Here’s a bad/shady photograph of a cute Hutton’s Vireo – the Ruby-crowned Kinglet lookalike – which we know because this was in Arizona 😉
Today’s post features part of a nice field trip with the SE AZ Birding Festival, to out-of-the-way birding hotspot Peppersauce Canyon, on the northeast side of the Santa Catalina Mountains (e.g., Mt. Lemmon), south of the town of Oracle. (Directions to Peppersauce Canyon: drive to Oracle, AZ, then follow the road to Oracle State Park, keep driving past the entrance to the state park to where it turns into a dirt road, then follow the dirt road for a few miles. Road conditions as far as the canyon/campground = dusty/good.)
This was a great location for seeing Rock Wren, of which there were 4-5+, all chasing each other around:
Really nice examples of Rock Wren cryptic plumage*:
This is an immature Zone-tailed Hawk; note the lack of a distinct tail band:
Nice sighting of Olive-sided Flycatcher:
And finally for today, a nice/uncommon sighting of Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii), specifically the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher subspecies (E. t. extimus):
[*Editor’s note: “Cryptic plumage refers to the colors, patterns, and textures of a bird’s feathers that are adapted to help it blend in with its surroundings.” Source: MS Copilot.]
What a nice photo series in the canyon. Very nice to see it (the canyon)! Loved all the bird shots!
Great to see Zone-tailed Hawk, but the Rock Wren were quite active, right by the road = bird of the day. (It’s a designated national forest ATV road that the local off-road club uses/maintains, but is easy enough to hike + a gradual grade along the lower sections.) Usually, Rock Wren are heard more than seen, so a nice opportunity for some ok shots.