Southeast Arizona warblers -February 20-24th

Painted Redstart, Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025

We just got back from a short trip out to southern Arizona as part of our scoping out areas where we might be spending winters once I retire. The original plan was to visit the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas but the forecast for the location was unusually cool (highs in the 40’s) for the majority of our available time so we made a last minute change to Arizona where the forecast was much more appealing with sun and temps in the 70’s. There were a handful of western warblers I could add for the year but not all the specialties due to the time of year. Nonetheless I tried my best to track down as many as I could with the time I had. We took a direct flight to Phoenix leaving Bradley a bit after 6PM on Breeze Airlines and after a 45 minute delay due to “the number of passengers being off” we were finally on our way and arrived late at night (or very early morning according to our bodies), caught a shuttle to the hotel and crashed. 

Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's', Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, AZ, Feb 20, 2025

Orange crowned Warbler, Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, AZ, Feb 20, 2025

Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's', Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, AZ, Feb 20, 2025

I was up early on Thursday morning after a few hours of sleep and waited for Sherri to wake up.  Due to the extreme cost of renting a car in Phoenix and dropping it off in Tucson (several hundred more that renting and returning in Tucson), we got an Uber from Phoenix to Tucson where we picked up a rental and started our little getaway. Once we picked up our rental we headed to nearby Sweetwater Wetlands and although it was almost midday there was still some warbler activity with three species around with the most common by far being the “Audubon’s” subspecies of Yellow rumped Warbler (which really should be a full species). There were also a few Common Yellowthroats and Orange crowned Warblers around. No other warblers for the day as we made the rest of the drive to Sonoita. It was a pleasant sunny day with temps in the 70’s. 

Painted Redstart, Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025

Painted Redstart, Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025

Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025

On Friday I somehow convinced Sherri to get up early with me and head out before sunrise to the Madera Canyon area. We were out the door around 6:30 to make the hour or so drive over the dirt road through a box canyon with our first stop being Florida Canyon. It was cold to start the morning with temps near freezing with clear conditions. Once we arrived at Florida Canyon it had warmed into the low 40’s and it was not too bad to be out.  My main warbler target there would be the long staying resident Rufous capped Warblers. I walked up to the area of the old dam and fairly quickly got a rarity (and lifer) with a continued Golden crowned Sparrow. Unfortunately the warbler was a no show and I didn’t have a lot of time to wait around for it to show. There were many (too many) birders arriving to look for the two rare species and I hate crowds plus one person there was quite loud so I doubted the warbler would show. I headed down the trail and we made our way to Madera Canyon. Our first stop in Madera Canyon was the picnic area and almost immediately I heard a Painted Redstart singing and quickly got some great looks at it plus a few others along the stream bed. It really is one of the more impressive looking warblers in the US and I was glad to see them again. I tried without any luck to find a rare for the area Louisiana Waterthrush that is overwintering along the paltry stream of water still flowing in parts of the canyon. We hit a number of other areas in Madera Canyon over the course of the morning into the early afternoon with the only other warbler species being Yellow rumped Warblers. I did hear one odd chip note that I was never able to track down in the early afternoon near the upper parking lot of the canyon. After we left Madera Canyon around two we decided I one more stop at Florida Canyon in a vain attempt to find a Rufous capped Warbler. It was a bit breezy and there were still several people crowding the area where the warbler has been including the one guy that insisted on carrying on a conversation at high volume. I threw in the towel and we then drove back over the dirt road to our lodging with a stop off at a cidery and a restaurant to get dinner. A slow day for warblers with just two species although with one being Painted Redstart it has to be described as a good day. 

