Heat, humidity, and rain, a great time to go birding in Arizona? Well, yes it is!

During our summer rainy season, the monsoon, local birds are breeding as are residents of Mexico and Central America who just barely make it north over the border to nest in the U.S. becoming RARE BIRDS.  So, Southwest Wings runs a festival in late July and early August, followed by  Tucson Audubon a week later.

From July 31st to August 2nd we ventured out with SW Wings and Richard Fray for a three day, two night trek to find some of our summer visitors amid a bit of rain and some muddy roads!  We had a great time with great people.

Of all the species we saw, here are the highlights. Let's start with one of the stars of the show, the Five-striped Sparrow. 

To keep you oriented, below is a map of our tour generated by Adobe's Lightroom  with my annotations showing the location of all of the images in this post.

The images here were captured in California Gulch at 6 pm on July 31st, in the rain. California Gulch is just south of Ruby, Arizona, and very close to the border. There are two roads in and out, one very muddy this day, and one very rocky. The muddy route was okay coming in, but not going out! Fortunately the rocky route was a welcome alternate at 9 pm, providing us a welcome path back to comfy beds at Rancho Santa Cruz.

This series of images shows the markings of the bird as he slowly turns and begins to sing.  Nest building coincides with the first significant summer rainstorms, with the first eggs of the season from early June to late August (Ref: Birds of the World). 

Males sing during all daylight hours, especially  in the early morning and late evening. This is likely a male, and the calls/singing may be to keep contact with his mate during foraging. He likely has a nest nearby. (Ref: Birds of the World). 

We had a clear day, with this bird perching up close, a bit backlit. 
​And below, calling, "Hey, I am up here, with the birders!"  

In the image below, our subject pulls his tail forward showing the length and markings. 

Back in California gulch, about 20 minutes  before we found the Five-striped Sparrow, we encountered this Blue Grosbeak. I was fortunate to be sitting in the front seat of the van, and as Richard paused, I was able to get these shots out the rolled-down right front window. 

Like the Five-striped Sparrow, the Blue Grosbeak breeds with the monsoon rains. Only males sing, and this male is likely defending his territory.  (Ref: Birds of the World).  

Above, a becard nest just south of Harshaw Road. Below, the same nest with mama sitting on top. The entrance to the nest is likely on one side and toward the bottom.

Females are gray to brown with a black, gray , or rusty brown crown. Males sport a bright pink throat. They eat insects, and occasionally fruit if  available. 

Below, mama takes a break from her nest duties to preen in the sun, including an occasional scratch.

Above, a Violet-crowned Hummingbird comes in for a landing at a feeder at the Paton Center, and below, appears to be fending off competitors. We get a good view of the details on the crown.

Below a low light shot of a Violet-crowned on August 3, 2023 during a daylong  SWW tour on hummingbirds led by Kristy Gallo. We see good detail of the wings and underparts. For more on that tour see my post: Southwest Wings: The Hummers of Summer!

The color of the feathers, especially the gorget, varies by the feather's angle to the sun. The feather's internal nanostructural geometry generates refraction and interference that separates and reinforces only a subset of the wavelengths of light. (Ref: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Handbook of Bird Biology, 3rd Edition, page 141). This effect can be seen in feathers of many species, but is especially prominent in hummingbirds.  The Broad-bill's gorget can go from bright blue to black with a turn of the head.  In this series of photographs we can see color variation as the bird turns his head and neck.

There were many Broad-tailed Hummingbirds at the feeders this day, so it is impossible to tell if the bird shown above is the same as the bird shown below. In any case, the bird shown below is definitely molting, the process of replacing all the feathers on the body that in most species occurs once a year after breeding.

Some species can lay back and "chill" while molting, a process that requires a lot of energy.  For example, Canada Geese are vegetarians eating a wide variety of grasses, as well as some seeds and fruits in the fall. They can eat and molt without doing much else. However, other birds, including the hummingbird, need to fly to eat, and the molting process literally occurs "on the wing" in a sequential fashion that allows flight to continue. A bit like changing tires on an 18-wheeler without pulling over to the side of the road! 

Below we see that one of the flight feathers on the left wing, likely a secondary, has been lost with a new feather coming in.  The variation in color of the contour feathers that cover the body may be a consequence of molting, or the bird's angle to the sun, or a combination of both.

​For more on molting see these posts: Cardinals Molting in August: a Pre-Halloween Tragicomedy  and Birds are Born to Do 4 things; Eat, Don't Get Eaten, Make More Birds, and MOLT!

