Date: 7/16/25 3:50 pm From: henry detwiler (via aznmbirds Mailing List) <aznmbirds...> Subject: [AZNMbirds] SEAZ: White-eyed Vireo, Allen's Hummingbird, etc.
Greetings Birders,
On 13 July, as I was leaving the house at zero dark thirty, the fledgling AMERICAN BARN OWLS in the palms were clicking and begging incessantly, so I made a quick recording. Then it was off to the Glendale Recharge Ponds. Once there, I ran into Chris, and we walked the banks of pond #4 in search of a STILT SANDPIPER reported the prior day. Soon, Chris spotted a smallish sandpiper, and a look through the scope confirmed the target bird!
I didn't arrive at the Anza Trail behind the Tubac Nature Center until 10:20 a.m., and then I listened in vain for the White-eyed Vireo which was visiting the area. There were plenty of other nice birds, though, like YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, and GRAY HAWK. Two ZONE-TAILED HAWK fledglings were crying (like a squeal) from a large cottonwood to the south. After an hour I figured it was too hot for the vireo to start singing, or maybe it had moved on to more hospitable climes. So I drove over to the Paton’s and spent an enjoyable couple of hours sorting through their hummingbirds, looking for an Allen’s Hummer. I watched scads of BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRDS, a few BLACK-CHINNEDS, two VIOLET-CROWNEDS, a brilliant male RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, and a single female/immature RUFOUS. Equally impressive was the herd of BLUE GROSBEAKS that were feeding on the seed next to one of the brush piles--I counted 37 individuals at one time. Back at the Anza Trail that evening, I tried again for the White-eyed Vireo, and again it remained quiet.
On the morning of 14 July I was on the trail shortly after 5:00 a.m. Surely I would hear the vagrant vireo during the dawn chorus. YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS were vociferous, and I heard a TROPICAL KINGBIRD along with VERMILION, DUSKY-CAPPED, and BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHERS. But where was my vireo? I snagged a few photos of the ZONE-TAILED HAWKS, and recorded their calls. Then, almost an hour and a half after starting my prowl, I heard a WHITE-EYED VIREO give it's slightly scratchy call! Once started, it was quite happy to continue, and I was able to get a short recording. However, it remained well-hidden, and I never did see the little bird. While birding along the Anza Trail, Jake had posted from the Arizona Birding Guides feeding station in Patagonia that he and Alexis had a confirmed Allen's Hummingbird--so that's where I headed. And it wasn't long before I saw it, too, and even captured a few documentary shots of the handsome male bird.
My next stop was at Sweetwater Wetlands, where a Purple Gallinule had been photographed the day before. Steve re-located the bird that morning, and he and Cathy had it cornered when I arrived shortly after 10:00 a.m. A short wait, and then I saw the handsome male PURPLE GALLINULE move between two clumps of cattails. It had been a quick trip, but over the two days I'd added four more birds, leaving me with 374 birds for the year.
Now it appears that there are two PURPLE GALLINULES at Sweetwater, and that they have been exhibiting breeding behavior! eBird reports with some photos and audio:https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/q-m5CnGWL0c6O8RQ3f9f2iJIBDo?<domain...>
Good Birding!Henry D. <Detwilerhenry_detwiler...>, AZ
Finding Birds in Southwest Arizonahttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/0MhOCoAWMofKqOyJPizhNip4_Co?<domain...> Birds at the Salton Sea and in Imperial County, https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/PEMRCp9WNpfxMYRPOSYiPiGDegZ?<domain...>
