Surfbird joins the list and the rain stops! We awoke to pouring rain and the mountains still shrouded in low cloud.  We took the chance to finish off filling in our insurance claims and made a late start for the ferry to Vancouver Island.  Only a few days ago, we swore never to take another boat trip but here we were on the dockside once again looking at a rough sea and about to embark on a boat.  This time the boat was pretty big, a roll-on roll-off car ferry which would make the crossing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay in an hour and a half.  The crossing went remarkably smoothly as the huge boat hardly rolled at all.  We were only a few minutes out of the dock when we got our first new bird for the day, three Harlequin Ducks flying past the stern a long way off so not great views  but unmistakeable nonetheless.  Halfway across, a second-winter Glaucous Gull followed in the wake for about five minutes giving us fantastic views and allowing comparison with nearby Glaucous-winged Gulls.  We passed through the scenic Active Pass with pine woods closing in on both sides of the huge ferry.  We saw our first Rhinoceros Auklets, usually in pairs, some allowing close views as they sat on the water. 

We docked and headed straight south to Victoria and birded along the seafront between Ogden Point and Oak Bay.  As we parked the car at the first stop, a superb drake Harlequin Duck popped up right in front of us.  We jumped out quickly to see this striking bird at close range but there was no need to rush as a group of six Harlequins, three males and three females, were feeding just offshore.  Other highlights along this stretch of coast included Marbled Murrelets which bobbed around offshore, often keeping loose company with Rhinoceros Auklets and Pigeon Guillemots, which dwarfed the Murrelets.  Four Red-necked Grebes were seen, moulting into their stunning breeding plumage and a pair of Long-tailed Ducks flew east past the promenade.  But the bird of the day was without doubt a group of three Surfbirds which we came across at Clover Point.  These charismatic waders were feeding on the rocks just below us.  We had been scanning out to sea for some time enjoying the Marbled Murrelets when suddenly we noticed the Surfbirds almost at our feet.  Our mammal highlight of the day was not a whale as we’d hoped for, but instead an incredible encounter with an Otter.  This beautiful animal swam so close to us that we could actually see it the beneath the clear water as it searched for fish, and had a breathtaking view as he surfaced munching on his meal.
Posted 10pm, 3rd May, View Royal, Vancouver Island
Bird species total: 2168

We left the rolling plains of Belchite and headed North West for the mountains of the Picos de Europa. The weather was on the change with grey sky and temperatures as low as 4C in the mountains! This was a real shock after all the glorious sunshine we had experienced so far in Spain. It was very long drive, heavy rain showers did nothing for our seen from the car list, which served to make the journey seem even longer. Some crazy Spanish driving was interesting, they do have speed limits but it seemed we were the only ones taking any notice.

At last we reached the Picos and marvelled at the magnificent mountain scenery, how much better will it be if the clouds lift completely?  It felt like going back in time driving up into the Picos as the scene was more reminiscent of winter, especially at 1300m, compared to the wonderful warm spring conditions we had experienced in the Coto de Donana.  Not long after we entered the tortuous twisting roads of the Picos, we came across a feeding flock of Yellowhammers on the roadside.  We enjoyed great views of these beautiful buntings, made even better by the fact that this was a new bird for our 2008 year list. 

It was early evening by the time we reached our accommodation, Apartments Olmares in the tiny village of Basieda, not far from Potes.  A beautifully appointed apartment in a converted traditional stone farmhouse, this will be our base for the next few days.  The view from the balcony alone is fantastic (check out www.olmares.com for a taster), and the garden list as the light was fading included male Black Redstart, Blackcap and Chiffchaff so it was good to see that a few migrants have made it this high into the hills. 

