The 5th Safford CBC was completed on Saturday, December14 with 10 dedicated volunteers tallying 104 species; another 14 were noted duringCount Week. The count circle includes Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area, Roper Lake andDankworth Pond, Reay Lane WTP, Daley Estates Ponds and Mt. Graham Golf Course, MarijildaCreek, and parts of the PinaleñoMountains up to circa 9,000 feet.
New high-elevation species included Williamson’s Sapsucker, MountainChickadee, and both Red-breasted and Pygmy nuthatches, plus we had two ArizonaWoodpeckers. In the Gila Valley, we added Western Grebe, White-faced Ibis, andSwamp Sparrow, plus a Fox Sparrow during Count Week. Seasonally unexpected specieswere Gray and Ash-throated flycatchers.
Chihuahuan Ravens (50) actually topped the count for Common(22). Other high counts included Red-naped Sapsucker, Gila Woodpecker, both Black andSay’s phoebes, Steller’s Jay, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, HermitThrush, American Pipit, Song Sparrow and both Western and Chihuahuan meadowlarks.
Totally absent this year were Bushtits and Pine Siskins. OneCommon Merganser was observed during Count Week whereas past years have rangedover 70 on Count Day. Low species counts were recorded for Brewer’s Sparrow, Mourning Dove, and Eurasian Collared-Dove, with only two LesserGoldfinches, one Yellow-eyed Junco, and one European Starling seen.
