Box Canyon, Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona

Although we have the Coronavirus Pandemic around the world, people are still visiting our site. This week we have had visitors from: Romania, Germany, Hong Kong, Canada, France, Czechia, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, and Moldova as well as the United States.

Today, I'll show some photos from Box Canyon which is a dirt road up into the Santa Rita Mountains from Arizona Highwy 83 just north of Sonoita to Florida and Madera Canyon. There are some great views, but also great birding.

Here are some photos I've taken there these past two weeks:

Blue Grosbeak

Northern Mockingbird

Blue Grosbeak on Ocotillo

Canyon Wren

Rock Wren

Cassin's Kingbird Singing

Cassin's Kingbird "Hiding"

Bullock's Oriole on Ocotillo

Not very good photo of a Scott's Oriole

Lesser Goldfinch

Lucifer Hummingbird female Drinking from a Western Coral Bean Plant

Flycatchers: Part II

Now the Kingbirds: Kingbirds are another group with very similar plumage making it challenging to identify -- especially in poor lighting.


Cassin's Kingbird has a range of the Southwestern States.

Cassin's Kingbird

Couch's Kingbird has a very small US range, primarily Southern Texas.

Couch's Kingbird

Tropical Kingbird has a small range limited to Southeast Arizona.

Tropical Kingbird

Western Kingbird has the widest range covering all of the Western States.

Western Kingbird

Ash Canyon B&B

It's always fun to stop at Mary Jo's Ash Canyon B&B whenever I am in the Huachucas. The other day was no different. Here are a few of those photos from Ash Canyon:

Acorn Woodpecker

Bewick's Wren

Black Headed Grosbeak

Cassin's Kingbird

Pine Siskins everywhere

Western Tanager

White Breasted Nuthatch

More from El Rio Open Space - II

Here some of the other birds at El Rio Open Space:

Cassin's Kingbird

Great Blue Heron

Lucy's Warbler

Juvenile Red Tailed Hawk

Whitewater Draw in Early Morning

Getting an early start at Whitewater Draw can sometimes pick up birds that haven't left for the day yet. Such was the case last week. I arrived at dawn and found 20 or so Yellow Headed Blackbirds which were gone within an hour. I also found several Soras that were feeding in more open areas. An hour later they were back in the weed beds and no longer seen. And there were three Black Bellied Whistling Ducks that left within 15 minutes of my arrival.

Here then some photos from Whitewater Draw:

Anna's Hummingbird

Very poor photo of the three Black Bellied Whistling Ducks

Black Crowned Night Heron

Blue Grosbeak

Cassin's Kingbird

Green Heron

Green Heron

Killdeer

Pied Billed Grebe with little ones

Sora

Swainson's Hawk

Vermillion Flycatcher

Yellow Headed Blackbirds

Saint Gertrudis Lane, Tumacacori Part III

While there had been reports of Thick Billed Kingbirds, I only found some Cassin's:

Birds on a Wire: Cassin's Kingbird

Southern Arizona has four Kingbird species: Cassin's, Thick Billed, Tropical, and Western. Here a Cassin's Kingbird sits a a wire awaiting an insect to snatch:

Cassin's Kingbird

New Photos: Cassin's Kingbird

Here is a Cassin's Kingbird which I have not often seen at 8000 feet (Mount Lemmon in the Catalina Mountains):

Cassin's Kingbird

Bug Eating Birds: Cassin's Kingbird

Cassin's Kingbird

Las Cienegas Desert Grasslands - Part IIAmeri

And, finally a few more nice photos from the Desert Grasslands of Las Cienegas:

American Kestrel

Botteri's Sparrow

Cassin's Kingbird

Blue Grosbeak

Lark Sparrow

Western Kingbird

Empire Gulch, Las Cienegas, Arizona

Quick trip to Empire Gulch and Las Cienegas this week too:

dusky flycatcher

yellow warbler

rufous winged sparrow

american kestrel

cassin's kingbird