Peña Blanca Lake

An amazing morning at one of the most beautiful birding sites in southeast Arizona!

It was actually cold when Darlene and I arrived a little before 6:30, but the birding heated up quickly. We started with a pair of Montezuma Quail dusting on the roadside, and heard another male singing his eerie song a little later on at the lake.

For some reason, waterbirds tend to be relatively scarce here in the summer, but Pied-billed Grebes were cowp-cowping, and a Common Moorhen was accompanied by a half-grown chick, still begging. An adult Green Heron stretched and preened as the early morning warmed up.

As usual, the raptor show was a good one, and between 9 and 10 am we had outstandingly close looks at 4 Gray Hawks, 2 adults and 2 juveniles (likely from last year). The Turkey Vultures were joined by a few Black Vultures, and eventually by an adult Zone-tailed Hawk. Hope some of those birds show up for my Tucson Audubon trip tomorrow!