Grand Canyon National Park - April 2008
I took the family on a small vacation to the Grand Canyon & Las Vegas over spring break. April 5-10, 2008.
We did the AAA Rails to the Rim tour. It was a nice way to see the Grand Canyon.
This wasn't really a birding vacation, but none the less I was hoping to add a few life birds. At the top of my wish list, of course, was a California Condor. They are very rare and one of the best places to find them is the Grand Canyon.
On the whole I was a bit disappointed with the bird watching. I did see a lot of birds, but not a great variety of them. I got up early one morning and spent about 2 hours wandering around the wooded area behind our lodge. Like I said, I saw lots of birds, but unfortunately they all seemed to be the same 2-3 species. - Western Bluebirds and Pygmy Nuthatches.
Our first day at the canyon I did see a California Condor. The bird was high in the sky soaring over the canyon. A spectacular sight to be sure. I snapped lots of pictures, but unfortunately most weren't very good.
On our last day I was fortunate enough to find a condor resting on a ledge very close to the rim. The bird stayed there for about 10-15 minutes and I was able to get some good shots of it. Yippee.
One bird I spotted that was a great find was a Red-backed Dark-eyed Junco. According to the range map in Sibley's this is a specialized local bird, found in limited areas of Arizonia, New Mexico and a small area of Texas. I was able to get s few so-so shots. Unfortunately they all came out a little blurry. :(
While at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams, AZ I thought I saw a Pink-sided Dark-eyed Junco in the residential area next to the hotel. Unfortuately I wasn't able to get close enough to confirm my sighting. Drats.
Overall I only added three new life birds. The California Condor, the Red-backed Dark-eyed Junco and a Pygmy Nuthatch. I was able to get photos of the Western Bluebirds (there were lots of them around), and one Violet-green Swallow. Both birds had been missing from my photo collection.
The list is all the birds spotted (or heard) over the course of our vacation...
House Sparrow, Great-tailed Grackle, Common Raven, Red-tailed Hawk, Rock Dove, Song Sparrow, California Condor, Western Scrub Jay, Pygmy Nuthatch, Western Bluebirds, American Robin, Violet-green Swallow, Purple Finch (f), Eurasian Collared Dove, Mountian Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Flicker (heard), Red-shoulderd Hawk (heard), American Goldfinch, Hairy Woodpecker, Double-crested Cormorant, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Turkey Vulture
The last three birds listed were seen at the Hoover Dam.
Attached photo is of the California Condor.
The Red-backed Dark-eyed Junco will be in my gallery.
Attachment(s): CALIF CONDOR.jpg