Coon Bluff Recreation Area along the Lower Salt River, Mesa, Maricopa County, AZ

 Friday, March 3, 2023

Doing more birding than blogging, I decided to put down a few of my recent memorable escapades. With Ontario visitor and friend, Sharon Barkley, we ambled around Coon Bluff Recreation area on Friday, March 3rd for a couple hours.

Starting behind the bluff to get as good a view as possible of the river downstream (nothing exciting there today), we walked east of the cliff to a point where we could scan its ridge line for a potential eagle. Instead, I was looking at a head of a GREATER ROADRUNNER peeking out from behind a rock. Quickly to my camera, I caught a quick pic as it made it clear to move forward.

    We would see the Bald Eagle later.

    AMERICAN ROBINS are abundant this year. Normally, I'd be happy to see just one during the winter, but everywhere I bird, robins are foraging and, sometimes, singing.

 Another unusual winter visitor (also in the Thrush family with the Robin), has been TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE. Normally, I would see this bird at a higher elevation of a coniferous forest or down as low as a pinyon-juniper habitat. But it has been showing up at many of our eBird Hot Spots, including the Salt River Recreation Areas. See photo below.

On the Salt River were COMMON MERGANSER. A treat to view, they appeared to have found a circular area to claim as temporary territory while they dived and feasted.  Below.

Winter has been cold this year as evidenced by the VERMILION FLYCATCHER below.

Several GREATER YELLOWLEGS patrolled the edges of the river, east, and west. Below:

 I was glad Sharon had wanted to go birding; we enjoyed the quietness of the area and the many birds that showed themselves. 

As many of you know, I recently published my Memoir. Sharon is a very capable person who designed the covers, printed the book, and completed the process of converting my typing into a full-length book. She joined me at a book signing during her visit.

Me (Babs) Left: Sharon, holding Memoir

If you don't already have one and want one, email me at brbrbuck0@gmail.com

The eBird checklist for our birding:

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S130066230

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