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

Update on a few recent local birding visits - Pinal and Maricopa County, AZ

Friday, November 15th.
Although I went out to BTA solo to look for some rare birds, I ended up finding Susan Fishburn there, too, just as I was thinking about leaving.  She was looking for the Ovenbird reported the previous day so I joined her for a while, not having birded with her for quite some time. Finally, I split off to return home while she continued her patient vigil in the general area the bird was previously spotted.

The Ovenbird, White-throated Sparrow and Rufous-backed Robin were all on my list of rare birds for this area - of which, as I left the Arboretum, I got one: RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN.
Was not prepared for the sighting; camera was turned off with lens cover on. So, wouldn't you know the RBRobin would start walking, then quickly flying when it saw me approaching on the path I had waited for it to show itself that morning at 8 a.m. For close to an hour, I had waited - a long wait for me! Having seen it several years ago at the Arboretum in the tall hackberry next to the Smith Building, and farther south along Santa Gertrudis Lane in Tumacacori, I knew the bird. So, now I got one good look at its profile, indicating the main markers that make it different from our AMERICAN ROBIN that has a black head with broken white eye ring and dark gray nape, back and tail. The RUFOUS-BACKED differs with a gray head, dark eye and short dark eyeline; dark streaks on its white throat; orange-ish breast and reddish back and wings.
No doubt about what I was seeing - made me smile that I didn't pull a complete wipe out on rarities.

For a short while, I thought I might be looking at the Ovenbird - plain brown...oops, no orange streak on its head...second oops, very rufous wings and tail. Even though its dark speckled chest appeared to be streaked (like an Ovenbird), it was probably wishful thinking. HERMIT THRUSH for sure.

HERMIT THRUSH

For a brief moment in a location past the new Rose Garden (Demonstration Garden area), I thought I was looking at a Winter Wren - and maybe I was - but didn't have time to get enough ID markers on it.

At the same location, I had a surprise sighting come out into the open from the underbrush:
SWAMP SPARROW.

Poor photo, yet shows the very reddish coloration of the skulky SWAMP SPARROW

Other birds that showed themselves:

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW  - ADULT

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW - JUVENILE

HOUSE FINCH - male

HOUSE FINCH - female

Sometimes this is the view I get:  BLACK-THROATED SPARROW

And, then I get a view like this: NORTHERN CARDINAL

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S61472161

Saturday, November 16th

Joining my Bird Walk at Lost Dutchman State Park on 11/13 were Judy and Karen who had just arrived at the same RV Park where I live. Always nice to run into other avid birders!  I took them to Granite Reef Rec Area along the Lower Salt River on Saturday where we couldn't believe our good sightings. In addition to birds, we saw a big Javelina but it moved out of our way (no young to protect this time of year).

Javelina

Although I didn't get photos of all our sightings, a few of our best birds are below:

A VIRGINIA RAIL was one of the first birds we saw. It came out from down in the watery reeds up to where we were standing in the picnic area staring at it. Once it realized where it was, it took off quickly.

Seeing three BALD EAGLE was definitely a good sighting in the limited time we birded there. One was at the nest checking things out and decided to go look for more nesting material.

Same bird as above. It pulled a gigantic amount of nesting material (limb with stuff on it) out of the river. Very heavy lift, apparently, so it waited until it dried out a bit before carrying up to the nest.

All the while, another mature adult (maybe the male) perched on a very distant crossbar of a tall pole. It was visited by a 3-year old BALD EAGLE so the two of them flew off together. 

We all enjoyed our time at the River and I hope we'll get together for more birding later. They'll be heading home soon, but hope to return again this season.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S61493930

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