Day 1 Friday 

Flight from Chicago to Tucson

All you single male birders out there, take heart.  As we were
studying flycatchers and warblers and hummingbirds on the plane,
one of the flight attendents said "Are you birders?".  Turns out
she is one of us.  We spent the rest of the plane ride chatting
with her about birding, nature, etc. 

We arrived about 8pm (10pm Chicago time).  Just a little hot, but
it was a dry heat.  Got to the airport Courtyard, got organized
and hit the sack.

Day 2 Saturday

Tucson area

For all the effort I put into planning this trip before we
arrived, it seemed like nothing was organized.  We finally got
out of the hotel about 8:30am and started up to see if we could
find us some Blackhawks. 

Our first trip bird was not, for a change, a rock dove or house
sparrow...it was a GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE in the parking lot of the
hotel.  THEN we saw the HOUSE SPARROW.

On the road as we headed up toward Aravaipa Canyon, we saw lots
of MOURNING DOVES (this ought to be the state bird of Arizona, if
you ask me).

We did manage to pick up BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER** along the
road (** means a lifer).  We kept stopping to check out the
TURKEY VULTURES for Zone-tailed Hawk and managed to pick up the
gnatcatcher while we were pulled over.  We also saw PHAINOPEPLA
and ROAD RUNNER.

We drove down Aravaipa Canyon Road to the appropriate spot...no
Common Blackhawks.  But we did see WHITE-WINGED DOVES,
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, CACTUS WRENS and BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS as
we
drove along the road.  We were surprised to see PURPLE MARTINS. 
Back in Chicago, they are associated with areas that have PM
houses and are most often seen in areas not too far from human
habitation.  Out here, we couldn't believe it until we read that
the birds nest in the Saguaro cactus.  Ok, now it makes sense. 
We also saw three gray birds with flycatcher bills sitting on the
wire that we were convinced were Greater Pewees.  We realized
they were way out of their habitat and wrote them off as UFO's.

We considered looking for the Streak-backed Oriole.  However,
when we went over there and reread the hotline transcript and
realized that it was a half mile walk in the 110+degree heat (but
it's a dry heat) we decided that sun stroke on the first day
would bum out the trip. 

Tourist note - we ate at Oracle Junction.  Nice little cafe
there.  We also tried to take a look at Biosphere 2 while we were
in the vicinity.  $12 bucks to get in...decided against it.  They
also have it set up so that you can't even SEE the silly thing
unless you pay the gate.

Since we had an afternoon to burn, we decided to try the drive up
to Mount Lemmon.  Per the books, this would have given us the
opportunity to see different habitats and birds at each stop -
from desert to pine forests.  As we had been driving around the
west and north sides of the Catalina Mountains we had been
watching as smoke rose from a wildfire there.  Well, just as we
pulled up to the entrance to Mt. Lemmon Road, a sheriff closes
the road...because of the fire.  Ok, let's try Sabino Canyon. 
The book said it was crowded on the weekends, but we were running
out of places to go.  We pulled into an ominously empty parking
lot and inquired at the quiet visitor center.  She said that most
people were staying home because of the heat.  Again with these
wimpy Arizonans!  Well, we figured if they couldn't handle it, we
certainly weren't going to do any better.

Now what to do?

We drove down to San Xavier Mission which is just south of
metropolitan Tucson.  We checked out the cemetery up the road to
the west of the mission.  We looked for reputed Burrowing Owls
but could find none.  It was about 3pm and extremely hot.  My
guess is the owls were smarter than us.  The cemetery was
facinating nevertheless.  Lots of bizarre ornaments decorated the
graves.  We hiked the trail behind the mission (around the east
side) and tripped across a little covey of GAMBEL'S QUAIL**.  We
didn't hike very far...our water gave out in about 10 minutes. 
But we did find our first GILA WOODPECKER** and our second ROAD
RUNNER of the trip. 

We stopped in at the Mission and cooled off.  The taped lecture
was informative, if a little out of date, and the mission's
history and architecture were interesting. 

We finished up the day by taking the Loop Drive at Saguaro
National Park (Rincon Mountain Unit).  Wonderful.  No lifers but
it was very pleasant and very scenic.  We started near dusk and
finished the road in almost full darkness.  No night birds heard,
but it was still a delightful jaunt.  Of all the habitats that we
have become familiar with in our birding travels, I have found
the desert to be the most interesting.  Birds seen included many
CACTUS WRENS, lots of GAMBEL'S QUAIL (including several with
sparrow sized fledglings scampering along with mom and dad),
BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS, PHAINOPEPLA and GILA WOODPECKERS.

At this point, I'd like to make some comments about resources. 
We used trip reports and information downloaded off both
CompuServe and BirdChat.  We also received specific assistance
from some friends in the birding forum on CompuServe.  All were
extremely helpful and gave us some good inside information.  We
also used two books, "Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona" by
Davis and Russell and the old "Lane Guide" by Harold Holt (which
is being revised and republished almost about now).  I found that
both books were necessary.  Davis and Russell miss some things
that are still current in Holt and Holt doesn't have some
information that is in Davis and Russell.  I found Holt still
surprisingly relevent after 6 years.  I also found that
occasionally Davis and Russell were weak with directions.  I
usually could find the spot easily if I used both books. 

