North American Migration Count (NAMC)

Cochise County, 10 May 2008

Twenty-seven birders, many of them HAS members, participated in the NAMC on 10 May 2008, finding a total of 203 species in Cochise County. This outstanding effort was a new high for the county (2005-165 species; 2006-183 species; 2007-202), putting Cochise County in competition with Maricopa County (which has 1 ½ times more area) for the diversity record in Arizona.

Highlights Read more...

Highlights Hide article...

Areas covered this year included Huachuca, Sawmill, Garden, Ramsey, lower Carr, and Miller Canyons in the Huachuca Mountains; San Pedro River Inn, San Pedro House, and Escapule Wash sections on the upper San Pedro River; Benson; Cochise Stronghold in the Whetstone Mountains; Whitewater Draw WMA and Lake Cochise in the Sulphur Springs Valley; Portal, Cave Creek Canyon (including South Fork), the Southwest Research Station, Paradise, West Turkey Creek, Rustler Park, and Barfoot Park, in the Chiricahua Mountains. One birder went camping in order to get nocturnal birds and to be in position early in the morning in the mountains. Just as important were the feeder watchers who provided some unique species, listed below.

A summary by bird families follows, with unusual birds in italics. Thirteen species of ducks were found, with four times as many “Mexican” Ducks as regular Mallards. A female Canvasback on the ponds in Benson was a bonus, but the most unusual duck, considering the time of year, was a lingering female Common Goldeneye at Lake Cochise. The most abundant game birds were Gambel’s Quail, followed by Wild Turkey, then Scaled Quail; no Montezuma Quail were found.

Waterbirds other than ducks included Eared Grebe (no Pied-billed Grebes), Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White-faced Ibis, and Am. Coot. Two Great Egrets and a Cattle Egret were new birds for this count. Most shorebirds were confined to the three impoundment areas, with eight species recorded. Thirty-five Willets found at Green Kingfisher Pond on the San Pedro River were a big surprise. Twenty-one Black-necked Stilts set a new high for that species; likewise 166 Wilson’s Phalaropes was a new high count. Most disappointing, however, was missing Red-necked Phalarope, seen before and after count day at Lake Cochise. There were five Ring-billed Gulls at Benson.

Eleven species of raptor were tallied, with N. Goshawk, Short-tailed Hawk, and Golden Eagle being good finds. Two Short-tailed Hawks were soaring over Barfoot Park; this is a new bird for the NAMC in Cochise Co. The expected pigeons and doves were noted, including Inca Dove for the first time. Fifteen Greater Roadrunner were about and White-throated Swifts were found by several teams. Seven owl species were tallied, mostly by the nocturnal counters, although all three Barn Owls were found during the day. Flammulated Owl and Long-eared Owl were missed this year, but Spotted Owl was tallied in the Chiricahua Mountains. Half a dozen Common Poorwills and Whip-poor-wills were reported, but only three Lesser Nighthawks were found. A report of an early Common Nighthawk was dropped by the state coordinator due to insufficient details. Eight hummingbird species were checked off, including White-eared Hummingbird at Beatty’s in Miller Canyon and Berylline Hummingbird at Ramsey Canyon Inn in Ramsey Canyon, both of these new for this count. Twelve Elegant Trogons was a good count. No Belted Kingfishers were seen this year, but a dozen Loggerhead Shrikes, and nine Horned Larks were tallied.

Among the eight woodpecker species, the top birds were a Red-naped Sapsucker along South Fork in the Chiricahuas, and two Gilded Flickers along the San Pedro River. Flycatchers were in good numbers, with twenty-one species identified, including a Tufted Flycatcher at Herb Martyr in the Chiricahuas, the second record for Arizona. Another addition to this count were three N. Beardless-Tyrannulets along the San Pedro River at Escapule Wash. Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers were missed, a sign of their late arrival this spring. All five expected vireos were seen, with Cassin’s Vireos still moving through on migration, and a record 18 Bell’s Vireos noted. All five corvids were noted, with most of them being Mexican Jays. The usual Violet-green, N. Rough-winged, Cliff, and Barn Swallows were foraging in the air, joined by two Bank Swallows, adding yet another new species for this count. Counters found all five species of wren that breed in our county, plus a Marsh Wren lingering at Green Kingfisher Pond. In the woodlands, Brown Creeper, all three nuthatches, Bridled and Juniper Titmice, and eleven Mexican Chickadees were checked off. Verdin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Black-tailed Gnatcatcher were found in small numbers. Eastern Bluebird (but not Western Bluebird), Townsend’s Solitaire, Swainson’s Thrush, Hermit Thrush, and American Robin were another suite of woodland birds found during the day.

