This list shows all the birds known to be present in Santa Cruz County at this time, with rarities and posted dates gleaned from the AZ/NM Listserve (BIRDWG05) and the Tucson Rare Bird Alert, as well as personal observations both first- and second-hand.
Abundance:
VC=Very Common, almost always found in suitable habitat
C=Common, found most times in suitable habitat
FC=Fairly Common
U=Uncommon
R=Rare
I=Irregular, unpredictable
Seasonality:
Y=Year-round, not necessarily the same individuals
S=Summer, generally May through September
W=Winter, generally November through March
T=Transient, generally from mid-March to mid-May and mid-September to mid-November
Dates:
(mm/dd/yy-)=Date of first sighting
(-mm/dd/yy)=Last reported sighting
(mm/dd/yy)=Single date sighting
Species and/or dates in boldface are either of an unusual bird or an out-of-season report.
Pied-billed Grebe C-Y (Patagonia Lake State Park)
Eared Grebe C-W (Patagonia Lake State Park)
Neotropic Cormorant FC,I-Y (Patagonia Lake State Park)
Double-crested Cormorant FC,I-Y (Patagonia Lake State Park)
Least Bittern R-Y (Patagonia Lake State Park)
Great Blue Heron C-Y
Great Egret I-Y
Green Heron C-Y
Black-crowned Night-Heron C-Y (Patagonia Lake State Park)
Black Vulture C-Y (Nogales/I-19 in winter)
Turkey Vulture C-Y (Nogales/I-19 in winter)
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard C-Y
Cinnamon Teal U-Y
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck A-W (Patagonia Lake State Park)
Osprey U-W
White-tailed Kite I-W (San Rafael Valley)
Bald Eagle R-W (San Rafael Valley)
Northern Harrier C-W (all open areas)
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Prairie Falcon
Wild Turkey
Scaled Quail
Gambel’s Quail
Montezuma Quail
Virginia Rail
Sora
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Wilson’s Snipe
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Ruddy Ground-Dove (-1/14 DeAnza Trail)
Greater Roadrunner
Barn Owl
Western Screech-Owl
Whiskered Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Spotted Owl
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl I-W (12/31/09 San Rafael Valley)
Northern Saw-whet Owl R-Y (above 8000’ in Santa Ritas)
Anna’s Hummingbird
Elegant Trogon (-1/13/10 Patagonia Lake State Park)
Belted Kingfisher
Acorn Woodpecker
Gila Woodpecker
Williamson’s Sapsucker
Red-naped Sapsucker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Arizona Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Gray Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Eastern Phoebe (-1/9/10 Patagonia Lake State Park)
Say’s Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Rose-throated Becard (-1/15/10 DeAnza Trail, Santa Gertrudis Lane)
Loggerhead Shrike
Plumbeous Vireo
Cassin’s Vireo
Hutton’s Vireo
Steller’s Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Mexican Jay
American Crow (-1/14/10 Tumacacori)
Chihuahuan Raven C-Y
Common Raven C-Y
Horned Lark
Mountain Chickadee R-Y (above 8000’ on Mt. Wrightson)
Bridled Titmouse
Verdin
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Cactus Wren
Rock Wren
Canyon Wren
Sinaloa Wren (not seen since 12/09, Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve)
Bewick’s Wren
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Black-capped Gnatcatcher R-Y (Patagonia Lake State Park, Sonoita Creek)
Eastern Bluebird
Western Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird I-W (I-19 Corridor)
Townsend’s Solitaire
Hermit Thrush
Rufous-backed Robin (-1/15/10 Santa Gertrudis Lane)
American Robin FC,I-W
Varied Thrush (-1/15/10 Santa Gertrudis Lane)
Northern Mockingbird C-Y
Sage Thrasher (-1/15/10 Santa Gertrudis Lane)
Curve-billed Thrasher C-Y
Crissal Thrasher U-Y
European Starling U-Y
American Pipit FC-W
Sprague’s Pipit R-W (San Rafael Valley, Las Cienegas National Conservation Area)
Cedar Waxwing U,I-W
Phainopepla C-Y
Olive Warbler U-Y (High country with pines)
Orange-crowned Warbler U-W
Yellow-rumped Warbler VC-W
Black-throated Gray Warbler C-S, U-W
Townsend’s Warbler FC-W
Common Yellowthroat FC-Y
Painted Redstart I-W (DeAnza Trail, Patagonia Lake State Park)
Hepatic Tanager I-W (Patagonia Lake State Park)
Green-tailed Towhee C-W
Spotted Towhee FC-Y
Canyon Towhee C-Y
Abert’s Towhee C-Y
Rufous-winged Sparrow C-Y
Cassin’s Sparrow U-Y
Rufous-crowned Sparrow C-Y
Five-striped Sparrow R-S, I-W (California Gulch, Sycamore Canyon)
Chipping Sparrow VC-W
Brewer’s Sparrow VC-W
Black-chinned Sparrow U-W
Vesper Sparrow C-W
Lark Sparrow FC-Y
Black-throated Sparrow C-Y
Savannah Sparrow C-W
Grasshopper Sparrow U-Y (San Rafael Valley, Las Cienegas National Conservation Area)
Baird’s Sparrow R-W (San Rafael Valley)
“Red” Fox Sparrow (-12/30/09 Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve)
Song Sparrow C-Y
Lincoln’s Sparrow C-W
Swamp Sparrow U-W
White-crowned Sparrow VC-W
Dark-eyed Junco C-W
Yellow-eyed Junco U-Y (Madera Canyon)
McCown’s Longspur R-W (San Rafael Valley)
Chestnut-collared Longspur U-W (San Rafael Valley)
Northern Cardinal C-Y
Pyrrhuloxia FC-Y
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1/7/10 Madera Canyon)
Red-winged Blackbird C-Y (Patagonia Lake State Park, Kino Springs)
Eastern Meadowlark C-Y (San Rafael Valley, Las Cienegas National Conservation Area)
Western Meadowlark FC-Y
Yellow-headed Blackbird U-W
Brewer’s Blackbird C-Y (easiest in Nogales parking lots)
Great-tailed Grackle C-Y (Patagonia Lake State Park)
Brown-headed Cowbird C-Y
House Finch C-Y
Pine Siskin C,I-W
Lesser Goldfinch C-Y
Lawrence’s Goldfinch U,I-W (usually near water)
American Goldfinch U-W
House Sparrow C-Y