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Tucson Audubon Society
Sparrow's Wenches Birdathon Team Report 2007
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Sparrow's Wenches started birdin' on Satterdee, May 12 at 1pm at San Pedro House. Although th' wind be blowin' an' th' heat almost unbearable, we sailed th' low seas in search o' birds; warblers, tanagers an' Gray Hawks be in abundance. Stoppin' at th' foul smellin' water spot ( Sierra Vista Environmental Operations Park ), Horned Larks flitted in th' grass an' swallows o' ever' description swooped in th' skies. We hastily made fer Ash an' Miller Canyons 'ere Lucifer an' White-eared hummingbirds, among others, be resplendent in the'r shinin' coats. Ahead o' schedule, we sailed towards Twin Lakes in Willcox , AZ.
At Willcox, we swiftly picked up Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-faced Ibis an' Coots by th' dozen. Scaled Quail 'ere so plentiful, we could be havin' fed our entire crew fer a fortnight. Wilson 's Phalaropes, Redheads an' Northern Shovelers tried t' overtake our ship, but we persevered an' found th' skulkin' Marbled Godwit an' Willet. Wi' a strong tailwind t' aid our progress, we navigated our way aft t' Tucson fer a night o' owlin'.
Darn 't all if we didn't hear a single night dwellin' vermin at Saguaro National Park East an' Agua Caliente Park . Settin' sail fer Mt. Lemmon, th' crew struggled wi' th' strong wind, but managed t' steer th' ship t' more productive ports, smartly pickin' up Lesser Nighthawk, Common Poorwills an' Western an' Whiskered Screech-Owls. Bunkin' down in Bear Wallow, some o' th' crew got an unheard o' four hours o' sleep, while others kept vigilant searchin' th' horizon fer rival sea dogs. Risin' t' a chorus o' mornin' singers, we smartly identified nuthatch, chickadees, flycatchers, woodpeckers, jays an' a Virginia 's Warbler. Makin' haste down th' mountain, we picked up Rock Wren, Olive Warbler an' Yellow-eyed Junco, t' name a wee. Still ahead o' schedule, th' captain decided we ortin' ta avast at Agua Caliente Park .
Usin' our spyglass, we spotted Roadrunners, Purple Martins an' a Bronzed Cowbird. Bell 's Vireo, our first Cactus Wren an' a Great Horned Owl feedin' its baby a rabbit hade rounded ou' our adventures at th' park. From thar we sped towards Madera , which had th' usual suspects an' some surprises.
Black-throated an' Cassin's Sparrows sang along th' road, th' Flame-colored Tanager occupied its same Cottonwood tree an' Acorn Woodpeckers screeched as they flew. Th' surprises be th' Crissal Thrasher an' early Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher. Cruisin' t' Rio Rico an' Kino Springs, Black-bellied Whistlin' Ducks, a Great Blue Heron an' a Common Moorhen be our only additions. Needin' only two more birds t' reach our goal o' 150, we unfurled all sails an' made fer Patagonia Lake . A Great Egret, Western Grebe, Western Wood-Pewee, Canyon Towhee, Common Poop Deck-Dove an' Double-crested an' Neotropic Cormorants put us o'er th' top, finishin' wi' a grand total o' 155!
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This page was updated on 06/04/07