Las Cienegas: Sparrows and Raptors

One of those spectacular spring days in southeast Arizona, and I got to spend it outside, helping Darlene scout for an upcoming Tucson Audubon trip. It was chilly when we arrived at the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area just north of Sonoita, but that didn’t seem to bother the birds a bit.

Las Cienegas is famously good for sparrows, and the roadsides were thick with Vesper, Brewer’s, Chipping, and White-crowned Sparrows. To our surprise and delight, the plaintive melodies of Cassin’s Sparrows were audible nearly the entire time we were out on the grasslands, and we had repeated excellent looks at a bird that can be quite furtive in the spring.

The skies belonged to the raptors. Northern Harriers were still common, including half a dozen dazzling gray males; there was some squabbling when birds got too close to each other, and perhaps they will breed at this site this summer. A fine White-tailed Kite was hover-hunting right at the entrance from the highway, and scanning the skies turned up single Zone-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks, too.

Among the specialty breeders at Las Cienegas is Gray Hawk. We heard a couple that we could not see, keening away from deep in the cottonwoods, but finally we found a pair that gave great views both perched and in flight.

For a moment we thought that we would witness the act that leads to more Gray Hawklets, but the female sidled out of the way when the male got too pushy. Not long, though, and they should be on eggs.