Black-capped Gnatcatcher (Polioptila nigriceps ), Proctor Road, Madera Canyon, Pima County

Black-capped Gnatcatchers were first found in Arizona in May 1971 along Sonoita Creek. As with most species at or beyond the extreme margin of their range, numbers of this species present in Arizona fluctuate over time. After a long period during which few were found, a significant increase in numbers began with the discovery of a pair at Patagonia Lake State Park in 2002. Since then multiple pairs have been found along Sonoita Creek and as far east as the southern Chiricahua Mountains; it is at present perhaps as common as it has ever been known to be in the U.S., yet is still quite rare. This pair at Proctor Road represents the northernmost physically documented pair of this species ever found. Although there are credible sight reports from the southern margins of the Santa Catalina Mountains, photos and sound recordings have yet to be obtained.

Black-capped Gnatcatcher is an Arizona Bird Committee Review species and considered a casual resident to southeastern Arizona, where it has been documented several times as a breeder. The photo below of an adult on the nest was taken by Scott P. Carey on 16 May 2007 near Proctor road at the mouth of Madera Canyon.

16 May 2007 photos by Scott P. Carey