Birding Mount Lemmon

Mount Lemmon provides some great birding opportunities. Though rarely rare birds, it provides first time birders to Arizona opportunities for "Lifers." Arizona birds like Oliver Warblers, Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstarts are relatively easy to find. Western birds like Acorn Woodpeckers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Mountain Chickadees, Spotted Towhees, and Western Tanagers are also relatively easy to find. 

Acorn Woodpecker

Black-headed Grosbeak

Hermit Thrush

Mountain Chickadee

Olive Warbler

Painted Redstart

Red-faced Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Western Tanager

Wild Turkey

Abert's Squirrel

Mixed Flock of Mount Lemmon Warblers

Finding a mixed flock of Warblers is always exciting. You truly must be in the right place and the right time, not 10 minutes early, not 10 seconds late. Then, within 15 minutes you might see 20 or more warblers, with at least 5 different species. My best day was 10 species (back in 2015).

I figure I've been up Mount Lemmon over 200 times in the past 17 years. And I have only been in "that" right place at the right time, 6 times. 

And while it is exciting, it can be equally frustrating. You are trying to photograph a Hermit Warbler (for example) when you eye shifts to movement of another warbler. They move quickly from branch to branch or tree to tree and stay pretty much hidden from full view. You end up spending several minutes trying to get that one warbler, passing up chances on all the others.

You come back home and look at the 657 photos you took and find only 20 that you like. And no decent photo of the Virginia's Warbler or Townsend Warbler or Black Throated Grey or Graces Warbler or Olive Warbler. Truth be told the Olive and Graces seldom "flock" and stay pretty high up in the Ponderosa Pines. So their presence was merely co-incidental. 

But, there were six species I photographed that I would put in the okay to good category:

Female Hermit Warbler

Nashville Warbler showing his Chestnut Crown Patch

Painted Redstart

Red Faced Warbler

Not a very good Townsend's Warbler

Marginal Wilson's Warbler

More from Huachuca Canyon

Here are a few more photos from Huachuca Canyon:

Dusky Capped Flycatcher

Dusky Flycatcher

Painted Redstart

Wild Turkey

 I did stop by the Gift Shop at San Pedro National Conservation Area and picked up a couple photos there as well:

Western Screech Owl

Blue Grosbeak

This Week's Warblers

Just now catching up from a very busy season and then getting out for a few days photographing. I'll start with nine warblers I have been able to find and photograph this past week.

The first is a Hermit Warbler that -- acting out its name -- did not want to be photographed. I did the best I could. The others are quite a bit better.

Hermit Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Olive Warbler Female

Painted Redstart

Red Faced Warbler

Wilson's Warbler

Yellow Breasted Chat

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Yellow Warbler

My Favorite Wildlife Photos of 2017 - 13

Continuing with my favorite wildlife photos of 2017 (in alphabetical order):

Painted Redstart

Here's another little Warbler singing away, the Painted Redstart. 

Painted Redstart

Continuing to share my warbler photos along with information about each species, from my latest book: "Warblers of Arizona, A Guide to Finding and Photographing Warblers in Southern Arizona." 

If you are interested in purchasing it, please email me at exclusivelywildlifephotos.com or info@azuregate.com.

Painted Redstart

Common Name: Painted Redstart

Scientific Name: Myioborus pictus

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Conservation Status: Least Concern, population estimate at 2 million with 22% in the United States and the rest in Mexico

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Size: 5.9 inches

Description: black head, nape, back, face, flanks and tail; broad white wing patch; white undereye arc; bright red breast and belly; long white tail; gray vent and black undertail coverts

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Male/Female: identifcal

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Range: primarily Southern Arizona and New Mexico with some south to Nicaragua

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Migration: summers (breeding) in Arizona and New Mexico and winters in Mexico

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Season for Arizona: year round though higher populations from April through September

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Habitat: oak and pine forests in mountain canyons, from elevation 4900 feet to 8200 feet

