August 2011
August 10th, 2011: Finding my first Red-faced Warbler in Maricopa County at Slate Creek Divide
Hi everyone,
Today on August 10th, 2011, Jim Kopitzke and I explored the high elevation
forests in the Slate Creek Divide area. I then later birded road 1688 at
Mount Ord for a few hours. Birding was slow overall today, but several
good highlights made the day an amazing success.
Jim and I met at Slate Creek's lower slopes and then went up Forest Road
201 all the way to where it dead ends, at the Arizona Trailhead. Here we
accessed our hiking route, which are the drainages that are completely in
Maricopa County consisting of beautiful habitat highly composed of Douglas
fir, as well as ponderosa pine, oaks, and sycamores. It's a thick area to
hike through with a lot of bushwhacking, but the birds make it worth it.
In the past, Red-faced Warblers used to nest here, but due to a bad fire
effecting much of the of the area, these awesome warblers have been very
hard to find in the county ever since. The bird has been extremely high
on both of our wishlists for some time for Maricopa County, and today we
were hoping to be rewarded.
Last year near this time, we managed to see Dusky-capped Flycatchers
feeding young in these drainages. I had a good amount of the flycatchers
near the end of this past May with a minumum of seven detected. Today,
Jim and I were a little shocked to find zero Dusky-capped Flycatchers. We
were hoping to confirm breeding for a second straight year at this
location, but it looks like they didn't breed and have left the area for
the year. The birding was very slow for much of the morning in the
drainages, compared to very high numbers of birds in most of our past
visits. Every now and then, we would come up on activity. After we
checked and realized the absence of the Dusky-cappeds, our Maricopa first
RED-FACED WARBLER made it's grand appearance. We stopped at a spot that
had activity, and after Jim called in a mixed flock including a few BROWN
CREEPERS with his awesome 1960's Audubon Bird Call, I noticed a warbler
foraging in a sycamore as we were about to move on. To my disbelief at
first, I saw that it was what we were hoping for the most. After
screaming, "YES!!!!" and getting Jim on the bird, Red-faced put on a great
show for us, and perched in the open for us mid-level in a fir, preening
the entire time before it continued to forage in the trees. I don't know
how long it's been since a Red-faced Warbler has been sighted in this
area, but it's definetely a great bird, anytime and anywhere!
Despite the fact the drainages were rather slow birding wise, there were
some other good highlights in the Slate Creek area, which a few other
species making things interesting. CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS called
throughout the morning and we detected a minumum of ten individuals.
Eight HEPATIC TANGERS were also present throughout the hike. PAINTED
REDSTARTS were present closby, and gave us great shows as always. As we
were at the lower parts of the drainage which has chapparal habitat in
surrounding slopes, a CRISSAL THRASHER was calling. We also had a YELLOW-
RUMPED "AUDUBON'S WARBLER calling as we began the route. Other highlights
from the route (which is roughly three miles) included ZONE-TAILED HAWK,
three BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRDS, five ACORN WOODPECKERS, three HAIRY
WOODPECKERS, several HUTTON'S VIREOS, one STELLER'S JAY (which has been
scarce in the county this year), two HOUSE WRENS, and two female WESTERN
TANAGERS. Other birds seen on our way to and fro down Forest Road 201
including a BAND-TAILED PIGEON flyby and MEXICAN JAYS.
We also found some other cool things in the Slate Creek area, highlighted
by an ARIZONA BLACK RATTLESNAKE, and ARIZONA SISTERS. Jim found what is
most likely a Spotted Owl feather, a Gray Fox skull, an a snakeskin. I
found a bee honeycomb.
After Slate Creek, I continued on to Mount Ord, where I spent a few hours
on road 1688. I had a lot of the same birds here as at Slate Creek, but
the highlight for me was located a GREAT HORNED OWL who was being checked
on by a curious Western Scrub-Jay. A WARBLING VIREO was also present by
the start of road 1688. I recored 42 species for the two locations, 3 of
which were year birds for Maricopa (RF WA, BT PI, CO FL).
For anyone interested in exploring the Maricopa County side of Slate Creek
Divide, I have information about it on my website, as I'll include a link
to the site. Check the maps under the pages section on the page to see an
overview, as well as a good route the hike we did today can be completed
in a three mile loop. Yes, it's an exhausting hike when it's over and
you'll get some stratches and bruises, but the wilderness is beautiful and
great, certainly an exciting one to explore.
SLATE CREEK DIVIDE AREA LINK: http://www.birderfrommaricopa.com/slate-
creek-divide-area.htm
TODAY'S BIRD LISTS:
1. Slate Creek Divide, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 10, 2011 6:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Comments: Birding Group: Jim Kopitzke, Tommy DeBardeleben. Traveling
loop of three miles plus a few birds along the drive to our destination in
the same general area.
39 species
Turkey Vulture 2
Cooper's Hawk 2
Zone-tailed Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Band-tailed Pigeon 1
Broad-tailed Hummingbird 3
Acorn Woodpecker 5
Hairy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 2
Western Wood-Pewee 6
Cordilleran Flycatcher 10
Plumbeous Vireo 5
Hutton's Vireo 3
Steller's Jay 1
Western Scrub-Jay (Woodhouse's) 20
Mexican Jay 5
Common Raven 2
Bridled Titmouse 15
Juniper Titmouse 1
Bushtit 10
White-breasted Nuthatch (Interior West) 1
Brown Creeper 5
Bewick's Wren 7
House Wren (Northern) 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 5
Crissal Thrasher 1
Phainopepla 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 1
Black-throated Gray Warbler 10
Red-faced Warbler 1
Painted Redstart 10
Spotted Towhee 15
Rufous-crowned Sparrow 1
Hepatic Tanager 8
Western Tanager 2
Northern Cardinal 1 Jim only
Black-headed Grosbeak 3
Blue Grosbeak 1 Jim only
Lesser Goldfinch 10
2. Mt. Ord (Maricopa Co.), Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 10, 2011 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: Birding along road 1688 for a few hours.
