Vesper Sparrow at Whitewater Draw
phil jeffrey:: Arizona, Feb 2013 trip report
This trip was a shorter specific-target trip, and was not very successful. I got 3 of my targets, had to work for 2 out of those 3 and missed 3 other lifers and a few other second tier targets. There were a few reasons for this: a slightly shorter trip compared to my typical TX winter trips; having to try for both the main targets (Le Conte's Thrasher, Western Screech-Owl) three times each; a lot of the other targets vanishing or becoming elusive on/around the previous weekend; the geography and large scale of the place. I ended up with a trip total that was significantly lower than a comparable TX trip, even given that TX this year was somewhat lackluster. In context, however, my dissatisfaction with my winter AZ trip shouldn't overshadow AZ as an overall birding location. I've been to TX many more times than AZ and my TX state list is ~338 and my AZ list is ~302. AZ is a far better value in spring-fall, probably. One thing about timing is that by later in Feb (22nd, specifically) I start to see sentiments on both TX and AZ lists that waterfowl are on the move and while it's still icy in NJ on that date it likely reflects a warming trend in the southern states.
I used three major resources: the AZNM mailing list, eBird sightings reports, the Tucson RBA. I supplemented these with Stuart Healey's birding journal at aztrogon.com which picked up sightings I wasn't otherwise aware of. Stuart seems to be somewhat retired now, (I've not used him as a guide but many have). For the May 2006 trip his journal was invaluable for species locations. For this trip it's not quite as essential.
I also got very useful advice from a pro guide and local Patagonia birder Matt Brown - I met him on the Nome section of my 2012 AK trip and while I've never been a client I think he'd be a very good option if you were looking for a guide. (Actually became a client in June 2013 - good experience with him and he got me my Mexican Whip-poor-will). I can also mine eBird sightings using the BirdsEye iPhone app while in the field (find local hotspots and sightings) although given my level of preparation this time it was not especially useful. To a lesser extent I've used the Tucson Audubon's "Finding Birds in S.E. Arizona" for which I have an older version. I took this book with me although I already knew directions to most places based on planning for prior trips.
First stop was a quick desert species primer at the Desert Botanical Garden ($18) where I hadn't banked on the many people who came out to his place on a weekday. Nevertheless got some staples like: Anna's and Costa's Hummingbirds, Curve-billed Thrasher, several Verdin, House Finch, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cactus Wren, Gambel's Quail, singing male Lesser Goldfinch as well as dirt birds like House Sparrow nesting in Saguaros and Mourning Dove. I did not find a roosting Western Screech-Owl but did track down what I suspect was the roost site. Turns out to be my first Costa's Hummingbird in over a decade. Nearby at Papago Park the ducks were tame, many Ring-necked Ducks and Northern Shoveler, one Hooded Merganser, one Canvasback, one Redhead, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot, Green Heron, Snowy Egret, Red-winged Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackle, Northern Mockingbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's), Gila Woodpecker and Gilded Flicker. Neotropic and Double-crested Cormorant side by side on a roost. An Anna's Hummingbird was singing although not doing its display flight.
Having struck out at the low-odds chance at the owl I snagged an "easy" and not very interesting lifer at Encanto Park in Central Phoenix with fly-by Rosy-faced Lovebird (US #678) within 30 seconds although it took longer to find them perched in a palm tree. Also present were the ubiquitous Gila Woodpecker, Great-tailed Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds, European Starlings, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and an unexpected American Kestrel.
Then it was west to the Buckeye area, headed along Old Hwy 80 near Palo Verde I picked out a pale Ferruginous Hawk by color, flight style and overall structure. Turkey Vultures were seen mainly as individuals on this trip, with only a few kettles. Eurasian Collared-Doves were numerous in the agricultural areas.
