Tomorrow is our final birding day in Arizona before we head to Key West on Thursday to what we expect will be a very warm 'welcome home' from Henry and OG, provided they aren't in bed when we get there.

We have been birding from dawn to well past dusk over the past few days across southeastern Arizona.

One evening, we crashed a Nature Conservancy 'owl prowl' event.  The event became a study in human behavior as much as a search for owls and other nighttime birds.  There were roughly 25 people standing in a dirt and gravel parking lot.  Of course, there was plenty of droll chatter while the guides listened intently for the birds to call from the darkness.   Then a guide would say, "I hear an owl over in this direction."   So, 25 people would promptly shuffle and scuffle their feet on the dirt and gravel to turn 90 degrees to stare into the darkness.  Crunch. Crunch. Scrape. Oooh!  Crunch. Crunch.  A herd of elephants walking on potato chips would have made less noise.  It seems that most people are physically incapable of simply turning their heads to look in a different direction.

As if that wasn't enough noise to shatter the post-dusk stillness, a Tesla pulled into a Bed & Breakfast's dirt and gravel parking lot adjacent to where the group was standing.  The driver then executed a perfect 37 point turn to position the car in front of the electric charger.  It was Crunch. Scrape. Crunch.  All over again.  The crowd quickly became highly dismayed  and frustrated with the Tesla driver.  One suggested that everyone should throw rocks at the Tesla.  I suggested that would probably just get all of us on the national news in an unfavorable light.   Finally, the group and the Tesla quieted down and we were treated to views of Elf Owls (below) and Whiskered Screech Owls.  We also heard Mexican Whippoorwill and Northern Pygmy Owls close by.

The Elf Owl is the world's smallest owl measuring just 5 to 6 inches in length. 

The next day, we saw the Northern Pygmy Owl which is about 1 inch bigger than the Elf Owl sitting near it's nesting cavity in a very large pine tree.  Can you spot the owl?

After scanning the tree for about 20 minutes with two other birders, Crystal spotted the owl.  Here is a zoomed in look of this 7" owl in this photo which I took from about 50 yards away from the tree and about 120 feet up into the tree  It is looking right at you.  Finding errors in finance and marketing reports at work was a lot easier than the owl-spotting exercise. Phewy.

Otherwise, the 2025 species count has grown by 73 species on this trip to bring the  YTD total to 435.  Overall we have seen about 170 species on the trip.  Oddly enough, we have not seen a Roadrunner.  That is about as likely as driving home from work in Charlotte and not seeing a traffic accident.  You just always see these things.  Perhaps tomorrow on our drive back to Phoenix we'll spot a roadrunner.

Instead, we have seen Hepatic Tanagers...

... Bridled Titmouse...

... Yellow-eyed Juncos...

... Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles and Gray Hawks (pictured below).

In my next post, I will share the story of the Five-striped Sparrow.  Meanwhile, it's back on the trail around 6:30 am tomorrow in search of the ultra-rare Flame-colored Tanagers.

The rain and cool temps have given way to the sunshine and heat we were expecting in Tucson.  This helped to accelerate the bird count for the trip over the last three days to 57 new species for 2025 and 150total species for the trip. 

The YTD species total currently stands at 419, just 81 short of our goal of 500 for the year.

Yesterday, we finished a 14-hour southern Arizona birding marathon at Saguaro National Park looking for Gilded Flickers and Lesser Nighthawks.

We found the Gilded Flickers busy feeding on nectar in the saguaro cactus blooms in the late afternoon.

And, after waiting and watching for about an hour, the Lesser Nighthawks went on their silent sorties into the vast Arizona sunset.

Earlier in the day, we found all of our target species in Madera Canyon including the magnificent Rivoli's Hummingbird.  This hummer looked great in this photo...

... but, it looks even better when the light is right and you see its purple crown in addition to its emerald throat.

Hummers were everywhere including the colorful Broad-billed Hummingbird.

We also picked up this diminutive Western Wood Peewee diving for its next meal.

And, one of my favorites, the Painted Redstart, playing hide and seek around a pine tree.