24 species
Turkey Vulture 2
Great Horned Owl 1
Anna's Hummingbird 1
Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1
Acorn Woodpecker 4
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Western Wood-Pewee 5
Cordilleran Flycatcher 2
Hutton's Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo (Western) 1
Western Scrub-Jay (Woodhouse's) 2
Common Raven 2
Juniper Titmouse 2
Bushtit 10
White-breasted Nuthatch (Interior West) 3
Bewick's Wren 4
Phainopepla 1
Virginia's Warbler 1
Black-throated Gray Warbler 5
Painted Redstart 4
Spotted Towhee 10
Hepatic Tanager 1
House Finch 5
Lesser Goldfinch 4
Good birding,
Tommy DeBardeleben(Glendale, Arizona
August 12th, 2011: Southeastern Arizona, Madera and Montosa Canyons-seeing my life Five-striped Sparrows and being cheated by an Aztec Thrush
Hello everyone,
Jim Kopitzke and I explored the areas of Montosa and Miller Canyons today
on August 12th, 2011 to see some of southeastern Arizona's amazing birds
and hopefully stake out some of the rarities.
We headed in the direction of Montosa Canyon first. Along the way, we
could hear RUFOUS-WINGED and CASSIN'S SPARROWS singing.
As we arrived in Montosa Canyon by the stream crossing, FIVE-STRIPED
SPARROW was the first bird we heard singing as we got out of the truck.
There were a lot of people looking at it, as we quickly got on it
ourselves. This bird was certainly the crowd pleaser, who flew around to
different perches in the entire two hours we birded in the canyon. It was
a lifer for me and the second sighting Jim has ever had of this species.
A lifer doesn't get much more cooperative than this bird was for me, which
was the main highlight of the day! Several hundred yards west of the
first sparrow, we were able to locate a second Five-striped on the south
side of the road. Besides the Five-striped, male VARIED BUNTINGS also put
on a great show, a species I haven't seen often either, especially
perched. Other highlights included PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER, WARBLING
VIREO, YELLOW WARBLER, three male WESTERN TANAGERS (in one mesquite), and
a SCOTT'S ORIOLE singing on a hillside.
Next, we went to the upper part of Madera Canyon in search of the Aztec
Thrush. Jim has seen Aztec Thrush once before, Tommy, zero. I have a
heartbreaking story to tell, you'll all feel sorry for me after this one.
Jim and I arrived at the Aztec Thrush spot to find out it hadn't been seen
yesterday (thursday), or prior to the time we arrived on site at about
10:30 A.M. today. Nothing was coming into the berry bushes and the spot
felt dead. We waited for about two hours until we decided to head back at
12:30. RIGHT at 12:30. The thrush hadn't been sighted in at least a day
and a half, so we figured it had probably located another delicious cherry
plant and made it's home there. The other parts of Madera had awesome
birds we didn't want to miss either, so we left. Turns out (see previous
report) that the thrush was located at 12:35 until 2. We missed it by
five minutes. Enough said, I'm a sucky southeastern Arizona rarity chaser.
On a very positive note, the birds were amazing that we abandoned the
thrush for. At Madera Kubo, we had a nice hummingbird show with seven
different species in a short amount of time. The star was the continuing
BERYLLINE HUMMINGBIRD, who came into the feeders very often. I couldn't
see enough of that bird. A single VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRD was also
present. Several MAGNIFICENT HUMMINGBIRDS were also present as well as
single BLUE-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD. Numerous BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRDS were
also present, as well as a few BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS and a female
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD. Before we got to the hummingbird spot, a BAND-TAILED
PIGEON was a nice surprise. A juvenile PAINTED REDSTART put on a good
show and seemed like it was starting to learn how to sing. The last bird
here at Kubo observed was a great look at a SULPHUR-BELLIED FLYCATCHER in
a sycamore.
Our last stop of the day was the Proctor Road area, which was birdy even
at the hotter time of the day. VARIED BUNTINGS put on a nice show here,
as one was hoping on the ground literally a few feet away from Jim. I
then spied the YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO lurking in a mesquite that has been
present in the area for quite some time. Another cool highlight was a
HUTTON'S VIREO singing in an oak above us. The surrounding area was
filled with the songs of CASSIN'S and BOTTERI'S SPARROWS, which seemed to
be everywhere.
It was a great day to be in the amazing southeastern Arizona, we recorded
62 species during all of our stops. Special thanks to the Five-striped
Sparrows!
TODAY'S BIRD LISTS:
1. S Mt. Hopkins Road (Pima County), Pima, US-AZ
Aug 12, 2011 7:30 AM - 7:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
11 species
Red-tailed Hawk 3
American Kestrel 1
White-winged Dove 4
Common Raven 2
Cliff Swallow 15
Cactus Wren 2
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 1
European Starling 1
Rufous-winged Sparrow 2
Cassin's Sparrow 5
Black-throated Sparrow 5
2. Montosa Canyon, Santa Cruz, US-AZ
Aug 12, 2011 7:40 AM - 9:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.5 mile(s)
Comments: Birding with Jim Kopitzke
32 species
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
White-winged Dove 5
Mourning Dove X
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
Pacific-slope Flycatcher 1
Bell's Vireo 2
Warbling Vireo (Western) 1
Verdin 3
Cactus Wren 2
Rock Wren 2
Canyon Wren 3
Bewick's Wren 4
Northern Mockingbird 1
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 1
European Starling 1
Phainopepla 5
Yellow Warbler (Northern) 1
Rufous-crowned Sparrow 2
Canyon Towhee 2
Rufous-winged Sparrow 1
Cassin's Sparrow 2
Five-striped Sparrow 2
Black-throated Sparrow 4
Western Tanager 3
Northern Cardinal 3
Black-headed Grosbeak 2
Varied Bunting 5
Hooded Oriole (Western) 2
Scott's Oriole 1
House Finch 10
Lesser Goldfinch X
3. Madera Canyon--upper canyon, Santa Cruz, US-AZ
Aug 12, 2011 10:15 AM - 12:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Birding with Jim Kopitzke
13 species
Cooper's Hawk 1
Acorn Woodpecker 5
Arizona Woodpecker 1
Western Wood-Pewee 3
Dusky-capped Flycatcher 3
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher 1
Mexican Jay 10
Bridled Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Interior West) 1
Hermit Thrush 1
Painted Redstart 1
Black-headed Grosbeak 2
Lesser Goldfinch X
4. Madera Canyon--Madera Kubo B&B, Santa Cruz, US-AZ
Aug 12, 2011 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments: Birding with Jim Kopitzke
15 species
Wild Turkey 3
Band-tailed Pigeon 1
Magnificent Hummingbird 3
Blue-throated Hummingbird 1
Black-chinned Hummingbird 2
Rufous Hummingbird 1
Broad-billed Hummingbird 10
Berylline Hummingbird 1
Violet-crowned Hummingbird 1
Acorn Woodpecker 4
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher 2
Mexican Jay 2
White-breasted Nuthatch (Interior West) 1
Painted Redstart 2
Lesser Goldfinch 10
5. Madera Canyon--Proctor Rd., Pima, US-AZ
Aug 12, 2011 1:40 PM - 2:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Birding with Jim Koptizke
22 species
Turkey Vulture 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Broad-billed Hummingbird (Northern) 1
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
Western Wood-Pewee 1
Say's Phoebe 1
Western Kingbird 1
Bell's Vireo 2
Hutton's Vireo 1
Common Raven 1
Verdin 2
Bewick's Wren 2
Botteri's Sparrow 4
Cassin's Sparrow 5
Black-throated Sparrow 2
Summer Tanager 1
Northern Cardinal 2
Black-headed Grosbeak 1
Blue Grosbeak 3
Varied Bunting 4
Hooded Oriole (Western) 1
Lesser Goldfinch X
Good birding,
Tommy DeBardeleben (Glendale, Arizona)
August 15th, 2011: A huge day of Maricopa County birding, from desert to the high country!
