After meeting our guides for breakfast and getting an insight into the programme ahead of us, it was off on the road, but not before getting the birdlist started from the hotel grounds with Verdin, Hooded Oriole and Gila Woodpecker.

We stopped first at Silvertree Road on the Santa Cruz Floodplain which was known to be the haunt of Burrowing Owl and immediately, on arrival, two were seen together with a couple of Round Tailed Ground Squirrels.

Next, our main stopping area was the junction of Shannon and Broadway in Tucson, on the way getting a brief glimpse of a Greater Roadrunner. We had just located a couple of birds (Curve billed Thrasher, Phainopepla) when a local resident called us to a nest she knew, which turned out to be that of a Great Horned Owl- a female was clearly seen on a palm tree and a very young owlet could also just be seen - exquisite. This area proved extremely productive with Pyrrhuloxia added and Abert's Towhee, very localised Inca Doves but it was the uncommon Rufous-winged Sparrow, putting on a lovely display for us, which was the real prize. A Bell's Vireo teased us for a while before we all managed to record a reasonable sighting. A Cooper's Hawk circled above us, while on the ground, Gambel's Quail seemed to be everywhere! Moving on towards the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum we added Purple Martins at a nest on a Saguaro and two White- throated Swifts were seen. A brief stop at a lay-by and we were rewarded with excellent views of a very good (and very uncommon and localised) bird, the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher.

We had a very interesting time at the museum, where we learned of the flora, fauna and history of the region and where we were able to see several of the species we would later see 'in the wild'. The grounds also had 'free-flying' visitors and we saw Cactus Wren, Wilson's Warbler, Western Tanager, Summer Tanager and Townsend's Warbler. Costa's Hummingbirds were relatively common and we even saw one on a nest. After our packed lunch we stopped at Ina Road Bridge and saw Black-necked Stilts, Northern Rough-winged Swallows and Cinnamon Teal among others.

The final stop of the day was at Sweetwater Wetlands and we picked out the "Mexican" Mallard, with its distinctive olive green bill. Another two Great Horned Owls were seen, an adult and a well grown juvenile. A couple of Green Herons were seen in flight. A beautiful Vermilion Flycatcher gave good views, then a Harris's Hawk took flight from close by and we watched it after it perched a short distance away. A Western Wood-Pewee was watched as it hunted and caught flies.

It had been very hot all day and we regularly kept in the shade of trees as we went round the pools. Among the highlights were Anna's Hummingbird, Common Yellowthroat, Song Sparrow and Wilson's Snipe. A number of Great Egrets were seen with Great Blue Herons. It had been a long, hot day but we had been very successful and had already logged several species which were special to this small area of the United States.

The forecast weather today was an increasing wind as the day progressed and so it proved. We started at Madera Canyon, a site well know to U.S. birders. Today, we would also specifically target the rare Flame-coloured Tanager, known to be in the canyon. On arrival, the first noteworthy thing was a pair of "Gould's" race of Wild Turkeys walking around and among the birders! We spent a little time checking out the feeders which were well frequented by Broad-billed, Magnificent and Black-chinned Hummingbirds but then a White-eared Hummingbird appeared, a much more uncommon species. Acorn Woodpeckers, with their harlequin style face pattern, were everywhere. Then Rick heard the call of the Flame-coloured Tanager and eventually we saw it high in the canopy but it later came to the oranges by the feeders to give excellent views - a strikingly beautiful bird. A couple of Arizona Woodpeckers visited close to the feeders. Then another colourful bird, the Painted Redstart appeared.

We then headed up the canyon for some way but failed to find the Elegant Trogons, known to be in the area. However we did get Grace's Warbler, Plumbeous and Warbling Vireos and Hepatic Tanagers. Some in the group managed to see the red shafted race of the Northern Flicker. On the way back down we also added Hermit Thrush, House Wren, Bridled Titmouse and Hutton's Vireo but sadly no Trogon.