At Baseline/Salome, the famous thrasher spot, I saw multiple Bendire's Thrashers and lots of sparrows: White-crowned, some Brewer's, several Sage Sparrows (these likely my second-ever sightings of Sage, the previous ones being in WY). [Note: Sage Sparrow was split in summer 2013 into Sagebrush Sparrow and Bell's Sparrow, with the former one the expected species wintering in much of AZ. A few Bell's might winter in this location too]. Additionally Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Verdin, Yellow-rumped Warbler. No Crissal or the target Le Conte's Thrashers. This was attempt #1. Nearby I had Red-tailed Hawk and Northern Harrier with my first Phainopepla for the trip along Salome Rd closer to the interstate as I cut north-west.
My destination for the night was a hotel in Lake Havasu City, which required a certain amount of driving along I-10 and more local roads after dark. The Knight's Inn was tucked away off the main drag but quite acceptable for its relatively low price. Staying in Parker would have made for a slightly shorter trip but the prices there were much higher.
It was only 20 minutes of road miles from Lake Havasu City to Planet Ranch Road at Bill Williams NWR, plus two cautious miles along a decently graded and sometimes rocky Planet Ranch Road which parallels the Bill Williams River to the well-characterized spot. That area, where the cottonwoods and mesquites reached the road where it passed by some red cliffs, was beautiful and pretty birdy: Verdin, many Phainopepla, Curve-billed Thrasher, Orange-crowned Warbler, Canyon Wren (unlike many others these were quite watchable), Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Gila Woodpecker, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Cassin's Vireo, White-crowned Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, and a Red-tailed Hawk up-canyon. As "expected" no Nutting's Flycatcher but it was worth the gamble and not a bad way to start the main part of the trip.
At Bill Willams HQ and the nearby river bridge: Clark's and Western Grebes in a variety of plumages, many overlapping, but with a few blatant examples of one or the other species. Mostly Westerns. Also Common Merganser, Common Goldeneye (checked very carefully for Barrow's but none), Greater but no Lesser Scaup, Common Loon, Pacific Loon (I've seen few of these in the lower 48), Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Verdin, House Finch. I was fortunate with the single Pacific Loon which saved me from tracking back up to Lake Havasu City and Site 6 to find one.
The area at Parker Dam was comatose, and along the CA-AZ river I spied mainly Coot, Gadwall and a couple of Buffleheads. Down in Parker I saw my first Common Raven - easy enough to separate from Chihuahuan Raven here just by range.
My main target for the middle of the day was the Parker Valley due south of Parker. This valley was relatively quiet until I got down to the vicinity of Nez Road and then I found a field full of Horned Larks, cut west to look at a big blackbird flock (Yellow-headed, Brewer's, Red-winged), saw three fly-by Sandhill Cranes, then another blackbird flock with more Great-tailed Grackles. Over one irrigation ditch I had Black and Say's Phoebe and White-throated Swifts all in the same spot. Over at Nez Rd - a prior location for Mountain Plovers - I could turn up only a Vesper Sparrow. Red-tailed Hawk, Common Raven, American Kestrel and Turkey Vulture were the wide-spread raptors+vultures. Western Meadowlark and Sandhill Cranes were seen in the grassy fields south of Nez Rd.
After a bit of hard driving I got back to the Baseline-Salome area and first of all did a little rummaging around the local agricultural fields: Tundra Swans, Vermilion Flycatcher and Northern Mockingbird, Say's Phoebe, Killdeer, many Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons along Arlington Canal Road. At the thrasher spot itself: Brewer's/White-crowned/Sage Sparrows, Sage Thrasher (unexpected), Bendire's Thrasher, Loggerhead Shrike, Gambel's Quail and Say's Phoebe but no Le Conte's. That was attempt #2. The first two attempts were in the afternoon. Attempts three and four were in the early morning, which might be the trick.
The second failure to find the Thrasher led me to stay overnight in w. Phoenix at the Budget Inn (not recommended: noisy and front desk closed at 7pm) for a third attempt the following morning.
I dropped south on AZ-85 and west on I-8 toward Tucson, avoiding Phoenix and potential traffic issues that can plague this large metro area. In higher elevation spots there were many Saguaros and other cacti (Barrell Cactus, Cholla). I made a quick visit to the Tweedy Rd/Pretzer Rd area in the Santa Cruz flats in the middle of the day but didn't find much. Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, Common Raven, one Great Blue Heron, a few Horned Lark, Yellow-rumped (a mix of Audubons and Myrtle) and a few Say's Phoebes.
