Birds of Coldwater Farm

BIRDS OF COLDWATER FARM

GARRY ROGERS

Birds of Coldwater Farm Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona Birds Observed During the First Two Decades of the Twenty-First Century

By Garry Rogers

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Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data Names: Rogers, Garry F, author. Title: Birds of Coldwater Farm Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona : birds observed during the first two decades of the twenty-first century / by Garry Rogers. Description: Includes bibliographical references and index. | Humboldt, AZ: Garry Rogers, 2020. Identifiers: ISBN 9798628755679 Subjects: LCSH Birds--Arizona--Dewey-Humboldt--Identification. | Birds--Ari- zona--Dewey-Humboldt--Pictorial works. | Bird watching--Arizona. | BISAC NA- TURE / Animals / Birds Classification: LCC QL684.A6 R64 2020 | DDC 598/.09791--dc23

Cover photograph: Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) The songs of other passerines and songbirds may be more musical, but the flights and calls of this superb aerial hunter are a constant contribution to the delight of Coldwater Farm. From perches around the house and over the ponds, Black Phoebes fly sorties that end with audible snaps as their bills close on their targets. And this includes those other superb aerial predators, the Dragonflies. Black Phoebes tolerate people and often hunt over human-made water fea- tures. They prefer life by open water, but a well-watered lawn will do. Their numbers have risen as people in the American Southwest and Mexico have mined and spread groundwater over their lawns and crops. Male and female Black Phoebes have similar plumage. In spring, males scout for nest sites and females build or remodel the nest, a cup of earth and straw. One to six eggs hatch in about two weeks. Phoebes form mo- nogamous unions to raise their chicks and teach them to hunt. Once the nest is empty, pairs remain in loose contact through the winter (Wolf 1997).

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Dedication For Felipe Guerrero whose suggestions and knowledge of birds made this book far better than it could have been otherwise.

Fig. 1.1 The Agua Fria River runs through Coldwater Farm in the center of Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona. The river seeps below a dry surface over most of its journey to the Gila River west of Phoenix, but as the water passes through the Farm, a subterranean basalt flow forces it above ground creating a perennial stream. Native Cottonwood and Willow dominate the banks and form a closed- canopy forest on a floodplain at the confluence of the River and three tributaries.

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Acknowledgements Assembly of the book was possible because of data organization, help, and encouragement by Sabra Tonn of the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD). Help also came from other staff of AZGFD, members of the Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, and the Highlands Center for Natural His- tory. Filipe Guerrero confirmed uncertain sightings and showed me twelve new species to add to the list. Two of the species he found are the Yellow- billed Cuckoo and the Willow Flycatcher, both protected by the U. S. Endan- gered Species Act. Ryan Crouse spotted the yellow-shafted Northern Flicker. Carl Tomoff made visits to the Farm and added three species to the list.

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Table of Contents DEDICATION ...... 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... 4 1. INTRODUCTION ...... 11

COLDWATER FARM WILDLIFE HABITATS ...... 11 BIRD CONSERVATION ...... 12 HUMAN DESTRUCTION OF NATURE ...... 13 BIRD PROTECTION ...... 14 EXTINCTIONS AT COLDWATER FARM ...... 14 2. CONSERVATION STATUS SYMBOLS ...... 14

AZGFD CONSERVATION STATUS SYMBOLS ...... 15 AZGFD BREEDING STATUS SYMBOLS ...... 17 ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT (ESA) NATIONAL STATUS SYMBOLS ...... 17 SYMBOLS FOR SEASONAL PRESENCE AT COLDWATER FARM ...... 17 Abundance ...... 17 Seasonal Presence ...... 17 IDENTIFICATION ...... 18 PHOTOGRAPHS AND PAINTINGS ...... 18 3. BIRDS OF COLDWATER FARM ...... 19 3.1 ANATIDAE--DUCKS AND WATERFOWL FAMILY ...... 19

WOOD DUCK (AIX SPONSA) ...... 19 NORTHERN SHOVELER (SPATULA CLYPEATA) ...... 20 GADWALL (MARECA STREPERA) ...... 21 AMERICAN WIGEON (MARECA AMERICANA) ...... 22 MALLARD (ANAS PLATYRHYNCHOS) ...... 23 NORTHERN PINTAIL (ANAS ACUTA) ...... 24 CANVASBACK (AYTHYA VALISINERIA) ...... 25 REDHEAD (AYTHYA AMERICANA) ...... 26 RING-NECKED DUCK (AYTHYA COLLARIS) ...... 27 BUFFLEHEAD (BUCEPHALA ALBEOLA) ...... 28 HOODED MERGANSER (LOPHODYTES CUCULLATUS) ...... 29 COMMON MERGANSER (MERGUS MERGANSER) ...... 30 RUDDY DUCK (OXYURA JAMAICENSIS) ...... 31 3.2 ODONTOPHORIDAE--NEW WORLD QUAIL ...... 32

GAMBEL'S QUAIL (CALLIPEPLA GAMBELII) ...... 32 3.3 PHASIANIDAE--PHEASANTS, GROUSE, AND ALLIES ...... 33

RING-NECKED PHEASANT (PHASIANUS COLCHICUS)...... 33

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3.4 COLUMBIDAE--PIGEONS AND DOVES ...... 34

ROCK PIGEON (COLUMBA LIVIA)...... 34 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE (STREPTOPELIA DECAOCTO) ...... 35 INCA DOVE (COLUMBINA INCA) ...... 36 WHITE-WINGED DOVE (ZENAIDA ASIATICA) ...... 37 MOURNING DOVE (ZENAIDA MACROURA)...... 38 3.5 CUCULIDAE--CUCKOOS ...... 39

GREATER ROADRUNNER (GEOCOCCYX CALIFORNIANUS) ...... 39 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO (COCCYZUS AMERICANUS) ...... 40 3.6 CAPRIMULGIDAE--NIGHTJARS AND ALLIES ...... 41

COMMON NIGHTHAWK (CHORDEILES MINOR) ...... 41 3.7 TROCHILIDAE--HUMMINGBIRDS ...... 42

BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD (ARCHILOCHUS ALEXANDRI) ...... 42 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD (CALYPTE ANNA) ...... 43 BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD (SELASPHORUS PLATYCERCUS) ...... 44 RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD (SELASPHORUS RUFUS) ...... 45 3.8 RALLIDAE--RAILS, GALLINULES, AND COOTS ...... 46

VIRGINIA RAIL (RALLUS LIMICOLA) ...... 46 SORA (PORZANA CAROLINA)...... 47 3.9 CHARADRIIDAE--PLOVERS AND LAPWINGS ...... 48

KILLDEER (CHARADRIUS VOCIFERUS)...... 48 3.10 JACANIDAE--JACANAS ...... 49

NORTHERN JACANA (JACANA SPINOSA) ...... 49 3.11 SCOLOPACIDAE--SANDPIPERS AND ALLIES ...... 50

WILSON'S SNIPE (GALLINAGO DELICATA) ...... 50 3.12 PHALACROCORACIDAE--CORMORANTS AND SHAGS ...... 51

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT (PHALACROCORAX AURITUS) ...... 51 3.13 ARDEIDAE--HERONS, EGRETS, AND BITTERNS ...... 52

GREAT BLUE HERON (ARDEA HERODIAS) ...... 52 CATTLE EGRET (BUBULCUS IBIS) ...... 53 GREEN HERON (BUTORIDES VIRESCENS)...... 54 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (NYCTICORAX NYCTICORAX) ...... 55 3.14A ANATIDAE—SWANS AND GEESE ...... 56

CANADA GOOSE (BRANTA CANADENSIS) ...... 56 3.14 CATHARTIDAE--NEW WORLD VULTURES ...... 57

TURKEY VULTURE (CATHARTES AURA) ...... 57

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3.15 PANDIONIDAE--OSPREY ...... 58

OSPREY (PANDION HALIAETUS) ...... 58 3.16 ACCIPITRIDAE--HAWKS, EAGLES, AND KITES ...... 59

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (ACCIPITER STRIATUS) ...... 59 COOPER’S HAWK (ACCIPITER COOPERII) ...... 60 BALD EAGLE (HALIAEETUS LEUCOCEPHALUS) ...... 61 COMMON BLACK HAWK (BUTEOGALLUS ANTHRACINUS) ...... 62 GRAY HAWK (BUTEO PLAGIATUS) ...... 63 RED-SHOULDERED HAWK (BUTEO LINEATUS) ...... 64 SWAINSON'S HAWK (BUTEO SWAINSONI) ...... 65 ZONE-TAILED HAWK (BUTEO ALBONOTATUS) ...... 66 RED-TAILED HAWK (BUTEO JAMAICENSIS) ...... 67 FERRUGINOUS HAWK (BUTEO REGALIS) ...... 68 3.17 TYTONIDAE--BARN-OWLS ...... 69

BARN OWL (TYTO ALBA) ...... 69 3.18 STRIGIDAE--OWLS ...... 70

WESTERN SCREECH-OWL (MEGASCOPS KENNICOTTII) ...... 70 GREAT HORNED OWL (BUBO VIRGINIANUS) ...... 71 NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL (GLAUCIDIUM GNOMA) ...... 72 3.19 ALCEDINIDAE--KINGFISHERS ...... 73

BELTED KINGFISHER (MEGACERYLE ALCYON) ...... 73 3.20 PICIDAE--WOODPECKERS ...... 74

RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER (SPHYRAPICUS NUCHALIS) ...... 74 ACORN WOODPECKER (MELANERPES FORMICIVORUS) ...... 75 GILA WOODPECKER (MELANERPES UROPYGIALIS) ...... 76 HAIRY WOODPECKER (DRYOBATES VILLOSUS) ...... 77 LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER (PICOIDES SCALARIS) ...... 78 NORTHERN FLICKER (COLAPTES AURATUS) ...... 79 3.21 FALCONIDAE--FALCONS AND CARACARAS ...... 80

CRESTED CARACARA (CARACARA CHERIWAY) ...... 80 AMERICAN KESTREL (FALCO SPARVERIUS) ...... 81 MERLIN (FALCO COLUMBARIUS) ...... 82 3.22 TYRANNIDAE--TYRANT FLYCATCHERS ...... 83

WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE (CONTOPUS SORDIDULUS) ...... 83 SOUTHWEST WILLOW FLYCATCHER (EMPIDONAX TRAILLII EXTIMUS) ...... 84 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER (EMPIDONAX DIFFICILIS) ...... 85 BLACK PHOEBE (SAYORNIS NIGRICANS) ...... 86 EASTERN PHOEBE (SAYORNIS PHOEBE) ...... 87 SAY'S PHOEBE (SAYORNIS SAYA) ...... 88 VERMILION FLYCATCHER (PYROCEPHALUS RUBINUS) ...... 89

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BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER (MYIARCHUS TYRANNULUS) ...... 90 CASSIN'S KINGBIRD (TYRANNUS VOCIFERANS) ...... 91 WESTERN KINGBIRD (TYRANNUS VERTICALIS) ...... 92 3.23 LANIIDAE--SHRIKES ...... 93

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE (LANIUS LUDOVICIANUS)...... 93 3.24 VIREONIDAE--VIREOS, SHRIKE-BABBLERS, & ERPORNIS ...... 94

WARBLING VIREO (VIREO GILVUS) ...... 94 3.25 CORVIDAE--CROWS, JAYS, AND MAGPIES ...... 95

STELLER'S JAY (CYANOCITTA STELLERI) ...... 95 CALIFORNIA SCRUB-JAY (APHELOCOMA CALIFORNICA) ...... 96 COMMON RAVEN (CORVUS CORAX) ...... 97 3.26 HIRUNDINIDAE--SWALLOWS ...... 98

NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW (STELGIDOPTERYX SERRIPENNIS) ...... 98 TREE SWALLOW (TACHYCINETA BICOLOR) ...... 99 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW (TACHYCINETA THALASSINA) ...... 100 CLIFF SWALLOW (PETROCHELIDON PYRRHONOTA) ...... 101 3.27 PARIDAE--TITS, TITMICE, CHICKADEES ...... 102

BRIDLED TITMOUSE (BAEOLOPHUS WOLLWEBERI) ...... 102 3.28 AEGITHALIDAE--LONG-TAILED TITS ...... 103

BUSHTIT (PSALTRIPARUS MINIMUS) ...... 103 3.29 SITTIDAE--NUTHATCHES ...... 104

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH (SITTA CAROLINENSIS) ...... 104 3.30 CERTHIIDAE--TREECREEPERS ...... 105

BROWN CREEPER (CERTHIA AMERICANA) ...... 105 3.31 TROGLODYTIDAE--WRENS ...... 106

WINTER WREN (TROGLODYTES HYEMALIS) ...... 106 BEWICK'S WREN (THRYOMANES BEWICKII) ...... 107 3.32 REGULIDAE--KINGLETS ...... 108

RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (REGULUS CALENDULA) ...... 108 3.33 TURDIDAE--THRUSHES AND ALLIES ...... 109

WESTERN BLUEBIRD (SIALIA MEXICANA) ...... 109 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD (SIALIA CURRUCOIDES) ...... 110 SWAINSON'S THRUSH (CATHARUS USTULATUS) ...... 111 HERMIT THRUSH (CATHARUS GUTTATUS) ...... 112 AMERICAN ROBIN (TURDUS MIGRATORIUS) ...... 113 3.34 MIMIDAE--MOCKINGBIRDS AND THRASHERS ...... 114

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CRISSAL THRASHER (TOXOSTOMA CRISSALE) ...... 114 NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (MIMUS POLYGLOTTOS)...... 115 3.35 STURNIDAE--STARLINGS ...... 116

