Birding With Jim - Day 1

Last weekend, birding friend, Jim Austin-Cole from New Jersey, was in Arizona for a week and together we spent two days searching for new life birds for Jim in Arizona. The first day we headed to the western side of the greater Phoenix area, specifically to the Buckeye/Arlington area.  Immediately after we turned off of Highway 85 and headed west on Baseline Road, the first bird to greet us was a very nice Ferruginous Hawk.  Our first real stop was the infamous 'Thasher Spot' at Baseline and Salome Hwy.  When we arrived we found another lost soul from Rhode Island there and he was also looking for the major prize, the Le Conte's Thrasher and he joined us.

The first thrasher we located was Bendire's Thrasher and as we made our way towards one of them we heard a thrasher call in the brush to the left of us that caught my attention and it was not long before we caught a glimpse of two Le Conte's scampering on the ground from one shrub to another. As we slowly tried to get closer for photos, one of them flew up into the branches of a tree and allowed good looks and some photos. This bird has never been easy to photograph but this pose was a dream come true.

Le Conte's Thrasher

As Jim and I departed the area we spied a few sparrows near the highway and mixed in just happened to be a few Brewer's Sparrows. We left this spot with 3 new life birds for Jim;  Bendire's Thrasher, Le Conte's Thrasher and Brewer's Sparrow.

Brewer's Sparrow

 

From the Thrasher Spot, we then headed out to cover the various spots along the many roads.  At one little stop along the road a Lincoln's Sparrow gave us an over-the-shoulder look before it took off for better cover and we did find a small flock of 55 Sandhill Cranes.  Not a common bird in Maricopa County, but there is a small flock that spends their winters in the Arlington area.  And we found huge numbers of Brewer's Blackbirds.

 

 Lincoln's Sparrow

 Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes

 

Brewer's Blackbird

 

After lunch in Buckeye, we headed to Friendship Park which is the place that I discover just two weeks before as a good place for the Lawrence's Goldfinch.  Since we were later in the day, we were only able to find one, but at least we got good looks at it and added another new life bird for Jim.  The only photos I took at this location was a bad one of a Common Yellowthroat (not an easy bird to photograph) and a Neotropic Cormorant that was busy preening its feathers.

 

 Common Yellowthroat

 Neotropic Cormorant

Neotropic Cormorant

 

Our last stop was Glendale Recharge Ponds which had large numbers of ducks and shorebirds.  Ducks were not so cooperative, but some of the shorebirds were a bit more accommodating, including Greater Yellowlegs and Lesser Yellowlegs feeding side by side which really made for a great comparison of the two species.  Had lots of Least Sandpipers and one of them was in the mood for taking a bath.

 

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

 

 Least Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

 

It was a great day of birding and I took off a day from work on Monday to take Jim to a totally different location and habitat.  That will be the focus of my next post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beyond the White Mountains

On Saturday, the four of us had decided to make a trek to the far northeastern corner of the state of Arizona to make an attempt to add the Black-billed Magpie to our Arizona bird list.  It was not a life bird for any of us, but a little community by the name of Teec Nos Pos is the only spot in Arizona where this bird can be found.  Its range extends to the north and east of this spot in western United States.  Well, after a very 'loonnnggg' drive we struck out and were a bit disappointed, but as we started heading south and back to the Greer area, we took advantage of some various lakes and ponds to be found in this dry high elevation desert environment.  One of those stops was Ganado Lake and we were quite pleasantly surprised with this place.  Definitely a worthwhile place to stop off for some bird viewing if one is passing through this desolate area.  Lots of waterfowl, but most of it quite a distance from shore for photos.  However, I could not resist trying to get a photo of a pair of Eared Grebes and their family of 3 young ones.  One of the young was even riding on the back of one of the adults while the other two were being fed by the other adult after short dives.

Eared Grebe and babies

Along the southwestern shore, we found several wading birds and by observing from the vehicle we were able to get a bit closer to some of them and better photos.  Birds can be a bit more relaxed if one remains in a vehicle; but when you open the door, the go on high alert and fly away quickly if they feel the least bit threatened.  One of these birds was a Greater Yellowlegs still retaining most of its breeding plumage.  It is a fairly common bird in the winter in the lower elevations of Arizona, but in the winter plumage it is mostly gray and white, without any chest and belly speckling.

Greater Yellowlegs

For me, the shore bird that I enjoyed the most was a couple of Solitary Sandpipers.  Not a new bird for me by any means, but one that I do not see often enough, let alone get some decent photos.  It was great to see them up close and observe the key field marks on these birds.

