I ended up seeing four different Le Conte's Thrasher, actually two pairs.
Le Conte's Thrasher
This is the species I came to Ajo to find. I
took a 2.5 hour, 26 mile drive (one way time and distance) into the
Cabeza Prieta NWR
after getting some tips from the refuge biologist about where to find Le Conte's
Thrasher. There may be easier places to find this bird, but I wanted to find my
own, not at the traditional Buckeye site up by Phoenix where everyone goes to
find it. It was worth the trip, the drive on the infamous El Camino del Diablo
(The Devil's Highway) was fantastic. Rumor has it that Ed Abbey is buried
somewhere on the refuge.
Le Conte's Thrasher is found only in the driest, hottest areas of the desert. On
the Ajo side of the refuge, annual precipitation averages around 9 inches, but
further south and west, is is only about 3 inches. The red x marks the area I
went to find the thrasher, in the Growler Valley.
I ended up seeing four different Le Conte's Thrasher, actually
two pairs.
I could never get everything to come together for that perfect shot, but I'm pretty happy with these.