SPECIES SEEN
From 2/22/2010 to 2/28/2010 ~ in Anza Trail ~ 69 seen
The number of species seen along the Anza Trail has begun to climb again as the trail dries out and spring makes its entrance. This week's list of birds includes 69 species, compared to 52 in 2009, 66 in 2008, and 61 in 2007. Other birders reported the Rufous-backed Robin and Crissal Thrasher at Santa Gertrudis Lane bringing the total seen to 71.
The list includes some first of season (FOS) migrants. Tree Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Violet-green Swallows, and Lazuli Buntings made their initial appearance on the list this week. Also, Common Ground-doves and Inca Doves (singing) made their spring debut. To make matters better, Long-billed Dowitchers (Rio Rico ponds), Lawrence's Goldfinches (north of Rio Rico Dr.), and Mountain and Western Bluebirds (south of Bridge Rd and north of Rio Rico Dr.) lingered.
The lists for the month of February contains 86 species, while the list for January had 89 species. I put together a list of 30 species that are not here during the winter and examined my records to determine the earliest date they were seen in the last 3 years. So, for the spring I will give an early warning as to the new arrivals that may be seen on the trail in the coming week. For the coming week, Northern Beardless-tyrannulet (3/2), Rufous Hummingbird (3/3), Common Black-hawk (3/6), and Yellow Warbler (3/7) may be arriving. It is interesting to note that some species seem to arrive almost on the same date each year, while with others there is a gap of 2 weeks between my earliest sighting and the second earliest sighting.
Jim Karp