Las Cienegas National Conservation Area

One of my favorite places in Southern Arizona is Las Cienegas -- the home of Empire Ranch -- and about 50 western movies of old.

It's a great place for sparrows, kingbirds, and meadowlarks. They're everywhere. There is the Cottonwood Pond which can attract some rarities (Black Bellied Whistling Duck and Rosette Spoonbill to name a couple).  It also has a wonderful riparian wetland called Empire Gulch. And it's not just birds. Over the years I've seen Pronghorn, Deer, Javelina, Coyote, Rattlesnakes, Jackrabbits, and Black Tailed Prairie Dogs. 

Here are some photos from my trip earlier this week:

Belted Kingfisher

Black Tailed Prairie Dog

Pronghorn

Raven

Red Tailed Hawk

Vermillion Flycatcher

Las Cienegas

After the hike in Sawmill Canyon we drove back through Las Cienegas near Sonoita. Lots of standing water from the monsoons, so not a big surprise to see a Killdeer, but nonetheless a nice photo. Also lots of raptors including this Red Tailed Hawk. And, of course we had to stop to show them the Black Tailed Prairie Dog Town. Here are some photos:

Killdeer

Red Tailed Hawk

Black Tailed Prairie Dog

Empire Gulch, Las Cienegas, Southeast Arizona

On Tuesday, I headed over to Empire Gulch, Las Cienegas -- about a 45 minute drive from our B&B. I got a late start, and the fact that it was 110 degrees probably was the reason the birding wasn't quite so good. 

Unaffected by the heat, though, were the Black Tailed Prairie Dogs and Southwestern Fence Lizards. So I thought I'd show them off today:

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

Southwestern Fence Lizard

Something about the last photo that I really like; maybe the old fence post, the rusty barbed wire, or the "regal-ness" of the lizard on top of his post. Or maybe it's that it poses the lifelong question of "sitting on the fence" not knowing or unable to proceed. However, that's probably a little too deep for this blog.

Have a nice day.

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area - Part II

Las Cienegas, with its varied habitats, also has varied wildlife. In additional to the Javelinas, there is a Prairie Dog Town with the endangered Black Tailed Prairie Dog. Once you find the site, you can return day after day watching these little guys. It's almost mesmerizing:

Black Tailed Prairie Dog

Black Tailed Prairie Dog

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