Bottom line, get both books, not just one.

Day 3 Sunday 

Tucson area and travel to Portal

We checked out the morning newspapers but found no word about the
fire in the mountains.  It's interesting that something like that
is not big enough to make the paper but a little heat (but it's a
dry heat) rates big headlines. 

Off to the Desert Museum.  Early morning but it was already
broiling (but it was definitely a dry heat).  They even had
umbrellas that they were lending out to protect from the sun. 
CACTUS WRENS were all over along with PURPLE MARTINS, BLACK
TAILED GNATCATCHERS, WHITE-WINGED and MOURNING DOVES.  Kate and I
argued about a hummingbird we saw in a bush.  I was convinced it
was a Broad-tailed Hummingbird but she just didn't believe.  We
only argue about bird identification - weird marriage.

We went through both aviaries and got good looks at some of the
birds we were soon to see, particularly the hummingbirds.  We got
our lifer BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK**.  He was outside the aviary but
we were inside the aviary.  Does that count? <G>

It was interesting to watch the GILA WOODPECKERS.  They didn't do
much more than cling to the shady sides of the Saguaros. 
Obviously they wanted some shade and that was the best they were
going to do out in the desert. 

Off for Portal.  We decided to be adventurous and go through the
mountains from Sulpher Springs Valley, over Onion Saddle in the
Chiracahuas and down through Cave Creek to Portal.  We found a
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE just 1.5 miles along the Pinery Canyon Road,
perched on a wire.  We found our first WESTERN WOOD PEWEE**
flying and perching over the road at 5.6 miles in.  The road also
produced GRAY-BREASTED JAY**, BLACK THROATED GRAY WARBLER** and
ACORN WOODPECKER.  That road heading up from the west to Onion
Saddle was not one of my favorite experiences.  Just a little too
narrow and too many blind curves.  The only comfort was that we
were on the inside most of the time.  I don't think I would have
enjoyed coming down at all.  Then, you're on the outside.  Later,
we found out that it can be particularly hairy on weekends when
people come down the road after having been drinking up in the
parks on top of the mountain.  Once we got past Onion Saddle, the
road got wider and actually was enjoyable.

I can see why Cave Creek Canyon is so popular, just from a scenic
perspective.  It's beautiful.  Coming down from Onion Saddle, all
of a sudden, we were just...in it.  Breathtaking. 

Portal, for those of you unfamiliar with the area, is a tiny
little hamlet that is, well, at the portal of Cave Creek Canyon
on the east side of the Chiracahua Mountains. 

Tourist note -  The Portal Store is the sole merchantile
establishment and diner in the vicinity.  It has a motel
associated with it that is very comfortable, with hummingbird
feeders liberally sprinkled around in front of the rooms.  The
diner does not have much atmosphere, but the customers liven it
up and the food is plentiful and good.

After we had checked in, we saw RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS** and got
into another argument about whether or not that one with the
green back was an Allen's.  Common sense and the checklist won
out and we didn't tick it.  Per the checklist, they are pretty
rare in Arizona.  This Allens/Rufous thing was to be the source
of much discussion wherever there were hummingbirders.  It seemed
that the more conservative birders felt that you could not
reliably tell even a male Allen's in the field and that the only
way to reliably get one was to go to California or points west. 
Other, more liberal birders, felt that yes, if it had a solid
green back, it was definitely an Allen's. 

We checked out the wash just east of the Portal Store and found
CANYON TOWHEES**.

Day 4 Monday

Portal Area

Off with David Jasper at 6am. 

I got the idea of using Dave when he was mentioned on Birdchat a
few months ago.  It took a few weeks to simmer but I finally
called him a couple of weeks before the trip and engaged him for
one of our days in Portal.  Let me say that using a local guide
is wonderful.  In particular, Dave was prompt, personable,
extremely expert and had some interesting stories to tell.  If
you're going to Portal and want a little assistance, especially
if it's your first time, you should contact Dave.  His phone
number is 520-558-2307.

Dave immediately took us out into the lowlands east of Portal
where we notched LARK SPARROW, SCALED QUAIL, BLACK-HEADED
GROSBEAKS, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER**, MOCKINGBIRD, CACTUS WREN,
MALLARD (the Mexican kind), nice looks at "blue" BLUE GROSBEAKS
and a terrific look at 3 CRISSAL THRASHERS** perched out in the
open on a snag. 

We headed over toward Rodeo, NM (I don't care about my Arizona
state list...yet) and found two SWAINSON'S HAWKS perched on twin
telephone poles.  One was an immature.  Best looks we've ever had
of Swainson's.  Just as an aside, we've seen Swainson's in our
own county here in Illinois.  If you look at the Peterson guide
and note the pink dot in Illinois for Swainson's Hawk...we live
in that pink dot.  We're very tiny people. 

