Wilson's Warbler
Photo by Earle Robinson

The Tres Rios Wetlands is a premier place to bird on the west side of the valley. It can always provide birders a wide variety of birds. Unfortunately, this was the first day of dove hunting season in the valley and the hunters were out in full force. Another factor was an approaching rain storm that shortened our morning of birding. We did however manage to see a number of the birds at the wetlands.

Joining us for the trip were John Gottfried, Tom Lazzelle, Pat Dyer, Vera Markham, Anne Durning, Michael Guethlein, Jeff Fustich, Bob McCormick and the leader Chuck Kangas.

The birds seen or heard were: Pied-billed Grebe, Neotropic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Least Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Blackcrowned Night Heron, White-faced Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Sora, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Inca Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Anna’s Hummingbird, Gila Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Gray Flycatcher, Western Type Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Western Kingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Plumbeous Vireo, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Verdin, Cactus Wren, Marsh Wren, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Phainopepla, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson’s Warbler, Abert’s Towhee, Song Sparrow, Red-Winged Blackbird, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch and House Sparrow.

We were going next to the Cobblestone ponds but it started to rain so we all decided to go home. Then the sky opened up and we had a desert downpour. Of course when we got home it was perfectly dry.