The Great Arizona Encore: The Patagonia Picnic Table Effect Reversal

It’s a busy time of year right now with all the decorating, gift-buying, and holiday food prep–it’s a good thing my wife’s got all that covered so I can finally bring you some AZ stories.  Actually, writing the annual Christmas letter is about my only task this time of year, and much to my wife’s chagrin, this remains a grossly unfinished task.  Please don’t tell my wife I’m blogging right now.

So where were we with AZ? Oh yes, our family had departed Green Valley after a two-day stay and were about to go on a loop tour around the Santa Ritas, heading down to Nogales and back up through Patagonia and Sonoita.  There were only a couple birds on the agenda for the day.  The first (and also most exciting prospect) was checking on a Barn Owl day roost–somewhere in southern Arizona. 🙂  For some reason, Evan has latched on to this species and was one he really wanted to see.  He’ll refer to it by its scientific name, Tyto alba, and he’s been known to play its blood-curdling scream on his iPod in our house.

Once we got to the Owl’s roost, I walked up to this tower of sorts and looked up into the rafters.  Immediately I locked eyes with my Barn Owl lifer, tucked way up in the shadows! Just as I started to point it out to Evan and my dad, the Barn Owl flushed out of the opening right toward us! Of course I wasn’t ready with the camera, but our looks at this Owl were hard to beat.  Evan, bug-eyed, said in an astonished voice, “Whoa, Tyto alba just flew right by me!”

With no photo, the sighting was bittersweet for me.  But a Barn Owl seen is way better than no Barn Owl, so off to Patagonia we went.  In this city (and southern AZ in general), birders are the norm and not the nerd-freaks that people think of us in other places:

Patagonia binoculars

Patagonia is hallowed birding ground where all kinds of birding myths and legends originate.  In fact, a famous birding phenomenon known as the Patagonia Picnic Table Effect was coined from something remarkable that happened here that has also played out numerous times in many other locations.  Here’s the PPTE in a nutshell: some birders in the 1970s stopping for lunch in Patagonia discovered a rare bird which brought in more birders who discovered more rare birds in that location.  Whenever I find a rarity, I always hope it’s the beginning of the Patagonia Picnic Table Effect.  Needless to say, Patagonia is a place I have longed to visit after reading about it in books.

Despite the fact that the PPTE is based on multiple rarities and despite the fact that we were actually in Patagonia, I was after one bird at one very famous location:

Paton Center for HummingbirdsThe famous Paton House–hard to believe I was actually here.

Paton'sNo, we didn’t come for the common White-winged Doves, though they were dapper and only the second time we’d seen one.

White-winged DoveNor did we come for the WWDO’s cousin, the much less abiding Inca Dove.

Inca DoveIt was nice to see a Black-headed Grosbeak even if it was a bit scruffy looking, but that’s still not why we came.

Black-headed Grosbeak

I very much enjoyed up-close looks at my first MALE Gila Woodpecker–still not why we came though.

Gila WoodpeckerWe came for the Hummingbirds.  But not for the Broad-billed.

Broad-billed Hummingbird

Sorry, this teasing is annoying, especially since you knew from the first photo that the main attraction is the Violet-crowned Hummingbird.  Like so many birders before us, we made our pilgrimage to Patons’ just to add this key lifer.  Good thing we saw one.

Violet-crowned HummingbirdAin’t it a beaut?Violet-crowned HummingbirdIt knows it too. Like Orcas or Dolphins, it pandered to its gawking audience.

Violet-crowned HummingbirdSo that was that.  Tommy DeBardeleben and Gordon Karre had told me about a much rarer Hummer, the Plain-capped Starthroat, that had been seen regularly somewhere in Patagonia.  Not knowing exactly where to go for it and not feeling I could make yet another birding stop with the non-birding family, I didn’t even bother to check into it.

Instead, my family and I ate lunch at a park in Patagonia after a successful trip to Patons’.  It wasn’t until we were somewhere past Sonoita that it dawned on me–we ate lunch at a real life Patagonia picnic table.  And ironically, I don’t recall seeing/hearing a single bird in that park while we ate.  Back to that Plain-capped Starthroat, I also didn’t realize until we got home that we had driven within a block of that ultra-rare Mexican bird. I probably could have stopped to watch a feeder for a bit and not wrecked the family’s travel schedule. I am sure this will haunt me for years, possibly decades.

Moving on, we finally made it back to Maricopa. Before we got to my parents’ house, though, we had to check up on a couple of old friends in my parents’ neighborhood.  Love this guy (or gal–there’s one of each).

Burrowing OwlScanning a residential pond in the low light of the evening, I was excited to see the brilliant pop of color of the male Vermilion Flycatcher in my binoculars.  They never get old.

Vermilion FlycatcherWe also saw a Jackrabbit of some sort which was a cool experience.

JackrabbitThe Arizona fun isn’t over.  Next up is the final post and arguably the ugliest and cutest birds you will see.

