I spent a fine day with Shirley and Paul Graber from Surrey, England, celebrating Thanksgiving the best way that us Brits know how: birding at sewage ponds! I had a good day with the camera and got lots of photos.
Sweetwater Wetlands was productive as ever, with many interesting birds. We had great views of NORTHERN FLICKER, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, TOWNSEND’S WARBLER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and lots more. We couldn’t persuade a SORA to show itself but we heard plenty.
 Northern Shoveler  Northern Flicker  Townsend's Warbler  Orange-crowned Warbler  Orange-crowned Warbler Back in the parking lot, we were preparing to leave when there was a sudden alarm call and all the birds scattered. I looked left and right for the inevitable hawk, then noticed the perfect image of a flying COOPER’S HAWK in the hood of the car next to me. Taking a second to work out the angles, I looked up and saw the culprit perched on the pole right above us. I don’t think I’ve ever found a bird from its reflection in a car!
 Juvenile Cooper's Hawk Moving north, we found GREATER ROADRUNNER, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, various sparrows and three BURROWING OWLS near Pinal Air Park. Always a treat! How many can you spot? Just one? Look again…
 Burrowing Owl  Greater Roadrunner  Loggerhead Shrike  Loggerhead Shrike  Lark Bunting  Vesper Sparrow A quick bathroom stop at Picacho Peak turned into more birding, as there were a number of birds in the desert next to the parking lot, including CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, NORTHERN CARDINAL, PYRRHULOXIA and LARK SPARROW.
 Curve-billed Thrasher  Gila Woodpecker We carried on to the Santa Cruz Flats. The highlight was finding a MOUNTAIN PLOVER along the ‘2750’ road running north from Pretzer, west of Tweedy. I think this is the first report in SE Arizona this fall so it was nice to spread the news of their return. It was unusual to see one on its own, but a few minutes later we noticed another flock and in all we saw 39.
 Mountain Plover We also saw a dark phase FERRUGINOUS HAWK there, and watched a thrilling chase between a PEREGRINE FALCON and a MOURNING DOVE, which lasted for a couple of minutes before the dove finally escaped. A lost-looking SNOW GOOSE passed overhead and we found three more BURROWING OWLS in the vicinity.
 Burrowing Owl  Killdeer Along Pretzer to the west of Picacho Highway, the other good area for me recently, we found a pair of WHITE-TAILED KITES in the fields to the south of the road. Lots of birds along the roadside and in the fields here.
 White-tailed Kite  Northern Harrier Ten CRESTED CARACARAS were behind the corral on Baumgartner west of Wheeler, and a PRAIRIE FLACON was near the farm along Baumgartner east of Wheeler, the third time I’ve seen one here this month.
 Prairie Falcon  Prairie Falcon Another action-packed day with great company and 73 species. My thanks to Paul & Shirley for a fun trip!
 November 23rd, 2011  Tags: belize, favorites, tours I’m delighted to announce the dates and prices for the February 2012 Fun Belize Birding Tour!
» Full Details
Dates:
9 day / 8 night tour: 18 – 26 February 2012. Click here for more details and itinerary
11 day / 10 night tour: 18 – 28 February 2012. Click here for more details and itinerary
 Laid back birding at duPlooy's Jungle Lodge Prices:
I’ve kept the prices as low as possible while still staying in great places and doing all the best activities. Compare our prices with the WINGS 7 day/8 night birding tour, which is $3,900 per person. Our accommodation for 6 nights will be at the fantastic duPlooy’s Jungle Lodge. We’ll be staying in the Belize River House, which is a lovely building surrounded by well kept grounds and lush jungle. It has seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, two living rooms and two patio decks. It’s charming, very comfortable and close to the dining room and bar deck. Upgrades to self contained Jungle Lodge Rooms are available. Accommodation for the single nights at Tikal and Crooked Tree are more basic, but perfectly acceptable, especially given the locations. The extended tour adds a couple of nights at a small hotel on the tiny tropical island of Caye Caulker.
 The Caana at Caracol 9 day / 8 night tour:
Double occupancy: $2650 per person
Single supplement: $50 per day, total $3100
Upgrade: couples can upgrade their accommodation while at duPlooy’s (6 nights) from the Belize River House to a Jungle Lodge Room for $400 per person
11 day / 10 night tour:
Double occupancy: $3210 per person
Single supplement: $50 per day, total $3760
Upgrade: couples can upgrade their accommodation while at duPlooy’s (6 nights) from the Belize River House to a Jungle Lodge Room for $400 per person
Prices include:
- All accommodation
- All meals
- All local and state taxes
- All service charges
- All transportation, including comfortable air-conditioned tour bus, boat trips and interior flights on extended tour
- All entrance fees
- All expert guides, including Fun Birding Tours guide (Richard Fray), Belizean birding guide and local archaeological guides
 Blue-crowned Motmot Not included:
- Flights to and from Belize City, bar drinks, border fees and any additional gifts or items you choose to buy.
Currently, return flights from Tucson to Belize City, via either Houston or Dallas Fort Worth, can be bought for as little as $550. If you want help finding the best prices, please let me know.
While we’ll be staying in some comfort at duPlooy’s, we have to remember that we’ll still be in the jungle in Central America. It’s not Manhattan! We’ll encounter some interesting bugs, for sure, some of which bite, others which might make it indoors. We can probably expect a short power cut at some point. Your wake up call will be the loud cries of Plain Chachalaca at dawn. And duPlooy’s has a stringent environmental policy so there’s no air conditioning. It does get hot, even in February, but I’ve never had a problem with a combination of ceiling fans and open windows.