Instead I drove through Tucson, headed west on I-10 then south on AZ-83 over the eastern shoulder of the Santa Rita range. There was snow on the shaded north side of the hills, and when I stopped at Sonoita for a snack there was a snow shower. Sitting in the parking lot at Sonoita I had Eastern Meadowlark, Say's Phoebe, Vesper Sparrow, and an Abert's/Canyon Towhee. Because of the large distances involved this was getting on in the afternoon (3pm) and Patagonia-Sonoita Preserve closes at 4pm.
Patagonia-Sonoita Preserve the hosts were good at giving really explicit directions to the owl roost, but the owl itself was not so cooperative (it was seen earlier that day). What I did see was Common Raven, Mourning Dove, Lark Sparrow, American Robin, White-crowned Sparrow in what was a very brief visit since I wanted to spend more time at Patagonia Lake SP ($15) where as per the Visitor Center there were no recent reports of Ruddy Ground-Dove but Chipping Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, White-winged, Mourning Dove, blackbird flock (Great-tailed, Red-winged), Lesser Goldfinch, Orange-crowned Warbler and Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
The weather here was relatively cold and only intermittently sunny. Along the birding trail I had multiple Ash-throated Flycatchers, a Gray Flycatcher ID'd by tail action, another "whit"-ing flycatcher that clearly wasn't a Gray (Dusky/Hammond's were candidates), Bridled Titmouse, Gila/Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Bewick's Wren, Song Sparrow, Say's Poebe, and a distressingly invisible Gnatcatcher with non-Blue-gray call (although see later re: the call issue). On the lake: Double-crested Cormorant, American Coot, Pied-billed Grebe, Gadwall.
I made a near-sunset foray along Harshaw Canyon Road into the San Rafael Grasslands - the last four miles of that pass are dirt but drivable, then you crest out into a spectacular overlook of the grassy San Rafael Valley. I'd left it too late in the day to really see anything but the first thing I did put my eyes on was a Short-eared Owl, then a few Northern Harriers most of which were on the ground for the night. I didn't find the Rough-legged Hawk or the longspurs but this valley, aside from being a beautiful place and deserves a longer visit. The route via Patagonia and Harshaw Canyon is pretty direct, which is certainly NOT how I'd describe the route out of the north-east side of San Rafael. I spent 10+ miles on dirt road followed by 16 twisty miles on AZ-83 before I finally got to Sonoita. Do yourself a favor and exit via Harshaw Canyon instead.
I stayed overnight at an America's Best Value Inn at Sierra Vista, where I saw for the next two nights. I've found it possible with a little effort to find cheap locations that are superior to the Motel 6's that I sometimes inflict upon myself, and the former are almost invariably of better quality than the latter.
Back at Patagonia Lake SP ($15 again) the birding trail was slow but Pine Siskin was mixed in with the Lesser Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrow, Marsh Wren, Bewick's Wren, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, American Coot, Double-crested Cormorant, Blackbirds, Green-tailed Towhee, Phainopepla. I neither saw nor head any Gnatcatchers. I bumped into Alan Schmierer - a local experienced birder - who showed me the unoccupied owl roost tree and helped me search for Ruddy Ground-Doves. Turns out the doves were still around but extremely elusive and skittish. Since this seemed to be a bad bet I returned to Patagonia-Sonoita Creek where the sun was no longer on the roost hole and the Western Screech-Owl (USA #680) was sitting up and visible. Otherwise this third visit here had the same species plus two Black Vultures.
I hadn't visited the Paton's place in Patagonia in a number of years. The Paton's having both passed away and the house has been put on the market now but the feeders are still active). Chipping/White-crowned/White-throated Sparrows, a male Lazuli Bunting, Gila and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Acorn Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, Inca Dove, White-winged Dove, Great-tailed Grackle, Abert's Towhee, Gambel's Quail and White-breasted Nuthatch. This wasn't a very productive place in terms of new species (the Lazuli was the only one I'd seen this trip) but historically the Paton's had netted me life birds and given a possible sale it might very well be that this was a last visit here.