In the same area, Dave had a BARN OWL** staked out in an actual
barn that we got wonderful, lifer looks at.  We wound up in Rodeo
(a thriving metropolis, compared to Portal) where we found, among
the houses, CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, BARN SWALLOW, WESTERN
KINGBIRD**, GREAT TAILED GRACKLE, BENDIRE'S THRASHER**, GAMBEL'S
and SCALED QUAIL.  This is the thing about a guide.  He knew
places in Rodeo to get these birds, and because he was known
there, we weren't greeted with shotguns when we wandered around
town looking into yards with binoculars.

Back in the town of Portal, we found SOLITARY VIREO (the plumbeus
form), ACORN WOODPECKER, an immature BLUE-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD**
that appeared to be having difficulty figuring out how to deal
with a large orange flower, BRIDLED TITMICE**, BLACK-CHINNED
HUMMINGBIRDS**, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER**, WHITE-BREASTED
NUTHATCH, LUCIFER'S HUMMINGBIRD**, RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD,
VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD**, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and HOODED
ORIOLE**. 
Our thanks to Dave Outerbak (sp?) who is in Jasper's old house
and kindly let us spend some time in his yard viewing these
birds.  He has several feeders in his yard and welcomes birders
if the gate is open.

On our way up South Fork, we saw an addition to our life mammal
list...a BLACK BEAR loped across the road right in front of us.

As we started walking up the trail from the picnic area at the
end of the road, we found HUTTON'S VIREO, a couple of views of
immature and very quiet ELEGANT TROGONS**, more BRIDLED TITMICE,
several PAINTED REDSTARTS**, a pair of HEPATIC TANAGERS**,
several VIRGINIA'S WARBLERS**, a CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER**, a
couple of BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS, a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH,
a family of CANYON WRENS**, a great look at a RED-FACED
WARBLER**, a HERMIT THRUSH and great looks at a family of
SULFUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS**.  We heard no reports of the
Berylline
Hummingbird so we didn't sit and watch the feeder that Dave had
hung in the canyon. 

I'm convinced that without Dave's guidance, we would have seen
only a fraction of these birds.  Few of them were singing and
Dave almost sniffed them out.

We had lunch at the store (as we had dinner the night before) and
after getting some tips from Dave, wandered around the area on
our own for a while.  We made a pilgrimage to the Spoffords where
things were pretty quiet.  We were going back to Outerbak's for,
as he called it, the 5 o'clock show, when a storm suddenly came
up.  We were almost there when the wind started blowing and we
figured that maybe we wanted to come back later.  We rested up
for the night ahead.

After dinner, again at the store (I think we went through every
item on their menu <G>), we went out for some nightbirds with
Jasper.  He found us COMMON POORWILL** and WESTERN SCREECH OWL**,
both staked out.  I felt sorry for a tour that was staying at the
lodge at the same time.  They dipped except for some interesting
reptiles.  Again, the value of using a local guide.

Day 5 Tuesday

Today, we're headed back uphill, to chase some of those mountain
birds we haven't gotten yet.  Dave Jasper gave us some hints but
we're back to being on our own.  We started with the road to
Paradise (a dirt road that branches from the main road between
Portal and the Canyon).  This road is reputed to be good for
Scott's Oriole and Black-chinned Sparrow.  Well, maybe.  We saw
no orioles and maybe, possibly might have faintly heard a BC
Sparrow far up the canyon.  But we never saw it or heard it well
enough.  But the road did turn up more GAMBEL'S QUAIL,
BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, WHITE-WINGED DOVES, 2 VIOLET-GREEN
SWALLOWS,
LARK SPARROWS, and 10 RUFOUS CROWNED SPARROWS near Paradise.

We made it back up to Rustler Park and immediately found
YELLOW-EYED JUNCO** at the entrance.  Up around the ranger
buildings we
found an unusual (for us) version of HOUSE WREN and a couple of
BROWN CREEPERS.  Over near the picnic areas, we found a FLICKER,
a HAIRY WOODPECKER, a STELLER'S JAY, COMMON RAVENS, and an
annoyingly large number of PYGMY NUTHATCHES that keep getting in
the way of the other cool birds we were looking for.  We did
eventually find an OLIVE WARBLER** (oh, what a case of warbler
neck), a couple of MEXICAN CHICKADEES** and a RED-FACED WARBLER.

Ol' Jim here is a very out of shape guy.  Just walking up and
down a couple of hills killed me up at 8500' Rustler Park.  I
definitely have to get in shape.  Here in Chicago, the altitude
is definitely NOT a problem.

We stopped at the Southwest Research Station on our way back
down, but found little activity.  By this time, it was around
noon.  We did check out the Outerbak estate one more time and
found  the same things we had seen the day before.  But we mostly
went back to make sure we made a contribution to the sugar fund.

