The Big Yard: Birdwatching in a Time of Quarantine

Or: The Evolution of a Pajama Lister

A Slate-colored Junco at the Covid fountain, one of the many oddballs for the yard’s birds in June.

Day 469 of the Pandemic (June 30, 2021) 

            The yard list stands at 90 bird species for the month, not as high as than last month (97) and not too surprising since it’s the dead of foresummer and droughts have a way of making water features irresistible.  The Big Yard comes in at #8 in the country on eBird, the unexpected and unusual birds pushing the number higher and higher through June.

For the budding bird nerds, of which, I suppose, I am one (if you aren’t, skip to the photos below), Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona rates the presence of birds in the region on a scale beginning with “Abundant” and descending (the more unlikely you will see the bird) to “Common,” “Uncommon,” “Rare,” “Casual,” “Accidental,” and finally “Irregular.”  Many birds fall into any one of these categories depending on the time of year.  For example, turkey vultures are rare in January and February, then uncommon during the first half of March, then abundant until the middle of October when they migrate south and become uncommon and then rare again in November and December.  Barn swallows move through the year as casual, then uncommon in March, then common through the summer becoming abundant in September then uncommon and rare in November and finally casual again.

            Typically, “Rare” means low numbers but present every year.  “Casual” means present many years but not all, at least 3 but less than 9 of the last 10 years.  “Accidental” means present once to several times but no more than 5 historical records.  “Irregular” means the bird doesn’t belong here, maybe one or two sightings only.

Thinking that Finding Birds may have to update the 8th edition, here are this month’s oddities from my yard: 

June 1 Wilson’s Warbler.  Rare.  Normally a migrant of the spring and fall between coastal Mexico and Canadian tundra.

June 2-8 Pacific-slope Flycatcher.  Rare to Accidental.  Another spring and fall migrant from coastal Mexico to the Pacific Northwest.

June 13-14 Hermit Warbler.  Unrecorded on the Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona bar chart.  Normally a spring and fall migrant like other warblers.

June 13 Townsend’s Warbler.  Accidental to Casual.  Spring and fall migrant that didn’t migrate because June in my yard is so awesome.

June 14-15 White-crowned Sparrow.  Casual.  Should be breeding in Alaska or Canadian tundra country.

June 15 Lincoln’s Sparrow.  Unrecorded on the Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona bar chart.  Should be in northern Canada and Alaska this time of year but didn’t want to make the effort.

June 1-18 Dark-eyed Junco.  Accidental.  Lots of Juncos in June. Most were the Gray-headed form, but the one on the 18th was a Slate-colored form (top) and unrecorded on the Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona bar chart.  It should be breeding in the high Canadian tundra or Alaska.

June 7-25 Lucifer Hummingbird.  Rare.  Mostly, the yard sees females like this one but occasionally we get males wondering where all the females have gone.

June 1-16 Swainson’s Thrush.  Uncommon to Accidental.  Very odd to see these thrushes outside of spring or fall when they are still uncommon.

June 24-25: Cassin’s Vireo calling from the oaks.  Accidental. Breeds this time of year in the Pacific Northwest, which makes this vireo lost.

June 27: The Stunning Lazuli Bunting (which should be its name).  Casual.  This one put the yard at #8 in the country, the only lazuli bunting reported on this day in Cochise County. Good bird.

Thanks for subscribing. More bird wonders to come!