Babs' Birding Experiences : A Taste of Birding in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal Counties, AZ

Friday, November 16 to November 25, 2018

Although a 25th Anniversary Celebration for my Community began on Friday evening the 16th of November, I spent the morning birding on a Sonoran Audubon field trip, Dave Pearson leading in my car through the agricultural fields of Arlington, west of Phoenix.

One of the earliest birds we spied was the hawk that had eluded me so far this year. I pulled up and stopped, leaving room for Mary McSparen to pull up for her birders to also get a good view.

FERRUGINOUS HAWK perched on a utility pole overlooking the open country fields it favors! Be still, my heart!

As our largest hawk (Buteo regalis), the FERRUGINOUS is larger than a Red-tailed but smaller than a Golden Eagle. This was a light adult: its chest, snowy white; its back normally shows reddish brown (russet); its head, pale with gray cheeks; tail color can range from white to rose; yellow legs and feet with dark leg feathering.

All seven (7) of us enjoyed watching and photographing the bird for several good minutes before it flew off over the field. My pics were taken through the windshield as we had parked closest to the large hawk and didn’t want to flush it. That may have altered the coloring of its back to the gray in my photo. But its size and its white underparts are two of the best ways to identify this hawk. Nationally known birder and author, Pete Dunne calls this regal FERRUGINOUS HAWK, the Prairie Eagle.

FERRUGINOUS HAWK

Blowing my mind here in these ag fields was a total count of 81 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, in the air, in ponds and in fields.

On Monday, November 19th, I ventured over to Selleh Park in Tempe, Maricopa County, to see two handsome ducks being reported at that location.

Drake and Two Hen WOOD DUCK

Drake communicating with his hens

RINGED TEAL - likely an escapee since it lives in central South America

Beautiful RINGED TEAL (small duck)

A quick trip to Patagonia in southeastern Arizona, Santa Cruz County, on 11/22&23] Wednesday and Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) produced some fine sightings for Glenda Jones and me.

Still using the back way to pick up I-10 South, our usual Route 87 no longer connected to I-10 (massive construction there) but the the short detour through Eloy took only a few extra minutes getting us to our destination at 8:15 a.m. Not liking highway traffic, I prefer to hit the highway prior to commuter traffic or, as on Thursday, when the majority of travelers were enjoying family dinners and/or watching football. Both days were easy travel days for us.

The tropical GREEN KINGFISHER has been visiting Patagonia Lake State Park for several years now and each year, in several visits I’ve dipped on finding it. On this trip I was determined to find it before returning home!!

Arriving at the “Heron Bench” at the eastern point of the lake (thanks, Muriel!), we were not the first to arrive at that spot. A couple from the campground was re-visiting that spot for the fourth time with no luck. Sounding not so good to me, Glenda and I decided to walk the Sonoita Creek searching along the creek at open spots. We passed several benches all the way to the Cardinal bench and farther. Nada -- no GREEN KINGFISHER.

Back at the “Heron Bench” area, the couple we saw earlier were no longer present, but we spied a birder coming from the thicket on the opposite side of the creek. Making our way through the cows munching in that area, Ranger Kelly Wright (Roper Lake State Park) crossed the Sonoita Creek to Glenda and I in the open area near Heron Bench. Kelly had just spotted and spent some quality time with the GREEN KINGFISHER farther out on the point.

When she took her leave, I walked across the shallowest place I could find along the creek, water gushing in over the tops of my waterproof hikers. Hard to tiptoe through a thicket, I proceeded as quietly as I could with cockleburs attaching to my pants and vest; sticks crunching beneath my feet. Although she reported the bird flying eastward, we had not seen nor heard it. I suspected it circled around and returned to where Kelly said it was fishing in the lake.

Hearing a short rattle from the kingfisher as soon as I stepped into the thicket, I headed in that general direction. What I did not expect was to walk up right behind it flushing it from its perch on a tiny tree beside the lake. Yikes!! Obviously, it was the GREEN KINGFISHER with its big green head and dark bill and touch of white showing in flight -- my nemesis bird! But, taking pictures of these rarities is important to me so I was also disappointed that I hadn’t been able to capture that moment. Flushing the bird actually startled me…then I saw it, knew what I had done and watched it fly eastward again. [Not quite as scary as flushing Montezuma Quail from underfoot, but startling nonetheless.]

Online photo of GREEN KINGFISHER.

Glenda chose not to cross the creek and had walked up a tributary that flowed into the lake. When I caught up with her, I suggested we call it a morning at the State Park and move on; I would return the next morning for a photo.

