Sweetwater Wetlands
(click on photos to enlarge)
I ambled over to Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson this morning. It’s not the Chesapeake Bay but for someone living in the desert, it’s a pretty good substitute.
With the promise of an 86 degree day, thought I’d better get an early start but didn’t get there early enough to see the “reliable” Sora on the little pond near the entrance–did hear one in the vicinity and then several more as I walked the paths. Plenty of Northern Shovelers still around — such photogenic birds and more than willing to have their picture taken.
Northern Shoveler, male (Anas clypeata)
I love the way they feed — cramming together in a pack paddling around in circles. I wonder how this feeding pattern evolved as no other ducks I know of feed this way.
On the other end of the spectrum is the highly sought after (by me) Cinnamon Teal, of which I counted at least ten, that were all sacked out on one of the islands with no thought of getting their feet wet or, heaven forbid, coming close enough to allow a decent photo. Eventually I got a shot of a male from a distance but upon spying me he turned around and swam out of sight. Hmph!
Cinnamon Teal, male (Anas cyanoptera)
One cooperative Pied-billed Grebe gave me my best photo op of the morning.
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Seems like these remaining ducks should be thinking about leaving for their breeding grounds soon although they don’t seem to be in a big hurry. Sweetwater will seem quite empty without them though.
I checked on the Anna’s Hummingbird nest in the willow along the path. About a 6 weeks ago, a friend from Maryland and I found the female busily adding cattail fluff to a nest and then shaping the cup by sitting in it and rotating her body. The next time I returned to the spot, the trees had leafed out and I’d forgotten where the nest was located. Today I found it again and was disappointed to find the little nest disturbed and abandoned. I hope she rebuilt in a safer spot.
Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna), constructing her nest on 2/8/08
Newly arrived Yellow Warblers were singing sweetly as were some Orange-crowned Warblers. The diminutive trilling of the warblers, however, was drowned out by the cacophony of song (if you can call it that) emanating from the Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, accompanied by Great-tailed Grackles. A suspicious looking bird hiding high in a cottonwood finally revealed itself to be a resting Red Admiral butterfly and a treat for me was to see a Two-tailed Swallowtail butterfly sailing over the wetlands. I’d seen my first ever at Catalina State Park just last week.
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