EUROPEAN STARLING (STURNUS VULGARIS) ...... 116 3.36 BOMBYCILLIDAE--WAXWINGS ...... 117

CEDAR WAXWING (BOMBYCILLA CEDRORUM) ...... 117 3.37 PTILIOGONATIDAE--SILKY-FLYCATCHERS ...... 118

PHAINOPEPLA (PHAINOPEPLA NITENS) ...... 118 3.38 FRINGILLIDAE--FINCHES ...... 119

HOUSE FINCH (HAEMORHOUS MEXICANUS) ...... 119 CASSIN'S FINCH (HAEMORHOUS CASSINII)...... 120 PINE SISKIN (SPINUS PINUS) ...... 121 LESSER GOLDFINCH (SPINUS PSALTRIA) ...... 122 AMERICAN GOLDFINCH (SPINUS TRISTIS) ...... 123 3.39 PASSERELLIDAE--NEW WORLD SPARROWS ...... 124

CHIPPING SPARROW (SPIZELLA PASSERINE) ...... 124 BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW (SPIZELLA ATROGULARIS) ...... 125 LARK SPARROW (CHONDESTES GRAMMACUS) ...... 126 OREGON JUNCO (JUNCO HYEMALIS OREGANUS) ...... 127 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (ZONOTRICHIA LEUCOPHRYS) ...... 128 GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (ZONOTRICHIA ATRICAPILLA) ...... 129 HARRIS'S SPARROW (ZONOTRICHIA QUERULA) ...... 130 WHITE-THROATED SPARROW (ZONOTRICHIA ALBICOLLIS) ...... 131 SAVANNAH SPARROW (PASSERCULUS SANDWICHENSIS) ...... 132 SONG SPARROW (MELOSPIZA MELODIA) ...... 133 LINCOLN'S SPARROW (MELOSPIZA LINCOLNII) ...... 134 CANYON TOWHEE (MELOZONE FUSCA) ...... 135 RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW (AIMOPHILA RUFICEPS) ...... 136 SPOTTED TOWHEE (PIPILO MACULATUS) ...... 137 3.40 ICTERIIDAE--YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT ...... 138

YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT (ICTERIA VIRENS) ...... 138 3.41 ICTERIDAE—BLACK BIRDS ...... 139

WESTERN MEADOWLARK (STURNELLA NEGLECTA) ...... 139 HOODED ORIOLE (ICTERUS CUCULLATUS) ...... 140 BULLOCK'S ORIOLE (ICTERUS BULLOCKII) ...... 141 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (AGELAIUS PHOENICEUS) ...... 141 BRONZED COWBIRD (MOLOTHRUS AENEUS) ...... 143 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD (MOLOTHRUS ATER) ...... 144 GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE (QUISCALUS MEXICANUS) ...... 145 3.42 PARULIDAE--NEW WORLD WARBLERS ...... 146

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ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (OREOTHLYPIS CELATA) ...... 146 LUCY'S WARBLER (OREOTHLYPIS LUCIAE) ...... 147 MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER (GEOTHLYPIS TOLMIEI) ...... 148 COMMON YELLOWTHROAT (GEOTHLYPIS TRICHAS) ...... 149 YELLOW WARBLER (SETOPHAGA PETECHIA) ...... 150 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (SETOPHAGA CORONATA) ...... 151 BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER (SETOPHAGA NIGRESCENS) ...... 152 WILSON'S WARBLER (CARDELLINA PUSILLA) ...... 153 PAINTED REDSTART (MYIOBORUS PICTUS)...... 154 3.43 CARDINALIDAE--CARDINALS AND ALLIES ...... 155

SUMMER TANAGER (PIRANGA RUBRA) ...... 155 WESTERN TANAGER (PIRANGA LUDOVICIANA) ...... 156 NORTHERN CARDINAL (CARDINALIS CARDINALIS) ...... 156 PYRRHULOXIA (CARDINALIS SINUATUS) ...... 158 ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (PHEUCTICUS LUDOVICIANUS) ...... 159 BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK (PHEUCTICUS MELANOCEPHALUS) ...... 160 BLUE GROSBEAK (PASSERINA CAERULEA) ...... 161 LAZULI BUNTING (PASSERINA AMOENA) ...... 162 INDIGO BUNTING (PASSERINA CYANEA) ...... 163 3.44 PASSERIDAE--OLD WORLD SPARROWS ...... 164

HOUSE SPARROW (PASSER DOMESTICUS)...... 164 4. CONCLUSION—POPULATION CHANGES ...... 165

INCREASES ...... 165 DECLINES ...... 165 REFERENCES ...... 165 APPENDIX. LIST OF FIGURES AND PHOTOGRAPHERS ...... 168 INDEX ...... 172

1. INTRODUCTION Coldwater Farm is sits beside a desert river in central Arizona. The Farm’s three large ponds and free-flowing reach of the Agua Fria River create an oa- sis that hosts a rich array of plants and animals. After moving to the Farm in 1997, I was inspired to learn more about the Farm’s wildlife. I began buying field guides and assembling lists of species that I saw or that I might see. The Arizona Wildlife Notebook, published in 2014, includes checklists for eleven groups (amphibians, ants, birds, butterflies & moths, dragonflies & damsel- flies, fish, grasshoppers & other singing insects, lizards, mammals, snakes, and turtles). In 2016 I published an illustrated checklist of the birds at the Farm. I also assembled a volume on the Farm’s weed flora (Rogers 2018 and Rogers in press). The current book is an updated and reorganized (better I hope) version of the 2016 bird checklist. Nature Conservationists have reported that many animal and plant species are declining, and some are being lost forever. In this book, I report the conservation status that specialists have assigned to the bird species that visit or live at Coldwater Farm. I also give the Audubon Society’s predictions of climate-change effects on each species’ distribution and I provide a qualitative discussion of the population changes I’ve seen over the past 22 years. This is not a field guide. The photographs can help identify the birds, but the book’s purpose is to serve as a record of the birds at Coldwater Farm during the first two decades of the Twenty-first Century. I want future naturalists to know what can come again as evolution fills the holes we humans have blown in Earth’s ecosystems.

Coldwater Farm Wildlife Habitats The Farm’s wildlife habitats are small, and all are infested by invasive weeds. Nevertheless, from Killdeer nesting on the ground to hawks in the treetops, there are many bird species whose numbers would be smaller were it not for the trees, shrubs, grasses, amphibians, arthropods, fish, mammals, and rep- tiles that live in and around the Farm. But it all seems precarious. The habitats are so small that regular visits by hikers, dogs, and cats could drive away most species. In fact, a person on a bulldozer could clear most of the trees in a single day. With this on our minds, my wife and I secured a Conservation Easement for the farm in 2019. The easement protects the Farm from future building or land use that could harms natural habitat. Beginning at the lowest point, habitats at the farm include: • Perennial surface water in the Agua Fria River • Streamside gravel bars and sandy banks 12 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

• Linear patches of willow shrubs with scattered tall cottonwood and willow trees • Cottonwood-willow gallery forest on the flood plane • Three perennial ponds: 1. Spring Pond (1800 sq. ft) is the smallest of the three ponds. 2. Boat Pond (9600 sq. ft) is nearest the house. When we moved to the Farm, our grandchildren often boated on the pond in inflatable rafts and in pedal boats. No one has boated there since 2010. 3. Lilly Pond (7200 sq. ft) named for the extensive cover by Fragrant Lilies (Nymphaea odorata) • Three former pastures dominated by weeds and bordered by trees: 1. Cow Pasture west of the house 2. Horse Pasture east of the house 3. Well House Pasture north of the Spring Pond.

Bird Conservation One of the oldest bird inventories is Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count. A recent analysis of the Count’s results shows that some birds appear in current counts less than half as often as they did just 50 years ago. Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) wildlife biologists conclude that 58% of Arizona’s native bird species are declining and 20% are of long- term concern. The table has numbers of species that AZGFD considers critically imperiled (S1), imperiled (S2), and vulnerable (S3).

Table 1. Arizona Wildlife Conservation Status Species Group Arizona Natives AZGFD, S1+S2+S3 Amphibians 31 18 (58%) Birds 451 260 (58%) Fish 40 40 (100%) Lizards 67 27 (40%) Mammals 189 64 (34%) Snakes 76 35 (46%) Turtles 10 6 (67%) TOTAL 864 450 (52%)

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Droughts, storms, fires, rising seas, shrinking forests and spreading deserts are increasing as the human population and its needs increase. Research coming from studies of fossils and recent historical records report that extinctions are occurring 100 times faster than at any time in Earth’s past. Extinction doesn’t always occur abruptly. Though rare and isolated species can disappear after a single natural or human-caused disaster, total loss of a species usually follows years of declining numbers. In 2014, the World Wild- life Fund, the Zoological Society of London, and other organizations analyzed more than 10,000 wildlife studies that included counts and inventories. The analysis reached a stunning conclusion: From 1970 to 2012, the total number of animals of all species on Earth declined by more than 50%. Biologists predict that the decline will reach 70% in the 2020’s (https://garryrog- ers.com/conservation). A recent study by the Audubon Society predicted the effects of abrupt climate change on individual bird species. The Society used 140 million observations to map the current range of 604 North American bird species. Then they used the latest climate models to predict how the ranges would shift with climate change. The results are available in the form of an interactive map that lets users assess impacts on birds by season and location (Audubon.org/climate).

Human Destruction of Nature The reason for declining habitats and wildlife is not a mystery. Researchers have shown that the declines are due to human activities. Here’s a list of the harshest: • habitat destruction (building and farming) • abrupt climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions o rapid shifts in temperature and moisture levels o increasing fires, storms, floods, and droughts (the Audubon Society completed a study of the potential impact of climate change on North American Birds called Survival by De- grees. Find it in the References under Audubon). • habitat alteration by introduced invasive plants, animals, and disease organisms • habitat impoverishment by resource harvests (logging, livestock grazing, water diversion, and hunting) • habitat poisoning by pesticides, toxic wastes, and fertilizer • pet collecting, collisions with windows, disturbance from hikers and automobiles, artificial barriers, and more.

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Often coincident, these destructive activities by people involve the entire planet and grow ever stronger as we strive for the most unsustainable levels of security and material wealth.

Bird Protection Habitat protection is the most common method of bird protection. Public land use management, public parks, and private conservation efforts provide some protection for bird habitat. But still, our extensive protection efforts are not preventing declines and extinctions.

Extinctions at Coldwater Farm Extinction can be local or global. Local extinctions are more common where obligate habitats such as the Farm’s riparian forest are widely dispersed, and species can’t easily migrate between them. This is not as critical for birds as it is for terrestrial animals and plants. Global extinctions are more common where obligate species occur in only one or a few specific habitats. From 1997 to 2020, some bird species at the Farm increased, and others declined or disappeared. I discuss the changes in each bird’s description and summarize them in the Conclusion.

2. CONSERVATION STATUS SYMBOLS The two left-hand columns of the two-row table in each species description hold conservation-status symbols. The first column represents wildlife-biologists’ estimates of each species’ health and stability. The second column includes Endangered Species Act (ESA) symbols for species officially listed as Endangered or Threatened by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This information is current to 2019 and I include it with permission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) (http://azgfd.gov). Observers have identified 551 bird species and subspecies in Arizona. Regular state residents number 451. AZGFD uses symbols to abbreviate five status categories ranging from critically imperiled (S1) to Secure (S5). Table 2 has total numbers for global, national, state, and Coldwater Farm bird species and total numbers of state and Coldwater Farm species in categories S1-S3. The table also includes the Audubon Society’s estimate of species threatened by climate change and my estimate of the number of species that disappeared from the Farm between 1997 and 2020.

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Table 2. Arizona & Coldwater Farm Bird Conservation Status Location Numbers Bird species worldwide 10,000 U.S. estimate 1,000 Arizona 451 Arizona species of concern (S1 to S3) 260 (58%) Coldwater Farm total 146 Coldwater Farm species of concern (S1-S3)* 37 (25%) Coldwater Farm species threatened by climate change** 41 (28%) Coldwater Farm birds that disappeared (1997 to 2020)*** 7 (3%) *Arizona Game and Fish Department Conservation Status: S1=Critically Imperiled, S2=Imperiled, S3=Vulnerable. **Species that will lose more than half of their current range due to climate change. Climate change was not considered when the AZGFD codes (S1, S2, S3) were determined. ***Species regularly present that have declined or disappeared and not returned (dates given in each species’ notes and in the Conclusion).

AZGFD Conservation Status Symbols • S1 Critically Imperiled: Extremely rare or some factor(s) is making the species especially vulnerable to extinction. Typically, five or fewer locations or very few remaining individuals (<1,000). • S2 Imperiled: Rare or some factor(s) is making the species very vulnerable to extirpation. Typically, 6 to 20 occurrences or few remaining individuals (1,000 to 3,000). • S3 Vulnerable: Rare or found only in a restricted range (even if abundant at some locations), or because of other factors making it vulnerable to extirpation. Typically, 21 to 100 occurrences or between 3,000 and 10,000 individuals. • S4 Apparently Secure: Uncommon but not rare, and usually widespread. Usually more than 100 occurrences and more than 10,000 individuals. Possible long-term concern. • S5 Secure: Common, widespread, and abundant. Safe under present conditions. Typically, with considerably more than 100 locations and more than 10,000 individuals. • ? Inexact or Uncertain: Qualifies the character immediately preceding. Used alone to indicate insufficient information to assign a rank. • SA Accidental: Not native. • SE Exotic Origin: Not native.

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• SER State Exotic Reported: Not native. • SHQ State Historical Report: Taxonomy in question. • SH Possibly Extirpated (Historical): Historically present, and may be rediscovered. • SP State Potential: Surveys needed to confirm presence. • SR State Reported: Surveys need to confirm presence. • SRF State Reported Falsely: Not present in state. • SRFSC State Reported Falsely, State Captive: Present only in captivity. • SRX State Reported Extirpated or Extinct. • SX Presumed Extinct: Not located despite intensive searches, and virtually no likelihood of rediscovered. • SXS#Q Extirpated or Extinct in Arizona: State rank of # due to re- introduction; taxonomy in question. • SNR Unranked: Status not yet assessed. • SU Unrankable: Lack of information about status or trends. • S#S# Indicates the range of uncertainty about status (e.g., S3S4). • SNA Conservation status is not applicable because the species is not a suitable target of conservation activities for one of the following reasons: 1. Hybrid Species represents an interspecific hybrid without conservation value. (Hybrids are ranked if they have conservation value.) 2. E Exotic Origin: Species is not native to AZ. 3. AN Accidental: Species is not regularly present in AZ. 4. N Not Confidently Present: Unconfirmed report. 5. No Definable Occurrences: Species is native and appears regularly but lacks practical conservation concern in AZ because it is transient or occurs in a dispersed, unpredictable manner. 6. Synonym: Species reported in AZ, but the state data center does not recognize the taxon. 7. Q Questionable Taxonomy: Distinctiveness of this entity as a taxon is questionable; resolution of this uncertainty may result in change from a species to a subspecies or hybrid, or inclusion of this taxon in another taxon, with a lower-priority (numerically higher) conservation status rank.