This evening, we were at a new location near Tucson and frankly, not much was happening.  I knew Black-tailed Gnatcatchers were supposed to be at that location.  So, I said, "Let's play the call and see what happens. If nothing else, we'll know what we're listening for."   We played the call and within seconds, two popped up out of the brush to chase away the "intruder" to their territory.  As always, I'd rather be lucky than good.

Right now, there are simply too many photos to deal with.  But, that's the type of stress you sign up for when you're retired.

We managed to send a "Get Well Soon" postcard to Henry and O.G. today.  Henry had a play date the day we left Key West and picked up a flu bug from his guest.  He promptly shared the bug with O.G.  So, Papa is hoping they are no longer contagious when we return to Key West next week.

After a futile attempt to add a couple more species to the 2025 list in Miami, we enjoyed a headline-free flight to Phoenix on Saturday followed by a drive north toward the Grand Canyon.  On the way, we picked up six new species for 2025, highlighted by this Ferruginous Hawk just before sunset.  This sighting upped my lifetime count of this bird to two.

Today, we arrived at the Grand Canyon on the Grand Canyon Railway sipping tea and eating crumpets along the way.  Then, we hopped off the train and made the short walk up the hill to our luxurious room at the legendary El Tovar Lodge.  The El Tovar first opened its doors to canyon visitors in 1905.  

Actually, we arrived at the park in our Buick mini-SUV rental after spending the night at the 'better than a tent' Grand Canyon Inn just south of the park.  However, we did enjoy a splendid brunch in our exclusive dining room at the lodge while a thunder storm made its way across the canyon.  

Actually, we were there for the early-bird blue plate special.  The place was full by the time we finished our molten lava cake.  Next time, it's stay at the El Tovar or bust.

The Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays were busy early.

Happily, we saved ourselves a 200 mile round trip drive to Marble Canyon when we spotted a pair of California Condors soaring several hundred feet above the canyon rim.

And, there were dozens of White-throated Swifts engaged in their high-speed aerial acrobatics overhead.  Trying to take a picture of these swifts is like trying to pluck a gnat out of the air with a pair of tweezers.  I kept this one decent shot and deleted the other 70+ attempts.

We hit the Kachina Wetlands near Flagstaff late in the day looking for White-faced Ibis.  And, we found them...

... Along with Western Bluebirds in nest-building mode...

... and, Wilson's Phalaropes.

After two days, we have amassed 13 new species for the year and about 35 total for the trip.  Small numbers so far with the weather being cold and rainy.  But, we have a long way to go on this one.  Tomorrow, we finish up around Flagstaff and Sedona and head for Tucson.

Meanwhile, Henry is using his time away from Papa to teach Chip the names of his Hot Wheels.   Word on the street is Chip is a better mentor to the man cubs than a pupil.

Another day, another four species for the 2025 list including one life bird.  A Bahama Mockingbird was reported at Fort Zachary Taylor on Wednesday.  This is another one of those USA rarities that has found its way to the Keys from the Caribbean.  After failing to find the bird on Thursday and Friday, I was able to get great looks at it this morning after the rain cleared.  This is lifer #549.

Black and White Warblers are everywhere right now.  Catching them when they have briefly paused their constant branch-hopping is a matter of luck.

Also new for 2025 is this Ovenbird.   This bird builds a dome-shaped nest on the ground that reminds one of an old brick oven.  Thus, the name.

I got the Louisiana Waterthrush in Texas.   And, today I got a Northern Waterthrush in South Florida.  Go Figure.

It has been 90% birding and 10% painting the past few days.  This feels like about the right play to work ratio.

We have picked up 9 more species for 2025 since our return to Key West including Wilson's Plover...

... The well-named Black-throated Blue Warbler...

... Cape May Warbler...

... American Redstart...

... And, Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

The YTD total has edged up to 356.  

There may have been 5 other travelers in the TSA screening area at the San Antonio airport this morning.  So, with that chore quickly out of the way, there was plenty of time to clean up the hundreds of photos from the trip.

Here are a few more species from our trek across Texas.  Upland Sandpipers were working the sod farms near Robstown / Corpus Christi.  These sandpipers prefer grasslands over beaches.  So, the vast sod fields provide them with excellent migratory habitat.

This Bell's Vireo almost landed on my head at Big Bend National Park.

