw a Yellow-eyed Junco. Then we left Carr Canyon and took the winding one lane road back down the mountain. We stopped to take some pictures of a Black-tailed Rattlesnake in the road but left when Matt Orsey pulled up behind us. Our next stop was the famous Ramsey Canyon Preserve. Inside Ken asked one of the workers if he knew of any nests. He told us about a Blue-throated Hummingbird nest behind the visitor center but made us promise not to tell anyone. There had been another Berylline reported from Ramsey Canyon but we never saw it. Ken had no interest in hiking up the trail so after a while we left and went to Beatty’s Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon where we again ran into Matt Orsey. When Matt asked where we had been since the snake, Ken coolly responded, "avoiding the rain," and then walked away. Ken showed me several owl boxes he had made for Beatty which were nailed to some trees. None had been occupied yet. We proceeded up to the third tier because Matt and Yogi were on the second level. There were Magnificent Hummingbirds, Blue-throated Hummingbirds, one Lucifer Hummingbird, and many Black-chinned, Broad-tailed, and Broad-billed. Only after Matt had departed would Ken agree to go down to the second level. I think I have finally met someone who dislikes people as much as I if that is possible. After about fifteen minutes on the second level a WHITE-EARED HUMMINGBIRD flew into one of the feeders and then into a tree where I was able to get a couple of photos and some nice video. Our next stop was Mary Jo Ballator’s House in Ash Canyon. There was a man and two women already there and Ken was grumbling before we even got inside the gate. The man was calling out the names of the hummingbirds for the women and Ken was getting furious because he hates it when people talk while he is videotaping (never mind that he is talking constantly in the background of my videotape). After a few minutes I saw a male Lucifer Hummingbird and got some nice shots of his gorget flashing and a comparison with a Black-chinned right in front of him. I also saw a female Calliope Hummingbird there. Ken was getting upset with the talking and finally he got up in a huff and stomped right in front of the three people not even saying excuse me. He went behind Mary Jo’s House and tried to film there but the unfortunate threesome decided to follow him back there. As they were leaving I heard the man say, “I guess he doesn’t like people.” I laughed so hard to myself because it’s so true. The threesome didn’t leave any money in the sugar fund and so Ken left a note on the sign-in sheet next to his name ratting on them for not paying.
We were thinking about camping at Beatty’s Guest Ranch but then Ken had an idea that we should just drive over to the Chiricahuas and camp there. It was over two hours to get there but we were able to camp all by ourselves at Pinnery Campground which is such a treat for me: I just love primitive camping. Ken heard a Whip-poor-will early in the morning but I didn’t hear it. After breakfast Ken found a Red-faced Warbler high in the trees but no nightjars or owls. We packed up and headed over to Barfoot Lookout. Ken thought he saw a Short-tailed Hawk but I didn’t see it. We hiked up the short route to the look out where several White-throated Swifts flew by but no interesting raptors. From there we drove over to George Walker House and watched some more hummingbird feeders and saw Mexican Jay, Bridled Titmouse, and Acorn Woodpecker. We got Stuart Healy’s phone number off of the proprietor since we had not heard from him at all since sending him a deposit to hire him as our guide on Saturday, and were getting concerned. After Walker House we stopped at the Southwest Research Station where we met some kid named Frank who said he had seen a Plain-capped Starthroat which we never found. SW Research Station is the best place for Blue-throated Hummingbirds and we saw many as well as some more Magnificent Hummingbirds. Ken took a picture of me next to the sign nailed to a tree which says, "University of South Carolina, Go Gamecocks" and then we left for the library where Ken wanted to check postings on the internet. While he was doing that I discovered this awesome private bathroom where I took a sponge bath. Then Ken had lunch at the Portal Café while I staked out the stupid Stone House where Frank said there was another Plain-capped Starthroat which I also did not see. The evil owner was on his porch with the best view while I sat on a bench with obstructed views. I don’t know why I left him $5 because he was not friendly at all. There was one Violet-crowned Hummingbird so I guess it was worth it. Next Ken took me to a new spot, Dave Jasper’s House on Crissal Lane in Portal. It was near mid-day and so there was little activity but I loved his set up with the composting toilet, solar panels, and natural setting for the bird watching. It looked like the kind of place I would like to retire to. The only bird action was a Black-throated Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, and Abert’s Towhee. We stopped again at SW Research but no luck on the rare hummer and then it was time to drive back to Sierra Vista so we could get up early to pick up Stuart, our guide. We were halfway between the Chiricahuas and Sierra Vista when I checked my phone messages and heard one from Stuart cancelling our appointment for the next day! He said he had injured his shoulder and neck and couldn’t go. I was mad as hell because we were too far to go back to the Chiricahuas and now our plans were in disarray. We decided to just drive all the way to Sycamore Canyon and camp in the parking lot.
