Urban Birding in Tucson Arizona

William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message

Vermilion flycatchers, Pyrocephalus obscurus, generally prefer somewhat open areas, and are found in trees or shrubs in savannah, scrub, agricultural areas, riparian woodlands, and desert as well, but usually near water. Their range includes almost all of Mexico; it extends north into the southwestern United States

Monday, June 11

I have increasingly become more and more addicted to birding. Why? What is the appeal? Perhaps it is because birding can be done anytime and anywhere. Unlike snakes (my first love) and the larger  critters, birds can be found anywhere. Even on a stretch of industrial properties behind my hotel in Tucson, Arizona!

Each morning at 5:30 AM during my weeklong stay in Tucson for our International Bible Conference, I took a walk down Medina Rd near the Tucson airport. Every walk yielded up new Life Birds and plenty of great photo opportunities. Although it would have been fun, I didn’t need to wander out into Saguaro National Park to find all these desert delights! 

- Walking down Medina Rd between Tucson Boulevard and Palo Verde Rd.
- Sunny and hot, with a high near 105. Light and variable wind becoming west northwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
- Sunrise Today:5:16 am; Sunset Today: 7:30 pm
- Daylight Hours: 14 hours, 13 minutes
- eBird checklist; https://ebird.org/checklist/S46784129 

The curve-billed thrasher, Toxostoma curvirostre, is a medium-sized mimid that is a member of the genus Toxostoma, native to the southwestern United States and much of Mexico. Referred to as the default desert bird, it is a non-migratory species. Photographed in the arid scrub desert of Tucson in southeastern Arizona, USA.

Male House Finch bird, Haemorhous mexicanus. eating seed pods from desert Mesquite tree in south Tucson, Arizona. The house finch is a bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is native to western North America, and has been introduced to the eastern half of the continent . Photographed in June 2018.

The Gila woodpecker, Melanerpes uropygialis, is a medium-sized woodpecker of the desert regions of the southwestern United States and western Mexico. Photographed in the arid scrub desert of Tucson in southeastern Arizona, USA.

Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, perched on telephone pole. The red-tailed hawk is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America. Photographed in the Desert of Tucson in Pima County in southeastern Arizona, USA.

The black-tailed gnatcatcher, Polioptila melanura, is a small, insectivorous bird which ranges throughout the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

The Say`s phoebe, Sayornis saya, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. A common bird in the western United States. It prefers dry, desolate areas.

The Cactus Wren, Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus, builds nests on the Jumping Cholla. The nests are quite secure among all the spines and the bird knows how to avoid the spines of the Jumping Cholla. Photographed in the arid scrub Desert of Tucson in Pima County in southeastern Arizona, USA. Sonoran desert and Rincon Mountain landscapes.

Vermilion flycatchers, Pyrocephalus obscurus, generally prefer somewhat open areas, and are found in trees or shrubs in savannah, scrub, agricultural areas, riparian woodlands, and desert as well, but usually near water. Their range includes almost all of Mexico; it extends north into the southwestern United States.

The Cactus Wren, Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus, builds nests on the Jumping Cholla. The nests are quite secure among all the spines and the bird knows how to avoid the spines of the Jumping Cholla. Photographed in the arid scrub Desert of Tucson in Pima County in southeastern Arizona, USA. Sonoran desert and Rincon Mountain landscapes.

Tuesday, June 12

 - Sunny and hot, high near 108. 
 - Sunrise 5:16 am; Sunset 7:30 pm
 - Daylight Hours: 14 hours, 14 minutes
 - Moon: 2.4%, Waning Crescent

Mourning Dove. Photographed in the arid scrub desert of Tucson in southeastern Arizona, USA. Sonoran desert and Rincon Mountain landscapes. Saguaro National Park.

House Finch Bird perched in Mesquite tree. Photographed in the arid scrub desert of Tucson in southeastern Arizona, USA. Sonoran desert and Rincon Mountain landscapes. Saguaro National Park.