Long time birder Tony Leonardi, appropriately attired to find that rare bird during the Christmas Bird Count in Patagonia. Photo by Kathy West

The 59th Patagonia Christmas Bird Count, held this year on December 17, started off a little chilly but, as usual, it warmed up and the birds began appearing, looking for their morning meal. That’s when the fun really begins. 

Forty-six volunteers participated in this year’s count, many birding by foot, hiking two – six miles in some areas, some driving over rough terrain in the Patagonia Mountains to get to prime habitat and others staking out their home feeders. 

This year we had the use of an interactive Google map, put together by Alan Schmierer, which enabled birders to see their territory boundaries easier and zoom in on roads and habitats. 

The consensus was that the sparrow count was way down this year, except for white-crowned sparrows. No sparrows were seen in the west part of the San Rafael Grasslands, which is unusual, and many tanks and areas that usually have water were dry. 

Some new habitats were birded this year, both east and west sides of the Arizona Trail and Red Mountain Road (FR 4649). The latter resulted in a red-headed woodpecker sighting. 

The Patagonia CBC could not take place without the help of all the volunteers and the cooperation of ranchers and public land owners who allow us to come onto their property for the day. A big thank you! 


Redhead 2 

Cinnamon Teal (CW) 2 

Northern Shoveler (CW)* 2 

American Wigeon 1 

Mallard 10 

Mexican Duck (CW)* 3 

Canvasback 2 

Northern Pintail 2 

Green-winged Teal 3 

Ring-necked Duck 8 

Bufflehead 1 

Gambel’s Quail 10 

Montezuma Quail 25 

Rock Pigeon 13 

Eurasian Collard Dove 54 

Inca Dove 1 

White-winged Dove 85 

Mourning Dove 77 

Greater Roadrunner 15 

White-throated Swift 14 

Anna’s Hummingbird 17 

Broad-billed Hummingbird 10 

Violet-crowned Hummingbird 4 

Virginia Rail 1 

American Coot 5 

Killdeer 7 

Wilson’s Snipe 5 

Great Blue Heron 3 

Black Vulture 14 

Turkey Vulture 2 

White-tailed Kite 1 

Golden Eagle 1 

Northern Harrier 6 

Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 

Cooper’s Hawk 5 

Red-tailed Hawk 32 

Barn Owl 1 

Western Screech-Owl 1 

Whiskered Screech-Owl 1 

Great Horned Owl 8 

Northern Pygmy Owl 1 

Mexican Spotted Owl 1 

Acorn Woodpecker 133 

Gila Woodpecker 145 

Red-naped Sapsucker 25 

Ladder-backed Woodpecker 50 

Arizona Woodpecker 9 

Northern Flicker 55 

American Kestrel 10 

Merlin 2 

Prairie Falcon 4 

Hammond’s Flycatcher 2 

Gray Flycatcher 9 

Dusky Flycatcher 5 

Black Phoebe 19 

Say’s Pheobe 56 

Vermilion Flycatcher 1 

Loggerhead Shrike 14 

Hutton’s Vireo 9 

Steller’s Jay 2 

Woodhouses’s Scrub-Jay 18 

Mexican Jay 303 

Chihuahuan Raven 2 

Common Raven 368 

Raven sp. 7 

Horned Lark 65 

Bridled Titmouse 364 

Verdin 25 

Bushtit 76 

White-breasted Nuthatch 102 

Brown Creeper 3 

Rock Wren 11 

Canyon Wren 8 

House Wren 3 

Bewick’s Wren 157 

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2 

Gnatcatcher sp. 2 

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 85 

Eastern Bluebird 54 

Western Bluebird 192 

Townsend’s Solitaire 2 

Hermit Thrush 31 

American Robin 29 

Curve-billed Thrasher 44 

Crissal Thrasher 5 

Northern Mockingbird 22 

Phainopepla 34 

Olive Warbler 5 

House Sparrow 131 

American Pipit 2 

House Finch 404 

Cassin’s Finch 3 

Pine Siskin 76 

Lesser Goldfinch 183 

Chestnut-collared Longspur 3 

Green-tailed Towhee 4 

Spotted Towhee 31 

Rufous-crowned Sparrow 47 

Canyon Towhee 75 

Abert’s Towhee 39 

Rufous-winged Sparrow 19 

Chipping Sparrow 199 

Black-chinned Sparrow 12 

Vesper Sparrow 2 

Lark Sparrow 11 

Black-throated Sparrow 33 

Song Sparrow 28 

Lincoln’s Sparrow 7 

White-crowned Sparrow 667 

Dark-eyed Junco 68 

Oregon 16 

Pink-sided 43 

Gray-headed 59 

Yellow-eyed Junco 4 

Eastern Meadowlark 57 

Western Meadowlark 23 

Brewer’s Blackbird 58 

Orange-crowned Warbler 2 

Yellow-rumped Warbler 27 

Audubon’s Warbler 203 

Myrtle Warbler 1 

Painted Redstart 3 

Hepatic Tanager 2 

Northern Cardinal 65 

Pyrrhuloxia 38 

Lazuli Bunting 1 

passerine sp. 28 

blackbird sp. 10 

Rare Finds 

Fox Sparrow 1 

Rufous-backed Robin 1 

Bendire’s Thrasher 1 

Western Kingbird 1 

Red-headed Woodpecker 1 

Greater Yellowlegs 2 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 

Bullock’s Oriole 1 

American Goldfinch 1 

Total Birds 5725 

Total Species 130 

*CW-Seen during “Count Week”, which extends 3 days before and after the count day but not seen on count day.