Glendale Recharge Ponds

On Saturday September 24th, I found time to visit the Glendale Recharge Ponds a couple of weeks after a bunch of sightings listing a variety of waders (shorebirds) and in a 105 degree temperature in the early afternoon! Despite the heat, there was a lot to see - Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, Wilson's Phalarope, Least Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, White-faced Ibis and Snowy Egret. An Osprey sailed overhead and a Turkey Vulture sat on the berm.

Waders at the Glendale Recharge Ponds

On Sunday September 25th we spent a couple of hours at the Phoenix Zoo. Bird highlights included Anna's Hummingbird, Northern Mockingbird, Gila Woodpecker, Nashville Warbler, Neotropic Cormorant and a quick look at what was almost certainly a Black-and-White Warbler nuthatching along a branch.

Common Gallinule

Eurasian Starling

Neotropic Cormorant

Lake Havasu

Northern Arizona Audubon's Regional Field Trip to Lake Havasu featured a 4-hour boat trip on Saturday morning, some lake gazing for 4-hours in the afternoon and then 4-hours on Sunday morning in riparian habitat along the Bill Williams River Preserve.

The boat trip yielded good views of the Tricolored Heron, a fly by Sabine's Gull (both in California waters) and a humorous moment on choppy waters where the group got excited about a possible Little Gull on the water. This bird turned out to be an American Avocet floating on the water. Another serengeti moment occured when a young, but close to full size Clark's Grebe clambered on its parent's back before being unceremonously flipped off again.

Clark's Grebe

Forster's Tern

Western Grebe

The afternoon trip wasn't a successful one due to a loud event across from Rotary Park and watercraft everywhere we looked. A quiet sojourn over Mesquite Bay before sunset yielded better views of a Sabine's Gull but not of the hoped-for jaegers.

Sunday morning's walk added many passerines to the trip list, including both Blackpoll and Black-and-White warblers high in a cottonwood. From a viewpoint across the lake we added Caspian Terns to our list but probable Sanderling were too far away for me to call.

We amassed over 70 species on the trip, of which 5 were new for 2011 taking my yearly total to 540. Blackpoll Warbler was a new state bird, my 12th for the year reaching my minimum goal for the year.

Switzer Canyon Road

After missing out yesterday, I returned to the spot on Switzer Canyon Road to find the Hooded Warbler. Arriving at 11:15 I found Gary already there, armed with his camera, and with Townsend's, Wilson's and Orange-crowned Warblers in the scrubby boxelders. I did not have to wait too long for the target bird to arrive, although he gave me just short glimpses in his first visit to the area. A little while later, after Ken had joined us I got to enjoy better, longer looks at the bird.

Thus was my 535th species for the year. I have just eight more to reach 300 species in the US in 2011.

Mormon Lake

On Saturday September 10th, I joined a Northern Arizona Audubon field trip to Mormon Lake. We spent an hour at the old overlook, twenty minutes at the new overlook and then an hour-and-a-half on the bluff road. The lake itself had many White-faced Ibis and American Avocet and 8 Greater White-fronted Geese. There were also many Elk on the lake and on the move because of a number of bow hunters in the area.

Elk

The bluff road yielded 5 warbler species, Gray and Dusky Flycatcher, Western Wood Pewee and a Gray Vireo. A Northern Harrier hunting the lake edge was one of five raptors seen.

Late in the day I went looking for a Hooded Warbler that had been present along Switzer Canyon Road since midweek. I had Wilson's and Nashville Warblers, saw more Lewis's Woodpeckers than I've seen in this part of town for a while but not the bird I was chasing.

I added 2 new species for 2011, the first of these took me to my target of 250 Arizona birds for the year. I ended the day on 534 for the year.

Wickenburg

We celebrated Labor Day Weekend  with an overnight trip to Wickenburg for an evening herping and a morning at the Hassayampa River Preserve.

Lesser Nighthawks were the only night bird on the herping trip. Despite rainy days in Flagstaff, the Wickenburg area has been exceptionally dry this year and apparently the toads have not surfaced this year: We did not see a single Couch's Spadefoot toad in an area where there can be hundreds.We had timed our trip perfectly to see young-of-the-year Mojave Rattlesnakes and were lucky enough to see a Kit Fox. In addition we saw a few Merriam's Kangaroo Rats, some Desert Pocket Mice, a Coyote and a Common Kingsnake.

Mojave Rattlesnake

At Hassayampa on Sunday Morning, September 4th, Black-chinned, Anna's and Rufous Hummingbirds were abundant at the feeders, and both the Palm Lake Loop and dry wash was quite birdy. As expected Zebra-tailed, Desert Spiny and Western Whiptail Lizards were abundant.

I added one new species for the year to end on 532.

Zebra-tailed Lizard

Rufous Hummingbird

August Recap

August was a very disappointing month for me. A new position meant that I started back at work on August 1st and did not really bird until the last weekend! I added just a single species for the year! I did attend Pam's 100th Yardie celebration on August 13th and got to enjoy 8 Lewis's Woodpeckers at one time and a Pinyon Jay show! The only other interesting bird moment was a trio of Common Nighthawks hunting at 6pm around the junction of Switzer and Turquoise on Wednesday August 10th.

Winslow

On Saturday August 27th, I led a Northern Arizona Audubon Field Trip to Winslow, meeting up with an AZFO group at La Posada. We scoured the trees for about an hour finding Yellow, MacGillivray's, Wilson's, Black-throated Gray and Virginia's Warblers, Warbling Vireo and western Wood Pewee. We then moved onto McHood State Park where we fund high water levels but nevertheless found Semi-palmated Plovers, Spotted and Least Sandpipers on the shoreline and sandbars and a Peregrine over the Marsh.

I added one new species to end the day on 531 for the year. 

June and July Recap

Lots of birding in these two months, summarized earlier.

The following mammals were added: Asian Elephant, Sambar, Indian Muntjac, Malayan Porcupine, Asian Palm Civet, Tree Shrew, White-handed Gibbon, Siamang, Long-tailed Macaque, Pig-tailed Macaque, Stump-tailed Macaque, Dusky Leaf-monkey, Banded Leaf-monkey, Prevost's Squirrel, Plaintain Squirrel taking the year's total to 42.

I added House Gecko, Asian Water Monitor, Bengal Monitor, Common Asiatic Toad, Asian Giant Toad and Common Pond Frog  plus species of skink, dragon, frog, tree frog and tortoise! This took my yearly total to 24 named species.

Asian Elephant