Birding with Jim - Part 2

Sunday had a change in the weather with overcast skies and a few sprinkles from time to time.  This time Jim and I visited the agricultural farm grounds in the west valley in and around the communities of Buckeye and Arlington in Arizona.  A different habitat which leads to a different diversity of bird life.  Much of the birding in this place is completed by driving around in a car.  With an overcast sky, the photography was quite a bit more challenging but I was able to capture a few worthwhile photos.  Jim will have a lot of photos to process when he returns to New Jersey!

The first bird we encountered once we pulled off the highway was a Ferruginous Hawk which was on Jim's side of the car and I know he got many photos, but that in itself was a very good omen to start off the day.  It was not much further down the road and we discovered a Merlin.  I know others have reported this species off and on in this location, but it was my first sighting of one in Maricopa County, so that was good omen number 2.  Not a great photo by any means but I was happy to get what I could.

Merlin

Driving down one of the dirt roads that was very rutted from previous rains, we came upon a small flock of American Pipits and with our windows down we were able to capture a few photos as we sat in the car.

American Pipit

A couple of other birds that we found and photographed from inside the car were Savannah Sparrows and Western Meadowlarks.  Both birds were quite numerous along the roadsides and out in the fields.  

 Savannah Sparrow

Western Meadowlark

One thing to look for when birding in this area is farmers flooding their fields with water.  When that happens and you find such a spot, you will find a plethora of birds.  We found one of these flooded alfalfa fields and although the birds were some distance from the road and of course, a long distance from our car, we got some good looks at them thanks to Jim's scope that he had brought along.  This one field contained Great Egrets, a couple of Cattle Egrets, a huge flock of White-faced Ibis mixed in with a fairly large flock of Long-billed Curlew and some Greater Yellowlegs.  Also perched on the earth berms that were on the edges of the field were Red-tailed Hawks and a juvenile Bald Eagle.  Birds were a bit far away for my lens, but when one of the Long-billed Curlews took flight and flew our way, I did manage to get a photo that really shows off its long curved bill.

Long-billed Curlew

A bit further down the road and near our destination, we found one of our target birds, the Sandhill Crane.  There is usually a small flock that over winters in this area every year.  We counted a total of 27 of them in the field and one group of 9 tended to hang out together.

 Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes

Also near this spot we drove up to the canal and found a female Belted Kingfisher observing us from a concrete perch.

Belted Kingfisher

One other avian find was a bit unexpected.  We discovered a small flock of domestic turkeys.  They were running free range and we really never did figure out which farm they might belong to.  But they did create some different color patterns for us to observe.

 Domestic Turkey

Domestic Turkey

Agricultural farm grounds can really bring in a lot of surprise birds and a great variety.  We ended up with over 60 species of birds on this outing.

Salt River birding & more.

On Saturday and Sunday, I had the privilege of showing a Facebook friend some birding spots in and around Phoenix.  Jim Austin-Cole was in the area visiting and wanted to see some Arizona birds.  We found several new life birds for him and some he found on his own before we met up.  It was a pleasure in assisting him and one of his target birds was the Burrowing Owl.  That one was an easy one as I know of 3 places that one can surely find these remarkable birds, so my first stop was Zanjero Park where Desert Rivers Audubon Society has successfully set up habitat for them and introduced some of these birds.  I am sure he must have taken a couple dozen photos, so I will submit only one of my photos of one that really had its eye on us and was really to scramble down its burrow if it felt threatened.

Burrowing Owl

While we were at the park, we were also entertained by 2 American Kestrels.  This one could have picked a bit more attractive landing post for photos, but obviously this must be a favorite perch of hers.

American Kestrel

From there we headed to the Salt River and our first stop was the Pebble Beach Recreation Area to catch a glimpse of the beautiful Red-breasted Sapsucker. (I will have a post on that bird a bit later with my photos).  But while there, Jim not only got the sapsucker as a new life bird but the Phainopepla as well.

