The past couple of weeks have been all about babies, bottles and diapers.  Henry and I have been taking walks, going to the pool, and wearing out the movie "Cars."  I have also concluded there isn't a pop song that cannot be turned into a Sesame Street jingle.  Chip the cat has taken it upon himself to raise the man-cub Owen.

This weekend marks the beginning of the move into the new house.  It looks like that process will consume most of June. 

I have also been working through the remaining photos from the Arizona trip.  Here a few more looks from the trip.

True to its name, this Hermit Warbler made a brief appearance on the final morning of the trip.

Painted Redstart is another one of my favorite birds to photograph.  

Do hummingbirds take baths?  Why yes, they certainly do.  This female Broad-tailed Hummingbird took a dip in the stream while I was working on the Grace's Warbler below.

On the final morning, I walked with a couple of staffers from the Ash Canyon Preserve in search of Northern Pygmy Owls.  We didn't see the owls but, they did point out several nests including this Plumbeous Vireo sitting on her nest.  We also observed Rivoli's and Beryline Hummingbird nests.

Finally, another of my western favorites is the Mountain Chickadee.

More soon provided we survive the move into the new house.  Doing that kind of work with the heat index at +100 degrees is not my idea of a healthy past-time.  

After ten fabulous days in Arizona, it's back to Key West tomorrow to prepare for the move into the new house.  

For the trip, I tallied 156 total species with 88 new for the year and 31 life birds.  The 2024 YTD total species count now stands at 395 species against my goal this year of 500.  The going gets tougher from here.

The locals insist seeing a Gila Monster is a rare thing but, I saw my second one in 5 days near Portal, AZ.

One of the top priority species for any birder in Southeast Arizona is the Elegant Trogon.  This bird is primarily found from Mexico south into Central America.  But, a few make their way into the 'Sky Islands" south of Tucson.

And, while Roadrunners are quite common in this area, it's still fun to watch them dart about like they just downed a six-pack of Red Bulls.

Oh yes, and the Elf Owl I was looking for Wednesday evening?   Yep, I got that one too.  The Elf Owl is the world's smallest owl measuring about 5 inches from the top of their head to the tip of their tail.

Hasta la vista, Vaya con dios and Tommy Lasorda from Arizona!

Today, we'll focus on the Arizona birds I have seen on this trip that are predominantly yellow or orange starting with the Black-headed Grosbeak.  

And the Bullock's Oriole.

And, a Scott's Oriole enjoying some grape jelly.

And, a similar but different Hooded Oriole.

One of my favorites is the colorful Western Tanager.

And, on Monday, this Olive Warbler became life bird #500!   I am looking to make an Elf Owl #504 tonight.

I have seen two Coatimundis on this trip.  The second one pulled down a hummingbird feeder to satisfy its sweet tooth.  I can respect that.

On Sunday, I encountered a birding tour group near Tucson while looking for the Five-striped Sparrow.  On Monday, they appeared while I was at a hotspot in Patagonia, AZ.  On Wednesday, they arrived at Miller Canyon near Sierra Vista, AZ as I was getting ready to leave that location.  So basically, those folks are paying about $2,500 each for a guide to drive them to the same locations I am hitting at no charge.  Being self-sufficient does have value although they are probably eating better than I am.

On a final note, the saguaro cacti have started blooming along with other cactus species making the Sonoran Desert one gigantic garden.

Greetings from warm and windy Tucson.  With three full days of birding from the Utah border to the Mexican border, the only bad news is that this trip ends in seven days.   The 2024 list has grown by 51 to bring the 2024 total species count to 358.

I'll start this post with some red birds.  I thought I had a great look at a Summer Tanager in Texas a couple of weeks ago (see my April 11 post) but, this look may be even better.   You tell me.

My previous post included my first look at a Red-faced Warbler.  I got some better looks the next day.

And, after 3 trips to Arizona, I finally got a Pyrrhuloxia photo that I really like.  The view and the evening light at Saguaro National Park were just right.

Having picked up the Common Nighthawk in Texas and an Antillean Nighthawk in Key West just before this trip, I completed the "2024 nighthawk trifecta" by picking up the Lesser Nighthawk in Saguaro National Park.  Trying to photograph these birds when they are flying 10-20 MPH on wildly erratic flightpaths is certainly a challenge.  I got this one just before it soared behind a saguaro cactus.

My #1 target bird for the trip was the Five-striped Sparrow, a species that is found in the U.S. only around the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson.  On my way to find the sparrow, I came upon a fellow standing by the road.  He waved at me to pass but, I decided to stop and see what he was checking out.  He asked if I wanted to see a Gila Monster.  I said, "Sure thing as long as I don't have to pet it."  It's bite is roughly the equivalent of a rattlesnake's bite. Unfortunately, it had crawled off and the search was abandoned after several minutes of peering through a barbed wire fence.

Shortly after that, I came upon him again waving me down.  This time, a Gila Monster was still in the road and I was able to see this species for the first time.  He said these are exceptionally difficult to find and he was visibly thrilled to have seen two in one day.  In talking with other locals about this, I concluded this sighting was the equivalent of finding a junonia shell on your first trip to Sanibel.  On a side note for Judson... the Gila Monster is not a bird.

Another non-bird sighting was this Abert's Squirrel.  I'm still looking for the Abert's Towhee on this trip but, did not know there was a squirrel with the same namesake.

And yes, I did find the Five-striped Sparrow although my best photo opportunity was from about 80 yards away.  I'll revisit this location at least one more time to try to get a better shot.

Today being Cinco de Mayo, I was looking forward to dinner at Manuel's in Sahuarita, AZ.  Manuel's may be my favorite Mexican restaurant.  Imagine my surprise when I found it closed.  Isn't that like closing an Irish pub on St. Patrick's day?

More soon from Southeast Arizona!

I arrived in Phoenix yesterday with the temperature at 94 degrees and regular unleaded gas at $4.18 per gallon.   So, I bolted for Flagstaff as fast as the traffic would allow.  This morning I was on the trail at 6:15am with sunny skies and 41 degrees that warmed to a perfect 72.  And gas at a more reasonable $3.54 out here in the boondocks.  Much better.  

Today's highlights included a trip to Marble Canyon near the Arizona / Utah border to see the endangered California Condors.  Two of them put on a aerial show above the canyon.

Another highlight was adding 7 more species to my life list which now stands at 490.  It has been quite a while since I added that many in one day.  The stunning Red-faced Warbler was a top lifer target for me. 

The 2024 species total grew by 20 today.  So, all in all, an excellent start to the trip. 

The second leg of the 'big trip' kicks off today with a flight to Phoenix where I will be running around Arizona for the next ten days with a target list of about 120 species.  And getting some rest along the way.  Keeping up with two grandsons is exhausting for both parents and grandparents!

Birding in Key West has been quiet with just a few new species logged this week.  This Cape May Warbler offered some nice looks.

The White-crowned Pigeon is a Caribbean species easily found around Key West.

More soon from Arizona!