Birds of Coldwater Farm | 17

AZGFD Breeding Status Symbols • B Breeding: Indicates that a breeding population is present in Arizona. Used with the ‘N’ qualifier, the symbol indicates that both breeding and non-breeding populations are present. • N Nonbreeding: Non-breeding population present in Arizona. • M Migrant: Transient or migratory populations.

Endangered Species Act (ESA) National Status Symbols http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona • E Listed Endangered: Imminent jeopardy of extinction. • T Listed Threatened: Imminent jeopardy of becoming endangered. • PS Partial Status: Listed Endangered or Threatened in part of range. • XN Experimental population. • PDL Proposed for delisting (sometimes just PD) • No (No Status). Certain populations do not have designated status. • SAT Listed Threatened due to Similarity of Appearance. This happens when a member of a non-listed population occurs within the geographic area of a Distinct Population Segment for a listed species (e.g., a wintering bald eagle within the DPS for listed bald eagles). • PE and PT Proposed Endangered or Proposed Threatened. • C & C* Candidate: Species for which the USFWS has on file sufficient information on biological vulnerability and threats to support proposals to list as Endangered or Threatened under ESA. • SC Species of Concern: Describes the entire realm of taxa whose conservation status may be of concern to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but does not have official federal status.

Symbols for Seasonal Presence at Coldwater Farm Abundance The abundance codes for seasonal presence are: • A = Annual. Observed every year. • C = Common. Observed eight or nine years out of ten. • U = Uncommon. Observed only one or two years.

Seasonal Presence The abundance codes appear in the first four columns to the right of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) column. They are: Winter (blue), Spring (light green), Summer (dark green), and Fall (orange). When my observations of a species are too few to reach reliable conclusions about seasonal

18 | Birds of Coldwater Farm presence, I used the observations contained in reports by the Prescott Audubon Society , the Audubon Society Guide to North American Birds, and Kathy Wingert’s book, Birding in and around Prescott and the Verde Valley (Wingert 1996).

Identification The photographs in this book will give you a name for many of the birds you see. However, you will also want a field guide. You can find one in most bookstores and you can download an app for your phone. Field guides help you distinguish similar bird species and they provide much more information than this book. Away from my desk, I use the Audubon Society Bird Guide app. It has pictures, recordings, range maps, and descriptions of each species’ preferred habitat and its mating, nesting, and feeding behavior. It also describes nests, eggs, and conservation status. At my desk, I use the fab- ulous Cornel Lab Birds of North America Online. Both the Audubon app and the Cornel Lab website have simple interactive tools that will make you an instant success at bird identification (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/ news/).

Photographs and Paintings I illustrated the beauty and unique appearance of each species with photographs and paintings that have Creative Commons licenses. You may copy and use the photographs, but you must locate the image on the web and com- ply with the terms of its license as described on the Wikipedia Commons and WikiSpecies websites (CC BY-SA 2.5-4.0). Photographer and artist names are listed in the Appendix. My photos are labeled GR.

Birds of Coldwater Farm | 19

3. BIRDS OF COLDWATER FARM

3.1 ANATIDAE--Ducks and Waterfowl Family

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

Fig. 3.1.1 Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). The Appendix lists photographers’ names. AZGFD ESA Season S2B-S3N -- C C C C Wood Ducks were always present on the ponds until 2017. Numbers were never great, but a noticeable decline began in 2013. None came in 2017, 2018, or 2019, but three came in February, 2020. Wood Ducks nest in tree cavities and will use nest boxes. We had a nest box up 2018-2019 when none came. I need to put up a new one. Male Wood Ducks have striking plumage (Fig. 3.1.1). They are dabblers that feed by skimming or tipping forward to search for prey below the water surface. Females aren’t as colorful as the males, but they have similarly small bills and they have a faint crest. They have white teardrop eye liners.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 20 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)

Fig. 3.1.2 Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) AZGFD ESA Season S1B-S5N -- C C U C Shovelers often swim with head held low, bill submerged straining water through teeth in search of small plants and animals. Fig. 3.1.2 shows male and female, The bright coloring of the male Northern Shoveler is best viewed with bin- oculars or a telephoto camera lens. On the ponds the clearest visual clues for identification are the white breast and white flank. Of course, the long broad bill, the largest of any North American duck, is unmistakable even at a distance. In both male and female, the bill is longer than the head. I’ve seen them only once. Elsewhere in Arizona breeding populations are threatened but the total number of visitors is stable or increasing. The origins of some species’ common names are unknown or uncertain. But for Shovelers it has to be the big bill. The “Northern” part must come from the duck’s distribution across the Northern Hemisphere. There is no South- ern Shoveler, so the name could simply be Shoveler.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 21

Gadwall (Mareca Strepera) Like Shovelers, Gad- walls are rare visitors to Coldwater Farm. Ac- cording to the Arizona Game and Fish Depart- ment, their numbers are stable though they are at risk from climate change. Fig. 3.1.3 Gadwall Male (Mareca Strepera)

Fig. 3.1.4 Gadwall Female (Mareca Strepera) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- U U U U The Gadwall’s common name could be Northern Gadwall like the Northern Shoveler to acknowledge the two species similar range. But . . . . Okay, that’s it for common names.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 22 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

American Wigeon (Mareca americana)

Fig. 3.1.5 American Wigeon (Mareca americana) AZGFD ESA Season S1B-S5N -- A C U C The broad white stripe extending from near base of bill up and over fore- head identifies male ducks at a distance. The whistling calls as loud as those of a Brooklyn construction worker are distinctive as well. Up to a dozen American Widgeons are usually present on the ponds during winter months. In 2017-18 and 2018-19, a flock of 40 stayed on the ponds for a month. Widgeons are present this winter (2019-20), but I haven’t seen more than a dozen. A few Wigeons joined a flock of Mallards to forage in my back yard and bird garden last week.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 23

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Fig. 3.1.6 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- A A A A Iridescent green (blue from some angles) head and white necklace make our most common duck easy to identify. Faithful visitors, the Mallards are also the most demanding. On days I am late with the daily corn treat, they send a delegation up to the house to protest by milling around in the yard. Secure throughout Arizona, Mallards abruptly declined at the Farm in 2017- 18 and the numbers have remained low through 2019-20.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 24 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)

Fig. 3.1.7 Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) -- Female The bill and feet of the female Pintail are gray like those of the male.

Fig. 3.1.8 Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) – Male AZGFD ESA Season S2B-S5N -- C C C C For their markings, long neck, and air-stream tail I consider Northern Pin- tails the most elegant of the Farm’s waterfowl. The AZGFD designation indicates that the breeding population in Arizona is imperiled, but the nonbreeding population is secure. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate). (There is no Southern – forget it.)

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 25

Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)

Fig. 3.1.9 Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) AZGFD ESA Season S1B-S4N -- C C U C Canvasbacks are rare at the Farm. Felipe Guerrero spotted one in 2016, but I have not seen one before or after. This could be because their visits to the Farm are brief and they hurry away when I appear. According to AZGFD, the breeding population in Arizona is critically imperiled, but the remainder of the state’s visitors are apparently secure.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 26 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Redhead (Aythya americana) Fig. 3.1.10 Redhead (Ay- thya americana) -- Male Like the Canvasbacks, I have only one certain identification made in 2016 by Felipe Guer- rero. Redheads numbers appear stable throughout Arizona.

Fig. 3.1.11 Redhead (Aythya americana) – Female Like most ducks, Redhead populations have been reduced by shooting and trapping, pesticides and other con- taminants, injection of plastic and lead, collisions with buildings and utility lines, fishing, AZGFD ESA Season habitat degradation, human dis- S4 -- C C U C turbance at nest and roost sites, and research impacts.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 27

Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)

Fig. 3.1.12 Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) – Male There is a faint ring around the base of the neck, but I always wonder why this duck wasn’t named ring-billed for its prominent white ring near the tip of the bill. The bill ring is fainter, but present nevertheless among females. Ring-necks are common visitors. Abundant now, the species is likely to decline as climate changes (Audu- bon.org/climate).

Fig. 3.1.13 Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) -- Female AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- A A A A

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 28 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)

Fig. 3.1.14 Bufflehead (Bu- cephala albeola) - Male A common nesting species throughout Ari- zona, the small numbers of these ducks that visit the Farm have not built nests that I have seen.

Fig. 3.1.15 Bufflehead (Bu- cephala albeola) – Female

AZGFD ESA Season S5N -- C C U C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 29

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)

Fig. 3.1.16 Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) -- Fe- male Uncommon visitors to the Farm, a few came in winters of 2018-19 and 2019-20. Small numbers nest elsewhere in Arizona.

Fig. 3.1.17 Hooded Mer- ganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) – Male While preening, the male can raise that crest up higher than the width of its head.

AZGFD ESA Season S2N -- C C -- C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 30 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) Fig. 3.1.18 Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser) – Male swimming, female above

AZGFD ESA Season S3-S4 -- C C U C Some Arizona populations of Common Mergansers are vulnerable, but others appear secure. I’ve seen them on the ponds only in 2002 and 2005. They have been present more often than that, but they are fish eaters and don’t paddle up close when I bring the corn.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 31

Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) Fig. 3.1.19 Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) - Male Ruddy Ducks are more common elsewhere in Arizona and many other places than at the Farm. The ducks’ courtship behavior is sometimes described as “ludi- crous” and “stupid,” but hey, it hasn’t harmed the species’ success (Brua 2002).

Fig. 3.1.20 Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) – Fe- male (No, not two eyes star- ing through a Bieber- angle ballcap; it’s one eye and one water droplet.)

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 32 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.2 ODONTOPHORIDAE--New World Quail

Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii)

Fig. 3.2.1 Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Gambel’s Quail prefer chaparral-covered hills and only visit the Farm for brief periods in summer. The first covey to move into my place near the center of town came in 2014. The birds roosted in a woodpile I made with dead shrub and tree branches. I believe that, like the deer, the Quail were forced out of the hills by the long drought. During the past two wet years, I haven’t seen or heard them. Quail are too plump for standard feeder perches, but like most other birds, they will happily gather seeds cast on the ground.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 33

3.3 PHASIANIDAE--Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies

Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

Fig. 3.3.1 Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) AZGFD ESA Season SE3 -- U U U U Ring-necked Pheasants are not native to our region. I think this 2005 visitor escaped from the hunting camp south of the Farm.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 34 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.4 COLUMBIDAE--Pigeons and Doves

Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)

Fig. 3.4.1 Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) AZGFD ESA Season SE5 -- C C C C Rock Pigeons are common throughout Arizona. A flock passes over occasionally, but I’ve seen none land.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 35

Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Fig. 3.4.2 Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) AZGFD ESA Season SE5 -- A A A A The first of these non-native dove appeared at the Farm in 2005. They in- stantly became year-round residents and their number has increased from one nesting pair to three. They overpower the smaller Inca and Mourning Dove that come for the seeds I scatter, but they seem too few for competi- tion to explain the decline that has occurred in the others. Perhaps their interference outside the Farm is enough to reduce numbers everywhere.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 36 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Inca Dove (Columbina inca)

Fig. 3.4.3 Inca Dove (Columbina inca) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- U U U U Inca Dove are expanding their range in the U. S. and Mexico, but they seem to be extinct at the Farm. They roosted in a clump of Photinia outside the back door from 1997 to 2006. After that, I saw a pair beneath a feeder on two occasions, but none after 2013.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 37

White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)

Fig. 3.4.4 White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- U C C U Like the Inca Dove, these dove are expanding their range northward in the U. S. This may be a consequence of the water-rich habitat enhancements provided by humans (Schwertner et al. 2002). Small numbers of White- winged Dove have visited the Farm every year since 2004.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 38 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Fig. 3.4.5 Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- A A A A Mourning Dove are present all year at the Farm. Their number has declined sharply in recent years, but you can’t walk anywhere around the Farm without hearing their whistling wings. Before 2015, a local flock of one hundred or more would come for the seeds I scatter. Now I see fewer than 20 at a time.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 39

3.5 CUCULIDAE--Cuckoos Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)

Fig. 3.5.1 Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Roadrunners are occasional visitors to the Farm, and I often see them in the surrounding region. The ones I see are less concerned about people than most other birds; once while I stopped about 20 feet from the one in Fig. 3.5.1, it nestled into the leaves, and closed its eyes for a nap.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 40 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)

Fig. 3.5.2 Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) AZGFD ESA Season S3 T -- C C C Felipe Guerrero spotted a fledgling Yellow-billed Cuckoo at the Farm in 2016. Since then, he and others from AZGFD have confirmed that small numbers nest at the Farm. The species is considered vulnerable throughout Arizona and is classified as threatened by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 41

3.6 CAPRIMULGIDAE--Nightjars and Allies

Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) Fig. 3.6.1 Common Night- hawk (Chordeiles minor) At dusk, the white wing bars clearly identify this mighty bug chaser. Once a familiar even- ing sight throughout rural America, the Common Nighthawk has declined across the country. It was common at Fourteen-Mile Creek Farm and was present when we moved to Coldwater Farm in 1997. I found a single dead bird in 2003 and have not seen or heard one since. I do not know how the species is doing at Fourteen-Mile Creek.

