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Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl)

SNOW GOOSE (Anser caerulescens)

Although we saw a single blue morph at a park in Tucson, it wasn't until our visit to Whitewater Draw that we saw dozens (hundreds?).

ROSS'S GOOSE (Anser rossii)

We picked out one of these tiny, white geese mixed in with the Snow Geese at Whitewater Draw.

CANADA GOOSE (Branta canadensis)

This familiar species was seen on our first three days in Phoenix at spots like Gilbert Water Ranch, Friendship Park, and Encanto Park.

CINNAMON TEAL (Spatula cyanoptera)

There was only one or two, and only a couple of people saw them, fly by at Gilbert Water Ranch.

NORTHERN SHOVELER (Spatula clypeata)

This large-billed dabbler was fairly common and we tallied a number of them at Gilbert Water Ranch, Willcox, and Whitewater Draw.

GADWALL (Mareca strepera)

A few were seen at the Gilbert Water Ranch on both of our visits there.

AMERICAN WIGEON (Mareca americana)

Common at a variety of locations such as Encanto Park, Gilbert Water Ranch, Canoa Ranch, Lakeside Park, Willcox, and Whitewater Draw.

MALLARD (Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos)

Common and seen most days. The biggest gatherings we saw were at Encanto Park and Gilbert Water Ranch.

NORTHERN PINTAIL (Anas acuta)

A large flock, easily numbering 300, was seen at Gilbert Water Ranch.

GREEN-WINGED TEAL (AMERICAN) (Anas crecca carolinensis)

This tiny species of dabbler, the smallest dabbler in the world, was tallied from Gilbert Water Ranch, Willcox, and Whitewater Draw.

CANVASBACK (Aythya valisineria)

A lone female was seen mixed in with the Redheads at Canoa Ranch.

REDHEAD (Aythya americana)

Canoa Ranch was the only spot we tallied this handsome diving species.

RING-NECKED DUCK (Aythya collaris)

A couple of the parks we visited were loaded with these and most of the time they were exceptionally tame. We had our best views at Friendship Park, Encanto Park, and Gilbert Water Ranch.

LESSER SCAUP (Aythya affinis)

Half a dozen of these were scoped at Gilbert Water Ranch on our second visit.

RUDDY DUCK (Oxyura jamaicensis)

More than a hundred of these "stiff tails" were seen at Gilbert Water Ranch and then later at Willcox.

Odontophoridae (New World Quail)

GAMBEL'S QUAIL (Callipepla gambelii)

A fancy quail and one that we encountered a number of times. We found them at Gilbert Water Ranch, Tucson Mountain Park, and Whitewater Draw.

Phasianidae (Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies)

WILD TURKEY (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana)

The ones around the feeders in Madera Canyon hardly seemed too worried about us! Note the subspecies; these are often referred to as "Gould's Wild Turkey" and they range from central Mexico north into just a couple mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona.

Podicipedidae (Grebes)

PIED-BILLED GREBE (Podilymbus podiceps)

Fairly common on a variety of ponds and lakes throughout the trip. We saw them at Gilbert Water Ranch, Canoa Ranch, Lakeside Park, and Whitewater Draw.

Columbidae (Pigeons and Doves)

ROCK PIGEON (Columba livia) [I]

Common in urban areas.

EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE (Streptopelia decaocto) [I]

Abundant through most of the trip.

INCA DOVE (Columbina inca)

It wasn't until our visit to the Paton Center for Hummingbirds that we saw these tiny, scaly-looking doves. Note that these will probably get a name change in the coming years.

RUDDY GROUND DOVE (Columbina talpacoti)

This rare visitor from the south was seen nicely at the Paton Center. We eventually picked out the male feeding with Inca Doves in the front yard and the reddish color overall really stood out.

WHITE-WINGED DOVE (Zenaida asiatica)

Not very common for us, these were seen only at Madera Canyon and in Patagonia.

MOURNING DOVE (Zenaida macroura)

Common throughout the trip and tallied daily.

