After a day with a guide I am on my own again. The first destination is Catalina Park, a park at the foot of the Catalina Mountains / Mount Lemmon on the north side of Tucson.

But as a I leave the hotel property an American Kestrel (Amerikaanse torenvalk) is posing, so I need to take his picture first.

The Catalina Park turns out to be very busy with hikers and people walking their dogs. Not the best environment for birding. Still, some pictures from the trails. First a nice portrait of a Chipping Sparrow (Musgors). There are many chipping sparrows along the creek in the park.

A song sparrow (Zanggors), with its characteristic dark brown patch.

In the park I found a Bewick’s Wren (Bewicks winterkoning). It looks like he is collecting stuff for his nest.

The pick-nick area is still empty. A group of Western Bleubirds (Blauwkeelsialia) is looking for food, and they seem to be used to people on the tables. A nice opportunity to take this picture of a bluebird with a fresh catarpillar.