Black throated Gray Warbler, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Black throated Gray Warbler, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's x 'myrtle' hybrid, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's x 'myrtle' hybrid, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Yellow rumped Warblers 'audubon's' and Orange crowned Warbler, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's, Paton's Center for Hummingbirds, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025

On Friday we decided to head south to the Patagonia area with the first stop of the day being to Patagonia Lake State Park. We arrived there a bit after eight and spent the next three hours exploring the area with most of the time spent on the birding trail at the upper end of the lake. The feeding station featured a couple warbler species coming into a suet feeder with both Orange crowned Warbler and ‘Audubon’s’ Yellow rumped Warblers. A bit of walking turned up at least one Common Yellowthroat skulking through the marsh vegetation. After poking around some areas around the campground I headed back to the birding trail and noticed a few locations were a variety of species were feeding on insects on emerging vegetation high up in the trees. I quickly located a single Black throated Gray Warbler among them…a fourth warbler species for the day and one I hoped I would find at the location. A little more looking turned up at least Black throated Gray Warblers and despite a lot of looking for other warblers beyond what I already found I had no luck. We were next going to go to the nearby Sonoita Creek State Natural Area but it appeared to be closed so we headed toward the town of Patagonia instead where we visited the Paton’s Center for Hummingbirds. The only warbler species around that area was a Yellow rumped Warblers. Not too bad a day for warblers. 

Painted Redstart, Ramsey's Canton Preserve, Sierra Vista, AZ, Feb 23, 2025

For our last full day in Arizona we headed a bit east and south to Ramsey’s Canyon to try our luck there. The Ramsey Canyon Preserve did not open until 9 so we made a brief stop at the trailhead to Brown Canyon. Once the preserve opened we were some of the first people there and immediately started up the trail. It was quite cool to start with temps in the 30’s but it warmed fairly quickly once the sun made its way into the canyon. One of the first species I had was a Painted Redstart…a good start to any day. The walk in the lower part of the preserve had a few pockets of birds with many very quiet areas and no warblers. The hike further up the canyon was very quiet although the views made up somewhat for the lack of birds. On our way back down the activity picked up a little as we neared the parking area and I got even better looks at Painted Redstarts in a small mixed flock. I got a very brief view of a Townsend’s Warbler within the group but it disappeared further into the woods before I could get any photos. After a quick break for lunch in the parking lot we made a trip over to San Pedro House along the San Pedro River. We arrived there around 12:30 and I immediately started checking the hordes of birds coming into the feeding stations (mainly White crowned Sparrows) and I located the Harris’s Sparrow which added my third life bird of the trip. A walk along the river through the grove of cottonwood trees eventually turned up a single Common Yellowthroat in the area of the kingfisher pond. This was the last warbler of the day so finished with just three species with the Townsend’s Warbler being new for the trip.

On Monday we had a midday flight out of Tucson so had a few hours in the morning to spend out in the sunshine before a return to the arctic hellscape of home. We toyed with multiple ideas and decided on leaving our lodging around 7:45 and make the drive up to a small park in Green Valley south of Tucson. I would have loved to go back to Madera Canyon and/or Florida Canyon but we just didn't have the time and we wanted to check some other areas. After a slight navigation error we arrived at Canoa Ranch Conservation Park and the only warbler I had for the entire day was a Yellow rumped Warbler. By a little after ten we had to head to the airport to catch our flight home. 

For the entire trip I had a total of half a dozen species of warblers (Orange crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, 'Audubon's' Yellow rumped Warbler, Black throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler and Painted Redstart) plus a hybrid Yellow rumped Warbler (audubon's x myrtle).  My big miss for the trip was not seeing the Rufous capped Warbler in Florida Canyon despite a couple attempts.

Common Yellowthroat in Belchertown

After hearing what I was sure was a Common Yellowthroat call once while I was at the edge of a marsh along the Belchertown Land Trust Trail back in late January I was finally able to turn it up a few days ago in the same general area.  After a few unsuccessful attempts to relocate it I finally had a brief look of a dull individual.  It was silent and was only in view very briefly and then not seen again...not a cooperative bird at all!  I will be returning to the area again to try to get photos.  This becomes the first warbler for me in the county this month and I continue to strike out on finding overwintering Yellow rumped Warblers despite lots of looking...my only one for the year in the county was a flyover along the river in Hadley back in early January...the worst year for the species in the winter here in several years.  I'm now at 94 consecutive months of at least one species of warbler in the county.  It does not look good at this point for me extending my streak for two species in the county beyond the 34 straight months I reached this January.

