By the Time We got to Tucson

Our plan when we left Blythe was to drive to Picachu Peak State Park in Arizona and camp there overnight, but by the time we arrived at 12:30 pm the campsite was already full (on a Wednesday!), so we kept going for another hour till we reached our favorite campsite, Gilbert Ray Campsite in Tucson Mountain Park west of Tucson.  They do not take reservations here and the maximum length of stay is 7 days so if you arrive early enough you can always get a spot.

We’ve now been here for a week, and we’ve checked out some of our favourite spots and discovered a few more.

The best spot for birding in Tucson is Sweetwater Wetlands, an artificial wetlands located next to the city’s sewage lagoons and guess what the water source is? 

Leo checking out Sweetwater Wetlands

Any ponded water in the desert is a mecca for birds, and here we saw ducks, warblers, and a green heron. Aside from all the birders who flock here, there were also two Cooper’s hawks birding for a different purpose.  

But the bird of the day was a beautifully marked black-throatedgrey warbler.

Non-birds sighted were a cottontail rabbit, turtle, bullfrog, and a raccoon.

On Saturday we drove out to the Eastern Section of Saguaro National Park and hiked up Douglas Spring Trail to Bridal Wreath Falls.  |It seems that wherever you go people will liken a falls to a bride’s attire.  We arrived at the trailhead at 8:30 am and already the (small) parking lot was full and already it was quite hot.  We soon met a couple on the trail who were already returning.  They had wisely arrived at 7 am.

Climbing up to Bridal Wreath Falls

Fortunately, the falls were a shady respite from the heat although the falls themselves were just a trickle, and after a snack we continued for another half hour up to a second falls, for a total  of 4 hours hiking. When we got back to the truck, the thermometer showed 29 C, and there’s a forecast for 86 F later this week.  

So we were surprised when we got up an hour earlier Sunday morning to find it cool and overcast.  It was just as well that we arrived at Sabino Canyon early because all of Tucson goes to Sabino Canyon on Sunday. 

The best birding was in the first hour near the visitor centre.  We saw waxwings,

bluebirds

and cardinals.

But the bird of the day was, fittingly, a Canyon Towhee taking a dustbath, but not cooperating for a photograph.

Most people either walk or take the trolley up the paved road, but there’s also trails along the creek, and on the ridges on either side.  We took a combination up the canyon, and walked back down along the road, a 6 hour hike.

 A scene from scenic Sabino Canyon