The prospects of Ruddy Ground-Dove back at the lake seemed very low, so I decided to wrap around the Santa Rita's to Florida Canyon. There's no quick way to do this no matter which direction you go in, so I did it via Nogales. I tried to visit the De Anza Trail at Tubac but this was made effectively impossible by some sort of event happening in Tubac, so I continued on my way. I stopped in Sahuarita to visit a site where a lot of Lawrence's Goldfinches had been reported but the "park" was more sports fields rather than a small riverside park and I left here without birding in order to spend more time in the montane canyons. That's the limitation of mining eBird sightings - there's no context to these non-hotspot birding areas.
So after a bit of a schlep I made it to Green Valley and ascended to Florida Canyon which is one canyon east of Madera Cyn on the north face of the Santa Rita's. Here I found Hermit Thrush, Black-chinned Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, White-crowned Sparrow, Northern Mockingbird. Walking down the dirt road below the concrete stream crossing I made a momentarily exciting discovery of a vocal Gnatcatcher sp - it was a female, with white under the tail and no dark markings above the eye. The call was much deeper and burrier than the eastern Blue-grays I was used to so I thought it was a good candidate for Black-capped. The complication was the lack of obvious field marks - the bill looked blackish but was not startlingly long, the tail wasn't obviously graduated, the call was two note. More importantly the details of the tail feathers were impaired by the fact that it was below me at roadside most of the time. It's a lot easier if they're above you in the trees. It was going to be a judgement call, and one that was considerably complicated by not seeing any other Blue-grays that trip. That evening, by checking images on the web and xeno-canto for calls, it became obvious that while it had some pro-Black-capped features there was no reasonable way to be certain. The call, in particular, was problematic since Blue-gray change their calls regionally, and all Black-capped recordings I could find were single note not double note. Then again that call didn't match any western Blue-grays I could come up with. It went unidentified, not without some grinding of teeth on the matter of "it could be a life bird but I just can't tell". Apropos that a sighting of the Florida Cyn in early March was of a bird giving a one note call, so there's no strong indication "my" gnatcatcher wasn't just a Blue-gray.
At sunset I spent a very little time at Madera Canyon, finding only Hermit Thrush and White-crowned Sparrow before heading back to Sierra Vista for the night.
Vesper Sparrow at Whitewater Draw
Headed north up the Sulfur Springs valley I saw the same aforementioned raptors, albeit in unimpressive numbers, and nothing else new save the massive Crane flocks that were circling over the local fields. Up around Apache power station near Willcox the area looked good for thrashers and saw 2 across the road, one of which looked good for Crissal but seen too briefly while driving to be certain.
Up near Willcox Playa more Sandhill Cranes were circling the fields - mostly seen on the west side of the Playa. At the golf course ponds: a Snow Goose family, Northern Shoveler, Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, American Wigeon, and multiple flocks of flighty Chestnut-collared Longspurs that came in to drink before headed back out into the grasslands. I could still hear, but not see, Sandhill Cranes from the ponds.
Whence once more to Florida Cyn where I found the same (?) gnatcatcher making the same call at the concrete stream crossing but still not a clear ID. Frustrating but by this point I had accepted the inherent ambiguity. I note that there don't seem to have been subsequent Black-capped reports from Florida Cyn (reported March 2nd). Attempts to record the call weren't successful. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Black-chined Sparrow, Rock Wren, Abert's Towhee, Brown Creeper and Mexican Jay made for a fuller list than the previous day. The low rain-bearing clouds that filled the area around Tucson caught up with me and it started snowing fairly hard so I exited Florida Cyn and went to Madera Cyn where it was actually worse and snowing as far down as Florida Wash. Nothing at the top of the cyn, but I parked below Santa Rita Lodge and made the short hike up to the feeders in the middle of this snow storm where I found huddling Wild Turkeys, Mexican Jay, Yellow-eyed Juncto, Dark-eyed Junco, Chipping Sparrow, Northern Flicker, Acorn Woodpecker but missed the Hepatic Tanager and Arizona Woodpecker reported from here. I think Patagonia got about 2 inches of snow on the afternoon/evening of the 11th. There also seem to have been two more snowfalls in the week or two following that so in some ways I was luckier with the weather than it seemed at the time.
