Birding From Dawn ‘till Dusk: Day 4 Rio Rico

Gus and Kathryn stand on the brow of Hawk’s Hill on the side of the San Cayentano Mountains 4-10-10

 

We start the day Saturday in Rio Rico eating lunch at Nonna Vivi Pizza. The pizza is made fresh with organic ingredients. We just discovered this place two weeks ago, though it has been open for a year already.  Yum!  I highly recommend it! Click on the link for address and menu.

After lunch we take Kathryn up to Hawk’s Hill on the slopes of the San Cayentano Mountains. Looking west over the Santa Cruz Valley I watch birds while we all enjoy the view and the wildflowers.

Birds Seen at Hawk’s Hill:

Location: Hawk’s Hill
Observation date: 4/10/10
Notes: w/Gus and Kathryn
Number of species: 5
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Western) 1
Verdin 1
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher 1
Black-throated Sparrow 3
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

A brief stop at the Rio Rico pond yields a short but important list of birds, including Black-bellied whistling ducks, a life bird for Kathryn.

 This smudge on the wires is a Gray Hawk seen best through Kathryn’s scope. We did not do a lot of birding this day but the day was full and fun. We know tomorrow will be another big day of Birding from Dawn ‘till Dusk!

Birds Seen at the Rio Rico Pond:

Location: Rio Rico Pond
Observation date: 4/10/10
Notes: w/ Kathryn.
Number of species: 7
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 9
Mallard 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Gray Hawk 1
Vermilion Flycatcher 2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

My World: Redhead or Canvasback?

Redhead and Canvasback at Reid Park in Tucson 1-5-09 by Kathiesbirds

My World is a world where shapes and silhouettes matter. When I am trying to identify a bird one of the first things I look at is the size and shape. Each species has its own unique profile as well as a different beak for a different purpose. I took this photo of a Redhead and Canvasback male ducks back in January. It wasn't until I was home that I realized what a perfect opportunity it is to show the difference and similarities between the two species. We see most of our ducks here in the wintertime at local lakes, ponds, reservoirs and Sewage Treatment Plants. We often get both of these species of duck. This photo shows the male of each species. The Redhead (average length 19") has a more rounded head, a gray back, and a gray bill with a black tip. Note the yellow eye also. However, the larger Canvasback (average length 21") has a more whitish body with a redhead that fades into black near the face. The canvasback also has a red eye. What is most distinctive, however,is the shape of that bill and forehead. Both species of duck are classified as diving ducks, but the redhead is known to dabble in the shallows at times.

Soon the spring migration will start and these two species will be flying north to their nesting grounds on wetlands and prairie potholes, but for now I get to enjoy them right here in the desert of Southeast Arizona where it is 85 degrees and breezy today. I have my windows open wide and I can hear the birds singing like crazy under slightly overcast skies. I think the refrain they are singing is, "Spring is coming, Spring is coming! and it's starting right here!"

Reid Park Serenity

Northern Pintail Duck by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

If I am going to town to get my hair cut, why am I taking my camera, binoculars, and birding paraphernalia (which for me consists of bird guides, notebooks, and hat)? But I am, because if I have time…

Reid Park Reflections, Tucson, AZ 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

…and I do. Though I have other errands to run, I think I will just stop by Reid Park for a few minutes. I can get a few new species here and it won’t take long. Reid Park is 73 acres in size and is located between Broadway and 22nd Street at 900 S. Randolph Way. I park on the west side of the Zoo and get out. To my surprise, the park is virtually empty of humans. Whenever I have been here before there were as many people as birds, but today is the first day back to school and work for most people. This day started out rainy, gray and cold, though now the sun has burst forth once again and all is bright in the world.

Pond Full of Ducks 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

I immediately head over to the large pond where I can hear the high-pitched wheet-woo of American Widgeons. The pond is full of ducks and as I start to scan the crowd someone at the east end of the pond brings out some bread and the flock flies up in a low rush to the far side away from me. No matter. A short walk along the pond’s edge brings me to this concentrated collection of waterfowl and I happily count and snap away.

Rock pigeons are as numerous as the ducks and a flock of over 100 birds parades proudly on the ground nearby. When I was young I use to help a man who raised racing pigeons. These birds are the wild escapees of the same species. Though they have a bad reputation and I don’t want them at my bird feeders at home, I still admire them from time to time. Today their flight as they rush by me seems almost magical. I am caught in a whirlwind of feathers and flight and I stand joyous and jealous as they wing past.

