Grand Canyon and Arizona Desert
March 24-31, 2012

An Arizona trip without birds as our focus? Well, it's easy when the Grand Canyon is in focus. We did enjoy plenty of birds. We soaked in the warm desert bloom around Phoenix, including birds in close at the spectacular Gilbert wetlands. Then we went north for three amazing days in Grand Canyon National Park. On our final day, we had close encounters with the rare and spectacular Common Black Hawk (which really isn't so common at all in North America). Oh, right -- we also gawked at California Condors. Here's a bird list plus some other notable critters.

Canada Goose
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Ruddy Duck
Gambel's Quail
Eared Grebe
Neotropic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture
California Condor
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Common Black-Hawk
Harris's Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Least Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
Greater Roadrunner
Northern Pygmy-Owl
White-throated Swift
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Costa's Hummingbird
Gila Woodpecker
Red-naped Sapsucker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Bell's Vireo
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Mountain Chickadee
Bridled Titmouse
Juniper Titmouse
Verdin
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Cactus Wren
Rock Wren
Canyon Wren
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Curve-billed Thrasher
European Starling
Phainopepla
Orange-crowned Warbler
Lucy's Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Abert's Towhee
Black-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Great-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
Red Crossbill
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Butterflies
Pipevine Swallowtail
Two-tailed Swallowtail
Orange Sulphur
Sara Orangetip
Dainty Sulphur
Brown Elfin
Sagebrush Checkerspot
Mourning Cloak
Red Admiral
Painted Lady
West Coast Lady
Empress Leilia
Monarch
Queen
Checkered Skipper species
Yucca Giant-Skipper

Lizards
Ornate Tree Lizard
Common Side-blotched Lizard
Plateau Lizard
Desert Spiny Lizard

Mammals
Desert Cottontail
Rock Squirrel
Mule Deer
Bighorn Sheep

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