Seven Springs Recreation Area & Gilbert Water Ranch, Maricopa County, AZ

Wednesday, January 31, 2018
One of my favorite semi-wilderness areas to bird is the Seven Springs Area north of Cave Creek. Setting out this morning with three birding friends with Woody, my neighbor, driving, we skipped Rackensack Canyon and the Upper & Lower Camp Creek areas in favor of Humboldt Mountain Road FR562. That was an area I had never explored.
L-R: Woody, Linda, Marsha
Good birders all, we had a delightful day of it among the hills, valleys and ravines of the area. 
Male (top) and Female (lower left) NORTHERN CARDINAL
CANYON TOWHEE - higher elevation bird than our desert Abert's Towhee
The WOODHOUSE'S SCRUB JAY (formerly Western Scrub Jay) was among many other birds in the scrub area of this high desert.
WOODHOUSE'S SCRUB JAY
It seemed the higher we drove on Humboldt Mountain Road, the better the birds. We came upon large flock of WESTERN MEADOWLARKs that stayed ahead of our camera view each time we thought we might be able to snag a photo.

 The flocks of WESTERN BLUEBIRDs eventually perched up as we waited to see what they would do.




 With the road to Mt. Ord in tough shape for my vehicle, I was happy to find a Black-chinned Sparrow at this location. A juvenile, it does not yet have the black face/chin of its name.
BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW
We didn't follow the mountain to the peak, but turned back as birds dwindled. We had a timeframe that I thought was easily met, but once we got birding, time flew. Thus, we visited just one other place, the group camp site.

 Much quieter this time than my earlier visit with Jeanne a few weeks ago, our biggest thrill here was when a flock of CEDAR WAXWINGs flew in and landed briefly in one of the leafless trees. Their very high flight calls announced their arrival. I consider them a very handsome bird and was glad they dropped down for a few minutes.
CEDAR WAXWING
CEDAR WAXWING - close up. Note yellow tip on tail.
With the one and a half hour drive to the location, we managed to bird six hours to double our three hours in the car. We all enjoyed our time together seeking out every bird we could find.
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 Friday, February 2, 2018
Just twenty minutes away is the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch. So, I postponed household chores to catch a few birds early.  The herons/egrets I photographed:
GREAT EGRET

Mature BLACK-CROWNED HERON -- often, this is how we see the birds, behind lots of sticks
Juvenile BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON - staying well-hidden
GREAT BLUE HERON - seldom hides
Lately, I find myself focusing on the female of each species. Not as colorful as the male, but in subdued colors to protect nesting, its markings can be subtly beautiful.

 Who would guess the bird below is a female RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD? (Seasoned birders, of course.)
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD - female
GREEN-WINGED TEAL - female

 On Pond 5, I spotted just two HOODED MERGANSERs of the several reported there.  Disappointed that I missed a portion of the female on this photo:
HOODED MERGANSERs--drake, left; hen, right
Both were spending much of their time preening, so it was diffcult to catch them with heads up.
HOODED MERGANSER - male

 Having spent two hours without covering a whole lot of territory, I noted some INCA DOVEs by the front restroom as I was leaving the area. Note their overall scaly appearance. Not showing is their beautful red-rufous underwing.
INCA DOVE

 Always energized after spending time outside, I felt a little more ready to tackle home-side tasks!
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