Listing Through Life

geococcyx (from ge, earth, and kokkyks, cuckoo) californianus (of California)

Saturday, March 31, 1984 — 3:15 pm

Tucson, Arizona — Old Spanish Trail near Saguaro National Monument

My mom took my wife and me to the Rincon Mountain Unit of the Saguaro National Monument. We were pretty close to the park when a Greater Roadrunner ran across the road into the parking lot of a sporting goods store.  It paused under a small tree along the pavement then disappeared into the surrounding desert scrub. I had determined this was a must bird for the trip.  I was now able to relax some.

A few days later I saw another one in the desert below the mouth of Sabino Canyon.  It was walking along the trail ahead of me and jumped on a perch five feet up in a mesquite.

tyto (owl) alba (white)

Saturday, March 31, 1984 — 1:45 pm

Tucson, Arizona — Tucson Sewage Ponds

My guide to birding in Arizona said that this spot couldn’t miss, but when we arrived I was a bit confused as to why.  This great spot consisted of two very small ponds, one with a tiny, heavily-wooded island.  A few ducks of various familiar species were swimming about, looking out of place in the desert, but things didn’t look terribly exciting.

It was my wife who spotted a strange white bird flying from one of the large cottonwoods that ringed the pond to another one closer to us. It was followed closely by what I think was a Cooper’s Hawk.  I had a good idea the white bird was a Barn Owl. As we walked closer, the hawk took off and the owl flew back to the original tree then to the island where it disappeared into thick evergreens.

I didn’t get more than a glimpse because of the cottonwoods. They were large and covered a lot of area. We circled the pond hoping for a better view. After several minutes, the Barn Owl flew out and landed on an open perch in one of the big cottonwoods along the other pond. I got a great view with my scope, but not a long one. I was just settling in to look when a man drove up in a pickup and told us we had to leave. Seems there is no birding at the sewage ponds on weekends.

calypte (hood or veil) costae (given in 1839 by Bourcier in honor of Louis Marie Pantaleon Cost, Marquis of Beau-Regard, in 19th-century France, owner of a large collection of hummingbirds)

Saturday, March 31, 1984 — 12:00 noon

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Arizona

I spotted this gorgeous Costa’s Hummingbird as it flew up to the red flowers on an ocotillo stalk, hovered briefly, then flew off.

icterus (jaundice) cucullatus (hooded)

Saturday, March 31, 1984 — 10:50 am

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Arizona

This was one of the strangest lifer sightings I’ve ever had. I followed my family into the aviary. After walking around a while, we sat on a bench and enjoyed the Arizonan and Mexican birds that were all around us. As we were sitting there, I noticed a Hooded Oriole foraging slowly branch to branch in a small tree outside the aviary. It was loose. We were in a cage!

auriparus (from aurum, gold, and parus, titmouse) flaviceps (from flavus, tawny, and caput, head)

Saturday, March 31, 1984 — 10:40 am

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Arizona

I spotted the Verdin foraging in the mesquite near the aviary. My family went into the aviary while I remained outside to get a good look at it.  I decided a bird in the wild was worth a whole bunch in a cage.