The first Patagonia Christmas Bird Count was held on December 26, 1962. There were five participants. This year on December 19, 42 birders from Patagonia, Sonoita, Hereford, Rio Rico, Tucson, Alaska and Ohio met up to count the area’s birds. The day started for many at the Gathering Ground, which kindly opens early for those who want coffee and breakfast before they head out. The day ends in the back room of the Wagon Wheel Saloon for dinner and sharing what birds were seen. We are grateful for the support of these two local businesses.
The number of individual birds seen has been down the last few years. A few of the Bird Count areas reported noise from mining activity and a favorite birding spot, Bog Hole, has had access cut off by the Vaca Ranch. Overall, area private land owners and town businesses welcome the annual bird counters and support the project.
Although the day started off cold, the sun soon warmed the temperatures. Volunteers enjoyed a beautiful Arizona day collecting data that will be used to access the health of bird populations and help guide conservation action.
Northern Shoveler 10
American Wigeon 1
Mallard 14
Mexican form 7
Northern Pintail 1
Green-winged Teal 14
Bufflehead (CW*) 4
Scaled Quail 1
Gambel’s Quail 7
Montezuma Quail 1
Wild Turkey 15
Band-tailed Pigeon 5
Eurasian Collared-Dove 49
Inca Dove 26
Common Ground-Dove (CW*) 4
White-winged Dove 106
Mourning Dove 160
Greater Roadrunner 6
Anna’s Hummingbird 30
Broad-billed Hummingbird 6
Violet-crowned Hummingbird 3
Killdeer 1
Great Egret 1
Black Vulture 17
White-tailed Kite 3
Golden Eagle 2
Northern Harrier 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4
Cooper’s Hawk 5
Red-tailed Hawk 35
Ferruginous Hawk 1
Western Screech-Owl 2
Great Horned Owl 3
Northern Pygmy-Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 2
Acorn Woodpecker 77
Gila Woodpecker 75
Red-naped Sapsucker 14
Red-breasted/hybrid
Sapsucker (CW*) 1
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 46
Arizona Woodpecker 10
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 64
American Kestrel 7
Peregrine Falcon 3
Prairie Falcon (CW*) 1
Northern Beardless-Tyranulet 1
Cassin’s Kingbird 24
Hammond’s Flycatcher 10
Gray Flycatcher 3
Dusky Flycatcher 1
Cordilleran Flycatcher 1
Black Phoebe 15
Say’s Phoebe 35
Eastern Phoebe 1
Loggerhead Shrike 4
Hutton’s Vireo 17
Cassin’s Vireo 3
Plumbeous Vireo 2
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay 5
Mexican Jay 180
Chihuahuan Raven 31
Common Raven 302
Raven sp. 135
Horned Lark 45
Bridled Titmouse 208
Verdin 19
Bushtit 164
White-breasted Nuthatch 110
Brown Creeper 1
Rock Wren 15
Canyon Wren 17
House Wren 9
Bewick’s Wren 115
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher 2
Black-capped Gnatcatcher 5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 247
Eastern Bluebird 40
Western Bluebird 25
Hermit Thrush 29
American Robin 1
Curve-billed Thrasher 18
Crissal Thrasher 3
Northern Mockingbird 1
Cedar Waxwing 44
Phainopepla 40
Olive Warbler 1
House Sparrow 31
House Finch 192
Pine Siskin 68
Lesser Goldfinch 180
Chestnut-collared Longspur (CW*) 1
Green-tailed Towhee 8
Spotted Towhee 52
Rufous-crowned Sparrow 18
Canyon Towhee 46
Abert’s Towhee 25
Rufous-winged Sparrow 4
Chipping Sparrow 856
Brewer’s Sparrow 1
Vesper Sparrow 8
Lark Sparrow 41
Black-throated Sparrow 4
Savannah Sparrow 5
Grasshopper Sparrow 3
Five-striped Sparrow 3
Baird’s Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 34
Lincoln’s Sparrow 32
White-throated Sparrow 3
White-crowned Sparrow 129
Dark-eyed Junco 340
Oregon Junco 11
Pink-sided Junco 10
Gray-headed Junco 141
Yellow-eyed Junco 1
Eastern Meadowlark (Lilian’s) 66
Western Meadowlark 1
Meadowlark sp 2
Scott’s Oriole 1
Red-winged Blackbird 48
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Brewer’s Blackbird 82
Louisiana Waterthrush 1
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 8
Yellow-rumped Warbler 172
Audubon’s 57
Myrtles 1
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Townsend’s Warbler 2
Hepatic Tanager 5
Northern Cardinal 35
Pyrrhuloxia 24
Lazuli Bunting (CW*) 1
Total Species = 121, plus 6 CW sp
Total of 5,291 individual birds observed.
*CW – Seen during “Count Week,” which extends three days before the count and three days after the count but not seen on the day of the count.