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SCHOLARSHIP REPORTS 2005

2005 ABA Young Birder Track Report (Tucson, AZ)

20-22 July 2005

By Ethan Kistler

This year the ABA developed a special Young Birders' Track (YBT) within the main ABA Convention. I only got to do the YBT, but it was still yet the best birding trip I have ever done. I left my small town of Newton Falls, OH and got on my flight in Pittsburgh, PA. After changing flights in Dallas, TX, I finally arrived in Tucson, Arizona. When I got to the Doubletree, my mom, sister and I went to check in and found out that all the rooms were full and they had to clean one for us. What did I do? I dropped my suitcase and I went outside to go birding. Since I had never been west of the Mississippi before, I was already adding lifers to my list including Lesser Goldfinches and a Gila Woodpecker. After a half an hour I went inside and they got us a room. That's when I met one of our trip leaders, Jennie Duberstein. That night all the young birders met and took turns saying a little about themselves. There were young birders from all over the US including Massachusetts, Florida, California, and South Dakota.The next day we left the Doubletree at 3:30 a.m. with our trip leaders, Jennie Duberstein, Louise Zemaitis and Michael O'Brien, to go to California Gulch. On the way there we stopped on the side of the road to look and see what we could find. We got to see Varied Buntings, Botteri's Sparrows, Black-throated Sparrows, Mexican Jays, and a Loggerhead Shrike. After a few minutes there we got back in the vans and went down by far the bumpiest road I have ever been on in my life. After we took the ride of our lives, we arrived at the Gulch. While birding there, we found a Gray Hawk's nest with a juvenile in it. After we got a good look at it we went on. The main bird to see on the trip was the Five-stripped Sparrow. We did see several, and we took time to look at them and study all of the details closely through scopes. Other birds we saw were Phainopepla's, Thick-billed Kingbird, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Western Tanager, Purple Martin's with a nest in a cactus, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, and a Bronzed Cowbird. Our next stop was lunch at Arivaca Lake were we saw Vermilion Flycatchers, a Great Egret, and a Broad-billed Hummingbird while doing our checklists for the day. After that we headed back to Tucson adding a Greater Roadrunner and a Swainson's Hawk to our lists.

The second day we went to Mt. Lemmon with trip leaders Jennie, Louise, and Michael, joined by Steve Howell, Jon Dunn, and Lori Fujimoto. On the way there we saw Gambel's Quail, Verdins, and a Desert Cottontail. Our first stop on the Mt. Lemmon Highway was campgrounds where we saw Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Canyon Towhees, and White-throated Swifts. We also got to see emerging queen ants by the thousands and beetles that would do a headstand and fall over. After we went up the mountain and past the desert, it turned into a coniferous forest. We parked and walked, a couple of times seeing a Zone-tailed Hawk, Acorn Woodpecker, Yellow-eyed Juncos, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Mountain Chickadee, Olive Warbler, Steller's Jays, Lazuli Bunting, Pygmy Nuthatch and Cordilleran Flycatcher.

After we got back to the Doubletree that afternoon we had our first class, Tyrant Flycatchers with Jon Dunn. It covered all the flycatchers of the U.S. and some accidentals. It was really helpful to learn the characteristics of each bird because some species are almost identical. After this we had a break and then went to our next class, Improving Observation Skills: Sketching and Note Taking, with Michael O'Brien and Louise Zemaitis. This was a challenging class. First we looked at birds on the slideshow and took notes on the size, structure, habits, voice and color of the birds. Then we had to draw the birds and label them. After this class, it was another break and off to the YBT dinner. Following dinner, Walt Anderson gave a program, Sky Islands: A Naturalist's Perspective. In this program, Walt gave a slideshow and explained about the four major bioregions and how they are important to birds and other wildlife.

The last day of the YBT we went to Carr and Miller Canyons with trip leaders Jennie, Louise, Michael, Jenny Brumfield, and Lori. On the way to Carr Canyon we saw a couple dozen Lesser Nighthawks circling around a light along the road. When we got to Carr Canyon we stopped for a short time and got Anna's Hummingbird, Bridled Titmouse, and a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher to name a few. After that we were off up the canyon. When we were driving the first van stopped and everyone piled out so we followed. Michael O'Brien showed us a bird and asked if we knew what it was. We all looked at it briefly before it flew away. It was an Arizona Woodpecker. Other than that, we also saw a Scott's Oriole. Farther up the road we stopped again to look at a Black-throated Gray Warbler and a Calliope Hummingbird. We also heard a Buff-breasted Flycatcher behind us, which we could not spot. At our last stop in the canyon we chased after and finally saw a Buff-breasted Flycatcher. Other birds of note were Plumbeous Vireo, Grace's Warbler, and a Greater Pewee. Then we were off to Miller Canyon. Our only stop in Miller Canyon was at Beatty's Guest Ranch. Here you can find three hummingbird feeding areas. After visiting all the feeders we had 9 species and 1 hybrid. Some highlights were Magnificent, White-eared, Rufous, and the hybrid Berylline x Magnificent Hummingbird. After the hummingbird show, we had lunch and went back to the hotel. At the end of the YBT, I had 78 lifers.

These young birders attended the camps/events they report on with the help of ABA scholarships.