Sunday, March 19, 2023
Despite two detours for road repairs on our way south, Glenda Jones and I arrived at the State Park's Birding Trail at 9:30 on Sunday, 3/19/23. Windy conditions were confined to the upper areas of the State Park. Down on the birding trail, the winds were calm. Birding both the High and Lower trails, we managed to come up with fifty species in four, slow deliberate hours.
WILSON'S WARBLER
GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE
male NORTHERN FLICKER - RED SHAFTED (note red shafts on under tail)
CASSIN'S KINGBIRD (first-of-season sighting for each of us)
PINE SISKIN - nomad around the USA in winter
VERMILION FLYCATCHER (male and female) above
PATON'S CENTER FOR HUMMINGBIRDS (Paton's Yard)
After ambling the State Park and Trail for about four hours, we headed for Paton's House, now owned/managed by state birding organizations.
Although we didn't catch sight of all the special birds reported there, we did find the COMMON GROUND DOVE in a woodpile near the wash observed from the backyard. Glenda got a good enough pic for ID.
With the seating arrangement in the front yard, it's possible to get photos of more common birds that forage there.
male YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLE-Audubon's species
NORTHERN CARDINAL - male above; female below
And my favorite, the male LAZULI BUNTING gave many good views. (I saw no females)
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S131331351
The next morning we birded Patagonia Town Park before heading out. The Town Park is the very wide and long median strip between Route 82 and the local street.
male ACORN WOODPECKER
CURVE-BILLED THRASHER
male HOUSE FINCH singing continuously on this clear sunny morning
AMERICAN ROBIN
BREWER'S BLACKBIRD - smaller than grackles, no red wings; white eye on male (above)
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S131374978
After that "Good Morning" with the birds in Patagonia Town Park, we headed toward Santa Cruz Flats, an easy stop on our way back home on I-10, to check for a reported Whimbrel, an East-coast bird. But, no, we found ONLY 50 or so LONG-BILLED CURLEW! The close view of that bird is amazing in its patterns and muted brown/tan appearance. As usual, they were quite distant in an agricultural field with no Whimbrel in sight. There were other birds that appeared to be Long-billed Dowitchers.
Closer Views of LONG-BILLED CURLEW from my file above and below
Globe Mallow was rampant in the uncultivated fields. The horses were nice, too. They seem to be protecting a small one on the ground.
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S131400138
Trip Mileage:
378 miles round trip to Patagonia Lake State Park, our farthest destination
73 miles of birding.
451 total miles round trip
Until next time.....
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NORTHERN CARDINAL - male above; female below
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