We still needed some hawks, so we took the southerly route from
Portal through Douglas and Bisbee to Ramsey Canyon.  I have read
comments about this being an unproductive and dull drive, but we
enjoyed it.  First of all, it's a nice wide, flat, smooth
blacktop road.  A nice change of pace from the narrow gravel
roads we'd been on.  And the scenery was neat.  You can really
see why they call these mountains the "Sky Islands".  You've got
desert, then you abruptly have all these mountain ranges.  You
can stand out in the desert and look around you and see maybe 4
or 5 different ranges at any point.  Very neat.  Kate, of course,
slept most of the way.

We did check every dang TURKEY VULTURE along the way as well. 
Frequently pulling over and glassing TV's made the drive more
entertaining.  We did get lucky west of Bisbee.  We found a
SWAINSON'S HAWK that threw us for a few moments.  We saw another
vulture that gave us a thrill.   He was flying with his wings up
like a TV when we saw him being mobbed by a smaller bird.  Never
having seen a vulture mobbed before, we thought we might have
something.  We did, but it was not the Zone-tailed.  It was a
very dark RED-TAILED HAWK. 

We arrived at Ramsey Canyon Inn (the B & B outside the entrance
to Ramsey Canyon Preserve) just in time to see the evening
hummingbird show.  The Inn is marvelous!  I can't think of a
better way to watch hummers than sitting on a nice, covered
patio, with a wonderful piece of homemade pie and a glass of iced
tea.  Sheer delight.  That evening we saw BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S,
MAGNIFICENT**, BROAD-BILLED**, BROAD-TAILED**, BLUE-THROATED**
AND RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS along with a WHITE-EARED HUMMINGBIRD**
that came several times in the course of an hour.  And, of
course, an ACORN WOODPECKER that seemed to feel that the
hummingbird feeders were intended for him.

Have I mentioned how hot it was?  But it was an arid sort of
heat.

Tourist notes - I was surprised by the setting of Ramsey Canyon. 
I was expecting a remote outpost similar to Cave Creek.  Instead,
I find a preserve at the end of a residential road in the suburbs
of Sierra Vista.  I had figured the cabins at the preserve and
the B & B were the only convenient lodging.  But you can get from
several motels in Sierra Vista to the gates of the preserve in 15
or 20 minutes.  Saying that, however, the only place we'll ever
stay again, in the area is the Ramsey Canyon Inn.  The breakfast
is wonderful, the rooms are very pleasant and the hummers are
gorgeous.  And Shirleen, the owner, bakes a delicious pie every
day for her guests. Nearby, the Mesquite Tree is an excellent
place for dinner. 

Day 6 Wednesday

What better way to enjoy a wonderful bed and breakfast than to
get up at 0-dark-hundred, skip breakfast and return after 9pm,
when all the pie is gone? 

We met Stuart Healy at Denny's at 5:30am for breakfast and last
minute strategizing.  Stuart is a guide who also covers
southeastern Arizona, but tends to leave the Chiracahuas to David
Jasper.  Jasper had, of course, made Stuart's job much harder by
getting us all those lifers just two days before.  Again, if
you'll pardon the baldfaced endorsement, Stuart Healy is also an
excellent guide.  A proper British gent, he has been guiding in
the area for several years and seemed to know where everything
was and how to find it.  As with David, he was prompt, reliable,
very interesting to talk to and knew where the good restaurant
was for lunch.  Stuart's phone number is 520-458-7603.

After fueling up on pancakes and waffles, we headed up Garden
Canyon at Fort Huachuca.  Fort Huachuca is an Army base nestled
in the Huachuca Mountains.  For those of you who were weren't
fast enought to spot it, the fort was featured in the Tom Clancy
movie "Clear and Present Danger."  It is an electronic
intelligence facility along with a place for folks in camo gear
to hang out and make army surplus.  <G>

Access is pretty straightforward and not a problem. 

We drove up to the top of the Garden Canyon road and hiked up
Sawmill Canyon.  Yours truly bottomed out the Taurus a couple of
times on the washes and dips on this road.  More stupidity and
inexperience than a real problem with the road. 

In Sawmill Canyon, we found BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER**,
YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES, GRAY-BREASTED JAYS (on
the way
up, not in Sawmill itself), CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, EASTERN
BLUEBIRDS, GREATER PEWEES**, BROWN CREEPERS, RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCH, SOLITARY VIREO, COWBIRDS (being fed by the
aforementioned vireo),  HOUSE WREN, PAINTED REDSTART and Kate,
but not Jim, got to see the GRACES WARBLER**.  Grrrrrrrrr.  I
_hate_ when that happens.  Wonderful for Kate, but it screws up
the bookkeeping.  Ah, well, I'm not going to let it ruin the rest
of my day...so I'll make sure it ruins the rest of Kate's
day...just kidding.

After we finished Sawmill and were standing around in the parking
lot, Stuart pointed out a NORTHERN GOSHAWK** flying overhead.