Hi everyone,
Fall migration to me is one of the most exciting times of the year in the
birding world, from start to finish. Yesterday on August 15th, I wanted
to see what birds are starting to move as I covered elevation changes
gradually, working my way up from Mesquite Wash to Mount Ord, and then
coming down to the Gilbert area later in the evening to close out what was
a huge day of birding, to complete a full fourteen hour day. I also
wanted to increase my Maricopa County year list. By the day's end, I had
an excellent day overall, with a decent amount of migrants.
I started the day off at Mesquite Wash. It was relatively birdy here, as
I recorded 33 species in just over two hours. YELLOW WARBLERS were high
in abundance, and were the only warbler other encountered than one YELLOW-
BREASTED CHAT. Several empids were present and giving me a hard time to
get accurate views, as a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER was the only bird I was
able to identify. WARBLING VIREOS were on the move, as I counted at least
eight individuals. WESTERN TANAGERS and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS were also
on the move, as well as a handfull of LAZULI BUNTINGS. Other than
migrants, a ZONE-TAILED HAWK flew overhead. By walking under the Highway
87 bridge, I spooked out a single BARN OWL. A CANYON WREN was a nice
treat along the wash, and there were many vocal BLUE GROSBEAKS.
Moving on from Mesquite Wash, I then went to the Sunflower area and birded
along the Old Beeline Highway. The main highlight in which I was very
happy to find was a juvenile COMMON BLACK-HAWK, which was the first time
I've observed a juvenile of this species in the field. It was sitting
near it's nest, and screamed very often. At least three ZONE-TAILED HAWKS
were also along this stretch. The heat of the day came here too soon, and
the birds seemed to be bothered by it just as I was. I had three sparrows
coming down for water at Sycamore Creek, singles of a juvenille BLACK-
THROATED SPARROW, a LARK SPARROW, and a BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW. A few
RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS (adult and juvenile) also came very close to the
creek. Three GRAY VIREOS sang from the surrounding juniper hillsides.
The most unusual sighting here came when I heard and found a CANYON WREN
singing at the top of a large sycamore, which seemed very odd. Perhaps he
was wanting a water overlook too to sneak in a drink. There weren't many
migrants moving through here at all during my visit that lasted over an
hour.
After leaving the Old Beeline, I spent a good chunk of my day in the
forested mountainsides of Mount Ord. I spent over five hours here in
amazing weather that beat the digusting heat. It made my day when rain
clouds surrounded Ord and soon after, I downpour occured. I was soaked
but the six thousand feet of elevation I was on on road 1688 really felt
good. Birdwise, it was birdy here, as I encounterd 41 different species.
Migrants showed pretty well, as I got my first NASHVILLE WARBLER of the
year near the summit of the mountain Near the Nashville, were three
HERMIT WARBLERS. I was standing right on the county line when I was
observing these warblers, that I could really count them for both Maricopa
and Gila Counties. Several PYGMY NUTHATCHES were also present, a species
that is usually very scarce on Mount Ord and in Maricopa County. Most of
the Pgymies were in Gila County but I managed to call one into Maricopa
with my ipod. Other migrants on Ord included CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS, two
WARBLING VIREOS (which were nearby a PLUMBEOUS and HUTTON'S VIREO where I
stood in one place toget three vireo species), two ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLERS, one stunning male WILSON'S WARBLER, and LAZULI BUNTINGS.
Besides migrants, the usuals were fun as usual to observe. A GOLDEN EAGLE
called up in the upper slopes which I was unable to see. ACORN and HAIRY
WOODPECKERS were both present as well as a NORTHERN "RED-SHAFTED"
FLICKER. Four JUNIPER TITMICE were along 1688 and a BUSHTIT flock of
about fifteen were near the summit. WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH numbers
increased this trip and a calling RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH gave me a three
nuthatch day at Ord. A pair of CANYON WRENS were at the southmost end of
road 1688, a first for this site for me. WESTERN BLUEBIRDS continue near
the summit. Regular warblers seen were VIRGINIAS, GRACE'S, BLACK-THROATED
GRAY WARBLERS and PAINTED REDSTARTS. Three sparrows on the mountain were
BLACK-CHINNED, RUFOUS-CROWNED and CHIPPING SPARROWS. WESTERN and HEPATIC
TANAGERS were also present. Another great time at Mount Ord, one of my
favorite places on this earth.
