Operation Windmills: Honeymoon Day 1: Patagonia Lake

(First sightings marked with *)

We were up and out of the hotel in Phoenix around 5:30 (MST) and made a quick stop in Casa Grande, AZ to stock up on snacks and supplies at the Walmart and then to the IHOP for breakfast.

Our first Southwestern birds were this bunch of Great Tailed Grackles in the Walmart parking lot.

*Great Tailed Grackle

After Breakfast we headed south towards the border and Patagonia Lake State Park where we spent the day hiking and adding 21 new birds to our life list!

Javelinas!!

House Finch

*Pyrrhuloxia (male)

*White Crowned Sparrow

White Crowned Sparrow

*Curve Billed Thrasher

*Western Grebe

Fox Sparrow

*Anna's Hummingbird

*Pyrrhuloxia (female)

Pyrrhuloxia

Red-Winged Blackbird (*Mono-colored Morph)

Coot

*Gila Woodpecker

Gila Woodpecker

Ladder Backed Woodpecker

Gila Woodpecker

*Bewick's Wren

*Black Phoebe

*Vermillion Flycatcher

Vermillion Flycatcher

Black Phoebe

Mule Deer

We were told there was a Mountain Lion in the area.
We didn't see the cat, but we found its tracks by a creek!

*Say's Phoebe

*Bush Tit

I was ambushed by this wild bushman on the mountainside

*Lesser Goldfinch

*Verdin

Verdin

Eastern Phoebe

Vermillion Flycatcher

Ladder Backed Woodpecker

*Bridled Titmouse

Bridled Titmouse

Common Yellowthroat

Wren

Great Tailed Grackle

Kestrel (male)

Ricky and the Dodge Challenger!

Chasing a Bushtit

Climbing up the mountain over Patagonia Lake

The Deer Crossing sign at Patagonia Lake

Gila Woodpecker

We stopped for the night in Tombstone, drove past the OK Corral and had dinner at The Longbranch where the service was gruff but the food was pretty good, especially after a day of hiking.

We spent the night at The Landmark Lookout Lodge where they had up a couple birdfeeders that drew in more birds we'd never seen before!