We parked the cars around our tents so we would be inconspicuous but no one bothered us at all and we were again all alone. We woke up early and after breakfast headed down Sycamore Canyon Trail to look for the Rufous-capped Warbler. Ken turned down into a creek basin at the adobe ruins but after a while I said I should go back to the car and get the print out of the last report of the bird. No sooner had I headed back toward the car than Ken saw the bird. He blew his whistle he said but I didn’t hear it. By the time I got back it was nowhere in sight. A bird was singing that I did not recognize. Ken thought it was the warbler. A bird flew up into an oak tree and I got my binoculars on it but it looked brown and had a thin brown tail. Ken said it was the Rufous-capped Warbler but I’m not convinced so I’m not counting it. We walked up the canyon but it was soon flooded and Ken had no interest in hiking/wading it. It was a perfect 86 degrees and Ken was complaining about how hot it was. In the canyon we also saw a Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Hooded Oriole, Yellow Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Bullock’s Oriole, and Chipping Sparrow. Ken said we could try for the Five-striped Sparrow in California Gulch. The sole reason we had hired Stuart was to take us into this treacherous canyon so we could get that bird. I thought that Ken felt comfortable for the two of us to take CA Gulch in two cars because we had talked about it previously in some emails. Well, I took the lead but after I had crossed the first two water holes Ken stormed up to my car and had a complete melt down. He started yelling that he was not going into that canyon, it was dangerous, it was hot, he couldn’t live off of granola bars any longer, etc. I kept saying OK, OK but he kept repeating five times that he was not going into CA Gulch and at one point even said he was going to get a hotel and leave me. I said fine and turned around and drove out but then he changed his mind and said we could go to Kino Springs. Unfortunately there was construction and we could not make the turn for Kino so we continued on to Patagonia Lake. We had just started down the trail when it began to rain. Unlike me who will bird in any weather, Ken will not bird if he cannot video tape so that means no birding in wet weather. So Ken took a nap in his car while I showered at the campground. I walked back to his car where I found him just waking from his nap. The rain had stopped so we walked around the lake. We couldn’t find any Black-capped Gnatcatchers and only saw one Vermillion Flycatcher, a Coot, and a Verdin. We stopped at the Roadside Rest and saw a Thick-billed Kingbird and then returned to Ken’s favorite spot, the Paton’s, where we added Song Sparrow to our bird list. We decided to camp at Carr Canyon again but this time it was Saturday night and the campground was full of rednecks with loud radios blaring hideous music, one group with four huge spotlights that they left on all night, and other unsavory characters. We heard the end of a Western Screech Owl near dawn but nothing else.
Sunday, August 20 was my last day. In the morning we walked back up the Saw Mill Trail where I found a Buff-breasted Flycatcher and Ken found an Olive-sided Flycatcher. We drove back down the frightening Carr Canyon Road to Ramsey Canyon where we both were able to videotape the Blue-throated Hummingbird on her nest. I found a Violet-crowned Hummingbird at the feeders in front of the Ramsey Canyon Inn but we never did see the Berylline. I heard several Sulfur-bellied Flycatchers but I never did see one.
We drove from Ramsey to Madera Canyon to try one last time for some film of the Berylline. We took the Box/Greaterville Road and Ken used a tape to get a Botteri’s Sparrow to sing and fly across the road. In Madera we headed up the Vault Mine Trail where we saw three Elegant Trogons that we were both able to videotape at close range. Too bad my second camera battery was about to die. I had been saving a few minutes to use on the Berylline and finally after getting the Trogon family I was able to videotape the Berylline on her nest. It wasn’t a great shot because the nest was partially obscured by leaves but at least I got some of her. Some people from Colorado told us another Aztec Thrush had been photographed in Madera the day before but again we never saw it and moreover it was time to catch my plane in Tucson. So we stopped at the Santa Rita Lodge, filmed a few more birds, I packed up my things, and we said our goodbyes. I think Ken was glad to get rid of me and check into a hotel where he could run the air-conditioner and sleep in a real bed.
Total birds seen: 103
Life birds: 3
Entire list:
Cinnamon Teal
Gambel’s Quail
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Cooper’s Hawk
Gray Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Greater Roadrunner
Western Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Spotted Owl
White-throated Swift
Broad-billed Hummingbird
White-eared Hummingbird
Berylline Hummingbird
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Magnificent Hummingbird
Lucifer Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Anna’s Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Elegant Trogon
Acorn Woodpecker
Gila Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Western Wood-Pewee
Dusky Flycatcher
Buff-breasted Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Thick-billed Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Bell’s Vireo
Plumbeous Vireo
Hutton’s Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Steller’s Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Mexican Jay
Common Raven
Purple Martin
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Bridled Titmouse
Verdin
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Cactus Wren
Bewick’s Wren
House Wren
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Curve-billed Thrasher
European Starling
Phainopepla
Virginia’s Warbler
Lucy’s Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Hermit Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson’s Warbler
Red-faced Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Hepatic Tanager
Western Tanager
Spotted Towhee
Canyon Towhee
Abert’s Towhee
Cassin’s Sparrow
Botteri’s Sparrow
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Yellow-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Great-tailed Grackle
Hooded Oriole
Bullock’s Oriole
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow
