Our plan for today is too hit two birds with one stone, go to the Gem Show on the last day it is open (hooray for procrastinating) and also visit Sweetwater Wetlands where a rare rusty blackbird has been seen. After our two hour drive to Tucson punctuated only by a stop to buy gas we are ready to get out of the car and start our visit at Sweetwater.
Sweetwater Wetlands is a well known birdwatching area that we visited multiple times and always has something new to surprise us. Today we start with high hopes and try to make our way towards the pond where the rusty blackbird was usually seen.
Of course we stop a lot along the way as the birds are flittering all around us, we are quite surprised and it seems like a great start for the birdwatching day.
Even more surprising to us at least is the fact that the majority of the wetlands are drained, that is quite unexpected but it gives us hope that the majority of waterbirds will be grouped together in the remaining water areas.
There are quite a few species of birds in the area but no blackbirds can be found, not even the common red-winged ones. At least we see a Wilson’s Snipe a rare bird for us and it lets us watch it for a while before disappearing into the reeds.
Encounter
While walking the trail we noticed two people watching a bush intently. With no idea what they are doing we approach quietly and they tell us a round-tailed ground squirrel is in a nearby bush. It takes a lot of effort to describe where it is but to our delight the squirrel couldn’t care less about people so we had an opportunity for some great photos as he clambered around in the bush eating.
Observation
Walking today through the marshlands we were surprised at the large number of song sparrows which were seemingly everywhere. Every reed was holding one and every movement we saw was due to them, or at least that is how it seemed. And of course they were also singing everywhere, we haven’t seen that many for a long while.
Returning towards the car we discover that the marshlands in that area are a lot greener but that the greenery near the edge of the lake which hid bobcats and birds previously now disappeared completely. This makes for great viewing of the water but it eliminated hiding places for the wildlife.
On this last stretch a group of birdwatchers have seen an American Bittern so we together with another group search for it for a while with no luck. What we do see is lots of turtles, mallards, a gallinule, ducks and a pied-billed grebe.
Next it is time to finally visit the Tucson Gem Show, it is already early afternoon and we expect the show to close early. The Tucson Gem Show isn’t actually one show it is multiple exhibitions spaced throughout the city and we choose one that we didn’t visit before, the Kino Gem Show. As we arrive we are taken aback at the sheer size of this expo, it is clear to us that we won’t be able to see it all in the remaining hours. But we have to start somewhere so we start with the biggest tent and soon are lost between the many exhibitors – gems, rings, fossils and much more are for sale here.
After some time we realize we are hungry and decide to look for the food area – that is an adventure in itself and we are tempted to stop everywhere we look.
We arrive in the food truck area and the choices are a bit disappointing given the size of the show as there is only a hamburger/hot dog stand and a gyro stand. We choose a cheeseburger and a hotdog coupled with a blended coffee and both hit the spot and refreshed we return to the show.
As usual in these type of shows there is a stand with metal sculptures, that one is great to look at but difficult to buy something due to the size/weight of the items.
We continue exploring and buying small items until the show closes at 4PM and then it is time to return to Sweetwater Wetlands for another try at the rusty blackbird and to enjoy the sunset in the preserve.
Returning at the preserve we start with the cleared area which has the most water to see if there are any interesting ducks and also because it is quite scenic.
By far the most beautiful duck that we see at the beginning of our walk is a cinnamon teal, its colors shining in the falling sun.
Then we arrive at the dry area, it is a quite a contrast versus the wet area and we wonder what type of management the wetlands management team is trying to do. As we walk we hear the sound of pumps and checking around we notice that a farther pond is starting to get water which put all the ducks in the area in a frenzy as they are swimming back and forth rapidly.
And then surprise – we hear the unmistakable sound of calling red-winged blackbird and soon we find them in one of the dry areas sitting in the reeds and calling. Unfortunately for us no matter how much we look we see only males and only red-winged, luckily they are so beautiful that we don’t mind much.
Besides blackbirds there are quite a few species of woodpecker like gilded woodpecker, northern flicker and ladder-backed woodpecker as well as other birds like the ubiquitous house finches.
We are not the only birders even this late afternoon with other people passing us being betrayed by their binoculars and cameras. We find also a lot of blackbirds perched on a wire but unfortunately they are far away so we cannot distinguish if any of them are our target bird.
As we approach the car it is getting dark but we do one more stop at the main overlook where a few more birders are taking photos of the northern pintails on the lake – we decide that a closer common slider is the best our camera can do.
And then home we go with the drive being uneventful which is always a good thing and after a quick dinner it is time to go to sleep to recuperate for the work week ahead.