Babs' Birding Experiences : 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!

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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