Southeast Arizona - Part Three: May 11 (morning)
May 17, 2019 16:45:27 GMT -8
oldfulica and Ben like this
Post by kestrel on May 17, 2019 16:45:27 GMT -8
Following an early picnic breakfast, we went for a short walk around Portal. In addition to Mourning, White-winged, and Eurasian collared=doves, we also saw a Lucy's warbler and a nestling Great Horned owl.
A Hooded oriole at the lodge:
Hooded oriole by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
Afterwards we headed out towards Cave Creek Canyon, which is one of southeastern Arizona's prime birding hotspots. We had scope views of a Band-tailed pigeon and a Broad-billed hummingbird.
This is a classic view of the canyon:
Cave Creek Canyon by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
Desert plants, like this Prickly Pear cactus, were easy to find:
Prickly Pear cactus by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
In the canyon's South Fork, one of the highlights was this Painted redstart (there was also a second bird as well):
Painted redstart by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
While we were here, we heard an Elegant trogon calling from further up the creek, so we stayed put hoping it would come our way. Though we didn't see the bird even after waiting quite awhile, we were entertained by the redstart repeatedly flying up to the road to gather nest materials. The nest was right near the bridge we were on.
Another exciting find was a Sulphur-bellied flycatcher:
Sulphur-bellied flycatcher by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
I never got tired of seeing Hepatic tanagers such as this one:
Hepatic tanager by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
We then did some birding along a mountain road near the Southwestern Research Station. In addition to Cordilleran flycatcher, Warbling vireo, and Hutton's vireo, we were able to find Black-chinned sparrow:
Black-chinned sparrow by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
We also had really good views:
Chiricahua Mountains by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
Eventually, we got talking about seeing Montezuma quail. Lo and behold, after a few minutes someone spotted a pair of them just off the side of the road. This is the male:
Montezuma quail by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
A Hooded oriole at the lodge:
Hooded oriole by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrAfterwards we headed out towards Cave Creek Canyon, which is one of southeastern Arizona's prime birding hotspots. We had scope views of a Band-tailed pigeon and a Broad-billed hummingbird.
This is a classic view of the canyon:
Cave Creek Canyon by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrDesert plants, like this Prickly Pear cactus, were easy to find:
Prickly Pear cactus by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrIn the canyon's South Fork, one of the highlights was this Painted redstart (there was also a second bird as well):
Painted redstart by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrWhile we were here, we heard an Elegant trogon calling from further up the creek, so we stayed put hoping it would come our way. Though we didn't see the bird even after waiting quite awhile, we were entertained by the redstart repeatedly flying up to the road to gather nest materials. The nest was right near the bridge we were on.
Another exciting find was a Sulphur-bellied flycatcher:
Sulphur-bellied flycatcher by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrI never got tired of seeing Hepatic tanagers such as this one:
Hepatic tanager by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrWe then did some birding along a mountain road near the Southwestern Research Station. In addition to Cordilleran flycatcher, Warbling vireo, and Hutton's vireo, we were able to find Black-chinned sparrow:
Black-chinned sparrow by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrWe also had really good views:
Chiricahua Mountains by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrEventually, we got talking about seeing Montezuma quail. Lo and behold, after a few minutes someone spotted a pair of them just off the side of the road. This is the male:
Montezuma quail by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