Next we ventured further north to Saguaro Lake and the Butcher Jones Beach area.  While we were there, the Bufflehead were quite numerous and actually got close enough to capture some decent photos of them.  This is our smallest duck in the United States and I think the males are quite handsome, especially when the sunlight reflects the various colors on the black part of their heads.  One of the males even got into a wing exercising moment and guess I was lucky enough to have my camera firing away at the time.

 Bufflehead-2 males and 6 females

 Bufflehead-male

  Bufflehead

 Bufflehead

 Bufflehead

We also witnessed a Pied-billed Grebe surfacing from a dive and had what seemed to be a fairly large fish in its beak.  We watched it several moments struggling to swallow this fish and it finally went down the hatch.  For awhile I was not so sure it was going to get it down without choking.

Pied-billed Grebe

Finally we headed back towards town with a short stop at Granite Reef Recreation Area and I managed to capture a photo of a Northern Cardinal tucked in behind some twigs and also a Ruddy Duck that seemed to hug the shore up close to us.  Also had the honor to meet fellow birder/blogger Lawrence Butler during our short time there.

Ruddy Duck

Northern Cardinal

To finish off the day, (we had run out of time), we made a very short stop at the Gilbert Riparian Water Ranch and with the sun dipping very low in the western sky, we managed to find a Loggerhead Shrike that was not the least bit afraid of us.  The sunset glow gives this bird a different but warmer look than normal.

Loggerhead Shrike

Lest some people think it is only about the birds, just had to add a photo of one of the small groups of Salt River Horses that frequent the area.  Always nice to find them and enjoy them when we can.

This was the first day of birding with Jim.  The Sunday trip will be in my next post. 

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.

Veteran's Oasis Park - 20 Jan 2013

This is a location that I probably don't visit often enough.  It is a relatively new park with ponds of recycled water in Chandler, AZ and this last visit proved to me that it keeps getting better with age.  Ponds had more water in them than my past few visits and of course that attracts a lot of waterfowl in the winter time as many species spend their winters in this area and head north in the spring for their breeding grounds.  The water birds also bring many predatory birds and other predators as well.  This place has the highest concentration of Jack Rabbits that I have seen in AZ.  Along with the rabbits, this is usually almost always a great place to see the Greater Roadrunner.  And just like the old cartoons, the battle with the Coyote and the Roadrunner continues to this day.  We still don't have a clear winner as I found the Coyote first and the Roadrunner next.

 Greater Roadrunner

Greater Roadrunner

'Wylie' Coyote

Speaking of predatory birds, the Northern Harriers were in constant flight until one decided to land at the edge of one of the ponds.  I approached very cautiously and slowly stepped around some bushes to find it resting on the ground.  

 Northern Harrier

 Northern Harrier

The last predator is not quite as fierce looking, but is a favorite of many people and this place is almost always one of the most assured places to find the Burrowing Owl.  They have easily taken to the man-made nesting area that has been installed at this location.  Most people walking on the trails do not even see them as they sit so quite and still.  People think they are just rocks on the ground.

Burrowing Owl

Lots of waterfowl all over the ponds and my best photos were of a pair of Blue-winged Teal sliding silently through the water.  This species is a bit more uncommon than the Green-winged Teal in AZ in the winter.  The Green-winged Teal are quite abundant.  And I learned long ago, not to pass up a photo of an elegant Northern Pintail.  They may not be decked out in bright colors, but they look so elegant and refined.

 Blue-winged Teal

 Green-winged Teal

Northern Pintail

While I was concentrating on the Blue-winged Teal, a lone Least Sandpiper scampered right in front of me along the shore line giving me just enough time to get 2 photos and I was quite surprised the photos showed some pretty decent detail on this little shore bird.  

 Least Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

One species of bird in AZ for the winter is so abundant right now, you see them just about everywhere, is the 'Audubon's' Yellow-rumped Warbler.  And of course this place was no different.  One of the great aspects of this location is that many of the trees are still small and in this case photographing warblers is a bit easier than in dense foliage of older and denser trees.  Also just had to include a photo of one of those Jack Rabbits that I mentioned early in this post.  My what big ears they have!

 'Audubon's' Yellow-rumped Warbler

Desert Jackrabbit

With such a diverse variety of bird and animal life at this park, I think I need to return a bit more often.