Peter and I woke up earlier than the others (which meant no coffee yet) to bird around our campsite, which just happened to be a birding hotspot - Proctor Rd. Our short stroll quickly turned into a long hike when we realized how productive the area was. We saw several Varied Buntings, one of the most beautiful birds I'd seen. Canyon Towhees were singing in the background. We had great looks at a Verdin, an almost all gray little bird with a bright yellow face.
We met back up with the group and headed towards Madera Canyon, not a far ways from our campsite. Our first stop was at the Picnic Area, where our first birds were a small group of Acorn Woodpeckers flitting between trees and a post full of cavities. I was busy watching the woodpeckers when Peter and Colin yelled at me to head their way. They were pointing a bird out that was hiding behind some brush, and when it finally came into the open, there was no mistaking it. Another one even joined. Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers are truly remarkable looking, especially for a flycatcher, which are often drab browns and grays. Before we headed back to the car, another gem appeared. A trio of Bridled Titmice flitted in front of us, their cute little crests raised in alarm.
Next it was off to the Santa Rita Lodge. As soon as we pulled up, I thought I'd gone to feeder heaven. A bright male Hepatic Tanager was feeding on an orange and about 20 hummingbirds were buzzing frantically, including Broad-billed, Rufous, and Black-chinned. A large flock of Lesser Goldfinches were devouring seed from the feeders. I spent most of my time photographing the hummingbirds while the others chatted with local birders.
Next stop: Florida Canyon. Within a few steps we heard something we weren't familiar with. It was a harsh, raspy call. After a few minutes of searching the brush, a Bell's Vireo popped out, scolding us! It was a pretty steep hike, and Peter was powering ahead. When we finally decided to turn around, a Gray Hawk soared overheard to our delight. Both Cassin's and Western Kingbirds made an appearance, Canyon Wrens echoed among the rocks, and a Verdin flitted by.
Five-striped Sparrows have an extremely limited range - there's one semi reliable spot for them, aptly named the Stakeout Five-striped Sparrow hotspot on eBird. After walking the canyon for about 20 minutes, our hopes were diminishing. A Phainopepla flew in, a new year bird for us, but no sparrows. We spotted a couple several meters down staring intently at an agave plant and inquired. "A Lucifer Hummingbird was just here a few minutes ago!" they exclaimed. After several minutes of staring and scanning, we didn't see the bird. We kept walking when the famous hummingbird zoomed by the edge of the canyon, perching not 10 feet from us! We talked to a local birder also trying for the hummingbird who said he suspected it was nesting there! We were delighted, despite not seeing our target sparrow.
Sycamore Canyon, located in the Pajarito Mountains, was indescribably beautiful. A humbling landscape of towering canyons abound, potholes of water, and scattered greenery. Though we didn't get a ton of species here, we did get a handful of new gems for our year list (and my life list) - Common Poorwill, Mexican Jay, and Elegant Trogon.
After a very long, but very successful day, we set up camp at White Rock Campground near Santa Cruz and refueled for another full day of birding to follow.
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