On Box Canyon Road there was a Loggerhead Shrike on a wire and at Box Canyon Bridge we saw a Lucy's Warbler fly back and forth and a small group of Western Tanagers, their colouring glowing in the sun. On the way to Willcox, we passed many Lark Sparrows on fencing - their prominent face markings being very apparent. American Kestrel, Say's Phoebe, Cassin's Kingbird and Eastern Meadowlark were other, new trip species added before reaching Willcox. This area was also noted for the number of Chihuahuan Ravens seen.

The wind prevented us from getting out of the bus due to the swirling dust and so we drove around Lake Cochise using the bus as a hide. There were dozens of Wilson's Phalaropes around the edges with several Red-necked Phalaropes among them and were also joined by numbers of Spotted Sandpipers. There was a flock of Ruddy Duck on the water with a single Redhead among them. On the other side of the lake was a group of birds feeding and resting, including Marbled Godwit, Long-billed Dowitcher, a fine breeding plumaged Western Sandpiper, American Avocets, Killdeer, Pintail, Green-winged Teal and Black-necked Stilt - all in a tight grouping. Above the water, flew Barn Swallows, a single Northern Rough-winged Swallow and a Bank Swallow (our Sand Martin).

On the drier margins there were dozens of Horned Larks (our Shore Larks). In a tree by the side of the track was a Wilson's Warbler and almost hidden in the centre and sheltering from the wind was a Green-tailed Towee. On the way out from the lake we saw a Scaled Quail, which was then chased in an amorous(?) way by a Gambel's Quail along the road in front of us. Heading towards San Simon, a very low Swainson's Hawk went over the bus and in a corral at San Simon were a number of Brown-headed Cowbirds.

After a lot of driving we eventually got to Portal and at the end of the second day the triplist had totalled 111 species.

We left for a pre-breakfast sortie up Cave Creek but with the specific target bird being the ultra rare Tufted Flycatcher. Before leaving the car park though, we saw Canyon Towee, Bronze Cowbird, Northern Cardinal, Black-headed Grosbeak, Bullock's Oriole and Cassin's Kingbird!

Meeting us in the road we had two Wild Turkeys out for an early walk and as we approached they gently ambled off the road. A Band-tailed Pigeon perched up and later a flock of about ten flew over. We pulled into the stopping area and Yellow-eyed Juncos were on the ground. We walked to where the Tufted Flycatcher had been seen and there we saw Lazuli Buntings, American Robin, Western Tanager, Black-throated Grey Warbler, Warbling Vireo and Townsend's Warbler but no flycatcher. Bob and Barbara also saw a Hammond's Flycatcher.

With no success for the Tufted Flycatcher we went back for breakfast after which we went the short distance to Cave Creek Ranch to watch the feeding stations there. However, before settling down, we had a low over-flying Zone-tailed Hawk which returned on several occasions. A new bird for us was a Western Scrub Jay and hummers on the feeders included Magnificent, Black-chinned, Blue-throated and Broad-billed. There were many Pine Siskins which seemed to restrict themselves to the one feeder. Scott's Oriole and Cassin's Finch were also recorded. Then a Greater Roadrunner surprised everyone when it appeared and then proceeded to make its way round the area and past all the watchers, stopping to allow numerous photographs as it went. It almost fed from the hand of the Manager - brilliant!

Lark Sparrows fed on the ground and Acorn Woodpeckers and Arizona Woodpeckers dropped in. Another Northern Flicker was also seen and just before we left a tiny Bushtit showed itself.

We left for the South West Research Station Road looking for Elegant Trogons and soon two were heard and one flew around about us, allowing some photos to be obtained. We also watched a female Goshawk on its nest, although we could not make out all of the bird. Then a passing birder called us to say the Tufted Flycatcher had been seen again and we decided to go straight for it. We found the site, where other birders were, and sure enough there was the bird which proceeded to fly to and fro, feeding and perching. We were so lucky and privileged to have seen this rare Mexican species which was only the second ever appearance in Arizona and only the fourth in the entire USA. Birders had driven from the east coast of the States to see the bird and later, on the way home, in Atlanta airport we were asked if we had seen the bird by a birder who flown to Arizona in an unsuccessful attempt at seeing it - we tried not to be smug!

