Audubon Christmas Bird Count - My wedge of the circle; Pinal County, AZ

December 26, 2019

Queen Creek running full and fast compared to its usual dry creek bed

Audubon's Christmas Bird Count (CBC) turned 115 this year. It started when an ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York (Frank Chapman) proposed the count as an alternative to the men going out to hunt birds on Christmas Day. 

For the past several years I've participated in the Superior Circle that falls on the day after Christmas. The Count takes place each year from December 14 to January 5th. Today, more than 30,000 people worldwide count over 2,400 species - about 65-70 million birds each year.

A single birding circle is 15 miles in diameter that is broken up into smaller pie-shaped sectors. The Superior Circle includes many sectors. In the past 5-6 years, I've birded the Queen Valley Sector that often has surprise species to bring to the total tally at the end of the day, usually at a restaurant in Superior where we gather to bring together our data for the Area Coordinator (Joy Bell).

Who are the crazy people who come out this time of year to count birds?  Birders, scientists, enthusiasts and students! Last year 2,408 species from the Circle Counts were submitted -- a record high!

This year, I led the Boyce Thompson Arboretum Count in the morning and surrounding areas in the afternoon, including Oak Flat Campground. What a wonderfully pleasant day tucked into a week of rain! The photo below was taken at Oak Flat with our afternoon counters; three more had participated at the Arboretum.

L-R: Heather, Carrie, Else, Babs (leader) and Irene

Photos of some of the 49 species our group spotted today (from 6 sites=332 individual birds).

PHAINOPEPLA (male)

NORTHERN CARDINAL

ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD

HARRIS'S HAWK

BRIDLED TITMOUSE - getting an insect

Below, the two photos provide a comparison between the CURVE-BILLED THRASHER (BTA) and the CRISSAL THRASHER (quite distant at Oak Flat).

CURVE-BILLED THRASHER (Boyce Thompson Arboretum)

CRISSAL THRASHER (on the rocky uplift at Oak Flat, adjacent to North Magma Shaft 9 Road)

The CURVE-BILLED THRASHER is the common desert thrasher with its often-heard "Wheet-Wheet!" call, especially in the early morning and in mating season. Its curved bill tapers to a point but is thick throughout. Plumage is dingy brownish gray above with smudgy grayish spots on its underparts.

The CRISSAL THRASHER is a permanent desert resident but has more restricted habitat preferences so is seen less frequently. Color between the two species is too similar to use for identification but the CRISSAL is larger and its bill is longer, very slender and curves into a bow. The only color difference I can think of is the dark chestnut color of the CRISSAL's under-tail coverts that contrasts with the more yellowish of the CURVE-BILLED in that area. So, if you get a rear view, look for that. The CRISSAL THRASHER also has a dark throat stripe (malar stripe).

Below are the links to eBird for each site we birded. And, the Team I worked with were phenomenal birders and adventurers!

At two places we attempted to bird thoroughly (Apache Tears Trail and Arnett Road) we were thwarted by the high fast water of Queen Creek and deep mud, respectively.

I'll be participating in one more CBC on January 2nd - one I did last year when it was resurrected by Mary McSparen, at Lake Pleasant.  So, until then. . .happy birding!

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TEAM MEMBERS:

Babs Buck, Area 2 Leader

Else van Erp

Irene Neff

Sally & Chester McKemic (BTA only)

Heather Bateman

Carrie Clayton

Dan from BTA joined us part-time there

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S62661199

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S62661200

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S62661203

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S62662327

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S62661210

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S62663613

Higley & Ocotillo Ponds, Maricopa County, AZ

Sunday, December 22, 2019
Disappointment was my first reaction when I pulled up to the settlement ponds on the east side of Higley Road, a bit north of Ocotillo Rd.
Both front basins had no water, thus no waterfowl.  
Under the overcast sky and "still" day with no breeze, I scanned for whatever might be wandering through the damp muddy "ponds".  Nada.  No doves; no roadrunners, no blackbirds. 

This put me on the trail heading east into the morning sun making an effort to shine through the clouds - directly into my eyes. Listening, then, to the birds now making sounds around me, I came upon ABERT'S TOWHEE, BLACK PHOEBE and AMERICAN PIPIT.  Zeroing in, I actually got to see each of them, too.

Several NORTHERN SHOVELER were in the canal that runs north/south along the rear Pond #4. Large flocks of waterfowl foraged out on that pond but turned their backs to me as I walked the trail.  One of my favorites, the NORTHERN PINTAIL were the most abundant but were back-lit as I looked eastward, so I didn't take many photos.

Obviously, I was not going to have as many ponds to cover as I thought, so I started experimenting with aerial photos, some of which actually worked!  

So, from here, I'll just drop in photos taken during my two hours at the ponds, starting with NORTHERN PINTAIL that I found in the rear west-side pond.

Hen NORTHERN PINTAIL above
Pair below:

Drake (R) and Hen (L) NORTHERN PINTAIL

Two Drake NORTHERN PINTAIL (note the yellow patch on hip and bluish bill)

Here you can see the tail extending beyond its legs

One of the better photos I managed of the Drake Northern Pintail

Walking out on the pebbly trail were several AMERICAN PIPIT.

