Birding in Southeastern Arizona

In August of 2018, just a couple of weeks after my return from Ecuador, I had the pleasure of taking some of my friends from eastern parts of the US, that I have known for a few years, birding in southeastern Arizona.  The first party was Brian and Larry DeAtley Ellyson and Brian's mother Judi Ellyson.  The second party was Jim Austin-Cole and Brian Ahern-Wilson.  Both trips covered almost the same areas and both trips took up 3 days of traveling around.  There were a few differences in what we visited though.  Both trips included a trip to the Chiricahua Mountains.  I really had a fantastic time showing them parts of Arizona that I do not get to visit as often as I would like.  We got to see a lot of different birds and it is amazing what one finds on one trip and what one finds on another trip just a few days later.  These trips were not the first times I had taken them birding in Arizona and I hope it won't be the last.  Now I have to find time to head back east in the future and let them show me some of their birds!

Birding in Arizona is Spectacular!

First part will be photos of birds, since that is probably what most readers of this blog would like to see. And birding in southeastern Arizona is one of the premiere spots for birders all over the world come to visit in the pursuit of a lot of specialty birds.  Further on down the post, I will add some photos of some arthropods and maybe even a mammal.

  

Red-faced Warbler

 'Mexican' Spotted Owl

 Eastern Meadowlark

 Pyrrhuloxia

Western Wood-Pewee chicks in nest, almost ready to fledge.

 Blue Grosbeak

 Common Ground Dove

 Five-striped Sparrow - Fledgling

Five-striped Sparrow - Adult

 Hooded Oriole

Montezuma Quail

And Now the Hummingbirds!

Hummingbirds are one of Arizona's specialties.  No other state in the United States has more species of hummingbirds than Arizona, so of course they are always a family of birds to be in the spotlight.

 Lucifer Hummingbird - Male

 Lucifer Hummingbird - Female

Lucifer Hummingbird - Male

Broad-billed Hummingbird - Male

 Broad-tailed Hummingbird - Male

 Blue-throated Hummingbird - Male

 Rivoli's Hummingbird - Male

Rufous Hummingbird - Male

Now for some photos of some other interesting creatures that we found on these 2 trips.  I do have a bit of a soft spot for butterflies, but just about anything that moves intrigues me and is worthy of photos at times.

 Golden-headed Scallopwing

 Marine blue

Tailed Orange

 Dull Firetip

 Golden-banded Skipper

Taxiles Skipper

Sooty Dancer

Flame Skimmer

 Desert Blonde Tarantula

 Bee Fly Species

Red Tachinid Fly-(Adejeania vexatrix)

Pronghorn

This had to have been one of the most satisfying weeks that I have had exploring southeastern Arizona.  Something new around every bend and even though some of the places were the same, it was a different cast of characters that greeted us.  I hope Brian, Larry, Judi, Jim, and Brian enjoyed the time as well.  

More of Sonora - Chapter 1

Recently I had the opportunity to make another trek to Rancho El Aribabi in Sonora, Mexico, and once again, this trip took place at a different time of the year than my previous trips.  It is always interesting to see what changes take place at different times of the year.  This was my third trip; the first one took place in July, and second one took place in November, and now this one was taking place in May.  This time we had a fairly large group of birders join us and it was nice to see all the enthusiasm.

First order of business when we arrived was for me to set up my tent, but before hitting the trails, I wanted to see if the Five-striped Sparrows were still as prevalent as they had been before.  Did not take long to find one singing and showing how handsome these sparrows can be.

 Five-striped Sparrow

It is always a joy to find Varied Buntings as they are so unique with their summer finest attire and this location in summer is a great place to find them and view them.  

 Varied Bunting

Some of the other birds that were found on that first day, include Dusky-capped Flycatchers, Black-chinned Hummingbird, and Common-ground Dove (which I erroneously identified as Ruddy-ground Doves at first). 

 Dusky-capped Flycatcher

 Black-chinned Hummingbird - Female

Common-ground Dove

As usual, I very rarely focus solely on birds, but also on other flora and fauna that intrigue my interest, and this trip was no exception.  Flowering thistles provide quite a feast for bees and other nectar loving insects.  These insects in turn, then provide a food source to arachnids and other creatures higher up in the food chain.

 Thistle with a crab spider waiting for an unsuspecting insect.

Slowly, I am becoming a bit more knowledgeable on butterflies as well and when I see some that actually sit still long enough to allow photos, then I attempt to capture a photo to ID later on.

I believe this is a female Marine Blue.

Probably one of the coolest encounters on this first day was a couple of White-nosed Coati that came running in and across my path while I was exploring the river area.  I have seen these awesome mammals several times in the past, but this time, their presence allowed for much better photos than I have ever had. 

 White-nosed Coati

Here are a couple of photos of the habitat in and around this area.

And of course the veranda at the hacienda was most generally the most popular spot to relax and enjoy.

The rest of the trip will be covered in Chapter 2 of this trip.