Orlando Florida area warblers -February 4-6

Orange crowned Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 5, 2025

Northern Parula, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 5, 2025

Prairie Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 5, 2025

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 5, 2025

Orange crowned Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 5, 2025

Pine Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 5, 2025

Common Yellowthroat, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 5, 2025

Palm Warbler 'western', Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 5, 2025

After a successful trip down to Costa Rica I flew into Orlando where I would spend two nights before finally returning home. I arrived into Orlando in the evening of the 4th and made my way to my Airbnb, arriving in the early evening and then heading to bed.  Unfortunately I tweaked my back a bit again and I had to keep the drives on my only full day in the state to spots closer than originally planned. My original plan was to perhaps drive to the coast to Merritt Island but that plan was scrapped and I instead decided on the Orlando Wetlands Park, a large area that has produced a decent selection of warblers during past visits. Although I was focused on finding warblers it was tough not to be distracted at times by all the other species present. I immediately started see and hearing warblers with the first three species being Yellow rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler and Common Yellowthroat (which would be the most prevalent warbler species for the day in that order). On the far end of the park I had a nice mixed flock that contained half a dozen species of warblers with the new additions being Orange crowned Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Prairie Warbler and Northern Parula (some of those were singing a bit). I then continued walking and turning up more of the same species and was getting near what I thought would be the end of my walk when I had a brief view of a dull Cape May Warblers mixed in with dozens of Yellow rumped Warblers. Unfortunately the Cape May Warbler got chased by one of the Yellow rumped Warblers and despite lots of effort I was unable to relocate it to get a photo. My search did turn up other stuff including my first Pine Warblers of the day. I managed a total of nine species but missed on finding a Yellow throated Warbler (one of my targets). I took a brief break for lunch and tried another nearby area (Savage Christmas Creek Preserve) but the midday sun was a bit much so I headed back to Orlando Wetlands Park to once again try to relocate the Cape May Warbler which I once again failed in finding. The place was still productive considering it was early afternoon. I then headed back to my Airbnb and started getting stuff ready for my trip back home and to take a long, hot shower to loosen up my muscles. 

Yellow throated Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 6, 2025

Yellow throated Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 6, 2025

Palm Warbler 'western', Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 6, 2025

Black and White Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 6, 2025

Common Yellowthroat, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 6, 2025

For my last day in Florida I decided to head back to Orlando Wetlands Park where I arrived just as the gates opened for the day. As expected I had lots of Yellow rumped Warblers, Palm Warblers and Common Yellowthroats throughout my time there. I finally added a Yellow throated Warbler for the trip in the same area that featured the largest diversity of warblers the day before (as well as on previous visits to the location). I added a few individuals of a few other new species and added one more for the trip with a Northern Waterthrush. I missed a Prairie Warbler somehow but still had a good count of species with nine species overall. After walking for just under four hours loosening up my back I started the process of heading toward the airport and home. I took another walk around midday at a small park near the airport that actually had some good pockets of birds including four species of warbler. 

My short trip to Florida produced a total of ten species of warblers with most of them new for me for the year.

Warblers on a trip to the southern Pacific region of Costa Rica -January 28-February 4

Chestnut capped Warbler, Finca Mango, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

I made a trip down to the southern Pacific foothills of Costa Rica at the end of January into early February. This was my 16th (!) trip down to Costa Rica and my first to the area of the former Rio Magnolia Lodge since it closed. I got an Airbnb that was in the same area as the old lodge on a large tract of land (1500 acres) in an area known as Refugio San Antonio. I flew down early morning from Hartford and after a connection in Charlotte I made it to San Jose in the middle of the afternoon and then made the four hour plus trip down along the Pacific coast. I finally arrived a little after 8PM…a long ride down for sure. 

Chestnut sided Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Blackburnian Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Mourning Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Golden winged Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Black and White Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Tennessee Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

After a decent nights sleep I was out at dawn and the first warbler I had was a Blackburnian Warbler. I followed that up quickly with Chestnut sided Warblers, Slate throated Redstarts and Tennessee Warblers. More walking produced multiples of Golden winged Warbler and Mourning Warbler over the course of the morning. The Slate throated Redstarts are a species that I could not get at Rio Magnolia Lodge as the elevation there was too low. Being several hundred meters higher gives the potential of other species with the elevation there around 1300 meters. I ended the morning with half a dozen species before the clouds and fog moved in around 11AM. I stayed around the house for the afternoon and had some warblers but nothing new. 

