The rarity of Black-capped Gnatcatchers has changed since they were first discovered in the ABA Area in May 1971. By 1990, they were listed as a Code 4 species (more or less regular but less than annual) in the Fourth Edition of the ABA Checklist. The current edition lists them as a Code 3 species (occurs annually in very low numbers). Their stronghold is the area between Patagonia and Nogales as well as the west side of the Santa Rita Mountains (Chino, Montosa, and lower Madera canyons) in Arizona, but some have been found far to the east in the New Mexico portion of Guadalupe Canyon in recent years, too. Despite becoming more common in the past 10 years, Black-capped Gnatcatcher is still a highly desirable species for the ABA Area and would be a lifer for most birders.
Perhaps the best location for them is Patagonia Lake State Park, where they have been more or less resident since October 2002. They are often found in the area birders call Nutting's Wash (named for the Nutting's Flycatcher seen here during winter of 1997-1998). Alan Schmierer reported a sighting here on March 21 and kindly provided a map which visiting birders may find helpful. It shows the location of the wash and places where he has seen the gnatcatchers in the past month (green dots):
map courtesy of Alan Schmierer
Actually, it is known as "Nutting's Wash" for a bird that was reported on 1 Jan 1999 as a Nutting's Flycatcher, but not accepted as such by the ABC (and described extensively as an Ash-throated Flycatcher on 18 Jan 1999).
The well-documented and famous Nutting's Flycatcher at Patagonia Lake was the year before (14 Dec 1997-21 Mar 1998), but it was generally found in the area of the 2nd and 3rd washes. This was the 2nd US record, the first being a bird collected on 8 Jan 1952 near Roosevelt Lake in central AZ.
Funny how names stick!
For an alternate to Alan's excellent map, see the Tucson RBA map here: http://g.co/maps/e5pd9
Posted by: Andrew Core | 03/23/2012 at 12:07 PM