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 42 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.7 TROCHILIDAE--Hummingbirds

Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)

Fig. 3.7.1 Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C These hummingbirds range throughout the western U. S. and south to central Mexico. They occupy a wide variety of habitats and they are a common member of the Farm’s avian community. Males have a black faintly curved bill, and black velvety chin and throat. Nests I’ve seen consist of fine plant material and spider webs.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 43

Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) Fig. 3.7.2 Anna's Hummingbird (Ca- lypte anna) – Female Anna’s is the hummingbird that I see most often. They nest in shrubs and trees near the house. One built a nest on a plant hook just outside my office patio door and raised two clutches of chicks. The second pair of chicks died. I learned this one morning when I heard the female making piercing cries as she hovered beside the nest. No hungry beaks appeared and after a few minutes she left. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

Fig. 3.7.3 Anna's Hummingbird (Ca- lypte anna) - Male

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C A A C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 44 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) Fig. 3.7.4 Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) – Female I have identified this species only twice. Of course, they may be more common down by the ponds or river where I go less often.

Fig. 3.7.5 Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) – Male The species is at risk due to climate change (Audu- bon. org/climate).

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 45

Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)

Fig. 3.7.6 Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) AZGFD ESA Season S5M -- -- A A A This hummingbird makes the longest (relative to body size) migration of any bird species. It is the most aggressive of the group and defends feeding areas tirelessly (Healy and Calder 2006). They are common at the Farm.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 46 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.8 RALLIDAE--Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)

Fig. 3.8.1 Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- U C -- C I have spotted one of these uncommon visitors to Coldwater Farm only twice. On those occasions, single birds were hunting through the reeds that grew in the Spring Pond. The water in all the ponds has grown steadily more murky and summer water levels have fallen. The reeds in the Spring Pond have thinned leaving behind no viable habitat for these birds. Two patches of cattails still grow in the Lilly Pond, but those patches have shrunk too. Virginia Rails and Soras (next) are both at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 47

Sora (Porzana Carolina)

Fig. 3.8.2 Sora (Porzana Carolina) AZGFD ESA Season S1B-S5N -- C C C C Soras were annual summer visitors nesting in the Spring Pond from 2001 to 2007. They raised four chicks in the Spring Pond in 2006. I haven’t seen any since 2007, but the species is widespread in North and Central America and might drop back in at any time. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 48 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.9 CHARADRIIDAE--Plovers and Lapwings

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

Fig. 3.9.1 Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- A A A A I grew up hearing Killdeer calling across the fields beside Fourteen-Mile Creek. They are less common at the Farm than they were there, but until ten years ago, they were reliably present every year. They stopped coming after I fallowed the pastures in 2009. I don’t know if the shift to tall dense weed flora from the pasture grasses is involved, but it seems likely.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 49

3.10 JACANIDAE--Jacanas

Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa)

Fig. 3.10.1 Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa) AZGFD ESA Season SNA ------An occasional stray into Arizona, the Northern Jacana made it to the Farm at least once. It is a permanent resident in northern Mexico and Texas, but it has no regular seasonal occurrence in the region around Coldwater Farm (Jenni and Mace 1999).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 50 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.11 SCOLOPACIDAE--Sandpipers and Allies

Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)

Fig. 3.11.1 Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) AZGFD ESA Season S1B-S4N -- U C -- C Spotted by the Lilly Pond by Filipe Guerrero in 2016, these snipes live throughout North America and northern South America. They must visit the Farm now and then.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 51

3.12 PHALACROCORACIDAE--Cormorants and Shags

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)

Fig. 3.12.1 Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C These birds removed most of the fish in the Farm’s ponds. Stable populations of Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish and sterile Grass Carp had been present since the ponds were dug and stocked in 1975. In 2000, I got approval from the Arizona Game and Fish Department to add Goldfish and Koi. All populations thrived until Cormorants became regular visitors in 2005. Bald Eagles also came that year and took the large Catfish, Goldfish, Grass Carp, and Koi. By 2011 the fish were gone, and the Cormorants left. After that, even the Belted Kingfishers that had been present every year became uncommon.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 52 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.13 ARDEIDAE--Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias)

Fig. 3.13.1 Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- A A A A Great Blue Herons are present all year. In 2010 they built four nests over one of the ponds. However, their heronry ambition was noticed by the resident Common Black Hawk who undertook relentless harassment. By late summer the Herons gave up. They managed to raise two chicks, but they built no more nests. The Black Hawks have used the one successful Heron nest every year since 2010. The heron in the photo was one of four that was stalking gophers in the Cow Pasture that day. The cow was named Baby by the owner of the farm where she was born. We rescued her in 1997 and cared for her until her death in 2006. She is buried near the spot she was grazing in this scene

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 53

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) Fig. 3.13.2 Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) – Breeding Adult I saw Cattle Egrets become abundant in the Great Plains during the 1970’s, but today they have declined to near zero. I guess they couldn’t take the herbicide infused insects they rely on the cows to stir up. One accompanied our cows for two days in 2007, but none since. I thought they were all solid white until I saw pictures of the displays like the one in Fig. 3.13.2. (Yeah, I know the one below is on a horse.)

Fig. 3.13.3 Cattle Egret (Bubul- cus ibis)

AZGFD ESA Season S1B-S4N -- -- U U U

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 54 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Fig. 3.13.4 Green Heron (Butorides virescens) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- A A A A Green Herons were present beside the ponds throughout the year from 1997 to 2006. They declined after that and none have visited since 2011. They are persisting at other sites in Arizona, but they are extinct at the Farm. Cormorants and poor water quality may be responsible.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 55

Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Fig. 3.13.5 Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) AZGFD ESA Season S3 -- A A A A These stealthy nocturnal hunters were always present until 2005. They declined, and I’ve seen none since 2010. They are declining elsewhere in Ari- zona and have become extinct in some habitats as they have at the Farm.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 56 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.14a ANATIDAE—Swans and Geese

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Fig. 3.14a.1 Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) AZGFD ESA Season S4M -- A A A A Canada Geese visited the large horse pastures bordering the Farm every year until 2015, and once, four floated the Boat Pond for a few hours. At first glance, they looked like ducks, but then I saw some Mallards floating nearby and realized that compared to the Mallards, the geese were gigantic. It was like the time a Bald Eagle glided over the pond as I stood on the bank. It seemed as large as an airplane. Canada Geese are widespread, but Audu- bon estimates that climate change will eliminate more than half of their habitat (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 57

3.14 CATHARTIDAE--New World Vultures

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

Fig. 3.14.1 Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- A A A A Vultures often pass over the Farm. For four years, 2007 through 2010, the Lonesome Valley flock of 25 birds used the Willows along the lane to the house for their winter roost. In 2010, while the Herons were building nests over the Boat Pond, one of the Herons decided to drive off the Vultures. Zooming through the branches where they roosted, he soon had the whole flock of 25 up squawking and ducking. Since then, six or eight have roosted here, but most of the flock sleeps elsewhere.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 58 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.15 PANDIONIDAE--Osprey

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Fig. 3.15.1 Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) AZGFD ESA Season S2B-S4N -- U C C C Uncommon, seen only once flying over the Farm. Nesting populations in Ar- izona are imperiled with between 6 and 20 occurrences.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 59

3.16 ACCIPITRIDAE--Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) Fig. 3.16.1 Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) These hawks are smaller, but otherwise identical to Cooper’s Hawks. Their diet consists mainly of small birds and I often see them on the fence near a feeder. I’ve seen one clawing through the branches of a Forsythia pursuing a sparrow. They were common at until 2012 and visit sporad- ically now. They appear secure elsewhere in Arizona. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audu- bon.org/climate).

AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- C C U C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 60 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)

Fig. 3.16.2 Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- C C C C Cooper’s Hawks are always present at the Farm and often sit on the fence near a bird feeder. Almost identical, but larger than Sharp-shinned Hawks, these hawks lack the cleft at the tip of their tail feathers that Sharp-shinned have.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 61

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Fig. 3.16.3 Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) AZGFD ESA Season S2S3B SC C C U C Uncommon visitors to the Farm, Bald Eagles occasionally fly high overhead and less frequently buzz low over the ponds. In 2005, one fished the ponds for a week, successfully removing large Grass Carp, goldfish, and Koi.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 62 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Common Black Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus)

Fig. 3.16.4 Common Black Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus) AZGFD ESA Season S3 -- U C C U These inhabitants of riparian habitats have been present since 2009 and have nested here every year since 2010. Elsewhere in Arizona they are considered vulnerable and with only one pair present at the Farm, they are vulnerable here as well. Males and females are similar. Common Black Hawks are heavier and have broader wings than Zone-tailed Hawks.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 63

Gray Hawk (Buteo plagiatus)

Fig. 3.16.5 Gray Hawk (Buteo plagiatus) AZGFD ESA Season S3 SC -- U U U Felipe Guerrero identified a Gray Hawk at the Farm in 2016 and again in 2018. The species is an uncommon resident of riparian woodlands and ad- jacent uplands. They are threatened by habitat loss due to human preference for using lower valley areas where their favorite habitats follow desert streams (Bibles, Glinski, and Johnson 2002). Birds often appear a paler gray than the male in the foreground of the painting.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 64 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Fig. 3.16.6 Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) AZGFD ESA Season SA -- U -- -- U AZGFD identifies this hawk as a nonnative tourist in Arizona. I think these birds may be common, though brief, visitors to Coldwater Farm. Like other birds seen only once at Coldwater Farm, the Farm is probably on the margin of their usual range or migratory pathway. The Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway, FALCONIDAE) is a good example of an irregular visitors. A single individual came in 2001 when we restored the ponds and hundreds of fish died. The decomposing fish odor was strong; strong enough to lure a hungry carrion hawk exploring far north of its normal home 200 miles south.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 65

Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)

Fig. 3.16.7 Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) AZGFD ESA Season S3 -- -- C C C Felipe Guerrero spotted this hawk in 2016 while we were down by the river. I have not seen it since, but according to birdsna.org, the Farm is in the migration zone, so annual visits are likely (Bechard, Houston, Saransola, and England 2010).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 66 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Zone-tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus)

Fig. 3.16.8 Zone-tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- -- C C C Another uncommon hawk at the Farm, Zone-tailed Hawks do not favor riparian woods like Common Black Hawks. The species’ appearance is similar, but the Black Hawk’s tail and wings are shorter and broader.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 67

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Fig. 3.16.9 Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- A A A A A pair of Red-tailed Hawks has nested in Cottonwood trees on the borders of the pastures every year since 1997. They begin remodeling their nest in February and remain in the vicinity until late fall. Gophers and Rock Squir- rels are their staple diet. They rarely enter the woods between the ponds and river and thus have little interaction with the competitive Black Hawks that nest over the Boat Pond. The chicks the Red-tails raise provide hair- raising (or perhaps feather-raising for the watchful parents) summer enter- tainment as they learn to fly and make those first screaming dare-devil dives toward the ground.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 68 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis)

Fig. 3.16.10 Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) AZGFD ESA Season S2B-S4N SC C C -- C Felipe Guerrero spotted this hawk at the Farm in 2016. It is a large bird with a wingspan of almost five feet. It hunts in upland habitats and probably passes over the Farm occasionally. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 69

3.17 TYTONIDAE--Barn-Owls

Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

Fig. 3.17.1 Barn Owl (Tyto alba) at Coldwater Farm AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Barn Owls are the most widely distributed of all owl species. They hunt small rodents, and never take anything as large as a house cat or dog. They can live for 25 years, but because of human impacts and natural predators, they rarely live more than two. If you have a Barn Owl living nearby, you have probably heard its “shreee” sound that’s nothing like the hoots of the Great Horned Owls or the quiet toots of the Northern Pygmy Owls that we often hear at Coldwater Farm. Barn Owls nest in large tree cavities, barn lofts, or house attics. Seeking help with their rodent problems, farmers often place nest boxes around their fields. Cats and other owls prey upon Barn Owls, and pesticides in the tissues of their prey poison them. Seven U. S. states list the owls endangered, but Arizona does not. The owl in the photo lived in the willows around the house until 2014, but I’ve seen none since.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 70 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.18 STRIGIDAE--Owls

Western Screech-Owl (Megascops kennicottii)

Fig. 3.18.1 Western Screech-Owl (Megascops kennicottii) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Echoing calls of Screech-Owls combine with the more distant hoots of the Great Horned Owls to help create a delightfully mysterious nighttime at- mosphere around the Farm. The diminutive toots of the Northern Pygmy Owls sometimes fill quiet intervals.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 71

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

Fig. 3.18.2 Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) Common at the Farm, the unmistakable hoots of the Great Horned Owl begin in January and re- occur until the fall. This year (2020), the owls have commandeered the Great Blue Heron’s nest that Common Black Hawks used for the past three years.

Fig. 3.18.3 Great Horned Owl chicks (Bubo virginianus) The owl occupied this former Red-tailed Hawk nest for one year. The nest was moderately low and not far from the pond bank; an observers delight.

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- A C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 72 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium gnoma)

Fig. 3.18.4 Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium gnoma) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- U U U U The Rodney Dangerfield of the Farm’s birds seems to express worry rather than wisdom. Small, quiet, hoots that are just little toots, and that expres- sion. All a deception, however, because this sparrow-sized owl is more than it appears. Bent (Bent 1938b) described it as “blood-thirsty, rapacious . . . fiend . . . from the top of its gory beak to the tips of its needle-like-claws.” The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 73

3.19 ALCEDINIDAE--Kingfishers

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)

Fig. 3.19.1 Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) AZGFD ESA Season S2B-S5N -- C C C C The loud chittering calls of the Kingfishers were heard throughout most of the year until 2016. Thereafter, visits became irregular. My hypothesis is that the fish depletion by Double-crested Cormorants forced the Kingfishers to move away. Close relatives of the Belted Kingfisher have a rich mythical history beautifully told in stories by Anita Albus (Albus 2011).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 74 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.20 PICIDAE--Woodpeckers Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis)

Fig. 3.20.1 Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) AZGFD ESA Season S4N -- C C -- C Sapsuckers peck holes into confers during winter and willows and other deciduous species during summer. These “sap wells” fill with nutritious sap drawn up to the canopy through living tissues beneath the tree’s outer bark. The sap that fills the holes must be removed regularly or it solidifies, and flow stops. Thus, sap-well maintenance requires time and energy, so sapsuckers defend their investment in active holes by defending them from other birds. However, Rufous Hummingbirds slip past the guardians and may even be dependent on the sap and the insects it traps to feed them- selves and their chicks (Walters, Miller, and Lowther 2014). The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 75

Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)

Fig. 3.20.2 Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Regular visitors to the Farm. We have only one small acorn-producing Gam- bel Oak, but the birds can catch flies, glean insects from tree bark, eat seeds, and raid sap wells (Koenig et al. 2019). They occasionally visit my seed tubes. The eye surrounded by black is distinctive. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 76 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis)

Fig. 3.20.3 Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C These regular visitors are drawn to our little patch of riparian forest and to our bird feeders. Though they are residents of the Sonoran Desert, they are permanent residents around the Farm and other areas farther north than the range of the Desert’s iconic Saguaro Cactus in the photo.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 77

Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus)

Fig. 3.20.4 Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Distinguished from other woodpeckers by the wide white streak on its back, Hairy Woodpeckers are year-round residents. They often come to bird feeders and complain with sharp chirps if I hang around too close.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 78 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris)

Fig. 3.20.5 Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Less numerous at the Farm than other woodpeckers, Ladder-backs tend to inhabit the southern Great Plains and the thorn scrub-cactus deserts south of the Farm.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 79

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) Fig. 3.20.6 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus cafer) (red shafted) Two subspecies of our most common woodpecker are present at the Farm. Red-shafted birds have orange-red underwing feathers, gray face, males with red malars (streak extending back from bill).

