Date: 4/10/24 1:42 pm From: <dpsiminski...> Subject: [AZNMbirds] San Pedro House Birding Walk
This morning, ten birders participated in The Friends of the San Pedro River’s
Birding Walk. We birded a 4.4km loop south of the San Pedro House, all within
the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA). We saw 55 species
of birds.
The bird of the day was our first for this season Summer Tanager, a male!
We had some other seasonal firsts for the birding walk, as summer breeders
return, and passage migrants make a brief spring appearance on the SPRNCA.
Breeding flycatchers, Cassin’s Kingbird and Ash-throated Flycatcher made their
first appearance for the season. We saw many Vermillion Flycatchers and Black
Phoebes in pairs or displaying. Passage flycatchers were Dusky, Hammond’s and
Gray Flycatchers, our Empid winter and passage group.
SPRNCA breeding warblers were seen and heard in great abundance, 29 Yellow
Warblers and 17 Lucy’s Warblers, many singing and some seen in pairs. There
were also a few Common Yellowthroats at Kingfisher Pond. The passage Yellow-
rumped Warblers were everywhere, 36 counted but I think we could have doubled
this number if we had concentrated on looking in the cottonwood canopy. A
couple of Wilson’s Warblers rounded out the warbler show.
For the month of April, the Friends of the San Pedro River will lead birding
walks EVERY Wednesday this month. The walks start at 7:00am and begin at the
BLM’s San Pedro House off AZ Highway 90 just west of the San Pedro River. The
walks last about three hours. Bring your own binoculars, a hat and water.
The next San Pedro River birding walk is next Wednesday, 17 April, at 7:00am.