After Mount Ord, I headed south into Gilbert to make a stop at the
wonderful ponds along Higley Road (about seven miles south of Gilbert
Water Ranch). On my way there, a lone CATTLE EGRET was in an agricultural
field. Once at the ponds, some of the water levels were great for
shorebirds. Small Calidris sandpipers, "Peeps", consisted of many LEAST,
probably about fifteen WESTERN, and one SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (possibly
two), my first this year. I had an adult Semipalmated side by side with a
Western to provide a perfect comparison. There was also a small flock of
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS that held a STILT SANDPIPER in the mix, my first of
the year. Five WILSON'S PHALAROPES were also present, as well as a few
GREATER YELLOWLEGS. A TREE SWALLOW was another nice highlight. Getting
some good shorebirds was great, the Glendale Recharge Ponds have had three
basins too full of water for good shorebird habitat lately. That could
change by the day though, so keep an eye on them!
I made my last stop at Gilbert Water Ranch were I birded till dark. I
didn't really have any standout highlights here among 33 species, LAZULI
BUNTING was the best.
I ended the day with a total of 103 species, not too bad for a hot August
day!
TODAY'S BIRD LISTS:
1. Mesquite Wash, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 15, 2011 5:50 AM - 8:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
33 species
Gambel's Quail 10
Turkey Vulture 2
Zone-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove X
Barn Owl 1
Anna's Hummingbird 1
Gila Woodpecker 1
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 2
Gilded Flicker 1
Pacific-slope Flycatcher 2
Black Phoebe 1
Brown-crested Flycatcher 5
Western Kingbird 1
Warbling Vireo (Western) 8
Common Raven 1
Verdin 5
Cactus Wren 5
Canyon Wren 1
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 1
Yellow Warbler (Northern) 30
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Abert's Towhee 20
Black-throated Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 1
Summer Tanager 4
Western Tanager 5
Northern Cardinal 4
Black-headed Grosbeak 4
Blue Grosbeak 10
Lazuli Bunting 10
Brown-headed Cowbird X
House Finch X
Lesser Goldfinch X
2. Sunflower, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 15, 2011 8:30 AM - 9:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
29 species
Gambel's Quail X
Turkey Vulture 10
Cooper's Hawk 1
Common Black-Hawk (Common) 1
Zone-tailed Hawk 3
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove X
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
Brown-crested Flycatcher 2
Bell's Vireo 2
Gray Vireo 3
Western Scrub-Jay (Woodhouse's) 4
Violet-green Swallow 2
Bridled Titmouse 2
Juniper Titmouse 5
Verdin 2
Canyon Wren 1
Bewick's Wren 4
Phainopepla 10
Yellow Warbler (Northern) 15
Rufous-crowned Sparrow 2
Canyon Towhee 2
Black-chinned Sparrow 1
Lark Sparrow 1
Black-throated Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 2
Black-headed Grosbeak 4
Lazuli Bunting 4
Lesser Goldfinch X
3. Mt. Ord (Maricopa Co.), Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 15, 2011 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
41 species
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Golden Eagle 1
Mourning Dove X
Anna's Hummingbird 2
Acorn Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 6
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1
Western Wood-Pewee 4
Cordilleran Flycatcher 2
Plumbeous Vireo 3
Hutton's Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo (Western) 2
Western Scrub-Jay (Woodhouse's) 10
Common Raven 1
Juniper Titmouse 4
Bushtit 15
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Interior West) 5
Pygmy Nuthatch 1
Canyon Wren 2
Bewick's Wren 10
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 10
Western Bluebird 4
Phainopepla 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Nashville Warbler 1
Virginia's Warbler 1
Grace's Warbler 2
Black-throated Gray Warbler 7
Hermit Warbler 3
Wilson's Warbler 1
Painted Redstart 5
Spotted Towhee 15
Rufous-crowned Sparrow 2
Chipping Sparrow 1
Black-chinned Sparrow 1
Hepatic Tanager 5
Western Tanager 2
Lazuli Bunting 2
House Finch X
Lesser Goldfinch X
4. Higley Road Ponds, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 15, 2011 5:30 PM - 6:10 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.5 mile(s)
24 species
Mallard 20
Cinnamon Teal 2
Gambel's Quail 15
Great Blue Heron 2
Snowy Egret 5
Green Heron 2
Black-crowned Night-Heron 5
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Killdeer 30
Black-necked Stilt 40
American Avocet 3
Greater Yellowlegs 3
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 100
Stilt Sandpiper 1
Long-billed Dowitcher 4
Wilson's Phalarope 5
Mourning Dove X
Loggerhead Shrike 1
Tree Swallow 1
Cliff Swallow 1
Abert's Towhee 5
Song Sparrow 1
5. Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 15, 2011 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.5 mile(s)
33 species
Mallard 30
Cinnamon Teal 4
Gambel's Quail X
Neotropic Cormorant 5
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 5
Great Egret 10
Snowy Egret 30
Green Heron 2
Black-crowned Night-Heron 7
Killdeer 30
Black-necked Stilt X
American Avocet 2
Greater Yellowlegs 3
Long-billed Dowitcher 4
Eurasian Collared-Dove X
White-winged Dove X
Mourning Dove X
Inca Dove 5
Black-chinned Hummingbird 2
Anna's Hummingbird 1
Gila Woodpecker 1
Black Phoebe 1
Ash-throated Flycatcher 1
Verdin X
Northern Mockingbird 5
Curve-billed Thrasher 2
Yellow Warbler (Northern) 1
Song Sparrow 2
Lazuli Bunting 2
Red-winged Blackbird 100
Great-tailed Grackle 5
House Finch X
Good birding,
Tommy DeBardeleben (Glendale, Arizona)
August 15th, 2011: Calliope Hummingbird at Mount Ord, my Maricopa first (which I identified later)
Hi everyone,
I have a good correction/addition to make regarding my post on August
15th. As I was on Mount Ord near the summit, I filmed and observed what
clearly has turned out to be a female CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD. When I saw
this bird, I did think Calliope initially and I was able to get my camera
on it thankfully. After I filmed the bird, I looked at the video the
wrong way in bad lighting and got the wrong impression of the bird-I
passed it off as a Broad-tailed. The bird's tiny size made me keep the
video and study it just in case. After I posted, I studied the video, and
I saw that the bird was most likely a Calliope. I wanted to make sure,
and Mark Stevenson helped and pointed out some characteristics of the bird
that helped me make my conclusion. Thanks Mark! I have hardly had any
experience in my life with female Calliope Hummingbirds and I wasn't ready
to call it until I was absolutely sure. But by this observation, I've
certainly learned a lot.
