Category Archives: Birding Arizona

Arizona’s Sandhill Cranes

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Bob

As a family, cranes are one of the world’s most fascinating.  Cranes are large, graceful and elegant wading birds with six-foot plus wingspans, long legs and necks. Their courtship dance displays have inspired choreographers as well as artists, and their … Continue reading →

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Birding in the Time of Covid

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Bob

We recently decided to take a multi-night birding trip and considering COVID, the planning seemed to take as long as the trip.  We planned an twelve-night loop trip, with stays in four separate AirB&Bs. We picked places that were highly … Continue reading →

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Lucy’s Warbler

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Bob

Compared with some other states, bird-rich Arizona comes up short when you look at nesting warblers. There are about fifty members of the wood warbler family in North America, and only eleven of these nest in Arizona.  Nevertheless, we have … Continue reading →

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Arizona’s Wrens

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Bob

Wrens are one of my favorite bird families.  For the most part, wrens are small, fairly uncommon, active and melodious. A major exception to this set of characteristics is our state bird, the Cactus Wren, who is large by wren … Continue reading →

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Baby Birds

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Bob

Fortunately for birders, the massive upheaval of a worldwide pandemic doesn’t rate as significant a problem as it might for those with more sociable pastimes.  We spend a lot of time on our own, anyway, looking for, finding and photographing … Continue reading →

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Arizona’s Woodpeckers

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Bob

There are approximately 10,000 species of birds in the world, and any traveler interested in birds knows that you will find them in every continent and every country, with an incredible diversity from place to place no matter where you … Continue reading →

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A Diminutive Desert Beauty

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Bob

The Verdin is one of my favorite Southeast Arizona birds. This tiny 4-inch bird is inquisitive and friendly, and will brighten anyone’s day.  Unless you get a good look at a Verdin in the sunlight, you might easily mistake him … Continue reading →

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Fall Sparrows in Southeast Arizona

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Bob

The Sibley Guide to Birds lists 48 species of Emberizine Sparrows; the Emberizidae family of 20 genera that includes sparrows, towhees, juncos and a couple of buntings. Of these, Tucson Audubon’s Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona lists 35 species with … Continue reading →

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Catalina State Park: Arizona’s Crown Jewel

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Bob

Living in Arizona comes with many advantages, not the least of which is our first class state park system, which two years ago received a gold medal for the best managed system in the nation. For birders, these 35 parks … Continue reading →

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When the Red, Red Robin

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Bob

Desert rats like myself don’t handle cold well, so after two and a half inches of snow and a few hours of sub-freezing temperatures in early January, my thoughts turned to spring. Warmer weather, fields of flowers and beautiful birdsong. … Continue reading →

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