Species list: 1907
Posted 7th April, Basieda, Spain  

Two new birds for the year. On the road at 5.30am we headed for the plains near Belchite.  In the pitch dark we found the dirt road we were looking for.  Continuing along the dirt road with the windows open we listened for the distinctive song of Dupont’s Lark.  It wasn’t long before we heard the unmistakeable melancholy whistle of a Dupont’s.  Slamming on the brakes we jumped out and realised just how cold it was.  It must have been near freezing.  However, despite the cold, the Dupont’s Larks were in full song.  As we stood in the pitch black, we could hear four individuals singing away but of course could see nothing.  Other larks joined the pre-dawn chorus with Greater Short-toed, Lesser Short-toed and Calandra Larks all performing somewhere out in the darkness.  Our hands became numb and we were forced to retreat to the relative warmth of the car as we waited for dawn.  With the first light creeping over the eastern horizon we ventured out again and attempted to spot a singing Dupont’s against the lightening sky.  They were up there somewhere but we just could not see a single bird.  Incredibly frustrating scanning the sky over and over again, hearing the birds singing but seeing nothing.  We enjoyed good views of Calandra and both the Short-toed Larks but still Dupont’s eluded us.  With reasonable light we decided to change tactic and walk along the dirt track scanning the ground in the hope of picking up a bird.  With the singing now much less, restricted to just the occasional burst, we were beginning to panic.  Had we missed seeing this incredibly rare bird?  Frantically scanning the desert scrub, we at last had our bird.  A Dupont’s Lark sitting up in full view, and still singing!  Mad panic to get the scope on the bird, then we were able to enjoy great views in the early morning light.  Our camera work doesn’t do the bird justice as light just wasn’t good enough for digiscoping.  The photos we did manage to get do at least show it was without doubt a Dupont’s, so another new bird joined the year list.  This was also Alan’s first life tick in Spain, and a bird he had long wanted to see.

Back to a bar for a celebratory coffee, we took a quick detour to look at the curious ruined town at Belchite.  A good move, as positioning ourselves in the best place for a photo, we first heard and then saw a pair of Firecrests inspecting a tamarisk bush – another new bird for the year list.

We returned to the plains again;  what a difference a few hours made as it was now incredibly hot and there was no more sight or sound of the Dupont’s Larks.  Plenty of Calandra Larks gave great views at close range and we were treated to the entertaining spectacle of two Great Spotted Cuckoos chasing each other around some scrub right in front of us.  We staked out a small pool surrounded by thin bushes, and located some grounded migrants feeding here including Common Redstart, Greater Whitethroat, Subalpine Warbler, Robin, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff.  First one, and then later two more, Black-bellied Sandgrouse circled overhead calling but sadly did not come down to drink.  A Peregrine Falcon treated us to some incredible flying as it chased a Wood Pigeon low over the desert.

Tomorrow we head for the Picos de Europa in search of mountain birds.  However the weather forecast is for heavy snow so we’re not sure how far we’ll get!
Bird species list: 1907
Posted 6th March, Lecera, Spain 

Birding in Kakum and Mole National Parks in Ghana as well as the north of the country near the Burkina Faso Border has boosted our bird list further.  Our species total for the year now stands at 1803.

Posted 6pm, 13th March, Kumasi, Ghana

Having had enough of emails and relaxing, and having exhausted the possibilities of the three species in the hotel grounds, we went birding yesterday morning.  Accompanied by a local guide, Kalu, arranged by Ashanti Tours, we headed east out of town to some shallow lagoons just north of the main coast road.  The area was full of birds with plenty of familiar waders, large numbers of Great Egrets and Grey Herons.  Wildfowl included White-faced Whistling Ducks, Pintail and Garganey.  We carefully checked through the flocks of busily feeding waders; the majority proved to be Little Stints and Ringed Plover, with smaller numbers of Wood, Common, Curlew and Marsh Sandpipers, Greenshanks, Spotted Redshanks, Ruff, Whimbrel, and Kittlitz's Plovers.  As we reached the south end of the lagoon, we were thinking of heading back when two waders caught our attention as being something different.  We moved closer and were very surprised to find not just one but two Pectoral Sandpipers.  The 'Birds of West Africa' shows just one documented record of this
species for Ghana, so to have found two on our very first outing was very pleasing indeed, and a new bird for our guide Kalu.
Species Total 1628
Posted  Accra Ghana 1st March

