Starting Fresh — 2012
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The new year has arrived like a lamb — beautiful spring-like weather and lots of great birds around. It hasn’t taken long for some rare birds to show up either. My New Year’s birding resolution for 2012 is to concentrate on adding new birds to my lists — no more “year-bird” listing as it just wastes too much gas and really, what’s the point? I plan to spend more time “quality” birding and less time scrambling around trying to get the same birds, year after year, on a list. If I stumble upon a new bird, it will be all the more rewarding to have found it myself.
So, with no target birds in mind, I went to Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area on January 3 where I got to see the American Bittern again, this time in much better light and circumstances. It was stealthily making its way through the reeds to the edge of the water, oblivious to a small group of humans happily watching. Still as a statue, it patiently waited for unsuspecting minnows to swim by and when one did, the bittern struck.
You can see from the photos below that spotting a bittern, well-camouflaged to match the surrounding vegetation, can be difficult.
American Bittern (Botarus lentiginosus)
Out in full view!
A Minnow Appetizer
Another bird, uncommonly seen in this area, is the Swamp Sparrow. Luckily for us, on the same pond where the bittern was fishing, one popped out in the open giving us nice views.
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)
The biggest attraction at Whitewater from November through March is the Sandhill Crane extravaganza and this would not be a complete report without a few photos of a few of the thousands of cranes that congregate here. No matter how many times you witness it, you can’t wait to return again and again.
Landing Gear Down
Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis)
If you go to Whitewater, you should plan on at least one trip late in the day. That way you can witness the hundreds of Yellow-headed Blackbirds flying in from the fields to spend the night in the safety of the marsh. It’s quite a spectacle to watch the black cloud in the distance approach and then transform into hordes of blackbirds (including a few Red-winged Blackbirds) noisily landing in the reeds.
Yellow-headed Blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
As the sun sets and the marsh becomes enshrouded in shadow,the cattails take on a frosted appearance.
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
Whitewater Draw WA, in the Sulphur Springs Valley of Cochise County is a very special place!
Published by Arlene Ripley on January 8th, 2012 Tagged Arizona, Birds, Cochise County, Nature, Sparrows, Wanderings | 3 Comments »Wrapping Up 2011
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It’s hard to believe 2011 has only one more day before we ring in another year so this will be my last blog post for the year (unless a flamingo shows up in my yard tomorrow!).
December 2011 has proven to be quite amazing bird-wise, so let me recap some of the adventures we’ve had this month.
The rarities continued with the Winter Wren at San Pedro RNCA (and another miss for the Green Kingfisher — will 2012 be the year?) and then the Cave Swallow in Tucson. Then it was back to Tucson a few days later for a pair of Horned Grebes near the Reid Park Golf Course.
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
Sightings of a Golden-crowned Kinglet at Parker Canyon Lake in Cochise County along with a couple of Common Goldeneyes added two new state birds to my growing list.
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)
Then, the planned trip to the Lake Havasu area and the surprise birdlist posting read in the car as we were on our way there — a Nutting’s Flycatcher near Parker Lake!!! I didn’t expect any more life birds this year but got lucky. This bird, up from Mexico, represents the fourth state record and there may even be a second one very near the area where this one was found.
Nutting’s Flycatcher Location
Nutting’s Flycatcher (Myiarchus nuttingi)
The rest of the flycatcher photos can be seen on my Flickr site: http://flic.kr/p/aZUUri.
This was our first visit to the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge and we found it to be a place of incredible beauty. The drive up Planet Ranch Road to the Nutting’s Flycatcher site was full of contrasts with colorful bluffs, a mixture of Sonoran and Mohave desert vegetation which descended down slope to the river basin lined, at this time of the year, with colorful cottonwoods and tamarisk.
Scenery along Planet Ranch Road
After finding the flycatcher, we spent most of the rest of the day at the Bill Williams River NWR Visitor Center area which has a great trail that juts out for a half mile into Parker Lake. This is a perfect location to observe ducks, gulls, and other waterbirds. Most abundant were the grebes — Clark’s Grebes far outnumbered Western Grebes and were very vocal. Occasionally one would dive and come up with a small fish in its bill. Clark’s Grebe differs from Western Grebe in that the eye area is surrounded by white feathers rather than black, shown well in the photos below. In southwest Arizona, neither grebe is common but Clark’s is much more rare.
