Tags: Fabulous day of birding in the Santa Cruz Flats for Tucson Audubon Society, with a really nice group of birders.
A CRESTED CARACARA flew over the Red Rock Feedlot, heading south. Another couple of caracaras were seen distantly during the day. A FERRUGINOUS HAWK and three BLACK VULTURES were over Baumgartner Rd, a mile west of the feedlot.
Stunning views of a female MERLIN with prey, and an adult PRAIRIE FALCON which stormed up and down a row of mesquites for ten minutes, eventually catching a sparrow as we watched. Both were just south of the Baumgartner Rd x Wheeler Rd intersection. Some of the group saw about 15 SANDHILL CRANES flying in the distance.
The ultra-reliable pair of BENDIRE’S THRASHERS gave us close scope views at their usual spot on Pretzer Rd, a mile west of Picacho Highway.
Some of the group saw a WILSON’S WARBLER in the tamarisks/salt cedars at Pretzer Rd x Sunshine Blvd.
Eight or nine SAGEBRUSH SPARROWS and a single SAGE THRASHER were north of Harmon Rd, a mile east of Sunland Gin Rd. A TURKEY VULTURE was overhead.
Also, we found three BURROWING OWLS and a GREAT HORNED OWL in the flats today.
We didn’t find any Mountain Plovers at Evergreen Sod Farm, but, as Steven Wright once said, you can’t have everything – where would you put it? 😀
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