Saguaro National Park

One of the many Cholla Cacti in the park -- this one is Jumping or Chainfruit Cholla.




A close-up of the dangling fruit




The magnificent Saguaro Cactus that the park is named for:

A female Phainopepla (the male looks the same except it is all black) --

Today we took a day trip to the east section of Saguaro National Park. It's a funny park as the city of Tucson buts right up against the boundaries -- the east and west sections are almost "bookends" to the city.

It was a good day for birding. Forry got two new life birds: a canyon towhee and the Arizona woodpecker. We also saw a red tail hawk, both male and female phainopepla, a Gila woodpecker and a gilded flicker.

On the way home, we stopped in Vail at Valeria's Mexican Comida, one of the ubiquitous Mexican food trailers. This one was semi-permanent with a tent set up along side with tables and chairs. I had a pair of great tacos -- one chicken and one shredded beef -- and Forry had a shredded beef burrito that was almost more than he could eat.

It was a fun day. Warm enough for shirt-sleeves, lots of neat cacti to see, and some new birds -- you can't ask for much more.