August 27, 2014 [LINK / comment]

Life bird list update

Following up the narrative of my southwestern birding adventures posted earlier this week, I have updated my Life bird list with the following species. All were photographed, except for the Hooded Oriole, White-throated Swift, and Virginia's Warbler. There are 41 species in this list, and there is one additional definite sighting of a bird (Ash-throated Flycatcher) that I had regarded as "probable" when I first saw it in 2003 (in Mexico), so it could be an actual net gain of 42 birds. In any case, it brings my lifetime total up to 452. It's by far my biggest year birdwise since 2005, when I went to Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

SpeciesDatePlace
Black-throated Sparrow June 24, 2014 Rest stop W of Pecos, TX
Black-chinned Hummingbirds June 25, 2014 Las Cruces, NM
Curve-billed Thrasher June 25, 2014 Rest stop W of Deming, NM
Say's Phoebe June 25, 2014 Rest stop E of San Simon, AZ
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher June 25, 2014 Rest stop, Gila River Indian Res.
Verdin June 25, 2014 Rest stop, Gila River Indian Res.
Hooded Oriole (prob.) June 26, 2014 N of Marana, AZ
White-throated Swift June 26, 2014 N of Marana, AZ
Phainopepla June 26, 2014 N of Marana, AZ
Cactus Wren June 27, 2014 Sabino Canyon vis. ctr., AZ
Virginia's Warbler June 27, 2014 Sabino Canyon vis. ctr., AZ
Lucy's Warbler June 27, 2014 Sabino Canyon vis. ctr., AZ
Gila Woodpecker June 27, 2014 Sabino Canyon vis. ctr., AZ
Brown-crested Flycatcher June 27, 2014 Sabino Canyon vis. ctr., AZ
Painted Redstart June 27, 2014 Santa Catalina Mountains, AZ
Acorn Woodpecker June 27, 2014 Santa Catalina Mountains, AZ
Spotted Towhee June 27, 2014 Santa Catalina Mountains, AZ
Plumbeous Vireo June 27, 2014 Santa Catalina Mountains, AZ
Yellow-eyed Junco June 27, 2014 Santa Catalina Mountains, AZ
Cordilleran Flycatcher June 27, 2014 Santa Catalina Mountains, AZ
Gambel's Quail June 28, 2014 Sabino Canyon vis. ctr., AZ
Lesser Nighthawk June 28, 2014 Sabino Canyon vis. ctr., AZ
Ladder-backed Woodpecker June 28, 2014 Rest stop S of Green Valley, AZ
Canyon Towhee June 28, 2014 Rest stop S of Green Valley, AZ
Rufous-winged Sparrow June 28, 2014 Rest stop S of Green Valley, AZ
Pyrrhuloxia June 28, 2014 Rest stop S of Green Valley, AZ
Gray Hawk June 28, 2014 Nogales, AZ
Bridled Titmouse June 28, 2014 Patagonia, AZ
Bewick's Wren June 28, 2014 Patagonia, AZ
Abert's Towhee June 29, 2014 San Pedro River, AZ
Varied Bunting June 29, 2014 San Pedro River, AZ
Common Ground Dove June 29, 2014 San Pedro River, AZ
Greater Roadrunner June 30, 2014 N of Chiricahua Mountains, AZ
Hepatic Tanager June 30, 2014 Chiricahua Mountains, AZ
Mexican Jay June 30, 2014 Chiricahua Mountains, AZ
Dusky-capped Flycatcher June 30, 2014 Chiricahua Mountains, AZ
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher June 30, 2014 Chiricahua Mountains, AZ
Cinnamon Teal July 1, 2014 Bosque del Apache NWR, NM
Burrowing Owl July 2, 2014 Las Vegas NWR, NM
Bullock's Oriole July 2, 2014 Cimarron Nat. Grassland, KS
Least Tern July 23, 2014 Bluffs golf course, Vermillion, SD

Honorable mentions

In addition, I saw the following birds for the first time in years, or had my best views ever:

  1. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
  2. Great-tailed Grackles
  3. White-winged Doves
  4. Cassin's Kingbird
  5. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds
  6. Broad-billed Hummingbird
  7. Spotted Towhee
  8. Vermilion Flycatchers
  9. Yellow-breasted Chat
  10. Blue Grosbeaks
  11. Lesser Goldfinches
  12. Ash-throated Flycatcher #
  13. Mississippi Kite
  14. American Avocet
  15. Black-necked Stilt

# Probably seen Feb. 26, 2003 near Orizba, Mexico.

American Bird Conservancy

More than once during my trip, I noticed signs indicating that various protected areas were made possible by the American Bird Conservancy. It's an organization that is dedicated to supporting efforts to preserve the habitats of neotropical migrant birds in both North and South America. For example, in December 2012 they announced that Peru had "approved two new Private Conservation Areas (PCAs) to conserve a critical area of rapidly disappearing Marañon-Chinchipe dry forests." See www.abcbirds.org. I visited their offices in March 2011 and received some reports and other publications which I shared with other members of the Augusta Bird Club. It's a very worth cause.