Arizona Photography

 Deer and other mammals frequently visit the bird sanctuary since they don't follow rules and can't read anyway.  Coues deer, a subspecies of the White Tail deer, are the main ones in our region, appearing almost every time I'm there.  Mostly, the ones that come into the feeder areas are does, the bucks being more wary.  On this day, however, two bucks approached the blind where I was stationed.  One (no photo here) was young and had only minor knobs where antlers will eventually grow.  The other, shown below, had a nice rack for such a small animal.  Coues Deer (M)   Red-tailed Hawk Bewick's Wren Gulf Fritillary Verdin Cactus Wren White-crowned Sparrow Yellow-rumped Warbler Chipping Sparrow Lesser Goldfinch (M) House Finch (M) Mourning Dove Mexican Jay Rock Squirrel  

 A few winter migrants are beginning to return, notably the Scott's Orioles and the Broad-billed Hummingbirds.  We continue to see people from out of state, including MN, NY and NM.  I really think Sierra Vista could achieve greater tourism by establishing additional bird sanctuaries and promoting the area nationally. Desert Sunflower Rock Squirrel Turkey Coues Deer White-winged Dove Ladder-backed Woodpecker (M) Chipping Sparrow Spotted Towhee (M) Mexican Jay Scott's Oriole (M) House Finch (F) House Finch (M) Inca Dove Lesser Goldfinch (F) Lesser Goldfinch (M) Yellow-rumped Warbler Pyrrhuloxia (M) Broad-billed (M) Acorn Woodpecker (M) Pipevine Swallowtail White-crowned Sparrow Bridled Titmouse & Pine Siskin Bewick's Wren