Arizona - January 2026 - Day 4 - Patagonia and around

I made it safely to Nogales needless to say, which like most border towns was rather a dump. I've visited a few now, mainly as they tend to have cheap places to stay, and it always seems to be the same story. Grim as it was I was glad to be here, as after the long haul west from the foot of the Chiricahuas the previous evening I was now not too far from my intended first stop, Patagonia. This time I would be arriving at Paton's Yard at the prime time.

Yeah right! It was absolutely freezing and bird activity was again very low. Maybe mid-morning is better? Basically any time other than the time I get there it seems. The resident volunteer was busy filling up the feeders and the Violet‑crowned Hummingbirds - two this time - were straight in, along with Broad-billed Hummingbird. I spent under an hour here as it was quite quiet, plus I needed to be in Phoenix mid-afternoon and I had a few other sites to visit to try for some last targets before I left. I did manage my first Gambel’s Quail in the underbrush, and White‑winged Doves were especially numerous, but once again I came away thinking that Paton's wasn't as good as lots of people make it out to be. Its record speaks for itself though so this is probably just my rubbish timing and I need to come in April or something. 

Gila Hummingpecker

From here it was a short drive up to Harshaw Creek Road where the habitat opened into a mixture of oak woodland and scrub. I  had been attracted by an eBird list from the previous day which had been extremely good but my birding skills, especially by ear in an unfamiliar area, meant I could not equal it in any way. It wasn't a total failure, I did manage to add Hammond's Flycatcher to the list, and there were good numbers of Lesser Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Bushtit and Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but I couldn't find whatever it was I was looking for (I am writing this in May, the trip was in January, and I have forgotten). And it was cold here too, with ice on the road in places the sun had not yet hit. 

Harshaw Creek Road habitat

Last roll of the dice at Patagonia Lake which allegedly held three ABA ticks. I wasn't especially hopeful, especially as my first encounter was with humans - lots of them, and very loud ones at that. Big shout out to the good ol' boys out fishing on the lake with a boombox, and who gave me a salute and turned the music up when they saw me. I mean if you're already a dickhead why not be even more of a dickhead? This was at the very start of the Birding Trail which mid-morning was extremely popular with walkers. Not birders, walkers. Or more accurately, chatters. Loud chatters, women who seemed not to need to breathe and were able to spout continuously and entirely self-centeredly about their lives. Why come here? Go to a Starbucks or something. You could hear them coming from 200 yards, so frustrating. My problem it seemed was that this was the MLK holiday weekend, so many more people than usual had converged on Patagonia Lake as it has a campsite, RV Park and all the rest of it. 

Before the fishermen arrived the eastern end lake at first scan seemed pretty good. Lots of Ruddy Ducks around the reeded edges, a few Lesser Scaup, Shoveler, Ring‑necked Duck, Goosander and Buffleheads, and a Sora calling from somewhere below the viewpoint. My main targets were all likely to be in the woodland though and so I descended the steps to where the trail really started. The gen at this point was for a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet at exactly this spot but there was no sign of it. Then the dog walkers arrived and that was that.

I carried on as the path widened out into a kind of meadow. I had lost - briefly - all the people, and could hear a bird calling. It sounded good and it was good, a Dusky Flycatcher. I had considered driving quite a long way east into New Mexico to a place called Las Cruces for this species before deciding it was too far and pinning my hopes entirely on the spot I was now at. Good choice. It flitted through the oaks extremely quickly, more quickly than I could manage to follow it, and before I could even get a photo it had vanished up a slope. Still, another one down - #605. I did a fairly lengthy loop of the trail, nearly two miles all told, as the further I went from the car the fewer people I encountered. Grumpy? Me? I didn't add anything new on the outbound, but as I returned through the meadow to where the trees start to bend in (and my notes say "100 yds after Dabbler bench" if that means anything) I found a Vireo above my head which was seemingly very dull indeed. Was this the bird I was looking for, Plumbeous Vireo? A few record shots seemed to confirm that it was, I really hadn't expected to find this but here it was right above me. Helpfully a little further on I found another Vireo that had a distinctly yellow wash - Cassin's Vireo - which further helped cement the ID of the Plumbeous.

Plumbeous Vireo

Back at the start of the steps some calls made me stop in my tracks, a thin descending series of whistles. I had done my research before I left, surely this was the Tyrannulet somewhere up the slope? At this moment another party of motormouths decided to come through and of course once they were out of earshot - which took a long time as they found the steps rather challenging - silence reigned supreme. Amazingly just as I was resigned to leaving without it a a bird then came through, praise be, but rather than the Tyrannulet it was a Black-throated Grey Warbler, itself a bird that I've only ever seen once before in California. Wow! Hard to be disappointed with that but still! Once last chance. Facing up the slope I played the song and the response was instant! Northern Beardless‑Tyrannulet! Triumphant, I nabbed a photo as it came in, and bounded up the steps back to the car. I had managed to find all three birds I had been hoping for!

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet

It was almost exactly 1pm, the time I had said I had to leave for Phoenix. Three ticks in the space of two and half hours, victory snatched from the jaws of defeat. I had just enough time to scope the western end of the lake - pretty much a regatta at this point - for Black-necked Grebe before heading north through Sahuarita and Tuscon to Queen Creek where my relatives live.

I spent the rest of the day with Ben, Kelly, Daimon, Ellie and Sam, and as a special treat also my Mum's/Mom's cousin Kristine who had come down from Utah. We went out for dinner to their favourite italian place in their gigantic SUV, and afterwards I got a ride in Ben's suped-up F150 Raptor which was immense and just a crazy crazy car in all respects. If I lived in America I'd have a Dodge Challenger and one of these. And something electric. And my driveway would probably have space for more - everything is just so nicely laid out and people have so much space. And the climate here in winter is wonderful, with aircon for the summer which would otherwise be unbearable. A lovel afternoon and evening. Knowing I can see this part of my extended family whenever I go to Arizona is a huge draw - and we were able to see them in London last year too. And Kris has been whispering Utah in my ear....