Sierra Vista

Weather:

Sunny
High - 74
Low - 40

On Tuesday afternoon we headed for Sierra Vista to do some birding.  It's about an hour south of here. That afternoon we spent a couple of hours at Ash Canyon Bed & Breakfast, which is an amazing place for birds.  As the name implies, it sits in a canyon where wildlife abounds.  The owner has put up a couple of dozen bird feeders, including lots for hummingbirds.  She also has several areas where water is available.  There are lots of comfortable chairs for just sitting and watching the birds come in to feed.  It was still a little early for most of the hummingbirds, but we found lots of other interesting birds.

As you can see, she is a serious bird feeder.  Lots of Purina Wild Bird Chow.

The next morning we decided to go early to Ash Canyon for the best birds.  We arrived at 7:15 and nearly froze until the sun warmed us up a bit.  The first bird we saw upon arrival was the Arizona Woodpecker.

 

We also saw both the Scott's and Bullock's Orioles. 

Here's the Scott's up close.

 

There was other wildlife as well, including squirrels and these deer.

At about 9:00 we left Ash Canyon and went to the San Pedro Conservation Area.  It's situated along the San Pedro River and has a tremendous variety of birds.  Among others, we found several Green-tailed Towhees, which we had been searching for.  

After spending several hours there, and eating our lunch, we decided to go back to Ash Canyon to relax and enjoy the birds.  There we saw this Acorn Woodpecker. 

 

The following morning we got up early again and went to Patagonia, about a half hour beyond Sierra Vista, almost at the Mexican border.  There is a residence there, Paton's, where there are lots of feeders and they welcome the public to sit and watch.  There we saw another oriole, the Hooded.  We also saw the Lazuli Bunting.  From there we went to Patagonia State Park, which is on a small lake.  Along the way there we found a Gray Hawk, another one of our target birds, high up in a tree.  At the park we found several kinds of warblers, including a Nashville Warbler and a Painted Redstart.

After lunch in Patagonia we made another brief stop at Paton's, then returned home late in the afternoon.  

It was a really fun trip and we were able to see many neat birds, adding 20 to our yearly list.  The weather was in the low 70s, perfect for being outside.