We drove down the road and got a glimpse of an ELEGANT TROGON and
several LESSER GOLDFINCHES alongside the road.  Then it was up
Sheelite Canyon in search of Spotted Owl.  Turns out there is
this guy named "Smitty" that keeps an eye on these little guys
and was staking them out for us and another tour that was due
right behind us.  After about 5/8 of a mile, we found Smitty and
about 20 feet further, we a had wonderful look at a very patient
SPOTTED OWL**.  The bird was maybe 15 feet in the air and we were
about 20 feet away.  The only noise was me huffing and puffing
from the hike up.   Other birds found in the canyon included
DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER**, singing CANYON WREN, GRAY-BREASTED JAY
and RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE.

We stopped at the grasslands that lie at the approach to Garden
Canyon.  Here we (I keep saying that...actually, most of the
time, it was Stuart) found CURVED-BILLED THRASHER, BARN SWALLOW
and BOTTERI'S SPARROW** (singing).

Now we were off around the north end of the Huachucas and down
toward Patagonia-Sonoita Sanctuary.  We stopped at the Patons and
picked up BROAD-BILLED, VIOLET-CROWNED, RUFOUS and ANNA'S
HUMMINGBIRDS.  Luckily the Patons had generously erected a
tent-like canopy where birders could sit and get out of the
broiling
sun (but it was a parching, desiccating sort of sun).

Then we ate at the Stage Stop restaurant.  Not bad.  After lunch,
we headed back to the Sanctuary and walked the trails finding
lots of PHAINOPEPLA, SONG SPARROW, several BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS
and LESSER GOLDFINCHS, LUCY'S WARBLER, BEWICK'S WREN,
THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD**, CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, WESTERN KINGBIRD,
VERMILLION FLYCATCHER, BLACK PHOEBE, KESTREL, FLICKER, NORTHERN
BEARDLESS TYRANNULET** and a WESTERN TANAGER**!  This is a bird
that Kate has been waiting to see since a trip to Cape May last
September when ~I~ saw it, and ~Jim Bangma~ saw it, but poor Kate
didn't. 

We were surprised by the amount of avian activity going on at
2:30 in the afternoon.  There wasn't exactly a dawn chorus going
but we had no trouble at all finding birds to look at. 

The heat (did I mention it was a little warmer than usual?)
finally got to my beautiful, desert flower, Kate (I have to say
that kind of stuff, she proofreads this).  She started feeling
kind of light-headed just as we were finishing up at the
Sanctuary and since we were nearing the end of the day, her
timing could not have been much better.  No more walking stops
though.

We visited Kino Springs.  This is a golf course near Nogales. 
They have a couple of ponds on the property which attract a
respectable amount of birds since open water is so scarce in the
area.  We started at the pond just west of the clubhouse where we
had nice looks at a GRAY HAWK**, TROPICAL KINGBIRD**, more
VERMILLION FLYCATCHERS, COOTS, BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK and
FLICKER.  At the pond nearer the entrance, we searched for
Abert's Towhee but were unsuccessful.  We did find COMMON GROUND
DOVE, BLACK PHOEBE, LUCY'S WARLBER, YELLOW BILLED CUCKOO,
BEWICK'S WREN, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER and VERMILLION
FLYCATCHER. 

We checked out the grasslands along the entrance road to
Patagonia State Park and got good looks at a BOTTERI'S SPARROW.

On to the Patagonia Picnic Table where we found WHITE-THROATED
SWIFTS**.  Oh, yeah, and ROSE-THROATED BECARD**.  Stuart had to
work hard for that one.  We also had an assist from a merry band
of Swedish birders that had been dogging us since the Chirachuas. 
The Becard was so cooperative, we actually wound up walking away
from it, which Stuart said was pretty unusual.

We managed to check out lots of TURKEY VULTURES all day, but no
Zone-tailed Hawk.

Basking in a becardy kind of glow, we headed back towards Fort
Huachuca for some night birding (Stuart has a night pass).  On
the way we found LESSER NIGHTHAWKS** flying near Route 82.  Once
back inside the fort, we headed up Garden Canyon and stopped at
the picnic area just before the road turns to gravel.  There we
snacked on some leftovers, drank Gatorade and listened.  We could
hear both a WHIP-POOR-WILL and COMMON POORWILL, both very
clearly.  And a WHISKERED SCREECH-OWL** showed up promptly with a
little whistled coaxing.  Man, I wish we had an easier
screech-owl to imitate here in the east.  Those western birds are
easy.

We finished up an exhausting day back at the Sierra Vista Denny's
and saw more LESSER NIGHTHAWKS in the parking lot.

Day 7 Thursday

We took a break today.  We wanted to sample the breakfast at the
Inn, sleep in a little and take a breather from the heat. 
Besides, those darned guides want to get up so danged early.

We enjoyed the breakfast immensely, sat around, updated our
journals and watched birds from the patio - CALLIOPE,
BLACK-CHINNED, ANNA'S, MAGNIFICENT, BROAD-BILLED and WHITE-EARED
HUMMINGBIRDS, STRICKLANDS WOODPECKERS** (nesting in a sycamore at
the edge of the parking lot), ACORN WOODPECKERS, and
GRAY-BREASTED JAYS.  Those Black-chinned were feisty little
suckers. 

