Sunday, January 8, 2023

Arizona, Madera Canyon to Mt. Lemmon and back

We entered Arizona with three days left in the year and we needed 11 new bird species to reach our goal of 500 for the year.  Where to go?  Madera Canyon at the Santa Rita Lodge was the ticket.

Rivoli's Hummingbird surely is Magnificent!

Amazing he can take the cold - 36 degrees.

Arizona Woodpecker

Acorn Woodpeckers everywhere!

Gila Woodpecker

Birder's were flocking to see this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Mexican Jay, large, noisy and abundant!

Hepatic Tanager male

Female Hepatic with large grasshopper

Bridled Titmouse

Coatimundi is a daily visitor to the feeders

A little too friendly.

Gould's Wild Turkey


Gould's Wild Turkey is the largest subspecies and is found only in the sky islands of AZ numbering about 1200 birds.  

Painted Redstart coming in to nectar feeders

Redstarts also feeding on insects as it warms up.

Yellow-eyed Junco

A single Steller's Jay

American Robin in Pyracantha berries

Greater Pewee, calling and hawking for insects

Elegant Trogan calling along the creek

Trogan actively feeding on grasshoppers

Snow covered Mt. Wrightson in the Santa Rita Mountains

Phainopepla feeding on Mistletoe berries on the right

Last day of the year and time to add some desert birds.

Saguaro National Park

Fish Hook Barrel Cactus

Baby Fish Hook- looks cuddly but it's not!

Cactus Wren on Teddy Bear Cactus

Black-throated Sparrow

Rufous-winged Sparrow

Green-tailed Towhee
Goal reached - 507 birds for 2022

Coyote looking for it's mate

Found her!

Starting 2023 before dawn we drove the 25 miles up Mt. Lemmon.
Tucson shines brightly below.

Rock Wren

Small wren on large rocks part of the Palisades

More large rocks. God sure loved creating rocks

At 8,000 feet we have the special Abert's Squirrel

Abert's collecting pine cones

At Summerhaven it began to look like winter and the snow started to come down.  So we departed and headed down where the police had already closed the road up.

It was raining in Tucson and we stopped at a small lake near our RV Park

Blue phase Snow Goose 

American Wigeon drake

American Wigeon hen

Large 8" Bullfrog - lethargic with the cold weather

Vermilion Flycatcher

We drove south to Historic Canoa Ranch where this large flock of Lawernce's Goldfinches were feeding

Cooper's Hawk juvenile also watching the finches

Many Red-tailed Hawks wintering here

View of the Santa Rita Mountains from Canoa Ranch.

Love & Prayers,
Ty & Ida Baumann








 

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