Arizona, 2025, Day 3

My sister had this crazy idea that we should hike down to the Colorado River and back up to the rim yesterday, day 2, so we set out before sunrise and did that. I managed to get some interesting pictures with my phone, but I did not haul my camera along on that hike, so those can wait for another day. This morning, however, my sister and I went out to see who we could see before we got on the road, and there were plenty of faces new and old.

This first beauty is our very first black-throated grey warbler (Setophaga nigrescens), whose natural range does not extend east of New Mexico, so you’ve gotta come out west to see them.

Another westerner is this ash-throated flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens), another first for me, and a bird whose appearance and behavior reminded me of the great crested flycatchers we’ll be seeing arrive in Estabrook soon.

It wouldn’t be a visit to the Grand Canyon without seeing a cliff chipmunk, it seems, so here you go.

Similarly, this western bluebird came out to welcome me back with another fine portrait opportunity. I wish the eastern bluebirds we see in Estabrook would be so kind.

This pygmy nuthatch, on the other hand, gave me a much better look than I got last time.

There were plenty of these around, and at first the glossy males made me think they might be grackles of some kind, but the short beak and grayish-brown females helped me identify them as our first Brewer’s blackbirds (Euphagus cyanocephalus).

Finally, your flower of the day is this tiny common stork’s-bill (Erodium cicutarium).

I’m still a bit exhausted from yesterday, and we’re hiking again tomorrow, so I’ve gotta let you go, and I’ll be back with more tomorrow.