Clark’s Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii)
In addition, new state birds for me on this trip were Red-throated Loon, Barrow’s Goldeneye, and Surf Scoter, all seen on Parker Lake. A Herring and Mew Gull were seen at Havasu Springs.
Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicilatta)
On the drive home we made a stop at Anthem Community Park (north of Phoenix) to look for the previously reported Rufous-backed Robin and Rusty Blackbird. The robin did not cooperate for photos but the Rusty Blackbird did.
Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)
I really thought my birding year was winding down after this trip, after all there were only a few days left but my luck was still running when I visited a private residence in Willcox (Cochise County) to view the continuing Tennessee Warbler.
Tennessee Warbler (Vermivora peregrina)
Hmm, it never occurred to me to put grapes out in the winter. Might have to give that a try.
Another county bird for the year this week — a Common Gallinule (aka Common Moorhen) at San Pedro NRCA and then a trip to Tucson on 12/29 with a stop at Tanque Verde wash for a quick view of the “Red” Fox Sparrow discovered there a week or so ago. “Red” Fox Sparrows are usually found in the eastern U.S., so finding one here is more notable than the Great Basin/Rocky Mountain race usually seen in this region. No photos of that bird either but here is an example of a “Red” Fox Sparrow taken at my former home in Maryland in 2006.
“Red” Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca)
I really doubt I’ll find anything new here on our property on the one remaining day of the year, but the way this year has gone, you never know.
Published by Arlene Ripley on December 30th, 2011 Tagged Arizona, Birds, Cochise County, Nature, Rare Birds, Sparrows, Tucson, Wanderings | 4 Comments »Lunar Eclipse
Did you catch the lunar eclipse this morning? Here in Arizona we got to see part of it before sunrise. It will be two more years before the next set of lunar eclipses occur.
Lunar Eclipse 12/10/11 6:33 am
…and Two More!
This has been an exceptional fall season for rare birds and just when you think there couldn’t possibly be another one, a couple more show up. There are so many eagle-eyed birders in this part of the country that not much seems to get overlooked and I can’t seem to pass up the temptation to see them for myself.
Yesterday (12/7), I not only got to see another rare bird but a life bird as well. On December 4, a Cave Swallow was found soaring over the lake in Kennedy Park in the south Tucson area. Due to plans already made, I decided to wait until the next scheduled trip to Tucson (not to mention saving fuel and many miles on the car). Fortunately the swallow cooperated and there it was, soaring energetically, as we parked the car at the lake shore. It was hard enough following it around with binoculars, but finding it in the viewfinder of the camera and then hoping the camera was going to actually focus on the small, dart-like object soaring and veering at high-speed, was almost more than I could hope for. It wasn’t that we didn’t get close views — at times it sailed just above our heads or passed directly in front or to our side, often just a few feet above the ground. The problem was the small size of the bird and speed at which it flew. It never perched on the wires while we were there. I was pleasantly surprised that the camera did manage a few recognizable photos.
Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva)
Cave Swallows and the more common Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are almost identical in appearance and here in the southwest the Mexican race of Cliff Swallow has a dark forehead rather than the expected cream-colored one seen everywhere else thus resembling a Cave Swallow. Juvenile Cliff Swallows may also show a pale throat, although there is usually some dark mottling in the area. Potential Cave Swallow IDs must distinguish between the presence of a dark throat, as seen in Cliff Swallow, or a completely pale throat as in the Cave Swallow. Cave Swallow’s breed in Texas, a small portion of southeastern New Mexico and barely into south Florida returning to Mexico, Central American and the Caribbean in the winter. They are considered “casual” visitors to Arizona.