In the afternoon, we were still burnt out by the heat (get it,
yuk, yuk) but we decided to follow Stuart Healy's advice and
chase Abert's Towhee down at San Pedro House in the Riparian
Area.  It was extremely toasty -  but a burnt, blackened, dry
kind of toasty.  BLUE GROSBEAKS were in the yard of San Pedro
House.  We walked across this large, sunny field to the river and
ran into a tour coming up from further south.  We asked about
Abert's and they said they had seen several, more than expected. 
We were already worn out and sat on a log in some shade.  Sure
enough, a couple of ABERT'S TOWHEES made themselves evident. 
While we were waiting, we also saw a male SUMMER TANAGER, LESSER
GOLDFINCH, VERMILLION FLYCATCHER, CANYON TOWHEE, CASSIN'S
KINGBIRD and Kate saw a GREEN HERON.

Not bad, again for about 3pm. 

As we were standing in the gift shop contributing to the local
economy, a bus full of soldiers pulled up.  After loafing in the
parking lot for a while, they all hiked off down the path toward
the river.  No equipment of any kind - no humvees, tanks or air
cover -  just the odd waterbottle carried like a casual hiker. 
We couldn't figure what the heck they were doing. 

I envisioned a sergeant major: "Alright troopers, this is a
Vermillion Flycatcher.  It _can_ be your friend, if you'll let
it.  Now, let's see if we can identify this here swallowtail. 
No, trooper, you're wrong...it's the double tailed tiger
swallowtail.  Drop and give me 50!  Now maybe the rest of you men
will pay more attention in nature appreciation drills.  Your life
may depend on it!  Hoorah!  Now, let's have a look at these
sedges..."

I think the heat was getting to me.  Did I mention it was hot?

We still had some time to kill before the show back at the Inn,
so we indulged my lifelong dream of visiting Tombstone.  Never
mind. 

But, on a positive note, I had stopped to take some scenic
pictures on the way to Tombstone and as I was walking back across
the road, I clearly heard a CASSIN'S SPARROW**.  Kate got out of
the car, we searched the grass and there was the little guy,
singing away in clear view.

We got back to the inn by 5:30 and settled in for the show -
MAGNIFICENT, RUFOUS, BLACK-CHINNED, BLUE-THROATED, WHITE-EARED,
BROAD-TAILED, ANNA'S and CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRDS.  Whew!

The White-eared was coming by every 10 minutes or so.

So much for our day off.

Tourist note - We ate dinner at the Outside Inn, another good
place.

Day 8 Friday 

We birded along the road leading up to the Inn and the gates to
the preserve this morning, before breakfast - WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE,
ACORN WOODPECKER, a BLACK PHOEBE bathing in a puddle of water at
the stream ford, a PAINTED REDSTART, couple of BLACK-HEADED
GROSBEAKS and a CASSIN'S KINGBIRD.  But the highlight was
watching a COOPER'S HAWK (immature female?) that flew in over the
ford and perched in a tree.  She kept constantly checking things
out...below, above and all around.  We thought she was looking
for breakfast when all of a sudden she flew down and started
drinking out of the puddle.  She kept stepping back after a few
sips and looking around some more.  Then, the kingbird noticed
her and the whole neighborhood was in an uproar.  She flew from
tree to tree with outraged passerines on her tail.  Now we
realized what she was looking for...she was hoping for a drink
with some piece and quiet.

Back in the yard of the Inn, we had an immature STRICKLAND'S
WOODPECKER and the resident ACORN WOODPECKER.

After another delicious breakfast, we walked into Ramsey
Canyon...finally, after 3 days at the Inn.   In the preserve, we
saw WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, TURKEYS (are these really wild or
introduced?), CANYON WREN, PAINTED REDSTART, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE,
TURKEY VULTURE, more STRICKLAND'S WOODPECKERS above the frog
pond, GRAY-BREASTED JAY, good looks at HUTTON'S VIREOS, ACORN
WOODPECKER, BRIDLED TITMICE, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, YELLOW
WARBLER, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, BROAD-TAILED and ANNA'S
HUMMINGBIRDS.

Off to Madera Canyon...the long way.  We wanted to check out a
report from that merry band of Swedish birders of a Zone-tailed
Hawk at Patagonia State Park.  We also wanted to visit Paton's
one more time and get better looks at the Violet-crowned
Hummingbirds.  Our first stop was there and we picked up CLIFF
SWALLOWS, PHAINOPEPLA, BROAD-BILLED, VIOLET-CROWNED and
BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS.  We stopped at Patagonia State Park
and
enjoyed views of many TURKEY VULTURES.

