Madera
Canyon, Patagonia Lake, & the AZ-Sonora Desert Museum
11-13
June
2004, 65-95 degrees
Narrated
by Henry Detwiler
Suzanne, Adriana, Gaby, and I spent a weekend at Madera Canyon to enjoy
the birds & nature.
87
species -- complete list at end of page
Click on
thumbnail pictures for full-sized shots.
FRIDAY
| We left Yuma
late Friday afternoon, ate a picnic dinner in the new park in Gila
Bend, and rolled into Madera Canyon around 9:30pm. Along
Proctor Road we jumped out and heard the Buff-collared Nightjar's
odd call. On the way up the canyon we watched a Gray Fox amble
across the road. We got the key to our room, and after
unpacking, I stepped out for a few minutes, snapping off a dim
picture of an Elf Owl before it flew away. |
SATURDAY
|
Summer Tanager
Acorn Woodpecker
|
We got up early in the cool morning and headed
uphill in search of the Flame-colored Tanager. There were many
beautiful birds to watch during our wait: Hepatic & Summer
Tanagers, Western Wood Pewees building nests, and Acorn Woodpeckers
feeding young. We finally heard it singing at the very top of
a huge sycamore, and then it flew off and didn't return--Rats!
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Back at the amphitheater parking lot we spotted the
first of several Elegant Trogons for the weekend, apparently a young
individual. We drove to the upper parking lot, and then set
off on foot. Many birds were out and about, including Arizona
Woodpecker, Bridled Titmice, vireos, and Painted Redstarts.
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Elegant Trogon
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Arizona Sisters
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Farther up the path I hiked along the creek,
enjoying the flowers and multitudes of Arizona Sisters and
swallowtails which were attracted to the pools of water.
Columbine
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Driving over Box Canyon we added Cassin's Kingbird and
soon ended up at the Roadside Rest south of Patagonia. We
missed the Becard, but added this Rufous-crowned Sparrow,
Thick-billed Kingbird, and lots of Yellow Warblers. |
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
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|
| We spent
most of Saturday afternoon swimming at Patagonia Lake State Park. That
night after a fine steak dinner we made another successful stop at the nightjar
spot, and then headed out owling. After a while we made it
back to the amphitheater parking lot, where we scored with several
Whip-poor-wills and a pair of Whiskered Screech Owls. |
SUNDAY
|
Flame-colored Tanager in
Madera Canyon
|
On Sunday morning we slept in a little, and then
after a hearty breakfast I ventured back up the hill to the Madera
Kubo B&B. This time a small crowd of us got excellent
views of a male, female, and fledgling Flame-colored
Tanager. As we watched the tanagers, we were interrupted by
an American Robin chasing off and scolding a pair of Elegant
Trogons!
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Later the robin came back with food in its beak--it must have
had a nest nearby. I went back for Suzanne, and she also saw
the tanagers. Other fine birds in the canyon that morning
included this Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher and all the other tanager
species.
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Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
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Varied Bunting in Florida
Wash
|
Back at Proctor Road we searched for and found two
Varied Buntings. A surprise was the late morning calls of
the Buff-collared Nightjar. North of Florida Wash we saw
several Botteri's Sparrows and in the wash itself another
beautiful Varied Bunting. |
|
Bobcat - Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
After a
picnic lunch, we spent a couple of hours at the Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum. There are always a nice variety of wild birds
in among the displays. The prettiest by far was this Hooded
Oriole.
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Hooded Oriole
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Black-tailed Prairie Dogs
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
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These endangered Black-tailed Prairie Dogs were
entertaining. Close to the entrance of the park was the
Cactus Wren that is pictured at the top of this page.
By mid-afternoon it had gotten really hot, so we headed back home
to Yuma, thinking of cool nights and mornings in Madera Canyon.
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