Las Cienegas, Elgin, Ramsey Canyon

Day two of my tour with Joe, Becky, Roger and Mary-Louise from South Carolina.

We left Tucson at a liesurely 9.30am and headed for Las Cienegas. We found two singing Loggerhead Shrikes and almost inevitably they ended up in a fight over the same territory. An Ash-throated Flycatcher gave us the run around but we were able to get decent views of Black-tailed Gnatcatcher and Black-throated and Vesper Sparrows amongst others. The highlight was a group of 11 Pronghorn Antelope.

Moving into the cottonwood grove at Empire Ranch we found a few migrants, including a Summer Tanager. A pair of Gray Hawks were displaying over the cottonwoods, the male doing his dramatic diving again. A single Zone-tailed Hawk passed overhead.

The drive through Elgin produced a couple of Western Kingbirds, finally, to accompany the many Cassin’s. Horned Larks were singing by the roadside and I was surprised to find an ever bigger herd of Pronghorn Antelopes, 18 this time. Quite a good day for antelopes…

A pair of Scaled Quail greeted us on the approach road to Ramsey Canyon. In five minutes at the feeders at Ramsey Canyon Inn I saw Blue-throated, Magnificent, Broad-tailed- Broad-billed, Black-chinned and Rufous Hummingbirds, and a very noisy Wild Turkey. Wild? He was furious!

What will tomorrow bring?