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Community Behavior: solitary, Painted Redstart families, or mixed warbler flocks

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Feeding Behavior: forages by hopping around at all levels from ground to treetop gleaning from leaves, trunks, branches, and ground debris; sometimes will sally out to snatch flies in midair; flashes its wings and outer tail feathers when foraging; moves up and down older trees similar to creepers

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Diet: mostly insects including: ants, beetles, spiders, flies, caterpillars; will take suet, peanut butter, and sugar water from feeders

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Nesting Behavior: some males and more than one mate; nests on the ground hidden among rock, roots, or grass on steep slope; 3-4 whitish eggs with brown speckles; incubation is 14 days; young leave nest after 9-13 days; often 2 broods per year

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Where to Find in Southern Arizona: any of the Sky Mountain Ranges in Arizona; particularly Mount Lemmon in the Catalinas, Huachuca Canyon in the Huachucas, and Madera Canyon in the Santa Ritas; very conspicuous and easy to find when present; both male and female flash their wings and tail as they look for food

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Comments: one of the most beautiful of all Warblers; first described by John Swainson in 1829

Huachuca Canyon Birding: Part IV

As usual, lots of Painted Redstarts. Here is my favorite photo of the day's Painted Redstart:

Painted Redstart

Still More Birds from Mount Lemmon

Yesterday's trip up Mount Lemmon was again productive as well as invigorating. 

A pair of Painted Redstarts were going in and out of their nest which was on one of the banks as you go up Incinerator Ridge.

Then looking for Olive Warblers at the Alder Picnic site produced a couple of females.

So here are a couple of new photos from yesterday that I particularly like:

Painted Redstart

Olive Warbler Female

More from Mount Lemmon

Another quick trip up Mount Lemmon proved somewhat successful. I have been trying to locate the Lewis Woodpecker that has been reported, but to no avail. Yet, as usual, I did find some nice birds:

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher

I saw but didn't get good photographs of Olive, Graces, and Hermit Warblers. But I did get several nice photos of Painted Redstarts, Red Faced Warblers, and Townsend's Warblers:

Painted Redstart

Red Faced Warbler

Townsend's Warbler

Mount Lemmon Warblers

It is high season for Warblers now. And there is no better place than Mount Lemmon to find them. Some days are better than others, but this time of year you can usually find several species. Yesterday I photographed six different species, but I've had days with 10 and two day periods with 12. 

Some knowledge of where to look, and what kind of foliage for each species is clearly helpful. But, there is always an element of luck. You can be in the right place at a good time, and you'll often find several this time of year.

It is impossible to predict when a flock of warblers will come through. But when that happens, birding is exciting. For the photographer who waits patiently for an opportunity to photograph one bird, it can also be a bit frustrating when all of a sudden you are faced with many species and you must decide which to photograph.

Here are some photographs from yesterday:

Grace's Warbler

Hermit Warbler

Orange Crowned Warbler

Painted Redstart

Townsend's Warbler

Wilson's Warbler

New Photos: Painted Redstart

Although only found in Southern Arizona and New Mexico, the Painted Redstart is usually seen this time of the year in the mountain canyons. Here is one with a bug he's showing off for me:

Painted Redstart

Birding Incinerator Ridge, Mount Lemmon

After Rose Canyon Lake, Christine and I wanted to make a quick stop at Incinerator Ridge just to see what was going on there. As it turns out, it too was very birdie so we ended up spending the rest of our day there. Incinerator Ridge is famous for its Red Faced Warblers (again probably the most reliable place to find it). And, again he didn't disappoint. Painted Redstarts are often present (as they were this day). Yellow Rumped Warblers, Hermit Thrushes, Yellow Eyed Juncos, Mountain Chickadees, Spotted Towhees, Black Headed Grosbeaks, American Robins, Cliff Swallows, Ravens, an unidentified hawk ...

Here are a couple of the nicer photos:

Painted Redstart

Red Faced Warbler