Santa Rita Lodge ~ Birds

Gila Woodpecker

Scott's Oriole & Acorn Woodpecker

Northern Cardinal

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Hepatic Tanager

Ladderback Woodpecker

Pyrrhuloxia

Pyrrhuloxia

Rufous-winged Sparrow

Rufous-winged Sparrow

Sierra Vista, AZ ~ Ramsey Canyon

Wild Turkey

Today was a travel day from Patagonia over to Ramsey Canyon in Sierra Vista.  I am staying at the Ramsey Cabins and the location is spectacular while the accommodations could use some brightening up though I am happy to have a full kitchen, tv and internet.  Knowing I was a birder and coming to see hummingbirds and other wildlife, the owners put out 6 hummingbird feeders along with 3 seed feeders.  Not long after I arrived, the Wild Turkey's came along with several Mule Deer.  Shortly after, some Bridled Titmouse, (life bird #699) arrived for a drink from the water bath.  Next, I saw my first Robin of the trip.   And a group of 4 inquisitive Acorn Woodpeckers stopped by as I unpacked.

Mule Deer

Bridled Titmouse

Acorn Woodpecker

Acorn Woodpecker wondering what I am doing

Acorn Woodpecker

AZ ~ Butterflies & Birds around Patgonia

Sleep Orange Butterfly

Sleepy Orange Butterflies Puddling

Acorn Woodpecker

Curved-bill Thrasher

Canyon Towhee

CA ~ Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary

Al found this great wildlife sanctuary for the 3 of us to visit today.  We had to drive up towards LA and inland some miles but it was really worth it.  The area is not really large but had lots of birds plus it had a nature center that was filled animals that  are indigenous to the area.  The taxidermy was done beautifully and the diorama's were set up very cleverly.  There were birds of prey, smaller birds, fox and coyote.  I also was able to pick up a copy of Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America.  We saw several species of hummingbirds, tons of Acorn Woodpeckers, White and Golden-crowned Sparrows, House and Goldfinches plus Scrub Jays.  So neat!

Acorn Woodpeckers

Scrub Jay

Monterery and Salinas, CA

Waking up today was sad because the fog was everywhere. We decided that it would be a good day to go to the Monterery Aquarium, hoping that by the time we had finished seeing all the displays the fog would have lifted along the coast. My favorite displays were the jellyfish and seahorses.

Leaving the aquarium we walked along the pathway from Monterery to Pacific Grove even though it was still foggy. Some of the birds we saw were Black Oystercatchers, California Gulls, a Red-shouldered Hawk plus Double-crested Cormorants.

After drving along the coast we decided to drive inland toward Salinas where we stopped at a county park. Among the birds we saw there was the unique Acorn Woodpecker. This bird drills holes into the bark of trees that they later fill with acorns to eat during the winter months.

Lastly, we found an excellent diner "Ellie's American Diner" where we had dinner. The food is awesome!