Mt Lemmon Az

Mt Lemmon « Fun Birding Tours in SE Arizona with Richard Fray

Birding again with Kristen Heimerl from Cincinnati, Ohio, today we headed up Mt Lemmon in search of interesting wildlife and good hiking.

We started at Babad Do’ag, which gave us lower elevation desert species such as BLACK-THROATED and RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW. Molino Basin was pleasant but not very birdy, so we moved to higher elevation. We watched the nesting PEREGRINE FALCONS for a while, and saw a ZONE-TAILED HAWK near Inspiration Rock.

Between hiking around the Marshall Gulch, Steward Observatory and Inspiration Rock areas, we added lots more higher elevation birds such as HAIRY WOODPECKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, STELLER’S JAY, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, BUSHTIT, RED-BREASTED, WHITE-BREASTED and PYGMY NUTHATCHES, BROWN CREEPER, nesting ROCK and HOUSE WRENS, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, HERMIT THRUSH, AMERICAN ROBIN and YELLOW-EYED JUNCO.

The main highlights, however, were non-avian. In particular, this incredible silkmoth , which I have given its own post.

I also saw a new butterfly, one which I couldn’t quite figure out until it was identified for me on the amazing resource that is  bug-guide.net . I was looking for it in the checkerspot section, but it turns out to be a metalmark, Nais Metalmark to be exact.

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