Cave Springs

With some free time for the first time in a while, I went to Cave Springs for an hour this morning. Painted Redstarts and Lucy's Warblers were singing away but overall there weren't too many birds. I stopped by the overlook on the way back to find many swifts were flying around just below the rim. I added two new species for the year to end the day, and the first quarter of 2011 on 184.

Kachina Wetlands

I went out to the Kachina Wetlands an hour before sunset today to find plenty of water and lots of birds. Seven duck species and coot on the water, snipe and Killdeer at the edges, Red-winged Blackbirds singing, lots of Western Meadowlarks and many swallows. Violet-green Swallows were new for the year taking my total to 182.

Northern Shoveler

Clear Creek

I drove to Camp Verde this morning to join a NAAS field trip to Bull Pen Ranch, and when that ended a little early we continued on to the Clear Creek campground itself. I added two summer birds - Plumbeous Vireo and Lucy's Warbler - on this part of the trip and also finally caught up with Canyon Wren. But the highlight of the day was a Western Wood-Pewee which I heard calling and then saw clearly after exiting the restrooms at the rest area on I-17 driving down! This is a very early date for this summer arrival, perhaps a month earlier than expected. I added 4 species for the year, taking my total to 181.

Mourning Dove

White-crowned Sparrow

Backyard Predator

I had filled my feeders this morning with snow forecast and before I left there was a good variety of birds feeding at my feeders and on the ground.. I came home for a break between appointments at 4pm today to find a Sharp-shinned Hawk on the ground having taken a female Cassin's Finch. It flew into a tree at the back where it sat feeding for a while.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Gilbert Water Ranch

After a short stop at Rio Salado where we saw a Greater Roadrunner carrying nesting material, we spent a couple of hours at the Gilbert Water Ranch before heading back to Flagstaff.

Green Heron

Greater Roadrunner

At the Ranch we found the usual high numbers of water birds - waders (shorebirds), ducks and egrets. I added six new species for 2011 to end the day on 177 for the year.

Great Egret

Black-necked Stilt

East Mesa

On Saturday afternoon we returned to Phoenix as my son had an early flight the next morning. We took advantage of a kind birder who had invited others to see a pair of nesting Barn Owls in a palm tree in his yard in east Mesa. His yard also proved to be a hot spot for Peach-faced Lovebirds! With a Peregrine seen on the way down, I added 3 species for the day to end on 171 for 2011.

Peach-faced Lovebirds

Cortaro Road

Heading back from Tucson on Sunday we stopped at the Santa Cruz River at Cortaro Road, a new spot for me in Tucson.

Santa Cruz River at Cortaro Road

An urban trail follows the river, and there had been sightings of both a Tennessee Warbler and a Palm Warbler just behind the soccer fields. I dipped on both, but we spent a nice hour along the river looking at birds. I added nothing new for the year and my total stayed at 168.

Cinnamon Teal

Least Sandpiper

Red-tailed Hawk

Weekend Away

After picking  my son up from Sky Harbor on Friday we decided to have a weekend away and headed to Tucson on Saturday. We detoured through the Santa Cruz Flats, as I had done in January and were successful with Burrowing Owl. finding a pair on Sunshine Boulevard just south of Harmon.

Burrowing Owl

We spent the afternoon at the always excellent Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. I added 5 species for the day, ending at 168 for the year.

Cactus Wren

Curve-billed Thrasher

Gila Woodpecker

Buckeye Thrasher Spot

With last Sunday's field trip snowed out, just three of us traveled to the famous thrasher spot in Buckeye - at the junction of Baseline Road and Salome Highway. We had a Crissal's Thrasher singing from the top of a mesquite when we arrived - this bird sang for more-or-less the whole time we were there. We had a Sage Thrasher within our first half an hour but had to wait longer for our target bird - LeConte's Thrasher. After some maybe sightings, Troy eventually (40 minutes later) found the bird sitting on top of a four-winged saltbush and we all had conclusive views - this was my 4th lifer and 5th state bird of the year.  Driving around the area for a while we also found a group of 40 Sandhill Cranes on Arlington School Road. I added 4 species for the year and ended the day on 163 for 2011.

Three Strikes

Yesterday I walked along Elden Lookout Road from the road-closure gate to the Brookbank Trail, plus a little way up this trail. This was my third visit in the last three weeks following Zack's posting following a visit in which he saw three higher altitude birds along the road.

At the time of Zack's trip we had had little snow for six weeks, so why were these birds at a lower elevation than normal? My trips had been either side of two feet of snow. Where were the birds now? All I saw on these three 3-mile hikes up the road and back were birds I have at my feeders! I will wait on these birds and try for them higher up in the summer.

House Finch

House Sparrow

I did see a Sharp-shinned Hawk while driving across town on Tuesday March 1st, my 159th species for the year. That remained my total at the end of Saturday March 5th.

February Recap

As I had predicted, February provided few opportunities to bird. I spent the first days chasing and failing to find the Winter Wren at Picture Canyon and took a quick trip to Page Springs in the middle of the month.

Black Phoebe

American Robin

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

The last two weekends were snowed out - we ended with 24.6 inches for the month, almost all in those two weekends. Consequently I ended the month having added just 8 species - 4 of these at my feeders! March will be better. Early migrants will turn up, at least in the southern parts of the state and Spring Break will allow me some time to get outdoors. I will aim to reach 190 by the end of the month.