Catalina State Park: The 13th International Big Sit

We sat a twelve-hour day this year at Catalina State Park, and ended up with a total of 50 species, ten more than I had predicted. Our best species was certainly the first-winter Eastern Phoebe that landed in a mesquite above our heads: my first this fall in Arizona, and probably a first record for Catalina State Park. Raptors were good too, with singles of Sharp-shinned Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, and Prairie Falcon. We had at least three Vaux’s Swifts feeding around our circle in the morning, and the afternoon saw a flock of 50 or more White-throated Swifts feeding high above the Santa Catalinas.

Catalina State Park is probably the easiest place near Tucson to find Crissal Thrasher and Rufous-winged Sparrow, and both species appeared throughout the day, the thrasher only audible from the circle, the sparrow singing and moving through the mesquites in fussy pairs and trios. If any group disappointed, it was warblers, with only Black-throated Gray and Audubon’s Warblers countable from within our circle.

A few birds were recorded outside the circle, and thus not officially counted for the day. A Black-tailed Gnatcatcher first detected on a bathroom break (ours, not the bird’s) was almost among that number, but eventually flitted across an opening into view, becoming our 50th and final species for the day at 4:45 pm. Thanks again to everyone who dropped in to bird, to encourage, and to chat!