Peña Blanca Canyon & Lake

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Another fabulous birding and photography experience at Peña Blanca Canyon and Lake, with 70 species.

Peña Blanca Canyon:

Once more, the ELEGANT TROGON show was excellent, with a minimum of four males and two females found in the first half mile beyond the parking spot.

Also in the canyon, calling MONTEZUMA QUAIL, GRAY HAWK, nesting ZONE-TAILED HAWK, GREATER ROADRUNNER, BLACK-CHINNED, BROAD-TAILED, RUFOUS and BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRDS, ARIZONA WOODPECKER, NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET, HAMMOND’S, VERMILION, DUSKY-CAPPED and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, HUTTON’S VIREO, BUSHTIT, LUCY’S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY and WILSON’S WARBLERS, RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW, HEPATIC TANAGER, LAZULI BUNTING, and HOODED and SCOTT’S ORIOLES.

Peña Blanca Lake:

We birded the two coves at the southern end of the lake in the late afternoon. A SWAMP SPARROW was feeding on the shoreline with a LINCOLN’S SPARROW for a good comparison.

There were dozens of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, including an eastern form ‘MYRTLE’ WARBLER.

The birding at the lake was good, despite the late hour, and we found NORTHERN HARRIER, GRAY HAWK, COSTA’S HUMMINGBIRD, VERMILION, DUSKY-CAPPED and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, BELL’S VIREO, VIOLET-GREEN, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED and BARN SWALLOWS, ORANGE-CROWNED, LUCY’S, TOWNSEND’S and WILSON’S WARBLERS, SUMMER and WESTERN TANAGER (the latter being my first of the year), and a showy male HOODED ORIOLE.

Rio Rico:

A couple of JAVELINA crossed the road and a LESSER NIGHTHAWK flew over the truck stop at dusk, my first of the year. I saw several more on my way home.