Arroyo De Camino Cactus Garden

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

For our days off this week from our volunteering duty at Cattail Cove State Park, we drove to Lake Havasu City, to meet up with friends, eat out, and grocery shopping. As you might guess, we also did what we like to do the most---go for a bird walk. We are camping in the overflow lot at Lake Havasu State Park, so it was an easy choice to spend some time yesterday afternoon in the Arroyo De Camino Cactus Garden.  We were pleased to be able to say hi to Ray, the ever faithful volunteer and gardian of the garden.  A year around resident of Lake Havasu City, he continues to maintain and improve the paths, benches, and vegetation of the cactus garden.  We enjoyed our time watching a busy Ladder-backed Woodpecker male in his search of larva or something.  Also at least two pair of Verdin were busy gathering twigs to for nest construction.  Both Anna and Costa male hummingbirds were seen. A couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers, some Gambel's Quail, a Say's Phoebe, a Great-tailed Grackle, two Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, and two Turkey Vultures, finished off our bird list.  It was a very pleasant time spent in the cactus garden in the sunshine, tucked in out the wind blowing accross Lake Havasu.  Tomorrow brings the start of our final week of leading bird walks at Cattail Cove State Park, and then our migration north begins.   

Verdin