 Solitary Sandpiper

 Solitary Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Another bird that was still sporting its more colorful breeding plumage was a couple of Spotted Sandpipers.  When seeing them in their breeding plumage, one can definitely understand where they got their name.

Spotted Sandpiper

Of course we had several of the very common Killdeer along the shores as well, but as common as they are, I still love capturing photos especially when I can capture the red of their eyes.

Killdeer

Also along the west side of the lake we found a Prairie Dog town.  They were quick to retreat to their burrows as we approached, but at least one of them lingered long enough above ground for a couple of photos.  This is a fairly good sized rodent and I do recall that we had a small town in the pasture of our farm in Hayes County, Nebraska many years ago.  (No, I am not saying how many years!)

 Prairie dog

Prairie dog

We arrived back at camp with light rain showers.  Yes, it was a long day with a lot of miles, but we had a lot of fun and some of the extra curricular activities in the car while travelling should prove to be quite humorous for some upcoming videos with Tommy's directing.  

  

   

Birding in Chandler, AZ

Deciding that a change of pace would be good, and after getting a report from my good friend Muriel and seeing her great photos of a Pectoral Sandpiper at Veteran's Oasis Park in Chandler, AZ, it was an obvious choice for a different destination to visit.  Luckily another birding friend Ellen, was also wanting to check it out, so we met at this location early on Sunday morning.  While we did not find the target bird, the Pectoral Sandpiper, we still had some nice birds to observe and one of them is the Burrowing Owl.  I always have to check in on the resident pair, and as usual about all I see is their heads peeking over the edges of their man made burrows.

Burrowing Owl

We discovered that the shore birds were generally absent from what was there the day before, but that is why searching for birds is sometimes a hit or miss day.  We did however find a lone Cattle Egret.  This bird is not a rare bird by any means, but not one that a person sees that often in Arizona.  This bird is originally from Africa and Asia and in the late 1800's some were found in the northeastern part of South America as they had found their way to the new world by flying across the Atlantic Ocean.  Slowly but surely, their range expanded in the Americas and by the 1940's they had started showing up in southern Texas and established themselves as a breeding avian species in the United States and they now inhabit much of south and eastern United States.  It is a bit unusual to see a single bird of this species, as they usually travel and feed in small flocks.  

Cattle Egret

The mosquitoes were very thick when we ventured down to the edges of the ponds, and since the shore birds were non-existent, we decided to head out and travel a bit east to the Higley Road Ponds.  But on the way out, one of the resident Greater Roadrunners put on a show for us and was quite cooperative for photos.  Towards the end of the show, it must have gotten tired of us watching and snapping photos, so it decided to 'moon' us!  I suppose only a real birder would enjoy being 'mooned' by a Roadrunner, however, the photo does show off the undersides of its dynamic tail feathers.

 Greater Roadrunner

Greater Roadrunner

Bidding adieu to Veteran's Oasis Park and the farewell gesture by the Roadrunner, Ellen and I then headed to the Higley Ponds a couple of miles away.  Once we arrived, we quickly began seeing many more shorebirds that VOP had to offer.  We counted at least 75 Black-necked Stilts, several Greater Yellowlegs, about 30 Least Sandpipers, a few Long-billed Dowitchers, and 22 White-faced Ibis.  We spent a lot of time checking out every shorebird, but did not find anything rare. 

 Greater Yellowlegs

Long-billed Dowitcher

Least Sandpiper

White-faced Ibis

We also discovered our first of the fall Northern Pintails.  Won't be too much longer and these ducks will be quite numerous in many of the ponds in Arizona.  

Northern Pintail

One other bird that we found at Veteran's Oasis Park was a White-crowned Sparrow which is a tad early for them in the valley, but it is another bird that will be quite abundant during the winter months in Arizona.  They spend their winters here, but in the summer they head much further north to their breeding grounds.  

Cabin Fever ???

Whoever heard of cabin fever in the summer?  Most generally I associate that with being cooped up in the winter in the northern climes.  In Arizona, you just need to change the season to summer and it is just about the same thing.  The heat sometimes has a tendency to keep one indoors for far too long.  Been hibernating too long in the comfort of the A/C of the house.  This last weekend I decided I needed to get out and see some of my avian friends and anything else that nature could dish up for me!

To start off the weekend, I decided to check out the Glendale Recharge Ponds in the west valley.  This is not the most hospitable place to visit in the summer as there are no trees and the sun quickly makes the place very uncomfortable for humans.  The birds don't seem to mind though and this spot can be a hot spot for rarities, especially during migration and August is usually the month that some of these rarities start showing up.  I planned my visit to arrive before the sun rose and take advantage of the cooler morning temperatures and it was a pleasant visit, before the heat started getting toasty about 9:30.  Only 2 of the 6 ponds had water in them, but the vegetation was quite lush and both spots were definitely being used by many birds.  While I was not lucky enough to find anything rare, it was still nice to observe the many birds.

