Showing Winter-visiting Birders two good sites in Tempe, Maricopa County, AZ

Monday, February 17, 2020
Our weekly Community Bird Walk began at Kiwanis Park in Tempe at 7:31 a.m.  With eight participants, four of us (Gloria, Karen, Judy and Babs) began birding the North end of the lake while waiting for the second car to pull into the parking area. Not wanting to get too far away, we then walked up the grassy hill to the canal trail.  Wow!  Good move!

BELTED KINGFISHER (male) 

ROSY-FACED LOVEBIRDS

While checking the sounds from various trees, the four of us came up with a couple INCA DOVE, a very scaly small dove; a few of the larger EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE; and a couple MOURNING DOVE. RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET flitted around until one of the birders got a positive ID, and then someone spotted an AMERICAN KESTREL (male) perched on a distant light standard.

Still awaiting the second group that left the park before we did, I called but needed to leave a message. Shortly, I received a call back telling me they had missed the road by quite a bit and would be there in a big while.  

The four of us returned to the grounds around the lake. So many feral ROCK PIGEON and GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE were moving all around that entire lake/park area, I didn't count them. Simply said, both species were abundant. 

The squawk of ROSY-FACED LOVEBIRDS caught our attention. They roost and and hide out in the "woody" part beneath the fronds of local Palm trees.

Rear view of one ROSY-FACED LOVEBIRD

Standing beside the lake were two GREAT BLUE HERON.

Birding the grassy area at that end of the lake, each of us was spotting and calling birds or, if new, just called "bird" with its location.  These included a nice view of a GILDED FLICKER (its yellow underwing quite noticeable as it preened); several BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, VERDIN and HOUSE SPARROWs.

When the remaining four of our group (Glenda, Jan, Hinde and Roxy) joined us, we continued around the lake. Without noticing, Hinde spooked a GREEN HERON perched along the edge of the lake. We had one heck of a time re-locating it but we knew it hadn't flown off.
Having landed in front of what appears to be a storage unit for boating equipment, it looked very small and dainty next to the DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT next to it!

AMERICAN COOT outnumbered all the other waterfowl but good numbers of RING-NECKED DUCK and LESSER SCAUP swam at the southern end of the lake.

LESSER SCAUP

At the southern-most piece of the lake, two NEOTROPIC CORMORANT were taking turns preening and protecting their space.

NEOTROPIC CORMORANT

Another ROSY-FACED LOVEBIRD (conservative count of 19 total)

Among the HOUSE FINCH, I found an ORANGE variant that shows up from time to time. 

LESSER GOLDFINCH (male)

ROSY-FACED LOVEBIRDs 

Rookie Roxy found our most exotic bird of the morning: a COCKATIEL, a crested parrot foraging vigorously in the grass. (assumed escapee)

Wrapping up at Kiwanis Park in good time, we swung by Selleh Park to see if we could locate any WOOD DUCK.  Nope...nada...nowhere to be seen.  

All around, it was great fun with 33 countable species and two (domestic ducks and the Cockatiel) non-countable for birders doing "lists".  They show up as (other taxa) on the eBird list accessible by clicking the link below.

Still having fun in the field!  

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Click to see entire list:

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S64651906