Bakersfield

Traveling in FNT to San Jose my wife and I spent the evening of Saturday May 14^th in Bakersfield. As we approached the city I remembered that it held a parrot species and shortly before sunset we went out and saw a bunch of Rose-ringed Parakeets at a local park. We were also fortunate to see a Cedar Waxwing flock too.

Around Town

In the last month of the spring semester I made a number of visits looking for new arrivals and catching up with some birds I had missed. Having given up on Red Crossbills after many tries I finally caught up with a pair at the Walnut Canyon ponds on April 7^th; on the 24^th I had another Franklin’s Gull at this site and on April 26^th my FOY Spotted Sandpiper.

A Downy Woodpecker visited our yard on April 9^th and Black-headed Grosbeaks were first heard on April 24^th. We were still enjoying flocks of up to 40 Evening Grosbeaks through the month of April. I watched for the arrival of Cliff Swallows at the NAU Field House and they finally showed on April 19^th. On May 10^th I had an Orange-crowned Warbler in a juniper outside the Adel Math Building.

I had much less luck with migrants at Kachina this year than in 2015, because the muddy pond was wetter than the previous year and attracted no waders. Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Common Yellowthroats both arrived on dates that seemed quite normal.

I finally ran into Pinyon Jays on April 16^th, while chasing after Bonaparte’s Gulls which came and went at Ashurst Lake through the month. I managed to hear Red-faced Warblers singing on the Elden Creek Trail and a Plumbeous Warbler singing our by the Purple Martin place on Old Walnut Canyon road. I had a Zone-tailed Hawk overhead that day too, but the Purple Martins were not in by May 8^th

Verde Valley

On Saturday May 7^th I headed off the rim with Phyllis and Sue for a double celebration – Rich and Nanette’s 150^th yard bird and an event at Page Springs honoring Anita following many years of hard work.

Rich and Nanette’s feeding station continues to grow and we were treated to Bullock’s, Hooded and Scott’s Orioles and a Summer Tanager as well as a Yellow Warbler singing high in the trees above and Lark Sparrows in the field behind their property. 

While we waited – in a crowd of 80 – for the dedication of the Ramada in Anita’s name and a refreshed trail with new signs we had Western Kingbirds and a Western Tanager, while common Black-Hawks, an Osprey and a Bald eagle put on an aerial show.

A short stop at the Verde River yielded a Brown-crested Flycatcher, Bank Swallow, Yellow-breasted Chat and a small flock of Brewer’s Blackbirds.