Sep 9 2011 - out in the desert
A trip to Arizona for a wedding and some birding. We found a great place at Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch, so we went back again the next day !
Lots of Abert's Towhee around, a local speciality and a very large number of Yellow Warblers during Friday afternoon. Many fewer the next day but we did find a Wilson's. We were excited to ID a MacGillivray's Warbler and saw a few others on both day. Just occasionally I thought I had found a Geothlypis warbler with a complete eye ring but didn't get much more on it than that.
We did find a big group of 50 long-billed dowitcher and some interesting duck including a cinnamon teal
On the Sunday morning we headed an hour east out of town way out into the Sonoran Desert to the Boyce Thompson arboretum, a wonderfully verdant area around a creek surrounded by harsher terrain.
Cactus Wren was a great bird and came within a few feet. Lots of flycatchers and vireos on the trees along the (dry) stream bed.
At both sites Gila Woodpeckers were plentiful and noisy!
Lots of Abert's Towhee around, a local speciality and a very large number of Yellow Warblers during Friday afternoon. Many fewer the next day but we did find a Wilson's. We were excited to ID a MacGillivray's Warbler and saw a few others on both day. Just occasionally I thought I had found a Geothlypis warbler with a complete eye ring but didn't get much more on it than that.
We did find a big group of 50 long-billed dowitcher and some interesting duck including a cinnamon teal
On the Sunday morning we headed an hour east out of town way out into the Sonoran Desert to the Boyce Thompson arboretum, a wonderfully verdant area around a creek surrounded by harsher terrain.
Cactus Wren was a great bird and came within a few feet. Lots of flycatchers and vireos on the trees along the (dry) stream bed.
At both sites Gila Woodpeckers were plentiful and noisy!
