El Rio Preserve: Fall 2024

Green Heron, September 26, 2024.

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As SE Arizona moves from summer into fall, our "birds of winter" start returning. One of our birding hotspots right now is El Rio Preserve in Marana, just a short trip north on I-10 from Tucson. See the map to the right. Take the W. Twin Peaks Road exit off of I-10, head west to Coachline Blvd, turn right and follow the road to El Rio Preserve. 

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The view north from the parking area showing the wetlands with mountains in the distance. 

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The preserve, adjacent to the Santa Cruz River, was originally farmland as well as a source of gravel for the nearby I-10 construction. The area is now beautifully maintained by the town of Marana as a wildlife area, with the help of an agricultural water allocation. ​

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Looking east to the Catalinas from the main preserve observation deck, the desert is in in fall color.

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Many thanks to the town of Marana and their dedicated staff, shown above, tending this beautiful wetland sanctuary.  

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Lazuli Bunting

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Male Lazuli Bunting in non-breeding plumage, El Rio Preserve, September 2024. Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm with 1.4x Ext at 700mm, 1/1000 sec., f/10, ISO 640, +0.67 EV.

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On September 26th I was surprised to find a male Lazuli Bunting in non-breeding (winter) plumage basking in the sun, image above. For comparison, to the right is a male in full breeding plumage with a bright lazuli-blue head, captured in Portal, AZ, in May of 2016. Winter plumage is more subtle, but to my eye more elegant with the varied colors woven together on the chest and back. 

Lazuli Buntings are in the Cardinal family, breeding in the northwest U.S. and wintering in Mexico. They begin their fall molt like most birds, on their breeding grounds, then move to the southwest U.S. to feed on abundant monsoon insects and finish the  molt in these "molting hotspots" before moving further south for the winter.  The bird I saw at El Rio in September is likely a traveler, maybe on his molting grounds, getting ready to head further south for the winter. 

​Lazuli Buntings eat insects, fruit and seeds, and will come to feeders, especially those filled with white proso millet. (Ref: All About Birds)

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Verdin

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm with 1.4x Ext at 700mm, 1/1600 sec., f/10, ISO 1250, +0 EV.

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The Verdin is an active songbird of the southwest U.S. and Mexico, living year round on their territories. They are prodigious nest builders, building spherical nests for breeding, and flat roosting nests for the winter months.  For more on the Verdin and their nesting habits, click on the image below. 

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Verdins sport a rusty red shoulder patch, often difficult to see, but just evident in the Verdin below, foraging for insects on a mesquite branch at the preserve. He/she (the sexes look alike) drops off one branch to likely land on another one below. Birds will forage efficiently, using gravity when at all possible! 

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm with 1.4x Ext at 420mm, 1/2000 sec., f/10, ISO 1600, +0.33 EV.

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As our subject falls, he puts out his wings heading toward the next meal. Just when he gets his wings open for a great shot, he has the audacity to fly off of the frame! Imagine! 

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For the photo geeks: This series was captured with a Canon R5 Mark II, RF 100-500mm lens with 1.4x Extender at 420mm, f/10, 1/2000 sec., ISO 1600, +0.33 EV , with electronic shutter in pre-capture mode. 

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American Kestrel

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm with 1.4x Ext at 700mm, 1/2000 sec., f/10, ISO 640, +0 EV.

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The American Kestrel is North America's smallest falcon, roughly the size and shape of a Mourning Dove. They are birds of prey, often seen perching on wires or posts over open areas looking for small rodents and other birds, as well as insects and other invertebrates. (Ref: All About Birds).  They live year round in North and South America, with Northern populations migrating into Canada and Alaska to breed. 

The male has slate blue wings and head, the female has reddish brown wings. Both sexes sport a vertical slash on a pale face. 

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The male seen here was perched above the pond for some time, often accomanied by other kestrels, perhaps fledglings from this past summer breeding. 

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The kestrel below is likely a female or immature,  perched not far from the male. 

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American Kestrels are fun to watch in flight. On New Year's day, 2018, I spotted a female kestrel sitting on a high fence post at Ft. Lowell Park. She dove for the ground, and I caught her just as she approached a "mole hole." Alas, she came up empty. To see/read the full blog post, click on the image to the right!​

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The kestrel to the right, also caught at Ft, Lowell Park, November 21, 2020, was more fortunate, and did capture a bird, species unclear, for breakfast.  For the full post, click on the image to the right. Warning: she did "eat the whole thing!" 




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Belted Kingfisher

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm with 1.4x Ext at 700mm, 1/4000 sec., f/10, ISO 2000, +0 EV.

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Belted Kingfishers eat mostly fish, diving into rivers and ponds and grabbing their prey with their long stocky bills. They breed to the north, and winter in the SW U.S. and Mexico/Central America. See the range map to the right. 

The Kingfisher shown above and below is a female, similar to the male but with the addition of a rusty band on the white chest/abdomen.  She is perched above the pond, looking for something to eat. 

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The Kingfisher pauses her search of the pond to look almost straight up, rotating her head, searching for something. 

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Kingfishers will eat insects and young birds in addition to fish, so the question is whether our hunter is looking for other offerings, or being a prudent bird is looking for predators!  Remember, birds are born to do four things: Eat, Don't get eaten, Breed, and Molt!  This area is territory for American Kestrels, and although the Kingfisher is a bit big for a kestrel, is is wise to be vigilant. 

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Having found nothing to be excited about, she returns to scanning the pond, and finds something worth diving for! 