Sorry we haven't been able to update the blog recently but lack of internet access in Ethiopia prevented us from sharing our progress.  We had a fantastic trip and left Ethiopia on 1604 species, well ahead of what we'd hoped.  Very difficult to pick out highlights with SO many good birds, but Prince Ruspoli's Turaco was voted bird of the trip.  Not only incredibly rare but also a fantastic looking creature.  We managed to see all the available Ethiopian endemics including Salvadori's Serin, Sidamo Lark, Yellow-fronted Parrot, Stresemann's Bush-Crow, Thick-billed Raven, Wattled Ibis, Blue-winged Goose, Abyssinian Longclaw, White-tailed Swallow along with a host of other fantastic birds.  For more details, including backdated diary entries, log on to www.thebiggesttwitch.com

This afternoon we're heading off to Africa - Ethiopia first where we'll be joining a Tropical Birding tour lead by Christian Boix, and Keith Barnes, exploring the highlands and lowlands of Ethiopia for 3 weeks.  The scenery promises to be fantastic, as do the birds, and we're hoping for charismatic mammals too such as Symian Wolf.  Not sure how much internet coverage we'll get in some of these areas or how the laptop would stand up to the rough terrain, so we're not taking it with us on this leg but will be relying on internet cafes en route.  Where possible we'll also be phoning in our bird results to our friends at TB who'll be able to post a quick update on our behalf. 

So do please bear with us!  Please keep those emails coming, we love to hear from you and we'll reply just as soon as we're able.  And do follow our progress on the website, we hope to give you news of our bird totals at least.

Posted 1st Feb, en route to Manchester Airport, bird total still 1122

Despite being very jetlagged, we struggled out of bed early again and went birding, this time in North Wales.  We met up with our friends Steve Culley and Ken Croft at RSPB Conwy and headed east along the North Wales coast.  Our first stop was in the unlikely surroundings of a trading estate at Kinmel Bay, where we quickly secured our target, Short-eared Owl, floating majestically over the rough grassland.  Just down the road, we collected that locally scarce species, Tree Sparrow.  On to Bodelwyddan Castle woods, where in the morning sunshine (what no rain??) we enjoyed a selection of woodland birds, including drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Jay, all year ticks of course as this is the first time we have birded in the UK this year.  A quick dash west along the A55 had us back at RSPB Conwy in the midst of this month’s Farmer’s Market.  Progress was slow here as so many people were keen to hear our news of The Biggest Twitch.  Great to see so many familiar faces.  Having added a good selection of new birds to the list, we pushed on again to the NWWT reserve at Aber-Ogwen.  As always, great numbers of birds were busy feeding on the estuary including wheeling flocks of Knot and Dunlin.  On the adjacent pool a Spotted Redshank was roosting amongst a gang of Greenshank while Little Egrets fed close by in the shallow water.  Just a few minutes up the road, we scored Dipper on the Ogwen river near Penrhyn Castle.  Across the bridge onto Anglesey at Red Wharf Bay, we were very fortunate in seeing three Jack Snipe in the salt marsh.  We headed northwest to Holy Island and as always this area produced great birds.  Pale-bellied Brent Geese and Bar-tailed Godwit, and Slavonian Grebes were scoped from the edge of the bay.  Holyhead Harbour quickly produced its now reliable Black Guillemots and we were fortunate to see both Great Northern and Red-throated Divers here.  Next stop RSPB South Stack and despite the biting cold gale force winds, Hooded Crow, Chough and Peregrine all joined our day list.  Happy with our 98 species recorded (58 of which were new for the year), we called it a day in the fading light and headed for home.  Many thanks to Ken and Steve for their enthusiastic company and chauffeuring today.  New species total: 1122
Posted 7.30pm Llandudno 30.1.08

Sorry we've been unable to update the blog for a number of days but we've been unable to get internet access in the remote areas of Ecuador that we've been birding.    However we've been birding hard every day in a variety of habitats and altitudes and racking up some great birds.

