Date: 8/14/24 12:45 pm From: <dpsiminski...> Subject: [AZNMbirds] San Pedro House Birding Walk
This morning, nine birders participated in The Friends of the San Pedro
River’s Birding Walk. The participants were from Ohio, Florida and Arizona.
We birded a 4.4km loop south of the San Pedro House, all within the San Pedro
Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA). We saw 51 species of birds.
The highlights of the walk were the newly arrived migrants from the north. A
female MacGillivray’s Warbler popped up in Garden Wash for a nice sun-to-our-
backs view. She was a lifer for some of our birders from the east. Two Willow
Flycatchers made an appearance. Willows nest a little further north along the
Lower San Pedro River but are rare here in the Upper San Pedro except in
migration.
Some of our dry summer resident breeders have finished with their breeding and
have already moved on to Mexico for the rest of the year. For example, we did
not see any Brown-created Flycatchers nor Lucy’s Warblers which are abundant
in the spring and dry summer at this location.
Our monsoon breeders however are in full show. Botteri’s and Cassin’s Sparrows
were both singing as was a single male Varied Bunting. Yellow-billed cuckoos
made low-cooing songs and loud knocking calls from the cottonwood gallery
forest. One of the 27 observed Blue Grosbeaks was seen carrying nesting
material.
The seasons march on.
For the month of August, the Friends of the San Pedro River will lead one more
birding walk on Wednesday, 28 August. The walk starts at 6:00am and will begin
at the BLM’s San Pedro House off AZ Highway 90 just west of the San Pedro
River. The walk will last about three hours. Bring your own binoculars, a hat
and water.