Cuculidae (Cuckoos)

GREATER ROADRUNNER (Geococcyx californianus)

This fantastic ground-cuckoo was seen exceptionally well near Buckeye! Usually we see them running off... but these stayed in view for ages and we got to watch them hunting and soaking up some sunlight. We went on to see many others as well

Apodidae (Swifts)

WHITE-THROATED SWIFT (Aeronautes saxatalis)

Florida Canyon had dozens of these rocketing up and down the ravine. We'd go on to see these western swifts several more times as well.

Trochilidae (Hummingbirds)

RIVOLI'S HUMMINGBIRD (Eugenes fulgens)

This big species of hummingbird was seen at the Santa Rita Lodge feeders in Madera Canyon.

ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD (Calypte anna)

This was our most common hummingbird of the trip. We saw them at Gilbert Water Ranch, Encanto Park, and of course the Paton Center for Hummingbirds.

COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD (Calypte costae)

It took a bit of work but we eventually found a female at Canoa Ranch.

BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD (Cynanthus latirostris)

The Paton Center in Patagonia had a number of these attractive hummingbirds coming into the feeders.

VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD (Leucolia violiceps)

The only spot for this range-restricted specialty was at the Paton Center in Patagonia where we saw a couple quite nicely.

Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots)

SORA (Porzana carolina)

We had an amazing show from these often-secretive marsh birds at Whitewater Draw. Not only did we see several, but we saw them out in the open, point blank.

COMMON GALLINULE (Gallinula galeata)

We scoped a couple at Gilbert Water Ranch.

AMERICAN COOT (Fulica americana)

Fairly common on several of the lakes and ponds we visited. Spots that had them included Gilbert Water Ranch, Friendship Park, Canoa Ranch, Lakeside Park, Willcox, and Whitewater Draw.

Gruidae (Cranes)

SANDHILL CRANE (Antigone canadensis)

We witnessed an amazing spectacle at Whitewater Draw on our final evening. Not only did we see and hear this prehistoric-sounding species, we saw something like 7000 of them! What a great send-off to the trip.

Recurvirostridae (Stilts and Avocets)

BLACK-NECKED STILT (Himantopus mexicanus)

This lanky shorebird was spotted at Gilbert Water Ranch and a few other random roadside ditches.

AMERICAN AVOCET (Recurvirostra americana)

A dozen of these attractive shorebirds were spotted at the Gilbert Water Ranch on our second visit.

Charadriidae (Plovers and Lapwings)

KILLDEER (Charadrius vociferus)

This familiar plover was fairly common at a variety of locations on our trip.

MOUNTAIN PLOVER (Charadrius montanus)

It took a little bit of looking (and a little bit of luck) but we were eventually rewarded with scope views of this difficult western specialty near the Evergreen Turf Farm.

Scolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)

LEAST SANDPIPER (Calidris minutilla)

This tiny, yellow-legged peep was common at places like Gilbert Water Ranch.

LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER (Limnodromus scolopaceus)

Both of our encounters of this medium-sized shorebird came from the Gilbert Water Ranch where there were 100-200 feeding together.

WILSON'S SNIPE (Gallinago delicata)

Although quiet and difficult to find, this camouflaged shorebird was scoped at Gilbert Water Ranch and Whitewater Draw.

SPOTTED SANDPIPER (Actitis macularius)

Good spotting! Our only encounter came from a roadside ditch where one of these tail-bobbing shorebirds was seen working some rocks.

GREATER YELLOWLEGS (Tringa melanoleuca)

Half a dozen of these were spotted out in the flats near a wet area in Eloy, and then another one was seen at Whitewater Draw when it flew over us.

LESSER YELLOWLEGS (Tringa flavipes)

This slender Tringa is never a common species for this trip and so it was a surprise to find one at Gilbert Water Ranch.

Laridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)

RING-BILLED GULL (Larus delawarensis)

A few were flying around a roadside ditch on our way to the Thrasher Spot west of Phoenix.

Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants and Shags)

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT (Nannopterum auritum)

Encanto Park and Gilbert Water Ranch were both hosting this familiar, fairly large fish-eater.

