Avra Valley and Kitt Peak

Frank, a good friend from Princeton, arrived yesterday for a little birding before joining our group for Alamos this coming week; his son Nick came in from California, too, and they were kind enough to invite me along for some birding today. We went out west, to the sewage beds at Avra Valley and then up Kitt Peak. Not a terribly birdy day, but we did score 13 species of waterfowl at AVWWTP, including Bufflehead, Canvasback, and Blue-winged Teal. A couple of Chestnut-collared Longspurs blew over, but I really enjoyed a flock of 65 or so White-throated Swifts that materialized out of the blue to swoop and swirl around us.

Kitt Peak was about as quiet as I’ve ever seen it. We did pick up Mexican Jays and a few Spotted Towhees at the picnic grounds, but otherwise had to content ourselves with the usual spectacular views from way, way up there.