Patagonia Lake State Park AZ

Feb 23, - Feb 28 2012
Spent a week at Patagonia Lake State Park AZ. I arrived at the campground about noon on Wed. It was quiet and peaceful with lots of birds in the trees, just as my friends who visited here a couple of weeks ago had promised. Then the parade started. Little did I know, there was a rodeo in Tucson and the schools were out Thurs and Fri. Guess rodeos are a big deal around these parts.The RV’s started lining up at the gate, each with a minimum of 5 children each. The campground soon filled to capacity with adults and children whose sole purpose seemed to be to make my camping experience as unpleasant as possible. They didn’t seem to be camping to enjoy the natural surroundings. They were in 24 / 7 party mode. I don’t get it. They could stay home and party. Why come to a campground and be loud and obnoxious. Oh well, I spent Fri, Sat, and Sun grocery shopping, doing laundry, and visiting other sites and birding places in the area. I also found a few Javelina or Collared Peccary. They are the only wild, native, piglike animal found in the United States. By Sunday afternoon there were just a few other campers and myself left to enjoy the solitude. I spent the next couple of days photographing the birds in the campground.


Area surrounding Patagonia Lake State Park AZ

Javelina Baby

Javelina Adult

Eurasian Collared-Doves

 Vermilion Flycatcher 

Broad-billed Hummingbird

Mexican Jay



Lark Sparrow

Violet-crowned Hummingbird



White-winged Dove

Pyrrhuloxia

Feb 22, 2012 Wed
Drove all day yesterday. I spent the night in Benson AZ on my way to Patagonia State Park AZ.
I was checking out the birds in the campground when I couldn’t believe my eyes. About 100 feet from my campsite was a Pyrrhuloxia. This is the first one I have ever seen. I’m excited.

Pyrrhuloxia Male

Lighthouses on Lake Havasu

Feb 19, 2012 Sun

The gang went to Mud Sharks brewing Co for dinner. Of course we had to sample the local brew. Linda and Carole sampled eight different brews. A good time was had by all.

Gang at Mudsharks in Havasu

I found a few of the lighthouses along Lake Havasu today.
The Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club was first formed in 2000, when a group of boaters wanted to improve the navigational lights on Lake Havasu. Since then, replicas of famous lighthouses have popped up along the shoreline of Lake Havasu. Eventually there will be 20 lighthouses, including some on the CA side of the lake.

The Wind Point Lighthouse was completed in 1880 and is located 3.5 miles north of Racine to assist navigation around the point into Racine Harbor

Location: Alpean, Michigan; Lake Huron; Thunder Bay River Entrance
Station Established: 1877

The orginal Split Rock Light is located on the North Shore of Lake Superior near Two Harbors Minninsota

The Vermilion Lighthouse was built in 1847 in Lake Erie

Fireworks

Feb 18, 2012 Sat
The Western Pyrotechnic Association (WPA) put on a fireworks display at Lake Havasu tonight. WOW!! It was a wonderful display. We all piled into cars and trucks, drove to the park, and braved the chilly AZ evening to view fire in the sky.

FreeWheelers in AZ

Feb 17, 2012 Fri
Visited with FreeWheeler friends that arrived  yesterday and today. Had munchies in Pat and Coleen’s BIG 5^th wheel – all eight of us.

Bill Williams NWR AZ

Feb 16, 2012 Thur
After an early morning run into town to do a little business at the credit union, I picked up Mary and we drove out a dirt road in the bill Williams NWR. We didn’t see the Nutting's flycatcher everyone is excited about, but we did see several Phainopeplas and a few ducks and various waterfowl.



Male Phainopepla

Female Phainopepla



Clark's Grebe

Yes they all have red eyes.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Feb 15, 2012 Wed
I gathered my laundry and loaded it in the truck and was about to take it into town when I heard the tap tap tap of a woodpecker. I grabbed the binoculars and found a ladder-backed woodpecker in a Palo Verde tree on the hill behind my trailer. Then I grabbed the camera.

When I returned from the laundromat, it started to rain. I don't know if it was the sound of rain drops on the roof or the big fish and chips lunch I had in town, but I had a nice nap.
Later Linda, Carol, Woody and of course Lucy Blue came to visit and we had a nice walk around the campground.