I guess while son Myles (12) and I were away the winter broke and spring birding started.

Nothing like a bit of travel to dispel the winter blues (though we had 5” snow and some cold).

Myles and I ventured to Tucson AZ for 9 days, back sat am.  We did a variety of things including visiting the Karchtner Caverns, the AZ Desert Museum, Tombstone with an authentic gunfight at the OK corral. We hiked and even road horses. Tenting was altered by the weather a bit as were some of our walks.  We pretty much used the South East AZ Birding Trail map as our guide. Many great spots !  Our focus was not birds but time together (and birds).  What follows is the bird list in chronological order (sorry).  “Paton’s” in Patagonia produced the most firsts (3 visits).  Some superb scenery, friendly folks, and fun birds. Y’all should check it out, I can’t wait to return (didn’t find a few species).  106 species and 22 firsts. No orioles, swallows and few flycatchers.

House Sparrow

Red-t Hawk        (lots)

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove                 (lots)

Gila Woodpecker

Black Phoebe

Lesser Goldfinch              lots
Phainopepela
AM Kestrel

Gt-tailed Grackle

No Shoveler

Am Coot

Pied-b Grebe

GB Heron

*Red-naped Sapsucker

RWBb

Vermillion Flycatcher

Lawrence’s Goldfinch    1male

*Bewick’s Wren

White-winged Dove

Bridled Titmouse

Inca Dove

House Finch (lots)

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Yellow-rumped Warbler

*Broad-billed Hummingbird        many

Yellow Warbler

Pyrroloxia

Lincoln’s Sparrow

Black-throated Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow            lots !

Lark Sparrow

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

White-br Nuthatch

Ladder-backed Woodpecker      1

Common Ground Dove

Say’s Phoebe

Curve-billed Thrasher

Common Black Hawk      1

Savannah Sparrow

Mockingbird       1

Common Raven

Horned Lark

Greater Roadrunner       2

Brown-headed Cowbird

*Green-tailed Towhee     (@Paton’s)

*Abert’s Towhee                              “

*Lazuli Bunting                                 “

*Ringed Turtle Dove                       “

Gambel’s Quail

White-throated Sparrow

*Violet-crowned Hummingbird

Bufflehead

Dbl-cr Cormorant

Green Heron

Green-w Teal

Cinnamon Teal

Ruddy Duck

Mallard   and Mexican Duck

Ring-n Duck

Wilson’s Snipe

Ruby-cr Kinglet

No Harrier

Canyon Towhee

Bronzed Cowbird

Song Sparrow

Rufous Hummingbird

Anna’a Hummingbird

*Painted Redstart

Hermit Thrush

Dark-eyed Junco

*Yellow-eyed Junco

*Hutton’s Vireo

Am Robin

Acorn Woodpecker

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Loggerhead Shrike

Red-shafted Flicker

Cooper’s Hawk

Western Meadowlark

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Gadwall

Mexican Jay

*Hepatic Tanager

Magnificent Hummingbird

Blue-throated Hummingbird

Wild Turkey

Rock Wren

Canyon Wren

House Wren

*Rufous-capped Warbler             2

Arizona Woodpecker                     1

Spotted Towhee                              1

Black-chinned Sparrow                  1

*Rufous-winged Sparrow

*Brewer’s Sparrow

Verdin

*Costa’s Hummingbird                 1

Red/*/italics  is a “first”.

Bill Shepard       

Project Coordinator

CT River Birding Trail

2360 Academy Road

Thetford Center, VT  05075

Home: 802 785-2855