Birding Southeast Arizona with Lois Lorenz, Pima and Santa Cruz Counties, Arizona

November 17, 18, 19, 2021 

DAY #1: Wednesday, November 17, 2021

1. CANOA RANCH CONSERVATION PARK, I-19 South of Continental Road, Green Valley.

    Quite overcast when we arrived at Canoa Park, the pond was full of ducks hard to distinguish in the morning light. Most numerous duck on the pond was REDHEAD, normally one of my favorites. In poor light they seemed less exciting despite the fact Lois counted 48 of them!

A pair of NORTHERN PINTAIL, a flock of AMERICAN WIGEON and a single BUFFLEHEAD also enjoyed the pond.

Walking the trails around and beyond the pond, we spotted both a COOPER'S and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK checking out the pond and grasses with fly-overs.

Both an adult and juvenile VERMILLION FLYCATCHER lighted up the drab atmosphere. Photo of the juvie male is below.

Early in my serious birding days, I had decided to learn the many different sparrow species. Well, I applied myself to that task when I was in places where they were plentiful but that is not everywhere. Slowly, however, I'm learning them in the field. Seeing seven sparrow species at this one site was really fun, but I photographed only one species, the BREWER'S SPARROW, below. They were all flitting from grass to bush to tree.

A small flock of LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH perched up in a bush near us. Photo below shows its yellow wing bars in contrast to the white of our usual Lesser Goldfinch. (Poor photo, sorry)

In the 1.5 hours we birded the Conservation Park, we managed to come up with 23 species.

Clicking the eBird link below, will reveal all the species we were able to spot in that time period.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S97704654

2.  AMADO WATER TREATMENT PLANT (WTP)

    Here, of course, there were more waterfowl on the pond, a Mourning Dove, Black and Say's Phoebe at the edges, and a Clay-colored Sparrow calling from the south end. As we returned to the car, we spotted a perched RED-TAILED HAWK.

3. Madera Canyon - PROCTOR ROAD

    It proved slim pickings at this very quiet area this morning save for a couple ACORN WOODPECKER, a COMMON RAVEN and a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER.

Fascinated by a butterfly shown to us by a gentlemen taking photos of various ones, I managed to get a photo without changing my lens setting. Flabbergasted, really by its camouflage, it appeared to be a dead leaf. It was a MEXICAN FRITTILARY. 

So impressed with this butterfly, later in the day I bought a laminated folder showing photographs of a good sampling of Arizona butterflies. Maybe I'll begin to recognize them when I'm in the field, too.

    Also on Proctor Road were several Tarantula. 

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S97845596

4.MADERA CANYON-SANTA RITA LODGE  (bird feeding station)

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, it was great to see so many WILD TURKEY foraging the grounds of the bird feeding area. The males were frequently displaying.

ACORN WOODPECKERs with their clown-like faces were moving about through the area from time to time.

Strangely, during the hot summer months, the GILA WOODPECKER began showing up at this higher elevation spot. After watching the ACORN WOODPECERs going to the feeders, the Gila apparently stopped hammering the nearby trees and flew in for some free goodies.

The perching framework for the LESSER GOLDFINCH has always delighted me, but it's rare to see it as full as it was today.

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    On up the road at Kubo Cabins feeders along the wash, we finally spotted a PAINTED REDSTART. Helping to find its dark eye in its dark head and face is a white arc below it.

We stopped by Santa Rita Lodge again later in the day. We  found one of the MEXICAN JAYs taking a bath at the fountain.

A WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH was keeping its eye on us as it worked its way down a post.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S97760750

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S97823625

DAY # 2. Thursday, November 18, 2021

PATAGONIA LAKE STATE PARK BIRDING TRAIL

    From the Birding Trailhead, we had a great look down unto Patagonia Lake.

MULE DEER - morning bath

Although we spotted 28 species, it was dark under the tall spreading trees and I took only one decent photo of the bird that likes to pose: VERMILLION FLYCATCHER, below.

    Tree leaves provided a bit of Fall color.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S97761940

    Finishing up the day with two separate visits to Paton's Center for Hummingbirds, we were  amazed at the variety of species at this now intentionally developed preserve for birds.Purchased from the Paton Estate several years ago, the place is managed by Tucson Audubon. The limb piles, the grasses, the ponds, trees, feeders -- attract many more than the following species.

VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD

LINCOLN'S SPARROW

The Common Ground-Dove below is uncommon, but three or four of them were here at Paton's.

