@ Wilcox Chevron

A special report from BirdingPI.com staff stationed last week near the Interstate 10 Chevron station on the west side of Wilcox, Arizona. “Only BirdingPI.com brings you coverage of the Wilcox, Arizona Chevron station!”

Ravens @ Chevron

Wilcox, AZ: located in southeastern Arizona in a high desert plain, w/ the Dragoon Mountains to the southwest and the Chiricahua Mountains to the southeast, approx. 80 km (50 miles) from the border w/ New Mexico. Convenient to famous seasonal migration (e.g., Sandhill Crane) ‘hotspots’ Wilcox Playa and Whitewater Draw (for example). Also great for regional species like the amazing Chihuahuan Raven:


Also great for beautiful Brewer’s Blackbirds:

Males, as above, are glossy black w/ green and blue metallic highlights in the sun; bright eye. Females, as below, drab brown/gray w/ dark eye. Best identified, perhaps, as being in proximity to males (+ call).


Great to see a beautiful male Pyrrhuloxia at this location:

Relative to similar looking female Northern Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia have a yellow bill + the upper and lower beak mandibles meet at an angle (“jagged line”), vs. straight in Cardinal.


More male Brewer’s Blackbird:


Lots of shots of lots of Chihuahuan Ravens. Relative to Common Raven, similar looking but smaller, best identified based on location and call. (These were positively identified by call using Merlin.)


More Brewer’s Blackbirds:


Finally, even more Chihuahuan Raven:

Chihuahuan Raven on Soaptree Yucca (Yucca elata) w/ Dragoon Mtns background

On an unrelated nature topic, just a reminder that the total lunar eclipse is tonight. Noticeable visual effects start around 1AM EDT Friday. Forecast for Erie, Pennsylvania calls for clear skies!

Little Buddy

Dateline: 6 March 2025

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip. A trip to Buddy Todd Park last week in Oceanside, California. Top reason to visit California for birding (& fun fact!): more species include ‘California’ in the name than any other US state, @ seven including California Quail, California Condor, California Gull, etc. (Fun fact: #2 is Hawaii at five.)

Buddy Todd Park

Anyway, kicking off content from BirdingPI.com’s recent “late winter get out of Erie County week” the best way possible, with a beautiful male Allen’s Hummingbird:


Buddy Todd Park – a hilltop oasis in suburban northern San Diego County. Lots of trees, lots of grass, & a perimeter that includes natural coastal chaparral hillside. Plenty of Dark-eyed Junco, goldfinch, & Western Bluebird activity, not to mention Yellow-rumped Warbler:

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Species note: this is the “Audubon’s” sub-species of Yellow-rumped Warbler, w/ distinctive yellow throat. Yellow-rumped Warblers at Presque Isle State Park, on the other hand, are typically “Myrtle” sub-species w/ white throat.

Western Bluebird (female or immature)
Warbler II
Lesser Goldfinch
Western Bluebird (male)
Warbler III
Black Phoebe
Mountain Chickadee
Lesser Goldfinch II
Mountain Chickadee II
Warbler IV
More Allen’s Hummingbird
Dark-eyed Junco

Species note: this is the “Oregon” sub-species of Dark-eyed Junco (note the contrasting dark hood), found mostly in western US.

Western Bluebird III
Warbler V
Western Bluebird IV
Dark-eyed Junco II
Western Bluebird V
Western Bluebird VI
Warbler VI
Western Bluebird VIII
White-crowned Sparrow
Western Bluebird VII

View north-ish from the park, w/ nearby neighborhood, San Luis Rey River, and USMC Camp Pendleton in the distance:


[Editor’s note: thought we were getting rid of honorific bird names. (Regardless of who “Allen” is/was, “Allen’s Hummingbird” is an awful name.) Please use “Western Sunflame” going forward.]

#More_swan

More Tundra Swan from this past Sunday at Presque Isle State Park, including noisy video clips. (Wind noise curtesy crappy Nikon Corp. on-board microphones.) Assuming the BirdingPI.com video function works for a change.