Pied Beauty by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

On the ground this one fancy fellow puffs up his chest and starts cooing. He has to be one of the prettiest males I have ever seen in his pied black and white beauty.

Great Egret by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

As I wander the grounds of Reid Park I can hear the distance hum of traffic racing by, but here in this green fortress I am lost in a world of birds. They seem to be everywhere I look. I find a Common Egret fishing in a shallow pool surrounded by a carpet of golden leaves.

Orange-crowned Warbler eating an olive 1-5-09 by Kathie

Beyond the egret I find a tree full of birds. It is an olive tree ripe with fruit. House Finches, House Sparrows, and Verdin weave busily in and out of the thick foliage. Then a flash of yellow flits by and I find an Orange-crowned warbler feeding greedily.

Overhead a winter starling watches and waits.

Reid Park Blue Bridge 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

Reid Park is wonderfully designed with hills and creeks, treed areas and open space. Little bridges cross the creeks and creek beds. Paths wander here and there. Pine trees tower alongside eucalyptus trees. Palm, Olive, and mesquite trees dot the landscape along with Palo Verdes.

Palm Trees and Roses 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

On the eastern edge a rose garden grows, with roses in bloom even now, in winter. Most of the blooms are edged in brown from the recent cold, and some of the buds are frozen in time. Will they open still, or fade and fall unfulfilled? Do the sparrows huddled beneath their branches care if these blossoms fade and fall? I walk the circular path in search of that perfect bud or blossom. I lean over tenderly to see if they have any fragrance, but the perfume is faint or nonexistent at the moment. Perhaps a few days of warmth will bring it forth again.

Rose name: Solitude and Artistry

I am amazed at how empty the park is. It’s almost like I have it all to myself.

I wander to the northwest corner, where I have found a Lewis’s Woodpecker before. Today it does not show up, but I find a lovely Red-naped Sapsucker...

Vermillion Flycatcher by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

...and a Vermillion Flycatcher to boot. I stroll the northern perimeter in hopes of finding some juncos, which I have seen in this area before, but all is quiet. Then, I pause in my steps as I realize why.

Cooper's Hawk with Prey 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

There on the ground ahead of me, beneath a tree a Cooper’s Hawk is standing on its feathered prey. I do not want to disturb the bird. After watching them attempt to catch birds in my yard, I know how hard it is for them to get a meal. I stand where I am and raise my camera to get a distant shot, but after a couple of snaps of the lens the bird sees me. It grabs its meal in its talons and flies to the nearby trees. Once it is gone I walk over to the downy feathers scattered on the green earth. Dappled sunlight highlights a few remnants of the life that was. It’s always a hard thing to accept that one life must end for another to continue, but that is the way of things on this earth. Perhaps in a distant future, this will not be necessary, but for now this is the way. I suspect the prey was a mourning dove. A glance at the nearby fence surrounding the baseball fields reveals a number of them perching in the slanting sun. Do they have any consciousness of the loss of one of their own? It seems to me they go on as usual, now that the danger has passed.

Feathers by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

With these solemn thoughts I head back to my car. I have been here for two hours! It’s time to go home. It will take me 25 minutes to reach the grocery store in Rita Ranch, and another 15 to 20 minutes to get home from there. The sun is setting as I drive up the road to my neighborhood, but inside I carry the serenity of this day, spent in a city park, virtually alone doing what I like best.

Peaceful Dove in Reid Park 1-5-09 by Kathie


Click on any photo to enlarge for the best view and please visit...

IATB Edition #91 Hosted by T.R. at The Farway, Nearby

Thanks T.R.!

Photographer's Notes: All of today's photgraphy is by Kathie Brown with the Nikon D80 and the 70-300mm lens set in sports mode for bird shots, close-up mode for flowers and Programed Auto for landscape shots. All photos are copyrighted by the blog author. Please do not use without permission.

Big January List Update:

I saw 24 species of birds today at Reid Park in Tucson. This added 11 more birds to my Big January List.

48. Pied-billed grebe

49. American widgeon

50. Northern Pintail

51. Great Egret

52.American Coot

53.Vermillion flycatcher

54.Orange-Crowned Warbler

55.Great-tailed Grackle

56. Redhead

57. Red-naped Sapsucker

58. Mallard

Please Visit MY World: Arivaca Cienega below.

