Patagonia!  A magical name in the ears of birders, and this afternoon in ever-generous Mrs. Paton’s yard only confirmed the enchantment.  There were hundreds of birds at the feeders and around the edges of the yard, and it was hard to know sometimes which way to look.

The star of the show, of course, was Violet-crowned Hummingbird, coming in to sugar water every few minutes with its distinctive stuttering chitter.  The seed feeders hosted at least two brilliant male Lazuli Buntings, and the ground beneath was covered with birds gleaning the spillage; at one point we had two Ruddy Ground-Doves and a splendid white-striped White-throated Sparrow in view at once: a rare conjunction, that.

All this glamour notwithstanding, the high point for me was the tremendous concentration of Lincoln’s Sparrows at the feeders, on the lawn, on the fences…everywhere!  If that bird won’t convert you to emberizidophily, don’t know what will.

Plans change, and instead of a morning at Kino Springs, my client and I ended up at Pena Blanca Lake, one of the most scenic, and sometimes the birdiest, sites in southeast Arizona. It was cold, ice sheeting the water, and it didn’t seem all that incongruous to watch Common Mergansers diving on the lake!

PB is one of the best Arizona localities for Swamp Sparrow, and we enjoyed fantastic looks at one while (get this) a Painted Redstart hunted the trees above our heads. 

The seep and stock tank just beyond the campground were covered with sparrows and finches, including numerous Pine Siskins and at least two Black-chinned Sparrows. But nothing beats juncos for sheer winter atmosphere: there were half a dozen Gray-headed Juncos and a splendid Pink-sided Junco bathing with hundreds of Chipping, Vesper, White-crowned, Lincoln’s, and Brewer’s Sparrows. That’s why I moved to Arizona–as if I could ever need a reminder.