On the last day of our tour, as we were making our way back to Sierra Vista, we stopped at Empire Ranch, part of Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, managed by the BLM. This conservation area covers more than 45,000 acres of rolling grasslands and woodlands north and east of Sonita. Part of the area includes a Prairie Dog Colony, intended to preserve a population of these frisky and entertaining herbivorous ground squirrels in their native habitat. I was able to get my long lens over the fence and catch some of their activities. 
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Prairie Dogs build extensive underground colonies housing multiple family groups. They are considered a keystone species, with their mounds often being used by other species. In addition, mound building encourages grass development and renewal of topsoil. Their underground tunnels bring rain to the undersoil, reducing runoff.  For more on this important species, and the value it brings to the prairie, see this entry in Wikipedia: Prairie Dog.

Prairie Dogs have a complex system of communication capable of alerting the colony not only to the presence of predators, but to the type of predator, the size, and approach. (Ref: Wikipedia: Prairie Dog).  Here we see a series of images showing calling behavior, perhaps an alert that a photographer is near! 

In the series below, a Prairie Dog moves from one tunnel to another, diving for cover. Possibly the response to the pesky photographer nearby? 

Whew!  Made it!

Before I go, let's have a round of applause for our intrepid guide Richard Fray, pictured below as we unloaded the van in Sierra Vista!  And, thanks to all my fellow travelers from near and far on this three day trek.  Great trip! 

That's all for now!  
Stay tuned.

​Happy Trails!

In Part I of this series, I looked at two warblers who winter in Mexico, and nest on Mt Lemmon, the Painted Redstart and the Red-faced Warbler. As of early September they are still around, but will be heading south soon as the days get shorter and the food (insects) move south. 

As our summer residents leave, we are greeted by warblers who breed to the north but may stop over in the village for food and water on their way south for the winter. 

Let's start with three species who summer in the same northern regions and often migrate together, the Black-throated Gray Warbler, the Hermit Warbler, and the Townsend's Warbler. 

Black-throated Gray Warblers eat insects from the understory, moving with deliberate hops from branch to branch. They are good subjects for photography, being less frenetic than the Painted Redstart or Red-faced Warbler.

Above, and in the images that follow, a Black-throated Gray finds an insect under the leaf at eye level and plucks it off. 

Although the Hermit Warbler likes the canopy of the highest trees in summer in the Pacific Northwest and in the winter in Mexico*, on migration they join other warblers in mixed flocks, feeding in riparian oak woodlands like Summerhaven. 

*Cornell's All About Birds attributes the bird's name, Hermit, to their preference for the high canopy summer and winter, although they are gregarious and in full evidence to us on migration.

As this series of photographs shows how the Hermit Warbler hops from branch to  branch in search of insects. 

Like most warblers, Townsend's feed on insects and insect larvae, gleaned from conifer needles. They will occasionally hawk, catching flying insects in midair.  On migration they will feed on nectar from flowers. At backyard feeders they will take mealworms, peanut butter and suet. 

The image above was captured on August 25, 2024, in Summerhaven near Sabino Creek. The image below was captured a year ago, October 29, 2023, toward the end of the fall in Summerhaven.

Above and below, a Townsend's Warbler searching for food in the understory, September 20, 2020.

Below, catching a ray of sunshine during breakfast, October 2, 2020. 

Grace's Warblers have gray backs, a white breast with a yellow throat and eyebrow.  Males and females are similar, with the female being less boldly patterned. 

The population of Grace's Warbler is falling most likely due to loss of their habitat - mature forests. For more on the challanges habitat specialists face, see Northwest Ohio, Spring Migration 2022, Part 1, Warblers.

Occasionally one can spot a chesnut crown, not visible in these images. The female is paler than the male.  They eat insects including spruce budworm on their northern territory as well as other arthropods in all seasons. They nest on or near the ground hidden among bushes or the base of trees. 

Mountain Chickadees are small birds with a definite "cute factor."  Their head is large in relation to the body, with a small bill, a narrow tail and round belly.  They are gray overall with white cheeks, a black cap and throat, offset by a white eyebrow. 

Above and below, a Mountain Chickadee grabbing an insect from under a leaf near Sabino Creek in Summerhaven, August 25, 2024.

As of Saturday September 14th there continues to be a lot of  birds, including the Nashville Warbler, along Sabino Creek across from the Cookie Cabin. 

