Birding in Arizona - rest of Sunday

On the edge of Patagonia, heading North (Sunday night we had reserved a hotel in Mesa, just to the East of Phoenix) we stopped at a famous (amongst birders) rest-stop on the road out of town.  We hoped to see Rose-throated Becard and Thick-billed Kingbird, but dipped out on both species.

We did enjoy a good view of a Western Tanager:

And a perched Gray Hawk:

But nothing else in around fifteen minutes of hovering around, so headed on to the third spot for the day, Patagonia Lake State Park.  Now it being Memorial weekend in the USA we anticipated people being out and about.  We were still surprised by the number of people in the park, and the $15 day-use entrance fee!

This is classic Arizona habitat, Mesquite trees and cacti:

In which you find all sorts of things, including Black-headed Grosbeaks:

Sunlit flowers:

Summer Tanagers:

 

On the water we saw Pelicans and Coots (distant) and Double-crested Cormorant:

We walked right under these birds, a pair of Rock Wrens building a nest in a tree hole:

We also got a great view and were able to positively identify for ourselves Lucy's Warbler:

A lifer for us and the last bird in the Park, a Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, a tiny little flycatcher:

We drove on from the Patagonia area to Mesa, stopping at an iHop for a late lunch and then checked in to our hotel, the Arizona Golf Resort to process the first two days photographs and grab an early night.  We liked the resort, the food was good, the unit spacious, clean and comfortable and we would stay there again.