Slate Lakes Grassland Restoration with the Arizona Elk Society

Hey Readers!

This summer, I have been searching for opportunities to volunteer with various wildlife agencies to gain some practical experience in the realm of wildlife conservation.  One of the projects I signed up for was the Slate Lakes Grassland Restoration which the Arizona Elk Society spearheaded.  The project would take place during the 3rd week of July roughly 30 miles northwest of Flagstaff.  My Dad and I packed and left our home in New River on the 17th to set up camp.  Arriving at the AES camp late for dinner, we were immediately greeted by a friendly outdoorsman who offered us from brats, buns, and condiments.  He proceeded to rush around excitedly to make our dinner as convenient as possible.  After exchanging names and handshakes, we ate our dinner and looked for a good spot to set up camp.  We could faintly discern the shapes of RVs, trucks, and tents in the dark as we drove around the perimeter of the small forest which the AES base camp encircled.  Before crawling into my sleeping bag for the night, I decided to study the local insect life.  

Callistege intercalaris

An Emerald moth - probably Nemoria obliqua

A probable Pyraloid moth

Another possible Pyraloid moth

Hemieuxoa rudens

A Crambid moth

A Noctuid moth

A possible Speranza colata

Tarache expolita

Presumably Zaleops umbrina 

A Crambid moth

A possible quaker moth

Bulia deducta

Possibly the largest insect I have ever seen

Trichocnemis spiculatus neomexicanus

These chafer beetles were abundant in the area and were very attracted to our lights

A tiny pseudoscorpion

After some good arthropodic discoveries, I decided to get some sleep; we had a long day ahead of us.

I could hear the wind rushing through the pines and the swallows calling when I woke in the morning.  My Father and I enjoyed a hearty breakfast of biscuits and gravy which was generously provided by the AES.  We also had some opportunities to talk with fellow outdoorsmen and elk enthusiasts.  I was blessed with a chance to speak with the Arizona Elk Society's Executive Director, Steve Clark after breakfast.  I was hoping he would sign my volunteer service record sheet.  He not only did that for me, but also asked me to take photos on behalf of the AES and write an article about the event for their magazine!  I was very excited for the responsibility.  Birdwise, I recorded 24 species at our base camp.  Among the most notable were a Dusky Flycatcher, Mountain Chickadee, Painted Redstart, and a pair of Red Crossbills.

After a well-executed safety briefing, we departed for the project site.  The mission was simple - cut the branches of small pines and junipers with hand tools so the trained sawyers could remove the trees completely.  This would open up tracts of former grassland which would help improve the habitat to better suit the needs of migratory Pronghorn and Elk.  When we were nearing the project site, a cow Elk sprang out from cover and sprinted across the clearing; a clear reminder of why we were here.

The team gathered together for some guidance from a Forest Service biologist before embarking on the project.  My dad and I tag-teamed the large junipers and let everyone else deal with the simple and easy-to-cut pines.  The juniper's branches were tough and woody, much unlike the soft and resinous nature of a pine branch.  Because the junipers were quite tall, we were unable to cut all of their branches.  Instead, we cleared everything away from the trunk in order for the sawyers to have easy access to the base of the tree.  While clearing branches from our work site, I flushed a horned lizard from its hideout under a cactus!

A female Greater Short-Horned Lizard

  

Dorsal view

Ventral view

A Phytocorid plant bug

Xanthippus corallipes

Check out its red legs!

Strangely, I noticed very few bird species in the area.  My eBird checklist for the 6 hours and 50 minutes we were at the project site had only 5 species; a Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Common Raven, 2 Western Bluebirds, 3 Chipping Sparrows, and 2 Dark-eyed Juncos.  I didn't feel at all bad that we were cutting trees - the birds barely seemed to use them anyway!  After clearing the bases of several more junipers, my Dad and I were pretty wiped out.  We decided to join the other volunteers who were 100 yards past us and chopping away.  

One of the sawyers felling a young pine whose branches have been cleared.      

A previously inhospitable tract of land is now open for migrating mammals such as Pronghorn an Elk.

After our lunch break, I worked alongside a Forest Service biologist and her team.  One of the team members, a Puerto Rican-American, engaged me in conversation.  He too loves birds and he has experience working with Mountain Trogons in Mexico and has also mist-netted birds in Venezuela.  By 3 pm, the sawyers had advanced notably and we could hear the buzz of their chainsaws increasingly as we worked.  When my dad and I left at 4 pm, the change we had made to the landscape was obvious.  I could see the fruit of my labor.  The land was opened up.  A clear tree line could be distinguished.  Grasses and forbs now had a chance to reclaim land that was once theirs.  I know that Pronghorn and Elk will roam through this place once again.  