Our last birding day in Ecuador started predictably at 5am and we hit the road.  Several roadside stops added new birds such as Stub-tailed Antbird.  We then went exploring a new trail that Nick and Sam had heard about which promised good birds.  Luckily the information also stated that Wellington Boots were essential, so we splashed out the 7 dollars a pair to kit ourselves out.  Just as well we did!  The trail was almost impassable, with almost knee deep glutinous mud that tried its hardest to steal our new boots from us.  Birding was unfortunately much slower than we hoped, mainly because all of our attention was focused on negotiating the terribly difficult terrain.  If we looked up on the move, we fell over!  It then began to rain (again) and we figured enough was enough and we struggled back to the road.  But we still managed to add new birds including Tiny Hawk and Red-rumped Cacique.

 Lunch was taken on the go beside a fruiting tree which held the most amazing array of great birds, such as Scaled Fruiteater and Scarlet-crowned Barbet, We then began the long drive back to Quito.  The journey was unexpectedly interrupted by the sighting of a juvenile Andean Condor well outside its normal range soaring with a bunch of Black Vultures right next to the road.

 We said goodbye to Nick Athanas and Sam Woods and our faithful driver Nestor and sorted out our luggage one last time for the flights home.

We'd like to say a huge thank you to Tropical Birding for all their support and companionship in January - Moez, Michael, Iain, Nick, Scott and Sam - it was a blast and you really helped us get those birds!  When we get back to the UK we'll be doing a full review of our first month on the road with much more detail of the birds, people and places so far.  If we've inspired you to get birding in Ecuador and beyond, then visit www.tropicalbirding.com for more info on the places we visited.  Our total bird list on leaving Ecuador stands at 1050.

Written 6.15am Quito Airport, Ecuador 28th January

We arrived in Ecuador at 11pm and having finally cleared all the official stuff, we were met by our good (and mad) friend Iain Campbell, who was kind enough to let us crash at his humble pad.  Jetlag notwithstanding, Iain promptly insisted we started our Ecuador bird list by cruising the dark side roads of Quito for Band-winged Nightjar.  A totally futile exercise and one that we don’t recommend at all!  To complete our evening, we arrived at Iain’s place only to find he had forgotten his doorkeys.  Physically breaking down the door looked like a very strong probability until at last we (and the door) were saved as it was opened from inside. 

All too soon, it was a 5am start this morning and we headed out of Quito for Yanacocha. This is familiar ground for us as we guided here during the ABA conference in Quito in September 2007. The forest was cloaked in cloud and quite eerie and very damp as we set off along the trail. We soon hit birds with Rufous Wrens at close quarters and brief looks at Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager. We moved further along still shrouded in thick mist and collected two hummingbirds – Rainbow-bearded Thornbill and Swordbilled hummer! The first flock we hit held stunning birds including Hooded Mountain Tanager and Blue-backed Conebill. At the feeders at the far end of the trail we were treated to close-up views of Golden-breasted Puffleg and Buff-winged Starfrontlet, birds that are just as juicy as their names suggest.  Plunging off the main trail, we followed the Spectacled Bear Trail (sadly no bears) as it climbed down and up the side of the mountainside, with the occasional landslide and mud underfoot making walking treacherous in places. OK, so we’re not superfit but boy was that hard work in the high altitude of the mountains around the Pichincha volcano.  But all our hard work was rewarded by amazingly confiding views of Blackish Tapaculo, a particularly skulking and hard-to-see bird and even more special, Rufous Antpitta, possibly even harder to score.  Our final bird here was Striped-headed Brushfinch, which is usually hard to see but today put on quite a performance.  Sadly the rain by now prevented any digiscoping to prove the point.  Bird species total 487.
13.1.08 Posted 6pm local time Quito

