Hot Birds in a Hot Desert
Red-faced Warbler on Mt. Lemmon The end of May and most of June are hot hot months. They also tend to be some of the best months to go birding in Southeastern Arizona. So many people come from all over to chase our specialties. I was one of them once. Not anymore. Birding begins VERY early in the morning and can be comfortable until 9 or 10 AM. Then it becomes an infierno. For people searching for their lifers, they forget to stop and drink water. And the heat can suck the life out of you as the sun strengthens in the desert sky. Temps begin to climb above 100 degrees. Local birders run back to their air conditioned homes. Meanwhile, the visiting birders are suffering from headaches and heatstroke because they didn't drink enough water or wear enough sunscreen. We remind them, buuuuuut the thrill of finding a lifer overrides their logic and common sense. For this birder, you'll rarely find me out birding
