11/2022 – I found some photos, of Dead Horse Ranch State Park, on my phone that I thought I would share. Geez, sometimes managing photos can be a major chore.
There are three lagoons in Dead Horse each with a walking trail that circles the entire body of water. As you can see from the photos below the water captures some great reflection shots.
Still a little Fall color left in November.
Verde River
The river and these ponds are excellent places to bird. In fact the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival is an annual event hosted by Friends of the Verde Valley at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Here is a link: https://verderiver.org/birding-festival/
I was there one year when the festival was being setup. I regret not staying and participating in the event.
~We began our winter journey back in November, 2022. We traveled from Colorado to Cottonwood, AZ and stayed at Dead Horse Ranch State Park for two weeks. It is by far one of my very favorite AZ state parks. The birding and hiking trails are wonderful. A few birds were in the area, but not many.
A beautiful little Junco.White-breasted Nuthatch.A Bridled Titmouse.Another sweet Junco.I have searched to ID this Sparrow. It appears to me to be a Field Sparrow; however they aren’t listed in birding books as being in AZ. Any ideas?A crazy pano photo of the birding stations.
The town of Cottonwood is a fun place to visit, although it might be best known as a gateway to the nearby red rocks of Sedona. Cottonwood has plenty charm of its own. Start with the quaint Old Town district and branch out to the banks of the lushly green Verde River and the nearby historic towns of Clarkdale and Jerome. The Verde Canyon Railroad offers a beautiful four hour, 20 mile train ride through the canyon. It is worth checking into. https://verdecanyonrr.com
If you enjoy Mexican food give Pepe’s in Cottonwood a try. Not much to look at from the outside, but the food is great. It seems a favorite of the locals.
~In between the lagoons in Dead Horse Ranch State Park is a grove of trees, mostly Cottonwoods. There is a watering hole there that is man-made and fed by the river. The birds flock to this area to eat and drink.
Bluebirds were everywhere. They must be flocking to migrate. It was fun watching them hunt for bugs.
Dead Horse Ranch State Park is home to the annual Friends of Verde Valley Birding Festival, which takes place in April. If you enjoy birding and are in the area then this event is worth attending. Here is a link: https://verderiver.org/birding-festival/
Throughout the year the park puts out feeding stations to attract birds. It sure makes it easy to sit on a bench and watch the birds fly in and out.
Goldfinches
Chipping Sparrow
House Finch
Say’s Phoebe
Sorry for the quality of this photo. She was hanging around a kid’s playground in the park.
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