NEOTROPIC CORMORANT (Nannopterum brasilianum)

It was great being able to study this slender species of cormorant next to the previous species. We had a nice comparison at Encanto Park but we also saw them at Gilbert Water Ranch.

Pelecanidae (Pelicans)

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

One to two dozen of these huge black-and-white waterbirds were seen soaring in and loafing at the Gilbert Water Ranch. We even got to watch them feeding point blank.

Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns)

LEAST BITTERN (Ixobrychus exilis)

Wow, this was an awesome thing to witness! We were birding near some reeds at Gilbert Water Ranch when one of these called out from right behind us. We turned around, focused our attention to the waters edge, and then watched as one of these tiny and secretive herons came out and strolled by!

GREAT BLUE HERON (Ardea herodias)

Fairly common on the first half of the tour.

GREAT EGRET (Ardea alba)

Some of the wet areas out by Buckeye were hosting some of these tall and elegant white herons.

SNOWY EGRET (Egretta thula)

Gilbert Water Ranch was hosting a few of these smaller herons on both of our visits.

GREEN HERON (Butorides virescens)

Sitting motionless, a couple of these small and quiet herons were seen at the Gilbert Water Ranch which allowed for some nice photos.

BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Although they were just snoozing and roosting back in the veg, a few of these herons were scoped at the Gilbert Water Ranch on our second visit.

Threskiornithidae (Ibises and Spoonbills)

WHITE-FACED IBIS (Plegadis chihi)

Seen in flight on our first afternoon at Gilbert Water Ranch.

Cathartidae (New World Vultures)

BLACK VULTURE (Coragyps atratus)

Some parts of Arizona are some of the only areas in the western US that host this short-tailed vulture. We were driving along an interstate when we saw some soaring around and so we took an exit, got out, and got some views of these.

TURKEY VULTURE (Cathartes aura)

Fairly common.

Pandionidae (Osprey)

OSPREY (Pandion haliaetus)

Our only encounter came from Lakeside Park on the east side of Tucson.

Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)

NORTHERN HARRIER (Circus hudsonius)

Not particularly uncommon for us, this grassland raptor was seen a number of times at locations such as Buckeye Road, the turf farms, and Las Cienegas.

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (Accipiter striatus)

Although not very common, this small Accipiter showed up for us a couple of times.

COOPER'S HAWK (Accipiter cooperii)

We saw more of these chunky Accipiters than the previous species.

HARRIS'S HAWK (Parabuteo unicinctus)

The only sighting occurred when we were birding at Encanto Park in north Phoenix. A pair flew over and landed in some distant palms.

RED-TAILED HAWK (Buteo jamaicensis)

Fairly common and tallied almost every day.

RED-TAILED HAWK (HARLAN'S) (Buteo jamaicensis harlani)

One of the Red-tailed Hawks we studied looked good for this subspecies. It was very dark overall, almost black, but with white striping on the breast.

FERRUGINOUS HAWK (Buteo regalis)

This was a good trip for these large, grassland Buteos. We saw our first couple in Buckeye on our first full day, but then again several more on our final day south of Willcox.

Strigidae (Owls)

GREAT HORNED OWL (Bubo virginianus)

We were driving south out of Willcox when we spotted a pair of these big owls under a hay shelter. We turned around and ended up getting great views!

BURROWING OWL (Athene cunicularia)

Although it didn't look particularly impressed by us, the little Burrowing Owl we spotted near Buckeye stayed put in plain sight.

Picidae (Woodpeckers)

YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER (Sphyrapicus varius)

This species of woodpecker isn't supposed to be wintering in Arizona, and yet there was one doing just that at Catalina State Park near Tucson. Our final morning we went to search for it and found it right away.

RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER (Sphyrapicus nuchalis)

You just never know what you'll find on a birding trip, especially at random pitstops. For example, we were in the parking lot of a McDonalds when we heard (and later saw) a Red-naped Sapsucker in a tiny tree in the parking lot!

