Arizona- Final Few Hours

May 27^th, 2013- Our last few hours in Arizona. After camping along Proctor Road, we drove up to check out Madera Canyon. On the way I heard a Varied Bunting singing along the road. These birds are stunning, especially in the morning light!

Varied Bunting

Madera Canyon was quiet, so we didn’t spend much time there. However, on our way out, we heard a Botteri’s Sparrow singing. This was another bird I figured I would miss. It sang from the fence and allowed stunning looks! It was also accompanied by a few Black-throated Sparrows.

Botteri's Sparrow

Black-throated Sparrow

We had one more stop to make as we worked our way north to Nevada. We stopped at Encanto Park, a place I had seen Rosy-faced Lovebirds. The ABA checklist committee recently decided they are established and now countable. It didn’t take long to find our target, and my 700^th ABA area bird. This was a huge milestone for me. I just wish it wasn’t Rosy-faced Lovebird, but what can ya do.

Rosy-faced Lovebird

It was time for Kevin and I to start driving toward Fallon, Nevada which was a solid 12 hour drive. A whole new suite of birds were waiting in the Nevada mountains.

If you are enjoying the blog, please remember that the goal of this photographic big year is to raise awareness and pledges for the conservation work that the American Bird Conservancy does in Hawaii. Every little bit helps. See here for more details.