Three days in the Santa Rita mountains south of Tucson, Arizona produced EIGHT lifers! Without the enthusiastic, expert guidance of local birding professional Brian Gibbons, my trip would have been a bust. Brian and I hiked miles and miles of canyon trails…at elevations greater than 5,000 feet, in pursuit of rarities that only frequent North America by way of southern Arizona, in the summer. These specialties are basically Mexican birds.
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (Madera Canyon)
Black-capped Gnatcatcher (female in Montosa Canyon)
White-eared Hummingbird (Miller’s Canyon)
Violet-crowned Hummingbird (Patagonia, Arizona)
We were not the only birders on the trail up Miller’s Canyon in search of the White-eared Hummingbird. About a mile up the very steep slope I recognized 82 year old Sandy Komito….the guy who holds “The Big Year” record; you know…the character portrayed by Owen Wilson in the not-so-famous 2011 movie of the same name. We talked briefly and I gave him my business card. I’ll let you know if he chooses to correspond with me.
As I write this post in the Phoenix airport waiting for my red-eye flight to Philly, I am distracted by the incredibly itchy welts around my waist caused by chiggers. I have no idea how I hosted these microbes…but I blame the bear we encountered yesterday. His sudden appearance on our hike up Madera Canyon dropped me in my tracks and left me sitting in some strange vegetation, as I attempted to take a memorable photograph.
A brown, Black Bear in Madera Canyon
birdtalesblog 
Pretty exciting week!
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Beautiful birds — and some wonderful photos. Amazing that you could get that hummingbird shot…
Although that bear looks a little miffed!
Thanks, George, for this vicarious trip up the canyons! I spent a year and half in ARizona in the 1940’s and can’t recall a single bird. Just cacti. What a lot I missed.
Thanks for reading Marv and Dottie. You must be having fun this wkd! Sorry to miss the mini- reunion. Bowie and I looking at three deer in driveway. G
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Sandy Komito HAS to respond if you told him about JEFF SHAW I didn’t know there was a real person involved
Wow! A bear encounter with a Brown bear can be very dangerous. 8 new ones is awesome. Congrats. Guess there are no new ones to be had that are closer to Philly. This sounds like a very expensive hobby!
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Frequent fliers…..and bear was a Black bear (brown in color )…not dangerous. Thks for reading KB! G dub
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outstanding effort! Without wishing to sound ignorant, did you take all the bird photos? So impressed with your commitment. xx fleur
Wonderful. I enjoy all your birding adventure stories. I was a child south of Tucson and have enduring love of those mountains. DBW
The bear would have scared me to death! I didn’t know there were any “not dangerous” bears.
That bird is giving you a look of amazement as u squatt in poison oak:)
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I haven’t been to Madera Canyon but it looks great.
Awesome news!
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Awesome! 🙂
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Congrats George!!! Loved the bear and also the violet-crowned hummingbird (my favorite of your recent post!)
On Sat, Aug 10, 2013 at 3:08 AM, birdtalesblog
Lisa, Thanks for reading! G
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George –
I think I saw three of these birds in our backyard, a day or two after you left here. Maybe not, but they sure looked about the same… Small, grayish and brownish, with wings on both sides… Sort of a “tweet” call… Maybe not, but I think so…
Thanks for checking on them in AZ… I started to get worried about them after I didn’t see them for a few days…
Mark
Way to go, George! Mexican specialties = hardcore birding in my book!