News release from the Nature Conservancy’s Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve:
Above: Galley of three rare birds recently seen at the preserve. Photos by Marc Faucher
We’ve had a few rare birds show up in the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve during the past month. They have attracted many birders from Arizona and other states. Among them have been a Varied Thrush, Rufous-backed Robin, and a Brown Thrasher. Some more information follows:
A Varied Thrush was found visiting the Patagonia-Sonia Creek Preserve on November 30, 2024 by a Preserve host, Deb Locke. According to eBird, the last Varied Thrush reported in Santa Cruz County was made almost ten years ago! The birds breed in Alaska and northwestern Canada and overwinter along the Pacific Coast. The Varied Thrush continues to inhabit the Preserve, feasting on hackberries and drinking from Sonoita Creek.
Another rare thrush visiting the preserve is the Rufous-backed Robin. Once thought to be endemic to Mexico this bird now makes more frequent visits to the Southwestern U.S.
A Brown Thrasher, normally found further east, has been skulking in the Himalayan Blackberries. If you’re lucky or patient, you may get a glimpse of this bird if it pops up from the bushes.
Two other species normally found further east, a Winter Wren and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker have been visiting the Preserve.
These birds may be viewed from trails within the Preserve during hours of operation, Wednesday through Sunday from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.