Memories of Patagonia

Near the start of my 2023 expedition to Canada, I passed through Patagonia in March and visited the Patton Center for Hummingbirds for my first visit to this well-known birding destination. Later, as I was returning home in July, I stopped once more. Each visit provided me with lasting memories, and a desire to return. Below are some notes from these visits.

2023-03-21 in Patagonia

Tuesday I visited the Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia, a destination I have heard many folks rave about over the years. It was my first visit, but I sure hope it is not the last. Once the home of bird lovers Wally and Marion Paton, it is now operated by the Tucson Audubon Society. The staff on hand seem to keep busy maintaining the grounds by weeding, pruning, brush-clearing, and filling the bird-feeders. When I saw how much work was going on, and how many birds flocked over the grounds, I felt it only fitting to contribute to their “Sugar Fund”. 

There seemed to be many ways visitors could enjoy their time here. Some seemed to find interest in hiking the trails, especially those that wound their way through the Nature Conservancy grounds next door. There were camera enthusiasts like myself, finding pleasure in capturing images of the many bird species here (both resident and migrant). And there were the twitchers, happy just to see the birds, and chat with each other about what they had seen.

I tried to meet all the species I found and capture their countenance with my new camera. I may have overdone it. I stayed just short of two hours, and when I finished, I had taken almost 2000 frames. That is a rate of 1000 per hour. I *must* learn to discipline myself. I spent most of Tuesday night on my second round of culling. I whittled the set down to about 150, before finally reducing the number to a manageable sixty-five. 

I had been on the road for over a week, boondock camping in my RV. I needed to attend to my dump-and-fill tank duties, so I paid for a night at the Patagonia RV Park, and took care of my tanks. I thought I had finished taking bird pictures for the day, but when I saw a Vermilion Flycatcher working the field next door, I took out my camera and spent some time with this lovely bird.

When the day was done, I had met the following species: Abert’s Towhee, Curve-Billed Thrasher, Gila Woodpecker, Green-Tailed Towhee, Inca Dove, Ladder-Backed Woodpecker, Lazuli Bunting, Lesser Goldfinch, Northern Cardinal, Pine Siskin, Scott’s Oriole, Song Sparrow, Vermilion Flycatcher, White-Breasted Nuthatch, White-Crowned Sparrow, and Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

2023-07-13 Paton’s In Patagonia

My day at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds Thursday was lovely. I came early and stayed late. I spent some quality time with the site manager. He provided me with background information about what the Tucson Audubon Society has planned for this facility. 

There was a lot of excitement surrounding the Thick-Billed Kingbird and the Plain-Capped Starthroat haunting the area of late. Folks had seen the Starthroat (a large hummingbird) here for about nine days. But though there were folks standing vigil all day hoping to meet this rarity, the bird never showed up during my visit. The kingbird was only slightly more cooperative, and limited its time with us to long-distance views. I took a few long-distance shots of the Kingbird.

The grounds surrounding Paton’s have plenty of shade. And with these warm days, shade is a benefit. It was like a salve for us humans suffering under triple-digit temperatures. But shade can be a challenge when trying to photograph birds. It is easy to lose the finer feather details of the bird’s continence. I fear that, on average, the set I collected today will be sub-par.

This was only my second visit to this iconic birders destination. During my March tour, I confined myself to the grounds surrounding the old home site. But there is an arroyo that runs along the southern boundary of the property. So on the advice of the site manager, I walked downstream of this now dry wash and found the outflow of water from the nearby treatment facility. I enjoyed the birds attracted by this valuable resource, so rare in this mostly arid land.

Later, I returned to the residential compound, and I alternated between the feeders stationed at various locations on the property. When the heat became too much for me, I settled in under the shelter of the overhanging roof where the Starthroat vigil was being held. Most of the morning’s visiting birders had moved on. So there was plenty of seating available. I found a chair that gave me a view of the feeding hummingbirds, and snapped away when the mood suited me.

I added a new species to my catalog during this visit. The Violet-Crowned Hummingbird visited the feeders where observers had seen the Starthroat for the past nine days. The Violet-Crowned bird shots I got were as they perched on feeders. I hoped to get one perched elsewhere or in flight, but I was unsuccessful in that regard.

I was closing in on the end for this four-month expedition, but I wanted just one more stop before I turned to the home-stretch. Madera Canyon was only a few miles away, but someone shared with me what seemed to be a reliable location to meet Five-Striped Sparrows. I had been hoping to see them for more than a decade. But I failed on all my previous attempts. I had to choose to revisit either Madera Canyon, or to follow the primitive road to Box Canyon, a little north of the Santa Rita Mountains. Ultimately, I plotted a course to the sparrows, and left the Madera Canyon visit for another day. I will tell that story on my next, and last installment of this 2023 expedition.