ACORN WOODPECKER (Melanerpes formicivorus)

Madera Canyon proved to be reliable for this western species and we tallied them on both of our visits to the Santa Rita Lodge.

GILA WOODPECKER (Melanerpes uropygialis)

Common, seen every day.

LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER (Dryobates scalaris)

This southwestern species, which is often found in desert habitats, was spied a couple of times including at Robbins Butte, the Patons, Lakeside Park, and Whitewater Draw.

NORTHERN FLICKER (RED-SHAFTED) (Colaptes auratus cafer)

We saw a pure-looking Red-shafted at Catalina State Park; there was no hint of any red crescent on the nape.

NORTHERN FLICKER (YELLOW-SHAFTED X RED-SHAFTED) (Colaptes auratus luteus x cafer)

I had just finished explaining about flicker intergrades when... well, an intergrade showed up! At Catalina State Park, we scoped a male flicker which showed the red malar stripe (a Red-shafted trait) and the red nape crescent (a Yellow-shafted trait).

GILDED FLICKER (Colaptes chrysoides)

It took a bit of effort but we eventually ended up with scope views of this saguaro specialty at Tucson Mountain Park.

Falconidae (Falcons and Caracaras)

CRESTED CARACARA (Caracara plancus)

We chanced into several of these bizarre raptors out in the dry country near Eloy. We ended up getting great views of them in flight and on the ground.

AMERICAN KESTREL (Falco sparverius)

This small falcon was fairly common throughout the trip.

PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco peregrinus)

We saw this impressive speedster a couple of times including at Encanto Park and the Evergreen Turf Farm.

Psittaculidae (Old World Parrots)

ROSY-FACED LOVEBIRD (Agapornis roseicollis) [I]

Although introduced, this tiny parrot has become well established in the Phoenix region and we saw 1-2 dozen in Encanto Park.

YELLOW-COLLARED LOVEBIRD (Agapornis personatus) [I]

Although not technically "countable" by most of the rules people adhere to, this was an interesting find at Encanto Park. It's possible that this species could become better established and countable like the previous species.

Tyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers)

GRAY FLYCATCHER (Empidonax wrightii)

This "whitting" Empid was found on our chilly morning walk at Catalina State Park. We even got to see the distinctive tail motions that this dry-country flycatcher gives.

BLACK PHOEBE (Sayornis nigricans)

This western flycatcher was fairly common for us but always around water.

SAY'S PHOEBE (Sayornis saya)

Who knew that these were going to be so abundant! We encountered this open-country flycatcher every day of tour.

VERMILION FLYCATCHER (Pyrocephalus rubinus)

This vibrant flycatcher was major eye-candy! Thankfully we encountered them many times at spots like Gilbert Water Ranch, Canoa Ranch, Lakeside Park, and Whitewater Draw.

CASSIN'S KINGBIRD (Tyrannus vociferans)

We had a quick look at a very distant kingbird at Lakeside Park that was this species. The views, however, weren't great.

Vireonidae (Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis)

HUTTON'S VIREO (Vireo huttoni) [*]

Although we heard this kinglet-like vireo several times, it always seemed to stay out of view.

Laniidae (Shrikes)

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE (Lanius ludovicianus)

This predatory songbird was actually quite common on the second half of the trip. We almost aways saw them perched atop power lines or fence posts.

Corvidae (Crows, Jays, and Magpies)

MEXICAN JAY (Aphelocoma wollweberi)

The only location we encountered these crestless jays was in Madera Canyon, but they were common there and we enjoyed great views.

CHIHUAHUAN RAVEN (Corvus cryptoleucus)

We were driving around Willcox, and to the south, when we saw a couple groups of ravens in the grasslands that were this species.

COMMON RAVEN (Corvus corax)

Common in a variety of habitats and seen most days.

Paridae (Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice)

BRIDLED TITMOUSE (Baeolophus wollweberi)

This attractive little species was first seen from Florida Canyon but we went on to see them many more times in Madera Canyon and at the Patons.

