Morse Canyon, Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona

Morse Canyon is on the less frequented east side of the Chiricahua Mountains. The "Prize" for the past month has been three Crescent-chested Warblers. For the first week or two they were providing good looks near the end of the Turkey Creek Road where the trailhead starts.  The last couple of weeks they have been seen more often about a half mile up the trail. It appeared from my perspective that they had built a nest high up in a Ponderosa Pine tree -- maybe 60 feet off the ground. The trail gets steep and the tree is in the canyon floor so you could get a better view further up the switchback -- though a bit further away. Occasionally, they would fly down to the trail just to tease birders/photographers. But while I was there they didn't stay close long enough to get a clear and in-focus photo.

There were always people around looking at or looking for this rare bird. And jockeying around on a  steep uphill trail -- especially for someone with balance issues was a bit challenging. 

The Crescent-chested Warbler has been reported in Arizona less than 10 times. So it is quite special in that regard. But like many warblers, they very attractive.

Although you might be at the right place, at the right time (Morse Canyon early morning) --- it might not be exactly the right place or exactly the right time. Early on in my "birding career" I noticed something. Maybe a brilliant grasp of the obvious, but Birds Have Wings. Yes they do. And, they often use them. Of course, this has all been during the Pandemic, so the birds may have simply been practicing "social distancing."

Anyway, while looking for the C-C Warbler, there were a few other birds around:

Crescent-chested Warbler

Dusky-capped Flycatcher

Gilded Flicker

Montezuma Quail

Red-faced Warbler

Western Tanager

Cordilleran Flycatcher

White-tailed Fawn

Sweetwater Wetlands: other birds

NOTE: I would like to welcome visitors from Iran, the 136th country to visit our Blog. Just today there have been visitors from:   United States, Canada, Netherlands, Iran, Japan, Brazil, France, Thailand, Ukraine, Ireland, South Korea, and Romania. Regardless of politics or religion, we all seem to have a common interest in Wildlife. Thank you.

Continuing my birding at Sweetwater Wetlands:

Though I was really concentrating on those rare warblers, there were lots of other birds interested in getting a photo:

Cardinal

Cooper's Hawk

Gilded Flicker

Green Heron

Red Naped Sapsucker

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

Verdin building her nest

Sweetwater Wetlands: Searching for the Northern Parula

Life of the birder/photographer. Unlike the Yellow Throated Warbler I found after 20 minutes of searching, the Northern Parula has escaped me for years. I tried three times along the Santa Cruz River off of Sasco Road (Santa Cruz Flats). I tried twice along the Santa Cruz River off of Ina Road (Tucson). And I have tried five times at Sweetwater Wetlands. All within the past three weeks.

It reminds me of the Daryl Zero quote from the movie Zero Effect:

"Now, a few words on looking for things. When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you're only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding it are very good. Because of all the things in the world, you're sure to find some of them."

 So didn't find the Northern Parula, but did find some "other things" at Sweetwater:

Common Yellowthroat

The usually reliable Green Heron

Snowy Egret

Orange Crowned Warbler

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Ruby Crowned Kinglet (showing off his ruby crown)

Male Ladderbacked Woodpecker

Female Ladderbacked Woodpecker

Male Gilded Flicker

Birding Mount Lemmon - III

More from the last two weeks of birding Mount Lemmon:

Western Bluebird

Western Bluebird

Gilded Flicker

Band Tailed Pigeon

Black Headed Grosbeak

Huachuca Canyon: Always Good Birding

I went again to Huachuca Canyon looking for the Sinaloa Wren and now the newly reported (one time) Prothonotary Warbler. And, again no luck. However, as is usually the case I didn't come home without some photos, including a couple very nice photos like the ubiquitous Wilson's Warbler and Painted Redstart. Even though often seen I thought those two in particular turned out well:

Wilson's Warbler

Painted Redstart

Black Throated Gray Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Gilded Flicker

California Sister

unidentified butterfly

Pipevine Swallowtail

Chiricahua Mountains of Southeast Arizona

I spent two days in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeast Arizona. Today, I thought I would share with you the woodpeckers I was able to find and photograph:

Acorn Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Arizona Woodpecker

Gilded Flicker

Ladderback Woodpecker

Sweetwater Wetlands

Continuing my little trip around some of Tucson's birding spots I checked out Sweetwater Wetlands. Again nothing unusual, however I came back with some nice photos anyway:

Northern Shoveler

Northern Shoveler

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Gilded Flicker

Gilded Flicker - Part II

We have 50 or more large Century Plants on our property. I'm not sure how it got its name (century plant) because it typically only lives 20 to 30 years. It is an agave with leaves up to 7 feet long and very sharp points at their ends. (Drawn blood several times over the years).  It flowers only once and at the end of its life.  The stalk shoots up what seems like overnight. I know of no other plant (at least in North American) that grows so quickly.  It can reach up to 26 feet high in a matter of weeks. The stalk produces a cyme of yellow flowers. At its base the stalk can have a diameter of five inches and is as strong as a tree trunk. The plant then dies but typically leaves "babies" near its base. 

The stalk provides viewing platforms for a wide variety of birds. In addition to the Gilded Flicker (below) I have photographed Northern Mockingbird, Black Tailed Gnatcatcher, Gila and Ladderback  Woodpeckers, Mourning and White Winged Doves, Red Tail and Coopers Hawks, Cardinals, Phainopeplas, Pyrrhuloxias, Orioles, and others on these stalks.

As you can see from the photo you can get a lot of detail:

Gilded Flicker

Gilded Flicker

Up next on my series of "5" Star Photos is the Gilded Flicker. The Gilded Flicker although similar to the Northern Flicker which can be found throughout North American is only found in Southern Arizona and the extreme Northwest corner of Mexico. It is not nearly as abundant as the Gila Woodpecker so we see them just a few times a year here at The Azure Gate. They are strikingly beautiful though. 

Gilded Flicker

Agua Caliente, Arizona - Part VII

And, now for some of the birds photographed at Agua Caliente:

Vermillion Flycatrcher

Western Tanager

Male Gila Woodpecker

Female Gilded Flicker

Great Tailed Grackle