Stuart gave us directions for a good spot to find Rufous-winged
sparrows so, even though it was afternoon, we thought we would
scope it out in anticipation of an early return visit tomorrow. 
In the area (along Pendleton near Interstate 19) were ROADRUNNER
(our third of the trip), GAMBEL'S QUAIL, FLICKER, PHAINOPEPLA,
WHITE-WINGED DOVE and VERDIN.

We arrived at Madera Canyon and checked into the Santa Rita Lodge
where we saw GRAY-BREASTED JAY, PAINTED REDSTART, MAGNIFICENT and
BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS and BRIDLED TITMICE.  We read that
Rufous-crowned Sparrows can be found in the grasslands between
Madera and Greene Valley, so we birded our way back to Greene
Valley for dinner.  We found RED-TAILED HAWK, COOPER'S HAWK, LARK
SPARROW, ROAD RUNNER (our ~fourth~ of the trip), CANYON TOWHEE,
WESTERN KINGBIRD, BLUE GROSBEAK, LESSER NIGHTHAWKS (very good
looks), BLACK-THROATED SPARROW and we ~heard~ a RUFOUS-WINGED
SPARROW.

Tourist Note - Evidently Greene Valley is a big retirement
community.  We ate at the Arizona Family Restaurant and I was
taken aback when we pulled into the parking lot and saw more ~big
cars~ in one place than I have ever seen, outside of a Cadillac
or Lincoln dealer.  I felt very inadequate parking our dirty tiny
little Taurus beside all these gleaming behemoths.  When we went
inside, we were greated to jazzy beautiful music (if there is
such a thing) being played by a hipster on an electric piano.  It
was like combining the lounge of a Holiday Inn at an AARP
convention with a very nice Denny's.  I swear we were the
youngest people in the place, except for the the staff.  Everyone
knew each other and there was this weird feeling that, if we had
ever looked like tourists on this trip, this was the time. 

Day 9 Saturday

Oops.

I realized that I had booked us a while back on a field trip that
the lodge sponsored for this morning.  We couldn't blow it off
since we had already paid for it.  That left us no time to go
down to Pendleton Road to search for the RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW**. 
And we really wanted to do more than just hear it.  We drove back
to the point on the road to Greene Valley where we heard it the
night before (0.38 miles west of mile marker 2) and got out of
the car and listened.  Sure enough, there were at least two birds
singing and they finally showed themselves and gave us reasonably
good looks. 

We sped back up the canyon just in time to meet the bird walk led
by Carol De Waade.  It was 6:30am.  She took us up the trail that
leads from the upper parking lots...on the map it says Vault Mine
Trail.   We heard or saw MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD, ACORN
WOODPECKER, FLICKER, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER,
SULPHUR BELLIED FLYCATCHER, GRAY-BREASTED JAY, BRIDLED TITMICE,
HERMIT THRUSH, SOLITARY and HUTTON'S VIREOS, BLACK-THROATED GRAY
and RED-FACED WARBLERS, PAINTED REDSTART, BLACK-HEADED GORSBEAK,
RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE and, a bird that we didn't expect, a LAZULI
BUNTING**.  That made the field trip and the hiking worthwhile. 
Back at the feeders at the gift shop and Santa Rita Lodge, we
picked up BROAD-BILLED, BLUE-THROATED, MAGNIFICENT, BLACK-CHINNED
and RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS.

By this time, it was a little after noon and we expected to meet
a CompuServe birding buddy, Glenn Czulada, at 2pm so we set the
alarm and took naps. 

Glenn and his friend, Jim, promptly showed up at about 2 and they
immediately got a few lifers.  There wasn't much going on at the
time, so we just hiked the nature trail and the road a little.

They wanted to see what the road up the canyon looked like so we
piled into their car and headed up.  Unfortunately there were
lots of Saturday picnickers up there and the afternoon doldrums
were at their peak...no birds.  I really didn't feel like going
back up Vault Mine Trail, not since they'd probably get anything
that was likely elsewhere in the next few days.

Suddenly, lighting struck very, very, very close.  I jump up and
skedaddle for the car.  First time on the trip ~I~ was in front
of the pack!   They dropped us off back at Santa Rita Lodge and
headed off for Florida Wash and Box Canyon. 

We changed our plans, checked out and headed back to Tucson.  We
wanted to hit some things we missed there last weekend and
figured being ~in~ Tucson would be better than being all the way
out in Madera Canyon.  Plus I just couldn't deal with the Arizona
Family Restaurant for dinner again.

Day 10 Sunday 

The ~Last Day~ and "awards".

What to do?  What to do?  There we were, back in Tucson and we
had a couple of options.  We could go up to Dudleyville and sit
and wait for the Streaked-backed Oriole.  From what we'd heard,
we'd be in for a long wait until the female decided to leave the
nest.  Then, we'd get a quick glimpse of her leaving, wait around
more for her to return, then get a quick glimpse of her going
back ~into~ the nest.  Didn't sound like very satisfying looks
for the time invested.  Hmmm, let's think of a quality birding
experience. 

The next option was to go back up and see if we could find the
Black-hawk again.  Nope.

