We drove down to the San Pedro river for a field trip with Abby’s school. As we walked down to the river from the Marshall bridge, a Belted Kingfisher flew up and down the river. Warblers, gnatcatchers, and flycatchers were diving into the swarms of midges above the river. The Wilson’s Warblers were particularly spectacular, brilliant yellow with black caps, weaving in and out and fanning their tails. A gorgeous Summer Tanager flew in to the cottonwoods opposite. Also Black-throated Gray Warblers, Blue-gray Gnatchers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and various unidentified flycatchers. A Zone-tailed hawk, which Abby’s teacher explained was pretending to be a vulture, hovered above.

One of the boys spotted this Gila Monster from the train tracks as we retraced our steps back up the river. Close up, his skin looked like bead work.

Later we went to the San Pedro House, where flocks of White-crowned Sparrows watched us eat lunch, and Green-tailed Towhees hopped around feeding for the tourists (rusty red crest, white bib, yellow-green tail feathers). We walked to the beaver pond, seeing a  spectacular Vermilion Flycatcher in the fields on the way, and fat bullfrogs when we got there. A Black Phoebe was hunting insects by the side of the pond.

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