Young Birder of the Year Contest

Young Birders' Conference

Camps

ABA Scholarships
   - Recipients

Connect!

A Bird's-Eye View

Join ABA

SCHOLARSHIP REPORTS 2006

2006 VENT Camp Chiricahua

6-17 July 2006

By Kevin Welsh

The twentieth anniversary of Camp Chiricahua was no doubt in my mind the highlight of my youth. It was like living one of the legends that we’ve all read about in books like Kingbird Highway and Wild America. Meeting new friends and the skilled trip leaders added a lot of significance to this event that I will never forget. I gained a lot of knowledge about the natural history of Arizona and I have also changed my entire aspect of birding.

From the minute I signed up for the event, I was counting down the days. The excitement climaxed during the week of the trip and it wasn’t until the time I was on the plane that I realized that this was not a dream.

Upon arrival in Tucson I was greeted by the counselors, Moez Ali and Jessie Barry. It was then on to baggage claim where I met a few of the other campers. We all greeted each other and then headed over to the hotel where there were other campers to meet and not to mention, the leaders, Victor Emanuel and Barry Lyon. Everyone was over-excited and we birded extensively around the hotel parking lot coming up with birds like Gambel’s Quail, Verdin, Western Kingbird, Hooded Oriole, and Gila Woodpeckers. The first day and a half was spent in vicinity of the hotel and we all got to know one another as we spent time learning the typical desert birds. We did manage to spend some time at Madera Canyon, searching for the Flame-colored Tanager, but without success.

The second day was a travel day. We stopped at the Tucson Mountain Park, Gates Pass, and the Desert Museum and learned a great deal about the lower Sonora desert. The rest of the day was spent driving to the Chiricahua Mountains. To pass the time and to get to know each other more, we managed to create bird related games that kept us from getting too bored.

Arrival in Portal was breathtaking. It became very apparent that this trip was scheduled in the middle of monsoon season when the rain clouds from over the Gulf of Mexico met the hot air of the west and formed isolated thunderstorms over the mountains and deserts of Arizona. The Chiricahua Mountains were cathedral like structures, towering over us from the shadows of the rain clouds. In Portal, the rain was so hard and persistent that we had to change our plans from camping at Sunny Flat campground to spending the night at Cave Creek Ranch. Cave Creek was not a bad idea at all. We experienced a lot of diversity there where the desert meets the riparian corridors. Birds in this region included; Blue-throated Hummingbird, Cassin’s Kingbird, Black Phoebe, Acorn Woodpecker, Mexican Jay, Curve-billed Thrashers, plus a variety of others from both the desert and riparian habitats.

We spent some time in the Portal area where we split into two groups; one group would study the riparian habitat, and the other would observe desert wildlife and vice versa the next day. Birds from the desert like Scaled Quail, Greater Roadrunners, and even a family group of Crissal Thrashers were the highlights. In the riparian zones, we found Zone-tailed Hawks, Band-tailed Pigeons, and Juniper Titmice. We were even given a lesson on aging and identifying molting birds from Jessie. On these days I learned that the fun of birding is not entirely just about adding another species to your list – no, it’s about discovering birds in nature and becoming familiar with all aspects of them. It’s about observing behavior and appearances to the max. What I learned on these days, I will never let go of.

One eventful evening was spent with the famous, Dave Jasper who would be leading the camp if it were not the twentieth anniversary. He showed us the art of owling. First and foremost he taught us that we should place our flashlights on our foreheads so that the beam would reveal the eye shine of the creatures caught in the light. For a while we watched a family of Elf Owls, then we listened to Western Screech-Owls and Poorwills. Further up the Chiricahuas we saw and heard Whiskered Screech-Owls and the Mexican version of the Whip-Poor-Will. It was all so fast and seemed so easy! I could’ve stayed up all night searching for owls with Dave. He tagged along with us for the next few days in the Chiricahuas. We also had the privilege of meeting Barney Tomberlin in Portal who had an entire house full of creatures like rattlesnakes, Gila monster, black widow spiders, and scorpions; and he has even had his rattlesnakes filmed in one of David Attenborough’s documentaries. Both Dave and Barney taught us a great deal of Southeastern Arizona natural history.

We spent quite time observing bird life at Sunny Flat Campground, South Fork Trail and even some time across the border into New Mexico. On one day up South Fork we were caught, yet again, in crazy monsoon weather, high up in the mountains. At one point it started hailing and the stream that followed the path was quickly rising. I wasn’t prepared for such weather and got soaked to the bone. Amazingly though, my camera didn’t get wet at all! We also spent time searching for Elegant Trogons and were surprised by a male that has been breeding around the local artist’s, David Utterback’s, backyard. He told us of his fascinating observations of this individual trogon. We had many surprises in the Cave Creek Canyon area including: a family of Spotted Owls, Peregrine Falcons, and Rufous-crowned Sparrows.

The next stop in the Chiricahuas was Rustler Park. At about 8,000 feet, the surroundings change drastically. The area is more like that of Canada with tall pines of all sorts. Here we saw birds typical of the higher elevations such as: Steller’s Jay, Pygmy Nuthatch, and Mexican Chickadee. During one night of camping here someone thought they heard a bear rummaging around camp! A day was spent climbing to the top of Barfoot Peak. It was such a thrill to be so high up. We could see everything for miles around. Many high flying raptors and White-throated Swifts were seen from eye level, and at one point a Short-tailed Hawk hovered on thin air nearby while we all watched with amazed eyes. Everyone was calling their families because this was one of the few places with cell phone service. On the way back down to Rustler Park we were thrilled with Olive Warblers and a Red-faced Warbler.