I’m really excited about this trip. The birding will be excellent but there will be a lot more besides. We’ll visit all my favorite places in Belize, including five ancient Mayan cities, so I can’t wait!
Please let me know if you have any questions. I hope you can join us for what promises to be a Belize trip of a lifetime…
Send an email or call: 520-394-0132
November 22nd, 2011 Tags: britain, news, podcast, se az birding  The USA Episode A couple of weeks ago I was asked by my friend John Hague if I’d appear on the Talking Naturally Podcast, the number one show about the British birding scene, hosted by Charlie Moores. John is a regular panelist on The Conference Calls, an amusing conversation about the latest topics in British and world birding. I was asked to talk about the differences between the British and American birding scenes, having considerable experience of both.
We recorded the podcast – or is it a program? – and it came out a week ago. Embarrassingly, it’s taken me that long to pluck up the courage to listen to it! But once I’d gotten over hearing my own voice on iTunes, on reflection I think it turned out really well. We had a great laugh recording it and I think that comes across.
So why not listen in? You can hear the program by clicking play on the episode’s web page, or by typing Talking Naturally into iTunes. I’m on episode TN70, but they’re all well worth a listen.
The Conference Calls are a regular feature of the programs, but Charlie also interviews conservationists from around the world to report on fascinating environmental projects, as well as prominent British and world birding experts. If you enjoy it, bookmark the Talking Naturally Website or subscribe on iTunes so you can become a regular listener. I’ve been a fan of the Talking Naturally podcast for ages and listen every week, usually on my iPod as I head back from a long day of SE Arizona birding.
Hope you enjoy it 
The last of three days birding with Ken Burden from Washington state. Ken was an absolute pleasure to spend time with. At 85 years young, he’s as bright as a button and he outsmarted me constantly (which I guess isn’t difficult). His amazing stories kept me entertained throughout. Thanks Ken
We began at Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson and quickly found the continuing CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, which was hanging out with a TOWNSEND’S WARBLER in the cottonwoods directly west of Hidden Pond. Also there, a yellowy SUMMER TANAGER by Hidden Pond, with another or the same heard calling to the south of the complex, plus all the usual delights Sweetwater has to offer.
 Chestnut-sided Warbler  Chestnut-sided Warbler  Chestnut-sided Warbler  Chestnut-sided Warbler We spent a while searching for the Short-tailed Hawk in its east Tucson wintering area (Seneca/Ridgeway) without success. We had a brief look for it on Tuesday afternoon and came up empty then as well. Has anyone looked for or seen this bird lately? A stunning male BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD was some consolation.
After missing it yesterday, we headed south for another go at the BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER along the Santa Cruz at Carmen. We found it quite easily, by the blue plastic jug balanced on a railroad tie, along with a lot more bird action than yesterday afternoon. This included BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, CASSIN’S VIREO and GRAY FLYCATCHER. A RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW was singing in the mesquites to the west.
We checked a few ponds without finding anything much. A lowland AMERICAN ROBIN was feeding at a small pyracantha bush by the golf club on Plaza de la Cotonia, Desert Hills Estates in Green Valley. There was still a BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK at Amado Pond.
For the fifth year in a row, a GRAY HAWK has chosen the Arivaca Road exit on I-19 at Amado as it’s wintering area. It’s probably the only one in the U.S.A. at the moment, but it certainly didn’t make itself difficult to find today. It’s a shame more birds don’t take this approach when it comes to revealing their whereabouts…
 Gray Hawk, this way... On my way home from Tucson to Patagonia, a PRAIRIE FLACON flew over I-19 just south of Valencia in South Tucson and there were still a couple of TURKEY VULTURES along River Rd south of Rio Rico.
A great few days of fall birding in SE Arizona with a charming and extremely interesting companion.
Birding with Ken Burden from Washington state, we were searching for Arizona rarities. We saw a lot of species but fared less well on the rarity front.
We began in Patagonia where we found five woodpecker species but failed to find the recent Williamson’s Sapsucker by the bandstand. A MERLIN flew over and perched briefly behind the Stage Stop Inn. Paton’s still had at least four BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRDS (two adult males, immature male, adult female).
A couple of BLACK VULTURES were near Nogales. Moving on to Pena Blanca Lake, we found the southern end to be much quieter than recent visits. Highlights were an ARIZONA WOODPECKER, a gorgeous male LAWRENCE’S GOLDFINCH and a minimum of 12 LEAST GREBES. I was particularly pleased with some of the photos.
 Least Grebe  Least Grebe  Least Grebe  Least Grebe  Least Grebes We spent a while birding the wash along Peck Canyon Rd in Rio Rico. After about 40 minutes we eventually saw the SCARLET TANAGER (a state bird – thanks Joshua!) in the wash to the south of the road, a little west of Geronimo Court. It was silent and almost motionless in a large mesquite for about ten seconds, then dropped out of sight and we didn’t see it again. A few RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS were the only other birds of note and the area was generally quiet.
 Rufous-winged Sparrow At Amado Pond we found three male and one female WOOD DUCKS and one adult BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK.
The Anza Trail south of Clark Crossing Rd in Carmen was almost bird free when we were there, with the best bird being a GRAY FLYCATCHER.
We ended on 85 species which was a good total, but we missed a few targets. We’ll try again tomorrow…
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