Local Birding with Community Birding Group, Maricopa County, AZ

Wednesday, January 5, 2022 

    Our first outing in 2002, has coincided with the third year of the Covid pandemic and its local outbreak of the Omicron virus. Respecting space and masking, we drove to our destination in separate cars....today, being Red Mountain Park on Brown Road in Mesa, AZ.

    On a short timeline, we managed to spot 25 species in 1.5 hours. Weather was cold but perfect at 45°-57°F under a sunny sky. There was little or no wind.

    With ducks sunning along the edges of the pond, I managed a few photos. The pair of AMERICAN WIGEON below remind us to count not only the drake of this species but to stay alert to its mate with gray-brown head and smudge around its eye and its small gray bill with black tip, angled downward. Drake and Hen AMERICAN WIGEON. Drake, with a white/buffy head, dark eyepatch and pink-tinted brown sides.    

    A COOPER'S HAWK flew overhead to a tall thick cottonwood where we lost sight of it. To me,  looking into the sun, it appeared totally black. Later we spotted it perched on a distant utility pole where I tried for a definitive photo, below:

    Two PIED-BILLED GREBE were diving at various places in the pond. Down it would go! Where will it come up? I caught one before it swam out of sight. In non-breeding season, it appears as it is below with thick bill and dark eyes. It gets its name from its breeding plumaged black band around its then white bill. 

    Treetops, bare of leaves served as perches for flocks of GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE, and mixed flocks of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, HOUSE FINCH, and MOURNING DOVES.

    Two plain brown birds befuddled us for a while. Finally, Karen came up with its ID - a female BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD. 

    We kept our visit brief in order to return to our homes to tune in to a ZOOM update of Covid/Omicron guidelines for the next few weeks.

    Still, it was another fun day in the field. As always, check the link below to view the eBird report.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S100169598