Great outing last week with the Tucson Audubon SE Arizona Birding Festival @ El Rio Preserve in Marana, AZ. Fascinating spot nestled between a residential neighborhood/desert and the Santa Cruz River.
Originally the result of river flooding into open space/parkland, the pond’s now maintained via a dike on one side + surplus agricultural water.
Excellent spot for birding/nature – raptors, flycatchers, Roadrunner, ducks, etc. Surprise of this outing: Ruddy Duck (m & f) in breeding plumage. (See below.)
Surprise pair of Ruddy Duck:
Unclear if it’s siblings engaging in play behavior or a territorial/other dispute, but here’s a lengthy/fun sequence of a Cooper’s Hawks chase:
Beautiful Greater Roadrunner on a wall @ adjacent subdivision:
Coming up soon: Part 2, with lots more Vermillion Flycatcher! Also more hawk and other/surprise raptors!