I exited the Santa Ritas in heavy snowfall (wet snow at lower elevations, icier snow at the top of the canyon) and went on to Tucson where it was merely raining. I battled road construction and a little Tucson rush-hour traffic to get to Sweetwater Wetlands - Sora (one seen, one more whinnying), American Coot, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal (several), Black-necked Stilt, Ruddy Duck (1 male in breeding plumage, oddly), Gambel's Quail, Verdin, Song Sparrow, Marsh Wren (grayish), Common Yellowthroat and a distant Harris's Hawk. There was also a thin and limping Coyote keeping its distance from me here. There were hundreds of Northern Shovelers in flight along the river and in the larger retention ponds along the south side of Sweetwater. I think they outnumbered all the other species of ducks put together.
In my last stop in the Tucson area, at Ina Rd bridge - the river-side trail was closed for construction, epitomizing what a pain in the neck this trip had become. Birding from the walkway along the bridge both ssp of Yellow-rumped Warbler were fly-catching, a Belted Kingfisher, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Lincoln's and Song Sparrow, Red-tailed Hawk, no goldfinches of any type - I was looking for Lawrence's in particular.
I headed north to the Phoenix area and stayed at a Motel 6 in west Phoenix that reinforced my dissatisfaction with that chain of late. It was a little drier around Phoenix although some truckers were discussing difficult snowy conditions up in the mountains.
On the nearby fields I had a variety of other birds including: many GB Heron and Gt Egret along Arlington Canal Rd, three Bald Eagles, multiple Red-tailed Hawks (including one dark western type), Northern Harriers, one Merlin, two Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Northern Shoveler, Mallard and American Coot. Some possible Tree Swallows were seen over one pond. In one flooded field on the Buckeye side there were many Killdeer, a few tens of White-faced Ibis, some Least Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs and American Pipits. Nearby a Snowy Egret and two Coyotes crossing a field. The Tundra Swans were AWOL and I had none of the more exotic hawks but a Burrowing Owl near Palo Verde made up for that. That was one of the last birds of the trip and pretty decent half-day of birding, albeit one that covered the same area that I had covered before.
![Burrowing Owl](http://www.philjeffrey.net/img/Burrowing-Owl_W5G8902.jpg")
Burrowing Owl
The return trip to EWR on South West Airlines was pretty good, by comparison, and despite the shorter scheduled time eastbound they still arrived early. It's been a long while since I've had a generally positive experience flying and I hope this was a general trend with South West - I'd like to fly them more often in future.