We paused at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds at mid-day when it was very quiet—kept extra quiet by a perching COOPER’S HAWK at the front feeding stations.

COOPER'S HAWK

Late afternoon, we drove Harshaw Creek Road, also quiet, but very beautiful in glowing autumn colors.

Finding the Stage Stop Inn's Wild Horse Restaurant the only happening thing in town this evening before Thanksgiving, we had little choice. Construction of the lounge is now complete and a new chef may have been hired. We enjoyed flavorful generous servings of our choices. Best food ever for there!

Having seen the GREEN KINGFISHER in Texas several times, it was not a Life Bird for me. The photo was not necessary - so we decided that the next day would be spent crossing over to Madera Canyon where Glenda might get a better look at the ELEGANT TROGON being reported regularly from the Madera Picnic area.

Next morning, we began our journey home via SR83 where, just past Las Cienegas grasslands, we took the left turn onto Greaterville Road that leads to Box Canyon Road — the grasslands on both roads loaded with a combo of EASTERN (Lilian’s) and WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

WESTERN MEADOWLARK [photo by Glenda Jones]

EASTERN MEADOWLARK (LILIAN'S) [photo by Glenda Jones]

Box Canyon itself provided some great sightings, too, including a male MONTEZUMA QUAIL, with its head hidden by shrubbery. It had emerged from beneath the shrub so that I was looking at a very rotund ball of white spots on a dark background; it took me a minute to realize what I was seeing! How dependent I had become on identifying this beautiful and hard-to-locate quail by its striking head pattern!

At Madera Canyon, we dipped on spotting the trogon. But at Santa Rita Lodge, we were grateful to see 9 WILD TURKEY that were still alive and feasting for themselves beneath the feeders and in the yards around the cottages at the lodge on this Thanksgiving Day. In addition to the somewhat rare BLUE-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD and remaining HEPATIC TANAGER, we saw a nice array of other visting birds. It was the White-nosed Coatimundi that stole the show for me!!

BLUE-THOATED HUMMINGBIRD (female) [photo by Glenda Jones]

BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD with a blue throat but is much much smaller than the Blue-throated HB
[photo by Glenda Jones]

ACORN WOODPECKER

HEPATIC TANAGER

ARIZONA WOODPECKER

WHITE-NOSED COATIMUNDI (common name: COATI)

Pronounced: CO AH TEE

In the Racoon family

Using its nose to find grubs in the grass

A great way to wrap up our trip to SEAZ!

On Saturday, I awoke saying to myself, “I’m going to go twitch a bird!” A British expression, my understanding of twitching is when a birder chases any bird, rare or not, checks it off and moves on to another birding spot. The bird I was going for was the RED-BREASTED MERGANSER reported at three different locations. I chose the fartherest in Tucson because the other two, Lake Pleasant and Roosevelt Lake required a spotting scope and iffy identifications on open water. Also, being Thanksgiving Weekend, I expected the larger lakes to be full of speeding boats.

Upon arrival at Lakeside in Tucson, Pima County, I saw my two target RED-BREASTED MERGANSER immediately, before I had even walked down the bank to the trail around the lake. Although they were diving in quick succession for breakfast, I managed some reasonable photos that would have been impossible out on one of the larger lakes.

Another birder was close by. Small world of birders: when I introduced myself, she said, “Babs!” And, I said, and you are? Holly Kleindiest. Oh! By way of a mutual friend, Kay Hawkley, we see one another’s eBird posts and know of each other. Now, we have met! Holly joined me in going around the end of the lake where she knew the SNOW and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE were hanging out together.

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER; Lakeside-Tucson, AZ 11/24/18

This one always appeared darker in color than the other, possibly just lighting

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER - with its long serrated bill ready for another dive to latch onto a fish

SNOW GOOSE

Juvenile GREAT BLUE HERON - no white on head

That shadow bird above was fun. So I continued to watch the GBH until to flew a short distance, capturing its landing.

Can you feel the pilot slowing the plane?

One foot down at a time

Female VERMILION FLYCATCHER

A very handsome couple

The next morning 11/25/18, I left home on a quiet calm morning. Arriving at BOYCE THOMPSON ABORETUM in Superior, Pinal County, about 40 minutes later, the winds had picked up tremendously and it was quite cold. I had dressed in layers, but still - wind is never good for birding --

Unless - there's a ripe Chinese Pistachio tree around. By the time we left the picnic area, I believe I had tallied 17 of the 31 species I observed for the entirety of our walk.