Local Birding this Past Week, Pinal and Maricopa Counties, AZ

1)    Pinal County - Wednesday, February 17, 2021

2)    Maricopa County - Monday, February 22, 2021

3)    Maricopa County - Wednesday, February 24, 2021

First:  

For the limited number of five masked participants in delightfully clear but cool weather, my Bird Walk at Lost Dutchman State Park resulted in our observing 18 species. As usual I arrived early at Saguaro Parking area and couldn't believe the bird sitting on top of a bush on the median dividing the lot: the desert BENDIRE'S THRASHER.  So, it went on our list but I was confident we would see others as we walked a loop on trails through Cholla area, up to Jacob's Crosscut and back down to Saguaro.  We did see two more on our walk.

Many of the new-to-birding participants had never seen nor heard of the PHAINOPEPLA, of which we saw many. The group was quite taken with the suave appearance of the BLACK-THROATED SPARROW and its bravery in tolerating our presence.

For me, the best sighting was two GILDED FLICKER cavorting together that I was unable to photograph.

When I'm leading a group, I seldom take photos, but these two provided the opportunity:

1) BENDIRE'S THRASHER on jojoba bush at parking lot;

2) BLACK-THROATED SPARROW observed several times on our Bird Walk.

For more details, feel free to check out the eBird List at the following link:

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S81818482

SECOND:

Having put in some good time on home projects over the weekend, I decided to check out the birds at Coon Bluff Recreation Area along the Lower Salt River in Mesa, Maricopa County, AZ.

One of my favorite spots to bird and one that I've written of many times, I've decided to just drop photos to show the interesting birds that can be found in our Sonoran Desert.

Female PHAINOPEPLA - note red eye; gray color overall and crest

KILLDEER - Salt River is running low

BLACK PHOEBE - many were hawking insects over the river

VERMILLION FLYCATCHER (above and below) with shade and light playing on it

BEWICK'S WREN above is hard to see. But its supercilium or eyebrow in obvious as its its tail

GREATER YELLOWLEGS (above and below)

For eBird checklist link, see: View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82157607

THIRD:

Most recently, I took part-time visitor Sherri Musgrove to the Salt River locations so she could find them herself.  A photographer, she enjoyed our time at both Granite Reef Rec Area and Phon D. Sutton as I tried to locate the two TRUMPETER SWANs that had been making the Salt River at Granite Reef their home since early December, 2020. 

Having already determined the TRUMPETER SWANs were not at the dam area of the Salt, I had gone up to Bush Highway when the east path got too difficult to traverse. A young man parked in his car on the opposite side of Bush Highway called over and asked if I was searching for them. He told me he paddle boards every morning and he's seen them recently farther upstream where access is closer from entering Phon D Sutton Rec Area.  I thanked him for his directions to his known location there, but after driving farther east and entering that Area and walking much farther than I think I needed to do, I still came up with NO TRUMPETER SWAN.  I'll keep watching eBird for anymore sightings.

My photos from the day:

Three CANVASBACK 

CINNAMON TEAL in flight

GADWALL

Juvenile BLACK PHOEBE (still more brown than black)

VERMILLION FLYCATCHER (Male)

In addition to birds, two Javelina were on Native Land North shore: an adult and young one.

When we explored Phon D. Sutton, I came upon two feral horses, one of which decided way too many people at that location at the confluence of the Verde River with the Salt.

I got a photo of the one that hung around a bit longer.

For more details, check out these eBird checklists:

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82261512

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S82267731

 

Good Pandemic Site for Birding, Pinal County, AZ

Saturday, February 13, 2021 

    Using surface roads to reach our destination just 55 miles away, we were able to start birding in chilly (48°F) Santa Cruz Flats at 7:45 a.m. under an overcast sky. Birds were initially quiet but I knew it to be good bird habitat. It didn't take long for some birds to start zipping through the air to perch on the naked pecan trees on the east side of the street. 

    It was a first visit for Roxy Squires who spied our first RED-TAILED HAWK that flew from the cultivated pecan field to the desert scrub stretched out along the west side of our dirt road. Sky was much too dark to try for any distant photos and I knew we would see many more Red-tailed Hawks before we wrapped up our birding through the Flats.

    Still too distant to photograph, but much easier to spot and identify were the birds foraging on the ground in the tractor-wide spaces between each row of trees. HOUSE FINCH, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, MOURNING DOVE AND DARK-EYED (OREGON) JUNCO.  We birded just a few rows from the road where the mixed species were closer to our view.

