Patagonia Rest Stop

After a morning of meetings and a conference call at Audubon's Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch, I drove over to the Patagonia Roadside Rest Stop on my way back to Phoenix. Within a few minutes I was able to see the American Dipper reported from there this week, in the rapids across from the shrine north of the main rest stop pull out. A couple other birders got a glimpse of the bird, but another couple had just left after waiting over an hour and not seeing the bird. Just like yesterday in Madera Canyon, you win some and you lose some. Fortunately I've had pretty good luck on this trip.

While birding in the rest of the area was pretty slow, before I left I was able to pick up some additional year birds--Canyon Wren, Cassin's Vireo, Plumbeous Vireo. Perhaps even better than the birding, at the rest stop I finally met up with Rick of Aimophila Adventures after emailing back and forth for a couple years.

Daily List: 36 species (180% of Bird RDA)
2008 List: 169 species