Birds and Nature

While I was birding on Blue Heaven Road just a few hundred yards south of the Paton's yard I spotted this raptor that looked like a possible Zone-tailed Hawk. It was an adult Zone-tail--showing it's barred remiges, bright yellow cere and white tail bands in this photo- but it's feathers were in pretty condition. I looked up info on their molt cycle on Birds of North America online which noted that this was not well understood for this species but, "In Arizona, primaries and tail are renewed in Aug." That certainly fits for this bird.  Features can be seen better by clicking on photo to enlarge it.  SeEtta

I had hoped to get to see a Thick-billed Kingbird when I traveled to the Patagonia, AZ area today but it had not been reported since last week at the famous 'Patagonia Roadside Rest' where it had most recently been observed. I tried that location this morning on my way to Patagonia Lake State Park (where I went to see the Blue-footed Booby and did) but no luck. This afternoon I decided to check the Blue Haven Road, that runs from Paton's through the Nature Conservancy's Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, for Zone-tailed Hawk. I did looked south of the Preserve where Thick-billed Kingbirds have been found but no luck. Then when I was looking for a Gray Hawk I heard north of the Preserve on that road I heard a repeated call I did not know so I stopped to check it out--it was a call of this Thick-billed Kingbird. Then a second Thick-billed Kingbird began calling also but I did not locate it visually. It appears that this is a first fall bird due to the yellowi...