A Field Trip and New Friends (Bird and Human)

On January 11 I led a Tucson Audubon field trip at Atturbury Wash, in Lincoln Regional Park on Tucson's east side. We saw these 24 species. If "anything can appear anywhere, at any time," the "anything" that appeared this time was Cassin's kingbird. Two of them were among the first birds seen, just after they were heard calling"chi-bew" loudly from a mesquite tree (Prosopis velutina). They flew over us and into a netleaf hackberry (Celtis reticulata) along the wash, where we saw them from a distance of only about 15 yards.

Cassin's kingbird, by Paul Richards

Cassin's kingbird is "casual" in Tucson in autumn through January, meaning that it does not occur annually (at this time of year) and one should not expect to see it (Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona). However, eBird shows that in the last 30 days Cassin's kingbird has been seen in seven other locations around the Tucson metro area (three are fairly close together and might be the same birds).

In the last 30 days in the greater Southwest U.S. Cassin's has mainly been seen in metro Tucson and in coastal Southern California (with single outliers in Las Vegas and the central California coast). Is that where the birds are or is that where the birders are? There are a lot of holes in the data in the spaces between big cities--places where no eBird records have been submitted in the last 30 days. So it might be that they are out there. On the other hand, Phoenix is just 110 miles northwest of Tucson and there have been no sightings there.

Another nice find was at least three western bluebirds, which are common winter residents in our region but irregular in the Tucson basin. The best find was a person, Laurie, that wants to participate more in Tucson Audubon projects like our upcoming nest box pilot program. And Paul Richards who sent me several photos he said I could use, including the verdin in my inaugural post and the Cassin's kindbird seen here! Thanks Paul.

Atturbury Wash is a work site for Tucson Audubon's habitat restoration crew and volunteers, under a large grant from the Arizona Water Protection Fund and a smaller grant from Conserve to Enhance. We would not have seen these birds in this place if the Groves-Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association hadn't fought tooth and nail to keep this public land free of development and to encourage Tucson Parks and Rec to maintain access to natural open space. Tucson Audubon carries on this work advocating for birds and their habitat in places like this. Urban birds don't happen by accident.

Today on my way into an 8 a.m. meeting I heard, then saw, a Costa's hummingbird making its odd, zinging whistle while doing its looping courtship display. Generally this is directed at a female but I didn't find one, and the meeting was starting. This was in a new desert landscape at the grandly named Water and Energy Sustainability Center--the new Pima County labs and offices associated with the Agua Nueva Wastewater Reclamation Facility.

After a few relatively brief outings so far this year I am closing January 16 at 60 species in the Tucson area, based on 16 checklists submitted to eBird , and 15 species in my own neighborhood. I'm feeling a little bit like I might not be the right person to be writing this blog. Twenty-seven people have uploaded more checklists than I have and one has seen 90 more species than I.

But I did say that part of my quest finding out how many species the "average" birder could see around Tucson in a year. So I'm doing alright. And I did enjoy that little Costs's streaking around making its absurd sound.