COMMON GROUND DOVE

GRAY CATBIRD - is considered rare in Arizona, but this habitat may call it back. Two present.

What joyful birds - these LAZULI BUNTINGS, below:

Female perched; Male flying in (above)Male-above

Male and Female Lazuli Bunting above

Preparing to leave, this CEDAR WAXWING flew in to the pond area to check out the place.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S97762086

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S97762253

DAY #3: Friday, November 19, 2021

LAS CIENEGAS NCA, (Sonoita).

Starting at a cool (41°F) dawn, sparrows were abundant in the grasslands. To catch sun rays, they perched up in bushes but sensed my camera lens. Simply stepping behind a thin limb with leaves was enough to protect them from me!  But I got a few good ones, below. Order of appearance:  VESPER, CHIPPING, WHITE-CROWNED and BAIRD'S.

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW

BAIRD'S SPARROW

As we approached by car at Cottonwood Tanks, sparrows hidden in trees few out in abundant flocks. We managed, however, to see a few of them, plus a NORTHERN HARRIER and GILA WOODPECKER.

In addition to an estimated 125 WHITE-CROWNED, there was one WHITE-THROATED SPARROW shown below:

A NORTHERN HARRIER, below, decided it looked like a good place to stop:

Sensing that we had time to stop by Christopher Columbus Park in Tucson to see if we could find any of the recently reported birds, we spent a little over an hour there, walking both ponds.

EARED GREBE

VERMILLION FLYCATCHER (juvenile male)

PIED-BILLED GREBE

Many domestic white geese were present, be we spotted no Snow Goose. I did snap a quick photo of the SWAN GOOSE that was walking around beside the pond. Below, front/center.

We are so spoiled with good birds in our general area that I cannot complain about "only" 81 species for our 2.5-day visit to SEAZ. It was a great outing with good weather and challenging bird IDs.  

Ready, then, to head back to my piece of the Sonoran Desert, I felt saturated with the natural world that I crave. Coming upon so many other birders felt good, too, after the restrictions of Covid. Exhuberant!

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S97842934

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S97843879

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S97786505

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Address for the Birds in this post: Riggs & Price Road, Maricopa County, AZ

 Wednesday, November 20, 2021

Having not visited this spot for several years, I wanted to share it with birding friends, Hinde S., Judy C., and Karen M.  Nice to have good birders living nearby who are still active and enjoy going out in the field. 

Found a parking lot in Sun Lakes near one of the two ponds along Price Road. Most of our attention focused on the dried agricultural fields across that road. The best ingredient in birding places like this is the unknown. Will there be any special birds at the ponds? Any special birds in the fields?

SNOWY EGRET. (4)

With the pond water deep up to its edge, the birds lined up there to eye the water for their next meal. This juvenile Great Blue was a good find. Not yet with white feathers on its head and a bi-colored bill instead of fully yellow one, it looked comfortable fending for itself.

GREAT BLUE HERON

NEOTROPIC CORMORANT (52 total), in addition to flying overhead and diving within the pond, also lined up along its edges. The one on the left is a Juvenile but still has the pointed-not the Double-crested Cormorant rounded-border of bare skin at the base of its bill.

Although we estimated 1,000 MOURNING DOVE and EUROPEAN STARLINGs, the filter on eBird disallowed that high a count, so we backed it off a bit. 

Showing just one of many many starlings along the overhead wires, I wanted to show the beautiful iridescence of this common bird in its basic (non-breeding) plumage.

Birds seem to adapt to civilization. If not a tree, a power pole will do for this male GILA WOODPECKER.

An OSPREY appeared to be keeping its eye on both the pond and the field.

AMERICAN KESTREL favor utility lines/cables for their perches.

Female AMERICAN KESTREL above; Male AMERICAN KESTREL below. (Note blue wing)

While I didn't catch the "Gray Ghost" in flight, a male Northern Harrier worked the fields from one side to the other, pausing finally relatively close to us to perch in the field. Still distant, the photo below.

The joy of my day was the appearance of the FERRIGINOUS HAWK. It's been several years since I've crossed paths with one of these beautiful creatures. Not common, but still found in agricultural areas in the Phoenix valley, it's our largest buteo. 

A picture-perfect day at 52-64°F, calm wind and clear blue sky, it was a delightful visit to this unusual spot.

Until I get out and about again, check our full list for the day, at the link below.

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View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S97393935