May 2000

Turkey Vulture

May 1st - the first day of our trip to Arizona. We had spent months reading about this famous birding state and learning the birds and their calls and songs. Full bird details can be found at Arizona. We hoped for good birding but what we experienced was beyond anything we had hoped for.

We were based at an all-inclusive 'dude' ranch near Tucson called Tanque Verde Ranch. Tanque Verde means Green Tank and refers to water tanks used to hold water for horses who otherwise would be somewhat dry in the desert environment. The ranch is very much for horse riders and we fully intended to try out the rides. However, the birding was so good we just ran out of time and the closest we got to a horse was watching them in the corral when the hummingbird feeders were deserted (which was not often or for long since if there weren't any hummingbirds feeding the feeders were taken over by Hooded Orioles and Gila Woodpeckers).

Two people mentioned on the main Arizona webpages are Melody of Outdoor Adventures and Vivian based at Bellota Ranch, a working ranch in the mountains near Tucson. Without these two people, especially Melody, our bird lists would not have been nearly so good. So a huge thanks to both of them and here they are, with my lovely Helen.

Helen and Melody Helen and Vivian
Helen and Melody
at Patagonia State Park
Helen and Vivian and suitable
transport for the 'road' to Bellota Ranch

In one week this trip added 108 species to our life lists. We saw 167 species in total, getting lifers every day! Not bad for, in reality, two days' birding and the rest wandering around Tanque Verde and Bellota.

Here's a few more shots of Tanque Verde Ranch just to give you a taste of what it's like.

Dry desert wash Ranch building Corral
A dry wash in the desert Ranch buildings Ranch corral

Back in the UK

On May 14th we did our traditional trip down to the New Forest in Hampshire. We visit the area around Beaulieu Road railway station which includes heathland and deciduous woodland. This area is usually good for Dartford Warbler but not this time. We did get the usual Common Stonechats plus a pair of Eurasian Hobby and , in the woods, Blackcap, Wood Warbler and Marsh Tit.

The following week Helen, David and I did a weekend based in Bangor, north Wales. Helen and I went to University here and did a lot of birding at that time. Anglesey is a good birding area, especially for auks. On our first day we managed to see four Black Guillemots at Fedw Fawr (SH606819) plus four Razorbills. Also here we had Lesser Whitethroat and Spotted Flycatcher. Up at South Stack (SH205823) there were many more auks including hundreds of Common Guillemots, lots of Razorbills and a few Atlantic Puffins, plus Northern Fulmar, Black-legged Kittiwake and Northern Gannet. As we were close to leaving the Red-billed Choughs appeared, one landing only a few metres from us and beautifully showing its red curved bill and red legs. Finally a crow on a stone wall turned out to be a Hooded Crow, which may have flown in from Ireland, you never know.

The second day we visited a few sites we had often been to when we were at university. The bridge over the Afon (River) Ogwen at Bryn (SH602709) gave us White-throated Dipper, keeping the 100% success rate for this bird at this site, plus a male Red-breasted Merganser. A bit further down the road we stopped at a local reserve caled The Spinnies (SH613722). Highlights here were Eurasian Whimbrel and a a pair of Common Eider with four juveniles so I guess they must have bred in the area.

The route we took home meant we could drop in to the RSPB reserve at Conwy, on the Afon Conwy (approx SH798777). We got a few nice species here includinga male Ruddy Duck, three female Red-breasted Mergansers and a summer-plumaged Sanderling.

May wasn't over yet so on the 29th Helen and I again visisted Pagham. The usual summer birds were about plus Red-legged Partridge, Lesser Whitethroat and Spotted Flycatcher.

The month list totalled 268 species with the top month birds of course coming from our Arizona trip. Looking back now I wonder how I chose certain birds and if I did the list again it would be different. But the idea is to do it at the time so here it is.


  1. Zone-tailed Hawk
  2. MacGillivray's Warbler
  3. Gray Hawk
  4. Crissal Thrasher
  5. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
  6. Acorn Woodpecker
  7. Scott's Oriole
  8. Red-faced Warbler
  9. Yellow-breasted Chat
  10. Pyrrhuloxia

Back to April?      June calms things down a bit