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Santa Cruz Grasslands - Pinal County

         The Santa Cruz Grasslands southwest of Eloy is nearly all irrigated farmland with patches of scrubland and weedy fields. The crops are mostly cotton, but some turf farms break the monotony and attract uncommon species such as Mountain Plover in winter.
Mountain Plover - Pretzer Road, west of Tweedy Road - Jan. 4, 2011    Mountain Plover - Pretzer Road, west of Tweedy Road - Jan. 4, 2011
Mountain Plover - Pretzer Road, west of Tweedy Road - Jan. 4, 2011

Santa Cruz Flats
Santa Cruz Flats - move your cursor over the map to see the satellite image


         One of the highlights of this area is the variety of raptors one can see here. Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks, Crested Caracara, Prairie and Peregrine Falcons, Merlin, American Kestrel can all be seen here while searching for Mountain Plover. Burrowing Owl can be seen in this area as well. Ditches and roadsides are often alive with a variety of sparrows and buntings in winter.
Bendire's Thrasher - Pretzer Road, west of Tweedy Road - Jan. 4, 2011
Bendire's Thrasher - Pretzer Road, west of Tweedy Road - Jan. 4, 2011

Brewer's Sparrow - Pretzer Road, west of Tweedy Road - Jan. 4, 2011
Brewer's Sparrow - Pretzer Road, west of Tweedy Road - Jan. 4, 2011



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Last update:  April 13, 2011