After lunch, we had to return to Cave Creek Road to retrieve Tom's camera bag (!) however, while there we added to our list with a Yellow-rumped Warbler. We moved further up the canyon to where we found a Northern Pygmy Owl. Nearby were Brown-crested and Olive-sided Flycatchers.

Later we headed up South Fork where we had an unsuccessful attempt for a Spotted Owl. At the bridge we watched two Brown Creepers, a distant Band-tailed Pigeon and a Painted Redstart. A flock of Violet-green Swallows passed over.

After the evening meal there was an owling expedition up Cave Creek Canyon. The weather conditions were against us with strengthening winds and some light rain, however, at the first stop we had an immediate success with a Whiskered Screech- Owl. We again failed to find a Spotted Owl and a Flammulated Owl also eluded us but we finished with Western Screech-Owl. So despite the adverse conditions for owling, two were added to the triplist.

On the way back to the lodge, there was a Striped Skunk walking along the roadside.

We started with a pre breakfast drive up Silver Creek and we were lucky to see a Crissal Thrasher from the car park, where Chipping Sparrows also prodded in the grit. We also had to be careful to avoid running over a Canyon Towhee! Western Scrub-Jays flew across the road and when we stopped to listen for bird calls, those of the Black-throated Sparrow were heard and showed themselves close to the bus. Further up the road and it was the turn of the Black-chinned Sparrow. Another first for the trip was the Ash-throated Flycatcher which gave particularly good views and it was pleasing when a Hammond’s Flycatcher was seen, as the previous one had only been seen by Bob and Barbara. Before returning for a hearty breakfast, we managed to add both Rock and Canyon Wrens to our list. This morning had been much cooler than our previous ones and it was good to get back for a hot drink and a meal.

After breakfast we headed up North Fork of Cave Creek and our first key sighting was the Apache Fox Squirrel, an endemic to the Chiricahua Mountains. Warblers were clearly migrating through and we saw Lucy’s, Black-throated Grey, Townsend’s and the beautiful Red-faced Warbler and Virginia’s. Another notable was the “Myrtle” race of the Yellow-rumped Warbler to add to the earlier “Audubon” race. We headed further upward to over 7500 feet and had our picnic lunch at Rustler Park where we saw Steller’s Jay and Mexican Chickadee, the latter a bird which only just appears in Northern America in this corner of Arizona. Then we saw the Red-breasted Nuthatch, it was to complete the hat-trick of the Nuthatch family adding it to the Pygmy and White-breasted. We returned down the mountain and called at Jacquie Lewis’ house to sit and marvel at the range of birds coming to her feeders.

Finally, we went to Rick and Lynne Taylor’s home in Whitetail Canyon where we had a lovely meal prepared by Lynne, everyone sitting in the garden (their yard!!) with hummingbirds visiting feeders all around us. There was also a couple of surprises in the form of Lincoln’s Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco. Once it darkened, we found an Elf Owl in Rick’s cottonwood tree.

Our last day in Portal and again the pre breakfast trip was to Silver Creek. The first new species was soon spotted- a Blue Grosbeak, sitting up nicely for us to view. We stopped further up the canyon and after a bit of effort trying to get both, Juniper Titmouse and MacGillivray’s Warbler were seen, although the latter proved particularly difficult and gave only the briefest of views. We returned for breakfast and to finish packing for the next leg.

A short distance and we stopped at Dave Jesper’s “Big Thicket” where numerous feeders were well stocked and we sat and watched a wide range of birds at close quarters. The biggest surprise was the appearance of a Clay-coloured Sparrow - common in most of the USA but a rarity in Arizona. A very unusual Curve billed Thrasher came to a feeder-unusual in that it had a very deformed bill. On leaving, we also added to the growing list, an Olive-sided Flycatcher.

After driving along the state boundary between New Mexico and Arizona for a while, we turned north and stopped to bird and saw Lucy’s and Wilson’s Warblers but also a Brewer’s Sparrow, this latter bird should not have been around at this time of year!

