Summer mid-day, everyone in Tucson appreciates a bit of green vegetation and shade. Making the ‘shaded playground’ at Arthur Pack Regional Park (north side of town), with its scant lawn and grove of mature mesquite trees, not a bad place for birding.
Couple shots immature Verdin:
And mature Verdin for comparison:
Next up, number one on the Arizona “uncommon birds you might actually see list,” the always popular and beautiful Vermillion Flycatcher. First up, female.
And the more aptly named male:
Adjacent Maeveen Behan Desert Sanctuary also highly recommended, just not for birding during the heat of the day. #heat_exhaustion
Another great greater Tucson location, Catalina State Park in Oro Valley. With bonus Vermillion Flycatcher!
Immature male Great-tailed Grackle at Christopher Columbus Park:
Finally, a few from perhaps the premier “in town” Tucson birding spot, Sweetwater Wetlands.
Following is a tough one. Perhaps female Hooded Oriole (!)
With its black cap, a little easier to ID the lovely male Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, another classic denizen of the desert SW:
Couple more from a different day:
Stay tuned: back soon with more excellent hummingbird content!