Yuma
to Madera Canyon
24-26 Sep 2004
by Henry Detwiler
While traveling to Tucson for an Arizona Bird Committee meeting, I
thought I'd do a little birding!
157
species -- bird list is at the bottom of the page
Click on
thumbnail pictures for full-sized shots.
Warbling Vireo
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Jim Logan and I started off at the Yuma West Wetlands, picking up a
couple of the regulars like Burrowing Owl and Ladder-backed
Woodpecker. Our next two stops were west of Wellton on Co 10th,
where we added Crissal Thrasher, House Wren, and several Warbling
Vireos.
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The Dateland
Shrimp Ponds was a primary reason for Jim to visit Yuma County, and
he had seen the Ruff there on Thursday. We re-located it quickly
enough, getting great views before it flew off. In addition to
a Peregrine Falcon and all the shorebirds listed below, we found a
new "ponds" bird--a Rock Wren. After the shrimp
ponds Jim and I parted company--he headed to Flagstaff and I towards
Madera Canyon.
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Ruff
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A quick stop at Paloma Ranch netted me a Prairie Falcon, some
warblers, and a few Vermilion Flycatchers. At Gila Bend I turned
south, and drove until I reached the lush chain-fruit cholla/Saguaro-riddled
Sonoran desert west of Sells. Here the common birds were Canyon
Towhee, Cactus Wren, and Black-throated Sparrow.
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Chihuahuan Raven
I had planned to check for Five-striped Sparrow at
the base of Kitt Peak, but the road closed at 4:00pm, so I settled
for lots of Rufous-winged Sparrows right at the gate.
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In Sells I found my Black Vultures and Chihuahuan Raven--see
the white feathers on the neck. Close to the sewage lagoon I
found a Vesper Sparrow and a Lucy's Warbler.
Rufous-winged Sparrow
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Arizona Woodpecker
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I was still going for a "Big Day", so I
made a bee-line for Santa Rita Lodge, where I added a host of
hummers, woodpeckers, Mexican Jays, a singing Painted Redstart, and
a stripe-backed Skunk, among others. Once it got dark, I went
down the canyon and added Elf Owls, Whiskered Screech-Owls, and a
Poorwill. In the end I finished the day with 120 species.
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Shrimp Ponds Sunset
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Red-naped Sapsucker
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On Saturday morning the feeding station was alive.
Lots of birds eating, and even more were coming in to the fountain
to drink & bathe. Acorn & Arizona Woodpeckers, and
Red-naped Sapsuckers would feed at the nearby trees and then swoop
in to the fountain to drink. A hike in the upper canyon
produced a probable Northern Parula high in the trees and a black
bear.
Black Bear
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Anna's Hummingbird
After
spending a few hours looking at property around Patagonia, I was
back on the birding trail. At the Paton's I snapped pics
of beautiful hummers and both fritillary & swallowtail
butterflies.
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Broad-billed Hummingbird
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Pipevine Swallowtail
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Gulf Fritillary
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Patagonia Lake State Park was full of cows, campers,
boaters, soras, song sparrows, marsh wrens, & gnatcatchers--but no
Black-capped Gnatcatchers.
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On the way home from the Arizona Bird Committee
meeting on Sunday I stopped at Paloma Ranch. A beautiful
Red-naped Phalarope was riding the current in one of the
irrigation canals, and a crisp Cassin's Vireo was feeding in the
mesquites.
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Cassin's Vireo
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Red Crossbill (female)
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And then three birds flew over--and they sounded
like crossbills! When they landed in the mesquites I saw
that they indeed were Red Crossbills--wandering in a desert oasis
miles from the closest pine tree. Then they flew down to the
irrigation canal, so I even got a few pics!
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| My final stop was once again at the Dateland Shrimp
Ponds, where the Ruff remained, along with lots of other
shorebirds, including this Wilson's Snipe. It had been a
fine couple of days--can't wait to do it again! |
Wilson's Snipe
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