    Before leaving that spot on Barrett Road, we also spotted YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERs and WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

    Each in our own vehicle, we continued on to visit five eBird Hot Spots with mixed results. At Evergreen Turf Sod Farm, the big irrigation system was soaking the grass so well that the predominate species was KILLDEER with two GREAT BLUE HERON checking it out. Despite setting up the spotting scope and trying really hard to identify every single bird, not a single Mountain Plover came into view.

    All humans we saw were in vehicles:  1) farmers speeding along the road whipping up huge dust clouds behind them and 2) three cars stopped beside a field we had just viewed and seen nothing but numerous COMMON RAVEN.  So I pulled up and stopped beside the last car in line, rolled down my passenger side window, showed my binoculars and asked if we had missed something. The woman responded that they were just communicating on their walkie-talkies about where to head next. So, I continued forward.

    I noticed the three cars following us. As I slowed they passed us. The lead car rolled down its window and called out, "Caracara ahead!".  

    So, we followed them until we came upon two CRESTED CARACARA: one on the south side of our road; the other out in the cotton field on the north side where a farmer was pulling a disc over the plowed field. The three other cars had already moved on.  So that was the extent of being with other people during our Covid compliant birding.      

    While we spent much time birding there, light was really poor for most of the trip, so there are few photos to post for the day. But, here they are below:

RED-TAILED HAWK - note the light colored feathers on its back that create a bit of a V shape

    Mixed flock but most above are female LARK BUNTING, sparrow-like bird with large bluish bill

Two LARK BUNTING (females)

Male LARK BUNTING -- taken at Lost Dutchman State Park back in 2012 (from my files)

GREAT HORNED OWL on nest (we kept our distance)

This is the CRESTED CARACARA on the south side of our road (above & below)

CRESTED CARACARA on opposite side of road focused on hole in ground undisturbed by farmer's disc behind it

We also spotted three CRESTED CARACARA in the air at another location

We drove many roads and saw many more birds in our eight (8) hours of canvassing the Flats. Fairly new to birding, Roxy has an aptitude for the natural world and really got into the many sightings that you can view by checking on the eBird links below.

Another good day in the field!

* * *

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S81130294

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S81147387

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S81181528

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S81198070

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S81230449

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S81245190

Back to Santa Cruz Flats to wrap up my January Explorations, Pinal County, AZ

Sunday, January 31, 2021

        Having birded Santa Cruz Flats between here and Tucson once a week for the past four weeks, I’ve come up with a plan that gives me a sense of how much territory I can cover in specific periods of time.  

Just a reminder that the Flats cover 300 square miles with a nice grid of paved and unpaved roads some of which connect with other roads and some that don’t. Be sure to stay on named streets and avoid agricultural roads around the fields where farmers work. We don’t want birders to be kicked off property within this very interesting source of various bird species, from raptors to waterfowl (irrigated fields).  An overall map of the place can be found online.

I picked up Jannie Blok at 6:45 a.m. in AJ, and returned by 4:30 p.m.  Round trip from AJ and back was 172 miles, with 59 of them within the Flats where we birded from the car as well as getting out and walking the edges of pecan trees lining the roads.

Weather was beautifully clear with moderate temperatures  (from 41-69°F) and calm wind. Great for photos if we were quick enough!

A great place for raptors, we spotted 18 RED-TAILED HAWK (2 photos below); 1 NORTHERN HARRIER and 1 FERRUGINOUS HAWK that was later flagged as a RED-TAILED HAWK - not Ferruginous.…photos below:

  This Intermediate Dark Morph of a Red-tailed was photographed by Jannie Blok

While I thought this yellow-eyed species was a Ferruginous Hawk, it has been reviewed by experts and has been identified as a juvenile LIGHT-MORPH RED-TAILED HAWK.  It does not have the large headed-large-billed look of the Ferruginous - that I haven't seen for more than two years and thought I had one with all that white!

Finding birds on the wing with my camera is a challenge I love. Caught this female NORTHERN HARRIER over an agricultural field.

Same with this kettle of BLACK VULTURES:

Other sightings included:

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE

GREATER YELLOWLEGS in irrigated Sod and Turf Farm

BURROWING OWL

LARK SPARROW

        Beyond camera reach, we spotted four (4) CRESTED CARACARA in the Pearce-Aries//Sunland Gin Area. When we were viewing something else, one of them lifted and flew toward us. By the time we spotted the Caracara it was upon us, lifting just above our heads, giving us a sight we won't soon forget!!

        With 43 total species, you can check the eBird lists from the links below.

        Another wonderful day in the Flats!

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View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S80187386

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S80197482

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S80204430

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S80211797

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S80217436