My World: Agua Caliente Park

Agua Caliente Park in Tucson, AZ

It’s the middle of November and I have the day to myself. I drop Gus at the airport for a business trip in the morning, then do a few errands before buying myself a subway sandwich and heading to Agua Caliente Park on the northeast side of town. A warm lazy sunshine greets me as I enter the park off Roger’s road.

I immediately start scanning the area for birds, wondering who has arrived here for the winter. As the road curves around the perimeter of the park I look towards a certain corner where I always see a road runner. Sure enough it is there. I put on the brakes and roll down my window to get a better view of this desert dinosaur-like bird. The prehistoric looking creature cocks its tail and lifts its head to get a better look at me. We stare at each other for unspoken moments, then it turns, drops its tail and head while elongating its body and slinks away into the brush.

I continue on my way past the row of palm trees on my left and the scrubby desert on the right to the parking lot. After parking the car I grab all my birding gear and my lunch and head for a picnic table in the shade of the palms that grow along the stream. The shallow stream flows from the original spring for which Agua Caliente is named. It flows slow and lazily out to a reservoir providing a home to waterfowl, turtles and fish. Soras and blackbirds seek shelter in the reeds. Ducks and turtles live in the water and on the tiny island near the eastern edge. Agua Caliente is a true desert oasis providing shelter for body and spirit.

In the cool, dark shade of the palm trees I gaze through the frame of palm fronds to the sunny desert beyond. I can see the spot where the roadrunner was, but the bird itself has vanished. In the slow and shallow nearby creek a few mallards and a widgeon paddle and wade, ruffling their feathers, or drifting lazily with the slow current. Palm trees and palm leaves are still so foreign to me. The shade they cast is different and darker than the shade of a maple tree or a mesquite. I always feel like I am in some exotic place when I come here. While I eat my sandwich I search the surrounding area for birds, but I only see the ducks at this time of day. All the smaller birds are hiding from the afternoon sun. I walk back to my vehicle to return the remnants of my lunch. Now it’s time to get down to some serious birding.

Along the paved path a tiny bird flits about from tree to tree. When I see its lemony rump I know I am seeing a yellow-rumped warbler, my first for this fall. Overhead the towering date palms are loaded with their apricot-colored fruit. Gila woodpeckers squawk nosily in their branches as they compete for it. I wander across the open lawn area of the park and cross a little bridge to the south side of the pond near the reeds. I’m looking for something beside the numerous widgeons and mallards floating in the water. Far across the pond I see a ring-necked duck, but here near the shore I only see turtles bobbing.

I gaze across the sky-blue water at one of my favorite views. Here in bold colors I see the incongruity of palms and mountains reflected in the water’s mirror. Then, from the cattails the whinny of a sora fills the air.

A little song sparrows hops out of the reeds to investigate me and the sound. Its eyes are wide with curiosity. We watch each other for a bit, then I head on my way.

My path takes me along the edge of the water where ducks are settling down for their afternoon nap. A few of the numerous turtles decide to join them and I laugh at these odd companions snoozing on the island’s shore. I wander past the old ranch house that is now a museum and Audubon gift shop.

At the eastern edge of the house stands an old mesquite, rumored to be the oldest one in the Tucson area. Its many heavy branches are supported by brick columns and steel poles to preserve the tree for as long as possible. Frequently I can find warblers, wrens, or Verdin here, but today all I see is a rock squirrel scurrying for its hole. It freezes at the underground opening, hoping I do not see it, but I do, and I snap it’s portrait, before moving on. When I look away, it disappears.

Today only a few people are here in the park. I relish the solitude as I meander at will. I find a verdin busy in the branches of a nearby tree, and watch as it searches for insects among the tiny leaves.

A familiar silhouette on the bare branch of a Eucalyptus tree catches my eye. I walk ever closer to confirm its identity as a Cooper’s hawk. The towering tree elevates the bird far above my head. It has no fear of me as I walk slowly beneath it, then wander off towards the mesquite bosque.