Even though it was hard, we had to leave the renowned Chiricahuas behind. But before us were even more discoveries to be made. Onward we went to Willcox and the Twin Lakes Golf Course where we saw shorebirds in the middle of the desert. Since it was the only large body of water around, there were many American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, and Wilson’s Phalaropes feeding along the shore. Also amid the flocks of stilts and avocets were a Long-billed Curlew, a Baird’s Sandpiper, and many peeps. Also in good numbers were waterfowl such as Eared Grebes, Cinnamon Teals, and Ruddy Ducks. Towards the end of our visit at Willcox, we saw a spectacular Swainson’s Hawk flying right over our heads with its dinner.

Later that day we arrived in the vicinity of the Huachuca Mountains. There we would see many Mexican specialties not to mention twelve species of hummingbirds in one day. We visited the many canyons including: Ash, Carr, and Miller. The birds encountered here were Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Greater Pewee, Spotted Towhee, and the host of hummingbirds including: Lucifer, White-eared, Violet-crowned, Anna’s, Allen’s, Rufous, Broad-tailed, Broad-billed, Blue-throated, Magnificent, Black-chinned, and Costa’s Hummingbirds, all in the canyons of the Huachucas.

The place that would serve as our base camp during our stay near the Huachucas was the San Pedro River Inn. There were a lot of new birds encountered here that we would not have seen elsewhere like Tropical Kingbird, Gray Hawk, Vermillion Flycatcher, Barn Owl, and, one of Barry’s favorite birds, Blue Grosbeak. The owners were very hospitable, having to deal with our crazy antics all through our stay. Every night there seemed to be countless Lesser Nighthawks flying around the ponds nearby and the Barn Owl’s eerie calls could be heard by dark. During the heat of the afternoon at the River Inn, we sometimes would play a game of ultimate Frisbee. Also during our stay, we witnessed great monsoon weather. Rain clouds formed overhead and the wind picked up, but the sun still remained shining on the horizon creating many rainbows and stunning views of the distant Huachucas.

We next made a trip out to the legendary birding site of Patagonia. I like to say that we didn’t just bird Patagonia, we conquered it. The day started great as on arriving at Patagonia Lake State Park we were seeing Varied Buntings, Bell’s Vireos, Neotropic Cormorant, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Phainopepla. Then we spent the remainder of our time there searching for the eminent Black-capped Gnatcatcher. We split into groups, each with a leader or counselor armed with a walkie-talkie. Quite some time passed and no one was radioing anything. After about twenty minutes, I thought I heard someone shout “Gnatcatcher!” and then Victor’s walkie-talkie blurted out something. And then it was like the Gold Rush of 1849. Everyone rushed to the scene and everyone was able to get crippling views of an adult male Black-capped Gnatcatcher. For Victor, this was a U.S. lifer and for Jessie it was an all-around lifer. Victor had only seen one in Mexico before this, so part of the satisfaction was to see Victor and Jessie in all their glory. With incredible teamwork, we were able to find one of the rarest birds of the trip. Later on, at the well-known rest stop we quickly picked up Thick-billed Kingbird straight from the parking lot. We tried for the Rose-throated Becard, but no luck.

The final day was perhaps the most exhilarating of them all. We had just enough time left in the trip to make a run down to Sycamore Canyon where there was a long staying Rufous-capped Warbler. As we were driving down there, Barry made a totally unexpected U-turn without even warning the other van ahead of us. He had spotted two impressive Montezuma Quail crossing the road. And again later on, while driving somewhere near Sycamore Canyon, Barry stopped again, this time for a stunning Golden Eagle soaring over the rocky outcrops. Before even reaching the parking lot at Sycamore Canyon we would see more Montezuma Quail, Rock Wrens, and the ever enjoyable Varied Buntings.

At Sycamore Canyon we found the Rufous-capped Warbler within twenty minutes of arriving. This Mexican rarity was foraging and singing near a streambed. We took some time afterwards to explore more of Sycamore Canyon. With extra time now, we decided that the next stop would be California Gulch, that infamous road that isn’t maintained at all, leading to the legendary Five-striped Sparrow. The road did prove to be pretty nasty. I almost got car sick! But I held out long enough for a rewarding look at a singing Five-striped Sparrow in the scope. We spent some time in California Gulch, eating lunch and making more plans for the day.

Eventually we decided that the best way to end the trip was to go back to Madera Canyon and search once more for the Flame-colored Tanager. On the way there we picked up two new trip birds, Harris’s Hawk and Rufous-winged Sparrow. The tanager was a U.S. bird for Barry and a lifer for everyone, so we made an extra effort of teamwork. Someone had spotted it for a second, but not everyone was able to see it. Not yet satisfied, we stayed in the same area waiting for it to show up again. And at long last, we finally spotted it, making it one heck of a final lifer for almost everyone.

Back at the hotel in Tucson, we had our final meeting. We had conquered the birding legend that is southeastern Arizona. The leaders made their finals speeches and Victor even shared a captivating story about the Eskimo Curlew he had found years ago. Everyone swapped their contact information and made their long goodbyes. And like awaking after a good dream it was back to reality.

I really feel that the thing I will miss the most about this camp is the friends I’ve made. Thanks to all the campers and to Victor, Barry, Moez, and Jessie for making it such a life changing experience.

These young birders attended the camps/events they report on with the help of ABA scholarships.