We arrived home last week from our 12-day trip to AZ and Southern CA.
We drove all 5000 miles, a distance made longer due to a detour to
the south jetty (at least we saw the curlew, and if we had tried to
do it on the return, sounds like we would have missed it)! Many
thanks to those who gave advice, directions, etc!

We drove through rain, hail, snow (all the way through CA on the way
down), wind, sandstorms, fog, 105 degree heat, and saw some beautiful
country. We marveled at the basin & range topography of Nevada,
accentuated by fresh snow on the mountains and fresh sagebrush in the
basins, and the sandstone formations in Utah and Arizona (in Utah,
also accentuated in snow).

My favorite birding stops were Ramsey Canyon (Magnificent Hummer,
White-eared Hummer) where Elegant Trogons have nested regularly for
the last three years, Patagonia-Sonoita Preserve (Gray Hawk, Summer
Tanager, Broad-billed Hummer); and Big Morongo Canyon (where a
Costa's Hummer completed my list of regularly occuring western
hummers-if you ignore those from AZ only). Other stops included
Salton Sea (also great), Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, and several stops
around Tucson.

Most incredible bird sights included 5 or 6 pairs of Am. Kestrels
nesting in two palm trees, using only the lower, dead leaves; 40+
Burrowing Owls (we lost count) driving around near the Salton Sea,
and one pond, south of the Salton Sea, where we found a colony of
egrets and herons nesting in the cattails in the middle of the pond.
There were Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Cattle Egrets, and
Black-crowned Night Herons, with a few DC Cormorants thrown in. We
estimated a total population of 10,000 birds, all nesting in a space
of less than an acre. About 90% were Cattle, something close to 10%
were Snowys, with a smattering of Greats & BCNHs. An astounding
sight.

I'm including a list of everything we saw, *'s indicate lifers. I'd
be glad to provide more details to anyone who wants them.

Clark's Grebe
Western Grebe
Eared Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
White Pelican
Brown Pelican
DC Cormorant
Blk-crowned N. Heron
Green Heron
Cattle Egret
G. Blue Heron
White-faced Ibis
Canada Goose
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
N. Pintail
Cinnamon Teal
Ruddy Duck
Redhead
Scaup sp.
C. Moorhen
Coot
Killdeer
Avocet
Black-necked Stilt
Bristle-thighed Curlew*
Long-billed Curlew
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Laughing Gull*
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Western Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Gull-billed Tern*
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Black Skimmer*
Turkey Vulture (more than I care to see again, not a single Black
among them!)
N. Harrier
Gray Hawk*
Red-tailed Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk* (finally!)
Zone-tailed Hawk*
Cooper's Hawk
Kestrel
Prairie Falcon
Gambel's Quail*
CA Quail
Band-tailed Pigeon
Mourning Dove
White-winged Dove*
Elegant Trogon*
Greater Roadrunner
Burrowing Owl*
Lesser Nighthawk*
White-throated Swift
Broad-billed*, White-eared*, Magnificent*, Black-chinned, Costa's*,
Anna's, & Broad-tailed Hummingbirds
Gila Woodpecker*
N. Flicker
Gilded Flicker*
Acorn Woodpecker
Lewis' Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker*
Nuttall's Woodpecker*
Western Kingbird
Cassin's Kingbird*
Brown-crested Flycatcher*
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Vermillion Flycatcher*
Cordilleran Flycatcher
'Western Flycatcher' wouldn't make a sound, but we've debated that
one anyway!
Violet-green Swallow
N. Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn swallow
Western Scrub-Jay
Stellar's Jay
Mexican Jay*
Black-billed Magpie
Am. Crow
Chihuahuan Raven
Common Raven
Bridled Titmouse*
Mountain Chickadee
Verdin*
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
House Wren
Bewick's Wren
Cactus Wren*
Western Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend's Solitaire
Robin
Mockingbird
Curve-billed Thrasher*
Bendire's Thrasher*
Loggerhead Shrike
Phainopepla*
Starling
Plumbeous Vireo*
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Grace's Warb.*
Yellow Warb.
Wilson's Warb
Yellowthroat
Painted REdstart*
Red-faced Warb.*
Black-headed Grosbeak
Cardinal*
Sptd Towhee
CA Towhee
Abert's Towhee*
Song Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow*
Dark-eyed Junco
Yellow-eyed Junco*
W. Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
REd-winged Blackbird
Bronzed Cowbird*
Brown-headed Cowbird
Great-tailed Grackle*
Scott's Oriole*
Bullock's Oriole
Hooded Oriole
W. Tanager
Summer Tanager*
Hs. Sparrow
Pine Siskin
Am. Goldfinch
Lesser Goldfinch
Purple Finch
House Finch

And some ostriches and emus for good measure. (Yeah, they were on
farms)
Jane Westervelt
Steve Kalloger
Moscow, ID