Category Archives: Birding Arizona

Summertime Birding Getaways in Arizona

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Bob

  By June, SaddleBrooke’s snowbirds have flown the coop, heading back to their nesting areas in Washington, Michigan, Maine and other northern states.  In order to skip June, they miss the monsoons of July and August, the post-monsoon flowers of … Continue reading →

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Roadrunners and Quail

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Bob

  Here in SaddleBrooke, May is when we start seeing baby quail.  We see Greater Roadrunners year-round, but more likely than not, we will see a lot more of them during baby quail season.  Roadrunners are drawn to baby quail … Continue reading →

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Wild Bird Pets and Birds as Threats to Pets

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Bob

This month we’re looking at two aspects of birds and pets:  can the wild birds of your yard become familiar enough to be considered ‘pets’, and are any of your real pets, dogs and cats, at risk around SaddleBrooke’s wild … Continue reading →

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Birding Peppersauce Canyon near Oracle, Arizona

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Bob

For a birder, one of the joys of living in SaddleBrooke is the incredible diversity of nearby birding sites. Sweetwater, a waste water reclamation area practically in downtown Tucson, is rich with ducks, shorebirds, migrants and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Just fifteen … Continue reading →

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Feeding Birds in the Winter

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Bob

Just a few years ago it was thought that putting hummingbird feeders out in the winter would encourage birds to hang around past the time they might normally migrate south.  This concern has been proven false for quite some time … Continue reading →

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Gardening and Landscaping for Bird Lovers

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Bob

  If you love to watch birds and want to see them in your yard, feeders are one way to attract them, but certainly not the only way.  How you landscape your yard, and what flowers, trees, cactus and shrubs … Continue reading →

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The Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Bob

This year will mark the 113th consecutive year that the annual ‘Christmas’ Bird Count takes place.  As you might imagine, the count has changed a lot in 113 years.  Although the first count happened on Christmas Day in 1900, and … Continue reading →

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November is Turkey Month, and Wild Turkeys are Thankful

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Bob

Unlike their domesticated cousins, Wild Turkeys worry little about the approach of Thanksgiving. However, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, loss of habitat and unregulated hunting nearly wiped out all of U.S. Wild Turkeys by the mid 1930s. There … Continue reading →

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House Sparrows and House Finches, our Most Common Birds

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Bob

After I wrote about one of my favorite birds last May, the Black-throated Sparrow, I received several reports of yards ‘full of’ these special birds.  The Black-throated Sparrow is, in fact, seen in most SaddleBrooke yards, but most of the … Continue reading →

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The Vermilion Flycatcher, a Ruby with Wings

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Bob

Of all the colorful birds in southeastern Arizona, the one certain to get your attention is the male Vermilion Flycatcher.  Perched on a low branch, his brilliant red crown and breast reflecting Arizona sunshine, he looks like a ruby with … Continue reading →

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