January 12th and 14th: Warblers and Ducks

Wintering warblers and ducks often highlight January in Maricopa County.  They do in other Arizona counties, I'm just speaking on behalf of my home county right now, cause I haven't had much time to travel elsewhere.  Over the last few days I've seen some cool birds, and one duck in particular was a big highlight.

January 12th, Gilbert Water Ranch:  I went to Gilbert Water Ranch after work on the 12th.  I had five targets:  Greater Scaup (which was new for GWR for me), Rufous-backed Robin, Chestnut-sided Warbler, American Redstart, and Northern Parula.  It didn't take me long to find four of my targets, with the missing one being the Rufous-backed Robin.  I photographed the Scaup and Redstart, and didn't quite have the patience to attempt photos at Chestnut-sided Warbler and Northern Parula.  The latter two mentioned stayed high in thick cottonwood and willow foliage.  My friend Melissa Okimoto joined me for the Rufous-backed Robin search, and we couldn't locate the elusive bird.  In two hours of birding at Gilbert, a variety of other birds were included beyond the targets.  It's always a classically fun place to bird.  Here are some photos of the Greater Scaup and American Redstart.

Today on January 14th, I went to Lake Pleasant after I got off of work.  My primary target here was an adult male Barrow's Goldeneye that Steve Hosmer found a few days ago.  There have also been Horned Grebes, Common Loon, and a flock of four Surf Scoters present on the lake.  When I got to Lake Pleasant, I ran into Moe Bertrand and Louis Hoeniger as they were looking at the Barrow's Goldeneye.  I was relieved the Barrow's was present.  I spent half the time birding with Moe and Louis, and we spotted some good birds.  The Surf Scoters eluded me less than two hours after Moe and Louis got to see them.  My sole reason for going was for the Barrow's Goldeneye.  It is a freaking awesome bird.  It was also my third Barrow's Goldeneye for Maricopa County.  When I get Maricopa County birds for the first time, I love to document them for the memory.  The previous two Barrow's Goldeneyes were both distant for my camera and I couldn't get pictures.  One of them was an adult male I discovered, also at Lake Pleasant.  As soon as I got in photographic range, he took off and wasn't seen again.  This one finally gave me that chance at the first Barrow's I've been able to get documentary photos of in Maricopa County.  It was awesome, and was a huge highlight for me early into this 2018.  And quite oddly, he hangs out with a flock of female Common Goldeneye..

Flashy Ducks and a Very Rare Mexican Flycatcher

Today on December 1st, 2013, I set out to bird with my two friends, Mark Ochs and Gordon Karre.  We decided to go up to the area of the Lower Colorado River and bird the areas of the Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Havasu.  There are fantastic birds found in this area on an annual basis, and the three of us were determined to find those special species.  The three of us are also known as the Phoenician Kingbirds.

Our morning started out at the overlooks of the Bill Williams National Wildife Refuge that overlook the Colorado River.  Waterbirds are abundant here.  Gulls...Waterfowl....Loons....Grebes....just to name a few.  The ABA rare Blue-footed Booby has even been here for a few months, which we all saw earlier this year.  While we were looking for a few key ducks that we were after for our year and life lists, that Blue-footed Booby happened to fly right by us.  It flew by before I could get my camera out, but it was sure awesome to see the species for the second time this year!

One of our main birds was the stunning Barrow's Goldeneye.  This was a lifer for Gordon and a year bird for Mark and me.  Also, this was only my second time ever of seeing this species, so it was a thrill.  This is the one area in Arizona where Barrow's Goldenye is reliably found in the state.  It is rare elsewhere, and I don't expect to find a stray in Maricopa anytime soon!

Barrow's Goldeneye

And also, there are plenty of Common Goldeneyes around too!  It's a common sight here to see both drakes of the two species side-by-side.

This area is also the best place in the state to see flocks of Greater Scaup, which are rare but also annual throughout the rest of Arizona.  But at the Bill Williams, the Greaters are a guarantee at this time of the year!

Greater Scaup

At the Bill Williams, we also found two White-winged Scoters as well as four Surf Scoters.  The Scoters were very distant and way too distant for pictures, but it was awesome being able to see them.  The group of four Surf Scoters had two stunning adult males in the group, which was the first time I've seen an adult male Surf Scoter!  And here are two of the Phoenician Kingbirds...

After scanning the river and coming away with a flashy booby and ducks, we drove back on a rough road called Planet Ranch Road.  Mark forgot the name of the road, and commonly called it the Planet of the Apes Road.  The road and massive riparian and wetland habitat in the area is part of the Wildlife Refuge also.  After two miles of driving on the road, we came to a stop and got out at a location that is named Mosquito Flats.  It is appropriately named, as the horrible insect terrors are abundant and fiercely aggressive to the worst degree.  We kept our distance by staying on the road, but sometimes at the Flats, that simply isn't enough.  As we got out of the car, we listened for a very rare bird we were hoping to see and hear during our time on Planet Ranch.

This rare bird is a Flycatcher, a Mexican Flycatcher named Nutting's.  My friends Lauren Harter and David Vander Pluym were wandering around one day in 2011 when they heard the distinctive "wheep" call of the Nutting's Flycatcher.  They tracked down this bird, and were able to record it's song, as well as get a few great snapshots.  The Nutting's Flycatcher then became a cooperative celebrity for many birders for months.  Then, David and Lauren discovered a second Nutting's, and then, found a few young Nutting's to confirm that the birds have taken residence here and have bred!  It was a remarkable find, one of the best in the history of Arizona Birding.  Since the fall of 2011, there has been a Nutting's Flycatcher here.  Mark, Gordon, and I came today, hoping to hear and see the bird.  Mark and I have seen it before (me once), and Gordon was hoping to get it for his life bird.  We quickly heard the loud "wheep" call from the Nutting's, but weren't able to get on the bird because it stayed though in it's thick habitat.  After searching and hearing it call a few times, Gordon then turned around only to see the Nutting's Flycatcher right behind us on the opposite side of the road we were thinking that it was going to be on.  The Flycatcher gave us a great show, one that we thought was too good to hope for!

Nutting's Flycatcher

Now, the Nutting's Flycatcher is considered to be a Code 5 for the ABA, which is the rarest of birds for North America.  It is part of the genus of flycatchers known as Myiarchus, which it is very similar in appearance to other flycatchers in the genus, such as the Ash-throated Flycatcher.  Although the flycatchers in this genus are very similar visually, they all differ significantly in their voice.  The Nutting's is no different, which voice is the best clue to it's identification.  With careful study, most Myiarchus flycatchers can be identified visually.  For the Nutting's, other than voice, it is smaller than the similar Ash-throated Flycatcher.  It has a brighter yellow on it's belly, yellowish coloring on it's secondaries, brown face, small bill, and no dark bottom "hook" on the bottom of it's tail feathers (which an Ash-throated Flycatcher would have).

This is just the first half of the day of birding in this area!  Stay tuned for part 2!