“If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we line in.” —Rachel Carson
Most birds you will see at Las Lagunas migrate north in summer and south in winter passing through our wetlands as they come and go. Because the Sonora desert is very large and dry, birds congregate in narrow wetlands like Las Lagunas. Unfortunately, these wetlands have been filled in or have gone dry, so wetlands like ours are rare and valuable habitat that we work hard to protect.
Many of the birds listed below are on the “Species of Concern and Stewardship Species”.
Abert’s Towhee – SC
American Coot
American Kestrel
Barn Swallow
Belted Kingfisher – SC
Bewick’s Wren
Black Hawk – SC
Black Phoebe
Black Vulture
Black-bellied Whistling Duck – SC
Black-capped Gnatcatcher – SC
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Black-crowned Night Heron
Blue Grosbeak
Blue-winged Teal
Brewer’s Sparrow
Bridled Titmouse
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Canvasback
Canyon Towhee
Cassin’s Kingbird
Cedar Waxwing
Chijuajuan Raven
Chipping Sparrow
Cinnamon Teal
Common Golden eye
Common Moorhen
Common Yellowthroat
Cooper’s Hawk
Curved-billed Thrasher
Eastern Meadowlark
European Starling
Gadwall
Gila Woodpecker
Gray Hawk – SC
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Great Horned Owl
Great-tailed Grackle
Green Heron
Green Kingfisher
Green-tailed Towhee
Green-winged Teal
Hermit Thrush
House Finch
House Sparrow
House Wren
Inca Dove
Killdeer
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Lark Sparrow
Lazuli Bunting
Lesser Goldfinch
Lesser Scaup
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Loggerhead Shrike – SC
Lucy’s Warbler
McGillivray’s Warbler
Marsh Wren
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Northern Harrier
Northern Pintail
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Northern Shoveler
Northern Waterthrush
Orange-crowned Warbler
Painted Bunting
Peregrine Falcon – SC
Phainopepla
Pied-billed Grebe
Plumbeous Vireo
Pyrrhuloxia
Raven
Redhead
Red-naped Sapsucker
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Ring-necked Duck
Ringed Turtle-dove
Roadrunner
Rock Dove
Rock Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruddy Duck
Say’s Phoebe
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Snowy Egret – SC
Song Sparrow
Sora
Summer Tanager
Turkey Vulture
Verdin
Vermilion Flycatcher
Vesper Sparrow
Virginia Rail
Warbling Vireo
Western Kingbird
Western Meadowlark
western Scrub-Jay
Western Wood-Pewee
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-crowned Sparrow
White-faced Ibis – SC
White-throated Sparrow
White-winged Dove
Willow Flycatcher – SC
Wilson’s Snipe
Wilson’s Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-billed Cuckoo – SC
Yellow-breasted Chat
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Zone-tailed Hawk – SC
Within our Cottonwood/Willow Riparian Habitat, we are home to the Sensitive Species of Gray Hawk; a relatively rare Arizona raptor species. By protecting the riparian habitat and the Bosque habitat we can promote their survival. The yellow-billed Cuckoo, also a Sensitive Species, relies on this habitat as well as the Bosque habitat above. The Willow Flycatcher is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed endangered species and can be sensitive to human disturbance. We strive to protect these species by conserving their habitat through trail management and grazing management.
The Mesquite Bosque on the upperbench is home to Lucy’s Warbler (Habitat Quality Indicator). By allowing the natural habitat of mesquite, hackberry and elderberry to flourish, we are protecting the possible nest sites.
The Marsh provides habitat for the Virginia Rail and Sora which occurs in wetlands with shallow water, emergent vegetation (cattails, grasses, and sedges) interspersed with open water and mud flats or matted vegetations. By managing open water at Las Lagunas we can conserve this important habitat for these species.
Las Lagunas celebrates International Migratory Bird Day which is the second Saturday in May designated to celebrate bird migration and conservation. For more information, please see www.birdday.org