| Pacific Loon | Gavia pacifica | Bill Williams NWR |
| Common Loon | Gavia immer | Bill Williams NWR |
| Pied-billed Grebe | Podilymbus podiceps | |
| Eared Grebe | Podiceps nigricollis | Bill Williams NWR |
| Western Grebe | Aechmophorus occidentalis | Bill Williams NWR |
| Clark's Grebe | Aechmophorus clarkii | Bill Williams NWR |
| Neotropic Cormorant | Phalacrocorax brasilianus | in low numbers throughout |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Phalacrocorax auritus | |
| Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | especially Buckeye-Arlington |
| Great Egret | Ardea alba | especially Buckeye-Arlington |
| Snowy Egret | Egretta thula | Papago Park, Buckeye |
| Green Heron | Butorides virescens | Papago Park |
| White-faced Ibis | Plegadis chihi | Buckeye |
| Black Vulture | Coragyps atratus | Patagonia |
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura | |
| Snow Goose | Chen caerulescens | Willcox |
| Tundra Swan | Cygnus columbianus | Arlington |
| Gadwall | Anas strepera | |
| American Wigeon | Anas americana | Whitewater, Willcox, Sweetwater |
| Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | |
| Blue-winged Teal | Anas discors | Santa Cruz River at Ina Rd Bridge |
| Cinnamon Teal | Anas cyanoptera | Whitewater Draw, Sweetwater |
| Northern Shoveler | Anas clypeata | |
| Northern Pintail | Anas acuta | Whitewater Draw, Sweetwater |
| Green-winged Teal | Anas crecca | Whitewater Draw, Sweetwater |
| Canvasback | Aythya valisineria | scattered individuals |
| Redhead | Aythya americana | |
| Ring-necked Duck | Aythya collaris | |
| Greater Scaup | Aythya marila | Bill Williams NWR |
| Lesser Scaup | Aythya affinis | Patagonia Lake SP |
| Bufflehead | Bucephala albeola | Parker River, Patagonia SP |
| Common Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula | Bill Willams NWR |
| Hooded Merganser | Lophodytes cucullatus | Papago Park |
| Common Merganser | Mergus merganser | Bill Willams NWR |
| Ruddy Duck | Oxyura jamaicensis | |
| Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus | Buckeye/Palo Verde |
| Northern Harrier | Circus cyaneus | |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus | Ina Rd bridge |
| Cooper's Hawk | Accipiter cooperii | Sulfur Springs Valley |
| Harris's Hawk | Parabuteo unicinctus | Sweetwater Wetlands |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | |
| Ferruginous Hawk | Buteo regalis | Palo Verde |
| American Kestrel | Falco sparverius | |
| Merlin | Falco columbarius | Arlington |
| Wild Turkey | Meleagris gallopavo | Madera Cyn |
| Gambel's Quail | Callipepla gambelii | |
| Sora | Porzana carolina | Sweetwater Wetlands |
| Common Gallinule | Gallinula galeata | Sweetwater Wetlands |
| American Coot | Fulica americana | |
| Sandhill Crane | Antigone canadensis | Parker Valley, Whitewater Draw/Sulfur Springs Valley |
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus | |
| Black-necked Stilt | Himantopus mexicanus | Sweetwater Wetlands |
| Greater Yellowlegs | Tringa melanoleuca | Whitewater Draw |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | Tringa flavipes | Buckeye |
| Least Sandpiper | Calidris minutilla | Buckeye, Whitewater Draw |
| Long-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus scolopaceus | Whitewater Draw |
| Wilson's Snipe | Gallinago delicata | Whitewater Draw |
| Ring-billed Gull | Larus delawarensis | Bill Williams NWR |
| Rock Pigeon | Columba livia | |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | Streptopelia decaocto | |
| White-winged Dove | Zenaida asiatica | Patagonia Lake SP |
| Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura | |
| Inca Dove | Columbina inca | Patagonia/Paton's |
| Western Screech-Owl | Otus kennicottii | Patagonia-Sonoita Creek |
| Burrowing Owl | Athene cunicularia | Palo Verde |
| Short-eared Owl | Asio flammeus | San Rafael Valley |
| White-throated Swift | Aeronautes saxatalis | Parker Valley |
| Anna's Hummingbird | Calypte anna | |
| Costa's Hummingbird | Calypte costae | Desert Museum |
| Belted Kingfisher | Megaceryle alcyon | Ina Rd bridge |
| Acorn Woodpecker | Melanerpes formicivorus | Patagonia/Paton's, Madera Cyn |
| Gila Woodpecker | Melanerpes uropygialis | |
| Ladder-backed Woodpecker | Picoides scalaris | |
| Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus | Patagonia-Sonoita Creek |
| Gilded Flicker | Colaptes chrysoides | Papago Park |
| Gray Flycatcher | Empidonax wrightii | Patagonia Lake SP |
| Black Phoebe | Sayornis nigricans | Parker Valley |
| Say's Phoebe | Sayornis saya | |
| Vermilion Flycatcher | Pyrocephalus rubinus | Buckeye |
| Ash-throated Flycatcher | Myiarchus cinerascens | Patagonia Lake SP |
| Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus | Buckeye, Florida Cyn |
| Cassin's Vireo | Vireo cassinii | Bill Williams NWR |
| Mexican Jay | Aphelocoma wollweberi | Madera Cyn, Florida Cyn |
| Common Raven | Corvus corax | Parker Valley |
| Horned Lark | Eremophila alpestris | Parker Valley |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennis | Bill Williams NWR, Ina Rd bridge |
| Bridled Titmouse | Baeolophus wollweberi | Patagonia Lake SP, Patagonia-Sonoita |
| Verdin | Auriparus flaviceps | |
| Brown Creeper | Certhia americana | Florida Cyn |
| Cactus Wren | Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus | Desert Museum |
| Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus | Florida Cyn |
| Canyon Wren | Catherpes mexicanus | Bill Williams NWR |
| Bewick's Wren | Thryomanes bewickii | |
| House Wren | Troglodytes aedon | Patagonia-Sonoita Creek |
| Marsh Wren | Cistothorus palustris | Patagonia Lake SP, Sweetwater Wetlands |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Regulus calendula | |
| Black-tailed Gnatcatcher | Polioptila melanura | |
| Eastern Bluebird | Sialia sialis | Patagonia-Sonoita Creek |
| Hermit Thrush | Catharus guttatus | Florida Cyn, Madera Cyn |
| American Robin | Turdus migratorius | Patagonia-Sonoita Preserve |
| Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | |
| Sage Thrasher | Oreoscoptes montanus | Baseline-Salome |
| Bendire's Thrasher | Toxostoma bendirei | Baseline-Salome |
| Curve-billed Thrasher | Toxostoma curvirostre | |
| Crissal Thrasher | Toxostoma crissale | Baseline-Salome |
| Le Conte's Thrasher | Toxostoma lecontei | Baseline-Salome |
| European Starling | Sturnus vulgaris | |
| American Pipit | Anthus rubescens | Baseline-Salome |
| Phainopepla | Phainopepla nitens | |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | Oreothlypis celata | Bill Williams NWR, Patagonia |
| Common Yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas | Whitewater Draw, Sweetwater Wetlands |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | Setophaga coronata | |
| Green-tailed Towhee | Pipilo chlorurus | |
| Abert's Towhee | Melozone aberti | Baseline-Salome |
| Chipping Sparrow | Spizella passerina | Patagonia Lake SP |
| Brewer's Sparrow | Spizella breweri | Buckeye, Whitewater |
| Black-chinned Sparrow | Spizella atrogularis | Florida Cyn |
| Vesper Sparrow | Pooecetes gramineus | Parkey Valley |
| Lark Sparrow | Chondestes grammacus | Patagonia-Sonoita |
| Sage Sparrow | Artemisiospiza belli | Buckeye |
| Lark Bunting | Calamospiza melanocorys | Whitewater Draw |
| Savannah Sparrow | Passerculus sandwichensis | Patagonia-Sonoita Creek |
| Song Sparrow | Melospiza melodia | Patagonia Lake SP |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | Melospiza lincolnii | Bill Williams NWR |
| White-throated Sparrow | Zonotrichia albicollis | Patagonia |
| White-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia leucophrys | |
| Dark-eyed Junco | Junco hyemalis | Florida Cyn, Madera Cyn |
| Yellow-eyed Junco | Junco phaeonotus | Madera Cyn |
| Chestnut-collared Longspur | Calcarius ornatus | Willcox |
| Northern Cardinal | Cardinalis cardinalis | Patagonia |
| Pyrrhuloxia | Cardinalis sinuatus | Patagonia Lake SP |
| Lazuli Bunting | Passerina amoena | Patagonia/Paton's |
| Red-winged Blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus | |
| Eastern Meadowlark | Sturnella magna | Sonoita |
| Western Meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta | |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus | Parker Valley |
| Brewer's Blackbird | Euphagus cyanocephalus | |
| Great-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus | |
| House Finch | Haemorhous mexicanus | |
| Pine Siskin | Carduelis pinus | Patagonia |
| Lesser Goldfinch | Carduelis psaltria | |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus |