Date: 4/30/25 3:37 pm From: <dpsiminski...> Subject: [AZNMbirds] San Pedro House Birding Walk
This morning, 23 birders participated in The Friends of the San Pedro River’s
birding walk. We split up into two groups and we birded the San Pedro House
Trails all within the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA).
We saw 80 species of birds.
As Steve Tracy observed, with the dry condition throughout the San Pedro River
Valley, the only place with abundant water and bugs is the river. Long Live
the San Pedro River! Many bird watchers have been reporting extraordinary
numbers of migrants along the river and reporting migrants that you would
typically only see in the mountains. We have not seen as many birds in one
morning on a San Pedro House Birding Walk since pre-pandemic days.
We saw a Painted Redstart and several Swainson’s Thrushes, both of which are
primarily mountain species in the San Pedro River Valley, the redstart as a
summer mountain resident, the thrush as spring mountain migrant. We saw great
numbers of migrant empids of the four expected species, Western, Hammond’s,
Dusky and Gray. Plus, a bazillion migrant Wilson’s Warblers.
The prize for the day was a Gray Vireo seen by one of two groups in Graden
Wash east of Del Valle Road. The Gray Vireo is a casual to rare spring
migrant through the SPRNCA.
For the month of May, the Friends of the San Pedro River will lead San Pedro
House Birding Walks on Wednesday, 14 May, and on Wednesday, 28 May. The walks
start at 7:00am. The walks last about three- and one-half hours. Bring your
own binoculars, a hat and water.
All San Pedro House Birding Walks start at the San Pedro House. The San Pedro
House is about 7 miles east of Sierra Vista on the southside of Highway 90
just west of the San Pedro River.