The bird's wingtips were about even with the tail tip, the bill was short,
there was a light buffy wash all across the bird's belly, and some of the
stills clearly show the thin white line over the gape (between the eye and
base of bill, see Sibley for a good illustration) that is an excellent
field mark for Calliope Hummingbird. Location wise, I first saw this bird
close to the county lines near the trail that heads up to the top of Mount
Ord. It was first in Gila, and then gradually worked it's way into
Maricopa. I followed it all the way to get a new county bird. Calliope
Hummingbird is a rare transient in Maricopa County I believe (in Janet's
book), so this is a noteworthy sighting I felt I needed to share!
Good birding,
Tommy DeBardeleben (Glendale, Arizona)
August 19th, 2011: An amazing night of shorebirding at the Glendale Recharge Ponds
Hey everyone,
I headed out to the Glendale Recharge Ponds this evening on August 19th,
2011 for a little over an hour. Well, I wish I got here an hour earlier,
because shorebird diversity was excellent in basin five (south middle
basin) and water levels were amazing. I had some kind of a lucky night,
as there were hundreds of birds to look through in just this one basin, in
which I got five year birds.
Almost immediately I had luck, begining with a SNOWY PLOVER (year bird) on
one of the "islands". I saw the little guy with my naked eye and knew
right away what it was-always a great sight! An active PEREGRINE FALCON
hunted the ponds, which the shorebird and duck flocks were often scattered
around throughout the night. As I was enjoying the Snowy Plover, a "peep"
flock flew in to the same island which contained Least Sandpipers and
another nice surprise, a SANDERLING (year bird). The Sanderling didn't
stick around long the first time I viewed it, but because of the flocks
moving around often, I saw it two other times throughout the night. There
were abundant WILSON'S PHALAROPES, and I was able to pick out a single RED-
NECKED PHALAROPE in the mix, my first of the year. Another year bird who
gave me a good satisfaction were at least four SOLITARY SANDPIPERS around
the basins, most of them in five. A small pool at the northeast corner of
basin four held another. As it was almost too dark to see, my fifth year
bird came in a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER at the southeast corner of basin five,
foraging with Least Sandpipers.
Besides the year birds, there were other great highlights. A SEMIPALMATED
PLOVER was present, which there might have been two of these birds
present. SPOTTED SANDPIPERS were numerous, especially throughout the
canal that runs between the north and south sets of the basins. Both
GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS were present, as well as a single WILLET. I
located the Willet by the distinctive call it gives. There were also a
good number of STILT SANDPIPERS, as I had close to probably ten
individuals. A RING-BILLED GULL was also present. As I was leaving, a
flock of CANADA GEESE flew in, and the real show as it was dark was
watching all the LESSER NIGHTHAWKS come out and fly over the ponds. They
can be seen here in very large numbers. If your ever birding here in the
evening, staying to see the nighthawks sure is worth it! Overall one of
the better outings I have had at the Glendale Recharge Ponds.
For anyone interested in birding at the Glendale Recharge Ponds who never
has visited the site and would like directions and an overview of the
site, I'll include a link below on my website to this awesome hotspot.
Glendale Recharge Ponds link:
http://birderfrommaricopa.com/glendale-recharge-ponds.htm
BIRD LIST FROM TONIGHT:
Glendale Recharge Ponds, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 19, 2011 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.5 mile(s)
37 species
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 20
Mallard 200
Cinnamon Teal 20
Neotropic Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 5
Great Egret 10
Snowy Egret 15
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
White-faced Ibis 5
Peregrine Falcon (North American) 1
Snowy Plover 1
Semipalmated Plover 1
Killdeer 30
Black-necked Stilt 100
American Avocet 15
Spotted Sandpiper 10
Solitary Sandpiper 4
Greater Yellowlegs 10
Willet (Western) 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Sanderling 1
Western Sandpiper 10
Least Sandpiper 300
Baird's Sandpiper 1
Stilt Sandpiper 10
Long-billed Dowitcher 8
Wilson's Phalarope 200
Red-necked Phalarope 1
Ring-billed Gull 1
Mourning Dove X
Lesser Nighthawk 50
Gila Woodpecker 1
Black Phoebe 1
Verdin 1
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 1
Abert's Towhee 1
Great-tailed Grackle X
Good birding,
Tommy DeBardeleben (Glendale, Arizona)
August 20th, 2011: Hassayampa River Preserve Purple Martins, Glendale Recharge Ponds
Hi everyone,
Today I birded at the Hassayampa River Preserve in the morning and at the
Glendale Recharge Ponds in the evening. The Hassayampa River Preserve was
a birdy place in the morning and the Glendale Recharge Ponds continued to
be very good for shorebirds.
I birded at Hassayampa from 7 to 11 A.M., which are their hours when they
are open three days a week during the summer season, Friday through
Sunday. I came up with 54 different species, which is better than I
usually do at the preserve. Many migrants were seen today. The highlight
here were two PURPLE MARTINS passing by overhead and heading south. I
didn't get very good looks at either one of them, but luckily
identification is made easy with this large swallow's distinctive size.
They were probably about thirty seconds apart from each other as they were
heading south. One appeared to be a juvenile, the other a female. This
was a new Maricopa County bird for me, and they gave me a very successful
morning. Some of the local rarities are still present, as I had a
TROPICAL KINGBIRD vocalizing at Palm Lake. A few GRAY HAWKS are still
present along the Lion and River Ramble Trails, as I heard them throughout
the morning and caught a glimpse of one retreating away from me along the
Lion Trail. Migrant wise, WILLOW FLYCATHERS were in good numbers, as I
saw at least five birds. There were probably even more. I was also glad
to find an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, which I had a look at what might have
been a second Olive-sided after the first one. RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS were
in good numbers as I counted five birds. WARBLING VIREOS and BLACK-HEADED
GROSBEAKS were abundant. WARBLERS seen throughout the morning included
one ORANGE-CROWNED, two LUCY'S, two MACGILLIVRAY'S, and five WILSON'S, as
well as the usual YELLOW WARBLERS, COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, and YELLOW-
BREASTED CHATS. Also exciting to me was a vocal CANYON WREN who was
trailside on the path to Lyke's Lookout, who sang for a few minutes in the
open for me. Other notables included WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES, PACIFIC-SLOPE
FLYCATCHER, BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS (coming down for water), WESTERN
TANAGER, and a few female LAZULI BUNTINGS.