While tearing down camp, I noted a few new birds for the trip; a Plumbeous Vireo, Steller's Jay, and some Lark Sparrows.  As I was putting my tent in its bag, I heard a far off "Queeah" in the distance.  It was a familiar sound, yet unfamiliar.  Then it hit me.  I had just heard my lifer Pinyon Jay calling!  Unfortunately, I couldn't locate it, but there is no doubting a call as distinctive as the Pinyon Jay's.  Although it wasn't a birding trip, I still got a lifer!       

Godspeed and good birding to you all,

- Joshua

P.S.  As we drove past our community's park, I noticed a strange creature out in the grass...

An albino Black-tailed Jackrabbit!

SEAZ Rarity Chasing

Hey Readers!

As per usual this summer, my friend Caleb gave me an unexpected invitation to bird with Gordon Karre, Susan Fishburn, and him in Southeast Arizona!  This would be my first all day rarity chasing trip as we were after a Purple Gallinule in Tucson, a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in Sierra Vista, and others.  My parents okayed the trip and we were a go.  Logistics worked out in a similar fashion as in in my last trip to the Organ Pipe Cactus NM.

Arriving at Caleb's house the evening before we were to leave, we talked and also got some sleep before waking to leave early the next morning.  Susan picked us up and then we all carpooled with Gordon in his car.  We knew it would be an eventful day!

Our first stop was in the Sierra Vista area along Moson Rd.  There was a grove of cypresses that harbored one of the Arizona's best rarities of the year - a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher!  When we saw the grove in the distance, we knew we were in the right place.  We cautiously pulled over and walked along the road.  There was another bird here that Caleb and I both needed.  And we both heard it start to sing right when we started our hike to the cypress grove!

   

           

This bird is a Cassin's Sparrow an inhabitant of parts of the Southwest and Midwest.  This species is well-known for its habit of 'skylarking'; a behavior in which a singing bird flies up from the ground and high in the air and then drops back down again, singing all the while.  We went on to  locate 7 Cassin's Sparrows before leaving.  Another species of sparrow caught us off guard as well - a Botteri's Sparrow!

As excited as we were about these seemingly boring sparrows, we decided to shift focus to the bird we came to find!  I scanned every branch of those cypresses and kept a wary eye searching over the grasslands in case the flycatcher was flying out there.  Soon, Caleb had located the bird behind a cypress and we were all trying to get a visual on it.  Then, it flew from the cypress and into plain sight!!!  It was absolutely bizarre to see a bird with a tail that long fly successfully.  The tail bounced up and down with ever flap of its wings.  I honestly wonder why they aren't extinct.  I mean, a raptor could totally outdistance the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in flight...right?  Awkward proportions aside, it was a magnificent bird.  Normally they are found in the US primarily in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.  Southeast Arizona is a long ways off, but the habitat here was perfect for them.  A few other birders got to see the bird and were absolutely thrilled at the sight of it.

 

Aside from the sparrows and epic flycatcher, there were plenty of other birds around.

A few Western Kingbirds were bothersome to the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, the ravens, and pretty much anything else alive.

In flight, a Chihuahuan Raven looks nearly identical to a Common Raven...

But when preening, they give themselves away...

Only Chihuahuan Ravens have white bases to their neck feathers.

Watching the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

A flock of Mallards - some of which being the Mexican subspecies - flew by us on their way to a nearby pond.  A couple Swainson's Hawks soared overhead.  A Blue Grosbeak and Vermilion Flycatcher were also in the trees.  On the other side of the road in the desert, we heard a Ladder-backed Woodpecker and a Crissal Thrasher.

After thoroughly enjoying the wonderful Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, we drove to the San Pedro House; a famed birding location along the great San Pedro River.

 

While Gordon and Susan decided to visit the hummingbird feeders, Caleb and I decided to walk the trails along the river and explore the mesquite bosques.  The first thing I saw was a literal riparian wall; the imposing one I've ever seen.

Good to see these cottonwoods standing tall!

There were also many Desert Grassland Whiptails throughout the entire area.

This gourd plant was a well-established species in the fields

Once we reached the riparian area, we started noticing a lot of birds.  Summer Tanagers were active as were many Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats.  A Gray Hawk flew from its perch and deep into cover before we could get any photos.  One of the most impressive species here were the Yellow-billed Cuckoos.  We were heard quite a few throughout the duration of our stay.  A small family group of Bushtits were slightly unusual.  Vermilion Flycatchers were the dominant flycatcher species in the area, even outnumbering the Brown-crested Flycatchers.

An underside view of a male Vermilion Flycatcher

Also common were Common Ground Doves

We took a different trail that was surrounded by thick mesquites and tall grass.  Caleb heard a Willow Flycatcher and Indigo Bunting.  Both excellent birds.  We were especially looking forward to the possibility of Northern Beardless Tyrannulets, but that dream never came true.  Instead, we located another Gray hawk - and this one was a younger individual.

