Stephen Ingraham (who?)

the unofficial site for birders and digiscopers using Zeiss equipment.

Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival

This is Zeiss's second trip to Cottonwood Arizona for the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Fesitval. The Verde river is relatively unique in that it has run year round, through the high deserts of Arizona, for as long as man can remember. Along its course are inmumeralbe springs, ponds, marshes, and a continous band of cottonwood raparian vegitaion that contrasts sharply with the sage and Mesquite beyond the reach of water.

This is a dry year in Arizona, but still the river runs, and the cottonwoods and willows are green.

The migrants who use this river corridor on their way north each year are running late, maybe because temperatures here have been well below normal. A mid-morning hike to Tavasci March, with Tuzigoot ruins raising above the reeds and river, turned up few birds.

On the way back, however, I stopped to take a "nature break" under some Cottonwoods near where the marsh stream flows back into the Verde, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk, probably a female by the size, flew in and settled on a limb 40 feet above my head. It was miserable light, the bird against the sun and bright sky, and I had to move the scope and tripod out into the crunchy leaves, I thought she would startle for sure, but I took 50 or more exposures before she finally flew.

Even then, she just settled on a limb over my shoulder, slightly closer, maybe 30 feet, and I turned and continued to take exposure after exposure. I had well over !00 by the time I decided she wasn't going to do anything much more that I didn't already have on the card. I left the cottonwoods before she did. Clicking on the birds below will open a bigger version.

Tuzigoot close up.	Frank Brant: Certified Zeiss Birding Guide
The Great Verde Valley Birding Festival Tent Show

Rain overnight: more birds moving in the morning. Saturday was the day for my digiscoping workshops.