A bosque is a Spanish term for a thicket or wooded area. Here the paved trail squeezes between the north end of the pond with its palm trees, willows and reeds, and the cottonwoods, eucalyptus trees and mesquite on the other side. In this narrow wooded fringe I have found brown creepers before. And this is where I have seen towhees, vireos, warblers and other woodland birds. Though the area is small in size it is rich with birds at times. The path before me is a tunnel through the mesquite. I have seen a hermit thrush in here before, but today the thicket is quiet and empty.

Most of the trees are shedding their tiny leaves for the winter, but scattered among them are cholla cacti and even a few barrel cactus. Then I spot a baby saguaro beneath a nurse tree. At only 12-15 inches high it’s already 15 years old. Saguaros have to grow in the shade of a nurse tree to be protected from sunlight and from being trampled. It takes a long time for them to get established and even longer to gain height. By the time you see the many armed saguaros that are the familiar backdrop of westerns, you are looking at a “tree” that is over 100 years old!

Bright white sunlight blasts my eyes as I emerge for the bosque into the desert beyond. The cacti are more numerous here along with other typical desert scrub. Desert grasses have turned gold and brown in this dry season. Agua Caliente Lake is white and empty, its surface cracked and baked, its shadows blue and long. Along the circular path the blue-black males and gray female Phainopeplas call from the surrounding trees and bushes, their eyes red as the berries they eat.

A rufous-winged sparrow flies up on a stag-horn cholla to check me out. I spot its two dark whisker marks and its rufous epaulets, for which it is named. This tiny sparrow is a fragile resident of this area. Southeast Arizona is the only place in the United States to see this little sparrow. Even over the border into Mexico it does not inhabit a large area. Loss of habitat here could doom it to extinction.

The path around the dry lake is a silver thread of compressed caliche. Though I have never seen this area flooded with water, apparently sometimes it is. The few palm trees that dot the lake look like island women in grass skirts ready to dance in the slightest breeze. It is mostly still today as I round the bend and head back towards the desert oasis. I have wondered aimlessly for well over 2 hours. In that amount of time the sun has sunk casting longer and bluer shadows.

Alongside the trail this heap of earth is carved by rain into a sculptured mound. I find it pleasing to look at. I’m intrigued by its geography and topography. What are you made of? Why are you here? What forces shaped you into this silvery beauty. Are you something dying, or growing? Or are you a reflection of my soul?

The cackling of cactus wrens shakes me from my reverie. I put my feet on the silvery path until I reach the pavement once again. Passing through the mesquite tunnel, along the water’s edge the turtles sunning on an emerged log act bored with my existence. They tilt their serpentine heads upwards to soak in the last warm rays of sun.

The croaking call of a common raven catches my ear as I leave the cool tunnel of trees and enter the open area of the ranch lawn. I turn to see the Cooper’s hawk still sitting on its bare branch silhouetted against the late afternoon desert sky. Below it on another branch the large black raven croaks and calls and twists and turns its head, taunting the bird above him.



Irritated, the Cooper’s tries to ignore the rascal beneath,

but suddenly another raven flies in to join the fun and when I look again, the Cooper’s Hawk is gone and only ravens laugh in the waning light.


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Birds seen Today at Agua Caliente Park:

Location: Agua Caliente Park, Tucson
Observation date: 11/19/08
Notes: Sunny, warm, bright day. The Cooper's hawk was sitting on the branch of a Eucalyptus tree for at least an hour until 2 ravens came along and chased it away. The blackbirds were seen at the end of the day as I was leaving. They were diving in and out of the reeds and rushes.
Number of species: 25

1. American Wigeon 49
2. Mallard 73
3. Ring-necked Duck 2
4. Cooper's Hawk 1
5. Sora 1
6. American Coot 5
7. Mourning Dove 1
8. Greater Roadrunner 1
9. Anna's Hummingbird 1
10. Gila Woodpecker 12
11. Black Phoebe 1
12. Common Raven 4
13. Verdin 10
14. Cactus Wren 4
15. Northern Mockingbird 1
16. Curve-billed Thrasher 2
17. Phainopepla 11
18. Yellow-rumped Warbler 5
19. Rufous-winged Sparrow 6
20. Chipping Sparrow 1
21. Song Sparrow 3
22. Yellow-headed Blackbird 2
23. Great-tailed Grackle 12
24. House Finch 3
25. Lesser Goldfinch 2

Photographer's Notes: All of today's photos are by Kathie taken with the Nikon D80 and the 70-300mm lens set either in Sports Mode or Programmed Auto for landscapes.