10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2018

Just a few miles northwest of downtown Tucson, the Sweetwater Wetlands is truly a birding gem. This is a water reclamation plant, so the water is not quite as sweet as the name might suggest, but it certainly is a magnet for a lot of bird species. Deborah and I had a wonderful morning, and found 39 species. Stay tuned!

Tucson 124

Tucson Arizona Blackbirds Texas 124

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2021

You fly to Phoenix, or Tucson, rent a car (or ride a bike cross-country, if you are Noah Strycker), drive to the tiny towns of Patagonia and Sierra Vista, and voila! All sorts of exotic and beautiful species may be seen. Southeastern Arizona is unusual, precisely because its species mix is as much Mexican as it is American.

Arizona 261

Arizona Mexico Los Angeles Houston 261

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2019

The diversity of the area affords one the ability to acquire a pretty impressive list of species. In addition to the life sustaining rains, these high wind storms also push some pretty unusual species into this relatively high elevation desert area. The bird was discovered hanging out right next to the Visitors Center for the refuge.

Arizona 146

Arizona Tucson Seattle United States 146

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

Most birders that have spent any amount of time chasing down our fine feathered friends have learned that most cities waste treatment facilities are incredible magnets for many species of birds. One of the small cities south of Tucson Arizona, Amado, has a very small pond, right along highway 19, also known as the Nogales Highway.

Pelicans 159

Pelicans Tucson Arizona Groups 159

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2012

For example, and I expect a few of you know what I am referring to… if you photograph a “goshawk” in the middle of Tucson, and the area’s leading birders and everyone else tells you it’s a Cooper’s Hawk …you should listen to them. Don’t even bring up using tapes on endangered species.

Tucson 201

Tucson Endangered Species Virginia illegal 201

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

If they are passing thru Pima County, and the Tucson area, Arivaca Lake is the last stop for water before crossing the US/Mexico border. This 90 acre lake, managed by Arizona Fish and Wildlife is about a 45 mile drive from Tucson, and 9 miles from Mexico, as the Chihuahuan Raven flies. One raft along had over 380 birds in it.

Mexico 132

Mexico Tucson Arizona Ducks 132

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2018

Things had just started to settle down a bit, now that we had parked the RV in Tucson. We left Tucson on Monday, and drove to Alpine, Texas for our first night. There better be at least 30” was that number she threw out at me, as we were driving away from Tucson. United States species – 350. Now the pressure was on.

Texas 129

Texas Tucson San Antonio Owls 129

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2018

The crunch is on, and with less than two weeks left in the year, we are trying to squeeze out as many more species as possible. Last week, we quite impulsively jumped in a rental car and drove 2600 miles round trip to south Texas to pick up 34 new species. L ittle Big Year species – 1280. Bahama species – 38.

Bahamas 113

Bahamas Tucson El Paso Texas 113

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2019

When we returned to Tucson, from the Bahamas, I was approaching a milestone number, 1300 bird species, and drove myself hard, climbing, hiking, searching, and driving all over the state of Arizona looking for those last eight birds. So below is what the year looked, by the numbers: Total Number of Little Big Year Species: 1302.

Costa Rica 131

Costa Rica Tucson South Africa Bahamas 131

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2019

Now that Jeanne and I have finally settled on Tucson, Arizona at least for a while, I will pick up where I left off at the end of 2018. My Pima County list for those same 60 days is at 186 different species, and over 40 of those came from the Madera Canyon area.

Arizona 135

Arizona Tucson Florida 2018 135

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2019

Getting to actually see four species, in the last two weeks, and to hear two more is almost unheard of in my experience. The only owl species that were around when I was a child were the Great Horned Owls, so any other species found since then have been a huge level of special for me.

Owls 149

Owls Arizona Tucson South Africa 149

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2018

We are now headed to Tucson, Arizona, where we will park the 5th wheel for an extended amount of time, possibly as long as March 1st. There are a few places left to check out locally before we leave, once we are settled in Tucson. The Little Big Year numbers up to this point are as follows: Little Big Year species – 908.