All four mimids were located, with one Bendire’s Thrasher and four Crissal Thrashers being the least common. European Starlings are still relatively uncommon, with a count of 17 individuals, while Am. Pipit and Cedar Waxwing were not found this year. Phainopeplas were found in small numbers. Warblers were represented by sixteen species, many in record numbers. Seven Olive, eight Orange-crowned, eleven Virginia’s, three Hermit, four MacGillivray’s, and eleven Red-faced Warblers were all excellent counts, but the 115 Yellow Warblers and 88 Wilson’s Warblers were record-breakers, and another sign of the late spring. Again this year Western Tanagers were the most common tanager, with 63 individuals counted; but Summer Tanagers were not far behind, with 53 birds counted, and 21 Hepatic Tanagers were noted. A new high of 23 lingering Green-tailed Towhees meant all four towhees made it onto the list. There were twelve sparrow species on the list, with a vagrant Golden-crowned Sparrow at Cave Creek Ranch’s feeders being the most unusual. Other interesting sparrow counts included four Botteri’s and new high counts for Rufous-crowned (13), Chipping (130), Brewer’s (10), Lark (50), Black-throated (54), White-crowned (68), and Dark-eyed Junco (14). No Black-chinned Sparrows nor Lark Buntings were found.

A nice list of grosbeaks and buntings included 123 Black-headed Grosbeaks (new high), but no Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were seen. N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, and Blue Grosbeak rounded out the list, all at new high counts, while 72 Lazuli Buntings was amazing, and two Indigo Bunting added spice to the list. Nine species in the icterid (blackbird) family were counted, including the three orioles—Hooded, Bullock’s, and Scott’s—and both Bronzed and Brown-headed Cowbirds. House Sparrows, House Finches, and Lesser Goldfinches all came to feeders in good numbers. Last, but not least, were 4 Red Crossbills (compared to 44 last year), and 226 Pine Siskins (compared to 11 last year), nicely illustrating the irruptive nature of these birds as winter visitors. No American Goldfinch was found this year. We counted a total of 5531 individuals, slightly more than last year.

Compiler: Erika Wilson

Cochise County, 12 May 2007

Thirty birders, many of them HAS members, participated in the NAMC on 12 May 2007, finding a total of 202 species in Cochise County. This outstanding effort was a new high for the county (2005-165 species; 2006-183 species), putting Cochise County in competition with Maricopa County (which has 1 ½ times more area) for the diversity record in Arizona.

Highlights Read more...

Highlights Hide article...

Areas covered this year included Huachuca, Sawmill, Scheelite, Garden, Ramsey, Carr, and Hunter Canyons in the Huachuca Mountains; San Pedro River Inn and San Pedro House sections on the upper San Pedro River; Benson and St. David on the middle San Pedro River; Cochise Stronghold in the Whetstone Mountains; Whitewater Draw WMA and Lake Cochise in the Sulphur Springs Valley; Portal, Cave Creek Canyon, the Southwest Research Station, Paradise, Rustler Park, Barfoot Park, W. Turkey Creek, and lower Chiricahua NM in the Chiricahua Mountains. Several birders went camping in order to get nocturnal birds and to be in position early in the morning in the mountains. Just as important were the feeder watchers who provided some unique species, listed below.

A summary by bird families follows, with unusual birds in italics. Fourteen species of ducks were found, with four times as many “Mexican” Ducks as regular Mallards. A Wood Duck on the San Pedro River near the San Pedro River Inn was a bonus, but the most unusual duck, considering the time of year, was a lingering female Canvasback on the ponds in Benson. The most abundant quail were Gambel’s, followed by Scaled, then Wild Turkey; no Montezuma Quail were found.

Waterbirds other than ducks included both Pied-billed and Eared Grebe, Great Blue Heron, White-faced Ibis, and Am. Coot. Shorebirds were confined to the three impoundment areas, with a dozen species recorded. The presence of a Pectoral Sandpiper at Lake Cochise and two Stilt Sandpipers at Whitewater Draw overshadowed the good counts of 23 Willets, 10 Long-billed Curlews, one Marbled Godwit, and a Red-necked Phalarope among the Wilson’s Phalaropes. Gulls and terns were represented by Franklin’s Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls and a Least Tern at Lake Cochise.

Fourteen species of raptor were tallied, with White-tailed Kite, Mississippi Kite, N. Goshawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Golden Eagle, and Prairie Falcon being good finds. The expected pigeons and doves were noted, with the exception of Inca Dove, which slipped through the net. Feeders in the Chiricahua Mountains can attract wonderful birds, including 80 Band-tailed Pigeons that ate all the available seed in short order! Thirteen Greater Roadrunner were about and White-throated Swifts were found by several teams. Nine owl species were tallied, mostly by the nocturnal counters, although all four Barn Owls were found during the day. A Flammulated Owl, a Spotted Owl, and several Long-eared Owls were in the Chiricahua Mountains. About a dozen each of Lesser Nighthawk, Common Poorwill, and Whip-poor-will were reported. Six hummingbird species were checked off, none of them rare, while sixteen Elegant Trogons was a most satisfying count. Two Belted Kingfishers, 23 Loggerhead Shrikes, and three Horned Larks were tallied.

Among the eight woodpecker species, the top birds were a Lewis’ Woodpecker at a Paradise feeder, and a Gilded Flicker at the San Pedro River Inn. Flycatchers were in good numbers, with sixteen species identified, including a Thick-billed Kingbird on Fort Huachuca, Tropical Kingbird along the San Pedro River, plus Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers and Buff-breasted Flycatchers in the mountains. All five expected vireos were seen, with Cassin’s and Warbling Vireos still moving through on migration. All five corvids were noted, with 140 of them being Mexican Jays. The usual Violet-green, N. Rough-winged, Cliff, and Barn Swallows were foraging in the air. Counters found all five species of wren that breed in our county, plus Verdin. In the woodlands, Brown Creeper, all three nuthatches, Bridled and Juniper Titmice, and nine Mexican Chickadees were checked off. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern and Western Bluebirds, Hermit Thrush, and American Robin were another suite of woodland birds found during the day.

All four mimids were located, with two Bendire’s Thrashers and eight Crissal Thrashers being the least common. European Starlings are still relatively uncommon, with a count of 27 individuals, while only two lingering Am. Pipits turned up. Both Cedar Waxwings and Phainopeplas were found in small numbers. Warblers were represented by sixteen species, including ten Olive, one Orange-crowned, four Virginia’s, three Hermit, two MacGillivray’s, and four Red-faced Warblers. A huge influx of Western Tanagers was moving through that day, with 96 individuals counted; about two dozen each of Hepatic and Summer Tanagers were noted. Two lingering Green-tailed Towhees meant all four towhees made it onto the list. There were twelve sparrow species on the list, with a very late White-throated Sparrow at a Portal feeder being the most unusual. Other interesting sparrow counts included eleven Botteri’s, two Black-chinned, and one Lincoln’s, plus thirteen Lark Buntings near Whitewater Draw.

A nice list of grosbeaks and buntings included 100+ Black-headed Grosbeaks and two different Rose-breasted Grosbeaks seen at Portal, one at a feeder there. N. Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, and Blue Grosbeak rounded out the list, while 21 Lazuli Buntings (18 at one feeder) and one Indigo Bunting added spice to the list. Nine species in the icterid (blackbird) family were counted, including the three orioles—Hooded, Bullock’s, and Scott’s—and both Bronzed and Brown-headed Cowbirds. House Sparrows, House Finches, and Lesser Goldfinches all came to feeders in good numbers. Last, but not least, were 44 Red Crossbills, eleven Pine Siskins, and one American Goldfinch, all located in the Chiricahua Mountains.

Compiler: Erika Wilson

(NOTE: Adobe Acrobat Reader available free from Adobe for reading PDF files)

Last updated: 19 June 2008 by REW.