Spring Migration in the Southwest

The Feathered Desert Podcast

Summary: Spring migration in the Southwest is a wonderful time to get out there with your binoculars and see some fly-through visitors as a special treat. Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they highlight a few birds that visit the southwest only during spring migration.

For our hearing impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.

Show Notes:

Background bird song: Naturescapes Backyard Birds www.naturescapes.com

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Transcript

Host Voice: Welcome to the Feathered Desert a podcast all about desert bird feeding in the Southwest region of the United States. (bird calls and songs play)

Kiersten: Intro – This episode will be posted during spring bird migration and Cheryl and I thought we’d discuss a few birds that pass through the southwest and phoenix valley area that you should be on the lookout for!

Cheryl – To clarify, spring migration in the southwestern United States begins at the end of March through April and even into the beginning of May. The birds we’re going to discuss today are ones that will fly through from Central and South America to their summer breeding grounds in Northern United States and Canada. We are lucky enough that in the southwestern United States and the Phoenix Valley we’re in their flight path.

Kiersten – Let’s start off with some flashy visitors that we’ve been lucky enough to see the last few years, orioles! Two species of orioles are commonly seen in the Phoenix valley as they migrate through to California, Oregon, and Washington state. The Hooded Oriole and the Bullock’s Oriole are both seen in the Southwest during spring migration.

The hooded oriole male will be either a bright sunset orange or yellow with a deep black throat patch and black wings and tail. The female is yellow with gray wings and no throat patch. They are attracted to tubular flowers, like ocotillo, and sugar water feeders. You can put out sugar feeders made specifically for orioles or just use your hummingbird feeder.

The Bullock’s Oriole male will have an orange face with a bright yellow body, black on the head and small black bib under the beak. They have a wide white wing bar with black shoulders and a yellow and black tail. The female has a paler yellow face and body with dark gray wings. Both species of orioles will have sharp, thin beaks that allow them to get inside tubular flowers and to peck at the bottom of flowers to get to the nectar. When you’re out hiking or just running errands and you see a medium size bright yellow bird with a long beak and long tail, you’re probably looking at an oriole.

Cheryl - Hummingbirds

In Arizona we can see 16 different species of hummingbirds at some point during the year. Many of them will over summer with us in the White Mountains and the Sky Island Mountains and, of course, we have two to three species that live in the southwest, especially Arizona, all year. But one species only migrates through on their way to California and the upper states. This is the Rufous Hummingbird. This hummer gets its name from the orange color that dominates the male’s coloration. Males are orange on their head, back, tail, and chest with green on their shoulders. Their gorget feathers are reddish-orange. Females are green on the head, back, and wings with orange on their flanks and upper tail. Their chest is white with a tiny patch of red on the chin.

They’re a smaller size hummer at 3.75 inches but they are big on attitude. Keep an eye out for them during spring migration at you feeders or blooming plants. If you see a streak of orange the size of a hummingbird you’ve just seen a Rufous Hummingbird.

Kiersten – Wilson’s Warbler

Our next songbird is a small flash of yellow that overwinters in Central America and can breed as far north as the boreal forests of Newfoundland, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. Males and females look virtually the same with bright yellow faces, chests, and bellies. The top of the head is black with olive green on the neck, back, and wings. This little one is just under 5 inches and consumes mainly insects. They like wooded areas around streams and can be seen refueling in places where insects are plentiful.

If you have a bird bath in your back yard and have a pesticide free yard with native plants that attract insects you very well may see this songbird visiting as they fly through. Sometimes they can be seen eating mealworms offered in an open feeder or maybe taking advantage of some easily seen suet.

Keep watch for a bright flash of yellow as you’re bird watching this spring and you may spot the Wilson’s Warbler. A great place to look for them in the Phoenix Valley could be the Gilbert Riparian Area in the city of Gilbert.

Cheryl – Solitary Sandpiper

This is our first water bird. This sandpiper overwinters in lower Central America and breeds in Northern Canada. They migrate through the United States in spring and fall. This is a long, yellow legged water bird with a long beak and medium sized body. Their belly is bright white while the rest of their body is a mottled brown and white with an eye-pleasing spotted pattern.

They migrate at night, individually or in small groups. They are not easily seen during migration but you might be able to catch a glimpse of them at a local pond or lake. They can be found at almost any body of water including brackish ponds, freshwater ponds, and woodland streams. You’ll see them wading in the water dipping their beaks under the surface of the water searching for aquatic insects and crustaceans. A great place to find them in the Phoenix Valley will be the Gilbert Riparian Area if they make a stopover here in Arizona.

Kiersten – Lazuli Bunting

This beautiful blue songbird overwinters in western Mexico and breeds in the northwestern United States. Some can be found in Northern Arizona during the spring and summer but they mostly fly through during spring migration. The Lazuli Bunting male is a brilliant, almost aquamarine blue on the head, back, and tail with a rusty brown chest. The female is a dusty brown all over. They have a small beak that helps them eat small seeds from weeds and trees.

At almost six inches this bird can be seen in various types of landscapes including brushy areas as well as pasture. They don’t stay here in the Phoenix Valley during the summer but might take a quick refueling break in an inviting backyard with a birdbath or seed feeder. You may also see them in one of our natural parks. Keep your eyes open for a pop of blue this spring and you might catch a glimpse of this amazing bunting.

Cheryl – Olive-sided Flycatcher

This is a large flycatcher at 7.5 inches and is essentially olive colored from head to tail. The chin is bright white while the belly is more of a buff color. It has a small crest on the head. This flycatcher has the longest migration of any North American flycatcher migrating from southern central America to the boreal forest of Canada and Alaska.

They prefer forested areas where they catch insects on the wing. With such as long migration, they will make several stops to refuel on their long journey. We do have two other flycatchers that over summer with us in Arizona. The Olive-sided flycatcher is two inches larger that the Dusky flycatcher and is darker in coloring than the Ash-throated flycatcher. These tips can help you identify this spring visitor.

Kiersten – Now these are not all the migratory birds that you can see here in the southwestern US and the Phoenix Valley, but these are a few that you can put on your bird list this year. A great resource to find out what migratory birds may be near you is eBird. You can download the app or check out the website developed and run by Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology. It uses real time information downloaded by birders to identify where they are seeing birds. What great motivation to grab your binoculars and get out there!