Ducks

For the Ducks I'll take a few at a time:

American Wigeon Female

American Wigeon Male

Barrows Goldeneye Male and Female

Black Bellied Whistling Duck

Blue Winged Teal

Bufflehead

Saint Gertrudis Lane, Tumacacori Part VI

Further down the Santa Cruz River at Rio Rico, the pond adjacent to the river turned up a pair of Black Bellied Whistling Ducks:

Catching Up: Black Bellied Whistling Duck

Let me start by saying this is obviously not a great photo. I'm showing it for a couple of reasons. First, sometimes it is very difficult to photograph water birds because they may be too far out in the water for a nice detailed shot. Second, sometimes water birds show up in water treatment plants -- not the most beautiful setting, but worthy of note for rare birds.

Such is the case with the Black Bellied Whistling Duck which is an uncommon visitor to the United States (It is primarily found in southeast Texas and southeast Arizona). In Arizona it is rarely found more than 50 miles from the US/Mexico border.

Black Bellied Whistling Duck

Black Bellied Whistling Ducks: Cottonwood Pond, Las Cienegas, Arizona

Had a nice day yesterday starting in Huachucha Canyon, then Las Cienegas and Empire Gulch.

Starting with Las Cienegas, a "pass-by" of Cottonwood Pond revealed eight Black Bellied Whistling Ducks, . Wonderful half acre pond, great lighting, great setting: great photos (plus a Great Egret):

Black Bellied Whistling Duck

Black Bellied Whistling Duck

Black Bellied Whistling Duck

Great Egret

No Screech Owl, but a Whistling Duck

Yesterday I headed out to Madera Canyon to find the Whiskered Screech Owl, Berylline Hummingbird, Lucifer Hummingbird, and Calliope Hummingbird all reported in the past couple of days. Four hours later without finding any of them I decided to head over to Empire Gulch at Las Cienegas to look for the Yellow Billed Cuckoos that have been reported there. Again no luck.

So, somewhat disappointed (it's hard to be too disappointed when you are out in nature), I drove the back road down to Highway 82 which would take me to Sonoita.  I took a few spurs looking for Pronghorn or, Black Tailed Prairie Dogs. To my joy, luck turned and I found a Black Tailed Prairie Dog. These little guys that roamed Arizona (and north to Saskatchewan) had all but disappeared in Arizona by the year 2000. However, with the help of the US Fish and Wildlife, they had been reintroduced to Arizona in general and Las Cienegas in particular. So, I was quite happy finding one. Here are a couple photos:

Black Tailed Prairie Dog (note the tip of the tail is black)

Black Tailed Prairie Dog calling to his friends

So, I was feeling pretty good for the day. But, as LUCK would have it, my day got even better. Five minutes later I checked out the little Cottonwood Pond which is tucked off behind a pea green pond. There I found a lone Black Bellied Whistling Duck. This is a rare bird to the US. It only finds its way into the southernmost tips of Arizona, Texas, and Louisiana. As the crow flies (well, I guess as the duck flies too) it was only about 30 miles from the US/Mexican border. This was a lucky find. However, even luckier was that he was posing on top of a rock right in front of the pond and let me get within 10 feet. The result was several photos any of which could be "5" Stars. I had to pick just one however. Here it is:

Black Bellied Whistling Duck

Black Bellied Whistling Duck

After my bear encounter I headed south and through Nogales and back up to Madera Canyon stopping along the way at Rio Rico Ponds. Rio Rico Ponds, which is about ten miles from the Mexican Border,  is just a low level grassy field that collects a few inches of water. As such it is teeming with food for waders. Every once in a while a rarity such as the Roseate Spoonbill or Tricolored Heron may show up. A more common visitor is the Black Bellied Whistling Duck. While I say more common, realize that this area and the very southern tip of south Texas are the only spots in the US that host this gooselike duck. The Black-bellied Whistling-duck is quite unique among ducks because they are monogamous. Pairs often stay together for many years, a trait more often associated with geese and swans.

Black Bellied Whistling Duck

Black Bellied Whistling Duck