The Great Arizona Encore: The Patagonia Preparty

Leaving Green Valley was not easy. Breathtaking scenery, perfect temps, and posh accommodations are hard to leave behind.  On the other hand, leaving Green Valley was necessary in order to tour new (to us) parts of beautiful, southern Arizona and visit more hotspots of birding fame.   Our route for the morning would basically circle the Santa Rita Mountains taking us all the way down to the border at Nogales and back up north via Patagonia and Sonoita.  Then it would be back to Maricopa.

Sitting outside on the patio that morning, I was not focused on birding. I was having a slow morning after the epic Huachuca madness from the day before, a birding hangover if you will.  Sure, visions of Violet-crowned Hummingbirds and Barn Owls danced through my head, but it was the thought of breakfast that was winning the war for my mind as I waited for my family to pack, assemble, powder, puff, etc. Not even an unfamiliar bird song was getting me to move. Meh, I’ve seen it all around here, I thought.  But then, the bird song that sounds like a motor that won’t start actually got my birding motor started for the day. Thank you, Honorable Cactus Wren. This ability to coax even the most reluctant into birding and into beautiful Arizona deserts must be how you got your title of State Bird.

Cactus Wren

It didn’t take me long to realize the desert scrub around the hotel was quite birdy.  It was simply hopping with birds.  I could hardly believe it when I pulled up the binoculars on one of the first birds–Rock Wren a.k.a. the day’s first lifer.  And I almost didn’t even bird here.

Rock WrenI really, really like the pot-bellied appearance of this bird.  This may be my favorite photo from the trip. And is it just me, or does ROWR bear an uncanny resemblance to our 27th President?

President William Howard Taft Source: National Archives and Records Administration

President William Howard Taft                                         Source: National Archives and Records Administration

Turns out the Taft Wren wasn’t the only delightful surprise of this little foray beyond the parking lot.  A pair of Cassin’s Kingbirds gave a second lifer of the morning.  And yes, I did peek under their undergarments to look for white tail edges to make sure they weren’t Western Kingbirds, though once you see them in real life, they are obviously different.

Cassin's Kingbird

Cassin's KingbirdHigh on two completely unexpected lifers, I continued to scope out the fun birds around the hotel, not the least of which were numerous Lark Sparrows.  I have not seen enough Lark Sparrows yet.

Lark SparrowWhat I have seen plenty of in recent years are Say’s Phoebes, and I already have plenty of photos to prove it.  But these birds just know how to pose…

Say's PhoebeIt was also fun to see a prickly-looking Curve-billed Thrasher.  I’m glad they didn’t choose him for state bird.

Curve-billed Thrasher

Eventually the family was assembled and ready for breakfast, and the parking lot birding was over. But what a gem of a spot.  Last spring I had Hooded Orioles, Great Horned Owls, and Black-throated Sparrows here too.  I’ve got a nice little patch list going.

I know I promised Patagonia in this post, but we’ll pick up this story in the next one and get it started off right with a BARN OWL search.  But first, breakfast.

The Great Arizona Encore: Huelcome to the Huachucas

Going to Arizona annually is incredibly exciting for a birder because that state never seems to run out of new birds, and if it does, it can always borrow a couple from Mexico.  But fall in general is a tougher time to bird and central Arizona hardly held anything new for me at this time of year.  On the other hand, Southeast Arizona can hold wonders and surprises for even local birders. It’s a place where magic happens. Therefore my family and I went on to Green Valley after Mt. Lemmon for a two-night stay or a vacation within a vacation.  The Santa Ritas were splendid as were the cooler temps in the higher elevations of southern Arizona.

Santa Ritas

I had a tougher time picking out a main target bird for this Arizona trip.  Whatever I picked just seemed dramatically anticlimactic after last spring’s Elegant Trogon and Painted Redstart.  I finally settled on a good one, though, a worthy objective.  I wanted to see the Rufous-capped Warbler, a rare visitor from Mexico that, in recent years, has acquired resident status in certain mountain canyons in SE AZ.  The most notable of those is Florida Canyon, so that is where I wanted to bird.  As time went on and I communicated with Tommy DeBardeleben, he advised me that Pena Blanca Canyon would probably be better for that bird.  Okay, sounds good to me.  Then as the weeks got closer, I started paying attention to the listserv and was seeing that an even rarer Mexican Warbler was being seen quite regularly even up to a couple days before our trip! That bird was the Slate-throated Redstart.  Not only was this bird being seen in Hunter Canyon of the Huachuca Mountains, but there had been as many as five Rufous-capped Warblers in the same area!!!!! Tommy and Gordon were going to be birding with me.  I brought up the idea of going to Hunter Canyon, and they liked it.  So last Friday Evan and I met up with Tommy and Gordon at a Fry’s parking lot in Sahuarita in the pre-dawn hours, and soon afterward the “Elegant Trogon Fantastic Four” was on its way to the Huachuca Mountains for what would turn out to be yet another epic SE AZ adventure.

The Huachucas run north and south and have many famous birding canyons on its eastern side.  We would be hitting up Hunter Canyon, Miller Canyon, and Ash Canyon.  It felt incredible to be in this area that I’ve read about on blogs and in books.  Hunter Canyon, the site of both ABA-rare Warblers, was where we started.

