Birding Site: Tinajas Altas (High Tanks) Most recent visit: 7 June 2007
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 Black-throated Sparrow |
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This location, like Raven Butte and Spook Canyon, offers the visitor an opportunity to leave behind suburbia and the 21st Century, and bird in the rugged desert, with no fast food, no asphalt, and no glaring neon lights. It's a harsh, beautiful land with creamy granite outcroppings, cliffs, and low mountains. Saguaros, chollas, and ocotillo scatter the flats while mesquites and ironwoods line the washes. A wet winter will trigger a profusion of wildflowers. Migrants can be plentiful in spring, especially if there's been rain. Falcons winter and may stay to breed on the cliffs. Leconte's Thrashers are most easily spotted in February and March when they're up and singing. Woodpeckers utilize Saguaro cavities, as do Elf Owls. Winter and spring are the prime seasons to visit--summer brings blistering temps and elusive birds. |
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Map Key P = Parking Area Brown lines are dirt/sandy roads Dashed blue lines are intermittent washes Click here for an aerial view of the map on the left Click on thumbnail below for a full-sized orientation map |
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HIGH TANKS & WASH: Walk down the wash from the parking area to the lowest tank. In the trees and brush along (and in) the wash keep watching for Phainopepla, Black-tailed Gnatcatchers, Costa's and Rufous (migrating) Hummingbirds. Both accipiters and three falcons come to feed on the birds attracted to the water. Resident Black-throated Sparrows are joined by wintering White-crowned and Brewer's Sparrows. Resident wrens are Cactus, Canyon, and Rock. A good migrant fallout can bring literally any bird to this watering hole. Common flycatchers are Pacific-slope and Ash-throated. Less common are Gray and Dusky & Hammond's. Warbler span all the western species. One June I had a Yellow-billed Cuckoo here. Hiking up from the lower tank reveals 6-7 additional tanks that sometimes hold water. This hike is a good way to spot Bighorn Sheep, and get an eagle's-eye view of the surrounding desert. |
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SAGUARO & CACTUS FLATS: Look for the denser stands of Saguaro Cacti and scattered mesquites and ironwoods. Search these areas for Ash-throated Flycatchers and Western Kingbirds, and three varieties of woodpeckers. Many of the same birds that occur in the washes will be found here, too. Sparse vegetation is the prime habitat for the LeConte's Thrasher--but beware, for both Curve-billed and Crissal's Thrashers may also be found. In winter and migration, they may also be joined by Sage Thrasher. |
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| Common American Kestrel |
UncommonPeregrine & Prairie Falcon
| RareYellow-billed Cuckoo (m)
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