Las Cienegas National Conservation Area - Part I

There are three large (hot) deserts in North America (Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Mojave). Deserts are defined as areas with less than 10 inches of rainfall per year. There are cold deserts as well, the Great Basin being the largest in North America. Las Cienegas is 45,000 acres where the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts meet. 

Empire Ranch, part of Las Cienegas, began in 1871 with 160 acres and grew to over 180 square miles. It was the site of over 50 films with a wide range of stars like John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Burt Lancaster, and Steve McQueen. It remains a working ranch today as part of Las Cienegas in a cooperative agreement with the US Bureau of Land Management.

Las Cienegas is a diverse wildlife area with a stable population of Pronghorn (often seen), Javelinas, Gray Foxes, Coyotes, White Tailed Deer, and the endangered Black Tailed Prairie Dog among other animals. As far as birding it has a wide range including many of Arizona's sparrows, all four Kingbirds, both Meadowlarks -- and several raptors.  There is also a spring in Empire Gulch which provides water above ground for a hundred yards or more. This creates a diverse riparian area with warblers, grosbeaks, cardinals, tanagers, and other birds.

I'll spend the next few posts sharing photos from Las Cienegas. First, the Pronghorn:

Yellow Billed Cuckoo!

I have wanted to photograph a Yellow Billed Cuckoo for all 13 years we've live here in Southern Arizona. 

The YBC is listed as endangered in the west with populations only of fraction of what they were a hundred years ago. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has designated areas of Southern Arizona as critical habitat for them. 

Over the past 13 years I've gone out looking for them many times; often after reading about a sighting. They are migratory birds that enter the US during our summer, then migrate as far south as Argentina (to enjoy their summer).

Yesterday, I went looking again. I arrived at Empire Gulch in the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area just after dawn. However, the gulch had been severely flooded and there was still mud up to my ankles. It was impossible to get into the gulch. Hugely disappointed, I decided to check out the area above the gulch, behind the old bunkhouses. Although the "Nature Trail" had all but disappeared under thick new growth I "bushwacked" my way though and got to some extremely large cottonwood trees. The area was quite birdie: yellow breasted chat, warbling vireo, black headed grosbeak, cardinals, hepatic and western tanagers to name a few I spotted and/or photographed.

I was standing (still) under one of those cottonwoods photographing a female Hepatic Tanager when to my surprise a Yellow Billed Cuckoo flew into a small tree directly in front of me. Although he was partially covered I was very close and was able to get some nice photos. I wanted to get a full frontal photo but was afraid to move for fear of causing the YBC to fly away. So after a few photos, I just stood and admired him.

Desert Grasslands of Las Cienegas: Surprises

I've been photographing wildlife for over 25 years. When I go on photo trips I'm up before dawn and usually out until dark. And while I have often seen Nightjars swooping around at dawn and dusk I have rarely seen them during the day. Actually, only once before yesterday. 

So, when I found a Lesser Nighthawk sitting in a mesquite tree at about 11:30 am I was excited. Much like owls, they sit and sleep (or rest) during the day. This enabled me to get close enough for some nice photos.

So my trip to Las Cienegas provided a very nice surprise.

Lesser Nighthawk

Lesser Nighthawk

Empire Gulch, Las Cienegas, Southern Arizona: A Birding Heaven

Up early yesterday and on my way to Las Cienegas National Conservation Area in Southeastern Arizona. This is one of my favorite birding spots. There are essentially two types of birding. Empire Gulch provides a riparian like setting, while the rest of the 25,000 acres is desert grasslands.

There is a spring in Empire Gulch that provides surface water for about 100 yards. And, 100 yards of water among 25,000 acres of desert grasslands is a birding oasis. 

It is here that I have found Yellow, MacGillivray's, Wilson's, Black-Throated Gray, Black and White, Lucy's, Orange Crowned, and Yellow Rumped Warblers. In the winter Ruby Crowned Kinglets galore. Warbling Vireos, all the tanagers, and the list goes on.

Yesterday, I walked away with two warblers that are more often heard than seen: The Yellow Breasted Chat and the Common Yellowthroat. Both provided me some nice photos:

Yellow Breasted Chat

Common Yellowthroat

Tomorrow I'll include some photos from the Desert Grasslands.

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area - Part VI

The "visitor's center" where the old ranch house was is also located along Empire Gulch, but a quarter mile up from the spring. Lots of very old, very big cottonwood trees as well as mesquites create a haven for song birds. Here are a few photos from last week:

Willow Flycatcher

Black Throated Sparrow

Hutton's Vireo

White Crowned Sparrow

Common Yellowthroat

Pacific Slope Flycatcher

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area - Part V

As I mentioned there are several different habitats within the 25,000 acres of Las Cienegas. One such is Empire Gulch. Most of the Gulch is dry except for heavy rains. However, there is a spring that flows year round that creates a riparian area for about 100 yards. This past week I birded the spring had photographed the following:

Blue Grosbeak

Wilson's Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Black Phoebe

Female Summer Tanager

Yellow Breasted Chat

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area - Part IV

Wilderness areas often provide an unexpected photo. While not unusual for there to be snakes at Las Cienegas, it is unusual to come across one. This Sonoran Bull Snake was crossing the Discovery Trail as I was passing by:

Sonoran Bull Snake

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area - Part III

Las Cienegas also has a small population of Pronghorn wandering around its 25,000 acres. I have had great luck finding them and being able to get close for a photo. On one of my trips last week I found two Pronghorn a little too far for a great photo, but here it is nonetheless:

Pronghorn

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

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area - Part I

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area is 25,000 acres of desert habitat. However, that doesn't fully describe the area very well. Parts of it are the typical scrub desert; parts are desert grasslands, parts are open prairie, there are a few small ponds, and there is a spring that holds water for about 100 yards creating a true riparian habitat.

Over the next couple of days I will show some photos I've taken the past week. For today, it's a Javelina. I was sitting quietly on a downed tree trunk in Empire Gulch waiting patiently for warblers, phoebes, waterthrushes, flycatchers, and anything else previously reported or not. While sitting there a Javelina came down to the spring, dug himself a "mud hole" and bathed in the mud for several minutes. Finally he stood up, shook off some of the water/mud, and slowly walked away and out of sight. I never moved an inch. He never saw me or even knew I was there. 

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