The other option was to try Mt. Lemmon again.  We were still
looking for Scott's Oriole.  We had glimpses of what were
probably Scott's, but not looks good enough to tick.  The closest
we got were some female orioles, but they were flying.  And, I
still needed Grace's Warbler.  It wasn't going to bug me ~too~
much if we left Arizona with Kate having it and me not.  Besides,
Mt. Lemmon is supposedly a pretty drive.

OK, Mt. Lemmon it was. 

For those of you unfamiliar, Mt. Lemmon Road starts at the base
of the Santa Catalina mountains in the suburbs of Tucson.  It is
desert at the base and you rise for about 25 miles through
several different life-zones until you wind up at the top in
boreal type forest.  You essentially drive from Arizona to Canada
in about an hour.  It's like taking the grand tour of habitats,
with stops at each one - lots of birding opportunities.

It certainly was a pretty drive.  There are many turnouts, scenic
overlooks and picnic areas.  Our first bird, right at the
entrance to the road was...a ROAD RUNNER (our fifth of the trip). 
We made our first stop at Molino Basin where we picked up
BEWICK'S WREN, CACTUS and CANYON WREN, GAMBEL'S QUAIL, CANYON
TOWHEE, GILA WOODPECKER, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and BELL'S VIREO. 
On the road, we saw ACORN WOODPECKER.

Bear Canyon...yes!  This is a neat picnic area with towering pine
trees and no undergrowth...just a carpet of pine needles.  We
found several WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, many WHITE-BREASTED and PYGMY
NUTHATCHES, a RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE, a couple of PAINTED REDSTARTS
and YELLOW-EYED JUNCOS, a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, a couple
of BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, a non-male WESTERN TANAGER
and....GRACE'S WARBLER!!  Not only did we find Jim one, we got
Kate better looks and we got to see mom and dad dealing with some
hungry kids.  At one point, we saw what appeared to be the female
working her way up a branch of a pine and then stopping in the
middle of a hunk of pine needles.  I would swear
(anthropormorphization alert!) that she was hiding from the kids
and trying to get a little rest.  She stayed there for a pretty
long time, for a warbler.

After enjoying the location for a while, we checked the time (had
a plane to catch, you know) and decided we'd better scramble for
the top.  Now, we just wanted to enjoy the drive and the scenery. 
After a couple of more look-out stops we reached the top, turned
around and came down.

When we arrived at the airport, they announced the flight was
full and they were looking for people to give up their seats.  We
figured we'd hold out for a bigger payoff, but they found some
suckers.  While we were seated and waiting for takeoff, we
noticed an unusual amount of activity and head counting.  I also
noticed ~empty~ seats.  Just then the pilot comes on and
announces that because it is SOOOOOO hot, the engines don't work
really well...complicated by the 3000 foot altitude.  Evidently,
jet engines don't care about ~dry~ heat.  So they're being really
careful to make sure they have just the right weight.  For just a
moment, I thought...do they know how much they have, just in seat
12b?  It was a long roll down the runway, but we managed to get
off the ground before we found a quicker way up to Mt. Lemmon. 

A friend of mine is a pilot and I mentioned it to him the next
day.  He said "Oh, yeah.  Taking off from Tucson in the summer
can sometimes be very interesting."

Something to keep in mind for next time.  Maybe we drive.

Final stats: 129 trip birds, 60 lifers.

~~~~~

And now...

the "Phoebes"

The Phoebes are awards that we hand out to those deserving birds
that have been the highlights of our trips. 

Most Worked for Bird:  Tie - Grace's Warbler/Northern Beardless
Tyrannulet

Most Worked For, Not Gotten: Zone-tailed Hawk

Most Desired Bird, Prior to Trip, Gotten: Rose-throated Becard

Most Desired Bird, Not Gotten: Elf Owl

Most "Thrilling" Bird:  Barn Owl

Cutest Bird (also known as the Miss Congeniality Award): Gambel's
Quail (Juveniles)

Most Beautiful Bird (Lifer Class): Tie - Broad-billed
Hummingbird/Magnificent Hummingbird

Most Beautiful Bird (Non-lifer Class): Vermillion Flycatcher

Easiest to Find (with guide assistance): Barn Owl

Easiest to Find (on our own): Yellow-eyed Junco

Most Serendipitous: Cassin's Sparrow

Most Unexpected Bird: Lazuli Bunting

Most Instant Trash Bird: Black-headed Grosbeak

Most "Oh, It's Another...": Gray-breasted Jay

Most Ubiquitous Neat Bird (Lifer Class): Painted Redstart

Most Ubiquitous Neat Bird (Non-lifer Class): Road Runner

Neatest Sounding Bird (Lifer Class): Canyon Wren

Neatest Sounding Bird (Non-lifer Class): Whip-poor-will

Wackiest Sounding Name: Northern Beardless Tyrannulet

Drum roll please.....

Best Bird of the Trip: White-eared Hummingbird
 

~~~~~
August 19, 1995
Jim Frazier
Batavia, Illinois