AveVentura Birdathon 2011

The AveVentura team – Robert Merideth, Linda Stitzer, Kathy Jacobs, Susan Randolph, Ed Tobin and I – took part in this year’s Birdathon in aid of Tucson Audubon Society. We ended with the team’s best ever total of 123 species. Here are some highlights:

Sweetwater Wetlands:
WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and TOWNSEND’S WARBLERS, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, BLACK-NECKED STILT, NEOTROPIC CORMORANT and WHITE-FACED IBIS overhead, SAVANNAH and singing BREWER’S SPARROWS, LAZULI BUNTINGS (which were everywhere all day, nice!)

Silverbell Lake, Christopher Columbus Park:
GREAT and SNOWY EGRETS.

Reid Park:
GRAY FLYCATCHER, SNOW and ROSS’S GOOSE, NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, lingering AMERICAN WIGEON and RING-NECKED DUCK.

Paton’s, Patagonia:
GRAY HAWK, VIOLET-CROWNED and CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD, BULLOCK’S, SCOTT’S and HOODED ORIOLES and a lot more. Thanks Michael!

Blue Haven Road:
ZONE-TAILED HAWK, BLACK VULTURE, GRAY HAWK, DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER.

Kino Springs:
GRAY HAWK, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT (seen by me only, my species #123)

Rio Rico:
About 70 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS, and a WHITE-FACED IBIS on the pond by the railroad, two BLACK VULTURES over.

Continental School:
RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW, ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, BELL’S VIREO.

Madera Kubo:
YELLOW-EYED JUNCO, WILD TURKEY, MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRD, ARIZONA WOODPECKER, TOWNSEND’S WARBLER and lots of oriole and grosbeak action.

Proctor Road:
At least 30 LESSER NIGHTHAWKS flew from the desert and headed up canyon as we enjoyed a celebratory cold beverage at dusk.

What a great day. You can still sponsor us until mid-May. Please go to: tucsonaudubon.dojiggy.com/av2011. 🙂