16 - 18 June 1999
by Dick Palmer
What follows is a trip report of a recent birding trip cut short by unforseen circumstances. I had planned on staying a couple of more days in the area, but as I was heading from Santa Rosa to the La Trinidad Mine I was held up by two banditos with rifles. Unfortunately they took my binoculars and other birding equipment. The good news is they did not harm me in any way, left me with my vehicle, camping equipment and enough money (they didn't find it all.) to get back to the states. The equipment was covered by insurance for the most part so I should come out this not to bad. The state police have a good description of the banditos and they should be in custody by now. However do not go to the Santa Rosa, Sonora area until I can confirm that they do have the bandits. Further details are available for those planning a trip to this area upon request.
SIGHTINGS
| COMMON NAME | SCIENTIFIC NAME | COMMENTS |
| Neotropic Cormorant | Phalacrocorax brasilianus | 34 at the Rio Yaqui |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Phalacrocorax auritus | 66 at the Rio Yaqui |
| Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | 7 |
| Great Egret | Ardea alba | 1 at Yecora |
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis | 60 at Hermosillo |
| Green Heron | Butorides virescens | 1 at the Rio Matape |
| Black Vulture | Coragyps atratus | 21 |
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura | 51 |
| Harris' Hawk | Parabuteo unicinctus | 2 |
| Gray Hawk | Asturina nitida | 7 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | 13 |
| Crested Caracara | Caracara plancus | 10 |
| American Kestrel | Falco sparverius | 8 |
| Elegant Quail | Callipepla douglasii | 10 |
| Gambel's Quail | Callipepla gambelii | 10 |
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus | 6 |
| Rock Dove | Columba livia | 17 |
| Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura | 26 |
| White-winged Dove | Zenaida asiatica | 46 |
| Inca Dove | Columbina inca | 21 |
| Common Ground-Dove | Columbina passerina | 41 |
| Ruddy Ground-Dove | Columbina talpacoti | 2 |
| White-tipped Dove | Leptotila verreauxi | 5 |
| * Military Macaw | Ara militaris | 62 at the Rio Sahuaripa on the Santa Rosa road. Most I have ever seen. Feeding on a fruiting tree. Many of these trees were along the almost dry river. I do not know the name of this particular tree. The fruit was 1/2 inch in diameter and tan colored with wrinkled skin. |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | Coccyzus americanus | 2 seen well at the Rio Matape. |
| Greater Roadrunner | Geococcyx californianus | 1 |
| Lesser Roadrunner | Geococcyx velox | 5 |
| Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus | 1 |
| Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl | Glaucidium brasilianum | 1 |
| Lesser Nighthawk | Chordeiles acutipennis | 51 |
| Common Nighthawk | Chordeiles minor | 2 at Yecora heard from the Motel King. |
| Buff-collared Nightjar | Caprimulgus ridgwayi | 2 at the Rio Yaqui. |
| Whip-poor-will | Caprimulgus vociferus | 1 flushed off the road at km 266. |
| *White-naped Swift | Streptoprocne semicollaris | 40 seen well at km 252 during a cloudy misty day. 4th Sonoran record? Northernmost sight record for this species in North America? |
| White-throated Swift | Aeronautes saxatalis | 21 |
| Broad-billed Hummingbird | Cynanthus latirostris | 8 |
| White-eared Hummingbird | Hylocharis leucotis | 4 |
| Berylline Hummingbird | Amazilia beryllina | 1 |
| Blue-throated Hummingbird | Lampornis clemenciae | 4 |
| Elegant Trogon | Trogon elegans | 3 |
| Green Kingfisher | Chloroceryle americana | 2 at the Rio Matape |
| Acorn Woodpecker | Melanerpes formicivorus | 16 |
| Gila Woodpecker | Melanerpes uropygialis | 3 |
| Ladder-backed Woodpecker | Picoides scalaris | 6 |
| Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus | 1 of the Red-shafted form. |
| White-striped Woodcreeper | Lepidocolaptes leucogaster | 3 at the Rio Sahuaripa |
| Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet | Camptostoma imberbe | 3 |