After a break at home, I headed out to the Glendale Recharge Ponds in the
late afternoon/early evening to do some shorebirding. My main target was
the Short-billed Dowitcher Kurt found yesterday morning, and Kurt revisted
the ponds this morning and the bird was still present. Despite a thorough
search of every pond that had water, I couldn't come up with the Short-
billed Dowitcher. I did however see the SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER that Kurt
found, which is always a great bird to see in Arizona. The shorebirds
have decreased since yesterday, but there still is a great abundance!
Tonight I recorded 17 different shorebird species, which were all in Basin
5 at one time or another (see full list at the end of my post). I
couldn't relocate the Snowy Plover, although I'm almost certain I had the
Sanderling again tonight (which Kurt also had this morning). By looking
at the list at the end of my post and adding on Snowy Plover, Sanderling,
and Short-billed Dowitcher, that is what has been seen in the last two
days by Kurt and I in Basin 5 (south middle basin), in which all twenty of
these species were present yesterday! You can't get much better than
that! Besides shorebirds, highlights at Glendale Recharge Ponds tonight
were two PEREGRINE FALCONS, my first NORTHERN HARRIER of the season, and
two BANK SWALLOWS.
It was another productive day of birding, I recorded 86 species for the
day with both of the hotspots combined.
TODAY'S BIRD LISTS:
1. Hassayampa River Preserve, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 20, 2011 7:15 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.5 mile(s)
54 species
Mallard 10
Gambel's Quail X
Green Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Cooper's Hawk 1
Gray Hawk 2
American Coot 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
White-winged Dove X
Mourning Dove X
Black-chinned Hummingbird 2
Anna's Hummingbird 10
Rufous Hummingbird 5
Gila Woodpecker 3
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 2
Olive-sided Flycatcher 1
Western Wood-Pewee 3
Willow Flycatcher 5
Pacific-slope Flycatcher 4
Black Phoebe 2
Vermilion Flycatcher 3
Brown-crested Flycatcher 5
Tropical Kingbird 1
Western Kingbird 1
Bell's Vireo 5
Warbling Vireo (Western) 15
Common Raven 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 4
Purple Martin 2
Cactus Wren 1
Canyon Wren 2
House Wren 3
Phainopepla 5
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Lucy's Warbler 2
MacGillivray's Warbler 2
Common Yellowthroat 5
Yellow Warbler (Northern) 15
Wilson's Warbler 5
Yellow-breasted Chat 7
Abert's Towhee 10
Black-throated Sparrow 10
Song Sparrow 3
Summer Tanager 10
Western Tanager 2
Northern Cardinal 2
Black-headed Grosbeak 10
Blue Grosbeak 5
Lazuli Bunting 2
Red-winged Blackbird X
Hooded Oriole (Western) 2
Bullock's Oriole 1
House Finch X
Lesser Goldfinch X
2. Glendale Recharge Ponds, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 20, 2011 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
44 species
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 25
Mallard X
Cinnamon Teal X
Northern Shoveler 1
Neotropic Cormorant X
Great Blue Heron X
Great Egret X
Snowy Egret X
Green Heron X
White-faced Ibis X
Turkey Vulture X
Northern Harrier 1
Peregrine Falcon (North American) 2
American Coot X
Semipalmated Plover 1
Killdeer 40
Black-necked Stilt 100
American Avocet 20
Spotted Sandpiper 10
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Greater Yellowlegs 10
Willet (Western) 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1
Western Sandpiper 10
Least Sandpiper 100
Baird's Sandpiper 1
Stilt Sandpiper 10
Long-billed Dowitcher 2
Wilson's Phalarope 200
Red-necked Phalarope 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove X
White-winged Dove X
Mourning Dove X
Lesser Nighthawk 10
Gila Woodpecker 1
Black Phoebe 2
Horned Lark 20
Northern Rough-winged Swallow X
Bank Swallow 2
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 1
Abert's Towhee 1
Red-winged Blackbird X
Great-tailed Grackle X
Good birding,
Tommy DeBardeleben (Glendale, Arizona)
August 21st, 2011: Glendale Recharge Ponds Shorebirding Weekend Recap (19-21 August 2011)
Hi everyone,
I thought I would post a recap about the great shorebirding at the
Glendale Recharge Ponds this weekend. As Charles Babbit posted earlier,
the shorebirding was still great in Basin 5 this morning on August 21st.
Charlie, Dave Pearson, and I enjoyed what that basin alone held, twenty
shorebird species, which did include my lifer SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER.
Starting on Friday, August 19th, and then continuing through today (August
21st) there were 20 different shorebird species present each day, with the
grand total being 21 species throughout the weekend, all in basin five
(which is the south middle basin). Some of these birds could be found in
the other basins as well, where most of the water levels are too deep for
good shorebird habitat. The water levels change by the day though, so in
a few days, these ponds full of water may become shallow and shorebird
attractive. In all of my times spent birding here, I have never seen it
this good!
The 21 Shorebirds in Basin 5:
1. Snowy Plover-seen August 19th, not on any of the following days
2. Semipalmated Plover-one seen each of the three days
3. Killdeer-abundant
4. Black-necked Stilt-abundant
5. American Avocet-good numbers
6. Spotted Sandpiper-few in basin 5 every day, often along canal and
elsewhere
7. Solitary Sandpiper-4 through 5 seen on Aug. 19 by Kurt and I, only a
few on following days
8. Greater Yellowlegs-good numbers
9. Lesser Yellowlegs-good numbers some of the days
10. Willet-one each day, two on August 20th
11. Long-billed Curlew-seven present on basin five this morning, Aug 21
12. Sanderling-one present each day
13. Semipalmated Sandpiper-at least one present each day, first one found
by Kurt on the 19th (juvenile bird)
14. Western Sandiper-varying numbers
15. Least Sandpiper-abundant
16. Baird's Sandpiper-present each day, two this morning
17. Stilt Sandpiper-about 10 present Aug. 19-20, 3 this morning
18. Short-billed Dowitcher-juvenile found by Kurt on the 19th, present
each day. I saw it today with Charlie Babbit and Dave Pearson.
