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

 

Salton Sea, California Desert

 

Heading east out of San Diego we stopped at Anza Borrego Desert State Park on the way 

to the Salton Sea.  Because of the drought and being winter, there were very few birds here.

However we added a beautiful male Costa's Hummingbird and...

 California Gnatcatcher

Desert Hill Trail at Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge's Visitor's Center.

Thousands of Snow Geese winter here and is the major attraction for birders.

The Salton Sea is 220 feet below sea level.

Coyotes constantly stalk and haze the Snow Geese...

This is the result!!

There are over 6,000 Snow Geese and 500 Ross's Geese.

The last goose is the smaller Ross's.

Snow Goose walking to adjacent pond.

Hundreds of White-faced Ibis feed in the shallow ponds of Unit 1

Many Sandhill Cranes also winter here.

Green Heron at attention!

Snowy Egret

Although the ponds are filled with ducks the Mallard is a rarity here.

Verdin 

Greater Roadrunner actually running on the road.

American Kestrels winter here in large numbers

Red-tailed Hawk 

Red-tails take advantage of the abundant prey along agricultural fields

New bird for the year - Abert's Towhee

Another new bird - Gambel's Quail

Since 2011 when we first stayed at Del Yermo RV Park, across the street

a pair of Burrowing Owls has taken up residency in this abandoned loading dock.

The active train track with daily ground shaking and ear splitting horns

passes just feet behind them.

Hoping to find Burrowing Owls in a more quiet setting resulted in locating 20 individuals.

Here are just a FEW.

Don't look so mean!

This one has had enough!

This is a huge Geo-thermo area with many power plants. 

In the forgrough are the natural Mud Volcanoes exhausting steam and mud.

White-faced Ibis descending into deep irrigation canal to feed.

Roosting Cattle Egrets

These Egrets, by the thousands fly out to the grain fields to feed on insects.

Blackbirds, likewise by the thousands come feed on the grain.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds intermix with the Red-wings.

Two Ring-necked Pheasants

Hundreds of Long-billed Curlews join in the feeding frenzy.

Sprinkling systems draw birds

This is the Red Hill Marina, now blocks from the receding sea shore.

We traveled 40 miles north to the Salton Sea State Recreation Area.

We scoped thousands of waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls and grebes.

Salt encrusted shoreline.

Blue-winged Teal

American Avocets

And to our delight - Cinnamon Teal

Hundreds of Boneparte's Gulls

Cactus Wren

Phainopepla - our 489th bird for the year.

"On the Road Again" heading toward Arizona we traveled  the 15 mile Box Canyon Road.

Our last sunrise before leaving the Salton Sea.

We are now in the Arizona Desert and it's raining, standing water everywhere.

May God bless you with a happy and healthy New Year.

Love & Prayers,

Ty & Ida Baumann