| Greater Pewee | Contopus pertinax | 1 |
| Western Wood-Pewee | Contopus sordidulus | 18 |
| Cordilleran Flycatcher | Empidonax occidentalis | 4 |
| Black Phoebe | Sayornis nigricans | 5 |
| Say's Phoebe | Sayornis saya | 1 |
| Vermilion Flycatcher | Pyrocephalus rubinus | 4 |
| Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Myiarchus tuberculifer | 9 |
| Ash-throated Flycatcher | Myiarchus cinerascens | 4 |
| Nutting's Flycatcher | Myiarchus nuttingi | 12 |
| Brown-crested Flycatcher | Myiarchus tyrannulus | 2 |
| Tropical Kingbird | Tyrannus melancholicus | 4 |
| Cassin's Kingbird | Tyrannus vociferans | 6 |
| Thick-billed Kingbird | Tyrannus crassirostris | 4 |
| Western Kingbird | Tyrannus verticalis | 14 |
| Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher | Myiodynastes luteiventris | 10 at the Rio Sahuaripa. |
| Great Kiskadee | Pitangus sulphuratus | 2 at the Rio Matape. |
| Rose-throated Becard | Pachyramphus aglaiae | 3 |
| Steller's Jay | Cyanocitta stelleri | 3 |
| Mexican Jay | Aphelocoma ultramarina | 2 |
| Black-throated Magpie-Jay | Calocitta colliei | 11 |
| Chihuahuan Raven | Corvus cryptoleucus | 6 along the road from Nogales to Hermosillo. |
| Common Raven | Corvus corax | 21 |
| Bell's Vireo | Vireo bellii | 4 |
| Yellow-green Vireo | Vireo flavoviridis | 2 at km 196 in the fig trees. |
| Phainopepla | Phainopepla nitens | 4 |
| Eastern Bluebird | Sialia sialis | 1 |
| Brown-backed Solitaire | Myadestes occidentalis | 1 |
| White-throated Thrush | Turdus assimilis | 1 |
| Rufous-backed Robin | Turdus rufopalliatus | 1 |
| American Robin | Turdus migratorius | 12 |
| Blue Mockingbird | Melanotis caerulescens | 7 |
| Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | 3 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta carolinensis | 1 |
| Spotted Wren | Campylorhynchus gularis | 1 at the Kilometer 260 spot. |
| Cactus Wren | Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus | 1 |
| Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus | 1 |
| Canyon Wren | Catherpes mexicanus | 5 |
| Happy Wren | Thryothorus felix | 3 |
| Sinaloa Wren | Thryothorus sinaloa | 5 |
| Verdin | Auriparus flaviceps | 3 |
| Black-tailed Gnatcatcher | Polioptila melanura | 6 |
| Black-capped Gnatcatcher | Polioptila nigriceps | 2 |
| N. Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennis | 26 |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | 76 |
| Cliff Swallow | Petrochelidon pyrrhonota | 150 at the Rio Yaqui bridge. |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | 111 |
| House Finch | Carpodacus mexicanus | 21 |
| Lucy's Warbler | Vermivora luciae | 4 |
| Tropical Parula | Parula pitiayumi | 2, one at km 196 and one at km 214 |
| Yellow Warbler | Dendroica petechia | 1 |
| *American Redstart | Setophaga ruticilla | 1, either a female or a first year male at km 260. About the 8th Sonoran record. |
| Common Yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas | 2 |
| Slate-throated Redstart | Myioborus miniatus | 1 |
| Rufous-capped Warbler | Basileuterus rufifrons | 5 |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | Icteria virens | 60 |
| Song Sparrow | Melospiza melodia | 2 |
| Rufous-winged Sparrow | Aimophila carpalis | 1 |
| Rusty Sparrow | Aimophila rufescens | 3 |
| Canyon Towhee | Pipilo fuscus | 10 |
| Hepatic Tanager | Piranga flava | 1 |
| Summer Tanager | Piranga rubra | 1 |
| Yellow Grosbeak | Pheucticus chrysopeplus | 3 |
| Black-headed Grosbeak | Pheucticus melanocephalus | 6 |
| Northern Cardinal | Cardinalis cardinalis | 12 |
| Pyrrhuloxia | Cardinalis sinuatus | 3 |
| Blue Grosbeak | Guiraca caerulea | 16 |
| Varied Bunting | Passerina versicolor | 25 |
| Streak-backed Oriole | Icterus pustulatus | 11 |
| Hooded Oriole | Icterus cucullatus | 2 |
| Great-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus | 15 |
| Bronzed Cowbird | Molothrus aeneus | 70 |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | Molothrus ater | 55 |
*Documentation of these sightings available upon request.
119 species:
Dick Palmer
PalmerRD@aol.com
Green Valley, AZ