  

The riparian wall

When we met up again with Gordon and Susan, we heard about some the birds they had.  They had just seen a Coachwhip snake - one that I hadn't seen before.  Caleb and I tried relocating it, but to no avail.

We left the San Pedro House and headed towards the Huachuca Mountains.  Caleb and I wanted to make the hike up Hunter Canyon to try to find a bird that is quite scarce and elusive:  the Rufous-capped Warbler.  Gordon and Susan decided to do some feeder watching nearby while we were hiking.

We faced a hike that would take us almost all the way to the top!!

Do you see that dark ravine of trees on the front of the mountain?  That's where the warblers can be found - if they're around...

Although, the hike was only 1.3 miles, the gain in elevation took its toll on me!  As we approached the point where the chaparral meets the coniferous drainage, we began to notice a lot more bird activity.  We found found good numbers of Broad-tailed, Broad-billed, and Magnificent Hummingbirds, Northern Flickers, Western Wood Pewees, Buff-breasted Flycatchers, Dusky-capped Flycatchers, Woodhouse's Scrub Jays, Mexican Jays, Bushtits, Canyon Wrens, Bewick's Wrens, Painted Redstarts, Spotted Towhees, Black-headed Grosbeaks, and Scott's Orioles.

Dusky-capped Flycatcher

Apart from the varied birdlife, there were also some interesting insects and plants...

A Pleasing Fungus Beetle (Gibbifer californicus)

Tetraclonia dyari - a moth, not a beetle!

Lycus loripes - a Net-winged Beetle

Bigtooth Maple

Mahonia

An orange fungus which was probably attracting the fungus beetles.

A Yarrow's Spiny Lizard

In order to find a Rufous-capped Warbler, you must be patient.  It's not a very noticeable bird although its coloration is striking.  It skulks around in forest undergrowth typically no more than 3 feet from the ground.  A song or call could be your only clue that the bird is present - or you might just have no clues at all.  Caleb and I would stop awhile and listen.  And after 5-10 minutes, we would move to a different spot and listen some more.  We kept this up for maybe a half hour until we heard voices coming up the trail.  Considering the area's proximity to Mexico, I was slightly nervous that the people we were going to encounter in a few moments would be smugglers.  Thankfully, they were birders!  The man introduced himself.  He was a biologist from California who was in Arizona to bird with his sister and a friend.  He too was searching for the Rufous-capped Warbler.

The lush drainage that the warblers prefer

We heard a couple Montezuma Quail giving their descending "whirrr" calls from the hillside.  While searching for the warbler, we heard a whistling song...  "Jose" "Jose" "Jose Maria!"  I knew what it was right away; my lifer Greater Pewee!!!  In Latin America, they are known as "La Jose Maria" because of their song.  The Greater Pewee is a bird I have longed wanted to see, but I only heard it.  And that's ok by me.  Honestly, I enjoyed hearing the bird more so than if I just saw a silent one.  After our excitement over the pewee, I just began to talk about wildlife biology with the man we were birding with when Caleb yelled down the hill that he had the bird!!!  I swiftly approached Caleb and everyone else followed suit.  Caleb said it was up 7 feet or so in a fir.  And it was; completely out of its usual habitat and character!

  

Everyone got to see it.  It dissapeared after brief but good looks.  What I love about my photo is that it's completely diagnostic yet out of focus.  

Because Gordon and Susan would be waiting for us at the trailhead in 15 minutes, Caleb and I took off down the hill after saying goodbye to the other party.

A view from the top.

Halfway down the mountain, we found a Sonoran Whipsnake - a swift and agile species.  When we reached the trailhead parking lot, Gordon and Susan were already there.  They hadn't been waiting for long which was good to hear.  We had one stop left to make; we were going to look for the Purple Gallinule that was previously reported at the Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson on our way back home.  Purple Gallinules are a secretive marsh bird related to coots, moorhens, and rails.  In my opinion, they are the most colorful of all rails in Northern America.  They are typically found on the Atlantic coast, but occasionally, vagrants are found much further west.  We arrived at Sweetwater around 4 pm and immediately set out in search of the gallinule.

A Cooper's Hawk perched on a sign was nice to see.

This bat roosting box reminded me of my Eagle Scout Project a few years back.  I led volunteers in the construction and installation of 5 of these to be put on the north shore of Big Bear Lake in California.

A good assortment of marsh birds were at the wetlands; Neotropic Cormorants, Common Gallinules, Song Sparrows, and Yellow Warblers.  Caleb spotted a Tropical Kingbird - a good species for here.

After nearly an hour of searching, we found no Purple Gallinule.  But you know what?  2 for 3 is actually really good when it comes to rarity chasing!  After a long and fruitful day, we each returned to our respective homes to get some rest.  I ended the day with 4 lifers:  Cassin's Sparrow, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Greater Pewee, and Rufous-capped Warbler.  And I truly appreciated getting to know each of them.

Godspeed and good birding,

- Joshua