KILLDEER were also up on the walkway

This LEAST SANDPIPER was below the trail close to the water

Swimming in the canal were several NORTHERN SHOVELER (Drakes & Hens):

NORTHERN SHOVELER Drake

Note the blue patch on front edge of top left wing of this Drake

GREEN-WINGED TEAL - many present but few close by

Two photos above show LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER

Mallards were scattered throughout the two large ponds with water, but as usual, too distant, or put their backs to me so I tried when they flew:

Poor photo of a pair of MALLARD

ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD  (male)

BLACK PHOEBE hovering

Enjoying a calm quiet morning with the birds seemed just what I needed today.

Full list of sightings (some flocks numbered in the hundreds) below.

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View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S62529867

A Hint of Cold at Sunrise as Birds get Active; GWR; Maricopa County, AZ

Friday the 13th, December, 2019

Walking up to Pond 7 at 7:25 a.m. at Gilbert Water Ranch to see this sight made Friday the 13th a good omen. Not an everyday sighting -- what a delight!

Three AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN in dawn light

Pelicans bottoms up

CANADA GOOSE also took off in the morning light, then foraged on another pond.

WILSON SNIPE are frequently present but are so camouflaged, not always seen.

GAMBEL'S QUAIL appeared to enjoy being out and about on this chilly morning, scratching around right on the trail. Two couples (male & female) plus a male perched up later.

An unusual bird for Arizona is the REDDISH EGRET.  A Juvenile stopped by several days ago and was still here - on the west side of Pond 6 - today. It's rather bland but its reddish hue shows well as it preens. Smaller than a Great Blue; larger than a Snowy Egret.

In October of last year (2018), a REDDISH EGRET stopped off at Coon Bluff for a few days. Here's a photo of that juvenile bird where I was able to get closer to it.

Several GREAT BLUE HERON showed up at various ponds today.

Most unusual of the Great Blues was this one perched on top of the astronomers' telescope.

It appears to be a Juvenile.

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS are in their basic (winter; non-mating) plumage right now and look like this:

Among the other shorebirds were several GREATER YELLOWLEGS:

and SNOWY EGRET:

It was a fine day out there; I took my time and snapped many more photos than I intended!!

Happy Birding!

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View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S62269291

Thanksgiving Morning at Granite Reef & Goldfield Rec Areas along the Salt River, Maricopa County, AZ

Thursday, November 28, 2019
Following up the heavy rain and wind we experienced yesterday, Lois Lorenz and I were both glad that no moisture was coming from the dark overhead clouds on Thanksgiving morning. About 7 a.m. we began birding at Granite Reef Recreation Area. That was our intention, anyway.

VERDIN and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET made themselves known in the mesquites as we walked to the south edge of the Salt River. WHERE are the waterfowl?  ZERO birds out there?! 

That was sort of unsettling for me!  This time of year the river is usually home to Goldeneye, Bufflehead, ..Mergansers and more.  Not today.  Nada. Nothing as far as I could see from the end of the concrete walkway.  And, here we were hoping for some unusual birds to show up from the winds and rainstorm yesterday!

Do they know it's hunting season?  (Dove, Duck & Quail)  If so, I'm okay with that but otherwise, I'm just wondering if they're passing up the Salt for the Riparian area at Gilbert Water Ranch...

Off, then, to the berm around the water catchment basin that actually held some good water but again, not a duck or wader in sight. With poor light under the very dark overcast sky, we did locate a COOPER'S HAWK perched on a snag in the distance.

COOPER'S HAWK

At the muddy "beach" (end of drainage area) on the south shore of the Salt, we finally saw ducks!!  Not many, but three CANVASBACK is always a great sighting!  Two drake; one hen.  Here, too, not far from us was a GREAT BLUE HERON and in the trees behind it, a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON.

Pair of CANVASBACK  (Note red eye of drake)
 

The BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, (below) working its way around on the bottom limbs of a large shrub, was a bit west of the Canvasbacks so all the waterfowl were congregated on this one stretch of the river.

Perched atop a pole at the dam was a mature BALD EAGLE and a paltry number of ducks were hugging the north shore across from us - including a COMMON GALLINULE. The surprise bird at the edge of our little muddy spit was an AMERICAN PIPIT.

Birding our way back to the car, we decided to try our luck at 

GOLDFIELD RECREATION AREA.  

Muddy but birdy.

PHAINOPEPLA were abundant. That's an unusual word derived from the Greek language that means "black silky robe".  Sometimes called the "desert cardinal" or "black cardinal" by beginners, this slim handsome flycatcher makes the desert its home during the winter months. Another red-eyed bird, it is often found in trees with clumps of mistletoe. It's one of the few birds that can digest its berries.

As the sky lightened somewhat, I took a few more photos of the various birds in the mesquite bosque, willows and cottonwoods.  Two different species of woodpecker below: our common GILA WOODPECKER (male with red cap) and a LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER (female with no red on its head).

Out along the river we heard and saw a SPOTTED SANDPIPER on a rare island of small stones, a GREAT EGRET and a GREAT BLUE HERON.

Upon reaching the sandstone cliffs, filled with empty Cliff-Swallow nests, we turned back swinging away from the shoreline to cover the scrub and trees on our return.

Before climbing the hill back up to the parking lot, I snapped a pic of RED MOUNTAIN on Tribal Land looking good from this distance.

With 28 species at Granite Reef and 24 at Goldfield, we were pleased with the birding and the exercise (3 miles) -- in preparation for feasting later in the day.

'Til next time.

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View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S61816048

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S61819715