Monday, January 15, 2018

Tucson AZ January 2018

It was fun leaving below zero wind chills behind for a few days of mid-60s weather. Tucson has some great places and birds to see. Even the common desert species are exciting to us easterners. Funny how the locals were excited to see a Robin out there--we didn't want to offend, so we obligingly went to see it too.

Here are some of the 1,652 photos we brought home:

Nothing says "Desert" more then this iconic, ubiquitous Cactus Wren. And they're cute, too.
A Canyon Towhee proves you're not back home in the East any more.
Oh my! Nothing's cuter than these little Verdin. They were abundant and found in all sorts of habitats.
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is an easy place to see common birds of the desert--plus benches, restrooms, drinking fountains, and restaurants. What more can "senior" bird watchers ask for?
The Rufous-winged Sparrow is a rather plain bird, but we were excited to find one nonetheless, as extreme southern Arizona is the only place in the USA where you can find them. Most of them stay in Mexico, and those that come into the US are usually not more than an hour over the border.
Wouldn't be right to not include a pic of this "crowd pleaser" Vermilion Flycatcher. We came across plenty of them on this trip.
Other-world scenery. Like candy for your eyes.
We saw this comical Greater Roadrunner but missed Wylie Coyote.
This pic brought the giggles out in me--and still does. White-crowned Sparrows were everywhere this time of year.
Southeastern Arizona is well known in the bird watching community for its hummingbirds. This male Anna's Hummingbird is just one of the most common examples.
This is only the third time I've ever seen a Red-naped Sapsucker. Was happy to see it, even though they are nearly identical to our eastern Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
Phainopepla were common. They look like a totally black version (with a red eye) of an ordinary Cardinal to me.
Abert's Towhee were common, another iconic desert species. The black smudge on the face and the orange patch on the rear are key field marks.
Cute little Black-tailed Gnatcatcher were everywhere. Hard to keep in your viewfinder as they hardly ever stop to rest, and when you do get them lined up, they are almost always hiding deep in the bush, making focusing a challenge.
Curve-billed Thrasher is another abundant, iconic desert bird.
The western version of our Northern Flicker is the Red-shafted Flicker. It used to be considered a separate species but was "lumped" with eastern Yellow-shafted several years ago. Not sure why.
A cactus. Getting ready to bloom?
I think this is a Monarch. We came across a couple of places where it looked like they were intentionally attempting to provide habitat for them.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker is another bird we like to see when we're out west.
Just to show we're not all about birds, we took a few minutes to visit the San Xavier Mission, a AAA Gem attraction. It was neat.
I can't help but wonder how many man-hours it took to make these sculptures.
Found this prairie dog in the landscaping near the parking lot of the mission.
Here's our complete list:
speciesdatelocation
1. Abert's Towhee1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
2. American Kestrel1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
3. Anna's Hummingbird1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
4. Cactus Wren1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
5. Canyon Towhee1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
6. Costa's Hummingbird1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
7. Curve-billed Thrasher1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
8. Gila Woodpecker1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
9. House Sparrow1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
10. Northern Cardinal1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
11. Northern Mockingbird1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
12. Phainopepla1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
13. Verdin1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
14. White-crowned Sparrow1/8/2018Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
15. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher1/9/2018Tohono Chul Park
16. Gambel's Quail1/9/2018Tohono Chul Park
17. Hermit Thrush1/9/2018Tohono Chul Park
18. House Finch1/9/2018Tohono Chul Park
19. American Robin1/9/2018Tohono Chul Park
20. Lesser Goldfinch1/9/2018Tohono Chul Park
21. Mourning Dove1/9/2018Tohono Chul Park
22. Rock Pigeon1/9/2018Tohono Chul Park
23. Cooper's Hawk1/9/2018Christina-Taylor Green Mem. River Park
24. Vermilion Flycatcher1/9/2018Christina-Taylor Green Mem. River Park
25. Red-shafted Flicker1/9/2018Honey Bee Canyon Park
26. Red-tailed Hawk1/9/2018Honey Bee Canyon Park
27. Rufous-winged Sparrow1/9/2018Honey Bee Canyon Park
28. American Coot1/10/2018Arthur Pack Park
29. Brewer's Sparrow1/10/2018Arthur Pack Park
30. European Starling1/10/2018Arthur Pack Park
31. Great-tailed Grackle1/10/2018Arthur Pack Park
32. Tree Swallow1/10/2018Arthur Pack Park
33. Killdeer1/10/2018Arthur Pack Park
34. Ladder-backed Woodpecker1/10/2018Arthur Pack Park
35. Northern Shoveler1/10/2018Arthur Pack Park
36. Ring-necked Duck1/10/2018Arthur Pack Park
37. Ruby-crowned Kinglet1/10/2018Arthur Pack Park
38. Ruddy Duck1/10/2018Arthur Pack Park
39. Black Phoebe1/10/2018Santa Cruz River--Crossroads at Silverbell District Park
40. Brewer's Blackbird1/10/2018Santa Cruz River--Crossroads at Silverbell District Park
41. Great Blue Heron1/10/2018Santa Cruz River--Crossroads at Silverbell District Park
42. Greater Roadrunner1/10/2018Santa Cruz River--Crossroads at Silverbell District Park
43. Hutton's Vireo1/10/2018Santa Cruz River--Crossroads at Silverbell District Park
44. Northern Harrier1/10/2018Santa Cruz River--Crossroads at Silverbell District Park
45. Audubon's Warbler1/10/2018Santa Cruz River--Crossroads at Silverbell District Park
46. American Wigeon1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
47. Canvasback1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
48. Gadwall1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
49. Green-winged Teal1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
50. Green Heron1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
51. Yellow-headed Blackbird1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
52. American Bittern1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
53. Lincoln's Sparrow1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
54. Mallard1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
55. Northern Pintail1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
56. Orange-crowned Warbler1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
57. Pied-billed Grebe1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
58. Red-winged Blackbird1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
59. Song Sparrow1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
60. Sora1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
61. Neotropic Cormorant1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
62. Virginia Rail1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
63. Wood Duck1/11/2018Sweetwater Wetlands
64. Chinese Goose1/11/2018Christopher Columbus Park
65. Red-naped Sapsucker1/11/2018Christopher Columbus Park
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)