Tag Archives: Catalina State Park
~Sunset over the Catalina Mountains
~December 22, 2018, Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, AZ
A lovely walk, at sunset, on the Romero Ruin Loop Trail.












The Romero Ruin Trail Loop is one of my very favorite trails. The views, from atop this hill of the Catalina Mountains are spectacular, the foliage diverse, and the birding rewarding. At sunset, the scene is peaceful and breathtaking.
Earlier in the day, on the same trail:

A list of all the other birds I observed while visiting Catalina State Park:
Northern Harrier, Cooper’s Hawk(new), Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Anna’s Hummingbird, Gilded Flicker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Gila Woodpecker, Vermilion Flycatcher, Say’s Phoebe, Common Raven, Western Scrub-Jay, White-crowned Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, Canyon Towhee, Pyrrhuloxia, House Finch, Cassin’s Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, House Sparrow.
I wish I would have seen more!
~The Moon Sits Atop a Saguaro
December 20, 2018, Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, AZ
A stroll at dusk back a nature trail in Catalina State Park to watch the moon rise over the Catalina Mountains was a lovely way to spend the evening.
The Moon sits atop a cactus.


It was a lovely walk, watching the glow of the setting sun play its magic over the mountains.
On Saturday, December 22nd, the moon will be full and it is also the winter solstice. Winter is here.
~Birding in Arizona – a few final photos from Catalina State Park
~Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, AZ, November, 2107

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I don’t think this Warbler liked the suet, but it was fun watching it try to land on the feeder.
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Recently I began paying more attention to the House Finch, which is usually ignored. They can be very expressive and a challenge to photograph.
I watched this male land on this stump, fly off, and then return. I focused my camera on the stump, and with patience managed to capture these photos. It sure pays to watch a birds behavior when trying to photograph them and is very educational. What a handsome little finch and a cute pose.
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This Morning Dove sat on this branch for the longest time. It seemed perfectly fine, resting in the sunshine. There must have been about fifty morning Doves around our RV site, usually in the early morning and late evening; they appeared to be a little thin, perhaps they just migrated south.
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~Beautiful Arizona, we are already looking forward to next year!~
“The West is the Best”
~Birding in Arizona – more Hummers
~Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, Arizona, November, 2017
Don’t you just love these tiny birds?
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I believe these are Anna’s Hummingbirds. Without the light highlighting the colors of the head and throat it is hard to tell. The Costa’s is smaller, short-tailed and has more white on the chest. I spent quite a bit of time trying to correctly ID these hummers. If anyone has any thoughts on ID, please let me know.
It was sure fun observing and trying to capture them with my camera. The bees sure did give them grief.
~Happy Birding~