I was up and out to beat the Phoenix rush on Wednesday, stopping first at Sweetwater where the highlight was a Great-horned Owl sitting quietly in one of the large trees.
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Great-horned Owl
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After an hour or so there, I headed to Madera Canyon where I planned to spend the rest of the day. My main target bird was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak that had been visiting the Kubo and Chuparosa feeders. A female White-eared Hummingbird had also been around, and I fancied a hike up to the Carrie Nation Trail for Elegant Trogon. However the weather had other plans and after just an hour or so I was caught in a torrential downpour and headed back to my room! Of course, it was Madera Canyon and I saw plenty of birds.
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| Wild Turkey |
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| Mexican Jay |
Thankfully my luck changed on Thursday and I found the two birds that I
had wanted most - Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet and Buff-bellied
Flycatcher. I had done my homework on e-Bird and went to Aqua Caliente
Park for the former and lucked into a morning bird walk. Incredibly the
group were taken to see the tyrranulet nest! A bird came in and I had
this ABA bird before 8:30. I then drove up Mt Lemmon and spent 3 hours
searching for the Buff-breasted Flycatcher in Rose Canyon. The whole
area was full of birds and birders and I spent a wonderful morning in
this lovely spot.
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| Yellow-eyed Junco |
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