Southeast Arizona, USA 29th December 2019 - 11th January 2020 By Samuel Perfect Bird Taxonomy for this trip report follows the IOC World Bird List (v 9.2) Site info and abbreviations: Map of SE Arizona including codes for each site mentioned in the text Twin Hills Estates, Tucson (THE) 32.227400, -111.059838 The estate is by private access only. However, there is a trail (Painted Hills Trailhead) at 32.227668, - 111.038959 which offers much the same diversity in a less built up environment. The land in the surrounding area tends to be private with multiple “no trespassing” signs so much of the birding had to be confined to the road or trails. Nevertheless, the environment is largely left to nature and even the gardens incorporate the natural flora, most notably the saguaro cacti. The urban environment hosts Northern Mockingbird, Mourning Dove and House Finch in abundance whilst the trail and rural environments included desert specialities such as Cactus Wren, Phainopepla, Black-throated Sparrow and Gila Woodpecker. Saguaro National Park, Picture Rocks (SNP) 32.254136, -111.197316 Although we remained in the car for much of our visit as we completed the “Loop Drive” we did manage to soak in much of the scenery of the park set in the West Rincon Mountain District and the impressive extent of the cactus forest. Several smaller trails do border the main driving loop, so it was possible to explore further afield where we chose to stop. There is little evidence of human influence besides the roads and trails with the main exception being the visitor centre (see coordinates). Desert specialities much the same as at THE were encountered along with Rufous- winged Sparrow, Verdin, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher and Curve-billed Thrasher. Signal Hill, Picture Rocks (SH) 32.289795, -111.208925 Hohokam Indian petroglyphs on Signal Hill proved to be one of the highlights of the trip with the West Gates Pass through Tucson Mountain to reach the site being yet another impressive site. Cacti desert species once again dominated the bird fauna including Rock Wren, Canyon Towhee, Verdin, Gila Woodpecker, Red-tailed Hawk and Phainopepla. Tubac Golf Resort, Tubac (TGR) 31.625748, -111.043851 The environment in and around the golf resort is a mixture of well-manicured lawns and bushes with many introduced plant species. The relative abundance of water including the Santa Cruz River, water hazards on the golf course in the form of medium size ponds and regular watering of the golf greens has given rise to a multitude of birds making use of the environment. Most notably during my visit were Killdeer, Lark Sparrow, Black-throated Grey Warbler, Great Egret, American Grey Flycatcher, Chipping Sparrow, Belted Kingfisher and Lesser Scaup all of which were seen at this site and none other on our tour around SE Arizona. Madera Canyon, Tucson (MC) 31.725212, -110.880138 The feeding station beside the gift shop at Santa Rita Lodge had the best to offer relative to the surrounding trails. The views from the trail just north of the Bog Springs trail was exceptional (although admittedly we only explored a small area). Highlights at the feeding station included Rivoli’s Hummingbird, Arizona Woodpecker, Hepatic Tanager, Yellow-eyed Junco, several subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco and much more. Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Arivaca (BANWR) 31.571855, -111.505915 In the words of the reserve webpage, “[BANWR] was established for the reintroduction of masked bobwhite quail and to restore the natural landscapes and native wildlife that depend upon it.” For this purpose, the habitat is managed as a grassland with native grazers such as reintroduced Pronghorn following the exploitation of cattle ranchers (who allowed cattle to graze the environment to such a poor state that heavy rainfall would form channels eroding the soil). The visitor centre was run by some very friendly and knowledgeable staff who offered us information for the local area. Although the birdlife was minimal at the time of our visit, we were recommended to visit during the monsoon season to increase our chances of encountering migrant raptors and perhaps a chance at seeing the famous Masked Bobwhite. Nevertheless, we still encountered Greater Roadrunner, Anna’s Hummingbird, Loggerhead Shrike and American Kestrel. Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia (PLSP) 31.494541, -110.854448 The attraction of water plays host to a great diversity of species, several of which we did not encounter on the rest of our visit through SE Arizona. Although January seemed like a quiet time of year to visit, we still managed to see numerous finches and sparrows at the feeding station at the western end of the lake where there is also a birdwatching trail. The feeders are well worth waiting at for views of White-crowned Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, Anna’s Hummingbird and Lazuli Bunting. Several wildfowl species were also lingering on the lake although low in overall quantity. Chiricahua National Monument, Portal (CNM) 32.005437, -109.356434 A stunning scenic trail into the mountains overlooking the unusual rockface and formations was our route of choice extending directly eastwards from the visitor centre (see coordinates). Although the birdlife was minimal, we still enjoyed a great hike. Acorn Woodpecker were present in abundance, Canyon Towhee was also present, and several subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco were encountered. Bisbee (B) 31.442807, -109.917980 Although being an urban environment, the town is rather rustic with a great deal of vegetation including trees and bushes with multiple gardens and feeders making lots of habitat available for birdlife. Some of the most numerous species included White-winged Dove, Dark-eyed Junco, Lesser Goldfinch and American Robin. Whitewater Draw, McNeal (WD) 31.561584, -109.719951 The most productive site of all with tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes using the site to rest and congregate. Numerous wildfowl, a few waders and additional wetland favouring species such as Marsh Wren, Virginia Rail and Common Yellowthroat were also encountered. Given its importance as a wintering site for a multitude of birds, it is perhaps the prime sites to recommend for diversity as well as the shear spectacle offered by the massing cranes. Cave Creek Canyon, Portal (CCC) 31.904508, -109.156087 Although this site boasts a great diversity of hummingbirds during the early autumn, our winter visit also paid off handsomely with modest feeding flocks including Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, Acorn Woodpecker and even a small selection of mammals around the feeding station in front of the main building. Blue-throated Mountaingem, Gambel’s Quail and Inca Dove proved to be the highlights. Ask at Cave Creek Ranch for directions to other nearby feeders as several are in public access areas within several different habitat settings allowing for a promising diversity of species. The South Fork Trailhead beginning a short distance southwest of the ranch at 31.873365, - 109.185018 offered Painted Whitestart and Olive Warbler. Fort Bowie, Willcox (FB) 32.145754, -109.436381 Although rather barren, the landscape is still occupied by dry river valleys with brush offering habitat for Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay and the skies overhead rewarding us with White-throated Swift. The nearby orchard hosted a massive congregation of Chihuahuan Raven. Cochise Stronghold, Willcox (CS) 31.922436, -109.967920 Part of the Dragoon Mountains which are formed of weathered granite are sculpted into an array of shapes interspersed with vegetation including cacti, yucca and agave. A spring also gives rise to a stream running northeast. Dark-eyed Junco, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Spotted Towhee and Ladder- backed Woodpecker can all be found within the area. Willcox Playa, Willcox (WP) 32.141973, -109.756770 This is a large endorheic dry lake, an environment in which the converging rivers result in an inland lake with no outflow. Even so, during our visit the basin was largely dry with a large plain including low brush and desert grassland. Sagebrush Sparrow, American Avocet and Greater Yellowlegs were all encountered at the site and none other. Twin Lakes, Willcox (TL) 32.232947, -109.824710 A promising wetland site with some potential. Although we only paid it a brief visit, numerous American Coot and Northern Shoveler were notable with the highlights being Savannah Sparrow and Horned Lark. Gold Canyon, Phoenix (GC) 33.351371, -111.456541 A brief exploration into the surrounding saguaro plain revealed a surprisingly abundant number of desert bird specialities. Although the diversity was like that of other desert environments visited earlier, Gila Woodpecker, Anna’s Hummingbird and Curve-billed Thrasher were all present in modest numbers. Quantities refer only to the number I observed, not their actual frequency in the area. 1 = Single 2-9 = Scarce 10-49 = Uncommon 50-99 = Common 100+ = Abundant Birds: Snow Goose Chen caerulescens or Ross’s Goose Anser rossii Abundant WD Mexican Mallard Anas diazi Single PLSP Gadwall Mareca Strepera Common WD Northern Pintail Anas acuta Uncommon WD American Wigeon Mareca americana Abundant TGR, WD, TL Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Scarce PLSP, TL Cinnamon Teal Spatula cyanoptera Uncommon WD Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata Abundant WD, TL Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis Abundant WD Canvasback Aythya valisineria Single PLSP Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris Scarce TGR, TL Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis Single TGR Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Scarce PLSP Common Merganser Mergus merganser Scarce