Babs' Birding Experiences : Address for the Birds in this post: Riggs & Price Road, Maricopa County, AZ

Wednesday, November 20, 2021

Having not visited this spot for several years, I wanted to share it with birding friends, Hinde S., Judy C., and Karen M. Nice to have good birders living nearby who are still active and enjoy going out in the field.

Found a parking lot in Sun Lakes near one of the two ponds along Price Road. Most of our attention focused on the dried agricultural fields across that road. The best ingredient in birding places like this is the unknown. Will there be any special birds at the ponds? Any special birds in the fields?

SNOWY EGRET. (4)

With the pond water deep up to its edge, the birds lined up there to eye the water for their next meal. This juvenile Great Blue was a good find. Not yet with white feathers on its head and a bi-colored bill instead of fully yellow one, it looked comfortable fending for itself.

GREAT BLUE HERON

NEOTROPIC CORMORANT (52 total), in addition to flying overhead and diving within the pond, also lined up along its edges. The one on the left is a Juvenile but still has the pointed-not the Double-crested Cormorant rounded-border of bare skin at the base of its bill.

Although we estimated 1,000 MOURNING DOVE and EUROPEAN STARLINGs, the filter on eBird disallowed that high a count, so we backed it off a bit.

Showing just one of many many starlings along the overhead wires, I wanted to show the beautiful iridescence of this common bird in its basic (non-breeding) plumage.

Birds seem to adapt to civilization. If not a tree, a power pole will do for this male GILA WOODPECKER.

An OSPREY appeared to be keeping its eye on both the pond and the field.

AMERICAN KESTREL favor utility lines/cables for their perches.

Female AMERICAN KESTREL above; Male AMERICAN KESTREL below. (Note blue wing)

While I didn't catch the "Gray Ghost" in flight, a male Northern Harrier worked the fields from one side to the other, pausing finally relatively close to us to perch in the field. Still distant, the photo below.

The joy of my day was the appearance of the FERRIGINOUS HAWK. It's been several years since I've crossed paths with one of these beautiful creatures. Not common, but still found in agricultural areas in the Phoenix valley, it's our largest buteo.