Breif update from Arizona

27 ABA birds so far! Including Cactus Wren and Black Phoebe, which I had seen in San Miguel de Allende when I was on vacation there. A big update when I come back, plus photos. oh, and ABA bird #400? Gila Woodpecker. Had that and Anna's Hummingbird with breakfast yesterday morning...

Targets for Arizona

According to my friend Joe, who is kindly hosting me for two days and birding with me next week, these are the most likely birds I will be adding to my ABA/life list in Arizona:

1. Cinnamon Teal
2. Gambel's Quail
3. Harris's Hawk
4. Gray Hawk
5. Inca Dove
6. Lesser Nighthawk
7. Broad-billed Hummingbird
8. Magnificent Hummingbird
9. Black-chinned Hummingbird
10. Anna's Hummingbird
11. Costa's Hummingbird
12. Acorn Woodpecker
13. Gila Woodpecker
14. Ladder-backed Woodpecker
15. Arizona Woodpecker
16. Gilded Flicker
17. Black Phoebe
18. Say's Phoebe
19. Cassin's Kingbird
20. Hutton's Vireo
21. Plumbeous Vireo
22. Cassin's Vireo
23. Mexican Jay
24. Bridled Titmouse
25. Verdin
26. Cactus Wren
27. Bewick's Wren
28. Curve-billed Thrasher
29. Black-throated Gray Warbler
30. Grace's Warbler
31. Lucy's Warbler
32. Townsend's Warbler
33. MacGillivray's Warbler
34. Painted Redstart
35. Hepatic Tanager
36. Green-tailed Towhee
37. Abert's Towhee
38. Rufous-winged Sparrow
39. Black-throated Sparrow
40. Yellow-eyed Junco
41. Pyrrhuloxia
42. Black-headed Grosbeak
43. Lazuli Bunting
    
44. Varied Bunting
45. Lesser Goldfinch

45 seems like a nice number to add to my list - that would put me at 443 ABA area birds. Four of the birds on the likely target list I have seen in Mexico, so they wouldn't be life birds (Black Phoebe, Curve-billed Thrasher, Cactus Wren, and Lucy's Warbler). Still, I'd end up with 470 life birds if I see these 45 birds!

Filling in some gaps in the year list

I went out after a morning rain shower on Saturday to Blendon Woods Metro Park. I thought about sleeping in but it was just nagging at my brain that morning to do some birding, so off I went.

Good thing I did, it was one of the best days for warblers I've had at the park. I spent about 2 hours birding and had 11 species of warblers for my effort, plus I finally saw the mother turkey and her youngsters that are living around the blinds near the pond. I added Blackpoll and Bay-breasted Warbler to my Ohio year list, which was good - I' m missing Cape May Warbler and Northern Waterthrush from the common warblers that pass through Ohio. I also looked for Mourning Warbler as it had been reported from one of the trails, but no luck. I'm hoping we luck into some great warblers and shorebirds on the Avids trip this saturday. I think I have a decent shot at 250 for a state list this year - not bad considering I barely birded at all in Ohio during the month of May, which is typically my best month for adding to a year list.

I also leave in a little over two weeks for Tucson, AZ. I'm really eager to get there and do some birding - I figured I could add 21 life birds just by hanging out in my friend's yard alone...