Salt River-Coon Bluff Recreation Site, Mesa, Maricopa County, AZ

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Since moving to Arizona over twenty years ago, I’ve absolutely thrived among other Morning People here, whether at work on flexible schedules that could begin as early as 6 a.m., or among people who enjoy birds and their behaviors. All my life I got up early and still do my best work in the early hours.

Anyone who goes out with some regularity looking for birds is generally called a “birder”.  My favorite kind of birder is wlling to get up early enough to watch birds wake up!

At 6:45 a.m., at Coon Bluff Recreation Area along the Salt River, four of us started birding as soon as we parked, turned off headlights and listened for birds. A GILA WOODPECKER, permanent resident of Arizona’s deserts, was the first bird we heard.

The first bird we spotted was a female PHAINOPEPLA perched on top of a tall bush looking much like an ornament — very still and fluffed up waiting for some sunlight. Too early for photos, I’m posting one of a male taken later in the morning. PHAINOPEPLA are winter residents that go a bit farther north during our hot summer months where they brood a second time. Look for them in and around the mistletoe clumps in mesquite trees.

With its head turned, the wispy crest of the male PHAINOPEPLA is noticeable

Walking north on the dirt road leading from the parking area, we soon heard and saw song birds awakening: VERDIN, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER.

At the Bluff, ROCK WREN voices were reverberating over the rocks and out over the Salt River.  We spotted only four, one of which was on the very top of the Bluff catching some rays.

ROCK WREN enjoying some early morning sunlight at top of the Bluff

Not all birds were small. Several Red-shafted NORTHERN FLICKERs flew into the area and out again. A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK did likewise. Those bigger birds provide a bit of an adrenalin rush as we seek quick identification.  

With Lois L., Dana E. and Mary Joy W. spotting birds here and there, we enjoyed a good morning. While Gilbert Water Ranch hosts many GREATER YELLOWLEGS (wading birds), they are just beginning to show up at the Salt River.  

GREATER YELLOWLEGS

A BELTED KINGFISHER’s rattle was heard off and on during the 3+ hours we birded as it flew east and west along the river.

VERMILION FLYCATCHERs, with their sexual dimorphism (male and female different beautiful colors), are always a treat.

Female VERMILION FLYCATCHER (brownish back; peach-colored lower belly)

Male VERMILION FLYCATCHER - sparkling in the sunlight as it flitted around from one high perch to another

Photos of GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE posted below is for the benefit of winter visitors (people) who come from places where Common Grackle or Boat-tailed Grackle are well known. Our local resident is:

GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE [2 males; 3 females]

As often happens, our two best sightings of the day were not caught by camera.

A Juvenile BALD EAGLE flew east to west past us over the river. And a bird calling from the south side of the distant eastern trail made me set my scope in the sand to pursue its voice that I knew I should know!

Yes!  A CRISSAL THRASHER calling from atop a snag quickly stopped vocalizing and flew off as we approached. It was followed by a second one that hadn’t showed itself before joining in on the other’s escape.  More gray all over than our Curved-billed Thrasher’s brownish color, the CRISSAL THRASHER also has a significantly longer de-curve to its bill, a prominent black throat striipe and dark rusty under-tail coverts. As both CRISSALs flew off to thick brush, what stood out for me was the long dark tail.

In addition to birds, a band of twelve wild horses foraged in the Salt River.

Becoming immersed in the natural world, if even for a few hours, can have a very revitalizing effect. By the time we finished, our 51°F starting temperature had warmed up to 78°, still cool by recent standards, but we had birded as far and wide as planned at this location and wrapped up our morning with a total of 34 species.

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View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40233162