Remizidae (Penduline-Tits)

VERDIN (Auriparus flaviceps)

This desert species was common and seen daily.

Alaudidae (Larks)

HORNED LARK (Eremophila alpestris)

Not uncommon in wide open country. We encountered flocks of them at the thrasher spot, the Evergreen Sod Farm, and the final thrasher spot we tried NW of Tucson.

Regulidae (Kinglets)

RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (Corthylio calendula)

Fairly common and seen almost every day.

Sittidae (Nuthatches)

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH (INTERIOR WEST) (Sitta carolinensis nelsoni)

Note the subspecies here. These Interior West birds, which sound so much different, might someday get split into their own species. We saw several at the feeders in Madera Canyon.

Certhiidae (Treecreepers)

BROWN CREEPER (Certhia americana)

Seen on both of our visits to Madera Canyon.

Polioptilidae (Gnatcatchers)

BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER (Polioptila melanura)

We really enjoyed spending time with this southwestern species. We always encountered them in dry, desert habitats like at the Thrasher Spot, Robbins Butte, and Tucson Mountain Park.

Troglodytidae (Wrens)

ROCK WREN (Salpinctes obsoletus)

Fairly common, these rock specialists were tallied a number of times at Robbins Butte, the Evergreen Sod Farm, Florida Canyon, and the Patagonia Roadside Rest.

CANYON WREN (Catherpes mexicanus) [*]

Heard calling from way across the valley at the Patagonia Roadside Rest. Sadly, there wasn't much hope in trying to see that one.

BEWICK'S WREN (Thryomanes bewickii)

This grayish, long-tailed wren was seen several times at Florida Canyon, Madera Canyon, the Patons, and Catalina State Park.

CACTUS WREN (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)

Our first encounters with these big wrens were probably our best encounters; we were at the Tucson Mountain Park when these wrens came out to greet us and ended up hopping around our feet.

Sturnidae (Starlings)

EUROPEAN STARLING (Sturnus vulgaris) [I]

Fairly common in urban areas and city parks.

Mimidae (Mockingbirds and Thrashers)

CURVE-BILLED THRASHER (Toxostoma curvirostre)

This was our most commonly-encountered thrasher on the trip. We had repeated good looks including looks at singing birds. Some of the spots we saw them included Gilbert Water Ranch, Tucson Mountain Park, Florida Canyon, and Willcox.

BENDIRE'S THRASHER (Toxostoma bendirei)

This is a tough thrasher to get and is always one of the most desired birds of the trip. Lucky for us, our persistence at the Thrasher Spot finally yielded one of these and we had scope views where we could study the bill.

CRISSAL THRASHER (Toxostoma crissale)

This is another one of the target thrashers for this area and we did better than average; we had singing birds at Robbins Butte, but also good views in Florida Canyon and Catalina State Park.

NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (Mimus polyglottos)

Fairly common, seen most days.

Turdidae (Thrushes and Allies)

HERMIT THRUSH (Catharus guttatus)

It wasn't until Florida Canyon that we started to encounter these and we ended up with 4-5.

AMERICAN ROBIN (Turdus migratorius)

Our one and only encounter came from our first afternoon together at the Gilbert Water Ranch.

Ptiliogonatidae (Silky-flycatchers)

PHAINOPEPLA (Phainopepla nitens)

Of all the desert species, this one was perhaps one of the most obvious due to their habit of sitting atop trees. We had wonderful views of this silky-flycatcher many times but the ones at Tucson Mountain Park were especially memorable.

Passeridae (Old World Sparrows)

HOUSE SPARROW (Passer domesticus) [I]

Seen daily.

Motacillidae (Wagtails and Pipits)

AMERICAN PIPIT (Anthus rubescens)

Seen and heard on several of our days but usually as flyovers.

SPRAGUE'S PIPIT (Anthus spragueii) [*]

Heard flying over but only by some. This was the continuing bird at the Las Cienegas Grasslands.

Fringillidae (Finches, Euphonias, and Allies)

HOUSE FINCH (Haemorhous mexicanus)

Common, seen daily.