Fig. 3.20.7 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus auratus) (yellow shafted) Yellow-shafted Flickers have yellow underwing, feathers, a brown face, and males have black malars(streak extending back from bill). Both Flickers are ground- feeding ant lovers. Our ants are doing well, and so are the Flickers.

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- A A A A Northern Flickers are at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 80 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.21 FALCONIDAE--Falcons and Caracaras

Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway)

Fig. 3.21.1 Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway) AZGFD ESA Season S1-S2 No ------The aroma of dead fish drew a Caracara to the Farm once in 2001. I was dredging the ponds and the stirred-up mud strangled some of the fish. The Caracara’s home range is 200 miles south of the Farm. But no, the dead fish weren’t that stinky. Our visitor was probably just out looking for love.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 81

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

Fig. 3.21.2 American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Common at the Farm, these small raptors often hunt flying and fluttering above the pastures.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 82 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Merlin (Falco columbarius)

Fig. 3.21.3 Merlin (Falco columbarius) AZGFD ESA Season S4N -- U U -- U I see Merlin cruising the Farm now and then, but never with regularity.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 83

3.22 TYRANNIDAE--Tyrant Flycatchers

Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus)

Fig. 3.22.1 Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C A small flycatcher common at the Farm through the warmer months. West- ern Wood-Pewees are at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 84 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Southwest Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus)

Fig. 3.22.2 Southwest Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) AZGFD ESA Season S1 E U C C U These endangered birds nest in the willows beside the Agua Fria River. I rarely see them, but their presence has been confirmed by visitors from the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The patch of habitat at the Farm is so small, that it would take very little to drive them away. Moreover, the species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 85

Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis)

Fig. 3.22.3 Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis) AZGFD ESA Season S4M -- -- U -- U This is another species that Felipe Guerrero identified in 2016.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 86 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)

Fig. 3.22.4 Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- A A A A This is the most common, and because of their tolerance of people, the most conspicuous bird around the house and ponds. Three or four hawk the yard and several are always present over the ponds. Their abundance has increased over the past 20 years.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 87

Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

Fig. 3.22.5 Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) AZGFD ESA Season S1N -- U U -- U Felipe Guerrero identified this bird in 2016.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 88 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Say's Phoebe (Sayornis saya)

Fig. 3.22.6 Say's Phoebe (Sayornis saya) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Present every year at the Farm, Say’s Phoebe resembles the Black Phoebe in its behavior and size. The species is widespread in western North America from Alaska to southern Mexico.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 89

Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus)

Fig. 3.22.7 Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) (Charles J. Sharp) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Other flycatchers are dull, but not this little fellow. Despite brilliant plumage, however, the male Vermilion Flycatcher is not overconfident. He courts his chosen mate by hovering and singing to her high in the air and by offer- ing her butterflies and other brilliant insects. He then helps build a nest in a tree and brings food to the female while she incubates the eggs. The species is declining due to human destruction of the moist habitats it prefers.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 90 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Brown-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus tyrannulus)

Fig. 3.22.8 Brown-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus tyrannulus) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- -- C C -- Felipe Guerrero spotted this bird in 2016. This is a beautiful photograph, but the throat and breast are pale gray, not blue.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 91

Cassin's Kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans)

Fig. 3.22.9 Cassin's Kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C Less common than the Western Kingbird, Cassin’s also hunts in the Cow Pasture. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 92 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)

Fig. 3.22.10 Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C Kingbirds often hunt arthropods in the former Cow Pasture west of the house. Their bellies are a bit paler than the one in the beautiful photo above. For a week or so after they leave the nest, I have seen fledglings sit together in a row on a branch or bench back.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 93

3.23 LANIIDAE--Shrikes

Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

Fig. 3.23.1 Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) AZGFD ESA Season S4 SC C C C C I’ve seen a Loggerhead Shrike at the Farm only once. Like other predators, the Shrike was confident and unafraid. He allowed me to circle at about five yards distance and take all the photos I wanted. That was in 2013. Since then, I’ve seen Shrikes twice out along the road, but no more here.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 94 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.24 VIREONIDAE--Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, & Erpornis

Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)

Fig. 3.24.1 Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C Filipe Guerrero spotted this Vireo in 2017. They are probably often present, but I have not distinguished them from other species.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 95

3.25 CORVIDAE--Crows, Jays, and Magpies

Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)

Fig. 3.25.1 Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C I’ve seen Steller’s Jays only once. A large flock filled a tree by the Boat Pond in 2002 and made quite a raucous uproar. I finally walked down to ask what was up, but this offended the birds, they left, and I’ve not seen one here since. I regret my interference. Steller’s Jays are at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 96 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)

Fig. 3.25.2 California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C The Jays prefer the chaparral shrublands of the slopes around Lonesome Valley. They visit the farm now and then, but I do not see them every year.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 97

Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Fig. 3.25.3 Common Raven (Corvus corax) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- A A A A Ravens create and use simple tools, they mimic human words, they call one another to a newly discovered food source, and they play. Acrobatic fliers, Ravens can roll, somersault, and fly upside down. I’ve seen a video of a Ra- ven using a large can lid as a sled, repeatedly carrying the lid to the ridge of a snowy roof and sliding down to the eve. They make faithful family pets, but a friend tells me their mischief can become tiring. Wild Ravens have lived more than 22 years. Ravens adapt well to human impacts and may be one of the species that survives the sixth mass extinction.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 98 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.26 HIRUNDINIDAE--Swallows

Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)

Fig. 3.26.1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C Not abundant but seen every year.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 99

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

Fig. 3.26.2 Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) AZGFD ESA Season S3 -- -- C C C Not abundant but seen every year. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 100 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina)

Fig. 3.26.3 Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C Not abundant but seen every year. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 101

Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)

Fig. 3.26.4 Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C Cliff Swallows built nests on the well house for five years from 2000 through 2004. They still live in a road culvert a mile north of the Farm, but they stopped nesting at the Farm. This species lives throughout North and Central America and could be one of the survivors of the Anthropocene.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 102 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.27 PARIDAE--Tits, Titmice, Chickadees

Bridled Titmouse (Baeolophus wollweberi)

Fig. 3.27.1 Bridled Titmouse (Baeolophus wollweberi) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- C C C C Tit is Old English for something small. Bridled Titmice may be small, but they are outstanding in other ways. They have unique facial markings, and they are among the most loquacious and the most human-tolerant of all the birds. They will trustingly take seed from your hand then fly to a nearby branch where they may surprise you with their jackhammer-like pecking that sends hull fragments flying. Titmice do not migrate though they wander about a bit in winter. They travel in small flocks that may include other bird species. They may have mystery helpers at their nest that no one has yet identified. Titmice are at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 103

3.28 AEGITHALIDAE--Long-tailed Tits

Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)

Fig. 3.28.1 Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Flocks of these little carnivores protect our trees (little beaks of fury). Though not imperiled at present, they are at risk from climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 104 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.29 SITTIDAE--Nuthatches

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

Fig. 3.29.1 White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C These birds visit the feeders year-round. They take sunflower seeds to nearby branches and, in a shower of splinters, pound them free of hulls.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 105

3.30 CERTHIIDAE--Treecreepers

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) Probably always present, but I only see an occasional individual when I pass through the woods. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audu- bon.org/climate).

Fig. 3.30.1 Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 106 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.31 TROGLODYTIDAE--Wrens

Winter Wren (Troglodytes hyemalis)

Fig. 3.31.1 Winter Wren (Troglodytes hyemalis) AZGFD ESA Season S1B-S2N -- U U -- U I have seen this little bird gleaning the honeysuckle vines outside my office door. Their quick moves and flickering tail are a delight.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 107

Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)

Fig. 3.31.2 Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C This wren frequently hunts for arthropods in the vines and building crev- ices outside my office patio doors. At least once every winter, it vigorously excavates the expansion joints in the concrete.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 108 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.32 REGULIDAE--Kinglets

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)

Fig. 3.32.1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C U C I wasn’t sure I had seen Kinglets until Felipe Guerrero visited in 2016. The song is distinctive. So, there is no valid reason not to recognize these diminutive beauties.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 109

3.33 TURDIDAE--Thrushes and Allies

Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana)

Fig. 3.33.1 Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C These birds prefer edge communities and are common, but not abundant at the Farm. The species is declining because forest clear-cutting has reduced the number of trees and snags suitable for nesting and perching. I placed a nest box in the Cow Pasture in 2005, but no bluebirds have used it. The species is also at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 110 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides)

Fig. 3.33.2 Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) -- Female Females hatch the eggs and tend the hatchlings while the male delivers most of the food. The female joins the male in delivering food to the growing chicks about a week after they hatch.

Fig. 3.33.3 Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) – Male Not common at the Farm, I saw a male Mountain Bluebird in 2009 and 2010. As the Summer Tanager is the reddest of our birds, this is the bluest.

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C U -- U The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 111

Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)

Fig. 3.33.4 Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) AZGFD ESA Season S1 -- -- U -- U I do not know how often this thrush visits the Farm. Our brown garden snail population was high from 1998 through 2006. During that period, I thought I saw this species several times, but not until Felipe Guerrero saw one in 2016, have I been sure of the identity.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 112 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)

Fig. 3.33.5 Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C U U I believe this thrush helped thin our snail population, but I haven’t identified it often enough to be sure. We have an inexhaustible supply of worms, so if the snails run out, thrushes could join the robins and pull some worms.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 113

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Fig. 3.33.6 American Robin (Turdus migratorius) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Robins love moist ground and lawns that haven’t been fertilized or treated with herbicides. There you can see the classic tug-of-war between a hungry bird and a stretching earthworm desperately clinging to its burrow. The female with some help from the male builds the nest in spring and lays four pale blue eggs two or three times during the year. Despite their widespread abundance, robins are at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 114 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.34 MIMIDAE--Mockingbirds and Thrashers

Crissal Thrasher (Toxostoma crissale)

Fig. 3.34.1 Crissal Thrasher (Toxostoma crissale) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Songs as complex as a jazz musicians, these Thrashers forage in the litter outside my office and bedroom windows.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 115

Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)

Fig. 3.34.2 Northern Mocking- bird (Mimus polyglottos) I only see these birds near the wash that forms the southern boundary of the Farm. There is no difference in male and female plumage.

Fig. 3.34.3 Northern Mocking- bird (Mimus polyglottos) The white wing patches flash in flight.

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 116 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.35 STURNIDAE--Starlings

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Fig. 3.35.1 European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) AZGFD ESA Season SE5 -- C C C C These invaders are common at the farm and in winter often sit atop the tall cottonwood outside the shop awaiting the first rays of the rising sun.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 117

3.36 BOMBYCILLIDAE--Waxwings

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

Fig. 3.36.1 Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) (Minette Layne) AZGFD ESA Season S3-S4N -- C C -- C Cedar Waxwings have smooth plumage and a crest that often droops over the back of their head. Though they usually form large flocks, I’ve only seen two groups of three birds. Waxwings pick berries while perching in berry- laden shrubs or trees or while hovering in mid-air. A line of waxwings perched on a branch sometimes passes a berry from bill to bill, until one of them swallows it. They also cruise over water hunting insects, looking like abdominous swallows. Cedar Waxwings are vulnerable to extinction in some areas.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 118 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.37 PTILIOGONATIDAE--Silky-flycatchers

Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)

Fig. 3.37.1 Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- U C C C Uncommon at the Farm, I have seen a flock playing high in the treetops beside the river. Females are gray and males black. The glossy feathers of the male in the photo are reflecting the blue sky.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 119

3.38 FRINGILLIDAE--Finches

House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) Fig. 3.38.1 House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) -- Male Originally a native of the dry lands of the Southwest, a few birds released from a pet store in New York City in 1939, began spreading throughout the eastern forests and midwestern plains. Now one of the most common species of North Amer- ica, House Finches are always present at the Farm (Badyaev, Belloni, and Hill 2012).

Fig. 3.38.2 House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) -- Female

AZGFD ESA Season S1B-S5N E C C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 120 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Cassin's Finch (Haemorhous cassinii) Fig. 3.38.3 Cassin's Finch (Haemorhous cassinii) -- Male I first recognized this finch in 2008. It is never abundant, but it might be an annual visitor. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon. org/ climate).

