15. POTRERO,
MARIPOSA & EPHRIAM CANYONS
Size: 4.7 sq. mi.
GENERAL: From Grand Ave in Nogales, turn west onto Country Club Drive. Just after passing under I-19, turn north on the west frontage road. In 0.2 miles, just after a large pull-out on the right, turn left (west) onto a dirt road. In 1.0 miles the main road turns left. The sector starts at this turn. Total of about 8 miles of roads (one way). Roads are gravel and dirt, generally smooth and only minimum mud during active rain. Could be covered well via mountain bike, or by driving and exploring on foot. This sector is a very important area and needs to birded very carefully.
NOTES: STUDY YOUR INTERACTIVE SECTOR MAP BEFORE COUNT DAY, and, if you have time, explore areas with which you are not familiar. It is particularly important to study and make notes of roads and distances if you may be in areas that have no cell phone signals. Be aware of where the count circle ends. (Many phone map & GPS apps allow you to set the center of the circle as a “waypoint”, then [offline] gives you constant readings as to miles to that waypoint. If you then exceed 7.5 miles from the waypoint, you are out of the circle.) The map narratives provide some help in this regard. Scouting in advance, and in particular, exploring and hiking into the drainages in your area, is strongly encouraged. Relatively un-grazed grasses, with brush and oaks along drainages, especially at the south edge of the circle. Suggest playing sparrow tapes at many stops. especially Botteri's Sparrow recordings. All grassland sparrows seem to respond to this recording by appearing or by chipping high-pitched sparrow responses.
TARGET SPECIES: This area is
generally underbirded, but has great potential. THIS AND THE NEXT 2
SECTORS TO THE NORTH ARE THE ONLY AREAS OF THE CIRCLE WITH MANY LARGE OAKS, SO
LOOK AND LISTEN FOR MEXICAN JAYS, ACORN & ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, BLUEBIRDS
(all three species??) AND OTHER OAK SPECIES. TRY PYGMY OWL TAPES ONCE IN A
WHILE TO LISTEN FOR RESPONSE.
