Cross country road trip advice

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Reptiluvr
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Joined: April 23rd, 2011, 7:49 pm

Cross country road trip advice

Post by Reptiluvr »

I have the opportunity to go on a 10 day trip from the FL panhandle to Laguna Beach, CA. It's not set in stone or anything yet. I'd like to get some advice on where to stop to gather some lifers. I have been to Texas in Brownwood, Mason, Lubbock & Amarillo. I picked up some great western birds there before I was even an avid birder. I'd like to go for diversity and easy to find species since I'll be with a non-birding friend. Some things I'd like to see in particular are Plain Chachalaca, Pyrrhuloxia, Elegant Trogon, Montezuma & Scaled Quail and Red Crossbill. I don't need these or anything, they are just western specialties I'd like to see. I'm up for anything really. Just about any birds in California will be lifers for me so if you know anything good around Laguna Beach that would be great. We'll likely be taking the I-10 route across the country.
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Andy Avram
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Re: Cross country road trip advice

Post by Andy Avram »

Well if you want Plain Chachalaca and you don't want to leave the US, you already answered part of your question on where you are going. It is well worth it. Also as you get a little further west towards the Falcon Dam area you should be able to pick up Pyrhuloxia and possibly Scaled Quail. Either way the Lower Rio Grande Valley is well worth it, but really, really out of the way en route to California. You will see tons of birds, many of which should be lifers such as Great Kiskadee, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, all 3 Kingfishers, Green Jays, etc... and they are relatively easy to find at any of the stops along the river.

Your Trogon, and to a lesser extent Montezuma Quail, means SE Arizona, but I haven't been there (yet!) so can't be much help.
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chrish
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Re: Cross country road trip advice

Post by chrish »

Plain Chachalaca - you will need to go a little south and out of your way for this bird. They really don't get much north of the Rio Grande Valley so it would involve a special trip out of the way. They are trash birds when you get in their range, but they don't wander much north of the Brownsville/McAllen area.
Pyrrhuloxia - you could see this bird anywhere between central Texas and southern CA. Chase other species and you will get this bird. Watch fencelines and powerlines along roadsides.
Elegant Trogon - SE Arizona. A stop in the Chiricahuas should net this bird, particularly if they are calling. If you know their call, and learn that they are MUCH closer than the call suggests, you should be able to get this.
Montezuma Quail - Try the Davis Mountains of West Texas for this species. Davis Mts state park has them, but they are hit or miss. Sometimes they are predictable at park feeders, sometimes they are a tough find.
Scaled Quail - pretty common and widespread species. Drive quiet roads anywhere in their range in the morning or late afternoon to see them.
Red Crossbill - not likely before winter.

Depending on season, if I wanted this list, I would drive I-10, making a stop in central Texas for Golden-cheeked Warbler (Friedrich Park in San Antonio is right off I-10), then drive to the Davis Mountains of West Texas (Montezuma Quail by day, alterna and subocularis by night), drive highway 9 across southern NM to the Chiricahuas (where you should get the Scaled Quail and Pyrrhuloxia en route), then get the Trogon in Cave Creek Canyon of the Chiricahuas (while you are looking for pyros and green rats).

You should pick up quite a few good birds on top of these target species.

Chris
Reptiluvr
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Re: Cross country road trip advice

Post by Reptiluvr »

Thanks for these tips! I had hoped Pyrrhuloxia would be a common bird like the cardinal that I could pick up with ease. Golden-cheeked would be very cool, as would the trogon. The quail I know are harder, as quail are usually secretive, so I figure they'll be more by chance than anything. I'm thinking Big Bend NP might be a place to stop for a whole day or even two if I can bargain that out with my buddy. I can likely convince him to go on the Colima Warbler hike because we love doing strenuous hikes.
Are there any other quick stops along I-10 to pick up western birds/herps or places that are just outstandingly beautiful?
Matt Buckingham
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Re: Cross country road trip advice

Post by Matt Buckingham »

Ditto on Davis Mountains for Montezuma Quail. I've seen them on about half of my visits there.

When will you be going on this trip? If it's in the next month or so you won't be disappointed with Big Bend. There's something for everyone there. On the hike up to Boot Canyon besides Colima Warblers you may see Painted Redstarts, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Hepatic Tanagers, Scott's Orioles, Hutton's Vireos, Canyon Wrens, Blue-throated Hummingbirds, Magnificent Hummingbirds, Band-tailed Pigeons...and more. It's also a good hike for herps. If you have a couple of days you can explore the low desert as well and should be able to pick up things like Varied Buntings, Elf Owls, Crissal Thrashers, and much more. Scaled Quail are common there. Plus the scenery at Big Bend is great, and it's pretty easy to spot a black bear in the Chisos.

Davis Mountains SP is good for other species as well. Phainopeplas and Rock Wrens are common, and there are feeders that almost always have Black-headed Grosbeaks and Lesser Goldfinches.
Reptiluvr
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Re: Cross country road trip advice

Post by Reptiluvr »

Thanks for this detailed info! The prospective dates are July 1-10.
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nightdriver
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Re: Cross country road trip advice

Post by nightdriver »

Once you get to California, a drive around some spots at the Salton Sea may be worth a visit. You should be able to pick up Yellow-footed Gull that time of year. Joshua Tree is just north of the 10. Once you get to the coast, two places to check out are Newport Back-bay and Bolsa Chica Preserve. The San Bernardino Mts and San Gabriel Mts are chances to get some elevation and mountain birds. You should be able to find some list for these places on the internet.

-nightdriver
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Curtis Hart
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Re: Cross country road trip advice

Post by Curtis Hart »

If you have any time in LA, you might try a pelagic or whale watch. They're cheaper than the east coast with better chances at whales.
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