The month of December was memorable for the first Rosy-finches in Arizona since 2000. I was worried that I was going to miss out as most of the local birders headed to see them as soon as they were found, while I was tied to my desk during Finals Week. Luckily Chuck was going back for another look and I went with him and John Coons to see the birds on Friday December 14th. We had our first glimpse of the flock of about 80 birds at 8:30, and had to wait until 10:00 before they returned to feed for about half an hour. They disappeared for about an hour before giving us our closest views - some within 6 feet. The flock consisted of 2 Black-crowneds with the rest Blacks.
The next day I headed towards Tucson where I was to pick up my son from the airport. I spent Saturday night in Casa Grande, and spent 3 hours on Sunday December 16th on the Santa Cruz Flats. Luck was very much with me and I added 5 species for the year in that time. My first stop was at Sunland Gin and Pearce where dozens of Black Vultures and Crested Caracaras had been seen recently. I only had 3 and 1 respectively, but that was good enough for my year list. I then drove down Greene Reservoir Road where I had flushed a Prairie Falcon which was perched close to the road, and then shortly afterwards had a Ferruginous Hawk fly by. That was 4 year-bird raptors in about half an hour! A stop at the sod farm, a place where I had not always been lucky, yielded 56 Mountain Plovers actively feeding on the brightest green. On Monday December 17th my son and I went to Reid Park where we ran into a Cassin's Kingbird on route to a stake-out spot for a Greater Pewee that my son noticed in the pines near the playground.
The following day my son noticed a Brown Creeper on my feeder, my first in Arizona for 2019. This bird, and a sometimes a second one, were daily visitors after that.
On my only California trip earlier in the month I went to Shoreline Park - to add Barrow's Goldeneye to my Santa Clara list - and walked the dyke between Salt Pond A1 and Charleston Slough where over 5000 Northern Shovelers were the highlight. The following day, Saturday December 8th my wife and I walked around he Santa Clara Water District where I again failed to find the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker or Scaly-breasted Munias. I did see a female Purple Finch drinking from a puddle; my only year bird that weekend.
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