Babs' Birding Experiences : Great Weather for another visit to "the Flats" in Pinal County, AZ

Saturday, April 17, 2021

With another good birding friend visiting briefly in my community, we decided to see how many good birds we might find farther south of us.

With apparent WHITE-FACED IBIS foraging in the ag fields west of Coolidge, we stopped, turned around, and returned to get a closer look. For sure: WHITE-FACED IBIS to the measured estimate of 110 birds! Always, this time of year I see many more SWAINSON'S HAWK together at that location than in most other spots. Although we counted 25, there were many in furrows, and deep in the green crop (alfalfa?) that couldn't be observed with certainty.

With that auspicious start to our day, Judy C. anticipated good sightings at Santa Cruz Flats that we would soon enter from Phillips and Sunshine Boulevard. "Hopefully!" I confirmed.

With a total of 39 species in over four hours riding dusty roads past dairy farms, sod farms, and agricultural fields just beginning to show new growth of corn and other green crops, we did, indeed, see birds that were special to each of us.

With a clear sunny sky, I was able to pull off some decent photos, so our adventure will unfold with pictures.

The first and last birds we spotted were SWAINSON'S HAWK, below. Not seeing this species very often, I'm just learning about its "light, intermediate and dark morphs" with their own identification, as in the second photo.

Light Adult above

Dark Intermediate Adult

Although COOPER'S HAWK is always lurking around these fields, it's not every day I catch a photo, below:

An AMERICAN KESTREL, one of just several we spotted, was tucked in close to a utility pole. At first glance, I thought it was one of the PRAIRIE FALCON we had seen, but upon closer view, it was clearly a kestrel shown below:

Kingbirds were active flycatching from overhead wires. Of several CASSIN'S KINGBIRDs, I again failed to pull off a clear ID shot of the bird but did catch the more abundant, WESTERN KINGBIRD, below:

In the vicinity of the Caballero Dairy, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDs were a real treat.

Female above

Male YHBL

Some birds that favor the Evergreen Turf farm that is well irrigated to the point of having a few puddles, simply amaze me.

Three BLACK-NECKED STILT favored an extended "puddle"

while LEAST SANDPIPERs stuck to the muddier waters.

Judy was ecstatic when she spotted BURROWING OWLs along Green Reservoir Road!

Taken through the windshield, trying to catch the face of a BURROWING OWL below a dirt berm

When Judy spotted a CRESTED CARACARA flying toward us, she was delighted. Not a Life Bird for her (she had seen one in Texas but not as well as she wanted), her catching this Caracara in the air saved the day, so to speak.

What a surprise to find two of them working a nearby tilled field. Quietly, we took many photos of the CRESTED CARACARA. A few of mine are below: