Having negotiated a deadline at work and with snow on the ground in Flagstaff, n Saturday November 5th I decided to chase a Red-throated Loon that had been seen at Rotary Park in Lake Havasu City. I left around noon giving me an hour and a half before sunset to find the bird. No luck! The complete species list from 90 minutes of scanning the lake was: Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Western Grebe, Mallard, Ruddy Duck, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, American Coot, Ring-billed Gull, Bonaparte's Gull, Morning Dove and Great-tailed Grackle. Two Bonaparte's Gulls were cooperative for a while. They had been drawn to the shore by an eccentric couple - they had a cat on a leash - who fed a whole loaf of bread to the coot/ducks/gull, although the Bonapartes stayed at the fringes and did not join the fracas.
I returned to the lake on Sunday morning for a further hour of scanning the water. It was a cool 45 degrees and quiet (no motorboats.) Sitting on the beach with the water lapping against the shore was very peaceful although I saw little of interest.
I was back home by 11:00 and within an hour or so had two good yard birds - my first Red-naped Sapsucker of the season and a flock of Bushtits, a species that rarely visit my yard.
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| Red-naped Sapsucker |
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