PINE SISKIN (Spinus pinus)

A little flock of these streaky finches was attending the thistle feeder at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia.

LESSER GOLDFINCH (Spinus psaltria)

Like the previous species, the feeders at the Patons was the main spot we encountered these dark-backed goldfinches.

Passerellidae (New World Sparrows)

RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW (Peucaea carpalis)

This species actually has a very restricted range in the US centered mostly in south-central Arizona. We targeted this species on our final morning and found several at Catalina State Park.

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW (Ammodramus savannarum)

They sure were sneaky but most, if not all, of the sparrows we were chasing around in the grasslands were this small species. At one point we had good looks at one on the ground which allowed for good photos.

CHIPPING SPARROW (Spizella passerina)

It wasn't until we found a couple in Lakeside Park that we added this small Spizella to our triplist.

BREWER'S SPARROW (Spizella breweri)

We encountered huge numbers of these plain Spizellas at The Thrasher Spot (Baseline & Salome Hwy), but even more at Robbins Butte later that day.

BLACK-THROATED SPARROW (Amphispiza bilineata)

This handsome, desert-dweller was first seen at Robbins Butte but then again at the Patagonia Roadside Rest and Catalina State Park. Surely this is one of the more attractive sparrows in the US!

LARK BUNTING (Calamospiza melanocorys)

We luckily chanced into a flock of 40 of these open-country birds south of Willcox as we were driving towards Whitewater Draw. We had great looks as they perched in bushes around the vehicle.

DARK-EYED JUNCO (Junco hyemalis)

The Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon had a number of these mixed with in the following species. We saw a couple different types too including Pink-sided and Oregon.

YELLOW-EYED JUNCO (Junco phaeonotus)

This is a specialty species in SE Arizona and we encountered some at Madera Canyon at the feeders. We all were chuckling about how grumpy they look, all the time!

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (GAMBEL'S) (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii)

This is the pale-lored subspecies and it was the one we tallied daily.

SAGEBRUSH SPARROW (Artemisiospiza nevadensis)

We had a better-than-average experience with this sage specialist. We encountered fairly large flocks several times including at the Thrasher Spot and Night Sky Road. In the end, we couldn't confirm any Bell's mixed in but some of the birds looked questionable.

VESPER SPARROW (Pooecetes gramineus)

This open-country sparrow, with its bold white eyering and white outer tail feathers, was fairly common on several of our days including the ones we visited Robbins Butte, Las Cienegas, and Willcox.

SAVANNAH SPARROW (Passerculus sandwichensis)

Surprisingly, seen only a couple of times on this trip.

SONG SPARROW (Melospiza melodia)

Heard more often than seen for us, this familiar sparrow was still fairly common at locations such as Gilbert Water Ranch, the Patons, Canoa Ranch, and Whitewater Draw.

LINCOLN'S SPARROW (Melospiza lincolnii)

Tallied a couple of times including at the ever-birdy Gilbert Water Ranch.

CANYON TOWHEE (Melozone fusca)

We enjoyed a couple of these at spots like Florida Canyon and at the Patons. Overall though, this wasn't the most common towhee for us. This species was once part of a more widespread species called Brown Towhee. And brown they are.

ABERT'S TOWHEE (Melozone aberti)

This interesting, black-faced towhee was our most common towhee of the trip and we had tons of great looks at Gilbert Water Ranch, Robbins Butte, the Patons, and Catalina State Park.

RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW (Aimophila ruficeps)

This is a denizen of rocky, grassy slopes. We found just a couple; first at Florida Canyon and then again at the Patagonia Roadside Rest.

GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE (Pipilo chlorurus)

A pair of these was spotted near the feeders at the Paton Center of Hummingbirds. Staying true to the towhee theme, they were almost always on the ground.

SPOTTED TOWHEE (Pipilo maculatus)

The Gilbert Water Ranch had a number of these but so did Florida Canyon and Madera Canyon. These were once lumped with Eastern Towhee and known collectively as Rufous-sided Towhee.

