October 2010

October 7th, 2010-Box Bar Recreation Site/Seven Springs Area: BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD

Hi everyone,

Jim Kopitzke and I explored the Box Bar Recreation Area this morning on
October 7th, 2010, followed by visits to the Seven Springs Area in Lower
Camp Creek, Seven Springs Wash, and the Seven Springs Recreation Area
itself. 

We first started out at the Box Bar Recreation Area, birding the area from
6:45 to 9:30.  This area is located by Rio Verde, right along the Verde
River.  The habitat here is incredible and extensive, and is a place I
feel should be visited a lot more often.  I wanted to come here primarly
in hopes of finding perhaps a nice eastern warbler or two, but warbler
numbers were very low for the morning.  However, we had a nice surprise
with a male BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD, that we detected by hearing it's
kinglet-like callnote.  It stayed high in a cottonwood with the glimpes we
caught of it.  Certainly a nice bird to see in the county (my first of the
year), and a new Maricopa bird for Jim.  Perhaps the best bird of the
morning was one we had to leave as a mystery, which we think was most
likely a Broad-winged Hawk.  It was a small buteo that was dark brown
overall, short wings, and a short tail, and when I saw it takeoff it
seemed to have a strong brown-barred chest  Matters were made worse when
the bird flew right into the sun, and cut off our views completely. I am
still heartbroken about it as I am writing this.  If only I would've
looked up in time to see the bird perched before it took flight.  Other
highlights this morning at Box Bar included several OSPREYS, HARRIS'S
HAWK, GREAT HORNED OWL, BELTED KINGFISHER, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, HOUSE
WREN, and the WARBLERS included ORANGE CROWNED; AUDUBON'S; BLACK-THROATED
GRAY; and WILSON'S. 

Our next stop was a Lower Camp Creek, which is located six miles south of
Seven Springs Recreation Area along Seven Springs Road.  This area climbs
down into a nice cabin community which has incredible riparian habitat
(alot like Sunflower) in a very narrow canyon.  Bird highlights here
included PLUMBEOUS, CASSIN'S, and WARBLING VIREOS, JUNIPER TITMOUSE, and
nice flock of BUSHTITS, ROCK; CANYON; and HOUSE WRENS, as well as ORANGE-
CROWNED; NASHVILLE; BLACK-THROATED GRAY; and TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS. 

Our final stop was then at a very quiet Seven Springs.  A walk up the wash
and the immediate picnic area didn't produce a lot of species, but we did
have another interesting heartbreaker bird which we couldn't get a glimpse
of, which was a waterthrush species calling loudly along the creek right
where the wash meets the road.  The bird stopped calling right as we were
closing in on it, and we never heard it again.  Bird highlights here at
Seven Springs were JUNIPER TITMOUSE, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, and LINCOLN'S
SPARROW. 

To avoid a heartbreaker bird, look up and down and all around before you
take your next step, so you won't scare it away! 

Good birding,

Tommy DeBardeleben (Glendale, Arizona) 

October 14th, 2010-Glendale Recharge Ponds: Clark's Grebe

Hi everyone,

This afternoon I had time for a short visit to the Glendale Recharge
Ponds, which an hour is really all I needed.  There aren't a ton of birds
but however there were some good ones.  The best bird was a CLARK'S GREBE
swimming right alongside a WESTERN GREBE.  The Clark's Grebe was a new
location bird for me, maybe even one for the Recharge Ponds, I'm not sure
if one has ever been seen there.  EARED GREBES were also present, I saw at
least five of them.  A BELTED KINGFISHER was also a nice sighting for me,
which was also a new location bird for me.  I also saw my first AMERICAN
PIPIT here for the fall, which will increase probably every visit pretty
soon.

On Sunday, October 10th, I visited here as well to see a BALD EAGLE
preying on a flock of coots.  The coots won that battle, I wanted to see
the Eagle succeed however.  A few WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were also present in
the basins, which were new for me at this location.

Good birding,

Tommy DeBardeleben (Glendale, Arizona)

October 19th, 2010-Glendale Recharge Ponds: HORNED GREBE continues..

Hi everyone,

A quick run out to the ponds tonight gave me views of the HORNED GREBE that Charlie and Bob saw on Sunday.  It was in the south middle pond of the six basins.

Tommy