After the storm

The storm had moved through by Sunday morning and it was fair to assume that the birds had resumed their northward migration. Nevertheless I went out to the Kachina Village Wetlands to see if anything interesting remained and found a single Marbled Godwit. 

Marbled Godwit

Storm fall out

After a mild and dry winter Flagstaff had been enjoying temperatures in the 60s when snow replaced rain at 6am on Saturday April 26th. Migratory birds took refuge on the ground and the fall out in the area was very good. Sadly I had to work and did not check the sightings page until lunchtime. I went out close to 3pm to see the reported American White Pelicans at the Walnut Canyon Ponds. This was my first record for this species inside city limits.

American White Pelican

While out the wind got up and blew the snow sideways. I drove home in a blizzard with foggy conditions giving a near white-out in places. I did not have another chance to go out and look for some of the other birds seen in the area.

Elden Spring & Kachina Wetlands

I joined a NAAS field trip to Elden Spring on Saturday April 19th and ran into my first warblers and flycatchers of the year. Grace's Warblers, Virginia Warbler's and Spotted Towhees were singing, and we heard the referee's whistle of an Ash-throated Flycatcher - finally seeing a pair of these birds as we reached the pipeline from the St. Moritz trailhead. We also heard but did not see a Plumbeaous Vireo. Insects were out too and we were lucky to find Arizona's state butterfly posing on a juniper.

Spotted Towhee

Two-tailed Swallowtail Butterfly

At the end of the day I headed out for a 45 minute spell at the Kachina Wetlands, seeing many Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds and hearing both Sora and Virginia Rails.