I also made a little discovery myself as I walked the trails of the San Pedro Riparian NCA, on Monday, 12/5. It was cold and overcast so not the best conditions for photographs, but along the river a small wren was poking around in the vegetation along the water. I shot off as many photos as I could before it retreated deeper into the dark tangles. It turned out to be a Winter Wren (Troglodytes heimalis), not the more expected Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacifica) based on pale throat and white spots on the back. The Pacific Wren would be darker overall. Recently split into two species, the frequency of the (Eastern) Winter Wren in Arizona is still being assessed.
Winter Wren (Troglodytes heimalis)
Next week the Christmas Bird Counts begin and I will be covering my section of the St. David CBC circle. I guess it’s too much to hope for that another rarity is lurking somewhere in the Dragoons waiting to be discovered, but after this fall, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Published by Arlene Ripley on December 8th, 2011 Tagged Arizona, Birds, Nature, Rare Birds, Tucson, Wanderings | 3 Comments »
Rarities Continued…
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If you’ve been wondering why I’ve not been blogging much lately, you can thank the “rarities.” I’ve been so busy tracking down some of the numerous rare birds in Arizona this fall that I’ve been too exhausted to put a post together. Finally, I’m ready.
After a long drive to Casa Grande for the kittiwake on November 5, I didn’t think I’d be making that drive again just two weeks later. As it turns out, the distance was even longer as the next rarity (actually, rarities) was at the Glendale Recharge Ponds northwest of Phoenix. I think I spent about 7 or 8 hours in the car that day! Unfortunately procrastination didn’t pay off and I missed the Glaucous-winged Gull by one day. The Mew Gull, fortunately, remained. Mew Gulls normally winter along the Pacific Coast. They rarely stray inland. There are fewer than 15 records of Mew Gull in Arizona.
Mew Gull (Larus canus), first winter
Mew Gull in Flight
Upon leaving the ponds, a gorgeous Western Grebe popped up so close to the edge of the water that I had to back up to get the whole bird in the frame. The light was exquisite.
Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis)
Two days later found me at Whitewater Draw in the Sulphur Springs Valley. This is the beautiful place where Sandhill Cranes congregate over the winter months. Sandhill numbers at Whitewater are quite low this year due to lack of water in the playa. However, water is being pumped into the basins and more and more sandhills can be seen there now. The highlight of the morning walk for me was finding an American Bittern sequestered in the cattails. It’s rare to see bitterns out in the open and this one was between me and the sun so the photo is not the best. Another county bird for me and a rare bird in this area.
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
Less than a week later, another rarity! This bird was also in the Sulphur Springs Valley at a dairy farm pond along Arzberger Road. On 11/27, amidst the waterfowl on the pond, a Pacific Loon was discovered by birding guide, Richard Fray. I went to look for it a day later.
Faria Dairy Pond, Arzberger Rd., Cochise County
Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica), 11/28/11
After much diving and preening, the loon took a short flight across the pond.
Suddenly it ran across the surface of the water and took flight.
After circling once, it headed south and apparently never returned because it was not reported from there again.
I took a series of photos as it flew off and merged them into this panorama.
As I turned to leave the pond, I noticed a bird on the ground just a few yards away — a Mountain Bluebird! My first of the year and a lovely male engrossed in capturing a grasshopper.
Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides)
The very next day (11/29) I was doing some local birding and discovered a second Pacific Loon in Benson at the San Pedro Golf Course ponds. The view was distant and I was only able to get a semi-decent video of this first-year bird (definitely not the same bird seen the day before at the dairy pond). Wow — a two loon week!
Click on photo for video of Pacific Loon
Since I had to go to Tucson anyway on 11/30, I left home early and drove to SE Tucson to the Avra Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant (do you get the idea that we birders like sewage plants?). Lapland Longspurs had been seen here recently and since it was a state bird for me, and another rarity for this area, I decided to give it a try. The Lapland was quickly found along with a Chestnut-collared Longspur. No photos of these small, distant birds in big fields but I did stop at Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson after that and also easily found the continuing Chestnut-sided Warbler. I’m still amazed at the number of eastern warbler species that find their way to the west.
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica)
November has been quite the month for rare bird sightings here in southeast Arizona!!!
Published by Arlene Ripley on December 4th, 2011 Tagged Arizona, Birds, Cochise County, Nature, Tucson, Wanderings | 1 Comment »