Saturday, January 25, 2014

Santa Cruz Flats, Arizona

Up Next: Santa Cruz Flats -- or as Christine says "The Alternate Universe." Santa Cruz Flats is halfway between Tucson and Phoenix and quite nondescript. Half of the area is farmed with cotton or turf. The other half is barren wasteland (or appears so anyway).

It is well know by birders though, providing a wintering wonderland for raptors and -- oddly enough, shorebirds. Yes, shorebirds that flock the flooded fields.

On the farmland I found 7 Crested Caracaras, which are members of the Falcon Family, although in behavior more like Vultures.

Crested Caracara

Crested Caracaras

Also in the farmlands, I was a bit surprised to see three Snow Geese:

Snow Geese
 And, in the "wasteland" I was happy to find a pair of Burrowing Owls:

Burrowing Owls

Burrowing Owls


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