19. Long-billed Dowitcher-small numbers, 8 or so on Aug. 19
20. Wilson's Phalarope-abundant
21. Red-necked Phalarope-present daily in small numbers
Other highlights at Glendale Recharge during the weekend:
Canada Geese, Cinnamon Teal, one Northern Shoveler, White-faced Ibis,
Northern Harrier, two Peregrine Falcons, Ring-billed Gull, Lesser
Nighthawk, Costa's Hummingbird (in surrounding area, not officially at
ponds), and Bank Swallow.
Hopefully the good birding will continue here!!
Good birding,
Tommy DeBardeleben (Glendale, Arizona)
August 26th, 2011: Rio Salado, Tempe Town Lake, and Glendale Recharge Ponds
Hi everyone,
I explored Rio Salado this morning, followed by a brief stop at Tempe Town
Lake (at the marsh), and then an evening visit to the Glendale Recharge
Ponds.
My day started off on a very disapointing note at Rio Salado. When I
started to bird the site, I noticed that for some reason they have cut
down almost all of the trees surrounding the immediate area of the
waterfall trail, which is excellent habitat for birds (which harbors a lot
of migrants!), and is a Monarch Butterly habitat area. I wonder why?
Well, south of the small running river commong down from the waterfall the
trees are fine, but on the northside of the small river, they are all cut
down. This was one of the better places to find birds at the Rio Salado,
too bad it's been cut down. There are still other great places, including
a nice grove of small to medium-sized cottonwoods just west of Central
Avenue, which held many migrants this morning. I had an eight warbler day
today, with eight NASHVILLE WARBLERS being the most numerous throughout
the area. A HERMIT WARBLER was in the cottonwood grove, and other
warblers I had were three ORANGE-CROWNED, one LUCY'S, one MACGILLIVRAY'S,
five YELLOW, two WILSON'S WARBLERS, and about five COMMON YELLOWTHROATS.
Other highlights included BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER, CHIPPING SPARROW,
WESTERN TANAGER, a few LAZULI BUNTINGS, and two BULLOCK'S ORIOLES.
After Rio Salado, I made brief stops at Tempe Town Lake and Rousseau Sod
Farms. Tempe Town Lake had a nice number of five BROWN PELICANS!! I was
surprised to see that many. Three were perched right under the McClintok
Bridge, while two were further west out in the lake. The sod farms were
dead.
This evening, I made a visit to the Glendale Recharge Ponds. Three basins
have water, 1, 3 and 6. One and six are relatively full, but still had
patches that held good shorebird numbers. Pond three had excellent
shorebird habitat, with many peeps to sort through. The best highlight
was a juvenile SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER along the east side of Basin Six.
The bird was very close to me, which I first located it by hearing it's
distinctive call notes. Once on the bird, I saw it's details well and I
was able to make out the "tiger-striped" tertials perfectly, it also
showed a lot of white in the tail.. It wasn't in good range for my camera
however, as my pictures didn't turn out well enough. This is probably
still the same bird that Kurt Radamaker discovered last Friday, on August
19th. Other highlights included two SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, one SOLITARY
SANDPIPER, one BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, and three RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. Good
birds are still on the move here, hopefully these ponds will get visited
this weekend!
TODAYS BIRD LISTS:
1. Rio Salado Project, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 26, 2011 6:30 AM - 9:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
41 species
Mallard X
Gambel's Quail 20
Double-crested Cormorant 20
Great Blue Heron 2
Green Heron 2
American Kestrel 2
Killdeer X
Rock Pigeon X
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
White-winged Dove 1
Mourning Dove X
Inca Dove 2
Greater Roadrunner 1
Anna's Hummingbird 8
Gila Woodpecker 2
Black Phoebe 2
Ash-throated Flycatcher 1
Brown-crested Flycatcher 1
Western Kingbird 1
Verdin X
House Wren 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 3
Lucy's Warbler 1
Nashville Warbler 8
MacGillivray's Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 5
Yellow Warbler (Northern) 5
Hermit Warbler 1
Wilson's Warbler 2
Abert's Towhee X
Chipping Sparrow 1
Black-throated Sparrow 10
Western Tanager 1
Lazuli Bunting 3
Red-winged Blackbird X
Great-tailed Grackle X
Bullock's Oriole 2
House Finch X
Lesser Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X
2. Tempe Town Lake, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 26, 2011 11:00 AM - 11:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
12 species
Mallard X
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Double-crested Cormorant 20
Brown Pelican 5
Great Blue Heron X
Great Egret X
Snowy Egret X
Green Heron X
American Coot X
Killdeer X
Mourning Dove X
Common Yellowthroat 1
3. Glendale Recharge Ponds, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 26, 2011 5:45 PM - 7:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
29 species
Mallard X
Cinnamon Teal X
Neotropic Cormorant X
Great Blue Heron 5
Great Egret 5
Snowy Egret 20
Green Heron X
White-faced Ibis 50
American Coot X
Semipalmated Plover 2
Killdeer 50
Black-necked Stilt 200
American Avocet 2
Spotted Sandpiper 3
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 10
Western Sandpiper 5
Least Sandpiper 200
Baird's Sandpiper 1
Short-billed Dowitcher 1
Wilson's Phalarope 200
Red-necked Phalarope 3
Mourning Dove X
Lesser Nighthawk 10
Black Phoebe 1
Say's Phoebe 1
Red-winged Blackbird X
Great-tailed Grackle X
House Finch X
Good birding,
Tommy DeBardeleben (Glendale, Arizona)
August 28th, 2011: Short-billed Dowitchers at Glendale Recharge Ponds
Hi everyone,
I once again payed the Glendale Recharge Ponds another visit tonight on
August 28th, 2011.