With a few hours to kill, we thought, just for a change, we’d go birding.  Just north of Houstone lies the W.G.Jones State Forest, owned and managed by the Texas Forest Services.  Our target bird here was the range restricted Red-cockaded Woodpecker.  At the Headquarters, we met Ray Uballe and he kindly gave us advice on the best area of the forest to search for these particular birds.  We set off in great anticipation but the forest was silent, not a bird to be seen nor heard.  Undaunted we continued further along the trail, and still nothing.  We were beginning to lose hope of seeing anything, let alone a Red-cockaded Woodpecker when at last, a woodpecker!  Quickly focusing the bins, we immediately realised this was no Red-cockaded but instead a very handsome Red-headed Woodpecker.  This stunningly marked bird gave great views.  This signalled a change in our luck and we quickly located our main target, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker.  From then on, birds came readily and we also added Red-bellied Woodpecker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee and Pine Warbler.  We rewarded ourselves for our successful afternoon with a blow-out meal at Joe’s Crab Shack before knuckling down to catching up with emails!  Total species 422.
11.1.08 Posted Houston 7.30pm local time

We are now in Texas with a brief stopover in Houston.  At last we have internet access again so have gone back and posted a few photos on our previous blogs. Hopefully we will have time later today to do even more and a blog for our last day’s birding in Mexico.  The score so far is 413, ahead of our planned schedule!!
11.1.08

Today we birded at Yaxchilan Mayan ruins.  To reach this site, we took a boat trip along the river that forms the border between Mexico and Guatemala.  Our craft was a narrow hulled painted motorized canoe with a palm frond canopy, steered by our eagle-eyed skipper who took us in for close up views of an enormous crocodile basking on the river bank, the same bank from which locals were happily washing their clothes and bathing, sooner them than us! 
Yaxchilan proved to be a fantastic birding venue and the few hours we had there were nowhere near long enough, we could easily have spent the whole day here, there were so many birds to see.  After walking through a pitch black tunnel which gave no hint of what was to come, we emerged into a sunlit forest glade which had grown up around amazing Mayan ruins, some of which still bearing incredible carvings, which we admired after birding!  One fruiting tree held us captivated for two hours alone.  The undoubted highlight here was Lovely Cotinga, not one bird but at least four of these gorgeous birds including adult males in striking turquoise blue and purple plumage.  Add to the mix Keel-billed Toucan and Yellow-winged Tanager and Black-headed Trogon, and you can see why we were so absorbed by just one tree!  On the return boat trip, not only were we treated to a wonderful rosy sunset but also scored Lesser Nighthawk over the river.
8.1.08

A nasty bout of diarrhoea and sickness delayed our start on day seven but we soon hit the road if feeling a bit sensitive! We drove to the Mayan ruins at Calakmul. Given our late arrival, we had planned to be here at dawn, we were not very optimistic about the birding and decided to just enjoy the ruins. How wrong we were! The jungle around the ruins was jumping with birds. It was difficult to move along the path as soon as we left one bird we hit another. A Black headed Trogon was the star of the walk in posing on a sun lit bough, a stunner.
We climbed to the top of the spectacular pyramid and wow what a view from the top. Unbroken forest stretched as far as you could see. It was here we saw Keel billed Toucan! What a perfect setting to see a most bizarre and beautiful bird. Noise of crashing branches drew attention to feeding monkeys, both Black Howlers and Spider Monkeys.
The walk was again slow due to great birds and we have to mention four Great Cassowary close to the path and of course the Ocellated Turkeys. These colourful and weird birds are used to seeing people here and incredible views were enjoyed and video and photos taken.
Our visit to Calakmul was wonderful but had run way over time and we now had a long drive ahead of us it was gone ten pm when we finally found a hotel at Palenque.
Posted 08.01.08

