A New Set of "Keys"

Recently, I haven't had much time for blogging, but I have had some awesome highlights over the last month and a half.  These have been key species that I have enjoyed.

The best was an adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbird that showed up at Hassayampa River Preserve on July 12th, 2018.  Luckily, I was off that day and didn't go after the Five-striped Sparrows that I was thinking about looking for.  I was sitting at home and being lazy when a report came through that Mary McSparen and Laura Ellis were looking at a Ruby-throated Hummingbird.  Once pictures came through to Caleb that the bird was good, I decided to chase the bird, and I was fortunate to have great looks at it.  In the history of Maricopa County birding, this record represents the first for Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and it is officially the 461st bird for the county list.  Fun stuff!

It wasn't long after that I decided not to make a trip for Five-striped Sparrow that my buddy Walker Noe called me up and suggested an evening jaunt down to Box Canyon to look for Five-striped Sparrows.  We succeeded!  This was only the second time I've seen Five-striped Sparrow, after my first brief sighting was of an individual in Montosa Canyon in 2012.

I recently went up to the White Mountains with my sister Talia and brother-in-law, Tom.  We hiked both Baldy Trails to equal out a 17 mile hike.  Some of those epic White Mountain birds were included in the hike.

On July 25th, I was looking for odes in southeastern Arizona, when a report came in that a Fulvous Whistling-Duck had been found at the Green Valley WWTP while I was close by.  The report came in later in the afternoon, and with the WWTP closing at 4 PM, it didn't give birders too much time for a chase.  My location from Empire Cienaga would put me to the spot at 3:40 P.M.  I was excited to attempt seeing this bird again.  Prior to this chase, I had missed the Whistling Duck four times in Maricopa County, with each one being by a day or less.  When Google Maps took me to the wrong spot this time, I was almost positive it would be the fifth miss in five tries.  I got my crap together and managed to find the right entrance to the WWTP with minutes to spare.  Thanks to Andrew Core, Molly Pollack, Mark Stevenson, and Dave Stesjkal, I was pointed in the right direction while in the fence.  I was able to take one one minute distant look at the duck at 358 PM, and I ran out of the WWTP to be out of the exit gate by 4.  It was frustrating because I really wanted to see the bird longer.  But it was good to finally see this species.  And an official lifer at that!

Another trip to southeastern Arizona was taken because of a Yellow-green Vireo down along the Santa Cruz River.  For the third time in my birding life, I struck out on Yellow-green Vireo.  A Green Kingfisher flying along the river was an awesome consolation.  On my way back, I got to stop at that Green Valley WWTP again and enjoy the Fulvous Whistling-Duck for 40 minutes.  This observation was much longer, and better too...