Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve

 

I always like it when we arrive at a birding hot spot and a vermilion flycatcher is sitting in the tree next to our vehicle.

The preserve protects riparian habitat around Sonoita Creek which runs through the town of Patagonia and also feeds Patagonia Lake.

We walked down the rail trail which is an abandoned railroad track.

Years ago we saw a band of coatimundis run across the trail, but no luck today.

In the creek we found a flock of Mexican ducks.

They are like darker mallards and the males don't have fancy plumage. They interpreted with regular mallards so they may have been interbreeds

Male Mexican Duck

We also saw song sparrows along the creek.

Southwest song sparrows are much lighter than our BC birds.

We love the giant Fremont cottonwoods though we were told that they are not regenerating because damming and diversion for irrigation have reduced the flooding and there's not enough water for the seedlings to survive.

Never get enough of these trees.

Leo spotted this hermit thrush.

And our visit was topped off with a view of this Say's phoebe. Perhaps a snowbird on vacation from its nesting site in the Williams Creek valley?