I had at least three different SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, all juvenile
birds, but most likely however, four. They flew back and fourth a lot,
along with other shorebirds trying to avoid being seeked out by a
PEREGRINE FALCON. They gave their distictive call notes throughout the
entire time I was here, especially given by one individual in Basin 6, who
called continuously as I was closing out the night.
Other highlights included SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, two
WILLETS, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, and two STILT SANDPIPERS. WILSON'S PHALAROPES
continue to be very abundant. A BELTED KINGFISHER was also present, as
well as two YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS in one of the basins.
BIRD LIST:
Glendale Recharge Ponds, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 28, 2011 5:50 AM - 7:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
35 species
Canada Goose X
Mallard X
Cinnamon Teal X
Northern Shoveler 1
Neotropic Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron X
Great Egret X
Snowy Egret X
White-faced Ibis 20
American Kestrel 1
Peregrine Falcon (North American) 2
Semipalmated Plover 1
Killdeer X
Black-necked Stilt X
American Avocet X
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs X
Willet (Western) 2
Lesser Yellowlegs X
Western Sandpiper 20
Least Sandpiper X
Baird's Sandpiper 1
Stilt Sandpiper 2
Short-billed Dowitcher 3
Long-billed Dowitcher 5
Wilson's Phalarope 200
Mourning Dove X
Lesser Nighthawk 10
Belted Kingfisher 1
Horned Lark X
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Yellow-headed Blackbird 2
Great-tailed Grackle X
House Finch X
Good birding,
Tommy DeBardeleben (Glendale, Arizona)
August 31st, 2011: Morgan City Wash and Glendale Recharge Ponds
Hi everyone,
I spent my morning searching for migrants at Morgan City Wash and I made
another evening visit to the Glendale Recharge Ponds.
Morgan City Wash was filled with birdlife, I always had something to look
at in over the four hours I spent carefully searching in the immediate
area and trails of Morgan City Wash. I love the habitat at this amazing
location and I always have that horrible feeling in my gut when I leave
that I probably missed something rare I couldn't spy, due to the amount of
habitat and cover there is to search through. I didn't have anything out
of the ordinary today. Northern Waterthrush was my primary reason for
coming here this morning, in which this spot is often great for the
species. No Waterthrush today though, but I did see nine warbler
species. WILSON'S WARBLERS were abundant, followed by YELLOW WARBERS and
COMMON YELLOWTHROATS. Five MACGILIVRAY'S WARBLERS were well spread
throughout the area I covered, and I also found four ORANGE-CROWNED and
three NASHVILLE WARBLERS. I then had singles of BLACK-THROATED GRAY and
VIRGINIA'S WARBLERS, as well as one YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. Empids included
a "WESTERN" FLYCATCHER and three WILLOW FLYCATCHERS. Eight WARBLING
VIREOS were present throughout, probably more. A nice sighting for me was
a BANK SWALLOW overhead. At least three HOUSE WRENS were along my path.
I also had two WESTERN TANAGERS, three BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, one LAZULI
BUNTING, and one BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. Other highlights included a flyover
WHITE-FACED IBIS, one GREATER ROADRUNNER, two GREAT HORNED OWLS, two
CRISSAL THRASHERS, and plenty of BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS.
My regular evening visits to the Glendale Recharge Ponds continued
tonight. Water levels in basins 1, 3, and 6 are great for shorebirds
right now. There haven't been as many different species, but the habitat
and numbers are still awesome. Highlights among twelve shorebird species
tonight included two SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, one BAIRD'S SANDPIPER and three
STILT SANDPIPERS. Raptors included a PEREGRINE FALCON in one of the
basins, and an OSPREY on a pole at the east side of the ponds. I also
really enjoyed a few BANK SWALLOWS on the power lines on the east side of
basin 6, which I was able to photograph.
72 species between the two locations.
TODAY'S BIRD LISTS:
1. Morgan City Wash, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 31, 2011 6:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
44 species (+1 other taxa)
Gambel's Quail 50
White-faced Ibis 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Mourning Dove 10
Greater Roadrunner 1
Great Horned Owl 2
Gila Woodpecker 5
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 3
Gilded Flicker 3
Willow Flycatcher 3
Pacific-slope/Cordilleran Flycatcher (Western) 1
Black Phoebe 1
Western Kingbird 1
Bell's Vireo 6
Warbling Vireo (Western) 8
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 20
Bank Swallow 1
Verdin 20
Cactus Wren 8
Canyon Wren 2
House Wren 3
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher 3
Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 1
Crissal Thrasher 2
Orange-crowned Warbler 4
Nashville Warbler 3
Virginia's Warbler 1
MacGillivray's Warbler 5
Common Yellowthroat 7
Yellow Warbler (Northern) 10
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Wilson's Warbler 30
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Abert's Towhee 20
Black-throated Sparrow 30
Song Sparrow 10
Summer Tanager 1
Western Tanager 2
Northern Cardinal 2
Black-headed Grosbeak 3
Lazuli Bunting 1
Bullock's Oriole 1
House Finch 40
Lesser Goldfinch 10
2. Glendale Recharge Ponds, Maricopa, US-AZ
Aug 31, 2011 5:45 PM - 7:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
32 species
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 30
Mallard X
Northern Shoveler 25
Neotropic Cormorant X
Great Blue Heron X
Great Egret X
Snowy Egret X
Green Heron 1
White-faced Ibis 10
Osprey 1
American Kestrel 1
Peregrine Falcon (North American) 1
Semipalmated Plover 2
Killdeer X
Black-necked Stilt X
Spotted Sandpiper 4
Greater Yellowlegs 15
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Western Sandpiper 20
Least Sandpiper X
Baird's Sandpiper 1
Stilt Sandpiper 3
Long-billed Dowitcher 10
Wilson's Phalarope 100
Mourning Dove X
Lesser Nighthawk 20
Black Phoebe 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 10
Bank Swallow 3
European Starling X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Great-tailed Grackle X
Good birding,
Tommy DeBardeleben (Glendale, Arizona)
|
