A Cool Spot to Bird near Picketpost Mountain, Pinal County, AZ

 

                                               Ayer Lake, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior, Arizona

Sunday, August 23, 2020

With only about 700’ higher elevation than where I live in the Phoenix East Valley, the temperature today was significantly cooler at 80°F in Superior than the 90°F  at home at 4:30 a.m.  Less than an hour’s drive, Arizona's oldest and largest arboretum is located in Superior.  Opening at 6:00 a.m. during the summer, it’s one of my favorite places to bird.

Birding the parking lot until it opened, I then followed the paved trail down toward the hummingbird plaza. While standing there, a call from high in a sycamore tree showed a bright red bird.  With the sun rising behind this SUMMER TANAGER, the photo is much less thrilling to view than the actual bird!

                                         ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD at Mexican Bird of Paradise bloom

                            HOODED ORIOLE (male) seems to always find a stick or limb to "hide" behind

Already out from their roost and waiting for thermals in the sky, TURKEY VULTURE (TUVU) gathered on the cliff sides.

Later, beyond Ayer Lake, also up on the cliff rocks I noted an adult and a young TUVU preening and pecking by themselves.  I really don’t know if it is an expected event to have successful breeding pairs among the 50-75 TUVU that spend summers here, but it definitely appeared to be so in this one instance, a first such sighting for me.

                     Turkey Vulture:   Adult (left) with red face and head; Juvenal (right) with gray face and head

Up at Ayer Lake, two VERMILLION FLYCATCHERs were moving from one mesquite to the other.

                                                                            Male

                                                                           First-year female

To wrap up at the Demonstration Garden, I walked through the picnic area where I spotted a small bird running along a narrow board.  

                                                 Juvenile CANYON WREN!  

These are just a sample of the 40 species I observed in about three (3) hours of birding.

'Til next time I venture out in the heat!

Click on the checklist below to see the full list.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S72730976