Fig. 3.38.4 Cassin's Finch (Haemorhous cassinii) -- Fe- male

AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- U U -- U

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 121

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)

Fig. 3.38.5 Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C I have only identified a Pine Siskin once at the Farm. That was in 2001. They prefer coniferous or mixed coniferous-deciduous forests and may not be resident at the Farm. However, as with other sparrows, I may often confuse them with other species. Male and female plumage is similar. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 122 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)

Fig. 3.38.6 Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Smaller with paler yellow feathers than the American Goldfinch, this is one of the most abundant species at the Farm. Felipe Guerrero says they have up to 40 different calls.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 123

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

Fig. 3.38.8 American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) AZGFD ESA Season S1B-S5N -- U U U U Not as abundant as the Lesser Goldfinch, these beautiful birds are present every year. Both species delight in the thistle seeds I hang out in washable bags. This species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 124 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.39 PASSERELLIDAE--New World Sparrows

Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerine)

Fig. 3.39.1 Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerine) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Chipping Sparrows are probably present at the Farm every year. In 2015, a flock of 50 stayed around the house for a few weeks. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 125

Black-chinned Sparrow (Spizella atrogularis) Fig. 3.39.2 Black-chinned Spar- row (Spizella atrogularis) -- Fe- male Spotted now and then around the Farm. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audu- bon.org/climate).

Fig. 3.39.3 Black-chinned Sparrow (Spizella atrogularis) -- Male

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C .

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 126 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)

Fig. 3.39.4 Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- U C C C I didn’t identify Lark Sparrows until 2006. Not too abundant, they are present every year.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 127

Oregon Junco (Junco hyemalis oreganus) Fig. 3.39.5 Oregon Junco (Junco hyemalis oreganus) Juncos do not migrate, but in the fall, they often drift out of their mountain homes down to nearby valleys. They are especially common at the Farm during fall and winter months. Females tend to be lighter and browner than the males. All have white bellies and white outer tail feathers that form a flickering V when they fly. Juncos live more than 11 years. Though Juncos are numerous, the American Breeding Bird Survey reports that Junco populations declined by about 50% from 1966 to 2015.

Fig. 3.39.6 Slate-colored Junco (Junco hyemalis hyemalis)

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 128 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

Fig. 3.39.7 White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) AZGFD ESA Season S1B-S5N -- C C U C This is the most abundant sparrow at the Farm and near the top throughout North America. Partly for this reason, and partly because birders consider the species to be quite elegant, this sparrow is the most studied of the songbirds and one of the most studied of all nongame bird species (Luis Baptista 1989). I’m not sure about elegance, but these birds are really fast runners.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 129

Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla)

Fig. 3.39.8 Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) AZGFD ESA Season S1-S2N -- U -- -- U Seen at the Farm only in 2014, this sparrow is more common in California and north through British Columbia to its breeding grounds in Alaska. Fe- males appear quite like males but have a paler yellow strip on their heads.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 130 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Harris's Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula)

Fig. 3.39.9 Harris's Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula) AZGFD ESA Season S1N -- U ------An inhabitant of the North American Great Plains, I’ve seen one at the farm only in 2015. The female of this species is just as stylish as the male, but the males often have a few more black feathers.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 131

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Fig. 3.39.10 White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) AZGFD ESA Season S2-S3N -- U U -- U Principally a bird of the Great Plains, Boreal, and Eastern forests the species is imperiled in the State of Arizona and uncommon in the western U.S., I saw this species at the Farm one time.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 132 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)

Fig. 3.39.11 Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C -- C This sparrow occurs throughout North America, but like other grassland sparrows is quite secretive and I’ve identified the species only once at the Farm. It might have been common here in the past, but it prefers grass- lands, and only two acres of invasive Ripgut Brome (Bromus diandrus) have survived since I fallowed the pastures in 2009. Female plumage is like males (Wheelwright and Rising 2008).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 133

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Fig. 3.39.12 Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Song Sparrows are common at the Farm. Males and females are similar. The intensity of the streaks varies with some birds having light brown streaks. They may be year-round residents here, but I haven’t watched or listened closely enough to verify this. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 134 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii)

Fig. 3.39.13 Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) AZGFD ESA Season S3B -- C C -- C I did not identify this elusive sparrow until 2008. Though its rich, warbling song is distinctive, I have yet to learn to distinguish it. That’s on my wistful to-do list.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 135

Canyon Towhee (Melozone fusca)

Fig. 3.39.14 Canyon Towhee (Melozone fusca) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Canyon Towhees are permanent residents in many habitats, but not so often in riparian vegetation like the trees and shrubs beside the Agua Fria River. This probably explains uncommon sightings at the Farm, though I did see them more often before 2012.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 136 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps)

Fig. 3.39.15 Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- C C C C Less abundant than some of the other sparrows, these birds appear almost every year. They seem to be less common now than they were ten years ago. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 137

Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)

Fig. 3.39.16 Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Towhees are regular visitors. They prefer to find their food by scratching vigorously in the litter beneath shrubs and trees. The red on their sides often appears to me to be warmer than the one shown here. Females are paler and browner than males. These wonderful birds are at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 138 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.40 ICTERIIDAE--Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens)

Fig. 3.40.1 Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- U C C U Summer visitors, Chats have increased near the house from one pair when we moved here in 1997 to four pairs in 2019. Chats sing their short playlist at length during the day and night. During the day, they sometimes pop out of the Honeysuckle bush outside my window pursuing grasshoppers. Other- wise, they are of the ‘better heard than seen’ faith. Males and females have similar plumage.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 139

3.41 ICTERIDAE—Black Birds

Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)

Fig. 3.41.1 Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C These common visitors and probable residents were often seen walking in from the larger fields west of the Farm. They declined after I fallowed the fields in 2009.They have a beautiful song, a sweeter melody than the eastern species I grew up with on Fourteen-Mile Creek. Males and females similar, but females have less intense colors.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 140 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) Fig. 3.41.2 Hooded Oriole (Ic- terus cucullatus) -- Male

Fig. 3.41.3 Hooded Oriole (Ic- terus cucullatus)- Female – (Mikes Birds)

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C U Uncommon visitors to the Farm, I didn’t identify one until 2008.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 141

Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii) Fig. 3.41.4 Bullock's Oriole (Ic- terus bullockii) One spring morning a few months after we moved to Coldwater Farm, the little nectar feeder my wife Den- ise had filled with orange liquid and hung a few feet from our bedroom window, was visited by a raucous bird with brilliant orange, white, and black plumage.I learned the visitor was Bull- ock’s Oriole. I learned that orioles are just naturally ex- citable—they chase predators, kick Cow Bird eggs out of their nest, and have actual physical battles (Cottam 1943).

Fig. 3.41.5 Bullock's Oriole (Ic- terus bullockii) - Female – (Clinton & Charles Robertson)

AZGFD ESA Season S4B-S1N -- -- C C U

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) ...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 142 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Fig. 3.41.6 Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) -- Male Red-winged Blackbirds gather at the farm every year. The females usually arrive first, followed in a week or two by the males who begin claiming patches of territory with their loud buzzing whistles.

Fig. 3.41.7 Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) -- Female

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 143

Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus)

Fig. 3.41.8 Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus). The male is in the right foreground, female at left, and juvenile beyond her. AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C U Uncommon here, these birds make annual visits to the fields west and north of the Farm. The first three birds in order of proximity are male, female, and juvenile.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 144 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) Fig. 3.41.9 Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) - - Female

Fig. 3.41.10 Brown- Headed Cowbird (Molo- thrus ater) – Male (Na- ture's Pics Online) - Male

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- U C C U Once living only in the Great Plains, these birds followed settlers west and east to new habitats where their “brood parasitism” has let them expand while reducing populations of other species yet to evolve defense mecha- nisms (Lowther 1993). A female may lay 40 eggs per season in the nests of other species. They are abundant at Coldwater Farm.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 145

Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) Fig. 3.41.11 Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) -- Male Every spring for the past 20 years, one of these charac- ters swaggers in accompanied by two or three females. And every year, I raise a shouted protest. Af- ter a day or two, my com- plaints discourage settle- ment of the yard and the ménage disappears for one more year.

Fig. 3.41.12 Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) – Female Grackles would be welcome here if they weren’t so noisy. As it is, they do quite well in commercial districts and on the edges of roads and pastures. Their numbers in these habitats appears stable.

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 146 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.42 PARULIDAE--New World Warblers

Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata)

Fig. 3.42.1 Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata) AZGFD ESA Season S3B-S5N -- C C C C I’ve seen this species only once though small numbers might be common visitors. The crown patch is faint or no present among females. The Ore- othlypis genus is in question. Two genus names are present at BNA.org.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 147

Lucy's Warbler (Oreothlypis luciae)

Fig. 3.42.2 Lucy's Warbler (Oreothlypis luciae) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C Felipe Guerrero pointed out a Lucy’s Warbler in 2016, but I have not spotted one since. Like other neotropical migrants, these warblers may be common visitors to the Farm during their annual migrations. If small numbers follow the river without spending much time here, I might never see them. The rusty red patches on head and rump are pale or absent in females.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 148 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

MacGillivray's Warbler (Geothlypis tolmiei) Fig. 3.42.3 MacGillivray's War- bler (Geothlypis tolmiei) -Female I saw a MacGillivray’s War- bler in 2016, 2017, and 2020. Like other species that I rarely see, they may be common annual visitors to the Farm during their annual migrations. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon. org/climate).

Fig. 3.42.4 MacGillivray's War- bler (Geothlypis tolmiei) -- Male

AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- -- C -- C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 149

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) Fig. 3.42.5 Common Yel- lowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) - Male I saw one of these birds at the farm in 2009, but none since. They are probably common visitors, but their preference for dense vegetation hides them from me.

Fig. 3.42.6 Common Yel- lowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) - Female

AZGFD ESA Season S4 E U C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 150 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)

Fig. 3.42.7 Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- -- C C C Yellow Warblers are present in the willows by the ponds and along the river every year. Female coloring is not as bright. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 151

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)

Fig. 3.42.8 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- C C C C Yellow-rumped Warblers are common visitors to the Farm. Though I didn’t identify one until 2002, they were probably always here. Males like the one above also have a yellow patch atop their heads. Female plumage is similar, but brown above and more streaked below. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 152 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)

Fig. 3.42.9 Black-throated Gray Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens) AZGFD ESA Season S5M -- -- C C C Carl Tomoff spotted one of these birds in the woods near the river in 2018. I have not recognized the species at any other time. Females are duller and have a white chin. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audu- bon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 153

Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)

Fig. 3.42.10 Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) AZGFD ESA Season S5M -- -- C U C Since 2001, I have seen Wilson’s Warblers at the Farm every year. The were probably present before 2001. Female coloring is similar but subdued.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 154 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Painted Redstart (Myioborus pictus)

Fig. 3.42.11 Painted Redstart (Myioborus pictus) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- U C C U I saw a Redstart in 2009 and another in 2013. Not a common member of our fauna. Male and female plumage is the same. The species is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 155

3.43 CARDINALIDAE--Cardinals and Allies

Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)

Fig. 3.43.1 Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- -- C C C Summer Tanager males are the reddest birds we see at the Farm. Along with other birds, Rock Squirrels, and bees they come to the bird garden when the pears ripen. Females are yellow.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 156 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) Fig. 3.43.2 Western Tanager (Pi- ranga ludoviciana) - Female The Western Tanager females’ color is toned down, but traces of yellow are apparent. Since 2006, I have seen these birds every year. They are at risk due to climate change (Audu- bon.org/climate).

Fig. 3.43.3 Western Tanager (Pi- ranga ludoviciana) -- Male The vivid colors are a delight. I included this species on the back cover of the book.

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 157

Fig. 3.43.4 Northern Cardi- nal (Cardinalis cardinalis) - Female

Fig. 3.43.5 Northern Cardi- nal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

AZGFD ESA Season S5 E C C C C Cardinals are permanent Farm residents. They often land in a nearby branch and listen as I make inane chitchat. In fact, they, like the Javelina, follow me about in the morning eager for the sunflower seeds I scatter. The Javelina are silent except for an occasional startled grunff, but the Cardinals use sharp chirps to let me know that they are waiting.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 158 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus)

Fig. 3.43.6 Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus) AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- U C U U Pyrrhuloxia are uncommon at the Farm, I’ve only identified the species with certainty once.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 159

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)

Fig. 3.43.7 Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) AZGFD ESA Season S3N -- U U U U These big-billed beauties are uncommon at the Farm. They range from the western provinces south through the eastern U. S. and on through Central America to South America. I do not spot one every year but do six or seven out of every ten years.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 160 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) Fig. 3.43.8 Black-headed Grosbeak - Male These birds come to seed feeders, but are almost too large for the perches on mine. Despite awk- ward slips that can leave a young bird dangling upside down, they do not give up. Their song is a rich warble like a robin’s but softer, sweeter, and faster. Nest: Female builds an open, loose nest in a shrub or tree and lays 2- 5 eggs. Young birds leave the nest after 12-14 days but can’t fly for two weeks. They hang out on nearby branches depending on parents to feed them. Cats and hawks prey upon Grosbeaks, and pesticides in the tissues of their prey poison them. Wildlife biologists do not consider them endangered.

Fig. 3.43.9 Black-headed Gros- beak - Female

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C The species is doing well at the Farm and has increased slightly. It is at risk due to climate change (Audubon.org/climate).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 161

Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) Fig. 3.43.10 Blue Grosbeak (Pas- serina caerulea) - Male The numbers of these dark blue visitors have increased slightly since 2015. How- ever, they are never numerous.

Fig. 3.43.11 Blue Grosbeak (Pas- serina caerulea) - Female

AZGFD ESA Season S5 -- -- C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 162 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena)

Fig. 3.43.12 Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena) AZGFD ESA Season S4 -- U C C C These beautiful birds come to the Farm every summer. The number fluctu- ates year to year, but no strong trend is apparent. They range throughout the western U. S. and western Mexico. Mature birds age two and older sing only one song and they sing it late into the day after their neighbors fall silent. Young birds copy their songs from others but may incorporate a new arrangement of notes. Once the song is formed, it does not change (Greene, Muehter, and Davison 2014).

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. Birds of Coldwater Farm | 163

Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)

Fig. 3.43.13 Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) AZGFD ESA Season S3 -- -- C C C As do the Lazuli Buntings, these deep blue birds arrive every summer. Their numbers are smaller, but they never fail to come.

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon. 164 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

3.44 PASSERIDAE--Old World Sparrows House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) Fig. 3.44.1 House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) - Female A few House Sparrows nest the rafters of our tractor shed. They were there when we ar- rived, and they have remained in about the same numbers. They are a small stable compo- nent of the local bird fauna.

