Arizona birds - need help identifying one

[REFEM]

Hi all,

I did a wonderful 5-mile hike in Sabino Canyon Recreation Area in Tucson, AZ on Monday.   I am from North Carolina, and I learned that desert birds move fast !   They can be difficult to photgraph, but are enjoyable to watch as always.

Can someone kindly help me with the small gray bird (third photo)?   I am down to a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, a Black-Capped Gnatcatcher, or Dark-Eyed Junco.  I would really appreciate any help.

Also attached for your viewing are photos I took of a Greater Roadrunner, a Gambel's Quail, and Phainopepla (how beautiful!)

Thanks in advance !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kevin]

You are correct.The third photo is of a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher.

[blackburnian]

Why isn't the gnatcatcher Black-tailed? They're much more common around Tuscon. 

[Phalarope713]

I agree, this looked better for a Black-tailed.

[Kevin]

8 hours ago, blackburnian said:

Why isn't the gnatcatcher Black-tailed?

Thank you for the correction. Not sure why I thought that male and female Black-Capped Gnatcatcher looked the same.

[REFEM]

Thanks all !

[Totah Sam]

Roadrunners being the state bird of New Mexico I've only seen one many years ago when I was a young whipper-snapper.  Of course I wasn't into birds.  I was into myself.  Which is typical for a teenager.  The whole world revolves around them.  Anyway.  I walked out into my front yard and saw one dart from under a car and dash towards the river.  Never attempted to fly. Just ran it's little legs off.  I think that's going to be life goal of mine to get one photographed.  I tried to sneak up on it to get another look but it was gone.  Not even a feather to mark its passing. 

I also remember large herds of antelope moving back and forth between Colorado (Ute Reservation) and New Mexico (Navajo reservation). We would spend Easter camping out under a mesa with an area where you could jump off the cliffs into deep sand.  It was fun and terrifying at the same time.  We would sit on the top of the mesa and watch the antelope graze and migrate north or south depending on the whim of the herd. We could watch them for hours.  Then they built a powerplant right in the middle of their migration area and the herds are now gone.  Makes me sad sometimes but I still have my birds.  ?

[Totah Sam]

Roadrunners being the state bird of New Mexico I've only seen one many years ago when I was a young whipper-snapper.  Of course I wasn't into birds.  I was into myself.  Which is typical for a teenager.  The whole world revolves around them.  Anyway.  I walked out into my front yard and saw one dart from under a car and dash towards the river.  Never attempted to fly. Just ran it's little legs off.  I think that's going to be life goal of mine to get one photographed.  I tried to sneak up on it to get another look but it was gone.  Not even a feather to mark its passing. 

I also remember large herds of antelope moving back and forth between Colorado (Ute Reservation) and New Mexico (Navajo reservation). We would spend Easter camping out under a mesa with an area where you could jump off the cliffs into deep sand.  It was fun and terrifying at the same time.  We would sit on the top of the mesa and watch the antelope graze and migrate north or south depending on the whim of the herd. We could watch them for hours.  Then they built a powerplant right in the middle of their migration area and the herds are now gone.  Makes me sad sometimes but I still have my birds.  

Addendum:  Forgot to add that one of the very first birds I saw when I moved into this house (after my house of 40 years burned to the ground) was a Phainopepla.  That was my sign that everything was going to be alright.    double edit: oh god I'm so sorry.  I'm an old fart and I messed this up.  I'm so sorry.  

Edited October 18, 2019 by Totah Sam
I messed up.

[Tony Leukering]

I'm just curious why you didn't rule out Dark-eyed Junco on bill shape and bill color.