We had lunch at the Gadsden Hotel in Douglas which virtually lies on the border with Mexico - a hotel steeped in history and decorated/designed in an art deco way.

The final stop was Whitewater Draw, a natural water-supplied reserve. A large open-sided barn by the car park, was occupied by two Great Horned Owls. The site is well known for wintering owls and at that time dozens of Barn Owls, Great Horned and Long-eared Owls can be seen. However in addition to the two Great Horned we were happy to see a pair of Barn Owls. On the water were Mexican Mallard, Green-winged Teal, a pair of Blue-winged Teal and a Shoveler. Around the rim were several Spotted Sandpipers.

This had been a much cooler day with rain often threatening and on the drive to the hotel, it arrived. The temperature was 56°F which compared to 96°F on our first day in Tucson!

In the morning we visited Miller Canyon where we called in at Tom Beattie's place with a large number of feeders set up for the humming birds. It is always amazing watching these tiny birds in action and marvelling at the colours of their gorgets as they are regularly flared - from bright green to purple to blue on to red, depending on the species. In all seven different species were seen here.

We also set off up the canyon in search of a Spotted Owl roost and as we gained in altitude, we saw species more restricted to these areas, such as Cordilleran Flycatcher, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher and Dusky Flycatcher - the Buff-breasted and Sulphur-bellied being particularly noteworthy, as both are only ever seen in the USA in this tiny part of Arizona. Other altitudinal specialities included excellent views of the Red-faced Warbler and the Red-breasted Nuthatch. A Steller's Jay and the shy Hermit Thrush were also good sightings. We never did find the Spotted Owl but the birds we did see certainly made up for that.

The late afternoon trip covered Ramsey Canyon and Ash Canyon where the main target birds were the uncommon Berylline and Lucifer’s Hummingbirds respectively and both were successfully seen. A Ladderbacked Woodpecker gave especially good views.

In the evening, we surprised our guide Barbara, whose birthday it was, by a rendition of "Happy Birthday" at the evening meal and a birthday dessert, complete with candle, was presented.

We left Sierra Vista and headed across the Sonoita Grasslands where we saw close views of a group of Pronghorn. Horned (Shore) Larks were common on the boundary wires but we eventually found a Grasshopper Sparrow.

We continued to Patagonia, stopping at a couple of rest areas and then went to Patagonia Lake. At the first rest we had Bewick’s Wren and there was a Rock Wren on a high cliff face. Next we were all really impressed with the beauty of the Yellow-breasted Chat. A tiny Northern Beardless Tyrannulet was also recorded and after several attempts to get a good view of a Botteri’s Sparrow we had to be satisfied with low level flights of it.

An excellent time was spent in the lake area where the lovely Vermilion Flycatcher seemed to be very common, including a male feeding a juvenile. On the lake itself, there were a number of Neotropic Cormorants and a single Eared (Black-necked) Grebe was also seen. A Bell’s Vireo was also spotted feeding a young one. The birding was so good here, it was a pity we had to leave when we did.

After a picnic lunch outside Patagonia, we went to Paton’s to watch the feeders, where the speciality was the Violet-crowned Hummingbird and both male and female were seen. A number of Black Vultures drifted overhead. A “birdathon” was being held there while we visited and the popularity of the feeders can be judged by the fact that by lunchtime fifty-six species had been seen!

We then had a very successful stop along the Patagonia Back Road near Patagonia Sonoita Creek Reserve. Here we had Thick-billed Kingbird, Common Ground-doves (several along the road) and both a MacGillivray’s Warbler and Rufous-crowned Sparrow in the same bush.

The final stop was at Kino Springs where the highlight was a migrating Willow Flycatcher but close behind came a Tropical Kingbird, yet another which just creeps into the USA in S.E. Arizona.

Another pre breakfast sortie took us to the nearby flooded fields of Rio Rico, where there was a large number of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks and White-faced Ibis, the latter’s glossy plumage glistening in the morning sun. To the right of the first pond, a young Black-crowned Night-heron perched in a tree and caused a moment of elation for the guides, themselves, when there was a possibility of it being a rare species for Arizona, the Yellow-crowned - but no! A Green Heron also stood at the side of the pond. A Snowy Egret fed in the same pool and did not move when a number of horses decided to enter the pool. A Roadrunner ran across in front of the bus.