Icteridae (Troupials and Allies)

WESTERN MEADOWLARK (Sturnella neglecta)

Compared to the following species, these were the meadowlarks that had less white in the tails and gave the "chup" call notes.

CHIHUAHUAN MEADOWLARK (Sturnella lilianae lilianae)

These were once considered a subspecies of Eastern Meadowlark but were recently split out into their own species. Compared to the previous species, these have quite a bit more white in the outer tail feathers. We encountered some of these at Las Cienegas among other places.

STREAK-BACKED ORIOLE (Icterus pustulatus)

One of the rarest sighting of the entire trip, a pair came into feed at oranges at Gilbert Water Ranch on our second visit. Whew! We had missed them previously but we got great looks and photos the second time. This species normally ranges from Costa Rica north into Mexico.

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Not really all that abundant, these familiar birds were seen on about half our days.

BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD (Molothrus ater)

A good number of these were seen at Lakeside Park in eastern Tucson on our final day.

BREWER'S BLACKBIRD (Euphagus cyanocephalus)

They were pretty distant by the time we spotted them but there was a flock across the lake at Lakeside Park. We also saw a flock along a roadside near Buckeye.

GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE (Quiscalus mexicanus)

Abundant and tallied daily.

Parulidae (New World Warblers)

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (Leiothlypis celata)

A fairly subtle warbler, these were seen just a couple of times including at Gilbert Water Ranch.

COMMON YELLOWTHROAT (Geothlypis trichas)

We had nice looks at a male at Whitewater Draw at the end of the tour.

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (AUDUBON'S) (Setophaga coronata auduboni)

Common, seen daily.

YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER (Setophaga dominica)

Wow, this warbler was a long ways from home! The closest that this species normally winters is coastal Texas! We definitely stopped by Lakeside Park to take a look at the continuing bird at its favorite two palm trees.

PAINTED REDSTART (Myioborus pictus)

It was a bit of an odd place to see one but we eventually connected with this fantastic SW specialty at Catalina State Park. They normally don't occur there but we didn't mind!

Cardinalidae (Cardinals and Allies)

HEPATIC TANAGER (Piranga flava)

This was a great species to add late in the tour. A pair was seen visiting the Santa Rita Lodge feeders.

NORTHERN CARDINAL (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Fairly common on the second half of the tour. We saw them at Florida Canyon, the Patons, in Patagonia, and at Catalina State Park.

PYRRHULOXIA (Cardinalis sinuatus)

Although in the same genus as Northern Cardinal, this is a desert specialty. We saw them at spots like Florida Canyon, the Patons, and Whitewater Draw.

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MAMMALS

DESERT COTTONTAIL (Sylvilagus audubonii)

Pretty common for us on this tour. These were the widespread ones we saw in the dry, lowlands and deserts.

BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBIT (Lepus californicus)

We inadvertently flushed one of these a couple of times during our thrasher searching. They are definitely capable of some serious speed!

HARRIS'S ANTELOPE SQUIRREL (Ammospermophilus harrisii)

Seen quickly as it ran across the road.

ROCK SQUIRREL (Spermophilus variegatus)

We got pretty good looks at one at Lakeside Park.

ROUND-TAILED GROUND SQUIRREL (Spermophilus tereticaudus)

We were driving out in the dry country when we spotted one of these standing up, like a mini prairie dog.

ARIZONA GRAY SQUIRREL (Sciurus arizonensis)

These native squirrels were the common ones at the Patons.

COYOTE (Canis latrans) [*]

We were out in the wilderness, searching for thrashers, when we heard these yipping and howling in the distance. Pretty neat addition to the mood.

MULE DEER (Odocoileus hemionus)

Seen commonly on the second half of the tour. These are named after mules because of their larger ears.

PRONGHORN (Antilocapra americana)

We were birding in the Las Cienegas Grasslands when we spotted some of these in the distance. These are fascinating mammals, and are not actually related to antelope.

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Totals for the tour: 150 bird taxa and 9 mammal taxa