Golden winged Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Wilson's Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Slate throated Redstart, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Blackburnian Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Tennessee Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

My second day down there started off a little cloudier but still pleasant and warm. I hiked the road off to the south for about a mile and turned up eight species over the course of a few hours with two new species for the trip with a Yellow Warbler and a Wilson’s Warbler. After a brief break I walked another road and had more warblers including my first Gray crowned Yellowthroat of the trip. The clouds moved in by late morning and persisted for the remainder of day with some brief rainy bouts through the afternoon. Staying around the house did produce another warbler for the day with a Black and White Warbler. By the end of the day I had reached double digits with a total of ten species of warbler. 

Chestnut sided Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Blackburnian Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Slate throated Redstart, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Black and White Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Slate throated Redstart, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Blackburnian Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Golden winged Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Chestnut capped Warbler, Finca Mango, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Chestnut capped Warbler, Finca Mango, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Chestnut capped Warbler, Finca Mango, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

On Friday I once again walked a few of the roads starting early although I did not cover as much distance. I hit a few good pockets of birds with warblers represented in a few of them. I also added another species for the trip with a Chestnut capped Warbler. Chestnut sided Warbler was the most numerous warbler once again with Tennessee Warbler and Blackburnian Warbler also around in good numbers. Late in the morning I got a ride down to a lower elevation to check out another Airbnb house owned by the same owner as the place I was currently staying. I didn’t arrive until around 10:30 and activity had trailed off quite a bit. Nonetheless I still found some decent stuff including a family group of Chestnut capped Warblers that allowed for some good photo opportunities. By the end of the day I had found nine species of warblers. 

Tennessee Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 1, 2025

Wilson's Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 1, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 1, 2025

Thunderstorm over Pacific, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 1, 2025

To begin the month of February I was out again early tracking down warblers. It actually started off a little foggy and then cleared out fairly rapidly. There was a distant rumbling thunderstorm out over the Pacific as well as threatening gray skies coming in from the east that eventually brought some light rain. Thankfully it didn’t last long and didn’t impact birding much at all. With the weather being less than optimal getting views (and photos) was a bit tough at times. Nonetheless I still managed to track down eight species for the morning. Late in the morning I got a visit from John and Maureen, the former owners and operators of the now closed Rio Magnolia Lodge. I had not seen them since our last trip to the lodge back in January of 2022, not long before the lodge closed. It was great to see them but it would have been even sweeter to see them again at the lodge! 

Golden winged Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

Golden winged Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

Tennessee Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

Mourning Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

Mourning Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

After getting out early on Sunday to do some owling I then spent the next few hours walking the roads looking for birds. Just as it was getting light enough to see I had an interesting sighting. In a small tree (perhaps 30 feet tall) I noticed some activity and found all the birds (at least seven) to be Tennessee Warblers. I assume they had all roosted in the same general area overnight…very interesting for sure. My initial walk for the day turned up seven species of warbler with some great looks at a few of them. The rest of the morning I spent taking a couple other short walks and during one I came across the owner of the property freshly arrived from Switzerland. I had a nice conversation with him about the property and the birds here. By late morning the clouds had settled in once again with the occasional break. The rest of the day turned up more of the same for species so ended the day with seven species in total. 

Tropical Parula, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

Mourning Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

Golden winged Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

On my last full day in Costa Rica I figured I would try to maximize the number of species seen in a day by using the knowledge gained the last several days on where some species tend to be found plus walking further down one of the roads into more open and edge habitat. During my four hours walking in the morning I found a total of ten species of warblers with one new one for the trip with a Tropical Parula (one of my main targets for the day). Oddly Tennessee Warbler was the most abundant warbler species for the day, surpassing the usual front runner of Chestnut sided Warbler. The remainder of the day was spent mainly around the house with a few short walks but no new species for the effort.  I then left for the airport somewhat early on the 4th and made the five hour trip to San Jose and then an early afternoon flight to Florida.  I finished my time down there with a total of dozen species of warblers.