Just Passing Through, May Stick Around a Couple Days

Certain birds just pass through Tucson in spring migration. While spring migrants are expected in a general sense, they're always a  pleasant surprise in the moment you see them. Many only stay a day or two. The latest issue of Tucson Audubon's Vermilion Flycatcher (Vol. 59, No. 2) is about Wilson's warblers' migratory stopovers and what we can do to help them fatten up for their continued journey.

One of the most dramatic neighborhood migratory surprises came last Monday morning as I attempted to back out of the driveway. It was much bigger than a Wilson's warbler. Through the back window of the car I saw a hawk rise up out of the neighborhood to the south. The General Impression of Size and Shape, or "GISS" (yes, that's a term birders use) was of something larger than a Cooper's hawk but not as broad-winged as a red-tailed hawk.

I put the car in neutral and got out. The wings were a little pointy and swept forward; there was a brown hood; the leading edges of the wings were white. It was a Swainson's hawk! It circled once and headed northwest. This was my first sighting of this species in the neighborhood and I realized I had the camera in the car. So I got back in the car and took off after it!

Swainson's hawk, April 7, 2014, Palo Verde Neighorhood

I chased it west into the next neighborhood, driving by a coworker's house on the way. Part of me wanted to let her know this bird was in her neighborhood, but I knew if I stopped to knock on the door or call I would loose track of it.

Finally after another three blocks it stopped and circled on a thermal, trying to gain altitude. I got out with the camera and got a pretty decent photo. After appreciating the experience for a little while longer, I headed off to work.

In other raptor news, young Cooper's hawks have been out of the nest and flying around for at least a couple weeks now. Here's one from about a week ago. Notice the little hummingbird to the right that was hovering around up there too! I like to think it was saying "Bet you can't catch me!"

Immature Cooper's hawk, early April 2014

In my last blog I mentioned a Cassin's vireo that showed up in an acacia a half-block from the house while I was walking the dogs. On Wednesday morning, as I was leaving home to visit's the Patons' house in Patagonia, Arizona, I heard another vireo nearby. I saw it fly into the big mesquite in my back yard and, behold, it was a plumbeous vireo. This vireo is closely related to the Cassin's, once having been considered the same species (solitary vireo). Plumbeous, as the name suggests, is grayer while Cassin's is washed with yellow-green. See more about plumbeous vireo at AllAboutBirds.org.

Later at the Paton house in Patagonia I enjoyed views of a long list of birds including my "first of year" gray hawk, canyon towhee, western tanager, black-headed grosbeak, brown-headed cowbird and lazuli bunting. Hmm, somebody ought to start a urban birder blog for Patagonia!