It was then back for a delicious breakfast, then pack and head for Tumacacori where there was a four hundred year old mission. Along the way a Crested Caracara walked among some cows - the Caracara being a rarity in the southern USA and especially Arizona. A fine Grey Hawk perched on a telephone pylon. At Amato Pond, there was a single bird - an American Wigeon. Near a bridge across a creek, we had our first confirmed Cliff Swallows, some of which allowed us to scope them when they were on the wires.

The final stop of the morning was Montosa Canyon where the star bird was undoubtedly the Black-capped Gnatcatcher - a very rare visitor from Mexico and yet another bird being restricted to this small part of Arizona - however, it took about an hour to find it, although it then hung around for about ten minutes. Whilst we searched for the Gnatcatcher, we were lucky to turn up an Orange-crowned Warbler, as it crept in the high canopy. A single Varied Bunting was also found but soon disappeared.

After lunch back in Tucson, we then brought our ticklist up to date, had a short break and then drove to Barbara’s cabin some 7000 feet up in Willow Canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains. What a beautiful place it was - eating and drinking on her verandah with hummingbirds on the feeders and a good range of other birds - some like the White-throated Nuthatch and Pygmy Nuthatch within touching distance! A lovely Grace’s Warbler and Mountain Chickadee (new for the list) were really good to see. There was also an intriguing hummingbird- was it a hybrid between Bluethroat and an Anna’s or was it a mega-rarity for the whole of the USA as an Amethyst-throated Hummingbird from South America - a very unlikely scenario but just possible - details have been sent to the American Birding Association, so watch this space! To finish off, we tried for some owls but only had success with a Whiskered Screech-Owl.

The forecast for the Tucson area was temperatures in excess of 100° F, so we headed back into the much cooler, higher Catalinas- in fact up to 9000' and which also held the possibility of a higher new species total.

The first bird of note was the “Brown-throated” race of House Wren - the race is limited to the mountains of S.E. Arizona. A Cordilleran Flycatcher posed extremely well for everyone and some good photographs were taken of it. Even at these altitudes, the temperature was still warm but we were to hear later that the temperatures low down in Tucson were around 105°F, so our decision to stay high was certainly vindicated. However, the downside was that the birds were not playing ball and were hard to find, One we did find after some time was the Western Bluebird, found near the summit of Mount Lemmon and two, maybe three, birds were logged. Two woodpecker finds were the Northern Flicker and the Hairy Woodpecker. We were unable to locate the Red Crossbills, known to be in the area. We dropped altitude and tried to find a Kinglet and after a couple of unsuccessful attempts, a Golden-crowned Kinglet was located and it flew to and fro close to everyone and we thoroughly enjoyed the views of this delicate and lovely tiny bird, North America’s smallest bird - the equivalent of the European Firecrest. This was to be our last recorded bird of the trip and a noteworthy one it certainly was. This brought the final species total to 207 seen plus another 3 heard.

It only remained for us to return to the hotel where we had a final celebration meal with the guides, Rick and Barbara. This time it was Tom's turn to be surprised, on his birthday, and received the birthday dessert! Later, we said our farewells to Rick and Barbara and went to pack for the journey home.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the trip and we were all delighted at the quality of the birds seen. S.E. Arizona is noted throughout the USA for the special birds from Mexico and S.America which only just drift across the border and it is a required destination for all serious American birders. Of our species seen, some 26 fell into this special category and, of course, the top of the list had to be the Tufted Flycatcher which had only been seen three times before in the USA and only once before in Arizona. Birders were flying from all over the USA to try and see it and we were privileged to see it.

The success of the trip falls largely on the quality, commitment, local knowledge and birding skills of the guides and we were delighted to have had the services of Rick and Barbara from Borderland Tours. Apart from their obvious birding skills, they were always courteous and professional and became friends through the trip - they made the trip the success it clearly was and everyone in the group was sorry it had to end.