Welcome to the Birder's Bulletin where you can find out how the Spirit Tree Inn will enhance your Arizona birding experience. Not only can you take advantage of our 52 private acres, but your Arizona birdwatching adventure can extend to the nearby Coronado National Forest and the highly esteemed Nature Conservancy's near Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve. With our ideal location, your bird watching vacation will be like no other. You will have the opportunity to see 300 unique species of bird, some of which may include the gray hawk, green kingfisher, thick-billed kingbird, northern beardless-tyrannulet, violet-crowned hummingbird, and rose-throated becard. Below you will find what some of our guests have to say about our birding area:

"We spent 4 nights here while doing extensive bird-watching. We saw about 80 species in the area and our trip was made even more wonderful by the warm environment at Spirit Tree Inn. We stayed in the casita, which suited us perfectly. The breakfasts were phenomenal - and set us up just right for our days' efforts. We'll be recommending the place to our friends and other birders in Vermont!"
-Leslie S. & Marve K.
Jericho, VT

"We had a wonderful time here - we visited the Creek preserve and Patagonia Lake and saw lots of new birds. There are so many places we'd like to visit around here, and we loved staying at the Spirit Tree. Many Thanks. I hope we'll be back."
-Michael B., Gloria B.
and Natasha B.

"Our vacation and accommodations exceeded all of our expectations. What a quiet, relaxing, homey place - with nesting elf owls to boot! Vermillion flycatchers, lazuli bunting, grey-tailed hawks were the highlights of our stay - awesome breakfasts with lots of hot coffee!"
-Ann & Greg S.
Clam Lake, WI

PS - white helmeted guineafowl - a new life bird!

Birds seen on the Spirit Tree Inn B & B property and close by spots in early January 2008 by BN.

Canyon towhee        Pyrrhuloxia        House finch        Chipping sparrow        White-crowned sparrow

Northern mocking bird        Gila woodpecker        Curve-billed thresher        Says Phoebe

Yellow-rumped warbler        Acorn woodpecker        Ladder-backed woodpecker        Bewicks wren

Northern cardinal        American kestrel        Red shattered flicker        Red-tailed hawk

Hermit thrush        Dark-eyed Juca        Common raven        Orange-crowned warbler        Black Phoebe   

Mexican Jay        Western Screech owl         White-breasted nuthatch      

WEEKLY BIRD LIST
of The Nature Conservancy's
Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve
(and nearby areas)
Prepared May 30, 2003 by Matthew
Brown, The Patagonia Birding
& Butterfly Co. (520) 604-6300

bold=new for season, or
of rare occurrence
(x/x-)=date first reported
(-x/x=date last reported
(x/x)=single date report
(x/x)=unusual date
(U-x/x)=date reported, but
sighting unconfirmed
(F-)=non-stop flyover
(?)=may be gone for season
(P)=permanent resident
(W)=winter resident
(y)="possible" all year

The following species might be seen in their preferred
habitats at this time of year: great blue heron (P)
green heron (y)
black vulture (2/20-)
turkey vulture (3/5-)
Cooper's hawk (P)
gray hawk (3/21-)
zone-tailed hawk (fuertesi: P)
golden eagle (y)
American kestrel (P)
merlin (y)
peregrine falcon (y)
wild turkey (y)
Gambel's quail (P)
Montezuma quail (y)
killdeer (y)
rock dove (P)
band-tailed pigeon (5/21)
white-winged dove (2/1-)
mourning dove (P)
Inca dove (P)
common ground-dove (P)
northern mockingbird (P)
brown thrasher (4/24)
curve-billed thrasher (P)
crissal thrasher (P)
European starling (P)
cedar waxwing (y)
phainopepla (y)
orange-cr. warbler (-5/10?)
yellow warbler (3/19-)
yellow-rumped warbler (-5/15?)
blk.-thr.gray warbler (4/4)
Yownsend's warbler (-5/9?)
MacGillivray's warbler (-5/9?)
common yellowthroat (y)
Wilson's warbler (-5/23?)
painted restart (4/11)
yellow-breasted chat (5/3-)
summer tanager (4/14-)
western tanager (4/9)
green-tailed towhee (-5/10?)
spotted towhee (y)
canyon towhee (P)
Abert's towhee (P)
rufous-crowned sparrow (P)
lark sparrow (Y)
black-throated sparrow (P)
fox sparrow (-4/16?)
song sparrow (P)
northern cardinal (P)
pyrrhuloxia (P)
black-headed grosbeak (4/30-)
lazuli bunting (3/19-)
red-winged blackbird (y)
hooded oriole (4/10-)
Bullock's oriole (4/16-)
Scott's oriole (3/29-)
western meadowlark (y)
Brewer's blackbird (y)
great-tailed grackle (y)
bronzed cowbird (5/28)
brown-headed cowbird (y)
house finch (P)
lesser goldfinch (P)
house sparrow (y)