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This series was shot with a Canon R5 Mark II in pre-capture mode.  Rather than dropping off of the branch, our subject spent some time stretching her wings and warming up. I got a lot of wing flapping shots which could have occupied most of this post, however, I have edited with vigor, keeping these images that show the extent of her wings and tail and the feathers/wing markings that could otherwise only be observed in a museum specimen.

Looks like an Olympic swan dive, except she can fly, and of course, she is a Kingfisher, not a Swan!

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When kingfishers hit the water they pull back their wings to maximize their speed in the water and the dive depth.  The water surface was well below my line of sight.

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Vermilion Flycatcher

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Vermilion Flycatchers are members of the Family Tyrannidae, or the "Tyrant Flycatchers." They are year round residents of SE Arizona, Mexico and Central America, see the range map to the right. For new birders from almost anywhere in the U.S., these are "life birds," seen for the first time here. Those of us who live in Southern Arizona are lucky to have them with us year round, anywhere there are insects! 

The Vermilion shown in this series is likely an immature male, with bright red coming in mottled with white. Adult males are brilliant red with black around the eye and on the back/wings. Females are brownish above with a white breast and reddish belly.

In the photos above and below, a Vermilion Flycatcher perches on sign looking for insects.

Reminder: Don't release pets, squirrels, or pack-rats in any park, or dump fish/wildlife aquariums in any pond. Invasive species upset the natural balance, and can quickly overtake an environment. 

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm with 1.4x Ext at 420mm, 1/4000 sec., f/10, ISO 5000, +0 EV.

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Having spotted a bug, our subject gets into a crouch. Looks like he is waiting for the starting gun . . . .

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Bang! He is off.  He drops down a bit to gain speed.

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In the air and off for his target. We can see his wing markings and how he holds his tail in this series. 

Flycatchers often run a "route" from perch to perch when they find a good spot for insects. For viewing or photographing them, be patient and wait, and the flycatcher may come back to the same perch again. In this case, the "Fragile Ecosystem" sign was part of his route, and I photographed him launching from the site repeatedly. I suspect the angle of the sun in relation to the perch made bugs more visible. 

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For the photo geeks: Shot with a Canon R5 Mark II in pre-capture mode. 

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Green Heron

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm with 1.4x Ext at 700mm, 1/1000 sec., f/10, ISO 1250, +0.67 EV.

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Green Herons winter in SE Arizona and central Mexico/South America, breeding in the U.S. east of the Rockies, with year round populations along the southern Pacific and Atlantic coasts. See the range map to the right.  

Green Herons are short and stocky with a deep green back and chestnut neck and breast. The crown can be raised into a short crest, which we see in the series below.

Green Herons eat small fish, spearing them with their sharp bills often from a wading position in ponds. They also feed on insects, snails, amphibians, reptiles and rodents. They are one of the few tool using birds, creating fishing lures with insects and feathers, dropping them on the water surface to attract small fish. (Ref: All About Birds).

In the series that follows, we see a Green Heron in flight, with the crest raised. Whereas in a sitting position they look very formal and composed (see lead photo), in the air they are more disheveled, looking a bit like a mad scientist trying a pair of wings for the first time!  

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm with 1.4x Ext at 700mm, 1/1000 sec., f/10, ISO 2500, +0.67 EV.

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Their large wings allow for a controlled stall and a gentle landing. 

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Green Herons can and will eat prey as large as a frog, as we can see in the image to the right, captured at Sweetwater Wetlands in September, 2017.

This image is one of a series featured in the post "I can't believe he at the whole thing, Part II."  To go to the post, click on the image to the right. 

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Spotted Sandpiper

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm with 1.4x Ext at 700mm, 1/2000 sec., f/10, ISO 1600, +0 EV.

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Spotted Sandpipers live throughout the U.S. with breeding populations all the way up into Canada and Alaska, and wintering populations as far south as South America. Tucson is in their wintering territory, although I have seen sandpipers in breeding plumage at Agua Caliente in April. See the range map below and to the right. Non-breeding adults are brownish above with a white abdomen and orange legs, as seen in the sandpiper captured above at El Rio. 

Breeding adults have a spotted abdomen with an orange bill, as seen in the image above from NW Ohio during migration in May of 2022.

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Above and below a Spotted Sandpiper in non-breeding (winter) plumage hopping from branch to branch at El Rio Preserve on September 26, 2024.

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In spring the female Spotted Sandpiper is the first on the breeding grounds, staking out and defending her territory ahead of the arrival of the males. One female may mate with up to four males, and lay multiple clutches in multiple nests, all incubated and tended by the male, including raising the nestlings. 

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Rock Wren

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Canon R5 Mk II, RF 100-500mm with 1.4x Ext at 700mm, 1/4000 sec., f/10, ISO 3200, -0.33 EV.

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Let's end with a nondescript bird that lives throughout the desert southwest, on and in rocks, not the places we usually go looking for birds!  Rock Wrens constantly hop around rocky areas investigating nooks and crannies for insects and spiders, surviving in relatively bleak desert settings. The bird above was perched on a sign at El Rio, and I got the ID with the help of Merlin.

​The image below, a better view in better lighting, was captured close to the Meadow Trail on Mt Lemmon in July of 2023, sitting on, yes, rocks!

Canon R7, RF 100-500mm at 500mm, 1/640 sec., f/7.1, ISO 200, +0.67 EV.

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​Rock Wrens nest in cavities or crevices in rocks, often on a rock floor. They will build a pavement or walkway of small, flat stones or pebbles that leads to the nest cavity. They eat mostly ground dwelling insects. Their desert survival is aided by not drinking water, but instead getting all the water they need from their food. (Ref: All About Birds). ​

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That's all for now.
Happy Thanksgiving!  

Happy trails!

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