We drove to south of Coba stopping to bird dry scrub where highlights included great views of Lesser Roadrunner and Yucatan Wren.
A short drive from here and we hit the coast at Coba. We quickly hire a boat complete with binocular totting captain and sped off into the shallow and lagoon fringed with mangroves. What a place heaving with birds! Waders, gulls, terns, herons, egrets, raptors you really did not know where to look first! The year list took a huge boost and we soaked up point blank views of such delights as Boat billed Heron, American Flamingoes, Laughing Falcon and a tiny Pygmy Kingfisher a lifer for us all. Our skipper really knew his birds and more importantly just where to find them. All to soon we were heading back and couldn’t believe that we had been out over two hours.
6.01.08

Having left Cozumel Island we drove to Coba and visited some Mayan ruins which provided great birding.  The temples themselves made great canopy towers – is this what the Mayans had in mind all those centuries ago?  From our elevated vantage point we could scan the canopy and get eyelevel views of birds that would have otherwise been real neck-breakers (and were able to absorb some culture at the same time!)  Gaudy American warblers and vireos provided plenty of colour and local birds included Masked Tityra, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Grey-collared Becard and Black-headed Trogon.  We then headed to Valladolid where we spent the night.
5.1.08

Day four of The Biggest Twitch and sadly we can only report one new species for the list – Brown Pelican. Today we left Tucson pre-dawn and flew to Houston, Texas and then from there on to Mexico. Michael Retter met up with us in Houston and he is coming with us on this leg. We have known Michael a good while and he is an experienced birder in Mexico so once we get out in the field we should really boost the list.
We arrived in Cancun late pm and by the time we had sorted the hire car and driven to Playa del Carmen it was dark, the Brown Pelicans flew along the coast earlier. Internet access becoming patchy down here so do bear with us.  But we've since nailed the Cozumel endemics: Vireo and Wren

The Biggest Twitch day three already and we are again birding with Moez Ali so already we know it is going to be a good day! But we didn’t realise just how good. We began by visiting the amazing home of Liz and Jean Payne in the foothills of the Santa Catalina mountains. A stunning place set in classic desert habitat complete with lots of ancient cactus. The back garden was set out with lots of feeders and birds to match. We didn’t have to wait long before we got our first new bird, Costa’s Hummingbird. What a stunning little gem of a bird and point blank views. We walked the draw behind the house and soon found Black-tailed Gnatcatcher amongst the cactus what cute birds. Back to the garden and we scored male Broad-billed Hummingbird, another crippler! A huge thank you to Liz and Jean for their hospitality, inviting total strangers into their home and not only showing us birds but providing tea, cake and fruit, it doesn’t get better! What we would give to have a place like this.

We reluctantly dragged ourselves away from the Paynes and headed downtown to the local park.  Within moments of getting out of the car, we had our target bird: Lewis’ Woodpecker, a particularly striking bird, at one point even sitting out on top of a metal pylon in full sunshine.  From here we went just down the road to the Tucson University Experimental Farm where the director, Steve, kindly invited into the grounds to bird.  Brown-headed Cowbird was quickly secured, and we enjoyed great looks at American Pipit.   Next we met up with Darleen, from Tucson Audubon, who kindly showed us a stake-out site for Western Screech Owl.  Sadly the owl didn’t realise that it had the chance to be famous and wasn’t receiving visitors today.

The afternoon was spent birding an area of flat farmland north of Tucson.  Here we cruised the dirt farm roads and encountered a great selection of raptors.  Crested Caracara and White-tailed Kite were new for the year and we also had amazing views of Prairie Falcons.  But perhaps the highlight here came in the last half hour of daylight, when we chanced upon a roadside Burrowing Owl which stood its ground and glared back at us from just a few metres away.  This was quickly followed by a flock of no less than 23 Mountain Plover.  Again we enjoyed incredibly close views of this charismatic and much-wanted wader.  Sadly this was our last day birding with Moez in and around Tucson so we had a farewell meal with him and his wife Beth, while we counted up our tally for the first three days.  We leave Arizona with 161 species under the belt, what a great start!  We can’t thank Moez enough for his expert guidance around the area and his superb bird knowledge and good humour – he brought us some fantastic birds, including a good number of lifers for both of us – thanks a million, Moez!  So if you fancy experience amazing birds in the striking landscape around Tucson, get in touch with Moez at moezali15@hotmail.com, or telephone 520 820 3499, he comes highly recommended!
Next stop Mexico, bring it on…..
3.1.08 Posted 9.30pm local time, Tucson, Arizona