Weekend (Swan) Update

With the staff back from BirdingPI.com’s “late winter go someplace other than Erie County” week, it was time to hit Presque Isle State Park again Sunday, where the “big bird event” seemed to be cavorting Tundra Swans, and lots of them. These shots on Presque Isle Bay by the ‘playfield’ near the ranger station.


Conditions at Presque Isle: Although outer Lake Erie remains frozen, overall more “early spring” than “late winter,” with sunny skies, temps above freezing, and little remaining ground snow. Large portions of the back bay unfrozen. Trail conditions generally damp and locally muddy.

The Pines 2

Still in the east-central Arizona pine forest along the Mogollon Rim!

Pine Siskin
Maybe more Pine Siskin
Pine Siskin III
Maybe Grace’s Warbler
Western Bluebird
Pine Siskin IV
Pine Siskin V
Acorn Woodpeckers
Pine Siskin VI
Plumbeous Vireo
Black Phoebe
Plumbeous Vireo II
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Acorn Woodpeckers II
Pine Siskin VII
Yellow-rumped Warbler II
Pine Siskin VIII
Maybe more Pine Siskin IX
Acorn Woodpecker takes flight

More @ Scott’s

Finally finished photo editing of shots from last summer at Scott’s Reservoir outside Pinetop/Lakeside, Arizona. (See also Bluebird vs. Bluebird for more great Mountain Bluebird content from this same/date location.)

White-breasted Nuthatch
Female Western Tanager

Lots of great Mountain Bluebird activity, these mostly females and juveniles:


Beautiful Black-throated Gray Warbler:


Several more shots of White-breasted Nuthatch:


Finally, a trio of Mountain Chickadee:


The Pines

More misc. bird from last summer in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest @ Pinetop/Lakeside, Arizona:

Stellar’s Jay
Grace’s Warbler
Western Bluebird
Grace’s Warbler II
Stellar’s Jay II
Grace’s Warbler III
Stellar’s Jay III
Grace’s Warbler IV
Maybe Pine Warbler
Stellar’s Jay IV
Grace’s Warbler V
Profile of (probably) Western Wood-Pewee
Grace’s Warbler VI
Stellar’s Jay V
Pine Siskin
Allen’s Hummingbird
Female Western Tanager
Pewee profile II
Pygmy Nuthatch
Sparrow or Pine Siskin?
Western Wood-Pewee

Slopes Of Mt. Lemmon (II)

Unless otherwise noted, all shots beautiful Broad-billed Hummingbird (female) feeding at Arizona Thistle (Cirsium arizonicum):

Black-headed Grosbeak (female or immature)
Female Black-headed Grosbeak II
Hutton’s Vireo
Grosbeak III
Grosbeak IV
Grosbeak V
Western Flycatcher
Black-headed Grosbeak (male)
Western Flycatcher II
Western Flycatcher III

Slopes Of Mt. Lemmon

Heading towards the top of Mt. Lemmon outside Tucson, Arizona, past Thimble Peak Vista and 7 Falls lookout, the road finally enters a forested canyon – the first tall pines, junipers, etc. Stop at Cypress Picnic Area or Middle Bear Pullout for a great place to see, e.g., Acorn Woodpecker and Kinglet lookalike Hutton’s Vireo:

Hutton’s Vireo w/ snack
Acorn Woodpecker
Bell’s Vireo
Blue Grosbeak (male)
Bell’s Vireo II

Medley of alternating Acorn Woodpecker x female Northern Cardinal:


Finally, lots of Hutton’s Vireo:


Act II: Still At The Ranch

Part 2 of morning at Canoa Ranch outside Green Valley, Arizona, from summer 2024:

Western Kingbird
View east across grasslands
Vermilion Flycatcher (f)
Barn Swallows
Lark Sparrow
Barn Swallow II
2 Western Kingbirds on barbed wire
Barn Swallow III
Barn Swallow IV
Barn Swallow V
Kingbird takes flight
Kingbird & Swallow
Western Kingbird @ ground
Kingbird takes flight II
More Lark Sparrow

Finally, more beautiful Western Kingbird: