After visiting with so many pelicans in one place yesterday, I decided to walk the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch. In addition to many waterfowl arriving, songbirds can be found with great regularity in the cottonwood, mesquite and palo verde trees.
Other birders were out, too; it feels good to connect with like-minded folks from time to time!
Best of my photos there, were two Snowy Egrets having a bit of a tiff over encroachment in a feeding areal.
Although I saw 46 species, I didn't take many photos but concentrated on trying to log in every bird I saw.
E-bird link:
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S48930318
* * *
Friday, October 5th
The next day I drove out to Mammoth Sewage Ponds to see if I could relocate the reported RED PHALAROPE seen two days' previous by Doug Jenness. Dipped on that bird, but in the most SE pond there was a flock of female ducks....so I forced myself to differentiate. Although I saw no hint of green on the smallest teal, I checked off three GREEN-WINGED TEAL based on size. They showed a bit of yellow toward the tail end and were lacking blue wings that the BLUE-WINGED and CINNAMON TEAL showed.
The female BLUE-WINGED TEAL were detected by its white base to the bill that connected with its white throat. Too distant for photos and even too distant to detect its white eye-arcs, I was giving the identification as best I knew. The female CINNAMON TEAL appeared to have tan-colored heads and longer, wider bills than that of the other teal, more closely resembling that of Northern Shoveler.
The female BLUE-WINGED TEAL were detected by its white base to the bill that connected with its white throat. Too distant for photos and even too distant to detect its white eye-arcs, I was giving the identification as best I knew. The female CINNAMON TEAL appeared to have tan-colored heads and longer, wider bills than that of the other teal, more closely resembling that of Northern Shoveler.
A pair of RUDDY DUCK were swimming around the reedy edges of the north-west pond while American Coots settled on the south-west pond.
And, in the process of scanning through all the ducks, the catch on one leg of my tripod loosened to the point that the leg fell out. Scanning with a 2-legged pod, standing on top of a small berm of ground, I cannot vouch for any of the above identifications.
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S48958130
* * *
On my return toward home, I stopped at Aravaipa Canyon since the entrance road is located off of Route 177 between Mammoth and Dudleyville. I had the usual desert birds that I enjoy so much and just a few photos.A CASSIN'S KINGBIRD perched on an overhead utility wire as I drove into the canyon.
 |
| Two ID markers that set this bird apart from the Western Kingbird are lack of white outer tail feathers and its tight little white bowtie at throat. |
A later bird on an overhead wire puzzled me mostly because I can't recall ever seeing it from beneath. It's usually bouncing around hedgerows or even on the ground around agricultural fields. But, sure enough, it was a SAVANNAH SPARROW!
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S48958293
* * *
Saturday, October 6th Whether this was a new rainstorm or remnants of Tropical Storm Rosa were still hanging around, I decided to go out on this wet morning anyway to see if I could locate the uncommon REDDISH EGRET at Coon Bluff reported yesterday by Usha Tatini. As luck would have it, I found the bird about the same time the drizzle let up.
At the first cove off toward Tribal Land, the REDDISH EGRET was foraging by itself, way too far for a photo, but could identify by size relative to the GREAT EGRET foraging at the mouth of the cove at the river and the GREAT BLUE HERON, perched upstream a bit farther east. I popped off a few quick photos in case I would need them, but was fortunate to be able to delete them later. More frequently seen in the Gulf Coast area and in Arizona, probably closer to the Colorado River, this is quite a find in the desert!
Continuing to walk eastward, I'm always looking for any unusual birds, along with the usuals, some of which I missed seeing or hearing. As I turned to come back along the same river path (remembering the Green Mohave rattler from my last "loop" return), I spotted the REDDISH EGRET on the same pile of sticks with the GREAT BLUE where Usha had photographed the two herons yesterday.
As I hurried toward that location, the REDDISH EGRET flew upstream -- towards me, but I lost sight of it through heavy shrubs. Hoping it had dropped down to shore again, I turned back, tracking eastward again to relocate it. Lucky me! I found it doing its wonderful REDDISH EGRET dance.
 |
| REDDISH EGRET's (REEG) slate blue body showing in its wings quite well. In good light, the back of the bird comes across as maroon-colored. Lacking the adult REEG's shaggy neck, this bird appears to be an immature pastel-colored version of the adult. |
The dance includes crouching, charging (heavy-footed; not tip-toeing) across the shallows, leaping vertically with wings spread, then jabbing left and right before, in this case, turning back and repeating the ritual.
Wow! It paid to go out in the rain! By the next day, the bird was gone but there was a REDDISH EGRET reported at El Rio Open Space in Marana (down I-10 toward Tucson) and I'm wondering if it is the same Salt River bird??
Another delight was to see for the first time, a GREATER YELLOWLEGS foraging in a fast-walking stride through the shallows with its head beneath the water. Photos are best I could do, but the behavior made me ascertain that it was, indeed, a GREATER YELLOWLEGS!
 |
| Found a reference in Sibley 2nd Edition of this behavior |
Wonderful morning!
* * *
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49020195
No comments:
Post a Comment