Southeast Arizona - Part One: May 9
May 14, 2019 20:40:08 GMT -8
oldfulica, Randy, and 1 more like this
Post by kestrel on May 14, 2019 20:40:08 GMT -8
I just got back from an incredible 4-day trip to Arizona with my mom. We went with a birding tour company called Field Guides. They are amazing at what they do. The tour that we went on focused primarily on owls and other nocturnal birds.
After meeting our guide and the other members of the group in Tucson, we embarked on a two-hour drive down to California Gulch. This area is way out in the boonies, near the Mexican border.
One of the first birds we saw was this Vermilion flycatcher:
Vermilion flycatcher by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
Ocotillo plants were easy to find:
Ocotillo by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
We also managed to find a Five-striped sparrow, which was pretty exciting:
Five-striped sparrow by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
An example of what the landscape looked like:
Desert panorama by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
After a picnic dinner, we went searching after dark for a Buff-collared nightjar that had been reported recently. Sure enough, we found it. This was the main highlight of the half-day. I managed to get a shot, but it's very blurry. This bird ventures into southeastern Arizona only in very small numbers. We also saw a Lesser nighthawk and a couple of Common poorwills.
Another highlight was this Elf owl:
Elf owl by Joel Schmidt, on Flickr
We tallied 27 species that afternoon and evening.
After meeting our guide and the other members of the group in Tucson, we embarked on a two-hour drive down to California Gulch. This area is way out in the boonies, near the Mexican border.
One of the first birds we saw was this Vermilion flycatcher:
Vermilion flycatcher by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrOcotillo plants were easy to find:
Ocotillo by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrWe also managed to find a Five-striped sparrow, which was pretty exciting:
Five-striped sparrow by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrAn example of what the landscape looked like:
Desert panorama by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrAfter a picnic dinner, we went searching after dark for a Buff-collared nightjar that had been reported recently. Sure enough, we found it. This was the main highlight of the half-day. I managed to get a shot, but it's very blurry. This bird ventures into southeastern Arizona only in very small numbers. We also saw a Lesser nighthawk and a couple of Common poorwills.
Another highlight was this Elf owl:
Elf owl by Joel Schmidt, on FlickrWe tallied 27 species that afternoon and evening.
. She really enjoyed it even though she isn't a birder.