Fig. 3.44.2 House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) - Male

AZGFD ESA Season SE5 -- C C C C

...... AZGFD: S1 and S2 = Imperiled, S3 = vulnerable, S4 and S5 = secure. ESA: E = endangered, T = threatened. Seasonal abundance: A = annual, C = common. U = uncommon.

4. CONCLUSION—POPULATION CHANGES These are my impressions of bird abundance changes from 1997 to 2020.

Increases Eurasian Collard Dove, Black Phoebes, and Yellow-breasted Chats have increased around the house. Common Black Hawks were not present before 2009 but have nested at the farm every year since.

Declines Mallard Ducks, Belted Kingfishers, Mourning Dove, Killdeer, Western Meadow Larks, and Northern Flickers appear to have declined. Inca Dove, Black-crowned Night Herons, Green Herons, Night Hawks, and Barn Owls which were present in the early years after we moved to the Farm, are no longer present. I haven’t seen an Inca Dove since 2013, a Black-crowned Night Heron since 2009, a Green Heron since 2013, a Night Hawk since 2003, or a Barn Owl since 2014. I did not make consistent year-to-year counts of birds at the Farm. Regular quanti- tative records might show that several species’ numbers changed significantly.

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______. In Press. Desert Weeds. Springer Nature, New York, NY. 338 p. Schwertner, T. W., H. A. Mathewson, J. A. Roberson, and G. L. Waggerman. 2002. White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. Tomoff, C.S. 2003 (3rd Edition). Birds of Prescott, AZ: Annotated checklist of the relative abundance and seasonal status of Prescott-area birds. Carl Tomoff Publications, Prescott, Arizona. U. S. Endangered Species Act. 973. The act and related laws are discussed at: http://fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/ESACT.html. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service: http://www.fws.gov. U. S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/chekbird/r2/D.htm Walters, E. L., E. H. Miller, and P. E. Lowther. 2014. Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapi- cus nuchalis), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. Wheelwright, N. T. and J. D. Rising. 2008. Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. WildBirds: www.WildBirds.com. Wingert, K. 1996. Birds in and around Prescott and the Verde Valley. The Left Hand Press, Prescott, AZ. vii + 63 p. Witzeman, J., S. Demaree and E Radke. 1997. Birds of Phoenix and Maricopa County. Maricopa Audubon Society, Phoenix, AZ. Wolf, B. O. (1997). Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans), In The Birds of North Amer- ica (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. WWF. 2014. Living Planet Report 2014: Species and spaces, people and places. McLellan, R., Iyengar, L., Jeffries, B. and N. Oerlemans (Eds)]. WWF, Gland, Switzerland. 178 p. Online at www.worldwildlife.org.

168 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Appendix. List of Figures and Photographers Fig. 1.1 Agua Fria River - GR Fig. 3.1.1 Wood Duck - Olaf Oliviero Riemer Fig. 3.1.10 Redhead (Aythya americana) Male - Judy Gallagher Fig. 3.1.11 Redhead (Aythya americana) Female - Mykola Swarnyk Fig. 3.1.12 Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) female - Dick Daniels Fig. 3.1.13 Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) male - Lee Karney - US Fish & Wildlife Fig. 3.1.14 Bufflehead Male (Bucephala-albeola) - MDF (uncertain) Fig. 3.1.15 Bufflehead Female (Bucephala-albeola) - MDF Fig. 3.1.16 Hooded Merganser Female - Arpingstone Fig. 3.1.17 Hooded Merganser Male - Tim McCabe - US Fish and Wildlife Fig. 3.1.18 Common Merganser (Mergus Merganser) Pair - Karsten Fig. 3.1.19 Ruddy Duck – Sandy Cole Fig. 3.1.2 Northern Shovellers male and female - Ian Kirk Fig. 3.1.20 Ruddy Duck Female (Oxyura jamaicensis) – Dick Daniels Fig. 3.1.3 Gadwall -male (Anas-strepera) - Andreas Trepte Fig. 3.1.4 Gadwall female - Andreas Trepte Fig. 3.1.5 American Wigeon males and females - Walter Siegmund Fig. 3.1.6 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) male and female - Richard Bartz Fig. 3.1.7 Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) Female - Dick Daniels Fig. 3.1.8 Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) Male - Ken Billington Fig. 3.1.9 Canvasback pair - Richard Crossley Guide Eastern Birds Fig. 3.10.1 Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa) - Paul Kehrer Fig. 3.11.1 Wilsons Snipe (Gallinago delicata) - Glyn Lowe Fig. 3.12.1 Double-crested cormorant - Frank Schulenburg Fig. 3.13.1 Great Blue Heron - GR Fig. 3.13.2 Cattle Egret - Pierre Dalous Fig. 3.13.3 Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) - Paolo Bertinetto Fig. 3.13.4 Green Heron - US Fish and Wildlife Service Fig. 3.13.5 Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) - Dick Daniels Fig. 3.14.1 Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) - Mike Baird Fig. 3.14a.1 Canada Goose - Joe Ravi Fig. 3.15.1 Osprey - NASA Fig. 3.16.1 Sharp-shinned Hawk - GR Fig. 3.16.10 Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) - Dominic Sherony Fig. 3.16.2 Coopers Hawk - GR Fig. 3.16.3 Bald Eagle - Ken Thomas Fig. 3.16.4 Common Black Hawk - GR Fig. 3.16.5 Gray Hawk – (Asturina Plagiata) - Joseph Smit Fig. 3.16.5 Red-shouldered Hawk - Sfullenwider Fig. 3.16.7 Swainsons Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) - lostinfog Fig. 3.16.8 Zone-tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus) - Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren Fig. 3.16.9 Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) - Mark Bohn of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Fig. 3.17.1 Barn Owl - GR Fig. 3.18.1 Western Screech Owl (Megascops kennicottii) USDI-BOR Fig. 3.18.2 Great Horned Owl - Mary C. Kirk

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Fig. 3.18.3 Great Horned Owl Chicks - GR Fig. 3.18.4 Northern Pygmy Owl - Dominic Sherony Fig. 3.19.1 Belted Kingfisher - Teddy Llovet Fig. 3.2.1 Gambel’s Quail - GR Fig. 3.20.1 Red-naped sapsucker - Matt MacGillivray Fig. 3.20.2 Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) - Marlin Harms Fig. 3.20.3 Gila Woodpecker Melanerpes uropygialis - Mike & Chris Fig. 3.20.5 Ladder-backed Woodpecker - USDI Mex Boundary Survey, pub domain Fig. 3.20.6 Northern Flicker - Red Shafted FWS - Menke, Dave Fig. 3.20.7 Northern Flicker-Yellow shafted - Ken Thomas Fig. 3.21.1 Crested Caracara - Manjith Kainickara Fig. 3.21.2 American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) - Lip Kee Fig. 3.21.3 Merlin Falco columbarius Ingrid Taylar Fig. 3.22.1 Western wood-pewee - Melissa McMasters Fig. 3.22.10 Western Kingbird - John and Karen Hollingsworth Fig. 3.22.2 Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) - FWS Fig. 3.22.3 Pacific-slope Flycatcher - Becky Matsubara Fig. 3.22.4 Black Phoebe - John J. Mosesso Fig. 3.22.5 Eastern Phoebe - John Benson Fig. 3.22.6 Say’s-Phoebe - Wolfgang Wander Fig. 3.22.7 Vermilion flycatcher - Charles J Sharp Fig. 3.22.8 Brown-crested Flycatcher - Dario Sanches Fig. 3.22.9 Cassin’s Kingbird - Wolfgang Wander Fig. 3.23.1 Loggerhead Shrike - Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren Fig. 3.24.1 Warbling Vireo - John Harrison Fig. 3.25.1 Steller's Jay Wing-Chi Poon Fig. 3.25.2 California Scrub Jay - Jarek Tuszyński Fig. 3.25.3 Common Raven - Donar Reiskoffer Fig. 3.26.1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Dori Fig. 3.26.2 Tree Swallow - John Benson Fig. 3.26.3 Violet Green Swallow - Wolfgang Wander Fig. 3.26.4 Cliff Swallow-Ken Thomas Fig. 3.27.1 Bridled Titmouse - Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren Fig. 3.28.1 Bushtits - Scott Catron Fig. 3.29.1 White-Breasted Nuthatch - Unk Fig. 3.3.1 Ring-necked Pheasant - GR Fig. 3.30.1 Brown Creeper - MDF Fig. 3.31.1 Winter Wren - Unk Fig. 3.31.2 Bewick's Wren - Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren Fig. 3.32.1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Donna Dewhurst - US Fish and Wildlife Service Fig. 3.33.1 Western Bluebirds - Mike's Birds Fig. 3.33.2 Mountain Bluebird Female - VJ Anderson Fig. 3.33.3 Mountain Bluebird - Elaine R. Wilson Fig. 3.33.4 Swainsons Trush - Matt Reinbold Fig. 3.33.5 Hermit Thrush - Dori Fig. 3.33.6 American Robin - Deschutes National Forest Fig. 3.34.1 Crissal Thrasher - GR

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Fig. 3.34.2 Northern Mockingbird - Harvey Barrison Fig. 3.34.3 Northern Mockingbird - Manjith Kainickara Fig. 3.35.1 European Starling - Dick Daniels Fig. 3.36.1 Cedar waxwing - Minette Layne Fig. 3.37.1 Phainopepla - Nature Pics Online Fig. 3.38.1 House Finch - Nigel Fig. 3.38.2 House Finch - Female - LT Shears Fig. 3.38.3 Cassin's Finch (female) - Nature’s Pics Online Fig. 3.38.4 Cassin's Finch (male) - Nature's Pics Online Fig. 3.38.5 Pine Siskin - Cephas Fig. 3.38.7 Lesser Goldfinch - Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren Fig. 3.38.8 American Goldfinch - MDF Fig. 3.39.1 Chipping Sparrow - Michel Rathwell Fig. 3.39.10 White-throated Sparrow - Dick Daniels Fig. 3.39.11 Savannah Sparrow - Elaine R. Wilson Fig. 3.39.12 Song Sparrow - Len Blumin Fig. 3.39.13 Lincoln’s Sparrow - Walter Siegmund Fig. 3.39.14 Canyon Towhee - Pablo Lèautaud. Fig. 3.39.15 Rufous-crowned Sparrow - Don Faulkner Fig. 3.39.16 Spotted Towhee - Kevin Cole Fig. 3.39.2 Black-chinned Sparrow ( female ) - Bettina Arrigoni Fig. 3.39.3 Black-chinned Sparrow Male - Dominic Sherony Fig. 3.39.4 Lark Sparrow - Len Blumin Fig. 3.39.5 Oregon Junco - Kevin Cole Fig. 3.39.6 Slate-colored Junco - Ken Thomas Fig. 3.39.7 White-crowned Sparrow - MDF Fig. 3.39.8 Golden-crowned Sparrow - Nature’s Pics Online Fig. 3.39.9 Harris’s Sparrow - Greg Schechter Fig. 3.4.1 Rock Dove (Columba livia) and Starlings - Mike Pennington Fig. 3.4.2 Eurasian Collard Dove - Joefrei Fig. 3.4.3 Inca Doves nesting - Len Blumin Fig. 3.4.4 White winged doves-Yucatán - Jim Conrad Fig. 3.4.5 Morning Dove - Martis551 Fig. 3.40.1 Yellow-Breasted-Chat - Jim Conrad Fig. 3.41.1 Western Meadowlark - Kevin Cole Fig. 3.41.10 Brown-Headed Cowbird - Nature's Pics Online Fig. 3.41.11 Great-tailed Grackle - Linda Tanner Fig. 3.41.12 Great-tailed Grackle female - Michael L. Baird Fig. 3.41.2 Hooded Oriole Male – Mike’s Birds Fig. 3.41.3 Hooded Oriole Female – Mike’s Birds Fig. 3.41.4 Bullock's Oriole - Kevin Cole Fig. 3.41.5 Bullock's Oriole Female - Clinton & Charles Robertson Fig. 3.41.6 Red-winged Blackbird - Walter Siegmund Fig. 3.41.7 Red-winged Blackbird Female - MDF Fig. 3.41.8 Bronzed Cowbird - Richard Crossley Fig. 3.41.9 Brown-headed Cowbird female – Dick Daniels Fig. 3.42.1 Orange-crowned Warbler - Mike's Birds

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Fig. 3.42.10 Painted Redstart - Dominic Sherony Fig. 3.42.2 Lucy's warbler - Dominic Sherony Fig. 3.42.3 MacGillivray's Warbler - Female - Tim from Ithaca Fig. 3.42.4 MacGillivray's Warbler - Caleb Putnam Fig. 3.42.5 Common Yellowthroat - Dan Pancamo Fig. 3.42.6 Common Yellowthroat, female - D. Gordon E. Robertson Fig. 3.42.6 Yellow Warble - Dominic Sherony Fig. 3.42.7 Yellow-rumped Warbler - Cephas Fig. 3.42.8 Black-throated Gray Warbler - Dominic Sherony Fig. 3.42.9 Wilson's Warbler - Greg7 Fig. 3.43.1 Summer Tanager - Alejandro Bayer Tamayo Fig. 3.43.10 Blue Grosbeak male - Dick Daniels Fig. 3.43.11 Blue Grosbeak female – Dick Daniels Fig. 3.43.12 Lazuli Bunting - Nature's Pics Online Fig. 3.43.13 Indigo Bunting - Louis Agassiz Fuertes Fig. 3.43.2 Western Tanager female - leppyone Fig. 3.43.3 Western Tanager male - Nature's Pics Online Fig. 3.43.4 Northern Cardinal female - Ken Thomas Fig. 3.43.5 Northern Cardinal male - Dick Daniels Fig. 3.43.6 Pyrrhuloxia - Nature's Pics Online Fig. 3.43.7 Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Ken Thomas Fig. 3.43.8 Black-headed Grosbeak - GR Fig. 3.43.9 Black-headed Grosbeak female - David Menke Fig. 3.44.1 House Sparrow female - Andreas Eichler Fig. 3.44.2 House Sparrow male – (Passer domesticus) Fig. 3.5.1 Greater Roadrunner - GR Fig. 3.5.2 Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus-americanus) - MDF Fig. 3.6.1 Nightjar in flight - Louis Agassiz Fuertes - Pub Domain Fig. 3.7.1 Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus-alexandri) - Unk Fig. 3.7.2 Anna's hummingbird female - Calibas Fig. 3.7.3 Anna's Hummingbird male - Kevin Cole Fig. 3.7.4 Broad-tailed hummingbird female - Danorton Fig. 3.7.5 Broad-tailed Hummer (Selasphorus platycercus) male - Bill Ratcliff NPS Fig. 3.7.6 Rufous Hummingbird - Jonathan Rodgers Fig. 3.8.1 Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) - Michael L. Baird Fig. 3.8.2 Sora (Porzana carolina) - Elaine R. Wilson Fig. 3.9.1 Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) - Curt Hart