This place is where I have been lucky enough to see both Great Yellowlegs and Lesser Yellowlegs together in the same spot and it is always a learning experience to observe the two species side-by-side.  This time I was even able to capture some photos of them.  The Greater yellowlegs is the most common species seen in Arizona, but Lessers do show up from time to time.  In the photo below, there are 3 Greaters and 1 Lesser (and a couple of Long-billed Dowitchers and Least Sandpipers thrown in for good measure).  The Lesser is the 2nd bird from the left with a Greater slightly in front and to the left of it.  In this photo, the size of the bill is quite obvious.  The Lesser's bill length is about the same length of the head from the base of the bill to the back of the head.  Compare the Greater with a bill that is 1½ to 2 times the length of its head.  Also note the very slight upturned bill of the Greater.  Lesser bill is very straight.  Obviously they are easy to differentiate when seen together, and more difficult when you see just one.  But with experience, one gets to know the differences along with call notes of the two species which are very different.

   

Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs

This place is usually not the best place for photos as the bird tend to see you long before you can approach them, so distances make photos much tougher.  But on this day, there was an exception, a juvenile Pied-billed Grebe that apparently has not yet learned to fear humans.  Since it is still showing some of the stripes around its head and neck, this was a year-hatch bird and has probably 'flown the coop', so to speak from where it fledged.  No adults were anywhere around.  These birds are quite adorable and are one of my favorite waterfowl.  Just cannot resist taking photos when they are so accommodating.  

 Pied-billed Grebe

  Pied-billed Grebe

  Pied-billed Grebe

 Pied-billed Grebe

The dragonflies were quite plentiful and I was able to capture a photo of a new one that I had not seen.  This is a Black Saddlebags.

Black Saddlebags

It was a brief outing, but one that I needed and even though no rarity was discovered, it was a very enjoyable visit.

Canal Birding in Arizona

Recently I have taken to get some hiking exercise along one of our neighborhood canals.  This canal is a border between the cities of Mesa and Chandler and it has been greatly improved with a nice concrete walkway on the south edge of the canal and pedestrian traffic lights installed where it crosses the major heavy traffic streets.  Not sure how far east it goes, but I know that one can walk all the way to parts of
Tempe to the west.  I had a Facebook friend suggest I check it out as there seemed to be plenty of bird life all along the length.  And she was right!   (Thanks Tina!) 

I have discovered this has been the best place for me to see and photograph the Greater Yellowlegs.  On my last visit, I found 3 of these birds within just the first mile and they have been quite accommodating.  What fun it is to watch them bob up and down while watching me as I take photos.  Here is a variety of photos in different poses.  Notice the black toenails in the photos.  Also note the bi-colored bill and the very slight upturn of the bill.  These are key identifications of this species compared to the Lesser Yellowlegs. 

 Greater Yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs

 Greater Yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs

This last visit I was graced with an elegant Black-necked Stilt.  Such a lovely and very photogenic wading bird and when I can capture the red eye clearly of this species, then I am happy with my photo.

Black-necked Stilt

Another bird that I see on almost every visit is the Green Heron.  Quite often they fly away before I can get close enough for a shot, but finally one of them stayed put as I walked past.  Just wish it could have chosen a better back drop!  On one other occasion, another one attempted to hide behind a stick.

Green Heron

Green Heron

The Belted Kingfisher has always been one of my nemesis birds as far as photographs, but along this canal, I had a nice male finally allow me to approach and get some decent photos.  Usually this bird is quite skittish and can be difficult to approach for a good photo.

 Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Of course this is not about water birds only, there are usually a few predators in the vicinity as well and this handsome American Kestrel was another of those obliging avian friends.

 American Kestrel

 American Kestrel

A couple of ducks also presented themselves for photos; a Ring-necked Duck female and a very handsome Mallard drake.  The Mallard is probably the most common and recognizable duck in the United States, but one cannot help but marvel at the iridescent green head on this bird. 

Ring-necked Duck-female

Mallard

Of course a blog would not be complete without a mammal of some kind.  Saw a couple of Harris's Antelope Ground Squirrels on the opposite bank running and hiding, so I just stopped and got myself and my camera ready and waited for them and sure enough one of them had to come up and check on me to see if I was still around and what I was up to.  

Harris's Antelope Ground Squirrel

Don't be surprised to see more future blogs about this wonderful spot for getting some great exercise and observing some very enjoyable wildlife as well.