Hunter Canyon

Even though we didn’t see any Montezuma Quail (darn it) on the long drive up to the parking area, we got out of the car and had a good bird right away.  In fact, it’s one Evan and I needed for our life lists–the Northern Goshawk.

Northern Goshawk

The Goshawk wasn’t coming any closer, so we began our ascent up the canyon listening along the way for anything new or interesting.

Tommy Hunter CanyonTommy’s ear for bird sounds is truly impressive–hardly a chip note, flight call, or song gets by him.  In fact, he doesn’t even announce all that he’s hearing unless it’s important, like this lifer Bewick’s Wren.

Bewick's Wren

For the most part, though, all that could be heard was the huffing and puffing of the two flat-landers of the group as we climbed on and on.  We were missing our oxygen-rich 1,100 feet back home.  Evan sat down on rocks several times, and I had to keep coaxing him to go on.  Besides, we were almost to the exciting part of the canyon where the walls were steeper and the trees towered above us and where the Warblers are…

Evan TommyIt is where this lowland scrub terminates and the forest of the canyon begins that the Slate-throated Redstart had been seen just a couple days prior.  We paused to look and listen, but it seemed well-known at this point that the Redstart was gone.  We did, however, start to hear multiple Rufous-capped Warblers all around us! Getting a visual of this brush-loving bird is another story.  The sound seemed to come from everywhere and then stopped all of the sudden.  Weird. So onward and upward we kept going.  At least the view back down the mountain was nice.

Hunter Canyon

The life birds were definitely not coming at a fast pace, so a Spotted Towhee was a nice distraction for the time being.

Spotted TowheeIn hindsight, this was the calm before the storm because things took off in a hurry.  It all started when Tommy spotted a male Hepatic Tanager which was a lifer for Evan and me.  I didn’t see it, but I spotted my own Hepatic lifer (female).

Hepatic TanagerI really wanted to see the male Tommy found.  Eventually I saw it, but it was not being cooperative at all.

Hepatic Tanager

I did catch it out in the open once.  Not the best photo, but it shows the subtle red coloration compared to a bright red Summer Tanager.Hepatic TanagerTommy said that sometimes Tanagers will respond to a Northern Pygmy-Owl call.  When he played it, a live Pygmy-Owl tooted back! Tommy took off up the canyon trail to see if he could locate it.  I started soon after but then saw bright flash of yellow and black come across the blue sky–Scott’s Oriole!  What a looker it was! It landed at the very top of a tree offering me nothing but butt views. It’s a pretty nice-looking butt, anyhow.

Scott's OrioleAs I was jockeying for a position from which I could see the Oriole better, Tommy called out calmly, “Guys, Pygmy-Owl.”  For some reason I thought this meant he was hearing it, and so I continued to keep working on the Oriole.  A few seconds later, Tommy’s voice carried a little more urgency. An Owl lifer trumps an Oriole photo.  Evan, Gordon, and I hustled up to where Tommy was.  Sure enough, he had eyes on it.  Wow, just wow.

Northern Pygmy-Owl

Seeing this awesome Owl with my naked vision was much easier than trying to find it in my viewfinder.  I was amazed at how small it was.  Here’s a reference shot.  These pine cones are about the size of an adult’s fist–do you see the Owl?

Northern Pygmy-OwlThis was such a fun life bird.  I was not expecting this one on this trip. Excuse the numerous photos–I was, and still am, very excited about this sighting.

Northern Pygmy-Owl

Northern Pygmy-Owl

Northern Pygmy-OwlTime waits for no man, though, and neither do Rufous-capped Warblers.  As I was photographing this cool Owl and trying for better angles, a Rufous-capped Warbler started singing nearby and Tommy was off again!  In seconds Tommy got a visual on the bird and called me over.  I’ve learned from Tommy and Gordon to first get a good look at a lifer with binoculars and then worry about a photo second.  So that’s what I did.  In no time at all, I also saw the Rufous-capped Warbler pop up for a second and got to see that amazingly yellow throat.

Then it took a lot of patience and blurry photos of sticks and brush as I made many failed attempts at getting a photo.  Hmmm, colorful fall foliage?

Northern Pygmy-Owl

Or….

Rufous-capped Warbler

OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was the numero uno (Mexican bird, get it?) target and therefore the biggest thrill of some pretty monumental thrills in Hunter Canyon.  The lifering was fast and furious.  From the Hepatics to the Rufous-cap, I would guess a maximum of ten minutes had elapsed.  It was mind-blowing and overwhelming, leaving no time to linger and soak up the enjoyment of any one of those species.  I guess you take whatever SE AZ throws your way.  Sometimes that means the cool birds are shoved down your throat.  And if that’s the case, you eagerly open your mouth wide in anticipation.

After this, there was nothing else to do but walk down another Arizona mountain victorious…

Evan Tommy…and then go to next-door Miller Canyon and Ash Canyon for even more adventure! You don’t want to miss it–there will be coon dogs, guns, and yes, more cool lifers.

A huge thanks to Tommy DeBardeleben and Gordon Karre for a incredibly memorable bird hunt in Hunter Canyon!