172 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

INDEX

Accipiter cooperii, 60 Bronzed Cowbird, 143 Accipiter striatus, 59 Brown Creeper, 105 Acorn Woodpecker, 75 Brown-crested Flycatcher, 90 Agelaius phoeniceus, 142 Brown-headed Cowbird, 144 Aimophila ruficeps, 136 Bubo virginianus, 71 Aix sponsa, 19 Bubulcus ibis, 53 American Goldfinch, 123 Bucephala albeola, 28 American Kestrel, 81 Bufflehead, 28 American Robin, 113 Bullock's Oriole, 141 American Wigeon, 22, 168 Bushtit, 103 Anas acuta, 24, 168 Buteo albonotatus, 66 Anas platyrhynchos, 23, 168 Buteo jamaicensis, 67 Anna's Hummingbird, 43 Buteo lineatus, 64 Aphelocoma californica, 96 Buteo plagiatus, 63 Archilochus alexandri, 42 Buteo regalis, 68 Ardea Herodias, 52 Buteo swainsoni, 65 Aythya americana, 26 Butorides virescens, 54 Aythya collaris, 27 California Scrub-Jay, 96 Aythya valisineria, 25 Callipepla gambelii, 32 Baeolophus wollweberi, 102 Calypte anna, 43 Bald Eagle, 61 Canada Goose, 56 Barn Owl, 69 Canvasback, 25 Belted Kingfisher, 73 Canyon Towhee, 135 Bewick's Wren, 107 Caracara Black Phoebe, 86 Crested, 80 Blackbird Caracara cheriway, 80 Red-winged, 142 Cardellina pusilla, 153 Black-chinned Hummingbird, 42 Cardinalis cardinalis, 157 Black-chinned Sparrow, 125 Cardinalis sinuatus, 158 Black-crowned Night-Heron, 55 Cardinals & Allies Black-headed Grosbeak, 160 Black-headed Grosbeak, 160 Black-throated Gray Warbler, 152 Blue-Grosbeak, 161 Blue Grosbeak, 161 Indigo Bunting, 163 Bluebirds Lazuli Bunting, 162 Mountain, 110 Northern Cardinal, 157 Western, 109 Pyrrhuloxia, 158 Bombycilla cedrorum, 117 Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 159 Branta canadensis, 56 Summer Tanager, 155 Bridled Titmouse, 102 Western Tanager, 156 Broad-tailed Hummingbird, 44 Carl Tomoff, 4, 152, 167

Birds of Coldwater Farm | 173

Cassin's Finch, 120 Mourning, 38 Cassin's Kingbird, 91 White-winged, 37 Cathartes aura, 57 Dryobates villosus, 77 Catharus guttatus, 112 Ducks Catharus ustulatus, 111 American Wigeon, 22 Cattle Egret, 53 Bufflehead, 28 Cedar Waxwing, 117 Canvasback, 25 Certhia americana, 105 Common Merganser, 30 Charadrius vociferus, 48 Gadwall, 21 Chat Hooded Merganser, 29 Yellow-breasted, 138 Mallard, 23 Chipping Sparrow, 124 Northern Pintail, 24 Chondestes grammacus, 126 Northern Shoveler, 20 Chordeiles minor, 41 Redhead, 26 Cliff Swallow, 101 Ring-necked, 27 Coccyzus americanus, 40 Ruddy Duck, 31 Colaptes auratus, 79 Wood Duck, 19 Columba livia, 34 Eastern Phoebe, 87 Columbina inca, 36 Egret Common Black Hawk, 62 Cattle, 53 Common Merganser, 30 Empidonax difficilis, 85 Common Nighthawk, 41 Empidonax traillii extimus, 84 Common Raven, 97 Eurasian Collared-Dove, 35 Common Yellowthroat, 149 European Starling, 116 Contopus sordidulus, 83 Falco columbarius, 82 Cooper’s Hawk, 60 Falco sparverius, 81 Cormorant Falcons Double-crested, 51 American Kestrel, 81 Corvus corax, 97 Merlin, 82 Cowbird Ferruginous Hawk, 68 Bronzed, 143 Filipe Guerrero, 4, 50, 94 Brown-headed, 144 Finch Creeper Cassin's, 120 Brown, 105 House, 119 Crested Caracara, 80 Flycatcher, 89 Crissal Thrasher, 114 Willow, 4, 85, 89 Cuckoo Flycatchers Yellow-billed, 40 Black Phoebe, 86 Cyanocitta stelleri, 95 Brown-crested, 90 Double-crested Cormorant, 51 Cassin's Kingbird, 91 Dove Eastern Phoebe, 87 Eurasian Collard, 35 Pacific-slope, 85 Inca, 36 Say's Phoebe, 88

174 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Southwest Willow, 84 Herons Vermilion, 89 Black-crowned Night, 55 Western Kingbird, 92 Great Blue, 52 Western Wood-Pewee, 83 Green, 54 Fourteen-Mile Creek, 41, 48, 139 Hooded Merganser, 29 Gadwall, 21, 168 Hooded Oriole, 140 Gallinago delicata, 50 House Finch, 119 Gambel's Quail, 32 House Sparrow, 164 Geococcyx californianus, 39 Hummingbirds Geothlypis tolmiei, 148 Anna's, 43 Geothlypis trichas, 149 Black-chinned, 42 Gila Woodpecker, 76 Broad-tailed, 44 Glaucidium gnoma, 72 Rufous, 45 Golden-crowned Sparrow, 129 Icteria virens, 138 Goldfinch Icterus bullockii, 141 American, 123 Icterus cucullatus, 140 Lesser, 122 Inca Dove, 36 Goose Indigo Bunting, 163 Canada, 56 Jacana spinosa, 49 Grackle Jays Great-tailed, 145 California Scrub, 96 Gray Hawk, 63 Steller's, 95 Great Blue Heron, 52 Killdeer, 48 Great Horned Owl, 71 Kingfisher Greater Roadrunner, 39 Belted, 73 Great-tailed Grackle, 145 Kinglet Green Heron, 54 Ruby-crowned, 108 Haemorhous cassinii, 120 Ladder-backed Woodpecker, 78 Haemorhous mexicanus, 119 Lanius ludovicianus, 93 Hairy Woodpecker, 77 Lark Sparrow, 126 Haliaeetus leucocephalus, 61 Lazuli Bunting, 162 Harris's Sparrow, 130 Lesser Goldfinch, 122 Hawk Lincoln's Sparrow, 134 Common Black, 62 Loggerhead Shrike, 93 Cooper's, 60 Lophodytes cucullatus, 29 Ferruginous, 68 Lucy's Warbler, 147 Gray, 63 MacGillivray's Warbler, 148 Red-shouldered, 64 Mallard, 23, 165, 168 Red-tailed, 67 Mareca americana, 22 Sharp-shinned, 59 Mareca Strepera, 21 Swainson's, 65 Meadowlark Zone-tailed, 66 Western, 139 Hermit Thrush, 112 Megaceryle alcyon, 73

Birds of Coldwater Farm | 175

Megascops kennicottii, 70 Western Screech, 70 Melanerpes formicivorus, 75 Oxyura jamaicensis, 31 Melanerpes uropygialis, 76 Pacific-slope Flycatcher, 85 Melospiza lincolnii, 134 Painted Redstart, 154 Melospiza melodia, 133 Pandion haliaetus, 58 Melozone fusca, 135 Passer domesticus, 164 Mergus merganser, 30 Passerculus sandwichensis, 132 Merlin, 82 Passerina amoena, 162 Mimus polyglottos, 115 Passerina caerulea, 161 Mockingbird Passerina cyanea, 163 Northern, 115 Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, 101 Molothrus aeneus, 143 Phainopepla, 118 Molothrus ater, 144 Phainopepla nitens, 118 Mountain Bluebird, 110 Phalacrocorax auritus, 51 Mourning Dove, 38 Phasianus colchicus, 33 Myiarchus tyrannulus, 90 Pheasant Myioborus pictus, 154 Ring-necked, 33 Nighthawk Pheucticus ludovicianus, 159 Common, 41 Pheucticus melanocephalus, 160 Northern Cardinal, 157 Picoides scalaris, 78 Northern Flicker, 79 Pigeon Northern Jacana, 49 Rock Pigeon, 34 Northern Mockingbird, 115 Pine Siskin, 121 Northern Pintail, 24, 168 Pipilo maculatus, 137 Northern Pygmy-Owl, 72 Piranga ludoviciana, 156 Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Piranga rubra, 155 98 Porzana Carolina, 47 Northern Shoveler, 20 Psaltriparus minimus, 103 Nuthatch Pyrocephalus rubinus, 89 White-breasted, 104 Pyrrhuloxia, 158 Nycticorax nycticorax, 55 Quail Orange-crowned Warbler, 146 Gambel's, 32 Oregon Junco, 127 Quiscalus mexicanus, 145 Oreothlypis celata, 146 Rallus limicola, 46 Oreothlypis luciae, 147 Raven Oriole Common, 97 Bullock's, 141 Redhead, 26 Hooded, 140 Red-naped Sapsucker, 74 Osprey, 58 Red-shouldered Hawk, 64 Owl, 69 Red-tailed Hawk, 67 Barn, 69 Red-winged Blackbird, 142 Great Horned, 71 Regulus calendula, 108 Northern Pygmy, 72 Ring-necked Duck, 27

176 | Birds of Coldwater Farm

Ring-necked Pheasant, 33 Lark, 126 Roadrunner Lincoln's, 134 Greater, 39 Oregon Junco, 127 Robin Rufous-crowned, 136 American, 113 Savannah, 132 Rock Pigeon, 34 Slate-colored Junco, 127 Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 159 Song, 133 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 108 Spotted Towhee, 137 Ruddy Duck, 31 White-crowned, 128 Rufous Hummingbird, 45 White-throated, 131 Rufous-crowned Sparrow, 136 Spatula clypeata, 20 Sabra Tonn, 4 Sphyrapicus nuchalis, 74 Sapsucker Spinus pinus, 121 Red-naped, 74 Spinus psaltria, 122 Savannah Sparrow, 132 Spinus tristis, 123 Sayornis nigricans, 86 Spizella atrogularis, 125 Sayornis phoebe, 87 Spizella passerine, 124 Sayornis saya, 88 Spotted Towhee, 137 Say's Phoebe, 88 Starling Selasphorus platycercus, 44 European, 116 Selasphorus rufus, 45 Stelgidopteryx serripennis, 98 Setophaga coronata, 151 Steller's Jay, 95 Setophaga nigrescens, 152 Streptopelia decaocto, 35 Setophaga petechia, 150 Sturnella neglecta, 139 Shrike Sturnus vulgaris, 116 Loggerhead, 93 Summer Tanager, 155 Sialia currucoides, 110 Swainson's Hawk, 65 Sialia mexicana, 109 Swainson's Thrush, 111 Siskin Swallows Pine, 121 Cliff, 101 Sitta carolinensis, 104 Northern Rough-winged, 98 Snipe Tree, 99 Wilson's, 50 Violet-green, 100 Song Sparrow, 133 Tachycineta bicolor, 99 Sora, 47 Tachycineta thalassina, 100 Southwest Willow Flycatcher, 84 Thrasher Sparrows Crissal, 114 Black-chinned, 125 Thrushs Canyon Towhee, 135 Hermit, 112 Chipping, 124 Swainson's, 111 Golden-crowned, 129 Thryomanes bewickii, 107 Harris's, 130 Toxostoma crissale, 114 House Sparrow (Old World), 164 Tree Swallow, 99

Birds of Coldwater Farm | 177

Troglodytes hyemalis, 106 Western Screech-Owl, 70 Turdus migratorius, 113 Western Tanager, 156 Turkey Vulture, 57 Western Wood-Pewee, 83 Tyrannus verticalis, 92 White-breasted Nuthatch, 104 Tyrannus vociferans, 91 White-crowned Sparrow, 128 Tyto alba, 69 White-throated Sparrow, 131 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service White-winged Dove, 37 Photographer, 17 Willow Flycatcher, 4 unco hyemalis oreganus, 127 Wilson's Snipe, 50 Vermilion Flycatcher, 89 Wilson's Warbler, 153 Violet-green Swallow, 100 Winter Wren, 106 Vireo Wood Duck, 19, 168 Warbling, 94 Woodpeckers Vireo gilvus, 94 Acorn, 75 Virginia Rail, 46 Gila, 76 Vulture Hairy, 77 Turkey, 57 Ladder-backed, 78 Warblers Northern Flicker, 79 Black-throated Gray, 152 Red-naped Sapsucker, 74 Common Yellowthroat, 149 Wrens Lucy's, 147 Bewick's, 107 MacGillivray's, 148 Winter, 106 Orange-crowned, 146 Yellow Warbler, 150 Painted Redstart, 154 Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 4, 40 Wilson's, 153 Yellow-breasted Chat, 138 Yellow, 150 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 151 Yellow-rumped, 151 Zenaida asiatica, 37 Warbling Vireo, 94 Zenaida macroura, 38 Waxwing Zone-tailed Hawk, 66 Cedar, 117 Zonotrichia albicollis, 131 Western Bluebird, 109 Zonotrichia atricapilla, 129 Western Kingbird, 92 Zonotrichia leucophrys, 128 Western Meadowlark, 139 Zonotrichia querula, 130