Also at Big Bend, this Black-crested Titmouse provided some trailside entertainment.

A pair of Canyon Wrens were working a nest cavity in a cliff at Big Bend.  

And finally, this Mexican Jay was in the right spot at the right time, providing a look that I was happy with.

This morning, we left Alpine, TX before dawn heading to Davis Mountains State Park in search of Cassin's Kingbird and Montezuma Quail.  We counted 18 Easter bunnies (aka Jackrabbits) feeding on the roadside grasses in the pre-dawn darkness.

After arriving at the park, we quickly heard the Cassin's Kingbird singing away as dawn arrived.  I took one picture of the kingbird at a very slow shutter speed for documentation only.  The bird was too high in the tree and there was not enough light to allow for a good picture.  Normally, this is no big deal but, this blunder affected what happened next.

After failing to see the quails at the feeding station adjacent to where we saw the kingbird, we quickly made our way to the park's other bird blind hoping for better luck.  As we parked the car, we could see that this blind was already stuffed with birdwatchers.  As I approached the blind hoping to weasel my way into a decent spot, I saw the Montezuma Quails headed for the feeding area behind the blind.

Now, you don't just park your car and walk up to a blind and immediately find Montezuma Quail.  You just don't.  But we did.  So, in the excitement and the commotion of trying to get into a position where I could shoot through one of the holes in the blind, and the other folks going bananas in a very hush, hush way,  I completely forgot to adjust the shutter speed on my camera.  On top of that, we left the scene giddy over the fact that we had actually seen the quails and gotten really good pictures without actually checking them closely.   As my son would say, "What a newb."

So, here is the best I've got of this amazing quail.   I will be back for more with a camera set to a faster shutter speed. 

I realized my mistake when I was photographing the Yellow-headed Blackbirds we found in Junction, TX.  I couldn't figure out why my shots were out of focus.  Then came the 'a-ha moment' followed by the 'oh-crap' moment' as I realized my quail photos were not going to be what I was expecting.

We also added a Cinnamon Teal in Junction, TX to  make our final Texas trip results:

196 total species

73 new species for 2025 / 347 YTD

4 lifer birds  / 548 All-time

The male Cinnamon Teal was too far away for good photos but, here is a look at this colorful duck from a previous trip to Arizona.

Now it's back to Key West to chase the warblers that are now showing up at Fort Zachary Taylor.  The Least Terns and the Gray Kingbirds have arrived in Key West. The spring migration is officially on.

Tomorrow, we wrap up our 10 day tour across Texas with a return visit to Davis Mountains State Park.  Today, our effort yielded three additional species for the 2025 count, bringing the YTD total to 343 and trip total for new 2025 species to 69.  

Our best new good friend Carolyn at the oasis will be happy to know that we started off with distant looks at a pair of Rock Wrens.  Then after some cat and mouse pursuit, they ended up working their way from 50 yards away to 10 feet away while I sat by the edge of the road.  Even I can't miss from that distance!

I call this picture "Rock Wren on a Wren Rock."

We also added a Says Phoebe.

An Acorn Woodpecker was the third 'get' of the day.  But it wasn't interested in sitting for a portrait today.

Other birds who did accommodate a photo or two included this Scott's Oriole...

... And this Ash-throated Flycatcher.

Yesterday, while at Balmorhea Lake, I rolled down the window to take a photo of an American Kestrel.

That was nice but, we dropped him like a sack of potatoes when we heard a Chihuahuan Meadowlark singing from the bushes below.  The wind was howling.  So, getting any shot at all from about 75 yards was quite a feat.  Last night that wind dropped about 1/8" of dirt on our car.  I set the windshield wipers and fluid to work to clean the windshield only to realize how many bug guts were pasted on our windshield under the dirt.

Tomorrow, we'll see if we can nudge the trip total for 2025 birds to 70 or better.  Then we'll leave the land of playing deer and antelope (which we have seen aplenty) to return to Key West to do laundry, more painting, and playing with the man cubs.  Then it's off to Arizona for 10 days in early May.  Hopefully, the spring migration will be heating up in Key West next week as well.

As I have said before, there are no days off when you are retired.