New Birds

No, not in the sense of lifebirds, but birds that are truly new to the world: babies! 

It’s a fantastic time of year here in southeast Arizona, with the weather still bearable and an intriguing mix of dawdling migrants and busy local breeders. Darlene and I spent a couple of hours this morning at Sweetwater Wetlands. The place was quite summery, but the 45 species we came across still included a few that need to hie themselves to higher latitudes or higher altitudes, and fast: Western Wood-Pewee, Warbling Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Wilson’s Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow.

Meanwhile, though, newly fledged Abert’s Towhees were trailing their overworked parents, and Song Sparrows were tugging at everything not tied down, hoping to add it to their nests. Drake Ruddy Ducks were engaged in blowing bubbles and making impolite sounds, and Common Yellowthroats sang and shouted everywhere. Young Harris’s Hawks could be heard squealing across the road, too. Life abundant!