That's all for now. More coming soon.
​Happy trails! 

During the course of any summer, two warblers are regular ground nesters on Mt. Lemmon, with a preference for the riparian woodlands of Summerhaven and Marshall Gulch. In this post I will take a close look at the Painted Redstart and the Red-faced Warbler, both popular summer residents who are getting ready for their fall migration.

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On August 4th on Mt. Bigelow, I caught the Painted Redstart below hopping from branch to branch looking for insects. This bird was moving very fast! 

Painted Redstarts "startle" their prey by rapidly spreading the tail, showing a flash of white and black, flicking it  up, as well as spreading the wings, as they hop from branch to branch. I was able to capture the rapid tail and wing flick in the image below. 

Our hungry hunter jumps to the next branch searching for lunch. 

Above and below, pausing long enough to pose while looking for food before charging forward again! 

In the sequence that follows, two Painted Redstarts have a lively debate over who owns a particular branch.   

The Cornell Lab's Birds of the World reports that juvenile Painted Redstarts have black and white wings with gray breasts. However, my guess is that the two birds below are juveniles with red feathers just beginning to come into the breasts. 

Above, a single bird is perched on a branch, taking a break between forays for insects. Below, another Painted Redstart joins him/her. My guess is that these were nest mates last spring now learning the ropes and gaining weight, getting ready for the migration south. 

Above, the bird on the left vocalizes. It looks like a loud squawk!  At my distance, I could not hear anything specific. 

The bird on the right repeats the call. Maybe a dispute over who the branch belongs to. 

After a pause in the action for a few seconds, the bird on the left decides he has had enough, and makes a move for his neighbor, who takes off for another branch, and more food. 

Painted Redstarts glean insects from leaves, needles, twigs and the surface of tree bark,  but also from hawking - catching insects on the wing. The next sequence shows how this is done!  

For the photo geeks: The sequence below was shot with a newly released Canon R5 Mark II set in Pre-Capture mode. With this setting the camera shifted to electronic shutter at ~30 frames/second and recorded each frame to a 1/2 second continuously rotating buffer as long as I kept the shutter partially depressed. Once the action started, I pressed the shutter down completely and the ~15 frames shot over the previous 1/2 second were recorded to the memory card as shooting continued at ~30 frames per second as long as I kept the shutter depressed. This allowed me to wait until the bird took off to press the shutter, knowing that I would get the gap in the action created by my response time. I recorded multiple flight sequences with the lens zoomed back a bit to allow "room" for the bird in flight, and got lucky with the sequence below. The whole sequence took place within one second and the bird stayed in the frame. The camera's autofocus did a good job of sticking to the bird. 

A Painted Redstart was hawking for insects in the backyard in Summerhaven, often perching on a tree stump, looking for prey, then launching himself upward. Above, he has spotted a bug, a bright white dot in the upper right corner of the frame, and lifted his left foot. 

Below, he is into the air, the bug now looks like a smudge in the upper right. 

The insect has again caught the light, and our Painted Restart is on the wing. 

Above, the insect is straight above our hunter, as he alters his flight to make the interception.  

Below, he gets closer.

For the photo geeks: In the frame below we can see that the camera's autofocus is following the bird, with the head and eye in focus, but the stump in the background where the bird started now out of focus. 

Above and below, the insect is pretty sharp, and our predator is closing in.

Above and below, the mouth is open, and lunch is within reach!  Note the somewhat mottled breast, which could be new feathers on a juvenile, or an adult molting. 

For the photo geeks: On electronic shutter at 1/2000 second, there is no appreciable rolling shutter. 

Above and below, GULP!  Down it goes. 

Painted Redstarts eat primarily insects, and as the insect counts on Mt Lemmon begin to fall in September, the redstarts will start to migrate south to Mexico, following the food. 
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Chances are these birds will return in the spring to nest. 

Above, a male is gathering grasses for a nest in May near the road in Marshall Gulch. By August nesting is over, and both adults and offspring are looking for food to support their ongoing molting activities and to get ready for migration, following the food. 

Below, two images of a Red-faced Warbler foraging for insects in the low understory across from the Cookie Cabin on August 25, 2024.  

Just like the Painted Redstarts, the Red-faced Warblers will soon be heading south to Mexico, following the food! 

That is all for now!  Part 2 is coming soon, more warblers on the mountain, this time in transit, stopping off for a bite on their way down south.

​Happy Trails!