Date: 4/1/25 9:00 pm From: henry detwiler (via aznmbirds Mailing List) <aznmbirds...> Subject: [AZNMbirds] Southern Arizona: Yuma to Portal
Greetings Birders,
On Saturday (28 Mar) I climbed into the 4Runner and pointed it to Safford. A short stop at Spot Road Farm turned up 28 SWAINSON'S HAWKS, a PRAIRIE FALCON, and 21 WILSON'S WABLERS. Shortly before one o'clock I slipped into the Graham County Fairgrounds and was soon looking at the lingering WHITE-WINGED SCOTER! Joining this rarity were a few other nice birds, including a HOODED MERGANSER and a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. Never having ventured up Mt. Graham before, I thought I'd drive uphill a ways. I stopped in two locations, and was rewarded with a handful of fine forest birds, including HUTTON'S VIREO, OLIVE WARBLER, and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO. The winds were howling when I reached Lake Cochise (Willcox), where there were still good numbers of waterfowl.
Very early the next morning I drove up Pinery Canyon towards Portal, looking for four specific owl species. I got two of them, and think the other two haven't yet returned from down south. High winds were once again a plague, but fortunately died down a bit after sunrise. Birding Cave Creek and Portal in the morning hours is always a treat, and this time I saw and heard: BAND-TAILED PIGEON, BROWN CREEPER, BRIDLED TITMOUSE, PAINTED REDSTART, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, and SCOTT'S ORIOLE. At Bob Rodriguez's yard I watched a SCALED QUAIL (rare here), a LUCY'S WARBLER nibbling on an apple, a beautiful HOODED ORIOLE, and a CRISSAL THRASHER. Another evening of night birding turned up a beautiful gray fox and a striped skunk.
A final morning in Cave Creek Canyon yielded more excellent birds, including ARIZONA WOODPECKER, a calling HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, a singing CANYON WREN, BUSHTITS, and a scolding ELEGANT TROGON. By the time I got back to Willcox the winds were again ramping up. This time I got more shorebirds, including AMERICAN AVOCETS in their handsome breeding plumage. A timely message from Bruce Glick had me detouring south to the Amado Sewage Ponds to get four BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS. Then, at the Santa Rita Lodge during the late afternoon, I watched and photographed gorgeous ANNA'S, BROAD-BILLED, and RIVOLI'S HUMMINGBIRDS, and a handsome male RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER.
On my way home yesterday I looked for the Upland Sandpiper and Glossy Ibis reported two days prior close to Marana--but no joy there. The Evergreen Sod Farms featured a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE eating up their sod. Another stop at Spot Road Farm yielded 7 SAGE THRASHERS and two rare (for that location) WESTERN CATTLE EGRETS. The Solar Ponds had 2 COMMON GOLDENEYES, and I was pleased to again find the LITTLE BLUE HERON and a RIDGWAY'S RAIL at the Ave 20E bridge.
This trip across the state netted me 8 new year-birds and 154 species overall; my 2025 AZ total now stands at 291.
Some eBird reports with photos:https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/zMrKCWWA5rTzgL0mVH6f8coGVSc?<domain...> - Graham County https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/ns7zCXYBgvfByPmoWcVh1cWc0eN?<domain...> - Mt. Grahamhttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/k2KCCYVDjwfkJW52wT9i0cxNGAf?<domain...> - Cave Creekhttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/eHnoCZZEkxiPVqz90cys4cBccBm?<domain...> - Bob's feeding stationhttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/LyWKC1VkgOfnDA8NliYt0cVq5xN?<domain...> - Cave Creekhttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/6CcaC2GljPcKJ27zguMunc5Eyqk?<domain...> - Santa Rita Lodgehttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/bVU7C3Ymkgf7JgZzOuYCWcQCJMu?<domain...> - Gila River
Good Birding!Henry D. <Detwilerhenry_detwiler...>, AZ
Finding Birds in Southwest Arizonahttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/81qcC4WnljTYQ2rKqsNFyc4q7gG?<domain...> Birds at the Salton Sea and in Imperial County, https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/J8D4C5AomkfgQPAL2c4HmckyeGj?<domain...>
