Another fool's errand

January 5, 2026

if you were following the previous blog way back last month, you'll remember that I got suckered twice into biking up the Santa Cruz to the spot where artificial abodes have been created for burrowing owls. I've wanted to see burrowing owls somewhere other than in a zoo for as long as I can remember but never really imagined I might - until stumbling across this spot by chance.

I was quite excited about this and felt confident I'd get to see one when I drove over near there at dawn one morning. When that proved unsuccessful I went home, read up on the life history of these birds and saw that they're also active at midday, and went back a second time. No luck then either, so broken-heartedly I abandoned the quest.

Until now. While some research on birds I might still seek out in Tucson before heading north next week, I opened up eBird to check out the list of recent bird sightings in the Tucson area and found this:

Someone saw a burrowing owl just yesterday at the Marana wastewater reclamation facility, wherever that is. Drilling down, I saw that this person saw four burrowing owls; and that several others reported seeing owls there yesterday also, at several different times of the day.

So I'm a sucker. I'm going on another snipe hunt.

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The Marana wastewater reclamation site is roughly thirty miles away - a plausible distance as an out and back in other circumstances, but not when I'm nursing my health and taking it easy while I wait for surgery, now only 18 days away. Instead I'll drive out to El Rio Reserve, park the car there and bike the rest of the way. A flat 30 miles on a calm day sounds reasonable enough.

I wake up this morning when I hear Rachael in the kitchen and the coffee pot percolating. I check the time on my iPad and am immediately frustrated with myself because it's nearly 7. My plan had been to be out the door right bout now, with the intent of arriving at El Rio in time to see the avian action at dawn. A few recent reports have claimed viewing a huge flyover of thousands of yellow-headed blackbirds. I'm especially annoyed with myself because before oversleeping I woke up three different times, the most recently at 5:30 when I decided to just drop the lids for a few more minutes.

Given that failure I do pretty well to down a bowl of granola and a cup of coffee and make it out to El Rio a half hour's drive away by around eight. If the yellow-headed blackbirds made a showing this morning they're long gone by now, but it's still a pretty, peaceful scene being here this early in the day.

I spend a few minutes on a quick perusal of the pond for any interesting waterfowl, but there's not too much to get excited about so I'm soon on my way headed northwest toward Marana. I'm really surprised by the ride, which starts out with seven miles on the bike path as it continues following the Santa Cruz down river. I'm familiar with the first mile until the point where it comes to Avra Road, but the next six are new to me. I see almost no one for most of the next hour as I bike the smoothly unblemished, possibly new bike path. I'm here to see the birds - and hopefully one bird in particular - but the ride and the scenery are attractive enough that several stops are required.

I'm not sure of the direction here, but I think this is the Tortalita range.

For a mile or two the bike path threads between the Sant Cruz River on the left and cement, ansphalt and concrete plants and quarries on the right.

I've been apprehensive about what the next seven miles will bring once the bike path ends at Sanders Road because I've biked through this area twice before when dropping down from Saguaro National Park and didn't enjoy it at all. Sandario, Picture Rocks and Twin Peaks are all busy, shoulderless and poorly surfaced, and as a result I've never really explored what's out here. So I'm surprised at what a great ride I find today - very quiet roads through ultra-flat ranch land that surprises me by transitioning into a broad expanse of cotton. I remember years ago being surprised to discover cotton under cultivation further east - somewhere near Sunizona or Wilcox, I think - but I had no idea it was cultivated over here also.

The same formation, this time looking west down Grier Road. Notice how quiet it appears. Great cycling, as long as you weren't hoping to find a hill to climb anywhere nearby.

Pichaco Peak on the left, Newman Mountain on the right. I-10 and the road to Phoenix goes down the middle between them.

Cotton! I'm here in harvest season, with the whiter band in the distance being still unharvested.

Just as I come to the cotton fields I also come to the junction with Stingray Road, which is where the burrowing owls allegedly hang out. I frustrated myself trying to locate this spot until I found a reference saying that on the map it's labeled as Treatment Plant Road.

For those owl-questers out there, this is the spot. Just note that it's known as Treatment Plant Road on the map.

The harvesters haven't made it out this far yet.

As I'm biking I have owls on my mind of course, but I've got my eye open for anything else interesting too. I don't see many birds of any kind, which is a disappointment - horned larks and a variety of sparrows have been reported from around here - but mostly I just see the occasional raptor.

I was especially pleased with this kestrel, so well highlighted by the bold background. It's not what you think, probably. It's the picture window of a ranch house.

Then, right where I was told they would be, I come to the owl burrows. There are four or five of them, all artificial ones made of submerged pipe like the ones I saw a few weeks ago along the Santa Cruz. This looks like a much more promising spot though, because it's so quiet - not like the other spot, just a few hundred yards from the freeway.

Just the way burrowing owls like it: wide open, with no trees or overhead perches where a predator might lay in wait.

It feels like a much more promising spot this time, but I'm out of luck again. I check out all of the sites, all of which are too far from the road to be able to get much of a look at anyway, but they're all dry wells today. Disappointing, but it's a welcome consolation prize when I see a bird I was hoping I might get lucky and spot someday. A shrike! I love these birds but rarely see one. I've seen a few in Europe, but this might be the first domestic shrike I've seen in the last two years.

It's still pretty early in the day though and I've got time so I decide to bike on for a few more miles and then double back for a second pass on Stingry Road. Even if I'm unsuccessful again, it's such a great ride out here that I'm happy to poke around a little longer.

Looking east on Stingray Road, we get a different look at Mount Lemmon, with the Tortalita Mountains beneath it. In between, where that band of haze and clouds lies, is Oro Valley.

Who knows when I'll see a cotton field again? Might as well bring back several looks.

Another cotton shot, with an appealing red accent.

There's an interesting collection of breeds here. Isn't that a belted Galloway there in the back? And what are these lop-eared white guys up front?

The Marana Airpark, with Picacho and Newman behind it.

I finally turn back when I approach the Airpark, but I don't feel like I've used up the good miles out this way. Actually, I think this would be a good destination for my birthday ride if I ever do one again.

A couple of miles later I come to Stingray Road again, bike past the cotton fields, and see a glimmer of hope in a car parked in the middle of the road a quarter mile away. He's just starting to move when I come up to him but he stops and rolls down his window when I gesture him to. Any owls, I ask? Yes, but just one. He's likely still there, but a long ways out. He points me the right way and then drives off.

It really is amazing how many looks a red-tailed hawk can take on.

In an nice end to the day I pick up a second kestrel shot that I'm pleased with. This is really pretty good raptor country out here.

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Karen PoretFYI, “wastewater reclamation” is recycled water, basically! It is the act of treating used water for use again. I know I had to chime in on this as my husband was a wastewater treatment operator for CA State Parks.
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2 weeks ago

Scott AndersonTo Karen PoretYep, knew that. Sweetwater is also a water reclamation project, fed by reclaimed water from throughout the city. Knew it also from my college years when I was a student of envirmental engineering.
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2 weeks ago

Karen PoretTo Scott AndersonI should also have known you were aware of this, with your brilliant mind!
( and keen eye) 😁
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2 weeks ago

Today's ride: 34 miles (55 km)
Total: 65 miles (105 km)

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Bill ShaneyfeltCongratulations!

Fool's errand turned out well.
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2 weeks ago