Birding & Sunset at Sweetwater Wetlands

I've been meaning to check out the Sweetwater Wetlands for ages, but I kept not getting around to it, either opting for more of a hike or just walking along the Rillito, which I don't have to drive to. But I finally went there for a walk a few days ago, and I'll definitely be going back again soon and frequently. 

Sweetwater is--as far as I know--the only wetland here in arid Tucson. It was originally built as part of a wastewater reclamation project, and although water reclamation technology has since improved such that the wetlands are not as necessary, they still help to naturally filter the reclaimed water before being either released into the Santa Cruz River or pumped back into town to use for landscaping purposes. As such, Sweetwater is a beautiful oasis in the middle of the desert, full of cattails, water, birds, and deciduous trees, currently bright with fall foliage.

The last time I saw an American coot (Fulica americana) was up at Canyon Lake on the Salt River. There isn't much water around Tucson for them, but that's the beauty of Sweetwater, making it a great place for birding especially as a stopover for migratory species. 

Although they are common here in Tucson, quail always make me happy. This male Gambel's quail (Callipepla gambelii) was one of about five or six I saw between two family groups yesterday. Its reddish-brown crown was gleaming beautifully in the sunlight.

This cute little white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) was obliging enough to perch in a tree right on the path, posing nicely for a photo.

But it was the red-winged blackbirds (and perhaps other unidentified medium-sized black birds) that stole the show. They were flocking in large numbers--something I associate more with species such as starlings--but which is apparently a seasonal behavior for blackbirds; in the winter, they roost in flocks of thousands to millions of individuals. At first there were just a few, and then they started congregating as individuals returned to roost for the evening.

Then they started flocking, moving through the air in beautifully coordinated synchrony.  It was mesmerizing.

I don't usually do videos, but here's a brief one:

Wandering through the various loops of trails, this (non-venomous) snake was right in the middle of the trail. I think it's a common kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula).

The cattails were so thick and at the stage where their seeds float away on the wind, leading to a snow-like covering on the ground and nearby trees.

The park is on the west side of town, making it great for sunset viewing too.

And as the sun went down, the moon--not quite full--rose opposite.

I'm looking forward to spending more time here in the future!

Saguaro National Park: A Lime Kiln, Cacti, and Mountain Vistas

Now that it has finally cooled down, it's perfect hiking weather here in Tucson. A couple weeks ago, I hiked the Hope Camp Coyote Wash and Ruiz Trail Loop in Saguaro National Park East. It was a lovely morning, and while I didn't see much in the way of wildlife, there was a lime kiln ruin (probably dating from the late 19th century), plus beautiful saguaros and stunning views of Tucson and the surrounding mountains.

The Loma Alta Kiln is just off the Ruiz trail.

Although one gets quite used to saguaros, living in Tucson, some of the large old specimens in the national park are really quite amazing. A saguaro like this is probably about 150 years old (maybe older) and weighs about 4 tons!

They're also even more impressive en masse than singly.

The top of this agave stalk caught my fancy.

And here are some views from the trail. First, looking south at the Santa Rita (right) and Whetstone (left) mountain ranges.

The Santa Ritas are home to Madera Canyon, which I visited and blogged about several times this year.

And looking west you can see the Tucson mountains, with Tucson and the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in the midground.

The hike itself was among the Rincon mountains. I think this is looking over towards Tanque Verde ridge, west of the peak.

I'm hoping to do some more hiking and birding over the break--making the best of not going back east for Christmas--but until then, happy holidays to everyone!

Another Hike in Madera Full of Wildlife

The stars of my last hike were definitely the two mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) who were hanging out with us for quite a while. They were right on and next to the trail and seemed quite undisturbed by our presence.

Having grown up around white-tailed deer, mule deer's ears always seem comically large to me.

Do you see her tongue?

Another tongue!

Look carefully and you can see her eyebrow whiskers.

The squirrels (Sciurus arizonensis) were also having a ball, dashing about...

Finding acorns...

And even caching them.

This brown creeper (Certhia americana) was especially well camouflaged. Do you see it?

I know some people find jays (of all types) annoying, I suppose in part because of their tendency to monopolize bird feeders, but I love their stunning blue and their behavior and cognition are really interesting too. Not only do they have amazing memories for cache locations, they pay attention to who is watching them cache and therefore might steal their food later! Here's a Mexican jay (Aphelocoma wollweberi) that was particularly cooperative in posing for my photos.

The exciting invertebrate of the day was a tarantula (Aphonopelma) of some type that was right on the trail. No, I'm not going to try to specify the species (invertebrates are hard!), but I think it's a male because they are smaller and darker than females.

Another interesting site along the trail was this mysterious bird graveyard. It looked like maybe a predator of some sort (maybe a canid or felid??) had a nice avian meal.

Any ideas on what bird species this might have been?