With a late start in our increasing desert heat, I was pleasantly surprised with the number of bird species and numbers of birds surrounding us. Still on April hours of opening at 8 a.m., Boyce Thompson Arboretum offered up some goodies for us to enjoy. (Hours change to 6 a.m. in May.)
With birder Beth Polvino, visiting from Cape May, we walked the perimeter trail and more for 3.5 hours.
During that walking time, we caught up with four (4) species of Dove: EURASIAN COLLARED; INCA; WHITE-WINGED and MOURNING. When I first arrived in Arizona over twenty years ago, the INCA DOVE, a small very scaly bird with dark rufous underwings, was fairly common in our community. Fewer and fewer are seen now but are sometimes heard cooing from a tree limb: "no hope...no hope...no hope". Many birders have tried to change its mnemonic (phrase for remembering the quail) to something else, but the substitutes never stuck with me. The WHITE-WINGED DOVE arrives in our southwest desert in spring where it has the distinction of being the major pollinator of the Saguaro Cactus. This symbiotic relationship (fruit for the dove and distribution of the saguaro seeds) is remarkable; we always know when to look for the WHITE-WINGED DOVE. The MOURNING DOVE and EURASIAN-COLLARED (invasive species) are abundant year-round residents.
Hummingbirds love the arboretum's many flowers which is where we found the ones we saw -- not at any feeders.
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| BOTTLE BRUSH - no hummingbird in pic |
While we saw only three (3) species today, the hummingbirds never fail to delight. About the only thing they can't do well is walk (very weak legs).
In addition to our most common ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, we saw a BLACK-CHINNED and a couple BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD--one of my favorites.
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| BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD |
A highlight with no photo was a ZONE-TAILED HAWK doing its "hiding in the kettle of TURKEY VULTURE" to fool mammals on the ground who know the Vultures are scavengers, not looking for live food. The ZONE-TAILED on the other hand, has similar by-colored underwing and flies in the kettle. I picked it out by its more shallow V shape in its wing pattern and slightly smaller size. Calling Beth's attention to it, we both saw the bands on the tail (missing on a vulture). She was delighted with the LIFE BIRD!
The ZONE-TAILED HAWK, camouflaged by the many TURKEY VULTURE is definitely looking at the mammals on the ground.
HOODED ORIOLE seemed plentiful this morning although very busy going to and fro so no pics of that beautiful bird either. (Photos have been posted in previous blogs.)
The male SUMMER TANAGER was another FOS sighting for me and by a too-late click of my camera, I missed that beautiful red male singing and singing from an open tree limb in the Demonstration Garden.
An unusual sighting at Ayer Lake was the SPOTTED SANDPIPER - in breeding plumage. The bird can be found at the Salt River all winter in its basic plumage with which I am most familiar. By its constant see-saw motion of its tail end, I knew what it was but I still confirmed with Beth that this bird had an orange bill in its spring/summer plumage.
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| SPOTTED SANDPIPER - above and below |
As we descended the trail close to the Mansion, a handful of WHITE-THROATED SWIFT flew from the south right over heads close enough to hear their "ja ja ja ja ja" vocalizations
before they flew into a crevice/hollow in the sandstone wall below the building.
At the bottom of that trail, I turned to show Beth what I thought was a former nest of RED-TAILED HAWK -- a bunch of loose sticks supported by a prickly-pear cactus on one side of a small ledge and more sticks on the other side. SURPRISE!
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| Nestling RED-TAILED HAWK |
Before we knew it, we were back at the Demonstration Garden area.
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| From the Rose Garden |
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S55348907
The next day, Thursday, April 25, 2019, I heard a car door close in front of my house a little before 6:00 a.m., when I thought I was driving to Gilbert Water Ranch. Not so! Lorraine was able to join Kylene, Sandy Dechert and myself for the morning stroll and needed her sturdy walker in the trunk, so she drove.
Getting away at an early hour enabled us to watch the GILA WOODPECKER feeding young in cavities of various saguaro at that garden at the east end of the parking lot. Birds were just beginning to move about.
To share this beautiful natural habitat with others makes me happy! Whether it's the birds they like, the desert cottontail, the cotton falling from the cottonwood trees, the ducks, the wading birds - whatever: there is something for everyone...including dog walkers, photographers, joggers, and just families out for a stroll through the many trails around the seven ponds. We went slowly today but managed to spot 34 species plus the one duck that fascinated these newcomers: MUSCOVY DUCK. Photos below are from my file.
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| MUSCOVY DUCK-Domestic |
WHITE-WINGED DOVE had arrived at this location, too. The mnemonic for their call is "who cooks for you?" cooed out over and over.
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| The white of the wing traces the edge of the front of the wing and also shows in flight. Note the white rounded tail in contract to the pointed tail of Mourning Dove. It's a hefty bird. |
While the GAMBEL'S QUAIL were running about everywhere, by the time we reached them they "hid".
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| Male GAMBEL'S QUAIL |
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| GREAT BLUE HERON |
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| RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD with breeding plumage epaulets expanded |
Photos from my file:
A fun day for all of us!
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S55391480
Friday, April 26, 2019
A text Thursday evening from friend, Susan Fishburn, got my nose out of a book and into preparing for another 6 a.m. meeting the next morning, this time a good 30 minutes or more from home.
Appropriately for the hottest day so far this season, we headed to the higher elevation beyond Payson at Tonto Creek Fish Hatchery. Birding the 5-mile road into the hatchery caught my attention! First bird heard: "hosea maria" -- the GREATER PEWEE. It called repeatedly until we finally spotted it.
That was when I discovered my camera was NOT functioning. The problem began on O'ahu; the lens would not move in and out normally. There I was able to coax it into working by removing the battery for a while and then starting over again. Today - no luck at all. Just when we really wanted photos. Susan has a similar camera and left it home because she knew I'd have mine. Dang! Good birds not photographed: see the three lists below.
We birded the road into the hatchery, the hatchery area and then on up the road to Christopher Creek area where I had found, in past year, some good spots for good birds. Today, worked out the same.
We were excited about the warblers we saw and I couldn't believe how vocal the HOUSE WREN were. They may have been feeding young, but were all over the place chipping and singing. Thrilled with our 40 mountain species, we dragged ourselves away from the cool hillsides to return to 97° F.
It was a wonderful day for which I dearly wish I had photos!
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S55442159
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S55434583
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S55434219
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