Day two of The Biggest Twitch began slowly as we needed to find a pharmacy for cold remedy.  Strong winds did nothing to help the birding after our late start.  We birded our way up Carr Canyon, which was almost birdless in the extremely unfavourable conditions, not only a really strong wind but extremely cold too.   Ash Canyon was a little better with the wind now having abated somewhat.  Highlights up to midday included Canyon Towee, Brown Creeper and Cassin’s Finch. 

We abandoned the canyons and headed for the grasslands.  First stop was Whitewater Draw in the Sulphur Spring Valley.  Huge numbers of Sandhill Cranes were dropping in to the wetland, a wonderful sight and sound.  Almost as impressive was an adult Bald Eagle hunting on the far side of the lake.  A small flock of geese were amongst the cranes and contained three species: White-fronted, Ross’s and Snow Goose.  We scored two species of owl here, a huge Great Horned roosting in an open-sided barn, and a gang of Barn Owls at a communal roost, a weird sight seeing so many so close together. 

We then drove the farm roads and raptors stole the show here with Prairie Falcon and Ferruginous Hawk.  On again to Cochise Lake, Willcox where we had our first gulls of the year, two Ring-billeds and great views of Scaled Quail.  Our last stop of the day in the failing light was at Benson’s Sewage Ponds where we ended with a stunning Vermilion Flycatcher.

7am and we are with Moez Ali at the Sweetwater Sewage Works, Tucson, Arizona. It is cold, very cold and the first hints of light are in the sky. We are all looking intently at a cactus plant, nowhere else, no one even thinks of scanning around, we only have eyes for this particular cactus. Birds are calling behind us, no one turns, we watch and wait. There! Under the bush, it’s there! Cactus Wren, bird number one of The Biggest Twitch. Arizonas state bird and in its rightful habitat it kicks off our big year. 

With Bird number one under the belt and the one we wanted, we are now free to bird like crazy – so we did.  Sweetwater quickly provided a further 40 species and then we headed off for Madera Canyon.  Thankfully by now the temperature had risen above freezing and we began to get the feeling back in fingers and toes.  We birded the canyon from top to bottom and racked up some great birds including Black-throated Grey Warbler, Arizona Woodpecker, Magnificent Hummingbird, Painted Redstart and Olive Warbler.

We then headed south on the freeway stopping briefly to check out a pond where we quickly scored Buffelhead, Lesser Scaup, Redhead and Canvasback.  Continuing south we reached Patagonia and birded the lake. Despite strong winds and limited time we collected great birds. Black capped Gnatcatchers gave amazing views right by the track and we were surprised to see two Greater Scaup on the water.

No time to dwell on our success light was starting to fade and we wanted more birds. In Patagonia we again visited Patons and watched spell bound the mass of birds at the feeders. Even at this late stage new birds came quickly – Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, White throated Sparrow and Anna’s Hummingbird. Robin Baxter was as cheerful and helpful as ever and gave us tips on where we might find a Grey Hawk with only minutes of daylight left. We checked around the area, no sign, then Ruth said she thought she had just seen it dive behind a tree. We looked hard, nothing, then, wow! The Grey Hawk flew towards us and landed in full view! What a way to end a fantastic days birding.
The total on day one? 117 species seen and a further two heard only.
A huge thank you to Moez for his tireless efforts and good humour throughout the day, and more importantly for his expert bird knowledge, a better person to be in the field with is hard to imagine. You can contact Moez at moezali15@hotmail.com, or telephone 520 820 3499, want to go birding? Then give him a call we know you will have a fantastic time!