New Mexico 113

New Mexico Mexico Tucson Costa Rica 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2018

We have escaped the clutches of the Bahamas, and are finally back “home” in Tucson, Texas. By the time we had ended our visit on the island, I had racked up a total of 58 birds species, with 27 of them new birds on the Little Big Year list. The Little Big Year species – 1291. The Little Big Year species – 1291.

Bahamas 125

Bahamas Costa Rica Abandon Abandoning 125

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2011

A widely published writer, popular speaker, and enthusiastic tour leader in North American and Europe, Rick lives in Tucson and in Vancouver, British Columbia, with his wife, Alison, and their chocolate Lab, Gellert. The genus Bucephala includes three familiar ducks with big heads.

Cows 141

Cows Cattle 2011 Deer 141

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2018

We have been feeling a push to get the 5th wheel down to Tucson, Arizona, which will be our home for the winter, and get prepped for another trip out of the US before the end of the year. The numbers are as follows: Little Big Year Species – 892. species – 224. It’s not Prairie Falcon , but it is a great little Rock Wren.

Colorado 113

Colorado Texas Trinidad Albuquerque 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

This was a wonderful re-introduction to the desert species I was seeking. I met the group in Tucson and we spend the next week birding the hell out of the Sky Islands. As I drove through Papago Park to the Garden, I spotted coveys of Gambel’s Quail, parents herding exuberant chicks. Highlights included a day on Mt.

Arizona 102

Arizona Lovebirds Phoenix New Jersey 102

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2018

Now that we have “settled” in Tucson, Arizona, or at least this is where the 5th Wheel is for the time being, it has been nice to be able to spread out a bit. This was the weather that greeted us when we made the 60 mile trip from Tucson, down to Patagonia, AZ and the Tucson Audubon’s Paton Center for Hummingbirds.

Tucson 113

Tucson Costa Rica Arizona Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

They claimed 15 species of bejeweled hummingbirds, 36 wood warblers, a Flame-colored Tanager , Greater Roadrunners (straight from the cartoon), and an oddly perched, metallic green-headed fellow called the ‘elusive’ Elegant Trogon. Pre-Internet, I got all my birding info from print magazines; and WildBird was my go-to back in the day.

Arizona 138

Arizona Tucson Birds North America 138

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

In the right season, with a little luck, we often find it, and sometimes it perches high and long enough that we can admire its scimitar of a bill, its stern face pattern, and even the patch of rusty red on the undertail that gives the species its English and its scientific names. I had no idea I should have been embarrassed.

Tucson 140

Tucson 2011 Arizona Deer 140

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

In publishing the most current thinking, eBird have become the month’s biggest contributor to the life list, expanding it by 7 brand new species and pushing it to 3774. 7 species were added to the life list in the time-honoured fashion of actually identifying the birds in the field. I just live for this stuff! 11 Aug 2019.

2019 117

2019 Arizona Ghana Tucson 117

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2019

April was a busy time for the beats with 10 of them contributing 164 lists to accumulate 744 species from 7 countries; Costa Rica, USA, Australia, Serbia, UK, Brazil and Barbados. Gene C Reid Park, Tucson US-AZ (32.2076,-110.9233). Bajada Washington Trail, Tucson, Arizona, US (32.278, -111.199). Back to numbers. 14 Feb 2019.

2019 113

2019 Ghana Australia Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2019

978 species were tallied this month from 163 checklists. Only 123 species appear on both sides of the life list. Gene C Reid Park, Tucson US-AZ (32.2076,-110.9233). Bajada Washington Trail, Tucson, Arizona, US (32.278, -111.199). Gene C Reid Park, Tucson US-AZ (32.2076,-110.9233). That’s just 3.35%.

2019 113

2019 Ghana Australia Woodpeckers 113